Determination of nitrite in drinking water and environmental samples by ion exclusion chromatography with electrochemical detection.

An extremely sensitive determination of nitrite in drinking water (tap water and underground water) and environmental samples (rain, lake water, and soil) was achieved by ion exclusion chromatography (IEC) with electrochemical (EC) detection. Potential interferences in the determination of nitrite by the standard spectrophotometric method or by the ion exchange chromatographic method with either conductivity detection or UV detection were eliminated. The detection limit was 0.1 ppb without preconcentration. No nitrite was observed from tap water or underground drinking water. The recoveries of nitrite added to tap water at 0.02, 0.1, and 1 ppm levels were between 96 and 104.5%. The average coefficient of variation was 4.7%. The recovery results were in good agreement with those obtained by the standard spectrophotometric method. Nitrite concentrations between 0.068 and 0.19 ppm were observed in rain within a week period. A greater variation, between 0.015 and 0.26 ppm, was observed in lake water. Amounts of 19.1 ppm and 0.50 ppm nitrite were observed from fertilized and unfertilized soil, respectively.