| Abstract: | A carbon paste electrode, modified with benzylbisthiosemicarbazone is used for mercury speciation in water samples. Mercury ion is selectively accumulated on the electrode surface at open circuit and its analysis was performed by cyclic voltammetry or square‐wave voltammetry (SWV). A detection limit of 8 μg L?1 (3σ) was found for 15 min of accumulation using SWV as measurement technique. The effect of several metallic ions and organic substances on voltammetric signal is examined. For speciation purposes, a ligand competition methodology between ligands in solution and electrode is used. Model mercury complexes are characterized as a function of their dissociation kinetics. The method was applied to mercury speciation in water samples from the Jarama River in Madrid. |
