Electrochemical detection of blood lead based on the enhancement effect of copper

The anodic stripping peak current of lead on the glassy carbon electrode surface was greatly increased in the presence of high concentration of copper ion. The effects of supporting electrolyte, concentration of Cu²⁺, accumulation potential and accumulation time were studied on the stripping peak current of Pb²⁺. As a result, a sensitive, simple and rapid electrochemical method was developed for the detection of lead. In 0.01 M HNO₃ solution containing 800 g,g L^?1 Cu²⁺, the stripping peak current of Pb²⁺ increases linearly with its concentration over the range from 2 to 100 μg L^?1. The detection limit is 1 μg L^?1 after 4-min accumulation at ?0.8 V. It was used to detect the concentration of lead in blood samples, and the results consisted with the values that obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry.