Title:Simple and Sensitive Kinetic Spectrometric Methods for Determination of Formaldehyde in Rainwater Samples
VOLUME: 14 ISSUE: 1
Author(s):Zenovia Moldovan, Hassan Y. Aboul Enein*, Mihaela Carmen Cheregi and Olga Niculescu
Affiliation:Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry Department, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Division, Dokki, Cairo, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, National Research and Development Institute for Textiles and Leather – Division Leather and Footwear Research Institute, Bucharest, Romania, 93 Ion Minulescu, 031215, Bucharest
Keywords:Formaldehyde, kinetic spectrometric methods, fluoresceine, rainwater, oxidation, acidity.
Abstract:Background: In the present work, two spectrometric methods for determination of formaldehyde
were studied and compared.
Methods and Results: Both methods are based on the catalytic effect of formaldehyde on the oxidation
of Fluorescein natrium by sodium bromate in acid media. In the first method, the decrease in fluorescence
intensity of Fluorescein natrium, measured at the emission wavelength of 510 nm (excitation
wavelength, 438 nm), was proportional to formaldehyde in the concentration range 0.05-1.2 µg mL-1
and the detection limit was found to be 0.02 µg mL-1. In the second method, the decrease in absorbance
of Fluorescein natrium measured at the wavelength of 438 nm was proportional to formaldehyde concentration
in the range 0.5-7 µg mL-1 and the detection limit was found to be 0.16 µg mL-1. As preliminary
steps, the working parameters (acidity, concentration of reagents, reaction time) were established.
Influence of interfering species was also investigated.
Conclusion: The proposed methods were applied for the determination of formaldehyde in rainwater
samples.
