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Improved method for the determination of surfactants in fresh waters based on suppression of polarographic oxygen maximum
Author(s) -
Bednarkiewicz Ewa
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
electroanalysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1521-4109
pISSN - 1040-0397
DOI - 10.1002/elan.1140030819
Subject(s) - dilution , polarography , pulmonary surfactant , drop (telecommunication) , chemistry , chromatography , contamination , analytical chemistry (journal) , detection limit , oxygen , conductivity , inorganic chemistry , thermodynamics , telecommunications , ecology , biochemistry , physics , organic chemistry , biology , computer science
Measurements of the first kind of polarographic maximum current as a function of DME drop time allowed determination of the surfactants activity in natural fresh waters by means of standard addition techniques. In this way, the results of determination became independent of sample composition changes (over a reasonable range). The reported method expands an upper detection limit of determinations of surfactants, without dilution of the sample, up to 1 mg dm −3 . Samples with higher content of surfactants were diluted with 0.001 mol dm −3 KCl solution of small and known amounts of surface active contaminants. The optimum range of electrical conductivity of the solution for recording the well‐developed oxygen maximum is attained because of dilution. It was found that surfactant activity for three types of drinking waters varied from 1 to 4 mg dm −3 .