Electrochemical and Spectrometric Detection of Heavy Metal Ions in Water and Food
This community develops analytical methods for identifying and quantifying trace concentrations of toxic metal ions, primarily cadmium, lead, and mercury, in environmental and food samples.
The research focuses on two main detection strategies: electrochemical sensing using modified carbon electrodes and atomic spectrometry. Recurring techniques include stripping voltammetry, flame atomic absorption, and inductively coupled plasma emission. Sample preparation frequently involves solid-phase extraction and microextraction to concentrate trace analytes. Electrode modifications commonly utilize graphene oxide, metal-organic frameworks, and bismuth-based materials to enhance sensitivity. The primary application is the simultaneous determination of multiple heavy metals in water, wastewater, and food matrices to assess contamination levels.
The community contributes most significantly to research on mercury, representing 4.0% of all tracked mercury literature, and bismuth, accounting for 4.3% of bismuth research. It also holds a 3.6% share of antimony-related papers. Mercury research contains the highest absolute number of papers from this group, with 1,709 entries.
The community comprises 11,986 papers, published predominantly in Analytica Chimica Acta, Talanta, and Electroanalysis.
Recent work continues to refine electrochemical sensors using novel nanocomposites, such as nickel-based metal-organic frameworks and MXene hybrids, for the simultaneous detection of multiple heavy metal ions in drinking water and food samples.