ABSTRACT
Large amounts of arsenic enter the environment each year because of the use of arsenic compounds in agriculture and industry as pesticides and wood preservatives. The main amount is used as inorganic arsenic (arsenite, arsenate) and about 30% as organoarsenicals such as monomethylarsinate and dimethylarsinite. Arsenic is known to be relatively easily transformed between organic and inorganic forms in different oxidation states by biological and chemical action. Until recently, most of the analytical work has been concerned only with the total content of arsenic. But as the toxicity and biological activity of the different species vary considerably, information about the chemical form is of great importance in environmental analysis.
