Characterization of Arsenic Biotransformation Products from an Open Anaerobic Degradation of Fucus distichus by Hydride Generation Gas Chromatography Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and High Performance Liquid Chromatography Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

This work reports on the isolation and determination of biotransformation products obtained from the organoarsenic compounds\udthat are present in Fucus distichus when it was subjected to an open anaerobic decomposition by using the Hydride Generation Gas\udChromatography Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HG-GC-AAS) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography Inductively\udCoupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). The seaweed and filtrate residues obtained from the open anaerobic\uddegradation procedure were extracted in methanol and partitioned in phenol-ether-water mixtures to obtain water soluble extracts.\udThe water soluble extracts were cleaned up and separated on a gel permeation Sephadex G15 column. Arsenic species concentrations\udwere determined by using HG-GC-AAS. Final characterization of the biotransformation isolates was carried out on HPLC-ICP-MS.\udOnly two arsenic species, 2-dimethylarsinoyl ethanol (DMAE) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA), were positively identified in the\udwater soluble extract of the marine brown algae. The two arsenic species are strong intermediate candidates in the biosynthesis of\udarsenobetaine from oceanic arsenate in marine food webs