Abstract
An ultrasensitive and selective stripping voltammetric scheme for the determination of rhodium is described. By the use of combined accumulation and catalytic effects in formaldehyde-hydrochloric acid medium, substantial improvement in the limit of detection can be obtained. Optimal experimental conditions were found to be 0.42 M hydrochloric acid solution containing 0.008${\%}$ formaldehyde, an accumulation potential of -0.70 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and an accumulation time of 20 s. The stripping mode was differential pulse voltammetry. In these conditions the limit of detection lies at 2 ${\times}$ l0$^{-12}$ M (0.21 ppt). The relative standard deviation at 5 ${\times}$ l0$^{-11}$ M was 4.9${\%}$ (n=5). There were no serious interferences from other platinum group metal ions being the tolerable amounts more than 500 times that of rhodium.