Determination of phenol in water by pervaporation-flow injection analysis

A pervaporation-flow injection method for the determination of phenol in aq ueous samples is described. The method involves sample injection into a con centrated sodium chloride (25 wt.%) donor stream at pH 2 and stopping the f low of the acceptor stream containing 0.1 M KNO3 and 0.01 M NaOH in the acc eptor chamber of the pervaporation unit for 12 min. This period allows the completion of phenol transfer from the headspace of the donor chamber of th e pervaporation unit through the membrane into the static solution in the a cceptor chamber. After restarting the flow through the acceptor chamber the phenol concentration is detected amperometrically at a glassy carbon elect rode set at +0.6 V. At 20 degrees C the linear detection range was found to be 1-50 mg l(-1) with R.S.D. varying between 1 and 4% for n=3. The detecti on Limit and sample throughput were determined as 0.9 mg l(-1) and 5 h(-1), respectively. Excellent agreement with the standard 4-aminoantipyrine (4-A AP) method was observed when validating the method with lake samples contai ning suspension and spiked with phenol. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.