Determination of total and free sulphur dioxide in wine with a continuous-flow microdistillation system

Abstract A continuous-flow microdistillation system for the determination of SO2 (free and total) in wine samples is described. The assembly permits the successive addition of discrete volumes of sample to the microdistillation module with the aid of a nitrogen carrier stream. The nitrogen carrier also transports the volatilized SO2, after the distillation step, to the absorption module, where the analyte reacts with a solution of 2,2′-dinitro-5,5′-dithiodibenzoic acid in phosphate buffer (pH 6) to give a yellow derivative, which is monitored spectrophotometrically at 410 nm. Free and total so2 signals are obtained by operating the microdistillation module at room temperature (ca. 20°C) and…