Determination of copper in sea water using a flow-injection method with chemiluminescence detection

Abstract Dissolved copper can he rapidly determined in sea water by using a modification of a chemiluminescence method. The determination is based on the formation of a complex between copper and 1,10-phenanthroline and the subsequent emission of light during the oxidation of the complex by hydrogen peroxide. A flow-injection manifold was constructed which provides for the separation of copper from the sea water matrix with a column of immobilized 8-hydroxyquinoline. The column eluant was injected into a carrier stream, mixed with the reagents and delivered to a flow cell where emitted light was detected and used to quantify the amount of copper in the sample. The technique is noteworthy for its low detection limit (s 0.4 nM), the rapidly of sample processing (approximately 8 min sample −1 ), the small sample volumes required (approximately 4 ml), and the minimal precautions necessary for the prevention of sample contamination during shipboard processing.