Straightforward Determination of Mercury in (Drinking) Water with a Screen-printed Low-cost Sensor

Metrohm is pleased to present an Application Bulletin on the straightforward determination of inorganic mercury in water samples by anodic stripping voltammetry using a screen-printed sensor. This method is less expensive and easier to use than competing spectroscopic methods (ICP-MS, AAS) and offers the added benefits that there is no sample preparation required and results are available within 10 minutes only.

Mercury and its compounds are toxic. Once in the biosphere, mercury is highly mobile and can accumulate in organisms. The WHO (World Health Organization) guideline value for inorganic mercury is 6 μg/L, but the limit value for drinking water in many countries is much lower, e.g., USA 2 μg/L, European Union and Switzerland 1 μg/L.

Determination of mercury as described in the Application Bulletin provides an easy and reliable means of monitoring the above mentioned limit values, as the LOD lies at 0.1 µg/L. Determination by anodic stripping voltammetry is particularly affordable, as the screen-printed gold sensor can be readily exchanged due to a practical plug-in design.