Spectrophotometric determination of H(2)O(2) with 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid and 4-aminoantipyrine with hematin as catalyst

A spectrophotometric flow injection method for the determination of H(2)O(2) in aqueous solution is presented. The technique is based on the oxidative condensation reaction between 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANSA) and 4-aminoantipyrine (AAP) in the presence of H(2)O(2). Hematin is a good peroxidatic catalyst for this reaction; its effectiveness is significantly enhanced in an ammoniacal medium. If the yellow product formed in the alkaline medium is acidified, a blue chromophore (lambda(max) 592 nm) is formed; a surfactant is necessary to keep the blue compound in solution. Chemical and instrumental parameters for FIA were evaluated and optimized. A detection limit of 0.3muM was achieved with a linear dynamic range extending to 50muM. The typical relative standard deviation is 1.5% or better. The structure of the reaction product has been identified.