Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry of 9‐Phenanthrol in the Presence of Copper at the Static Mercury Drop Electrode—Basis for Quantitative Determination of PAH Metabolite in Biological Materials

Abstract

The electrochemical behavior of 9-phenanthrol in the presence of copper (II) at a static mercury drop electrode was investigated to provide the basis for development of an inexpensive, sensitive, and reliable method for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites in biological matrices. Optimum experimental conditions for analytical applications were obtained in 0.005 M NaOH solution using an accumulation potential of 20.25 V, a scan rate of 5 mV. s 21 , a pulse height of 25 mV, and a differential pulse scan mode. The response of 9-phenanthrol is linear over the concentration range 1.0-12.0 ppb. For an accumulation time of 5 minutes, the detection limit was found to be 0.2 ppb (1.03 Â 10 29 M). The more convenient relation to measure the 9-phenanthrol in the presence of copper and other metals was also investigated. The utility of the method was demonstrated by the presence of 9-phenanthrol in samples of 2483 sea water and human urine. Cyclic voltammetry was used to characterize the interfacial and redox behavior.