A new method for pretreating blood samples for trace Cr analysis is described. The Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP with H 2 O 2 and 5.5-W irradiation for 60 min) is used to remove biological/ organic species for subsequent analysis. Prior to the AOP pretreatment, acid (HNO 3 ) is used at pH 3.0 to inhibit the enzyme catalase in the blood samples. Catalytic Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry (CAdSV) at a bismuth film electrode (BiFE) gives Cr concentration of 6.0 ± 0.3 ppb in the blood samples. This concentration was confirmed by dry-ashing the blood samples and subsequent analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). This current method may be used to monitor chromium, a trace metal in humans, and the efficacy and safety of chromium supplements as adjuvant therapy for diabetes.

A bismuth bulk electrode (BiBE) has been investigated as an alternative electrode for the anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) analysis of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II). The BiBE, which is fabricated in house, shows results comparable to those of similar analyses at other Bi-based electrodes. Metal accumulation is achieved by holding the electrode potential at −1.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for 180 s followed by a square wave voltammetric stripping scan from −1.4 to −0.35 V. Calibration plots are obtained for all three metals, individually and simultaneously, in the 10-100 μg L −1 range, with a detection limit of 105, 54, and 396 ng L −1 for Pb(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), respectively. A slight reduction in slope is observed for Cd(II) and Pb(II) when the three metals are calibrated simultaneously vs. individually. Comparing the sensitivities of the metals when calibrated individually vs in a mixture reveals that Zn(II) is not affected by stripping in a mixture. However, Pb(II) and Cd(II) have decreasing sensitivities in a mixture. The optimized method has been successfully used to test contaminated river water by standard addition. The results demonstrate the ability of the BiBE as an alternative electrode material in heavy metal analysis.

A new process to pretreat blood samples has been developed. This process combines the Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) treatment (using H2O2 and UV irradiation) with acid deactivation of the enzyme catalase in blood. A four-cell reactor has been designed and built in house. The effect of pH on the AOP process has been investigated. The kinetics of the pretreatment process shows that at high CH2O2,t = 0, the reaction is zeroth order with respect to CH2O2 and first order with respect to Cblood. The rate limiting process is photon flux from the UV lamp. Degradation of whole blood has been compared with that of pure hemoglobin samples. The AOP pretreatment of the blood samples has led to the subsequent determination of chromium and zinc concentrations in the samples using electrochemical methods.