Silver amalgam film electrode of prolonged application in stripping chronopotentiometry

The utility of the cylindrical silver-based mercury film electrode of prolonged analytical application in stripping chronopotentiometry (SCP) was examined. This electrode allowed us to obtain good reproducibility of results owing to the special electrode design, which enables regeneration of the thin layer before each measurement cycle. The accessible potential window in KNO3 (pH 2), acetate and ammonia buffers was defined, and the optimal conditions (i.e., stripping current, deposition potential and deposition time) for the determination of Cd and Pb traces were selected. The detection limits, obtained for an accumulation time of 60 s, were 0.023 mu g/L for Cd and 0.075 mu g/L for Pb. The response increases linearly with Cd, Pb and Zn concentration, up to at least 100 mu g/L. It was also shown that the proposed procedure ensures excellent separation of the In and Tl, Pb and Tl or the In and Cd signals. The method was tested with dolomite and lake sediment samples, and good agreement with reference values was achieved. The obtained results showed good reproducibility (RSD = 5-6%) and reliability.