Analysis of metal alloys by second-harmonic phase-selective a.c. voltammetry

Second-harmonic phase-selective a.c. voltammetry and second-harmonic a.c. anodic stripping voltammetry are shown to be particularly suitable for simultaneous determinations of elements having very close half-wave potentials (differences of <50 mV). The technique are applied to real matrices. Samples of standard materials BCS 207/2 Gunmetal, SRM 631 SPectrographic Zinc Spelter and SRM 899 (Nickel-base High-temperature Alloy) were digested with a sulphuric acid/nitric acid mixture; after dissolution, the samples were taken up in hydrochloric acid. After adjustment to 1 mol l^?1 HCl, the solutions were used directly for voltammetric measurements of Pb(II)/Sn (II), Sb(III)/Bi(III), Pb(II)/Tl(I) and In(III)/Cd(II) as appropriate. The confidence intervals of the experimental data were in agreement with the certified values for each element. Both the accuracy, expressed as percentage error, and precision, expressed as relative standard deviation, were better than 5%. The standard addition technique was found to improve the resolution of the a.c. voltammetric peaks even in the case of severe overlapping.     

Continuous wavelet transform and its application to resolving and quantifying the overlapped voltammetric peaks

In order to resolve and quantify the overlapped peaks of voltammetry that can be described by sech²-function, continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is employed. Through CWT by using Marr wavelet, qualitative and quantitative analysis for the mixed solution of Cd(II) and In(III) can be performed from unresolved square wave voltammogram (SWV) and relevant theoretical basis is provided. A new method to construct the baseline for quantitative determination is also proposed. The results of analysis indicate that the overlapped voltammogram can be resolved and quantified effectively, conveniently and satisfactorily via CWT.     

Antimony Film Electrode Prepared In Situ in Hydrogen Potassium Tartrate in Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Trace Detection of Cd(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), Tl(I), In(III) and Cu(II)

An antimony film electrode (SbFE) was prepared in situ on a glassy carbon support and in a new supporting electrolyte, a saturated solution of hydrogen potassium tartrate in which Sb(III) ions were complexed using tartrate. Its performance in anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) determination of Cd(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), Tl(I), In(III) and Cu(II) traces was examined. It was found that 1.2 mg/L of Sb(III) yields the finest quality SbFE for analytical purposes. The procedure with in situ SbFE ensures well‐defined anodic stripping voltammetric curves of the investigated elements, low detection limits (0.5–3.8 µg/L), good reproducibility (1–5 %) and satisfactory sensitivity (32–184 nA/(µg/L)).     

Simultaneous Determination of Cadmium,Lead, Copper,and Thallium in Highly Saline Samples by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV) Using Mercury‐Film and Bismuth‐Film Electrodes

This paper describes a comparative study of the simultaneous determination of Cd(II), Pb(II), Tl(I), and Cu(II) in highly saline samples (seawater, hydrothermal fluids, and dialysis concentrates) by ASV using the mercury‐film electrode (MFE) and the bismuth‐film electrode (BiFE) as working electrodes. The features of MFE and BiFE as working electrodes for the single‐run ASV determinations are shown and their performances are compared with that of HMDE under similar conditions. It was observed that the stripping peak of Tl(I) was well separated from Cd(II) and Pb(II) peaks in all the studied saline samples when MFE was used. Because of the severe overlapping of Bi(III) and Cu(II) stripping peaks in the ASV using BiFE, as well as the overlapping of Pb(II) and Tl(I) stripping peaks in the ASV using HMDE, the simultaneous determination of these metals was not possible in highly saline medium using these both working electrodes. The detection limits calculated for the metals using MFE and BiFE (deposition time of 60 s) were between 0.043 and 0.070 μg L^?1 for Cd(II), between 0.060 and 0.10 μg L^?1 for Pb(II) and between 0.70 and 8.12 μg L^?1 for Tl(I) in the saline samples studied. The detection limits calculated for Cu(II) using the MFE were 0.15 and 0.50 μg L^?1 in seawater/hydrothermal fluid and dialysis concentrate samples, respectively. The methods were applied to the simultaneous determination of Cd(II), Pb(II), Tl(I), and Cu(II) in samples of seawater, hydrothermal fluids and dialysis concentrates.     

Water hyacinth modified carbon paste electrode for simultaneous electrochemical stripping analysis of Cd (II) and Pb (II)

In this study, we demonstrated a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous detection of Pb (II) and Cd (II) in aqueous solution using carbon paste electrode modified with Eichhornia crassipes powder by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. The effect of modifier composition, pH, preconcentration time, reduction potential and time, and type of supporting electrolyte on the determination of metal ions were investigated. Pre-concentration on the modified surface was performed at open circuit. The modified electrode exhibited well-defined and separate stripping peaks for Pb (II) and Cd (II). Under optimum experimental conditions, a linear range for both metal ions was from 10 to 5000 μg L^?1 with the detection limits of 4.9 μg L^?1, 2.1 μg L^?1 for Cd(II) and Pb (II), respectively. The modified electrode was found to be sensitive and selective when applied to determine trace amounts of Cd (II) and Pb (II) in natural water samples.     

Spline wavelet in the resolution of overlapping voltammetric peaks

Spline wavelet transform is used to resolve overlapping voltammetric peaks. A suitable resolving factor is chosen to multiply the filters of spline wavelet and make it a peak resoluter. Simulated overlapping voltammetric peaks are processed by the peak resoluter and satisfactory results are obtained. Base-line separation can be achieved, the relative errors of peak position are less than 3.0%, and the relative errors of peak area are less than 5.0%. The effect of different resolving factors and spline wavelet basis are discussed. To test the procedure, two systems, cadmium (Ⅱ)-indium (Ⅲ) and lead (Ⅱ)-thallium (Ⅰ), are used.     

在线小波变换用于伏安分析仪的研制

将在线小波变换应用于伏安信号的在线处理,研制了具有小波变换功能的伏安分析仪。该系统利用在线小波变换对采集到所数据进行实时处理,具有控制灵活,分辨率高,数据处理方便等特点。通过对低浓度Ｃｙ＾２＋和Ｆｅ＾３＋混合样品的阶梯斜坡扫描伏安珠滤噪及定性,定量分析,结果表明可获得满意的分析结果。     

Voltammetry in fused acetamide

The voltammetric behavior of Pb(II), Cd(II), Tl(I) and Ni(II) in fused acetamide at 87°Chas been studied. The measurements have been carried out using normal polarography and cyclic voltammetry either with mercury or platinum electrodes. Only Tl(I) reduction occurs reversibly while all the other cations show some degree of irreversibility.     

Evaluation of Bismuth Modified Carbon Thread Electrode for Simultaneous and Highly Sensitive Cd (II) and Pb (II) Determination

Bismuth film modified and chemically activated carbon micro‐thread electrodes were investigated for the simultaneous determination of Cd(II) and Pb(II) using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. The carbon thread electrode was characterised using both surface and electrochemical techniques. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies demonstrated that the H₂SO₄/IPA‐treated carbon thread electrode showed a much improved resistance response (R_ct=23 Ω) compared to the IPA‐untreated carbon thread (R_ct=8317 Ω). Furthermore, parameters such as the effect of deposition potential, deposition time and Bi(III) concentration were explored using square wave voltammetry. Detection limits (S/N=3) for Cd(II) and Pb(II) were found to be 1.08 µg L^?1 and 0.87 µg L^?1, respectively and response was found to be linear over the range 5–110 µg L^?1. The proposed Bi/IPA‐treated carbon thread electrode exhibited a high selectivity towards Cd(II) and Pb(II) even in the presence of a range of heavy metals and is capable of repetitive and reproducible measurements, being attributed to the high surface area, geometry and electrode treatment characteristics. The proposed metal ion sensor was employed to determine cadmium and lead in river water samples and % RSD was found to be 5.46 % and 5.93 % for Cd(II) and Pb(II) respectively (n=3). Such facile sensing components favour the development of cost effective portable devices for environmental sample analysis and electrochemical applications.     

Hg(II), Tl(III), Cu(I), and Pd(II) Complexes with 2,2'-Diphenyl-4,4'-Bithiazole (DPBTZ), Syntheses and X-Ray Crystal Structure of [Hg(DPBTZ)(SCN)2]

Reaction of the ligand 2,2′-diphenyl-4,4′-bithiazole (DPBTZ) with Hg(SCN)₂, Tl(NO₃)₃, CuCl, and PdCl₂ gives complexes with stoichiometry [Hg(DPBTZ)(SCN)₂], [Tl(DPBTZ)(NO₃)₃], [Cu(DPBTZ)(H₂O)Cl]_, and [Pd(DPBTZ)Cl₂]. The new complexes were characterized by elemental analyses and infrared spectroscopy. The crystal structure of [Hg(DPBTZ)(SCN)₂] determined by X-ray crystallography. The Hg atom in the title monomeric complex, (2,2′-diphenyl-4,4′-bithiazole)mercury(II)bisthiocyanate, [Hg(C₁₈H₁₂N₂S₂)(SCN)₂], is four-coordinate having an irregular tetrahedral geometry composed of two S atoms of thiocyanate ions [Hg-S 2.4025(15) and 2.4073(15) Å] and two N atoms of 2,2′-diphenyl-4,4′-bithiazole ligand [Hg-N 2.411(4) and 2.459(4) Å]. The bond angle S(3)-Hg(1)-S(4) of 147.46(5)° has the greatest derivation from ideal tetrahedral geometry. Intermolecular interaction between Hg(1) and two S atoms of two neighboring molecules, 3.9318(15) and 3.9640(18) Å, make the Hg(1) distort from a tetrahedron to a disordered octahedron. The attempts for preparation complexes of Tl(I), Pb(II), Bi(III), Cd(II) ions with 2,2′-diphenyl-4,4′-bithiazole ligand were not successful and also the attempts for preparation complexes of 4,4′,5,5′-tetraphenyl-2,2′-bithizole ligand with Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Co(III), Mn(II), Mn(III), Fe(II), Fe(III), Cr(III), Zn(II), Tl(III), Pb(II), Hg(II), Cu(I), Pd(II) were not successful. This point can be regarded as the initial electron withdrawing of phenyl rings and also their spatial steric effects.     

Multivariate curve resolution of overlapping voltammetric peaks: quantitative analysis of binary and quaternary metal mixtures

The application of multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) to the quantitative analysis of different metal ion mixtures using voltammetric data is described. The performance of MCR-ALS was evaluated in the resolution and quantitation of overlapped voltammetric peaks obtained in the analysis of binary and quaternary mixtures of Cd(II), In(III), Pb(II) and Tl(I) metal ions by anodic stripping voltammetry. Quality assessment of qualitative and quantitative determinations was evaluated considering the effects of different constraints and of initial estimations. MCR-ALS results were validated and compared with those obtained by applying other well-established multivariate calibration methods, such as partial least squares (PLS) and direct classical least squares (DCLS) methods.     

Heavy Metals in Matrices of Food Interest: Sequential Voltammetric Determination at Trace and Ultratrace Level of Copper,Lead, Cadmium,Zinc, Arsenic,Selenium, Manganese and Iron in Meals

The voltammetric methods are very suitable and versatile techniques for the simultaneous metal determination in complex matrices. The present work, regarding the sequential determination of Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), Zn(II) by square‐wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV), As(III), Se(IV) by square‐wave cathodic stripping voltammetry (SWCSV) and Mn(II), Fe(III) by square‐wave voltammetry (SWV) in matrices involved in foods and food chain as wholemeal, wheat and maize meal, are an interesting example of the possibility to sequentially determine each single element in real samples. Besides the set up of the analytical method, particular attention is aimed either at the problem of possible signal interference or to show that, using the peak area A_p as instrumental datum, it is possible to achieve lower limits of detection. The analytical procedure was verified by the analysis of the standard reference materials: Wholemeal BCR‐CRM 189, Wheat Flour NIST‐SRM 1567a and Rice Flour NIST‐SRM 1568a. Precision, as repeatability, and accuracy, expressed as relative standard deviation and relative error, respectively, were lower than 6% in all cases. In the presence of reciprocal interference, the standard addition method considerably improved the resolution of the voltammetric technique. Once set up on the standard reference materials, the analytical procedure was transferred and applied to commercial meals sampled on market for sale. A critical comparison with spectroscopic measurements is also discussed.     

Stripping voltammetry study of ultra-trace toxic metal ions on highly selectively adsorptive porous magnesium oxide nanoflowers

We have demonstrated highly selective and sensitive detection of Pb(II) and Cd(II) using a highly selective adsorptive porous magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoflowers. The MgO nanoflower-modified glassy carbon electrode was electrochemically characterized using cyclic voltammetry; and the anodic stripping voltammetric performance of bound Pb(II) and Cd(II) was evaluated using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) analysis. The MgO nanoflower-modified electrode exhibited excellent sensing performance toward Pb(II) and Cd(II) that was never observed previously at bismuth (Bi)-based electrodes. Simultaneous additions of Pb(II) and Cd(II) were investigated in the linear range from 3.3 to 22 nM for Pb(II) and 40 to 140 nM for Cd(II), and detection limits of 2.1 pM and 81 pM were obtained, respectively. Some foreign ions, such as Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cr(III) do not interfere with the detection of Pb(II) and Cd(II). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a highly adsorptive metal oxide with hierarchical micro/nanostructure that allows the detection of both Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions.     

Individual and simultaneous determination of lead, cadmium, and zinc by anodic stripping voltammetry at a bismuth bulk electrode

A bismuth bulk electrode (BiBE) has been investigated as an alternative electrode for the anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) analysis of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II). The BiBE, which is fabricated in-house, shows results comparable to those of similar analyses at other Bi-based electrodes. Metal accumulation is achieved by holding the electrode potential at −1.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for 180 s followed by a square wave voltammetric stripping scan from −1.4 to −0.35 V. Calibration plots are obtained for all three metals, individually and simultaneously, in the10-100 μg L⁻¹ range, with a detection limit of 93, 54, and 396 ng L⁻¹ for Pb(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), respectively. A slight reduction in slope is observed for Cd(II) and Pb(II) when the three metals are calibrated simultaneously vs. individually. Comparing the sensitivities of the metals when calibrated individually vs. in a mixture reveals that Zn(II) is not affected by stripping in a mixture. However, Pb(II) and Cd(II) have decreasing sensitivities in a mixture. The optimized method has been successfully used to test contaminated river water by standard addition. The results demonstrate the ability of the BiBE as an alternative electrode material in heavy metal analysis.     

Anodic Stripping Voltammetry Determination of Pb(II) and Cd(II) at a Bismuth/Poly(aniline) Film Electrode

Abstract

A novel voltammetric method—anodic—using a bismuth/poly(aniline) film electrode has been developed for simultaneous measurement of Pb(II) and Cd(II) at low µg L^?1 concentration levels by stripping voltammetry. The results confirmed that the bismuth/poly(aniline) film electrode offered high‐quality stripping performance compared with the bismuth film electrode. Well‐defined sharp stripping peaks were observed for Pb(II) and Cd(II), along with an extremely low baseline. The detection limits of Pb(II) and Cd(II) are 1.03 µg L^?1 and 1.48 µg L^?1, respectively. The bismuth/poly (aniline) electrode has been applied to the determination of Pb(II) in tap water samples with satisfactory results.     

Monitoring of Zn(II) and Cd(II) adsorption on activated carbon from aqueous multicomponent solutions by differential pulse polarography (DPP)

The adsorption process of Zn(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution has been investigated from both kinetic and equilibrium standpoints, using differential pulse polarography (DPP) on a mercury dropping electrode as the analytical technique. With such an aim, adsorption experiments were performed using not only a single metal ion–Zn(II) or Cd(II) solution but also a multi-component ion metal–Zn(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) solution. The influence of the pH change in the multi-component ion metal solution on the adsorption of Zn(II) and Cd(II) was also studied. The adsorption processes is relatively fast for Zn(II) and Cd(II). The presence of two foreign ions in the solution slightly speeds up the adsorption process for Zn(II) and significantly slows it down for Cd(II). The adsorption isotherms are similarly shaped for Zn(II) and Cd(II). The addition of the foreign ions has a more unfavourable effect on the adsorption for Cd(II) than for Zn(II). At pH 2, neither Zn(II) nor Cd(II) is adsorbed practically on the carbon. The voltammetric approach has proved to be a fast and efficient method that, at the same time, enables one to monitor the adsorption of Zn(II) and Cd(II) with potential on-line application, which could be useful in waste-water treatment.     

Simultaneous Determination of Copper(II), Lead(II) and Zinc(II) at Bismuth Film Electrode by Multivariate Calibration

In this work, simultaneous determination of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) ions at low concentration levels (ppb) by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry on a Bi(III) film electrode plated in situ at a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is described. A chemometric approach was used to overcome the overlapping peaks of Cu(II) and Bi(III), the competition of the electrodeposited Cu and Bi for the surface of the GCE and the formation of Cu‐Zn intermetallic compounds. The construction of the multivariate calibration models, based on partial least squares regression, allowed the simultaneous determination of Cu (in the concentration range 8.0 to 20.1 ppb), Pb (2.0 to 30.0 ppb) and Zn (29.7 to 90.4 ppb) with most of the prediction errors obtained in the external validation set for the three models lower than 16, 11 and 26 %, respectively. Finally, this method was used for the determination of these trace metal ions in surface river water samples with satisfactory results [errors below 10, 5 and 32 % for Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II), respectively].     

Approximate derivative calculated by using continuous wavelet transform

A novel method of calculating approximate derivative of signals in analytical chemistry by using the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is proposed. As compared with numerical differentiation, FT method and DWT method, fast calculation, and simple mathematical operation are remarkable advantages of CWT method. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of approximate derivative of signals calculated by CWT method is easily enhanced only through appropriately adjusting the dilation, even in the case of very low SNR. Therefore, CWT method is a powerful tool for performing the approximate derivative calculation of signals in analytical chemistry. Additionally, the approximate second derivative evaluated via CWT method can be used to determine the peak potentials of the overlapping square wave voltammogram (SWV) of Cd(II) and In(III), and the results are very satisfactory.     

Double deposition/accumulation and double stripping steps system as a new way of decreasing the detection limit and elimination of interferences in stripping voltammetry of inorganic ions: A review

The article reviews an application of double deposition/accumulation and stripping steps as a new and beneficial manner of decreasing a detection limit and/or interferences elimination in stripping voltammetric determination of inorganic ions: Pb(II), Cd(II), Tl(I), U(VI), Au(III), As(III), Se(IV), In(III), Co(II), Cu(II), Bi(III) and Ga(III). A simple design of four-electrodes system, containing two working electrodes differing in their surface area, allows for conducting two preconcentration and two stripping steps in one measurement cycle and in one voltammetric cell. Considerable analytes preconcentration and, consequently, an increase of sensitivity of determinations was obtained by conducting the first stripping step in a small volume of a solution near the microelectrode surface. An appropriate selection of the conditions of the first deposition/accumulation and the first stripping steps allowed for a minimization/elimination of interference effects. The proposed procedures allows for ultra-trace levels determinations of mentioned inorganic ions (often impossible to determine by means of traditional three-electrodes systems) without additional preconcentration outside the electrochemical cell and with the use of mercury-free electrodes.     

The influence of complexing agents on the effectiveness of electrochemical masking with anionic surfactants in anodic stripping voltammetry

The influence of sodium dodecyl sulphate, sodium dodecyl sulphonate and sodium stearinate on the anodic stripping peaks of Tl(I), Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II) and In(III) was investigated. The supporting electrolytes were 0.5M sodium sulphate solution, 0.2M citrate solution (pH 3.7, 4.6 and 7.3), 0.5M tartrate solution (pH 4.4) and 0.1M solution of EDTA (pH 4.4). The composition of complex compounds forming in a solution under experimental conditions was defined. The conditions of ion reduction of metals on hanging mercury electrode during the electrolytical deposition were investigated. The investigation included an analysis of voltammetric curves of the metal ions. The obtained results suggest that "electrochemical masking" is much stronger in electrolytes containing a complexing agent than in the sodium sulphate solution. The influence of the complexing agent may not be explained in terms of the interaction between the form of the complex and the charge of the adsorbed surfactant particles; rather the complexing process is connected with indirect inhibition, i.e., by decreasing the rate of charge transfer reaction.