Copper-mercury film electrode for cathodic stripping voltammetric determination of Se(IV)

The copper-mercury film electrode has been suggested for the determination of Se(IV) in a wide range of concentration from 1 x 10(-9) to 1 x 10(-6) mol L-1 by square-wave cathodic stripping voltammetry. Insufficient reproducibility and sensitivity of the mercury film electrode have been overcome by using copper(II) ions during the plating procedure. Copper(II) has been found to be reduced and form a reproducible copper-mercury film on a glassy carbon electrode surface. The plating potential and time, the concentration of copper(II) and the concentration of the supporting electrolyte have been optimised. Microscopy has been used for a study of the morphology of the copper-mercury film. It has been found that it is the same as for the mercury one. The preconcentration step consists in electrodeposition of copper selenide on the copper-mercury film. The relative standard deviation is 4.3% for 1x10(-6) mol L-1 of Se(IV). The limit of detection is 8x10(-10) mol L-1 for 5 min of accumulation.