Deep-sea in situ determination of sulfide using a sensitized chemiluminescent terbium complex

Anal Sci. 2023 Jul;39(7):1143-1149. doi: 10.1007/s44211-023-00323-7. Epub 2023 Mar 23.

Abstract

A new chemiluminescence (CL) method based on the chemiluminescent reaction between sulfide and an acidic permanganate solution was used to quantify sulfide in seawater. A terbium-pipemidic acid complex was used as CL enhancer. The method was used to determine sulfide in the concentration range of 1-30 μmol/L in artificial seawater samples. The limit of detection of the method was 21 nmol/L sulfide. The sensitivity of the CL method was eight times higher than that of the CL method reported previously. Br- ions, which are conservative ions, interfered with sulfide. We investigated the effects of salinity, water temperature, and interfering chemicals,such asheavy-metal ions and organic matter, on the performance of the CL method. In addition, sulfite-spiked natural seawater samples were analyzed. The results demonstrate that the CL method can be used to develop a deep-sea sulfide analyzer.

Keywords: Deep-sea; In-situ analysis; Pipemidic acid; Sensitized chemiluminescence; Sulfide; Terbium.