DETERMINATION OF COPPER IN SEA-WATER USING A FLOW-INJECTION METHOD WITH CHEMILUMINESCENCE DETECTION

Dissolved copper can he rapidly determined in sea water by using a modification of a chemiluminescence method. The determination is based on the formation of a complex between copper and 1,10-phenanthroline and the subsequent emission of light during the oxidation of the complex by hydrogen peroxide. A flow-injection manifold was constructed which provides for the separation of copper from the sea water matrix with a column of immobilized 8-hydroxyquinoline. The column eluant was injected into a carrier stream, mixed with the reagents and delivered to a flow cell where emitted light was detected and used to quantify the amount of copper in the sample. The technique is noteworthy for its low detection limit (< 0.4 nM), the rapidity of sample processing (approximately 8 min sample-1), the small sample volumes required (approximately 4 ml), and the minimal precautions necessary for the prevention of sample contamination during shipboard processing.