Sequential injection anodic stripping voltammetry with monosegmented flow and in-line UV digestion for determination of Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and Cu(II) in water samples

A cost-effective sequential injection system incorporating with an in-line UV digestion for breakdown of organic matter prior to voltammetric determination of Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and Cu(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) on a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) of a small scale voltammetric cell was developed. A low-cost small scale voltammetric cell was fabricated from disposable pipet tip and microcentrifuge tube with volume of about 3 mL for conveniently incorporated with the SI system. A home-made UV digestion unit was fabricated employing a small size and low wattage UV lamps and flow reactor made from PTFE tubing coiled around the UV lamp. An in-line single standard calibration or a standard addition procedure was developed employing a monosegmented flow technique. Performance of the proposed system was tested for in-line digestion of model water samples containing metal ions and some organic ligands such as strong organic ligand (EDTA) or intermediate organic ligand (humic acid). The wet acid digestion method (USEPA 3010a) was used as a standard digestion method for comparison. Under the optimum conditions, with deposition time of 180 s, linear calibration graphs in range of 10-300 μg L⁻¹ Zn(II), 5-200 μg L⁻¹ Cd(II), 10-200 μg L⁻¹ Pb(II), 20-400 μg L⁻¹ Cu(II) were obtained with detection limit of 3.6, 0.1, 0.7 and 4.3 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Relative standard deviation were 4.2, 2.6, 3.1 and 4.7% for seven replicate analyses of 27 μg L⁻¹ Zn(II), 13 μg L⁻¹ Cd(II), 13 μg L⁻¹ Pb(II) and 27 μg L⁻¹ Cu(II), respectively. The system was validated by certified reference material of trace metals in natural water (SRM 1640 NIST). The developed system was successfully applied for speciation of Cd(II) Pb(II) and Cu(II) in ground water samples collected from nearby zinc mining area.     

A pre-concentration procedure using coprecipitation for determination of lead and iron in several samples using flame atomic absorption spectrometry

The present paper proposes a pre-concentration procedure for determination of lead and iron in several samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. In it, lead(II) and iron(III) ions are coprecipitated using the violuric acid-copper(II) system as collector. Afterwards, the precipitate is dissolved with 1 M HNO₃ solution and the metal ions are determined. The optimization step was performed using factorial design involving the variables: pH, violuric acid mass (VA) and copper concentration (Cu).Using the optimized experimental conditions, the proposed procedure allows the determination these metals with detection limits of 0.18 μg L⁻¹ for iron and 0.16 μg L⁻¹ for lead. The effects of foreign ions on the pre-concentration procedure were also evaluated and the results demonstrated that this method could be applied for determination of iron and lead in several real samples. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of seawater, urine, mineral water, soil and physiological solution samples. The concentrations of lead and iron achieved in these samples agree well with others data reported in the literature.     

Sulphoxine immobilized onto chitosan microspheres by spray drying: application for metal ions preconcentration by flow injection analysis

A new chelating resin based on chitosan biopolymer modified with 5-sulphonic acid 8-hydroxyquinoline using the spray drying technique for immobilization is proposed. The chelating resin was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface area by nitrogen sorption. The efficiency of the chelating resin was evaluated by the preconcentration of metal ions Cu(II) and Cd(II) present in aqueous samples in trace amounts. The metal ions were previously enriched in a minicolumn and the concentrations of the analytes were determined on-line by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The maximum retention for Cu(II) occurred in the pH range 8-10, and for Cd(II) at pH 7. The optimum flow rate for sorption was found to be 7.2 ml min⁻¹ for the preconcentration of the metal ions. The analytes gave relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) of 0.7 and 0.6% for solutions containing 20 μg l⁻¹ of Cu(II) and 15 μg l⁻¹ of Cd (II), respectively (n=7). The enrichment factors for Cu(II) and Cd (II) were 19.1 and 13.9, respectively, and the limits of detection (LOD) were 0.2 μg l⁻¹ for Cd(II) and 0.3 μg l⁻¹ for Cu(II), using a preconcentration time of 90 s (n=11). The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated by the metal ion recovery technique, in the analysis of potable water and water from a lake, with recoveries being between 97.2 and 107.3%.     

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer disposable sensor for copper(II)

A disposable sensor has been developed for the measurement of copper(II) concentration in aqueous solution based on a change in the fluorescence of porphyrazine 2,7,12,17-tetra-tert-butyl-5,10,15,20-tetraaza-21H,23H-porphine (TP). The sensor was constructed by spin-coating a polyester support with a PVC solution containing TP, a plasticizer, the chelating agent Zincon and the ion-pairing benzetonium chloride. The measurement principle is based on the radiationless resonance energy transfer (RET) from TP immobilized in membrane, and acting as fluorescence donor, to Zincon acting as an acceptor induced by copper(II). The absorption spectrum of the Zincon-Cu(II) complex presents adequate overlapping with the emission spectrum of TP, producing a useful analytical signal by the RET process.The disposable sensor responds to copper(II) irreversibly over a dynamic range from 0.039 to 14 μmol L⁻¹ (2.5-890 μg L⁻¹) with a sensor-to-sensor reproducibility (relative standard deviation RSD) of 1.9%, as log aCu2+, at the medium level of the range and a response time of 10 min. The performance of the optical disposable sensor was tested for the analysis of copper in different types of natural waters (river, well, spring and swimming pool), validating results against a reference procedure.     

Peat as a natural solid-phase for copper preconcentration and determination in a multicommuted flow system coupled to flame atomic absorption spectrometry

The physical and chemical characteristics of peat were assessed through measurement of pH, percentage of organic matter, cationic exchange capacity (CEC), elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy and quantitative analysis of metals by ICP OES. Despite the material showed to be very acid in view of the percentage of organic matter, its CEC was significant, showing potential for retention of metal ions. This characteristic was exploited by coupling a peat mini-column to a flow system based on the multicommutation approach for the in-line copper concentration prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination. Cu(II) ions were adsorbed at pH 4.5 and eluted with 0.50 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃. The influence of chemical and hydrodynamic parameters, such as sample pH, buffer concentration, eluent type and concentration, sample flow-rate and preconcentration time were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, a linear response was observed between 16 and 100 μg L⁻¹, with a detection limit estimated as 3 μg L⁻¹ at the 99.7% confidence level and an enrichment factor of 16. The relative standard deviation was estimated as 3.3% (n = 20). The mini-column was used for at least 100 sampling cycles without significant variation in the analytical response. Recoveries from copper spiked to lake water or groundwater as well as concentrates used in hemodialysis were in the 97.3-111% range. The results obtained for copper determination in these samples agreed with those achieved by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) at the 95% confidence level.     

Potential of porphyrins as chromogenic reagents for determining metals in capillary electrophoresis

Although capillary electrophoresis (CE) with photometric detection is a well-established technique for the determination of various inorganic ions, its limited sensitivity has hindered greater development in this area. In this work, we used a mixture of metals consisting of Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II) and Mn(II) to demonstrate that the sensitivity of CE with ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) detection can be improved by using chromogenic reagents such as porphyrins. To this end, the metals were reacted with 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulphophenyl)-porphine dodecahydrate (TPPS₄) to obtain their respective porphyrinato complexes, which were then separated by CE with a citrate buffer and detected at 410 nm. The ensuing electrophoretic method has a limit of detection (LOD) of 3 × 10⁻⁶ M (180 μg L⁻¹) for Co(II), 2 × 10⁻¹⁰ M (0.012 μg L⁻¹) for Ni(II), 4 × 10⁻⁶ M (260 μg L⁻¹) for Zn(II) and 4 × 10⁻⁹ M (0.219 μg L⁻¹) for Mn(II). The method is a highly promising choice for the ultratrace determination of Ni(II) and Mn(II).     

Voltammetric determination of Se(IV) and Se(VI) in saline samples—Studies with seawater, hydrothermal and hemodialysis fluids

Determination of Se(IV) and Se(VI) in high saline media was investigated by cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV). The voltammetric method was applied to assay selenium in seawater, hydrothermal and hemodialysis fluids. The influence of ionic strength on selenium determination is discussed. The CSV method was based on the co-electrodeposition of Se(IV) with Cu(II) ions and Se(VI) determined by difference after sample UV-irradiation for photolytic selenium reduction. UV-irradiation was also used as sample pre-treatment for organic matter decomposition. Detection limit of 0.030 μg L⁻¹ (240 s deposition time) and relative standard deviation (RSD) of 6.19% (n = 5) for 5.0 μg L⁻¹ of Se(IV) were calculated. Linear calibration range for selenium was observed from 1.0 to 100.0 μg L⁻¹. Concerning the pre-treatment step, best results were obtained by using 60 min UV-irradiation interval in H₂O₂/HCl medium. Se(VI) was reduced to the Se(IV) electroactive species with recoveries between 91.7% and 112.9%. Interferents were also investigated.     

The use of a gold disc microelectrode for the determination of copper in human sweat

A novel approach of using a gold disc microelectrode to analyze sweat samples for copper ions by anodic square wave stripping voltammetry (SW stripping voltammetry) is described. Sweat was collected from the lower back of four subjects after physical exercise and the sample volume required for the determinations was 100 μL. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration plot was linear over the range 1-100 μmol L⁻¹ Cu(II) with a limit of detection of 0.25 μmol L⁻¹. The precision was evaluated by carrying out five replicate measurements in a 1 μmol L⁻¹ Cu(II) solution and the standard deviation was found to be 1.5%. Measurements were performed by inserting the microelectrode into sweat drops and Cu(II) concentrations in the analyzed samples ranged from 0.9 to 28 μmol L⁻¹. Values obtained by the proposed voltammetric method agreed well with those found using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS).     

New use of polypyrrole-chloride for selective preconcentration of copper prior to its determination of flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Polypyrrole-chloride was studied as a new sorbent for preconcentration of copper(II) using solid-phase extraction prior to determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The sorbent showed an extremely high selectivity towards copper(II) as an anionic chelate, i.e. Cu (pyrocatechol violet)₂²⁻ in the pH range of 4-7. Copper(II) as Cu (pyrocatechol violet)₂²⁻ was selectively retained on a column containing 1.0 g of polypyrrole-chloride and quantitatively eluted by 3 mL of 2.0 mol L⁻¹ nitric acid. The calibration graph was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 at levels near the detection limit and up to at least 50 μg L⁻¹. When applied for preconcentration and determination of copper in tap water, waste water and hot spring water, the recoveries were found to be 96, 101 and 95%, respectively, with high precision (% relative standard deviation <4%) and low detection limit (0.87 μg L⁻¹). Verification of the accuracy was carried out by the analysis of a standard reference material (BCR 715 wastewater-SRM). The relative error was +3.33%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of copper in tap water, waste water and hot spring water samples.     

On-line sequential injection dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction system for flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of copper and lead in water samples

A simple, sensitive and powerful on-line sequential injection (SI) dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) system was developed as an alternative approach for on-line metal preconcentration and separation, using extraction solvent at microlitre volume. The potentials of this novel schema, coupled to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), were demonstrated for trace copper and lead determination in water samples. The stream of methanol (disperser solvent) containing 2.0% (v/v) xylene (extraction solvent) and 0.3% (m/v) ammonium diethyldithiophosphate (chelating agent) was merged on-line with the stream of sample (aqueous phase), resulting a cloudy mixture, which was consisted of fine droplets of the extraction solvent dispersed entirely into the aqueous phase. By this continuous process, metal chelating complexes were formed and extracted into the fine droplets of the extraction solvent. The hydrophobic droplets of organic phase were retained into a microcolumn packed with PTFE-turnings. A portion of 300 μL isobutylmethylketone was used for quantitative elution of the analytes, which transported directly to the nebulizer of FAAS. All the critical parameters of the system such as type of extraction solvent, flow-rate of disperser and sample, extraction time as well as the chemical parameters were studied. Under the optimum conditions the enhancement factor for copper and lead was 560 and 265, respectively. For copper, the detection limit and the precision (R.S.D.) were 0.04 μg L⁻¹ and 2.1% at 2.0 μg L⁻¹ Cu(II), respectively, while for lead were 0.54 μg L⁻¹ and 1.9% at 30.0 μg L⁻¹ Pb(II), respectively. The developed method was evaluated by analyzing certified reference material and applied successfully to the analysis of environmental water samples.     

Novel catalytic oxidative coupling reaction of N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine with 1,3-phenylenediamine and its applications to the determination of copper and iron at trace levels by flow injection technique

A new catalytic oxidative coupling reaction of N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD) with 1,3-phenylenediamine (mPD) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide has been developed for trace metals analysis. The rate of the oxidation/coupling reaction can be enhanced significantly by iron, copper and cobalt. These metal ions can catalyze the oxidation reaction of DPD to form an oxidized product; the oxidized DPD was then coupled with mPD to give a blue-colored product which was measured spectrophotometrically at 650 nm. On the basis of such a reaction scheme, two simple flow injection analysis methods for the determination of copper and iron have been developed. Detailed studies on chemical and FIA variables affecting the sensitivity of the detection were carried out. Interferences from several ionic species were examined for the determination of copper: the interference effect by Fe(III) and Fe(II) up to 1.5 mg L⁻¹ was successfully suppressed by pretreating sample with ammonium acetate buffer solution (pH 8.4). Good linearity of a standard calibration graph was obtained over the ranges of 0-8 and 0-2 μg L⁻¹ of copper and iron, respectively, and the detection limits were 0.05 and 0.02 μg L⁻¹ for copper and iron, respectively. The precision of the methods in terms of relative standard deviation were 1.4 and 1.5% of R.S.D. which were obtained from 10 injections of 2.0 and 1.0 μg L⁻¹ of standard copper and iron, respectively. The proposed methods were successfully applied to the determination of copper and iron in tap and river water samples. The accuracy of the proposed methods was assessed by the analysis of certified reference material of river water.     

Disposable screen-printed sensors modified with bismuth precursor compounds for the rapid voltammetric screening of trace Pb(II) and Cd(II)

In this article, a study of novel screen-printed electrodes bulk-modified with five potential bismuth precursor compounds (bismuth citrate, bismuth titanate, bismuth oxide, bismuth aluminate and bismuth zirconate) is presented for the determination of Cd(II) and Pb(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry. During the electrolytic deposition step, the precursor was reduced and served as the source of bismuth. Different key parameters were investigated in detail such as the nature of the bismuth precursor compound, the precursor content in the carbon ink, the polarisation range of the sensors, the supporting electrolyte, the stripping waveform, the deposition time, the deposition potential and the long-term stability of the sensors under continuous use. Using bismuth citrate as the precursor, the limit of detection was 0.9 μg L⁻¹ for Pb(II) and 1.1 μg L⁻¹ for Cd(II). The reproducibility on the same sensor (expressed as % relative standard deviation, (n = 8)) was 5.4% for Pb(II) and 7.2% for Cd(II) at the 20 μg L⁻¹ level. Finally, the sensors were applied to the determination of Cd(II) and Pb(II) in water samples.     

Evaluation of polychlorotrifluoroethylene as sorbent material for on-line solid phase extraction systems: determination of copper and lead by flame atomic absorption spectrometry in water samples

Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) in the form of beads was applied, as packing material for flow injection on-line column preconcentration and separation systems coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Its performance characteristics were evaluated for trace copper determination in environmental samples. The on-line formed complex of metal with diethyldithiophosphate (DDPA) was sorbed on the PCTFE surface. Isobutyl methyl ketone (IBMK) at a flow rate of 2.8 mL min⁻¹ was used to elute the analyte complex directly into the nebulizer-burner system of spectrophotometer. The proposed sorbent material reveal, excellent chemical and mechanical resistance, fast adsorption kinetics permitting the use of high sample flow rates up to 15 mL min⁻¹ without loss of retention efficiency. For copper determination, with 90 s preconcentration time the sample frequency was 30 h⁻¹, the enhancement factor was 250, which could be further improved by increasing the loading (preconcentration) time. The detection limit (3s) was c_L = 0.07 μg L⁻¹, and the precision (R.S.D.) was 1.8%, at the 2.0 μg L⁻¹ Cu(II) level. For lead determination, the detection limit was c_L = 2.7 μg L⁻¹, and the precision (R.S.D.) 2.2%, at the 40.0 μg L⁻¹ Pb(II) level. The accuracy of the developed method was evaluated by analyzing certified reference materials and by recovery measurements on spiked natural water samples.     

Solid-phase extraction system for Pb (II) ions enrichment based on multiwall carbon nanotubes coupled on-line to flame atomic absorption spectrometry

The present paper proposes the application of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as a solid sorbent for lead preconcentration using a flow system coupled to flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The method comprises the preconcentration of Pb (II) ions at a buffered solution (pH 4.7) onto 30 mg of MWCNTs previously oxidized with concentrated HNO₃. The elution step is carried out with 1.0 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃. The effect of the experimental parameters, including sample pH, sampling flow rate, buffer and eluent concentrations were investigated by means of a 2⁴ full factorial design, while for the final optimization a Doehlert design was employed. Under the best experimental conditions the preconcentration system provided detection and quantification limits of 2.6 and 8.6 μg L⁻¹, respectively. A wide linear range varying from 8.6 up to 775 μg L⁻¹ (r > 0.999) and the respective precision (relative standard deviation) of 7.7 and 1.4% for the 15 and 200 μg L⁻¹ levels were obtained. The characteristics obtained for the performance of the flow preconcentration system were a preconcentration factor of 44.2, preconcentration efficiency of 11 min⁻¹, consumptive index of 0.45 mL and sampling frequency estimated as 14 h⁻¹. Preconcentration studies of Pb (II) ions in the presence of the majority foreign ions tested did not show interference, attesting the good performance of MWCNTs. The accuracy of the method was assessed from analysis of water samples (tap, mineral, physiological serum and synthetic seawater) and common medicinal herbs submitted to the acid decomposition (garlic and Ginkgo Biloba). The satisfactory recovery values obtained without using analyte addition method confirms the feasibility of this method for Pb (II) ions determination in different type of samples.     

Determination of trace heavy metals in herbs by sequential injection analysis-anodic stripping voltammetry using screen-printed carbon nanotubes electrodes

A method for the simultaneous determination of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) at low μg L⁻¹ concentration levels by sequential injection analysis-anodic stripping voltammetry (SIA-ASV) using screen-printed carbon nanotubes electrodes (SPCNTE) was developed. A bismuth film was prepared by in situ plating of bismuth on the screen-printed carbon nanotubes electrode. Operational parameters such as ratio of carbon nanotubes to carbon ink, bismuth concentration, deposition time and flow rate during preconcentration step were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the linear ranges were found to be 2-100 μg L⁻¹ for Pb(II) and Cd(II), and 12-100 μg L⁻¹ for Zn(II). The limits of detection (S_bl/S = 3) were 0.2 μg L⁻¹ for Pb(II), 0.8 μg L⁻¹ for Cd(II) and 11 μg L⁻¹ for Zn(II). The measurement frequency was found to be 10-15 stripping cycle h⁻¹. The present method offers high sensitivity and high throughput for on-line monitoring of trace heavy metals. The practical utility of our method was also demonstrated with the determination of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) by spiking procedure in herb samples. Our methodology produced results that were correlated with ICP-AES data. Therefore, we propose a method that can be used for the automatic and sensitive evaluation of heavy metals contaminated in herb items.     

Simultaneous determination of Cd(II) and Pb(II) by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry based on graphite nanofibers-Nafion composite modified bismuth film electrode

A bismuth-film modified graphite nanofibers-Nafion glassy carbon electrode (BiF/GNFs-NA/GCE) was constructed for the simultaneous determination of trace Cd(II) and Pb(II). The electrochemical properties and applications of the modified electrode were studied. Operational parameters such as deposition potential, deposition time, and bismuth ion concentration were optimized for the purpose of determination of trace metal ions in 0.10 M acetate buffer solution (pH 4.5). Under optimal conditions, based on three times the standard deviation of the baseline, the limits of detection were 0.09 μg L⁻¹ for Cd(II) and 0.02 μg L⁻¹ for Pb(II) with a 10 min preconcentration. In addition, the BiF/GNFs-NA/GCE displayed good reproducibility and selectivity, making it suitable for the simultaneous determination of Cd(II) and Pb(II) in real sample such as river water and human blood samples.     

Exploiting the bead injection concept for sequential determination of copper and mercury ions in river-water samples

A procedure involving bead-injection concept and sequential determination of copper and mercury ions in river-water samples is proposed. The method is based on the solid-phase extraction of both metal ions on the same beads surface (Chelex 100 resin) and in their subsequent reaction with the colorimetric reagents (APDC and Dithizone for copper and mercury ions, respectively). For this task, a resin mini-column is established in the optical path by the selection, introduction and trapping of a defined volume of the Chelex-100 resin beads suspension in the flow system. The passage of the sample solution through the resin mini-column promotes the sorption of Cu(II) ions and, making the APDC colorimetric reagent flows through the beads, the formation of the coloured complex on the solid phase surface occurs. The absorbance of the formed APDC-Cu complex is then monitored at 436 nm and the spent beads are discarded. Packing another resin mini-column in the flow cell and repeating the concentration step it is possible to carried out the mercury determination by using Dithizone as reagent. The absorbance of the Dithizone-Hg complex is monitored at 500 nm. After each measurement, the spent beads are wasted and a new portion of fresh one is trapped in the system, letting it ready for the next measurement. The bead injection system is versatile and can be used to concentrate different sample volumes, which permits the determination of a wide range of copper and mercury ions concentrations. When the sample-selected volumes are 100 and 1000 μl the analytical ranges were 5.0 up to 500.0 μg l⁻¹ and 2.5 up to 30.0 μg l⁻¹ for Cu(II) and Hg(II) ions, respectively. Under these conditions, the detection limit was estimated as 0.63 and 0.25 μg l⁻¹ for copper and mercury ions determination. The system consumes 2 mg of Chelex 100 resin beads, 0.20 mg of APDC or 1.25 mg of Dithizone per determination and the traditional organic solvent extraction methodology, normally used in connection with APDC and Dithizone reagents, is not used here which permits to classify the present method as green.     

Luminescent hexanuclear Cu(I)-cluster for the selective determination of copper

For the first time, the formation of a luminescent hexanuclear cluster has been used for the selective determination of copper. In aqueous solutions, the non-luminescent ligand N-ethyl-N′-methylsulfonylthiourea (EMT) forms an intensely red luminescent hexanuclear Cu(I)-cluster with an emission maximum at 663 nm only with Cu(II) ions. The intensity of the luminescence is proportional to the Cu(II) concentration and allows for selective Cu determinations in the μg l⁻¹-range. Ubiquitous metal ions such as Fe(III), Al(III), Ca(II), Mg(II), and alkaline metal ions, as well as other heavy metal ions, e.g. Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), and Pb(II) are tolerated in concentrations up to 50 mg l⁻¹. The detection limit for Cu(II) in aqueous solution, calculated according to Funk et al. [Qualitätssicherung in der Analytischen Chemie, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 1992], is 113 μg l⁻¹. The cluster formation has been used for the quantitative analysis of copper in tap water and in industrial water, as well as for the localization of copper adsorbed by activated-sludge flocs.     

Sequential injection monosegmented flow voltammetric determination of cadmium and lead using a bismuth film working electrode

A cost-effective sequential injection monosegmented flow analysis (SI-MSFA) with anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) detection has been developed for determination of Cd(II) and Pb(II). The bismuth film working electrode (BiFE) was employed for accumulative preconcentration of the metals by applying a fixed potential of −1.10 V versus Ag/AgCl electrode for 90 s. The SI-MSFA provides a convenient means for preparation of a homogeneous solution zone containing sample in an acetate buffer electrolyte solution and Bi(III) solution for in situ plating of BiFE, ready for ASV measurement at a flow through thin layer electrochemical cell. Under the optimum conditions, linear calibration graphs in range of 10-100 μg L⁻¹ of both Cd(II) and Pb(II) were obtained with detection limits of 1.4 and 6.9 μg L⁻¹ of Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively. Relative standard deviations were 2.7 and 3.1%, for 11 replicate analyses of 25 μg L⁻¹ Cd(II) and 25 μg L⁻¹ Pb(II), respectively. A sample throughput of 12 h⁻¹ was achieved with low consumption of reagent and sample solutions. The system was successfully applied for analysis of water samples collected from a draining pond of zinc mining, validating by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) method.     

Antimony-film electrode for the determination of trace metals by sequential-injection analysis/anodic stripping voltammetry

The possibility of applying antimony-film modified glassy carbon electrode in sequential-injection analysis (SIA) was investigated with the objective of determining Pb(II) and Cd(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). The conditions of antimony-film deposition concerning composition of the plating/carrier solutions, concentrations of Sb(III) and hydrochloric acid, effects of different supporting electrolyte salts, and plating potential were optimized. It was found that the antimony-film deposition on glassy carbon substrate in a sample solution consisting of 750 μg L⁻¹ Sb(III), 0.5 mol L⁻¹ HCl at −1.5 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/3 mol L⁻¹ KCl) yielded a modified electrode suitable for the determination of Pb(II) and Cd(II) at the μg L⁻¹ level. The reproducibility of the analytical signals was characterized by a relative standard deviation lower than 2.8%, and the calculated values of detection limits were 1.2 μg L⁻¹ for Pb(II) and 1.4 μg L⁻¹ for Cd(II). The presence of KSCN in the sample solution offers the possibility of detecting ions with more negative oxidation potentials like Zn(II), Mn(II) or Cr(III). The developed SIA-ASV procedure was compared with the commonly used batch method, and its applicability was tested on a spiked tap water sample.