Chemiluminescence flow system for the determination of ammonium ion

A novel chemiluminescence (CL) system for ammonium ion combined with flow-injection analysis is presented in this paper. It is based on the CL reaction between luminol, immobilized electrostatically on an anion-exchange column, and chlorine electrochemically generated on-line via a platinum electrode from hydrochloric acid in a coulometric cell. Ammonium ion reacts with chlorine and decreases the observed CL intensity. The system responds linearly to ammonium ion concentration in the range 1.0-100 muM, and the detection limit is 0.4 muM. A complete analysis, including sampling and washing, could be performed in 1 min with a relative standard deviation of <6.0%. The system is stable for over 500 determinations and has been applied successfully to the determination of ammonium ion in rainwater samples.