Electrochemical behavior of dopamine and ascorbic acid at osmium(II) complex cationic monolayer modified gold electrodes.

The electrooxidation of dopamine (DA) and ascorbic acid (AA) was studied using gold electrodes modified by a cationic self-assembled monolayer of Os(bpy)2(bpy-(CH2),3SH)]2+ by cyclic voltammetry. At an Os(bpy)2(bpy-(CH2)13SH)]2+/Au electrode, the oxidation peak of DA shifted to a much more positive potential as compared with that of a bare gold electrode, while the oxidation peak potential of AA showed a slightly negative shift due to their different electrostatic interactions with the cationic monolayer. Thus, a sufficient potential difference was achieved for distinguishing the electrochemical responses of DA and AA. However, when CH3(CH2)11SH was mixed into the cationic monolayer, the enhanced packing of the mixed monolayer blocked the access of DA or AA to the electrode, resulting in further positive shifts for both oxidation-peak potentials.