Rapid determination of total phenols in seawater by 4-aminoantipyrine colorimetry

Abstract

A rapid and efficient 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) colorimetric method without any cleanup step to determine total phenols in seawater is described. Efficiency of the method for seawater using external addition of phenol concentrations with working range of 5-100 g.l sup(-1) is 86.7-102.9%. Efficiency at the lowest detection limit of 1 g.l sup(-1) is 81.5 + or - 18.5%. Efficiency of 4-AAP with distillation method is comparatively low. Several water samples from Ulhas Estuary having salinity in 5.3-35.8 ppt range were analysed to evaluate suitability of the method for pollution monitoring programme. The method is found to be rapid, convenient and efficient for analysing coastal and estuarine water samples during a marine pollution monitoring programme.