Simultaneous voltammetric determination of cobalt, nickel and labile zinc, using 2-quinolinethiol in the presence of surfactants without prior digestion

2-Quinolinethiol forms very stable cobalt and nickel complexes, which are strongly chemisorbed on the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). This allows the simultaneous determination of cobalt, nickel and labile zinc traces; Co and Ni by differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DPAdSV) and Zn by differential pulse sweep voltammetry (DPSV), even in the presence of a large amount of surfactant like Triton X-100. This is advantageous for determining these metals directly in natural waters, without previous UV-irradiation or acid digestion. The surfactant does not only not interfere, but shows a beneficial effect with respect to the resolution between copper and nickel peaks. The method has been tested in estuary waters. The determination limits are 1 nmol/l Ni, 10 nmol/l Co and 1 mol/l Zn, with RSD less than 6.3%.