The stability of films of oxyethylated alkylphenols of the Triton X series on the hanging mercury drop electrode was investigated. The stability of the adsorbed layers increases upon increasing the concentration of the substance. More stable films were obtained after saturation of the electrode surface with monomeric forms. The stability of the film increases in the presence of associated forms.Keywords: Adsorptive stripping tensammetry, Nonionic surfactants, Oxyethylated alkylphenols, Stable layers Oxyethylated alkylphenols are widely used surfactants which can be present in surface waters due to their incomplete biodegradation. Ethoxylates adsorbed on the electrode surface can influence the electrode processes. They may cause a decrease in the height, a shift, or even complete disappearance of the voltammetric peaks and polarographic waves of depolarizers. This influence is useful in the technique called electrochemical masking, but it might be a source of error i n natural waters' analysis [ 1-91, Triton X-100 (ethoxylated iso-octylphenol) as well as ethoxylated alcohols form stable films on the surface of a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) [I9-121. A film of Triton X-100 is a source of error in trace element analysis, even when medium exchange is used [9]. This stable film of Triton X-100 can only be disturbed by vigorously stirring the solution and simultaneously applying an electrode potential above the adsorption range of this surfactant [lo, 131. Poly(ethoxy1ated) compounds are used to modify the graphite electrode [14-161. Using polarography it was found that iso-ocbylphenols of the Triton X series (X-100, X-305, X-405) facilitate the transfer of some metal ions (by complexation) across aqueous/organic solution [17].Bearing in mind what was said above and checking the conditions under which stable films of ethoxylates, including oxyethylated isooctylphenols, are formed could be very important as they might be of use for possible future applications of these films. In the case of oxyethylated aliphatic alcohols and Triton X-100, a tensammetric method for investigating the stability of the film has been developed [lo]. According to this method, when a surfactant forms a film on the surface of the HMDE the tensammetric peaks can be repeatedly recorded after a single preconcentration period. Similar experiments were performed in order to distinguish "pure" tensammetric from faradaic processes in adsorptive stripping tensammetry (AdST) [18].The aim of the present communication is to examine the stability of layers of ethoxylated iso-octylphends of the Triton X series at an HMDE, based on repetition of the tensammetric peak at the same drop after a single preconcentration. The adsorption of the Triton X series has been investigated using tensammetry with adsorptive preconcentration but without looking at the stability of the film [19-211. Oxyethylated isooctylphenols of the Triton X series with the following numbers of oxyethylene subunits were investigated within the concentration range 1-20 ...