S. number Analyte Analytical instrument used for the detection Method Limit of detection (LOD)# Linearity range Analyzed samples Interference study Supporting media Reference 1 Total Hg CV-AAS and ICP-AES Microwave acid digestion 4.83 × 10−10 M — Fish samples Cadmium and lead also analyzed along with mercury — [7 ] 2 Hg(II) CV-AAS Preconcentration 1.79 × 10−10 M — Water and human hair Recovery of Hg2+ is in the range of 95.6–104.9% in presence of Cu2+ , Co2+ , Zn2+ , Ni2+ , Cd2+ , Mn2+ , Ba2+ , Pb2+ , Fe3+ , Cr3+ , Al3+ , Ag+ , K+ , Na+ , 2+ , and Ca2+ ions, from 750 to 2500-fold Dithizone [8 ] 3 Total Hg CV-AAS Ultrasound extraction 6.98 × 10−11 M — Alcohol vinegar — — [9 ] 4 Total Hg CV-AAS SPE1 4.98 × 10−11 M Rice, canned fish, and tea leaves The tolerance limit for Na+ , K+ , Mg2+ , and Ca2+ is 4000-fold, for Ba2+ and Zn2+ is 40-fold, for Fe3+ , Cr3+ , Co2+ , and Ni2+ is 10-fold, and for Al3+ is 200-fold compared to Hg2+ Fe3 O4 nanoparticles [10 ] 5 Hg(II) CV-AAS SPE 9.97 × 10−12 M Up to 500 μ g L−1 Water samples As, Al, Fe, Mo, and Sb are depressed the Hg signal Carbon nanotubes [11 ] 6 Total Hg CV-AAS Acid digestion 3.6 × 10−9 M — Marine fish — — [12 ] 7 Total Hg CV-AAS Wet digestion 3.0 × 10−9 M — Green tiger shrimp Arsenic also determined along with mercury — [13 ] 8 Total Hg CV-AAS Alkaline fusion digestion 0.06 ng g−1 0.006–4000 ng g−1 Phosphate rock — — [14 ] 9 THg AAS Acid digestion 4.98 × 10−12 M — Fish muscle tissues Cadmium and lead also detected along with mercury — [15 ] 10 Hg(II) CV-AAS SPE 1.19 × 10−11 M 0.01–2.30 μ g L−1 Water samples Fe3+ , Cu2+ , Zn2+ , Cd2+ , Co2+ , and Mn2+ are not interfered up to 5 mg L−1 and 3+ are not interfered up to 1 mg L−1 Polymer supported ionic liquid [16 ] 11 Hg(II) CV-AAS SPE 9.97 × 10−11 M 0.07–2.00 μ g L−1 Water samples Tolerable amount of major metals is limited up to 50 μ g L−1 Polytetrafluoroethylene [17 ] 12 Total Hg CV-AAS Digestion 3.98 × 10−10 M 2.5–10.0 μ g L−1 Biological samples — Cold finger [18 ] 13 Total Hg CV-AAS Combustion 2.99 × 10−13 M — Water and fish Arsenic and selenium also determined along with mercury — [19 ] 14 Total Hg AAS Amalgamation 0.2 ng/g for hair and 0.02 ng/g for blood — Hair and blood samples Arsenic and selenium also determined along with mercury — [20 ] 15 Total Hg CV-AAS (total Hg) and GC-ICPMS (MeHg) Cold-vapor reduction with NaBH4 5.98 × 10−11 M (total Hg) and 2.3 × 10−9 M (MeHg) — Blood of birds Selenium also determined along with mercury and methylmercury — [21 ] 16 Total Hg and MeHg CV-AAS (total Hg) and CV-AFS (MeHg) Digestion 0.03–0.1 ng/g — Fish, vegetables, and mushrooms Selenium and cadmium also determined with mercury species — [22 ] 17 Hg speciation CV-AAS (total Hg) and CV-AFS (MeHg) Acid digestion — Water samples — — [23 ] 18 Hg speciation CV-AAS LLME2 1.49 × 10−10 M (Hg2+ ) and −9 M (MeHg) 0.5–100 ng mL−1 Water samples and CRMs The recovery of Hg2+ in presence of foreign ions is 95–105 and for MeHg is 96–106% — [24 ] 19 Total Hg GF-AAS Acid mineralization 6.97 × 10−11 M — Fish muscle samples — Copper nitrate [25 ] 20 GEM AAS Ambient air — — [26 ] 21 Total Hg CV-AAS Acid digestion 0.0006 μ g g−1 — Freshwater fish samples — Stannous chloride [27 ] 22 Total Hg AAS Combustion 0.01 ng — Soil samples Interference of various heavy metals was overcome by using sample pretreatment — [28 ] 23 Hg speciation AAS (THg) and ICP-MS-HPLC (MeHg) Hydride generation 5.33 × 10−14 M 20 μ g L−1 Fish samples Cd, Pb, As, and Sn also measured along with Hg — [29 ] 24 THg HG-AAS Hydride generation 98.4% (accuracy) — Irrigation water wells Along with mercury Pb, Cd, and Al Cr also measured — [30 ] 25 THg CV-AAS and AAS Thermal decomposition and amalgamation 1.34 × 10−9 M (TD-amalgamation AAS) and 3.14 × 10−9 M (CV-AAS), — Soil samples — — [31 ] 26 Total Hg speciation HV-AAS and Extraction — — Aqueous solutions and fish tissue — Multiwalled carbon nanotubes [32 ] 27 Total Hg CV-AAS (DMA) Microwave oven digestion — — Canned fish Selenium and tin also measured along with mercury — [33 ] 28 THg AMA (AAS) AAS principles and without digestion process — — Fish red muscle and — — [34 ] 29 THg AES LIBS and SIBS 2 × 10−3 M (LIBS) and 9.97 × 10−5 M (SIBS) Soil samples
At 534.074 nm has less spectral interference — [35 ] 30 Hg speciation CV-AFS Extraction 1.0 (total Hg) and 0.01 MeHg ng g−1 — Sea water and sediments — — [36 ] 31 Hg speciation CV-AFS Extraction 0.01 × 10−12 M (Hg0 ) and 0.002 × 10−12 M (DM Hg) — Sea waters — — [37 ] 32 Total Hg CV-AFS Microwave assisted digestion 3.98 × 10−13 M — Nuts Interference of fat in nuts is removed by treatment with chloroform and methanol — [38 ] 33 Hg(II) AFS Fluorescence optical sensor 9.57 × 10−12 M
2.27 × 10−11 –1.13 × 10−3 M Human hair, urine, and Most of the alkali, alkaline, and transition metal ions did not interfere in the determination of Hg2+ N-(2-Hydroxy phenyl)-N-(2-mercapto phenyl)-o-phthalylidene [39 ] 34 GEM CV-AFS Gold amalgamation 0.0002 ng — Total suspended particulates — QFF (quartz fiber filters) [40 ] 35 MeHg AAS and CV-AFS Acid digestion 0.005 μ g/g — Water, soil, sediments, and foodstuffs — — [41 ] 36 Total Hg CV-AFS Microwave assisted digestion 0.5 ng g−1 — Sediments — Sequential injection system [42 ] 37 Total Hg CV-AFS Acid digestion 0.48 ng g−1 — Rice Interference of other metal ions is eliminated by acid wash and kept storage of samples for 24 h Multisyringe flow injection analysis [43 ] 38 Hg speciation HPLC-AFS UV-induced atomization 1.9 × 10−9 (Hg2+ ), 1.9 × 10−9 (MeHg), and 2.0 × 10−9 (EtHg) M CRMs — — [44 ] 39 Hg(II) UV-AFS SPE 1.49 × 10−13 –3.98 × 10−13 M 1–5000 ng L−1 Natural waters 10 mg L−1 of Fe2+ , Fe3+ , Cu2+ , Pb2+ , and As3+ and 10 g L−1 of Na+ , K+ , and Ca2+ did not interfere in the determination of 100 ng L−1 of Hg2+ Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate [45 ] 40 Hg(II) AFS Micro-SPE 5.98 × 10−11 M Up to 5 μ g L−1 Water samples — Mesofluidic platform [46 ] 41 Hg speciation EX-AFS 0.5 ng g−1 (total Hg) — Waste calcines — — [47 ] 42 Hg speciation CV-AFS Extraction ~0.5 pg — Atmospheric air — PTFE filter papers [48 ] 43 MeHg GC-AFS SPE 12 ng g−1 Up to 1.5 ng mL−1 Biological samples — — [49 ] 44 Hg speciation HPLC-AFS Liquid-liquid microextraction 1.54 × 10−10 (Hg2+ ), 7.42 × 10−11 (MeHg), 1.045 × 10−10 (EtHg), and 3.31 × 10−10 M (PhHg)
0.0–20 μ g L−1 Environmental waters No interference from other metal ions 1-Octyl-3-meth-l imidazolium hexafluorophosphate [50 ] 45 MeHg CV-AFS Extraction 0.515 ng g−1 — Petroleum — TMAH3 , KOH/CH3 OH, HCl, and acidic CuSO4 /KBr [51 ] 46 GEM CV-AFS — — — Ambient air — — [52 ] 47 Hg(II) AFS Fluorescence
0.07 −6 M 0.1–4.5 μ M Aqueous solutions Longer excitation and emission wavelength could shield the interference Fe3 O4 magnetic nanoparticles [53 ] 48 Hg speciation CV-AFS Thermal decomposition — — Fish liver Method validity is tested with CRM — [54 ] 49 THg AFS — <4.98 × 10−12 M — Snow — K2 Cr2 O7 /SnCl2 [55 ] 50 Atmospheric Hg CV-AFS Extraction — — Particulate matter — — [56 ] 51 THg CV-AFS Flow injection mercury system — — Herbal products — Protease papain [57 ] 52 Hg speciation LC-UV-CV-AFS Microwave digestion 4.98 × 10−12 (total Hg), 1.39 × 10−12 (MeHg), and 1.99 × 10−12 (Hg2+ ) M — Sea food Simultaneously determined both Hg(II) and MeHg — [58 ] 53 MeHg and total Hg CV-AAS Digestion 0.088 (MeHg) and 0.005 (total Hg) μ g g−1 — Hair and milk of mothers — — [59 ] 54 Hg(II) ICP-MS Microfluidic 3.49 × 10−10 M 0.2–4.0 μ g L−1 Aqueous samples The recovery of Hg2+ in the presence of 100 μ g L−1 of Ca2+ , Cd2+ , Co2+ , Cr3+ , Cu2+ , K+ , Mg2+ , Na+ , Ni2+ , Pb2+ , and Zn2+ is in the range of 97.5–101.7% Gold nanoparticles [60 ] 55 Total Hg ICP-MS Acid digestion 0.053–0.01 μ g g−1 — Pharmaceutical ingredients Low residual carbon content in digests is desirable to minimize some interference — [61 ] 56 Hg(II) ICP-MS Adsorption — — Wastewaters — Multiwalled carbon nanotubes [62 ] 57 Hg(II) ICP-OES Extraction 1.49 × 10−11 M — Fish samples Selective in presence of Na+ , K+ , Cs+ , Ca2+ , Mg2+ , Zn2+ , Fe2+ , Cu2+ , Co2+ , Ni2+ , Mn2+ , Cd2+ , and Pb2+ into 1 mg L−1 solutions of Hg(II) in pH 8 Ion imprinted polymer [63 ] 58 Total Hg CV-ICP-MS Microwave digestion 3 ng g−1 — Plants and soil — — [64 ] 59 Total Hg ICP-MS Microwave assisted digestion — — Rice — — [65 ] 60 GEM CV-ICP-MS Thermal analysis 20 × 10−15 g — Atmospheric particulates — — [66 ] 61 Hg(II) and MeHg HPLC-ICPMS HF-LPME4 5.48 × 10−10 (Hg2+ ) and 1 × 10−9 (MeHg) M Up to 50 μ g L−1 Tap, river, and estuarine waters Simultaneously selenium also determined along with mercury — [67 ] 62 Hg speciation ICP-MS Ion exchange chromatography 9.47 × 10−11 (Hg2+ ), 1.25 × 10−10 (MeHg), 1.35 × 10−10 (EtHg), and 7.92 × 10−10 (PhHg) M 0.1–100 μ g L−1 (all Hg species) Sea water and marine fish — L-Cysteine or thiourea [68 ] 63 Hg speciation GC-ICP-MS Preconcentration 27 (Hg2+ ) and 12 ng g−1 (MeHg) — Human hair — — [69 ] 64 Total Hg MC-ICPMS Isotope ratio analysis 0.1–0.2 disintegrations per minute — Sediment core Mercury and mercury isotope compositions are determined — [70 ] 65 Hg(II) and MeHg CVG-ICP-MS Extraction 1.7 (Hg(II)) and 2.3 ng g−1 (MeHg) — Fish samples — — [71 ] 66 MeHg, Hg(II), and HPLC-CV-ICPMS Extraction and separation 5.98 × 10−11 (Hg(II)), 2.17 × 10−11 (EtHg), and 1.8 × 10−8 (MeHg) M — Plasma/serum samples — — [72 ] 67 Total Hg ICP-MS Microwave assisted digestion — — Freshwater fish samples — — [73 ] 68 Total Hg ICP-MS Isotope dilution and UV-photochemical vapor generation 0.5 pg g−1 — Biological tissues Polyatomic interference is not detectable Formic acid [74 ] 69 Total Hg ICP-MS Calcination-isotope dilution 2 × 10−15 M — Diploria specimensNo isobaric interference was found — [75 ] 70 Hg speciation ICP-MS Anion exchange chromatographic separation 3.98 × 10−11 (Hg2+ ), 1.11 × 10−10 (MeHg), 1.26 × 10−10 (EtHg), and 1.22 × 10−10 (PhHg) M — Fish samples — 3-Mercapto-1-propanesulfonate [76 ] 71 Total Hg ICP-MS Ultrasonic slurry sampling electrothermal vaporization 0.2 ng g−1 — Herbal samples As, Cd, and Pb also determined along with Hg 8-Hydroxyquinoline [77 ] 72 Total Hg ICP-MS Electrothermal vaporization 5.98 × 10−11 M — Water associated with crude oil production By preconcentration of analyte interference is avoided — [78 ] 73 THg ICP-MS Isotope dilution equation 4.98 −11 M for THg 0.0005–1.321 mg/kg for MeHg Arctic cod — — [79 ]
