Abstract:

In this study, a digital imaging box-based colorimetric analysis method was developed for the determination of phenolphthalein in drinking water samples. In digital imaging, a smartphone camera was used as a sensor, and an application called "Color Detector" was used as software. Firstly, an optimization study was carried out for the variables that were considered to be effective on the analysis method. For this purpose, the distance of the sample from the phone lens, the location on the sample to be measured, the scale at the measurement location and pH values were optimized. Then, analysis was carried out with samples with different concentrations between 0.5-5.0 ppm. Linearity between 1-4 mg/L was observed in the analysis results. As a result of the calculations made to determine the method performance, the limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 0.58 mg/L and the percent relative standard deviation was 0.28% (n = 8). A recovery study was carried out on a drinking water sample to evaluate the performance of the method we developed in the real sample environment. As a result of the analysis, percentage recovery values were found to be in the range of 99%-106%. These values show that our method has high performance in drinking water samples.

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