A differential pulse polarographic method was developed for acrolein. It is based on electrochemical reduction of acrolein at the dropping mercury electrode. With this method, acrolein can be quantitated in natural and condenser cooling waters at concentrations of 0.05 to 0.5 mg/l. The sample for acrolein analysis is buffered at pH 7.2 with 0.09 M phosphate to resist changes in pH, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid is added in a concentration of 0.09% to prevent interference from zinc. The recovery of acrolein was unaffected by pH in the 6.8-7.6 range and by zinc at 2.0 mg/l. Replicate analyses at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.3 mg/l acrolein in reagent water gave respective standard deviations of 7.2 and 4.1% and relative errors of 2.8 and 3.3%. The recommended method is given in the appendix. Employing differential pulse voltammetry at the glassy carbon electrode, acrolein was determined with a sensitivity of 10 mg/l. The acrolein was indirectly measured by forming the sulfite complex and oxidately measuring unreacted sulfite in 0.09 M phosphate buffer at pH 7.2. The effectiveness of sulfite in preserving acrolein could not be evaluated as all attempts failed in quantitatively recovering acrolein at 0.5 mg/l in the presence of excess sulfite.

"E-EP-76-01." "EPA-600/7-76.005." "This study was conducted as part of the Federal Interagency Energy/Environment Research and Development Program."