Determination of copper by anodic stripping voltammetry on a glassy carbon electrode using a continuous flow system

 A successful flow-through system was developed for trace analysis of copper using DPASV with a glassy-carbon electrode. Periodical chemical regeneration of the electrode with a 1 mol/L NaOH solution increased sensitivity and precision. The method was shown to be applicable with a detection limit of 0.56 μg/L, with a determination time of less than 7 min per measurement (without deaeration time). The drawback of the system is the 10 min deaeration time. The system gave an accuracy of 0.090±0.005% for a certified reference material of low alloy steel containing 0.090±0.004% Cu. Applicability to various fresh water samples with a Cu content between 1.57 and 13.11 μg/L with an RSD<2.36% is illustrated. Received: 11 March 1996/Revised: 1 July 1996/Accepted: 4 July 1996