Pulse polarograpmc study of the electrochemical reduction of lucigenin in aqueous medium

The electrochemical reduction of lucigenin (bis-N-methylacridinium nitrate) in aqueous solution was studied by normal pulse polarography, normal pulse polarography with differential detection of the current, and differential pulse polarography with cathodic and anodic pulses at several pulse amplitudes. The effects of pH and lucigenin concentration were studied. In confirmation of an earlier d.c. polarographic study, lucigenin is shown to be reduced in two separate one-electron steps. An adsorption peak accompanies the first step, while the second, below pH 3.5, is catalytic owing to chemical regeneration of the intermediate reduction product at the electrode surface.     

Differential Pulse Polarographic Determination of Nitrate in AUT Solution

A differential pulse polarographic method for the determination of nitrate ion has been developed. With 0.5 M CaCl₂ as supporting electrolyte, NO^?₃ is reduced to give a peak with E_1/2=–1.836 Volt vs. the Ag/AgCl electrode. The differential pulse polarographic peak height is proportional to the nitrate concentration from 20 to 60 ppm. The detection limit for nitrate is 2 ppm in pure aqueous solution. In the determination of 40 ppm nitrate a relative precision (relative standard deviation) of less than 2% was achieved. Nitrite interferes seriously and should be absent if accurate results are required. The method has been applied to the determination of nitrate in Ammonium Uranyl Tricarbonate (AUT) Solution, results obtained by this method are compared to those obtained by ion chromatography. The agreement between the two sets of results suggests that the DPP method can be used with a fair degree of confidence.     

Determination of methylmercury in the presence of inorganic mercury by anodic stripping voltammetry

Methylmercury is determined in a non-complexing nitrate medium by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry at a gold film electrode, with a detection limit of 2 × 10^-8 mol l^-1 for 5-min plating times. A method of double standard additions is proposed for determining methylmercury in the presence of mercury(II) ions.     

Voltammetric determination of linuron at a carbon-paste electrode modified with sepiolite

The determination of linuron by differential pulse voltammetry with a carbon-paste electrode modified with 20% w/w sepiolite has been studied. The linuron is preconcentrated under open-circuit conditions at pH 2.0. With 0.01M potassium nitrate at pH 1.7 in the measurement cell, a sweep rate of 30 mV/sec and a pulse amplitude of 100 mV, an oxidation wave with a peak potential of 1.2 V is obtained. Under these conditions, determination limits of 75 ng/ml have been obtained, with a relative error of +2.8% and a relative standard deviation of 8.0%. The method has been applied to the direct determination of linuron in river water with no previous separation of the pesticide. Determination in sea-water is not possible, as chloride interferes at high concentration.     

Electrochemical properties of silver–copper alloy microelectrodes for use in voltammetric field apparatus

Microelectrodes of silver–copper alloys have been evaluated for use in voltammetric analyses. Increased overpotential towards the hydrogen overvoltage reaction (HER) was found as a function of increased copper content in the silver. A study of oxidizing products by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in NaOH solution showed ten anodic and eight cathodic peaks which are described in the present paper. The behaviour of these alloy electrodes is somewhere between pure silver and pure copper electrodes. Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) was used to measure zinc, cadmium and lead in ultrapure water only (18 MΩcm), and good linearity was found for all metals (r ²=0.998) in the range of 0.5 to 5 ppb with a 600- to 1,200-s plating time. It was additionally found that cadmium and lead were better separated on the alloy electrodes compared to pure silver electrodes. Measurements of nickel were carried out on alloy electrodes by use of adsorptive differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry (Ad-DPCSV), and good linearity (r ²=1.000) was found in the range from 0.5 to 5 ppb with an adsorption time of 120 s. The alloy electrodes were also found to be sensitive to nitrate, and good linearity (r ²=0.997) was found in the range from 1 mg L⁻¹ to 100 mg L⁻¹ using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) scanning from −450 mV to −1,500 mV. Addition of nitrate in ultrapure water afforded two different peaks related to the successive reductions of nitrate and nitrite. In ammonium buffer solution (pH 8.6) only one peak resulting from reduction of nitrate was observed. Furthermore, the use of alloy electrodes containing 17% Cu was tested in real samples, by installing it in a voltammetric system for monitoring of zinc and lead in a polluted river, the river Deûle, near the town of Douai in northern France. Results were found to be in agreement with parallel measurements carried out by ICP-MS.     

Differential pulse polarographic determination of orthophosphate in aqueous media

The determination of orthophosphate in aqueous media by differential pulse polarography is described. It is based on determination of the molybdenum in 12-phosphomolybdic acid. High sensitivity is achieved by measuring the polarographic wave due to the catalytic reduction of perchlorate or nitrate in the presence of molybdenum(VI). The method is suitable for samples as small as 3.5 ml which contain as little as 9 ng of phosphorus per ml. The average relative deviation is 3.0% at the 0.045 mg/l. phosphorus level and 1.6% at the 1.2 mg/l. level. Results for the analysis of EPA quality-control water and real surface-water samples are reported.     

Thionine-functionalized graphene oxide,new electrocatalyst for determination of nitrite

In this work, thionine (Th) was assembled on the surface of graphene oxide as an electron transfer mediator using diazonium reaction (Th–GO). Then, Th–GO was characterized by different methods such as scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Afterward, Th–GO was used for the modification of carbon paste electrode. Several electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, and hydrodynamic amperometry were used to investigate the behavior of the modified electrode. Then, the role of the modified electrode for oxidation of nitrite has been studied. For this purpose, the effect of critical experimental parameters including step potential and pulse amplitude (in differential pulse voltammetry technique), applied potential, the rotating speed of the disk (in amperometry technique), and the solution pH was investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the currents were found to be linear with the nitrite concentration in the range 0.05–33.0 and 0.5–800 µmol L^?1 with detection limits of 0.02 and 0.2 µmol L^?1 using differential pulse voltammetry and hydrodynamic amperometry, respectively. The introduced modified electrode showed good repeatability (RSD% = 3.2) and reproducibility (RSD% = 4.7). This electrochemical sensor was exerted successfully for the determination of nitrite and nitrate in real samples including water and wastewater samples.     

The determination of phenobarbital and diphenylhydantoin in blood by differential pulse polarography

A sensitive differential pulse polarographic assay was developed for the determination of phenobarbital or diphenylhydantoin in blood. The assay involves the selective extraction of the compound into chloroform from whole blood buffered to pH 7.0. After suitable “clean-up” of the sample, each compound is nitrated in 10% potassium nitrate in sulfuric acid at 25° for 1 h. The nitro-derivatives are extracted into ethyl acetate, and the residues are dissolved in 1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) or 0.1 M sodium hydroxide for phenobarbital and diphenylhydantoin, respectively; the solutions are deoxygenated, and analyzed by differential pulse polarography. The overall recovery of phenobarbital and diphenylhydantoin from blood was 72.3% ±6.5 (s_r) and 76.7 ±2.3 (s_r) respectively. The sensitivity limit is 1–2 μg ml^-1 of blood for both compounds. A modified assay for the determination of both compounds in blood with t.l.c. separation was also developed.     

Adsorption voltammetry of the copper(II) 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol complex

The voltammetric determination of copper(II), based on adsorptive accumulation of the Cu(II)-2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (S-Br-PADAP) complex on a hanging mercury drop electrode, is reported. The complex can be accumulated at the electrode at constant potential in 0.1M ammonium nitrate/ammonia buffer solution, and its reduction wave observed by scanning the potential in the negative direction, in the differential pulse mode. The calibration graph for copper is linear over the range 0.05-0.5muM, with accumulation for 5 min at -0.20 V. The adsorption of the complex is discussed and compared with that of copper complexes with several other pyridylazo derivatives.     

Picosecond pulse radiolysis study of highly concentrated nitric acid solutions: formation mechanism of NO3• radical

The formation of nitrate radical, NO(3)(?), is observed for the first time directly by picosecond pulse radiolysis of highly concentrated nitric acid solutions. The experimental yield of NO(3)(-) ionization is deduced from the pulse-probe transient absorption measurements in the visible region where this radical absorbs. On the basis of the value of the extinction coefficient of nitrate radical at 640 nm equal to 1300 M cm(-1), the experimental yield of NO(3)(?) at 20 ps is found to be around 0.36 × 10(-7), 1.33 × 10(-7), and 2.85 × 10(-7) mol J(-1) for 1, 3.5, and 7 M nitric acid solutions, respectively. Relative to the dose absorbed by nitric acid by the direct effect, we find an unexpected high formation yield of the nitrate radical within the electron pulse. Therefore, we suggest that the trapping of the positive hole, H(2)O(?+), by NO(3)(-) also contributes to the formation of NO(3)(?) within the electron pulse. Moreover, after the pulse and within 4 ns, the beginning of the reaction of OH(?) radical with undissociated nitric acid is observed for the most concentrated nitric acid solution.     

Complexation Equilibria of Indium in Aqueous Chloride,Sulfate and Nitrate Solutions: An Electrochemical Investigation

Electrochemical methods have been used to determine the speciation and stability constants of various aqueous indium complexes. Qualitative behavior is observed using UV–Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Equilibrium constants are determined using differential pulse voltammetry. In a titration where the titrant and sample contain equal concentrations of acid and In³⁺ ions and equivalent concentrations of ligand and supporting electrolyte anions, respectively, small changes in ligand concentration can be made quickly and accurately while maintaining the overall ionic strength. From the change in the half-wave reduction potential as a function of ligand concentration, the coordination number and the stability constants of sulfate, chloride and nitrate complexes were determined. We also highlight the difficulties finding a supporting electrolyte that does not interact with the In³⁺ ion. On the one hand, it was not possible to prevent the slow formation of chloride in perchlorate electrolytes containing indium. On the other hand, we show that, at concentrations of nitrate anions commonly used in such experiments, nitrate complexes form. In the light of these new findings, previously published stability constants of indium using nitrate-based supporting electrolytes should be used cautiously.     

Study of a Catalytic Mechanism in Additive Differential Pulse Techniques

The new electrochemical double pulse technique, known as additive differential normal pulse voltammetry (ADNPV) when there is no restriction on the duration of both pulses, and additive differential pulse voltammetry (ADPV) when t₂?t₁, has been applied to a pseudo‐first‐order catalytic mechanism. The expressions obtained here are applicable to planar and spherical electrodes, of any radius. This is of great interest since the size of the electrode plays an important role in the preponderating of diffusive and kinetics processes. The signal obtained with this technique presents the same morphological characteristics as the triple pulse technique, double differential pulse voltammetry (DDPV) and is more advantageous than DDPV and than the double pulse one, differential pulse voltammetry (DPV).     

Differential pulse polarography and voltammetry with a microprocessor-controlled polarograph and a pressurized mercury electrode

The performance of a microprocessor-controlled polarograph with a pressurized mercury electrode system has been evaluated. For the technique of differential pulse polarography, the theory applying to the pressurized mercury electrode in the dropping mercury format is shown to be the same as for a conventional gravity-controlled mercury electrode system. At the short drop times used (0.2–0.4 s), faradaic distortion terms are shown to influence the shape of the observed differential pulse polarograms. A substantial decrease in sensitivity is also incurred in using these short drop times, compared with the longer ones generally employed in differential pulse polarography. Results for differential pulse anodic stripping conform to the usual expectations.     

Hochselektive differentialpulspolarographische Spurenbestimmung von Uran (katalytische Nitratreduktion) nach Extraktionsabtrennung

Zusammenfassung Die polarographische Spurenbestimmung von Uran durch katalytische Reduktion des NO ₃ ^– ist eine sehr empfindliche Analysenmethode. Sie kann aber nur unter Ausschluß einer Reihe von störenden Kationen und Anionen durchgeführt werden und erfordert eine genau zusammengesetzte Grundlösung. Darum wurde für das Uran eine einfache und rasche Extraktionsabtrennungsmethode mit Triphenylarsinoxid in CHCl₃ ausgearbeitet. Die Rückextraktion aus der organischen Phase mit 0,02 N Na₂CO₃ und anschließendes definiertes Ansäuern mit HNO₃ ermöglichen die Überführung des Urans in eine für die differentialpulspolarographische Bestimmung geeignete, reproduzierbare Grundlösung. Über 60 untersuchte Kationen und 20 Anionen stören die Bestimmung in weiten Grenzen nicht, was eine vielseitige Anwendung erlaubt. Die Nachweisgrenze liegt bei 1 ppb Uran in wäßriger Lösung. Die relative Standardabweichung beträgt für 100 ppb Uran ±2%.

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Highly selective trace determination of uranium by differential pulse polarography (catalytic nitrate reduction), following extraction separation

Summary The trace determination of uranium by differential pulse polarography, using the catalytic reduction of nitrate is known to be very sensitive, if certain interfering ions are excluded and if the composition of the base solution remains constant. In order to fulfil these conditions a simple and selective method for extracting uranium with triphenylarsine oxide in chloroform was developed. Back extraction with 0,02 N Na₂CO₃ and addition of HNO₃ lead to an appropriate base solution for the determination of uranium by differential pulse polarography. The influence of 60 cations and 20 anions was found to be negligible in a wide range. The limit of detection is about 1 ppb U and the standard deviation with 100 ppb U is ±2%.

Für die Überprüfung des Manuskripts möchte ich den Herren Dr. P. Baertschi und O. Antonsen herzlich danken.     

Application of differential pulse polarography for trace determination of polycytidylic acid in absence and presence of some metal ions

Summary A differential pulse polarographic method has been applied to the determination of trace concentrations of polycytidylic acid (Poly-C) in absence and presence of metal ions. The applicability of differential pulse polarography for the trace determination of the investigated biological compound was examined with regard to the dependence of differential pulse current on various parameters such as pH, pulse amplitude, scan rate and drop time. The selectivity of this technique for the determination of binary and a ternary mixtures of poly-C and some metal ions has been also reported. Limits of detection and quantitation have been calculated for the differential pulse polarographic determination of the poly-C and various metal ions. The validity of this method is supported by the constancy of the i_p/C values and a statistical analysis is included on calibration curve parameters and observed concentration.     

Adsorbing colloid flotation separation and polarographic determination of Mo(VI) in water

A method is described for the flotation and determination of Mo(VI) in water at ng/ml levels. Mo(VI) is preconcentrated and separated by adsorbing colloid flotation employing aluminium(III) hydroxide as collector and sodium lauryl sulphate as surfactant at pH 5.3 ± 0.1. The molybdenum content in the froth is estimated by using the catalytic wave of Mo(VI) in the presence of nitrate by charging current compensated d.c. polarography (CCCDCP) or differential pulse polarography (DPP). The effect of variables such as pH, ionic strength, concentration of collector and surfactant, time of stirring and gas flow-rate on the recovery of Mo by flotation is reported. The effects of various cations and anions on the flotation and determination of Mo are studied. This method is employed for the determination of molybdenum in natural fresh water samples.     

Evaluation of phenolic assays for the detection of nitrite

A series of generic nitrite assay systems based on the single step nitrosation of phenol derivatives are presented. The chemical reactivity offered by the C-nitroso compounds provides an opportunity to pursue a number of analytical strategies of which three spectroscopic (UV/Vis) and two electrochemical options (linear sweep voltammetry/differential pulse voltammetry) were evaluated. The capacity for multiple detection options from a single analyte species without significant sample manipulation is a major advantage with each assay system providing sub ppm detection limits with linear ranges up to milli-molar concentrations of nitrite. The influence of common interferents such as nitrate, ascorbate and paracetamol was investigated. The applicability of the assay procedures to the analysis of authentic biological samples (saliva and urine samples) was assessed with the analytical accuracy independently corroborated with a standard Griess protocol. In addition, a brief comparison with alternative nitrite detection strategies is also presented.     

Study of an EE mechanism in additive differential pulse techniques

Additive differential pulse techniques are applied to the study of a reversible EE mechanism. Analytical solutions are obtained in additive differential normal pulse voltammetry (ADNPV) and in additive differential pulse voltammetry (ADPV). The usefulness of these techniques in obtaining accurate simultaneous determinations of the formal potentials of both electrochemical steps when they are not completely separated is discussed and also applied to the study of the reduction of pyrazine in aqueous acid media. Excellent agreement between experimental results and theoretical predictions has been found.     

Cathode ray polarography and differential pulse polarography of the catalytic molybdenum(VI) wave

The optimum conditions of electrolyte composition and pH were studied for the cathode ray polarography (c.r.p.) of the catalytic molybdenum(VI) wave; 1–2 M potassium nitrate at pH 1.6–2.2 is optimum, the detection limit is 3 × 10^-9 M (0.3 ppb) molybdenum(VI). Equal molar concentrations of foreign electroactive substances do not interfere at the potential of the molybdenum wave and 500-fold amounts of these can be tolerated if their c.r.p. peaks are separated from the molybdenum wave by 0.1 or 0.2 V. Similar conditions were used for the differential pulse polarography of the catalytic wave. The detection limit is 2 × 10^-8 M (2 ppb). being limited in part by lead impurities which contribute to the background.     

Partial phase diagrams for the water—cadmium nitrate, water—silver nitrate and water—cadmium nitrate—silver nitrate systems

Sub-ambient differential scanning calorimetry has been used to determine partial binary phase diagrams for the water—silver nitrate and water—cadmium nitrate systems. Both systems are shown to be eutectic with eutectic temperatures of 263 ± 0.5 K and 256.5 ± 0.5 K for the water—silver nitrate and water—cadmium nitrate systems, respectively. The eutectic compositions are at approximately 40.5 wt.% nitrate for each system. The freezing of ternary solutions containing a fixed silver nitrate/cadmium nitrate ratio but increasing concentrations of total nitrates are explained in terms of a partial ternary system containing two binary eutectic systems and a ternary eutectic reaction. The ternary eutectic temperature is shown to be 254 ± 0.5 K.