Exploiting micellar environment for simultaneous electrochemical determination of ascorbic acid and dopamine

A simple and reliable method for simultaneous electrochemical determination of ascorbic acid (AA) and dopamine (DA) is presented in this work. It was based on the use of the cationic surfactant cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) that enables the separation of the oxidation peaks potential of AA and DA. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) as well as pulse differential voltammetry (PDV) were used in order to verify the voltammetric behaviour in micellar media. In the cationic surfactant CPC, a remarkable electrostatic interaction is established with negatively charged AA, as a consequence, the oxidation peak potential shifted toward less positive potential and the peak current increased. On the other hand, the positively charged DA is repelled from the electrode surface and the oxidation peak potential shifts toward more positive potential in comparison to the bare electrode. Therefore, the common overlapped oxidation peaks of AA and DA can be circumventing by using CPC. Parameter that affects the E_pa and I_pa such as CPC concentration and pH were studied. Under optimised conditions, the method presented a linear response to AA and DA in the concentration range from 5 to 75 μmol L⁻¹ and 10 to 100 μmol L⁻¹, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of AA and DA in dopamine hydrochloride injection (DHI) samples spiked with AA.     

Enhanced sensing of ascorbic acid, dopamine and serotonin at solid carbon paste electrode with a nonionic polymer film

A nonionic poly(2-amino-5-mercapto-thiadiazole) film was electrodeposited on a solid carbon paste electrode via a potential scanning procedure, and used for amperometric sensing of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and serotonin (ST). The highly electrocatalytic activity of the sensor to the three analytes was demonstrated from the sensitive and well separated voltammetric signals. The polymer film did not show significant accumulation effect on all the three species, reducing the fouling and deactivation of the electrode surface as well as the mutual interference among the analytes. The sensor achieved amperometric sensitivities of 1.92 nA (nmol L⁻¹)⁻¹ cm⁻² to AA in the linear range of 0.025-1.95 μmol L⁻¹, 3.76 nA (nmol L⁻¹)⁻¹ cm⁻² to DA and 7.00 nA (nmol L⁻¹)⁻¹ cm⁻² to ST both in the linear range of 0.02-1.56 μmol L⁻¹. The lowest detection limits were found to be 1.5, 0.7 and 0.4 nmol L⁻¹ for AA, DA and ST, respectively. This sensor was successfully employed for the successive determination of AA, DA and ST in pharmaceutical samples. The good antifouling property and reproducibility of the proposed sensor can be attributed to the nonionic polymer film without electrostatic attraction to the ionized species in the solutions.     

Poly(methylene blue) functionalized graphene modified carbon ionic liquid electrode for the electrochemical detection of dopamine

An ionic liquid 1-butylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate based carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) was used as the substrate electrode and a poly(methylene blue) (PMB) functionalized graphene (GR) composite film was co-electrodeposited on CILE surface by cyclic voltammetry. The PMB–GR/CILE exhibited better electrochemical performances with higher conductivity and lower electron transfer resistance. Electrochemical behavior of dopamine (DA) was further investigated by cyclic voltammetry and a pair of well-defined redox peaks appeared with the peak-to-peak separation (ΔE_p) as 0.058 V in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ pH 6.0 phosphate buffer solution, which proved a fast quasi-reversible electron transfer process on the modified electrode. Electrochemical parameters of DA on PMB–GR/CILE were calculated with the electron transfer number as 1.83, the charge transfer coefficients as 0.70, the apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant as 1.72 s⁻¹ and the diffusional coefficient (D) as 3.45 × 10⁻⁴ cm² s⁻¹, respectively. Under the optimal conditions with differential pulse voltammetric measurement, the linear relationship between the oxidation peak current of DA and its concentration was obtained in the range from 0.02 to 800.0 μmol L⁻¹ with the detection limit as 5.6 nmol L⁻¹ (3σ). The coexisting substances exhibited no interference and PMB–GR/CILE was applied to the detection of DA injection samples and human urine samples with satisfactory results.     

Selective detection of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid using carbon nanotube modified screen-printed electrodes

This work reports on the performance of carbon nanotube modified screen-printed electrodes (SPE-MWCNT) for the selective determination of dopamine (DA) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) by adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV). Several operating conditions and parameters were examined including the electrochemical pre-treatment and the previous AA interaction and DA accumulation in the presence AA at physiological conditions. Under the chosen conditions, DA peak current of differential pulse voltammograms increases linearly with DA concentration in the range of 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ with a limit of detection of 1.5 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ in connection with 600 s accumulation time. The sensitivity obtained for DA was independent from the presence or absence of AA; therefore, the proposed method can be readily applied to detect DA in real samples. The proposed methodology was successfully used for the quantification of DA in urine samples.     

Selective response of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid on carbon paste electrode modified with titanium phosphated silica gel

Titanium phosphate grafted on the surface of silica gel (devoted briefly as Si-TiPH) was synthesized and used as bulk modifier to fabricate a renewable three-dimensional chemically modified electrode. The Si-TiPH bulk modified carbon paste electrode was used for the selective determination of dopamine (DA) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA). The modified electrode offers an excellent and stable response for the determination of DA in the presence of AA. The differential pulse voltammetry peak current was found to be linear with the DA concentration in the range 2 × 10⁻⁷ to 1 × 10⁻⁶ and 2 × 10⁻⁶ to 6 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The detection limit of the proposed method in the presence of 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ M of AA was found to be 4.3 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ for DA determination. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of DA in injections.     

Simultaneous determination of antioxidants at a chemically modified electrode with vitamin B12 by capillary zone electrophoresis coupled with amperometric detection

In the paper, a new kind of vitamin B₁₂ (acquo-cobalamine) chemically modified electrode was fabricated and applied in capillary zone electrophoresis coupled with amperometric detection (CZE-AD) for simultaneous determination of six antioxidants in fruits and vegetables. The catalytic electrochemical properties of the chemically modified electrode could obviously enhance oxidation peak heights responses by about five times to glutathione, ascorbic acid, vanillic acid, chlorogenic acid, salicylic acid, and caffeic acid compared with common carbon disk electrode. Furthermore, the effects of working electrode potential, pH and concentration of running buffer, separation voltage and injection time on CZE-AD were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the six analytes could be completely separated and detected in a borate-phosphate buffer (pH 8.4) within 15 min. Their linear ranges were from 2.5 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ and the detection limits were as low as 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ magnitude (S/N = 3). The proposed method has been successfully employed to monitor the six analytes in practical samples with recoveries in the range 96.0-106.0% and RSDs less than 5.0%. Above results demonstrate that capillary zone electrophoresis coupled with electrochemical detection using vitamin B₁₂ modified electrode as detector is of convenient preparation, high sensitivity, good repeatability, and could be used in the rapid determination of practical samples.     

Electrochemical behavior of dopamine at a 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid self-assembled monolayers

Monolayers of 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid (DTDPA) were prepared on a polycrystalline gold electrode through a self-assembly procedure to produce a gold 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid self-assembled monolayer (AuDTDPA) modified electrode. The characterization of the AuDTDPA electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and ac impedance using the [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− redox couple. The electrochemical behavior of DA on the modified electrode AuDTDPA was studied by cyclic and square-wave voltammetries, using phosphate buffer as supporting electrolyte. The oxidation peak current for DA increases linearly with concentration in the range of 0.35 × 10⁻⁵ to 3.4 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The performance of the AuDTDPA modified electrode was evaluated for the electroanalytical determination of dopamine (DA) in a pharmaceutical formulation. The AuDTDPA modified electrode showed a stable behavior and the presence of surface-COOH groups avoided the passivation of the electrode surface during the dopamine oxidation.     

Selective electrochemical sensing of calcium dobesilate based on the nano-Pd/CNTs modified pyrolytic graphite electrode

A new palladium nanoparticle functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes (nano-Pd/CNTs) modified pyrolytic graphite electrode (PGE) has been fabricated for electrochemical sensing of calcium dobesilate (CD) in pharmaceutical capsules. The nano-Pd/CNTs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The nano-Pd/CNTs composite showed a strong electrocatalytic property for CD. The anodic peak current is 6-fold than that obtained in bare PGE and the oxidation potential has an obvious shift to negative. The anodic peak current is proportional to the concentration of CD in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 7.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, with a linear relative coefficient r = 0.999 and a detection limit 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). This kind of electrode shows good stability, sensitivity, reproducibility, large linear range and low detection limit towards electrochemical determination of CD. The proposed method provides a selective and sensitive electrochemical sensor of calcium dobesilate.     

Simultaneous voltammetric determination of paracetamol and caffeine in pharmaceutical formulations using a boron-doped diamond electrode

A simple and highly selective electrochemical method was developed for the single or simultaneous determination of paracetamol (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, acetaminophen) and caffeine (3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione) in aqueous media (acetate buffer, pH 4.5) on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode using square wave voltammetry (SWV) or differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Using DPV with the cathodically pre-treated BDD electrode, a separation of about 550 mV between the peak oxidation potentials of paracetamol and caffeine present in binary mixtures was obtained. The calibration curves for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine showed an excellent linear response, ranging from 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ to 8.3 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ for both compounds. The detection limits for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine were 4.9 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ and 3.5 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied in the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine in several pharmaceutical formulations (tablets), with results similar to those obtained using a high-performance liquid chromatography method (at 95% confidence level).     

Simultaneous voltammetric detection of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid using a pyrolytic graphite electrode modified into dopamine solution

Pyrolytic graphite electrodes (PGE) were modified into dopamine solutions using phosphate buffer solutions, pH 10 and 6.5, as supporting electrolyte. The modification process involved a previous anodization of the working electrode at +1.5 V into 0.1 mol L⁻¹ NaOH followed by other anodization step, in the same experimental conditions, into dopamine (DA) solutions. pH of the supporting electrolyte performed an important role in the production of a superficial melanin polymeric film, which permitted the simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid (AA), (DA) and uric acid (UA), ΔE_AA-DA = 222 mV; ΔE_AA-UA = 360 mV and ΔE_DA-UA = 138 mV, avoiding the superficial poisoning effects. The calculated detection limits were: 1.4 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ for uric acid, 1.3 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ for ascorbic acid and 1.1 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ for dopamine, with sensitivities of (7.7 ± 0.5), (0.061 ± 0.001) and (9.5 ± 0.05) A mol⁻¹ cm⁻², respectively, with no mutual interference. Uric acid was determined in urine, blood and serum human samples after dilution in phosphate buffer and no additional sample pre-treatment was necessary. The concentration of uric acid in urine was higher than the values found in blood and serum and the recovery tests (92-102%) indicated that no matrix effects were observed.     

Quantitative determination of zinc in milkvetch by anodic stripping voltammetry with bismuth film electrodes

Bismuth film electrode (BiFE) was shown to be an attractive alternative to common mercury film electrode (MFE) for anodic stripping voltammetric measurements. In this study, bismuth film, that was in situ deposited onto glassy carbon electrode, was used to detect zinc content of milkvetch, used in traditional Chinese medicine. Variables affecting the response have been evaluated and optimized. Experimental results showed a high response, with a good linearity (between 0.5 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ and 3 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹) a good precision (R.S.D. = 3.58%) and a low detection limit (9.6 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ with a 120 s anodic). The anodic stripping performance makes the bismuth film electrode very desirable for measurements of trace nutritive element zinc in milkvetch and should impart possible restrictions on the use of mercury electrode.     

Determination of sub-micromolar amounts of sulfide by standard free anodic stripping voltammetry and anodic stripping voltammetric titration

A novel electrochemical methods namely standard free anodic stripping voltammetry and anodic stripping voltammetric titration are proposed for determination of dissolved sulfide concentration. 2Ag⁺ + S²⁻ → Ag₂S reaction is used to provide the information. The anodic stripping voltammetric response of unreacted silver-ions at the glassy carbon electrode is used as analytical signal. Results reliability and accuracy are confirmed by analysis of model solutions, spiked natural and tap waters and recovery study, with a recovery of 100 ± 5% (n = 7) obtained. The approaches show the detection limit (3σ_blank) of 2-5 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ and the relative standard deviation of 2-5% for repeated measurements.     

A multidimensional high performance liquid chromatography method coupled with amperometric detection using a boron-doped diamond electrode for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in bovine milk

The development and validation of a multidimensional HPLC method using an on-line clean-up column coupled with amperometric detection employing a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) in bovine milk are presented. Aliquots of pre-prepared skim-milk samples were directly injected into a RAM octyl-BSA column in order to remove proteins that otherwise would interfere with milk analysis. After exclusion of the milk proteins, SMX and TMP were transferred to the analytical column (an octyl column) and the separation of the compounds from one another and from other endogenous milk components was achieved. SMX and TMP were detected amperometrically at 1.25 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3.0 mol L⁻¹ KCl). Results with good linearity in the concentration ranges 50-800 and 25-400 μg L⁻¹ for SMX and TMP, respectively, were obtained and no fouling of the BDD electrode was observed within the experimental period of several hours. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were less than 10% for both drugs and the obtained LOD values for SMX and TMP were 25.0 and 15.0 μg L⁻¹, respectively.     

Sensitive detection of clozapine using a gold electrode modified with 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid self-assembled monolayer

Clozapine, an effective antipsychotic drug, was found generating a pair of redox peaks at about 0.33-0.4 V (versus SCE) at 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (i.e. MHA) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) modified gold electrode (i.e. MHA/Au) in 0.05 mol L⁻¹ Tris-HCl (pH 8.1) buffer solution. Sensitive and quantitative measurement of clozapine based on anodic peak was established under optimum conditions. The anodic peak current was linear to clozapine concentration in the range from 1 × 10⁻⁶ to 5 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ with the detection limit of 7 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. This method was successfully applied to the detection of clozapine in drug tablets and proved to be reliable compared with ultraviolet spectrophotometry (UV). The MHA SAM was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle goniometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and electrochemical probe.     

An electrochemical ascorbic acid sensor based on palladium nanoparticles supported on graphene oxide

In this study, an electrochemical ascorbic acid (AA) sensor was constructed based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with palladium nanoparticles supported on graphene oxide (PdNPs-GO). PdNPs with a mean diameter of 2.6 nm were homogeneously deposited on GO sheets by the redox reaction between PdCl₄²⁻ and GO. Cyclic voltammetry and amperometric methods were used to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of AA in neutral media. Compared to a bare GC or a Pd electrode, the anodic peak potential of AA (0.006 V) at PdNPs-GO modified electrode was shifted negatively, and the large anodic peak potential separation (0.172 V) of AA and dopamine (DA), which could contribute to the synergistic effect of GO and PdNPs, was investigated. A further amperometric experiment proved that the proposed sensor was capable of sensitive and selective sensing of AA even in the presence of DA and uric acid. The modified electrode exhibited a rapid response to AA within 5 s and the amperometric signal showed a good linear correlation to AA concentration in a broad range from 20 μM to 2.28 mM with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.9991. Moreover, the proposed sensor was applied to the determination of AA in vitamin C tablet samples. The satisfactory results obtained indicated that the proposed sensor was promising for the development of novel electrochemical sensing for AA determination.     

A novel poly(cyanocobalamin) modified glassy carbon electrode as electrochemical sensor for voltammetric determination of peroxynitrite

This report described the direct voltammetric detection of peroxynitrite (ONOO⁻) at a novel cyanocobalamin modified glassy carbon electrode prepared by electropolymeriation method. The electrochemical behaviors of peroxynitrite at the modified electrode were studied by cyclic voltammetry. The results showed that this new electrochemical sensor exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic activity to oxidation of peroxynitrite. The mechanism of catalysis was discussed. Based on electrocatalytic oxidation of peroxynitrite at the poly(cyanocobalamin) modified electrode, peroxynitrite was sensitively detected by differential pulse voltammetry. Under optimum conditions, the anodic peak current was linear to concentration of peroxynitrite in the range of 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 3.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ (S/N of 3). The proposed method has been applied to determination of peroxynitrite in human serum with satisfactory results. This poly(cyanocobalamin) modified electrode showed high selectivity and sensitivity to peroxynitrite determination, which could be used in quantitative detection of peroxynitrite in vivo and in vitro.     

Determination of cadmium with a sequential injection lab-on-valve by anodic stripping voltammetry using a nafion coated bismuth film electrode

This work exploited a sequential injection lab-on-valve (LOV) system for the determination of cadmium by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). A miniaturized electrochemical flow cell (EFC) was fabricated in LOV, in which a nafion coated bismuth film electrode was used as working electrode. The cadmium was electrodeposited on the electrode surface in bismuth solution, and measured with the subsequential stripping scan. Under optimal conditions, the proposed system responded linearly to cadmium concentrations in a range 2.0-100.0 μg L⁻¹. The detection limit of this method was found to be 0.88 μg L⁻¹. By loading a sample volume of 800 μL, a sampling frequency of 22 determinations h⁻¹ was achieved. The repeatability expressed as relative standard derivation (R.S.D.) was 3.65% for 20 μg L⁻¹ cadmium (n = 11). The established method was applied to analysis of trace cadmium in environmental water samples and the spiked recoveries were satisfactory.     

Direct electrochemistry with enhanced electrocatalytic activity of hemoglobin in hybrid modified electrodes composed of graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotubes

A graphene (GR) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) hybrid was prepared and modified on a 1-hexylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate based carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE). Hemoglobin (Hb) was immobilized on GR-MWCNT/CILE surface with Nafion as the film forming material and the modified electrode was denoted as Nafion/Hb-GR-MWCNT/CILE. Spectroscopic results revealed that Hb molecules retained its native structure in the GR-MWCNT hybird. Electrochemical behaviors of Hb were carefully investigated by cyclic voltammetry with a pair of well-defined redox peaks obtained, which indicated that direct electron transfer of Hb was realized in the hybrid modified electrode. The result could be attributed to the synergistic effects of GR-MWCNT hybrid with enlarged surface area and improved conductivity through the formation of a three-dimensional network. Electrochemical parameters of the immobilized Hb on the electrode surface were further calculated with the results of the electron transfer number (n) as 1.03, the charge transfer coefficient (a) as 0.58 and the electron-transfer rate constant (k_s) as 0.97 s⁻¹. The Hb modified electrode showed good electrocatalytic ability toward the reduction of different substrates such as trichloroacetic acid in the concentration range from 0.05 to 38.0 mmol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.0153 mmol L⁻¹ (3σ), H₂O₂ in the concentration range from 0.1 to 516.0 mmol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 34.9 nmol/L (3σ) and NaNO₂ in the concentration range from 0.5 to 650.0 mmol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.282 μmol L⁻¹ (3σ). So the proposed electrode had the potential application in the third-generation electrochemical biosensors without mediator.     

Voltammetric performance and application of a sensor for sodium ions constructed with layered birnessite-type manganese oxide

The preparation and electrochemical characterization of a carbon paste electrode modified with layered birnessite-type manganese oxide for use as a sodium sensor is described. The effects of powder synthesis process (sol-gel and redox precipitation) for birnessite on the electrochemical activity of the sensor was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The carbon paste electrode modified with birnessite-type manganese oxide that was synthesized by the sol-gel method showed a best electrochemical for sodium ions. The detection is based on the measurement of anodic current generated by oxidation of Mn(III) to Mn(IV) at the surface of the electrode and consequently the sodium ions extraction into the birnessite structure. The best voltammetric response was obtained for an electrode composition of 15% (w/w) birnessite oxide in the paste, a TRIS buffer solution of pH 8.0 and a scan rate of 50 mV s⁻¹. A sensitive linear voltammetric response for sodium ions was obtained in the concentration range of 7.89 × 10⁻⁵ to 3.49 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ with a slope of 37.5 μA L mmol⁻¹ and a detection limit (3σ/slope) of 3.43 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ using cyclic voltammetry. Under the working conditions, the proposed method was successfully applied to determination of sodium ions in urine samples.