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A COLORIMETRIC METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF TRACE COPPER CONCENTRATIONS IN WATER 1
Author(s) -
Baker J. Marshall,
Teggins John E.,
Hoffman John W.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1971.tb05060.x
Subject(s) - copper , chemistry , atomic absorption spectroscopy , absorption (acoustics) , metal ions in aqueous solution , ion , trace amounts , metal , absorbance , alkalinity , inorganic chemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , environmental chemistry , materials science , chromatography , medicine , physics , alternative medicine , organic chemistry , pathology , quantum mechanics , composite material
Trace quantities of copper (II) ion can be found in natural water as waste products from industrial, mining, and agricultural operations. Because low concentrations of copper can be toxic to plant life, many workers have devised methods of analysis for this metal in water. These methods require expensive equipment and skilled technicians. The described study illustrates a simple method in which copper (II) ion is concentrated by a batch ion exchange technique and estimated colorimetrically after formation of the blue triethylenetetramine complex. Using the visible absorption peak of the complex at 600 nm it was possible to obtain accurate estimations of original copper concentrations in the range 0.5‐3 ppm. Using the complex absorption peak at 260 nm in the ultra‐violet region of the spectrum increased the sensitivity by a factor of twenty. Because of the dependence of the complex formation reaction on solution acidity it is possible to optimize conditions for the detection of copper (II) in the presence of other metal ions. This type of method, which could be extended to the analysis of other metal ions, could be performed by a relatively unskilled technician under field conditions.