Modifications of the curcumin method enabling precise and accurate measurement of seawater boron concentration

To achieve greater precision and accuracy in the measurement of seawater boron concentrations, we propose a series of modifications to an established (curcumin) method based on the reaction of boric acid with curcumin. The modifications were derived from a series of experiments evaluating the stability of the curcumin–acetic acid reagent, the dependence of the reaction on temperature and duration, the effect of evaporation during the dehydration process, the interference of water, and the effect of sea salts. Application of the modified method to analysis of seawater samples collected from the Pacific Ocean indicated that it yielded considerably better precision and accuracy for boron concentration measurements than both the conventional curcumin method and other analytical techniques.