Effect of organic colloids on ASV signals of Cd, Pb and Cu

The effect of organic colloids, such as humic and fulvic acids, on the ASV signals of Cd, Pb and Cu in acetate-buffer media has been investigated. Owing to their ability to adsorb metal ions, or form complexes (some sparingly soluble), the presence of the organic acids caused the magnitude of the signal peaks to decrease, the effect increasing with increase in organic acid: metal-ion ratio, and pH (from 5 to 8). Analysis before and after nitration through a 0.45-μm membrane indicated that most of the Cd retained was labile; in the Pb and Cu system less than half of the sorbed metal ion was labile, though a further fraction was displaced in the presence of Chelex 100 resin. The magnitude of the interference effect varied with the molarity of the medium and the presence of diverse anions ( e.g. chloride, bromide) in the system. Cu displayed the most anomalous behaviour, with the stripping peak tending to broaden and split, particularly in the presence of humic acids. This behaviour was enhanced when the contact time with the preformed Hg film before the deposition/stripping cycle was increased above 5–10 min. This effect has been attributed to reduction (and subsequent oxidation) of Cu-humate species adsorbed on the mercury film.