No abstract

The influence of an adsorbed layer of the natural organic matter (NOM) on voltammetric behaviour of copper on a mercury drop electrode in natural water samples was studied. The adsorption of NOM strongly affects the differential pulse anodic stripping voltammogram (DPASV) of copper, leading to its distortion. Phase sensitive ac voltammetry confirmed that desorption of adsorbed NOM occurs in general at accumulation potentials more negative than -1.4V. Accordingly, an application of negative potential (-1.6V) for a very short time at the end of the accumulation time (1% of total accumulation time) to remove the adsorbed NOM was introduced in the measuring procedure. Using this protocol, a well-resolved peak without interferences was obtained. It was shown that stripping chronopotentiogram of copper (SCP) in the depletive mode is influenced by the adsorbed layer in the same manner as DPASV. The influence of the adsorbed NOM on pseudopolarographic measurements of copper and on determination of copper complexing capacity (CuCC) was demonstrated. A shift of the peak potential and the change of the half-peak width on the accumulation potential (for pseudopolarography) and on copper concentration in solution (for CuCC) were observed. By applying a desorption step these effects vanished, yielding different final results.

Fe 3þ complexes with succinic acid, a ligand naturally present in seawater, were investigated in aqueous solutions by square-wave and cyclic voltammetry. [Fe(suc) 2 (OH) 2 ] and [Fe(suc) 3 ] were detected at potentials À 0.22 and À 0.37 V, depending on C suc in the ranges from 0.01 to 0.07 and 0.1 to 0.5 mol L À1, respectively. Redox processes were irreversible, first with reactant adsorption and second diffusion controlled, both accompanied by chemical step. By UV/Vis spectra formation of these complexes was confirmed and equilibrium constant Fe (suc)