Comparative study of organic Cd and Zn complexation in lake waters – seasonality, depth and pH dependence

Sylvia Sander; Léticia Ginon; Barry Anderson; Keith A. Hunter

doi:10.1071/EN07053

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Comparative study of organic Cd and Zn complexation in lake waters – seasonality, depth and pH dependence

Sylvia Sander ^A ^B , Léticia Ginon ^A , Barry Anderson ^A and Keith A. Hunter ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Marine and Freshwater Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.

^B Corresponding author. Email: sylvias@chemistry.otago.ac.nz

Environmental Chemistry 4(6) 410-423 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN07053
Submitted: 13 August 2007 Accepted: 6 November 2007 Published: 6 December 2007

Environmental context. The bioavailability of trace metals such as zinc and cadmium strongly depends on what chemical form they are in, and not simply on the total metal concentration. Zinc is an essential micronutrient, whereas cadmium is extremely toxic, but when they occur in the same environment there is potential for the two metals to compete for the same biological binding sites. In this study we have studied the trends in Cd and Zn complexation in three alpine lakes in New Zealand. We conclude that, although the total concentration of cadmium is much lower than that of zinc and copper, it bares the highest risk of toxicity for organisms.

Abstract. The variation with depth, pH dependence, seasonal variability and selectivity of strong, natural organic cadmium and zinc-binding ligands from three New Zealand alpine lakes (Hayes, Manapouri and Hauroko) have been investigated. Competitive ligand equilibration–cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-CSV) with APDC (ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate) was used to measure the ligand complexation by Zn²⁺ and anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) for complexation of Cd²⁺. In all lakes, the total dissolved cadmium concentration [Cd_T] averaged 0.040 nM (standard deviation σ = 0.114), while the average concentration of Cd-binding ligands [L_Cd] was 5.17 ± 1.79 nM (1σ), with conditional stability constants relative to free Cd²⁺, log K′_Cd²⁺L′, that ranged from 7.92 at depth to 10.58 at the surface. Calculated concentrations of the free aquo ion [Cd²⁺] averaged 0.0147 ± 0.0616 nM (1σ), and showed a higher percentage of Cd complexed by strong ligands in the summer and in surface waters. The selectivity of cadmium-binding organic ligands was low, and ligand-bound Cd²⁺ was easily displaced by Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺. Total dissolved zinc concentrations [Zn_T] were highly variable, and ranged from 1.04 to 10.94 nM. The corresponding ligand concentrations of strong zinc-binding ligands [L_Zn] were between 2.14 and 15.52 nM, with conditional stability constants log K′_Zn²⁺L′ as low as 8.78 in deep water collected in summer from Lake Hauroko, up to a maximum of 12.41 at a depth of 5 m in Lake Hayes. The calculated concentrations of the free aquo complex [Zn²⁺] ranged widely between 0.001 and 1.620 nM.

Additional keywords: cadmium, dissolved organic matter, electrochemistry (analysis), speciation, zinc.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant from the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology through collaboration with the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). We thank EcoChemie, Netherlands for donating a μAutolab III used in this work. We also thank Jonathan P. Kim and Paul Meredith for assistance with sampling. We acknowledge the help of Malcolm Reid and Graham Henderson.

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Comparative study of organic Cd and Zn complexation in lake waters – seasonality, depth and pH dependence

Acknowledgements

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