Spectrophotometric determination of trace copper in water samples with thiomichlersketone

A simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method for determination of trace copper in water samples is proposed. In the presence of pH 4.6 HAc-NaAc buffer solution and surfactant polyethylene octyl phenyl ether (OP) medium, copper reacts with thiomichlersketone (TMK) to form a stable 1:4 complex. The complex Cu(II)-TMK-OP shows maximum absorbance at 500 nm with a molar absorptivity value of 5.7x10(4) l mol-1 cm-1. Beer's law is obeyed for copper concentrations in the range of 0-15 microg/25 ml. The average recovery of copper is between 95.8 and 106%. The method has been applied for determination of trace copper in different water samples with satisfactory results.