Electrochemical detection of trace concentrations of cadmium and lead with a boron-doped diamond electrode:: Effect of KCl and KNO3 electrolytes, interferences and measurement in river water

Parts-per-billion levels of cadmium and lead were detected using square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry with a boron-doped diamond electrode. Calibration plots (10-minute deposition time) in KCl and KNO3 were non-linear at low concentrations (1-5 ppb) due to the deposition mechanism of these metals. The preferred electrolyte for cadmium was KCl, while lead could be measured in either electrolyte. The lowest concentrations included in the linear portion of the calibration plot (5 minute deposition time) for cadmium were 10 ppb and 50 ppb in KCl and KNO3, respectively, and 10 ppb for lead in KNO3. The presence of either lead or copper suppressed the cadmium stripping peak, but the lead stripping peak was unaffected by cadmium, and enhanced by the addition of copper. A river water sample was analyzed for cadmium and lead, and the cadmium results were confirmed using ICP-AES spectrometry. It was determined electrochemically that a fraction of lead in the river sample was bound by complexing material in the sample.