Nowadays lead pipes and soldering are still present in many houses and could be a potential source of this metal in drinking water. That is why regular and simple testing of tap water is necessary to avoid lead poisoning. Voltammetric sensors, due to their high sensitivity, simplicity and low cost, are very good for the detection of lead ions. In tap water, except of free ions, lead may be present in various particulate forms (i.e. oxides, hydroxide, insoluble salts, etc.) that cannot be detected directly without prior acidification. Lead carbonate (PbCO3) was used as a model compound to show the possibility of detecting particulate lead species directly in solution without chemical treatment. Specifically, electrochemical generation of protons from water oxidation was used as an alternative method to dissolve PbCO3 in the vicinity of electrode and thus obtain a more realistic assessment of lead contamination. Lead was detected using cathodic stripping square wave voltammetry. After applying a high oxidizing potential to the electrode immersed in a PbCO3 solution with solid PbCO3 particulates, a significant increase in current was observed as compared to that of a saturated PbCO3 solution. The signal was proportional to the amount of added PbCO3, even when the solubility limit was exceeded. Thus, the combination of a local pH change with cathodic stripping voltammetry provides a simple, rapid, and reagentless method for an in-situ detection of insoluble lead species.

Near-electrode pH change for dissolution and quantification of lead carbonate

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ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.