Methodology to promote the qualitative detection of organic compounds in petroleum/water interfaces.

Abstract

The possibility of detecting some organic compounds directly in a petroleum/water interface was described. Aqueous phase was composed by 1 x 10 -3 mol L -1 NaCl solution and the oil phase was carried out using crude oil forming an oil/water interface. Carbon based screen-printed electrodes was used in conjunction with square-wave voltammetry technique, constituting the main tools of this technical note. Petroleum was contaminated with phenol, naphthalene and cyclohexane. The oxidation potentials for these three molecules were 0,72, 0,81 and 0,87 V vs. Ag, respectively. Phenol was chosen to study the stability of currents during the process. After 15 minutes, the currents of this process were stable. Although the formation of a passivation film, the qualitative detection of the molecules was possible. Finally, the main advantage of this methodology is the possibility of detecting contaminants in oil without the necessity of complicated pre-treatment steps.