Electrode, anode, silver dropping mercury

Coulometric determinations of metals with a mercury cathode have been described by Lingane. From a tartrate solution, copper, bismuth, lead, and cadmium were successively removed by applying the appropriate cathode potential, which was selected to correspond to a region of diffusion-controlled current determined from current-voltage curves with a dropping mercury electrode. With a silver anode, iodide, bromide, and chloride can be deposited quantitatively as the silver salt. By controlling the anode potential, Lingane and Small determined iodide in the presence of bromide or chloride. The separation of bromide and chloride, however, was not successful because solid solutions were formed (Section 9-4). 

Polarographic measurements were carried out using the LP-60 instrument with the EZ-2 autographic recorder and with the dropping mercury electrode. For aqueous solutions a silver chloride electrode served as anode in the case of nonaqueous solutions the bottom mercury was the anode. The anode potential did not change significantly in the aqueous and nonaqueous solutions with surfactants cathode polarization was checked by means of the three-electrode circuit relative to the normal calomel electrode. 

The chloride ion content of sample solutions can be deposited on the surface of hanging mercury-drop, mercury-film, or silver electrodes by anodic polarization. This allows one to work out highly sensitive cathodic stripping voltammetric methods for the analysis of halides. In everyday water analysis, however, these methods are not used. 

Lead in water may he analyzed very precisely at low concentrations hy anodic stripping voltametry using an electrochemical analyzer static or controlled growth mercury drop electrodes, reference calomel or silver-silver chloride electrodes and silica or TEE cells. Copper, silver, gold, and certain organic compounds may interfere in the test. (APHA, AWWA and WEE. 1998. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 20 ed. Washington, D.C. American Public Health Association.)... 

The preconcentration of trace metals by electrodeposition is an integral part of anodic-stripping voltammetry. The method consists of the preelectrolysis of the stirred solution with a small mercury drop or solid electrode as the cathode (112-114). The metals, which are deposited and dissolve in the mercury, are then stripped from the amalgam after a suitable rest period by a reversal of the electrode potential. The resulting current-polarization curve is characteristic of the metal and its concentration. Concentrations as low as 10 M of metal ions require a preelectrolysis of about 60 min or longer. Other electrodes such as mercury films, platinum, gold, silver, and various forms of carbon have been used (77 ). 

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