Spectrophotometric determination of trace copper in water samples with thiomichlersketone

A simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method for determination of trace copper in water samples is proposed. In the presence of pH 4.6 HAc–NaAc buffer solution and surfactant polyethylene octyl phenyl ether (OP) medium, copper reacts with thiomichlersketone (TMK) to form a stable 1:4 complex. The complex Cu(II)–TMK–OP shows maximum absorbance at 500 nm with a molar absorptivity value of 5.7 × 104 l mol−1 cm−1. Beer's law is obeyed for copper concentrations in the range of 0–15 μg/25 ml. The average recovery of copper is between 95.8 and 106%. The method has been applied for determination of trace copper in different water samples with satisfactory results.