Reaction with N,N‐Diethyl‐p‐phenylenediamine: A Procedure for the Sensitive Square‐Wave Voltammetric Detection of Chlorine

The reaction of chlorine and N,N‐diethyl‐p‐phenylenediamine has been studied as a means of generating an analytical voltammetric signal of much improved sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of the former than is possible via direct electrolysis. A reaction mechanism is suggested whereby the chlorine attacks the primary amine of DEPD to form the N‐chlorinated product that shows a much enhanced signal under conditions of square‐wave voltammetry than does chlorine itself. The analytical parameters were found to vary with concentration of DEPD and a linear range from 17 to 495 μM was achievable with a corresponding limit of detection of 6.8 μM