Polarographic determination of copper after enrichment by adsorption of the 2,2' - biquinoline complex on activated carbon

Abstract

A preconcentration method based on the adsorption on activated carbon of a binary complex of copper(I) with 2,2¡-boquinoline, and subsequent polarographic determination of microamounts of copper has been developed. The adsorbed complex is destroyed by a mixture of acetonitrile and perchloric acid. The free copper ions are measured by differential pulse polarography in a supporting electrolyte of 0.2M potassium thiocyanate. The detection limit was found to be 0.33 ng/ml (3Ó). This method was successfully applied to the determination of copper in sea water.