Gold-plated carbon paste electrodes for anodic stripping determination of arsenic

The applications of gold-plated carbon paste electrodes in anodic stripping voltammetry have been studied in an effort to develop a simple and effective method for the determination of arsenic in water samples. The investigations performed included the choice of supporting electrolyte composition, the optimisation of important experimental parameters, search for appropriate procedure to reduce As(V) to As(III), and some tests of practical applicability of the method, including interference studies. Under optimised conditions, the signal of As was linear within 5-50 mu g l(-1) with a detection limit of about 1 mu g l(-1) As (deposit ion time 10 min). Common elements or ions did not interfere except for Cu(II). The analytical performance of the method has been tested in recovery measurements with model solutions.