Improved sensitivity for transition metal ions by use of sulfide in the Belousov–Zhabotinskii oscillating reaction Original Research Article

A highly sensitive method for the determination of trace amounts of transition metal ions by use of sulfide in the Belousov–Zhabotinskii (B–Z) oscillating chemical reaction is proposed. The use of sulfide increased strongly the sensitivity of the B–Z reaction for transition metal ions, such as Ag+, Pb2+, Hg2+, Cd2+, Cu2+,and Bi3+. Results showed that the variational ratio of oscillating period (PR) is linearly proportional to the negative logarithm of concentration of metal ions. The detection limit is down to 10−12 mol L−1. Various influencing factors on the determination were also examined.