Abstract
Anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) with a hanging mercury-drop (or mercury film) electrode has been regarded as a versatile and sensitive analytical technique for monitoring environmental and clinical trace metals. However, the toxicity of mercury and the potential risks of it during disposal make it undesirable to use. Recently, mercury-free electrodes have been gained much attention. With solid electrodes, it is common to encounter the problems due to the lower preconcentration efficiency and the formation of intermetallic species at the electrode surface. Our previous studies have shown the advantages of using ultrasound in stripping analysis because acoustic streaming increases the mass transport of the system resulting in shorter deposition times, greater sensitivity and a corresponding lowered detection limit. The main purpose of this work is to further investigate the effects of ultrasound on ASV of trace Cu^<2+> at a gold electrode with a view to developing sono-ASV as an electroanalytical procedure.
