Experimental and computational study of species formed during electrochemical stripping oxidation of copper in chloride media determination of copper(II) in the ng l(-1) range by stripping potentiometry.

A novel glassy carbon electrode design, permitting medium exchange in batch mode without loss of electrode potential control, has been used for the study of copper(I) and copper(II) species formed during constant current stripping oxidation of copper in chloride media. It was found that copper(II) species dominated at chloride concentrations below about 1 mM and that soluble copper(I) species dominated at chloride concentrations above about 100 mM. In the concentration range 1-100 mM, soluble copper(I) and copper(II) species are formed as well as solid copper(I) chloride, the latter giving rise to a split peak as it is further oxidised to copper(II). The experimental results agreed satisfactorily with computer calculated equilibria data using the haltafall program. The medium exchange procedure has, furthermore, been used for the determination of copper(II) in seawater reference samples, 7.5 M ammonium acetate/2.5 M acetic acid being used as stripping medium. The detection limit, after 15 min of electrolysis, was found to be 6 ng l(-1) (0.10 mM) and the relative precision 6-10%.