Arsenic speciation in natural waters by cathodic stripping voltammetry

Contamination of groundwater with arsenic (As) is a major health risk through contamination of drinking and irrigation water supplies. In geochemically reducing conditions As is mostly present as As(III), its most toxic species. Various methods exist to determine As in water but these are not suitable for monitoring arsenic speciation at its original pH and without preparation. We present a method that uses cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) to determine reactive As(III) at a vibrating, gold, microwire electrode. The As(III) is detected after adsorptive deposition of As(OH)₃⁰, followed by a potential scan to measure the reduction current from As(III) to As(0). The method is suitable for waters of pH 7-12, has an analytical range of 1 nM to 100 μM As (0.07-7500 ppb) and a limit of detection of 0.5 nM with a 60 s deposition time. The As speciation protocol involves measuring reactive As(III) by CSV at the original pH and acidification to pH 1 to determine inorganic As(III) + As(V) by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) using the same electrode. Total dissolved As is determined by ASV after UV-digestion at pH 1. The method was successfully tested on various raw groundwater samples from boreholes in the UK and West Bengal.     

Determination of selenium in sea water by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry

A procedure is presented for determining Se(IV) and total dissolved Se in sea water using cathodic stripping voltammetry in the presence of added copper. Experiments using cyclic voltammetry indicate that the preconcentration step consists in adsorption of a Cu(I)₂Se complex species on the hanging mercury drop electrode. The optimized analytical conditions include a copper concentration of 40 μM and a solution pH of 1.6. Differential pulse modulation is used. Interference caused by organic surface-active substances present in natural waters in eliminated by UV photolysis of the sample. Cadmium interferes with the determination of Se only when present at a concentration 100 times higher than normal. UV photolysis at pH ≈ 8 is used to convert Se(VI), which is the electroactive species. The response is linear for Se concentrations between 0 and 200 nM. The limit of detection is 0.01 nM Se when a deposition time of 15 min is used.     

Determination of selenium in soils with square-wave cathodic stripping voltammetry

A new voltammetric method is elaborated for the trace determination of selenium in soils. The use of the square-wave cathodic stripping voltammetry in the determination step efficiently eliminates the interference of electroactive components. The detection limit is 0.75 g/l.     

Determination of selenium in freshwaters by cathodic stripping voltammetry after UV irradiation

An analytical method was developed for the determination of total dissolved selenium in fresh waters, using linear sweep cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) in combination with UV photolytic digestion. Both the CSV method, based on the electrodeposition and stripping of Cu(2)Se, and the UV irradiation procedure were investigated in detail. In the presence of dissolved organic substances, as in freshwaters, Se(VI) is reduced to Se(IV) by UV irradiation in 0.1M hydrochloric acid. Glucose can be used as the carbon source in samples low in natural dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The photolytic yields of Se(IV) were about 90% in both cases. Five freshwater samples were analysed for total selenium by CSV after UV photolysis, and by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) after oxidative digestion followed by reduction with hydrochloric acid. The results agreed well and the concentrations were in the range 70-190 ng/l., well above the detection limit of the CSV method at 2 ng/l.     

Iron organic speciation determination in rainwater using cathodic stripping voltammetry

A sensitive method using Competitive Ligand Exchange-Adsorptive Cathodic Stripping Voltammetry (CLE-ACSV) has been developed to determine for the first time iron (Fe) organic speciation in rainwater over the typical natural range of pH. We have adapted techniques previously developed in other natural waters to rainwater samples, using the competing ligand 1-nitroso-2-naphthol (NN). The blank was equal to 0.17 ± 0.05 nM (n = 14) and the detection limit (DL) for labile Fe was 0.15 nM which is 10–70 times lower than that of previously published methods. The conditional stability constant for NN under rainwater conditions was calibrated over the pH range 5.52–6.20 through competition with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The calculated value of the logarithm of β^′_Fe3+(NN)3${{\beta }^{\prime }}_{{\text{Fe}}^{3+}{(\text{NN})}_3}$ increased linearly with increasing pH according to log β^′_Fe3+(NN)3=2.4±0.6×pH+11.9±3.5$\text{log}{{\beta }^{\prime }}_{{\text{Fe}}^{3+}{(\text{NN})}_3}=2.4\pm 0.6\times \text{pH}+11.9\pm 3.5$ (salinity = 2.9, T = 20 °C). The validation of the method was carried out using desferrioxamine mesylate B (DFOB) as a natural model ligand for Fe. Adequate detection windows were defined to detect this class of ligands in rainwater with 40 μM of NN from pH 5.52 to 6.20. The concentration of Fe-complexing natural ligands was determined for the first time in three unfiltered and one filtered rainwater samples. Organic Fe-complexing ligand concentrations varied from 104.2 ± 4.1 nM equivalent of Fe(III) to 336.2 ± 19.0 nM equivalent of Fe(III) and the logarithm of the conditional stability constants, with respect to Fe³⁺, varied from 21.1 ± 0.2 to 22.8 ± 0.3. This method will provide important data for improving our understanding of the role of wet deposition in the biogeochemical cycling of iron.     

Determination of chitosan by cathodic stripping voltammetry.

A sensitive method for the determination of chitosan (CTS) by cathodic stripping voltammetry is presented. The method exploits a pair of oxidation-reduction peaks of CTS at -0.62 V (vs. SCE) and -0.54 V (vs. SCE), and an enhancement of the peak current of CTS observed in a 0.05 mol l(-1) potassium hydrogenphthalate buffer solution (pH 2.5). The peak current is linear with the concentration of CTS from 5.0 x 10(-7) to 1.5 x 10(-5) g ml(-1), and the detection limit is 1.0 x 10(-7) g ml(-1). We studied the characteristics and the mechanism of the electrode reaction, which proved that this process was diffusion controlled. This method was applied to determine the content of CTS in real samples with satisfactory results.     

Anodic stripping voltammetry with flow injection analysis

A flow cell with a wall-jet electrode design is used for anodic stripping voltammetry of lead at concentrations of about 10^?7 mol dm^?3. Maximum peak heights are obtained for narrow nozzle diameters and short nozzle-to-electrode distances. Linear calibration plots are obtainedfor almost four decades of change in concentration and can be extended by judicious choice of sample volume. Increasing sample throughput rates by increasing the solution flow rate decreases the analytical signal. Square wave voltammetry provides shorter analysis times and better sensitivity than differential pulse voltammetry.     

Determination of total gaseous selenium in atmosphere by honeycomb denuder/differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry

A new analytical method has been developed for the determination of total gaseous selenium in the atmosphere by honeycomb denuder collection followed by differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry (DPCSV) measurement. Gaseous selenium was collected in a denuder coating solution containing 2% HNO(3) and 2% glycerine. The soluble product, selenious acid, was then extracted by water for DPCSV analysis. The collection efficiency for gaseous selenium was 99.1% at a flow rate of 1 l min(-1) for 3 h. Excellent linearity in DPCSV was maintained up to Se concentration of 40 ng ml(-1). This was equivalent to a working concentration of 220 ng m(-3) of selenium in the atmosphere. A precision of 1.26% RSD (n=5) for 5 ng Se was obtained, and the detection limit (3sigma) and the quantitative determination limit were estimated to be 0.96 and 3.19 ng m(-3). The average recovery of selenium in three standard samples prepared by independent digestion of NIST SRM 1648 (Urban Particulate Matter) using our analytical system was 99.0%. The total content of gaseous selenium in the atmosphere of our laboratories was 3.2-4.4 ng m(-3).     

Trace determination of molybdenum by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry

Molybdenum is determined by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry in 0.15 M nitric acid solution containing 15 μM 2′,3,4′,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone (morin) as a ligand. In this medium, molybdenum is preconcentrated on a hanging mercury drop electrode and stripped cathodically in square-wave voltammetry mode, with a peak potential of -350 mV vs. Ag/AgCl (saturated KCl). The effect of various parameters (ligand concentration, supporting electrolyte composition, accumulation potential and collection time) on the sensitivity and linear range of the calibration curve are discussed. With controlled accumulation for 1 min, the detection limit (3σ) was 0.45 ng ml^?1 molybdenum and the calibration curve is linear up to 70 ng ml^?1. The procedure is applied to the determination of molybdenum in real samples with satisfactory results.     

Determinationation of kanamycin by square-wave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry

A square-wave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltametric (SWCASV) method for the determination of kanamycin was developed on a thin-film mercury electrode (TFME). The optimal working conditions for the application of the method were found to be pH 8.0, provided by a Britton-Robinson (B.R.) buffer, and an adsorption potential of +0.30 V during 300 s. The equilibration time was applied during 10 s, and potential scans were performed at a scan rate of 40 mV/s, with a square-wave frequency of 100 Hz. The measuring-system response was linear over the kanamycin concentration range from 1.2 × 10⁻⁹ to 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ M and the detection limit achieved was 4.8 × 10⁻¹⁰ M. The relative error and relative standard deviation obtained were 1.20 and 4.67%, respectively. The voltammetric procedure was applied successfully to give a rapid and precise assay of kanamycin in kanamycin sulfate injection form. Published in Elektrokhimiya in Russian, 2008, Vol. 44, No. 12, pp. 1433–1437. The text was submitted by author in English     

Trace element speciation by anodic stripping voltammetry.

The effects of a range of complexing agents and a detergent on the stripping process in anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) were compared by using both differential-pulse and d.c. techniques. The detergent and most of the ligands, added after deposition was complete, seriously affected the height of the differential-pulse waves, and fulvic acid even decreased the area of the d.c. stripping peak. In order to obtain a correlation between ASV-labile metal measurements and bioassays, it is important that complexing agents in the sample solution affect only the deposition stage, and not the stripping stage in ASV. In order to achieve this result, the double acidification technique is recommended, where a voltammogram is recorded with deposition at the natural pH of the sample, but with stripping carried out at pH less than 2, then a second voltammogram run on the same solution, but with both deposition and stripping effected at pH less than 2. Excellent agreement was obtained between ASV-labile metal measured by the double acidification method and algal assays for a variety of natural and synthetic waters.     

Parameter evaluation for the determination of selenium by cathodic stripping voltammetry at the hanging mercury drop electrode

The behaviour of selenium(IV) in cathodic stripping voltammetry is evaluated systematically. The effects of copper concentration, pH, deposition potential and complexing agents on the stripping peak are examined and criteria are given for the choice of suitable quantitative parameters. The detection limit was found to be 20 ng l^?1 and the background contamination level was 35 ng l^?1. Zinc and lead do not affect the determination of selenium if EDTA is added to the solution whereas cadmium interferes badly; the corresponding mechanisms are discussed.     

Determination of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos by cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry

The adsorption behavior and differential pulse cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos (CP) were investigated at the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). The pesticide was accumulated at the HMDE and a well-defined stripping peak was obtained at –1.2 V vs Ag/AgCl electrode at pH 7.50. A voltammetric procedure was developed for the trace determination of Chlorpyrifos using differential pulse cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DP-CASV). The optimum working conditions for the determination of the compound were established. The peak current was linear over the concentration range 9.90 × 10^–8– 5.96 × 10^–7 mol/L of Chlorpyrifos. The influence of diverse ions and some other pesticides was investigated. The analysis of Chlorpyrifos in commercial formulations and treated waste water was carried out satisfactorily     

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.     

Flow-through coulometric stripping analysis and the determination of manganese by cathodic stripping voltammetry

A simple flow-through system is described for collection of liquid samples into a closed loop. This arrangement can be used for coulometric determinations by the stripping method without previous calibration. The usefulness of the system is demonstrated on the determination of manganese (ca. 10^-6 M) in acetate buffer by cathodic stripping voltammetry.     

The determination of some 2-thiobarbiturates by cathodic stripping voltammetry

Pulse polarography and cyclic voltammetry are employed in studies of the electrochemical behaviour of 5-ethyl-5'-(l-methylbutyl)-2-thiobarbituric acid (I), l-methyl-5-ethyl-5'-(l-methylpropyl)-2-thiobarbituric acid (II) and l,3-dimethyl-5-ethyl-5'-p-chlorophenyl)-2-thiobarbituric acid (III) in the pH range 4–12. All three compounds show anodic and cathodic waves or peaks in this pH range. Compounds (I) and (II) are oxidized at mercury indicator electrodes to produce mercury salts which can adsorb thereon and are thus amenable to cathodic stripping voltammetric analysis (c.s.v.) down to concentrations of the order of 10^-6 M, which is superior to the sensitivities obtained by differential pulse polarography (d.p.p.) based on a reduction peak. Compound (III) oxidizes to produce sulphur which is subsequently plated as HgS. Again the sensitivity of the c.s.v. method is of the order of lO^-6 M and analytically superior to d.p.p. The optimum pH for the three determinations is 8. The determination of (II) in the presence of its oxygenated analogue and metabolite, phemitone, and the effect of chloride ions are reported.     

Determination of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos by cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry

The adsorption behavior and differential pulse cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos (CP) were investigated at the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). The pesticide was accumulated at the HMDE and a well-defined stripping peak was obtained at –1.2 V vs Ag/AgCl electrode at pH 7.50. A voltammetric procedure was developed for the trace determination of Chlorpyrifos using differential pulse cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DP-CASV). The optimum working conditions for the determination of the compound were established. The peak current was linear over the concentration range 9.90 × 10^–8– 5.96 × 10^–7 mol/L of Chlorpyrifos. The influence of diverse ions and some other pesticides was investigated. The analysis of Chlorpyrifos in commercial formulations and treated waste water was carried out satisfactorily Received: 10 July 1997 / Revised: 1 April 1998 / Accepted: 6 April 1998     

Determination of pyrithione in natural waters by cathodic stripping voltammetry

A method was developed to determine the biocide pyrithione in natural waters. The method is based on cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) in the presence of Triton-X-100, which is used to separate the peak from interfering thiol compounds. Optimised conditions include a Triton-X-100 concentration of 4 ppm and a pH adjusted to 9 using ammonia buffer. The adsorption potential for pyrithione was −0.10 V and the peak occurred at −0.2 to −0.3 V. Detection was by differential-pulse CSV. The detection limit in UV-digested seawater was 1.5 nM for a deposition time of 60 s. In principle, this limit of detection could be lowered by extending the adsorption time, but in practice this may not be possible due to interferences by other organic compounds (surfactants and thiol compounds) in natural waters.     

Determination of abscisic acid by cathodic stripping square wave voltammetry

In this paper a study is accomplished on behavior in a mercury electrode, of the phytohormone abscisic acid and of the conditions of accumulation in a HMDE. A mechanism is proposed of reduction based on its electrochemical behavior and proving the product of the reduction through mass spectrometry of bulks. A method is proposed for the determination of Abscisic acid (ABA) with a quantification limit of 58 ng ml(-1). The procedure is applied wing determination of ABA in pears through the combination of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical quantification.     

Determination of traces of selenium(IV) by cathodic stripping voltammetry at the hanging mercury drop electrode

Conditions convenient for the determination of traces of seIenium(IV) by cathodic stripping technique are described. Several electrolytes were tested. Three procedures are given in which the troublesome splitting of the stripping peak is eliminated. Suitable conditions include perchloric acid solution at elevated temperature, hydrochloric acid solution after preconcentration at zero current, and perchloric acid solution containing a small amount of iodide. The detection limits are 5 × 10^-9, 2 × 10^-9 and 5 × 10^-10 mol dm^-3, respectively. The time required for the entire procedure is about 30 min starting with a soluble seIenium(IV) sample.