TY - JOUR

T1 - Detection of ultra-low activities of heavy metal ions by an array of potentiometric chemical sensors

AU - Rudnitskaya, Alisa

AU - Legin, Andrey

AU - Seleznev, Boris

AU - Kirsanov, Dmitri

AU - Vlasov, Yuri

PY - 2008/9/1

Y1 - 2008/9/1

N2 - A sensor array comprising potentiometric chemical sensors with solvent polymeric and chalcogenide glass membranes was developed and applied to the determination of copper, zinc, lead and cadmium ions' activity at the nmol L-1 concentration levels. Sensors were able to detect copper down to the 0.2 nmol L-1, lead 0.4 nmol L-1, cadmium 0.06 nmol L-1 and zinc 30 nmol L-1 in individual buffer solutions. Collinearity of the sensors' responses in the buffer and non buffer solutions confirms sensors' sensitivity to these metals at the very low activity levels. Sensor array was capable to determine simultaneously these cations in the mixed buffer solutions at the background of 0.5 mol L-1 sodium chloride or artificial seawater with the accuracy of about 20%. Copper and zinc could be detected in the mixed solutions down to the concentration of 1 nmol L -1 and lead and cadmium at the concentration of 2 nmol L -1. Therefore, the sensor array is suitable for the detection of copper and zinc at the concentrations corresponding to the chronic seawater criteria, and lead and cadmium at the concentrations corresponding to the acute seawater criteria. The sensor array based on the potentiometric chemical sensors demonstrated a good promise as an instrument for rapid measurements of the ultra-low activities of copper, lead, zinc and cadmium in seawater.

AB - A sensor array comprising potentiometric chemical sensors with solvent polymeric and chalcogenide glass membranes was developed and applied to the determination of copper, zinc, lead and cadmium ions' activity at the nmol L-1 concentration levels. Sensors were able to detect copper down to the 0.2 nmol L-1, lead 0.4 nmol L-1, cadmium 0.06 nmol L-1 and zinc 30 nmol L-1 in individual buffer solutions. Collinearity of the sensors' responses in the buffer and non buffer solutions confirms sensors' sensitivity to these metals at the very low activity levels. Sensor array was capable to determine simultaneously these cations in the mixed buffer solutions at the background of 0.5 mol L-1 sodium chloride or artificial seawater with the accuracy of about 20%. Copper and zinc could be detected in the mixed solutions down to the concentration of 1 nmol L -1 and lead and cadmium at the concentration of 2 nmol L -1. Therefore, the sensor array is suitable for the detection of copper and zinc at the concentrations corresponding to the chronic seawater criteria, and lead and cadmium at the concentrations corresponding to the acute seawater criteria. The sensor array based on the potentiometric chemical sensors demonstrated a good promise as an instrument for rapid measurements of the ultra-low activities of copper, lead, zinc and cadmium in seawater.

KW - Electronic tongue

KW - Heavy metals

KW - Potentiometric chemical sensors

KW - Seawater

KW - Sensor array

KW - Ultra low activity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=51449124125&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s00604-007-0900-2

DO - 10.1007/s00604-007-0900-2

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:51449124125

VL - 163

SP - 71

EP - 80

JO - Mikrochimica Acta

JF - Mikrochimica Acta

SN - 0026-3672

IS - 1-2

ER -