Flow injection chemiluminescence determination of pyrogallol

A sensitive and selective flow injection chemiluminescence method for the determination of pyrogallol over the range 5 x 10(-7) -3 x 10(-5) M is described. The method is based on the chemiluminescence produced during the oxidation of pyrogallol by N-bromosuccinimide in alkaline media. The emission intensity is greatly enhanced if hydroxylammonium chloride and a cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide are also present in the reaction solution. Method development includes optimization of reagent concentrations and the flow conditions. The optimized flow injection procedure yielded a 2 sigma detection limit of 2 x 10(-7) M pyrogallol, and a relative standard deviation of 1.6% (n = 8) at 8 x 10(-6) M pyrogallol. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.