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Determination of copper(II) based on its inhibitory effect on the cathodic electrochemiluminescence of lucigenin

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Abstract

A simple method is described for the determination of copper(II) ions based on the cathodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of lucigenin which is quenched by Cu(II). The blue ECL is best induced at −0.45 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) at a scan rate of 50 mV·s−1. Under optimum conditions, the calibration plot is linear in the 3.0 to 1000 nM Cu(II) concentration range. The limit of detection is 2.1 nM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. Compared to other analytical methods, the one presented here is simple, fast, selective and cost-effective. It has been successfully applied in the analysis of copper ions in spiked tap water samples with recoveries ranging from 93.0% (at 50 nM concentration) to 105.7% (at 150 nM).

The inhibitory effect of Cu(II) on the cathodic electrochemiluminescence of lucigenin enables determination of Cu(II) with a 2.1 nM detection limit.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21475123 and 21505128).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, People’s Republic of China

    Wenyue Gao, Pan Hui, Liming Qi, Zhongyuan Liu, Wei Zhang & Guobao Xu

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Wenyue Gao & Liming Qi

  3. School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, China

    Pan Hui

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  1. Wenyue Gao
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  2. Pan Hui
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  3. Liming Qi
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  4. Zhongyuan Liu
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  5. Wei Zhang
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  6. Guobao Xu
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Correspondence to Wei Zhang or Guobao Xu.

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Gao, W., Hui, P., Qi, L. et al. Determination of copper(II) based on its inhibitory effect on the cathodic electrochemiluminescence of lucigenin. Microchim Acta 184, 693–697 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-016-2054-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-016-2054-6

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