Sulfide determination in hydrothermal seawater samples using a vibrating gold micro-wire electrode in conjunction with stripping chronopotentiometry

A rapid electrochemical stripping chronopotentiometric procedure to determined sulfide in unaltered hydrothermal seawater samples is presented. Sulfide is deposited at -0.25 V (vs Ag/AgCl, KCl 3 M) at a vibrating gold microwire and then stripped through the application of a reductive constant current (typically -2 mu A). The hydrodynamic conditions are modulated by vibration allowing a short deposition step, which is shown here to be necessary to minimize H2S volatilization. The limit of detection (LOD) is 30 nM after a deposition step of 7s. This LOD is in the same range as the most sensitive cathodic voltammetric technique using a mercury drop electrode and is well below those reported previously for other electrodes capable of being implemented in situ. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.