Modified Diacetylmonoxime-Thiosemicarbazide Detection Protocol for Accurate Quantification of Urea

Renewable photo-/electrocatalytic coreduction of CO2 and nitrate to urea is a promising method for high-value utilization of CO2. However, because of the low yields of the urea synthesis by photo-/electrocatalysis process, the accurate quantification of low concentration urea is challenging. The traditional diacetylmonoxime-thiosemicarbazide (DAMO-TSC) method for urea detection has a high limit of quantification and accuracy, but it is easily affected by NO2- in the solution, which limits its application scope. Thus, the DAMO-TSC method urgently requires a more rigorous design to eliminate the effects of NO2- and accurately quantify urea in nitrate systems. Herein, a modified DAMO-TSC method is reported, which consumes NO2- in solution through a nitrogen release reaction; hence, the remaining products do not affect the accuracy of urea detection. The results of detecting urea solutions with different NO2- concentrations (within 30 ppm) show that the improved method can effectively control the error of urea detection within 3%.

Automated summary

Renewable photo-/electrocatalytic coreduction of CO2 and nitrate to urea is a promising method, but the accurate quantification of low concentration urea is challenging due to the low yields. The traditional DAMO-TSC method for urea detection has limitations, so a modified method is reported here which can effectively control the error of urea detection within 3%.