Electrochemical Quantification of Mercury in Solutions Using Boron-doped Diamond Electrodes: Electrode Regeneration and Role of Gold and Impurities.

For determining Hg in solutions in the ppb to ppt range using boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrochemistry, the role of an added gold solution for enhanced sensitivity is investigated. Using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV), peaks due to Cu and Ag as impurities from gold are identified. With the proper choice of the potential for deposition, effects of the impurities are minimized and an electrode regeneration procedure is devised and tested, resulting in reproducible slopes of the calibration curves in successive runs. The location and shift of the DPASV peak potentials with concentration are explained with the use of the Nernst equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]