Fast Analysis of Humic Acid in Mud and Water Samples

A broad spectrum of pharmacological activity of mud is related to humic acid, creating a need for fast reliable methods for its assay in mud and water samples. This paper proposes an electroanalytical method for the determination of humic acid content using a stochastic sensor, a method that does not involve the extraction of active ingredients prior to the determination. The method has proven to be a very good choice for the analysis as no sample processing is needed, the sample matrix does not influence the analysis results, and reliable quantitative and qualitative analyses can be performed. High sensitivity (1.61 × 10 9 s −1 g −1 ml) and very low limit of determination (1 × 10 −18 g ml −1 ) were recorded. Recoveries higher than 95.00% of humic acid, with percentages of RSD lower than 1.00 determined, when the stochastic sensor was used for the electroanalysis of humic acid in mud.