Stripping voltammetric determination of mercury at modified solid electrodes: Determination of mercury traces using PDC/Au(III) modified electrodes Original Research Article

The paper describes the determination of mercury (II) by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) using modified disposable thick film graphite electrodes (MDTFGEs). The optimized conditions, interferences, and analytical applications of mercury determination using thick film electrodes modified with a gold (III)/pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDC) complex are reported. The linear range for mercury determination using these electrodes lies between 0 and 50 μg/l, depending upon the accumulation time. The detection limit was calculated as 5 ng/l (3σ) for an accumulation time of 300 s. It is shown why these electrodes can be applied to the direct determination of mercury (II) without special sample treatment for samples containing a not too large surplus of surfactants. The method is applicable to the trace analysis of mercury(II) in different water samples and sulfuric acid.