Determination of uranium(VI) in seawater by means of automated flow constant-current cathodic stripping at carbon fibre electrodes

Uranium(VI) is determined in an automated flow system by means of constant-current reductive stripping with a mercury film-coated carbon fibre electrode and catechol as adsorptive reagent at pH 8.6 Interference from iron(III) is eliminated by addition of sulphite. Increased linear range between stripping signal and sample uranium(VI) concentration can be obtained by adding, in the computer, several stripping curves, each obtained after a short period of adsorptive accumulation. It is shown that the hanging mercury drop electrode can be used for the determination of uranium(VI) by means of computerized constant current stripping without the need for inert gas bubbling. The results obtained for uranium(VI) in two reference seawater samples, NASS-1 and CASS-1, were 2.90 and 2.68 μg l^?1 with standard deviations (n = 8) of 0.57 and 0.75 μg l^?1, respectively.     

Flow constant-current stripping analysis for antimony(III) and antimony(V) with gold fibre working electrodes : Application to Natural Waters

Antimony(III) is determined by means of electrolysis at ?0.40 V vs. Ag/AgCl on a gold-coated gold fibre electrode for 0.5–10 min in a redox buffer containing 0.01 M iron(II) in 0.10 M hydrochloric acid, and subsequent stripping with a constant current of 0.50μA either in 2 M hydrochloric acid or in 4 M hydrochloric acid/4 M calcium chloride. Antimony(V) is determined by the same procedure in 4 M hydrochloric acid medium. Bismuth(III) is masked by the addition of iodide to the sample prior to electrolysis. Antimony(III) and antimony(V) are determined by standard addition methods; the whole procedure including digital and graphical evaluation of the results is fully automated. The antimony(V) concentrations in the river water reference sample SLRS-1 and the seawater reference sample NASS-1 were found to be 0.63 and 0.31 μg l^?1 with standard deviations of 0.046 and 0.051 μg l^?1, respectively (n=15). The certified value for SLRS- 1 is 0.63±0.05 μg l^?1; no certified value is available for NASS-1.     

Automated determination of total arsenic in sea water by flow constant-current stripping analysis with gold fibre electrodes

Total arsenic in sea water is determined in a fully automated flow system, by means of potentiostatic deposition for 4 min at a 25-μm gold fibre electrode and subsequent constant-current stripping in 5 M hydrochloric acid. Previously the sample is acidified with hydrochloric and arsenic(V) is reduced to arsenic(III) with iodide. During stripping, the potential vs. time transient is recorded with a real-time measurement rate of 26.5 kHz and a potential resolution of 1 mV. Cleaning and regeneration of the gold electrode are fully automated. The total arsenic concentrations in two reference sea waters (NASS-1 and CASS-1) were evaluated by single-point standard addition and found to be 1.58 and 1.14 μg l^?1 with standard deviations of 0.39 and 0.28 μg l^?1, respectively; certified values are 1.65 ± 0.19 and 1.04 ± 0.07 μg l^?1. The arsenic(III) content in these samples was below the detection limit (0.15 μg l^?1).     

Flow potentiometric stripping analysis for mercury(II) in urine,sediment and acid digest of biological material

In flow potentiometric stripping analysis for mercury in urine, the samples are acidified with concentrated nitric acid and heated to boiling for 10 min. After cooling, the samples are buffered by the addition of concentrated ammonia and then pre-electrolysed at a gold working electrode for 90 s at -0.25 V vs. SCE at a flow rate of 1.75 ml min^-1. The stripping solution is 1 M sodium bromide solution acidified with 0.1 M hydrochloric acid and containing chromium(VI). The detection limit at one sigma level is 0.05 μM. Orchard leaves, sediment and fish muscles are digested in nitric acid at 140°C for 30 min prior to buffering with ammonia and potentiometric stripping analysis for 200 s at -0.20 V vs. SCE at a flow rate of 1.75 ml min^-1.     

Enhancement effect of cysteine on anodic stripping voltammetry of copper

The anodic stripping behaviour of copper in the presence of compounds with a mercapto group, such as cysteine, was investigated. In the presence of cysteine, a copper stripping wave at ?0.12 V vs. SCE decreased, and instead a new sharp wave was observed at more positive potential. Its peak height increased with increasing concentration of cysteine, and at 1 × 10^?5M cysteine it became about seven times as large as that observed in the absence of cysteine. Then the method using this enhanced wave was studied for the determination of trace cupric ion. The results were that the relative standard deviation for five repetitive determinations was about 4% at 10^?8M Cu(II) and the detection limit was 6 × 10^?10M Cu(II). From the investigation by means of cyclic voltammetry, it was found that this enhanced wave was due to the transformation from a cupric—cysteinate complex to a mercuric—cysteinate complex.     

Electrode Modified with Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) Film of Calixarenes for Preconcentration and Stripping Analysis of Hg(II)

A new type of current sensor, Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) film of calixarene on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was prepared for determination of mercury by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). An anodic stripping peak was obtained at 0.15 V (vs. SCE) by scanning the potential from ?0.6 to +0.6 V. Compared with a bare GCE, the LB film coated electrode greatly improves the sensitivity of measuring mercury ion. The fabricated electrode in a 0.1 M H₂SO₄+0.01 M HCl solution shows a linear voltammetric response in the range of 0.07–40 μg L^?1 and detection limit of 0.04 μg L^?1 (ca. 2×10^?10 M). The high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability of this LB film modified electrode demonstrates its practical application for a simple, rapid and economical determination of Hg²⁺ in a water sample.     

Flow potentiometric and constant-current stripping analysis for arsenic(V) without prior chemical reduction to arsenic(III): Application to the Determination of Total Arsenic in Seawater and Urine

Arsenic(V) is reduced to elemental arsenic on a gold-coated platinum-fibre electrode at electrolysis potentials below ?1.60 V vs. Ag/AgCl and subsequently re-oxidized, either by means of a constant current, or chemically, with gold(III) as oxidant. Total arsenic in acidified seawater can be determined by means of electrolysis for 60 s at ?1.80 V vs. Ag/AgCl and subsequent stripping in 4 M hydrochloric acid containing 2.5 M calcium chloride. The detection limit obtained after 60 s of electrolysis (ca. 0.1 μg1^?1) is about ten times lower than that obtained by the electrochemical stripping methods for arsenic(III) reported hitherto. Total arsenic in urine is determined after digestion with nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide.     

Square wave anodic stripping voltammetric determination of lead(II) using a glassy carbon electrode modified with a lead ionophore and multiwalled carbon nanotubes

We report on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with a lead ionophore and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. It can be applied to square wave anodic stripping voltammetric determination of Pb(II) ion after preconcentration of Pb(II) at ?1.0?V (vs. SCE) for 300?s in pH?4.5 acetate buffer containing 400?μg?L^?1 of Bi(III). The ionophore-MWCNTs film on the GCE possesses strong and highly selective affinity for Pb(II) as confirmed by quartz crystal microbalance experiments. Under the optimum conditions, a linear response was observed for Pb(II) ion in the range from 0.3 to 50?μg?L^?1. The limit of detection (at S/N?=?3) is 0.1?μg?L^?1. The method was applied to the determination of Pb(II) in water samples with acceptable recovery.

Cathodic stripping voltammetry and adsorptive stripping voltammetry of selenium(IV)

Cathodic stripping voltammetry of selenium(IV) in 0.1 M hydrochloric acid media yielded a nonlinear calibration graph for the concentration range 10^?9?10^?8 M. In this concentration range, adsorptive stripping voltammetry based on adsorption of the selenium/3,3′-diaminobenzidine complex on the surface of the hanging mercury drop electrode at the deposition potential of +0.05 V (vs. SCE) is more convenient. A linear calibration graph is obtained for selenium concentrations of 3×10^?9?3×10?8 M, with an accumulation time of 300 s.     

Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Trace Uranium with a Bismuth‐Film Electrode Based on the U(VI)→U(V) Reduction Step of the Uranium‐Cupferron Complex

This work reports the use of adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV) for the determination of uranium on a preplated rotating‐disk bismuth‐film electrode (BiFE). The principle of the method relied on the complexation of U(VI) ions with cupferron and the subsequent adsorptive accumulation of the complex on the surface of the BiFE. The uranium in the accumulated complex was then reduced by means of a cathodic voltammetric scan while the analytically useful U(VI)→U(V) reduction signal was monitored. The experimental variables as well as potential interferences were investigated and the figures of merit of the method were established. Using the selected conditions, the 3σ limit of detection for uranium was 0.1 μg L^?1 at a preconcentration time of 480 s and the relative standard deviation was 4.7% at the 5 μg L^?1 level for a preconcentration time of 120 s (n=8). The accuracy of the method was established by analyzing a reference sea water sample.     

Electrochemical Determination of Oxalate at Pyrolytic Graphite Electrodes

The electrocatalytic oxidation of oxalate at several carbon based electrodes including basal plane (BPPG) and edge plane (EPPG) pyrolytic graphite and glassy carbon (GC) electrode, was studied. The electrodes were examined for the sensing of oxalate ions in aqueous solutions and all three electrodes showed a response to oxalate additions. The peak of oxalate oxidation at BPPG electrode appeared at lower potential, +1.13 V vs. SCE, than at EPPG (+1.20 V vs. SCE) and GC electrode (+1.44 V vs. SCE). Oxalate oxidation at BPPG electrode was studied in more details for response characteristics (potential and current), effects of pH, temporal characteristics of response potential and current. The results indicated that oxalate oxidation proceeds as two‐electron process at the BPPG electrode with a transfer coefficient β and a diffusion coefficient D evaluated to be 0.45 and 1.03 (±0.04)×10^?5 cm² s^?1 respectively. The BPPG electrode was found to be suitable for oxalate determination in aqueous media showing linear response to oxalate concentration with a sensitivity of 0.039 AM^?1 and a limit of detection of 0.7 μM.     

Electrocapillary Activity and Adsorptive Accumulation of U(VI)‐Cupferron and U(VI)‐Chloranilic Acid Complexes on Mercury Electrode

Interfacial activity of uranium(VI)‐cupferron and uranium(VI)‐chloranilic acid (CAA) complexes (in 0.1 M acetate buffer pH 4.6 or 0.1 M NaClO₄ respectively) on polarized mercury electrode at 110 mV, 10 mV or ?240 mV respectively vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE), and under conditions of the application of adsorptive stripping voltammetric techniques was studied. It revealed a competitive effect of interfacial activity of the mentioned complexes consisting in a nonmonotonous effect of the bulk concentration of U(VI) on the adsorption of the mentioned complexing reagents at their constant concentrations. At concentrations lower than 5×10^?5 mol L^?1 the complexes U(VI)‐cupferron or U(VI)‐CAA exhibited a relatively strong electrosorption providing the adsorption coefficients β of the order 10⁴ L mol^?1, the maximum surface excess Γ_m ≈ 5 to 10 μmol m^?2 and average Frumkin interaction coefficients reaching their absolute values 2 to 2.6.     

Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Detection of Single‐Stranded DNA at Electrochemically Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

Electrochemically modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was used to study the electrochemical oxidation and detection of denatured single‐stranded (ss) DNA by means of adsorptive stripping voltammetry. The modification of GCE, by electrochemical oxidation at +1.75 V (vs.SCE) for 10 min and cyclic sweep between +0.3 V and ?1.3 V for 20 cycles in pH 5.0 phosphate buffer, results in 100‐fold improvement in sensitivity for ssDNA detection. We speculated that the modified GCE has a high affinity to single‐stranded DNA through hydrogen bond (specific static adsorption). Single‐stranded DNA can accumulate at the GCE surface at open circuit and produce a well‐defined oxidation peak corresponding to the guanine residues at about +0.80 V in pH 5.0 phosphate buffer, while the native DNA gives no signal under the same condition. The peak currents are proportional to the ssDNA concentration in the range of 0–18.0 μg mL^?1. The detection limit of denatured ssDNA is ca. 0.2 μg mL^?1 when the accumulation time is 8 min at open circuit. The accumulation mechanism of ssDNA on the modified GCE was discussed.     

Determination of traces of palladium by adsorptive stripping voltammetry of the dimethylglyoxime complex

Preconcentration is achieved by adsorption of a palladium-dimethylglyoxime complex on a hanging mercury drop electrode. Optimal conditions area stirred acetate buffer solution (pH 5.15) containing 2 × 10^?4 M dimethylglyoxime and an accumulation potential of —0.20 V. The height of the stripping peak in a negative-going linear scan is linearly dependent on palladium concentration and preconcentration time (over the ranges 0–16 μg l^?1 and 0–300 s, respectively). For a 10-min preconcentration time, the detection limit is 20 ng l^?1 (2.1 × 10^?10 M). Possible interferences by other trace metals are investigated. Palladium added to seawater samples was easily quantified.     

Determination of antimony(III) and (V) in natural water by cathodic stripping voltammetry with in-situ plated bismuth film electrode

A method is described for the sequential determination of Sb(III) and Sb(V) using Osteryoung square wave cathodic stripping voltammetry. It employs an in-situ plated bismuth-film on an edge-plane graphite substrate as the working electrode. Selective electro-deposition of Sb(III)/Sb(V) is accomplished by applying a potential of ?500 mV vs. Ag/AgCl, followed by reduction to stibine at a more negative potential in the stripping step. Stripping was carried out by applying a square wave waveform between ?500 and ?1400 mV to the antimony deposited. The stripping peak current at ?1150 mV is directly proportional to the concentration of Sb( III)/Sb(V). The calibration plots for Sb (III) were linear up to 12.0?µg L^?1 depending on the time of deposition. The calibration plots for Sb (V) were linear up to 7.0?µg L^?1, also depending on the time of deposition. The relative standard deviation in the determination of 0.1?µg L^?1 of Sb(III) is 4.0% (n?=?5), and the limit of detection is as low as 2 ng L^?1. In case of 0.1?µg L^?1 Sb(V), the relative standard deviation is 3.0% (n?=?5) and the detection limit also is 2 ng L^?1. The method was applied to the analysis of river and sea water samples.     

Direct determination of bismuth and antimony in sea water by anodic stripping voltammetry

A method based on anodic stripping voltammetry at the mercury-coated graphite electrode has been developed for the direct determination of bismuth and antimony at their natural levels in sea water. Bismuth plated at -0.4 V from sea water made 1 M in hydrochloric acid gives a stripping peak proportional to concentration at -0.2 V without interference from antimony or other metals normally present. Antimony may be plated from sea water made 4 M in hydrochloric acid and gives a stripping peak at -0.2 V proportional to the sum of bismuth and antimony. By use of the standard addition technique, satisfactory results were obtained for sea water samples with concentration ranges of 0.02–0.09 μg kg^?1 for bismuth and 0.2–0.5 μg kg^?1 for antimony.     

Cathodic Adsorptive Voltammetry of the Gallium‐Alizarin Red S Complex at a Carbon Paste Electrode

The adsorptive voltammetric behavior of the gallium‐alizarin red S (ARS) complex in NH₄OAc‐HCl buffer at a carbon paste electrode(CPE) was investigated. The results showed that the complex can be adsorbed on the surface of the CPE, yielding one reduction peak at ?0.52 V(vs. SCE), corresponding to the irreversible reduction of the ligand, ARS, bonded in the complex. The optimal experimental conditions include the use of 0.10 mol L^?1 ammonium acetate buffer(pH 4.5), 1.0×10^?5 mol L^?1 ARS, an accumulation potential of ?0.05 V, an accumulation time of 180 s ,a rest time of 10 s, a scan rate of 200 mV s^?1and a second‐order derivative linear scan mode. The peak current is proportional to the concentration of gallium(III) over the range 0.02–6.0 μg L^?1, with the detection limit of 0.01 μg L^?1 for an accumulation time of 180 s. The method was applied to the determination of gallium in food samples with satisfactory results.     

The Convenient Determination of Palladium at a Solid Electrode via Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry at a Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with a Random Array of Mercury Nanodroplets

The detection of palladium using adsorptive stripping voltammetry reported by Wang et al. (J. Wang, K. Varughese Anal. Chim. Acta 1987, 199, 185 [3]) at a hanging mercury drop electrode is extended to a more convenient solid electrode. To this end a random array of 3.5×10⁸ mercury nanodroplets per cm² (65 nm average diameter) was electrodeposited on a glassy carbon substrate. Adsorptive stripping voltammetry was performed using 2×10^?4 M dimethylglyoxime as a chelating agent for the Pd(II) ion, with accumulation at ?0.20 V vs. SCE for 120 s and a linear detection range of 5–150 μM was determined with a limit of detection of 1.6 μM.     

Square-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of antihypertensive agent telmisartan in tablets and its application to human plasma

The adsorptive stripping voltammetry of telmisartan was investigated with a hanging mercury drop electrode. This compound produced a catalytic hydrogen wave at ?1.5 V in Britton Robinson buffer of pH 10.38, and the peak current increased with adsorptive accumulation at the electrode. Adsorptive stripping voltammetry with the catalytic hydrogen wave could provide a sensitive novel method for the determination of telmisartan. Various chemical and instrumental parameters affecting the monitored electroanalytical response were investigated and optimized for telmisartan determination. Under these optimized conditions the square-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetric (SW-AdSV) peak current showed a linear dependence on drug concentration over the range 0.05–3.00 μg/mL (1 × 10^?7?6 × 10^?6 M) (r = 0.999) with accumulation for 120 s at ?1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The proposed electrochemical procedure was successfully applied for the determination of telmisartan in pharmaceutical tablets and human plasma. The results of the developed SW-AdSV method were comparable with those obtained by reported analytical procedures.     

Determination of Trace Tin by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry at a Carbon Paste Electrode

A sensitive and selective procedure for the determination of trace tin at a carbon paste electrode was described. Each measurement cycle consisted of three steps: accumulation, reduction and stripping. The tin complex with bromopyrogallol red (BPR) was accumulated on the electrode surface in 0.10 mol/L acetate buffer (pH 4.5). After electrochemical reduction of Sn(II) had been carried out, the reoxidation wave of Sn(0) appeared at ?0.69 V (vs. SCE) on scanning the potential in the positive direction in 4.0 mol/L HCl. For a preconcentration time of 2 min, the detection limit was 0.06 μg/L (5×10^?10 mol/L ) and the linear range was from 0.1 to 50 μg/L. The proposed method was applied to the determination of tin in canned food and waste water samples with satisfactory results.