A comparison of two voltammetric techniques for determining zinc speciation in Northeast Pacific Ocean waters

Two independent voltammetric techniques, differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry (DPCSV) and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV), determined that 95% of the dissolved zinc is organically complexed at two depths (60 and 150 m) within the surface euphotic zone at an open ocean station in the Northeast Pacific. Average values for the concentrations of the natural zinc-complexing organic ligands (C_L) obtained from duplicate determinations at these two depths by DPCSV versus DPASV are in excellent agreement: 1.60 ± 0.01 versus 1.76 ± 0.03 nM at 60 m, and 2.14 (n=1) versus 2.22 ± 0.06 nM at 150 m. Average values for the conditional stability constants (with respect to free Zn²⁺) of the natural zinc-organic complexes (log K^′_ZnL) from duplicate determinations at both depths by DPCSV versus DPASV are 10.3 ± 0.2 versus 11.2 ± 0.2. Additional research is required to assess the significance of the difference in the conditional stability constants determined by these two techniques. These results confirm recent observations that strong zinc complexes formed with an organic ligand class existing at nanomolar concentrations dominates zinc speciation in the North Pacific.