Determination of chlorite at very low levels by using differential pulse polarography

A method is reported for the determination of μgl^?1 levels of chlorite by using differential pulse polarography. The electrochemical reduction of chlorite was studied between pH 3.7 and 14 and in an ionic strength range of 0.05–3.0 M. The optimum conditions are pH 4.1–4.4 and an ionic strength of 0.45 M. The current under these conditions is diffusion-controlled and is a linear function of chlorite concentration ranging from 2.77×10^?7 to 2.80×10^?4 M (19 μgl^?1 to 19 mg l^?1). The imprecision is better than ±1.0% and ±3.4% at concentrations of 2.87×10^?5 M and 1.74×10^?6M, respectively, with a detection limit of 1×10^?7 M (7μgl^?1). An interference study and the application of this method for determining chlorite in drinking water are reported.