Voltammetric determination of hydrazine and hydroxylamine

Hydrazine or hydroxylamine when present at concentrations of 0.32–5.7 mg 1–1 are readily determined in an acetate buffer at pH 5.0 by voltammetry using a rotating platinum electrode and measuring the current plateau at 0.85 V versus S.C.E. In mixtures, hydrazine and hydroxylamine are determined by measuring the plateau current before and 5 min after the addition of acetone. Amounts of hydrazine and hydroxylamine are obtained either algebraically or graphically. In this manner, the amounts can be determined with a relative standard deviation of better than 2% when present alone. In mixtures the relative standard deviation varies from 2 to 5% depending on the amount present.