Enhancement of stripping technique for copper(II) detection in water sample using N,N’-bis(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyacetophenone)ethylenediamine (BME)

Abstract

A highly sensitive, rapid, simple and selective stripping assay for the determination of trace copper(II) is proposed. The selectivity and sensitivity of the electroanalytical process on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode were enhanced using the newly synthesized Schiff base N,N’-bis(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyacetophenone)ethylenediamine (BME). The methodology is based on the accumulation of copper(II)–BME complex onto the GC electrode, followed by electrochemical oxidation of the adsorbed species. The effect of experimental parameters such as pH, BME concentration, scan rate, accumulation time and accumulation potential on the sensitivity of copper(II) detection were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, BME has successfully enhanced the copper(II) detection using the GC electrode by nearly 95% with detection limit (LOD) of 2.6 ngL−1. The effects of interfering ions such as Cd(II), Zn(II), Fe(II), Cr(III) and Pb(II) were also investigated. The applicability of this technique was illustrated by the determination of copper(II) ion in tap water.