Coulometric Study of the Redox Dynamics of Iron in Seawater

Controlled potential coulometric analysis has long been recognized as one of the most sensitive electrochemical techniques but is limited In application by the lack of specificity of the method. One way of Improving specificity is through electrochemical masking using strong, selective complexlng agents. In this paper, a controlled potential coulometric procedure combined with a masking technique is developed and applied to the measurement of low concentrations of oxldlzable Fe(II) species In seawater. The technique is particularly appropriate to studies of iron redox processes in seawater since the redox dynamics of the system under investigation are not greatly perturbed by the analytical procedure developed.