Flow-injection post chemiluminescence determination of phenol

A post-chemiluminescence (PCL) phenomenon was observed when phenol solution was injected into the reaction mixture after the finish of chemiluminescence (CL) reaction of alkaline potassium ferricyanide and calcein. The optimum conditions for this chemiluminescent reaction are in detail studied using a flow injection system. Based on the PCL reaction, a rapid and sensitive method for the determination of phenol was established. The linear response range of this method was from 1.0×10^-6 to 1.0×10^-4 g/mL with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.9986. The relative standard deviation for 5.0×10^-5 g/mL phenol was 1.8 % (n = 11). The detection limit was 3×10^-7 g/mL. This method has been successfully applied to the determination of phenol in waste water, and the results are satisfactory.