Determination of nickel,cobalt, copper and uranium in water by cathodic stripping chronopotentiometry with continuous flow

The potential of cathodic stripping chronopotentiometry for the determination of trace metals in a continuous-flow system is investigated. An automated analyzer with a fast rate of data acquisition (250 kHz) is described. The cathodic scans are preceded by adsorptive collection of surface-active metal complexes on the hanging mercury drop electrode. The scans are done by passing a constant current of between 0.8 (in deaerated solution) and 60 μA (in solutions saturated with air) through the working electrode. Copper, uranium, and nickel can be determined in the presence of dissolved oxygen, but the sensitivity for nickel is then much reduced. The sensitivity of stripping chronopotentiometry in the presence of dissolved oxygen is similar to that of fast linear-sweep voltammetry in the absence of dissolved oxygen. The limits of detection were 0.1 nM Ni, 0.1 nM Co, 1.8 nM Cu and 1.6 nM U, when the measurements were preceded by 60-s stirred adsorption; in the presence of dissolved oxygen the limit of detection for nickel was higher at 0.6 nM, and cobalt could not be determined, as its peak was located on top of the oxygen peak. The determinations of copper and uranium were not adversely affected by dissolved oxygen. The limits of detection can be lowered further by using a prolonged collection period (up to 300 s). The technique was successfully tested by measuring nickel with continuous flow in water pumped on board of a small vessel in the Tamar estuary.