Optical fiber based methodology for assessment of thiocyanate in seawater.

A new methodology for the assessment of thiocyanate (SCN−) is proposed based on optical fiber (OF) detection coupled to a liquid chromatography system (LC). The developed methodology showed an adequate performance for the analysis of SCN− comparable to a high performance liquid chromatography with UV detector (HPLC-UV) methodology: a detection limit of 3 µg L−1, a linear range from 4 to 400 µg L−1, and an analytical time of less than 6 min. The OF based methodology was of compact design and easy operation. This simple system has the potential to be used as a sensing approach for SCN− in seawater.