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.     

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.     

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.     

Voltammetric studies of sumatriptan on the surface of pyrolytic graphite electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with silver nanoparticles

Multi-walled carbon nanotube decorated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-MWCNT) is used as an effective strategy for modification of the surface of pyrolytic graphite electrode (PGE). This modification procedure improved colloidal dispersion of the decorated MWCNTs in water, affording uniform and stable thin films for altering the surface properties of the working electrode. Robust electrode for sensing applications is obtained in a simple solvent evaporation process. The electrochemical behavior of sumatriptan (Sum) at the bare PGE and AgNPs-MWCNT modified PGE is investigated. The results indicate that the AgNPs-MWCNT modified PGE significantly enhanced the oxidation peak current of Sum. A remarkable enhancement in microscopic area of the electrode together with strong adsorption of Sum on the surface of the modified electrode resulted in a considerable increase in the peak current of Sum. Experimental parameters, such as scan rate, pH, accumulation conditions and amount of the modifier used on the PGE surface are optimized by monitoring the CV responses toward Sum. It is found that a maximum current response can be obtained at pH 7.4 after accumulation at open circuit for 150 s. Further experiments demonstrated that the oxidative peak currents increased linearly with Sum concentration in the range of 8.0 × 10⁻⁸-1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. The modified electrode showed high sensitivity, selectivity, long-term stability and remarkable voltammetric reproducibility in response to Sum. These excellent properties make the prepared sensor suitable for the analysis in pharmaceutical and clinical preparations. The modified electrode was successfully applied for the accurate determination of trace amounts of Sum in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Electrochemical determination of iodide on a vanadium oxide-polypropylene carbonate coated glassy carbon electrode

A vanadium oxide-modified glassy carbon electrode was simply and conveniently fabricated by casting vanadium tri(isoproxide) oxide (VO(OC₃H₇)₃) and poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) onto the glassy carbon electrode surface. The electrochemical properties of iodide at the VO(OC₃H₇)₃-PPC film-modified glassy carbon electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, and an anodic peak was observed at approximately +0.71 V (vs. SCE). Based on this, a sensitive and convenient electrochemical method was proposed for the determination of iodide. Flow injection amperometry (FIA) exhibited a good linear relationship with the concentration of iodide in the range of 5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ and 1 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹, and the detection limit was 1 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. Quantitative recovery of iodide in synthetic samples has been obtained and the interferences from different cations and anions have been studied. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of iodide in dry edible seaweed. The concentrations of iodide measured by this method are in good agreement with those obtained by spectrophotometric method.     

Determination of antihelminthic drug pyrantel pamoate in bulk and pharmaceutical formulations using electro-analytical methods

Electrochemical behaviour of pyrantel pamoate has been studied by using different voltammetric and polarographic techniques in Britton Robinson buffer system. Differential pulse polarographic and cyclic voltammetric methods have been developed for the determination of drug in pharmaceutical formulation. A well-defined cathodic wave and one anodic peak were observed for the pyrantel pamoate in the entire pH range. Number of electrons transferred in the reduction process was calculated and the reduction mechanism postulated. The results indicate that the electrode process is reversible and diffusion controlled. The proposed method has been validated. The peak current is found to be linear over the concentration range 4 × 10⁻⁴ to 2 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹. The lower detection limit (LOD) and lower limit of quantitation (LOQ) is found to be 2.45 × 10⁻⁵ and 8 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹.     

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.     

Determination of trace thiocyanate with nano-silver coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode

Novel nano-silver coated multi-walled carbon nanotube composites were prepared and used to fabricate a modified electrode. The application of the nano-silver coated multi-walled carbon nanotube composites modified electrode for determination of trace thiocyanate is demonstrated for the first time. The influence of substrate, pH and interference of coexisting substances was investigated for response properties of the electrode. There was a linear relationship at the range 2.5 × 10⁻⁹ to 5 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ and 5 × 10⁻⁸ to 1 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ of thiocyanate with the decrement of anodic DPV peak currents. The limit of detection was 1 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹(S/N = 3). The constructed electrode showed excellent reproducibility and stability. Actual urine and saliva samples of smoker and non-smoker were analyzed and satisfactory results were obtained. This method provides a new way to construct any electrode for biological and environmental analysis.     

Electrochemical deoxyribonucleic acid biosensor based on carboxyl functionalized graphene oxide and poly-l-lysine modified electrode for the detection of tlh gene sequence related to vibrio parahaemolyticus

A carboxyl functionalized graphene oxide (GO-COOH) and electropolymerized ploy-l-lysine (PLLy) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was fabricated and used for the construction of an electrochemical deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) biosensor. The NH₂ modified probe ssDNA sequences were immobilized on the surface of GO-COOH/PLLy/GCE by covalent linking with the formation of amide bonds, which was stable and furthur hybridized with the target ssDNA sequence. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used to monitor the hybridization events with methylene blue as electrochemical indicator, which gave a sensitive reduction peak at −0.287 V (vs. SCE). Under the optimal conditions the reduction peak current was proportional to the concentration of tlh gene sequence in the range from 1.0 × 10⁻¹² to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit as 1.69 × 10⁻¹³ mol L⁻¹ (3σ). The polymerase chain reaction products of tlh gene from oyster samples were detected with satisfactory results, indicating the potential application of this electrochemical DNA sensor.     

Polarographic determination of sunscreen agents in cosmetic products in micellar media

This paper introduces a simple, fast and reliable electroanalytical method for differential-pulse polarography based on electrochemical reduction at a dropping mercury electrode. The method was validated for the determination of 2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate (EHMC) alone and in association with 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (MBC) or 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (BENZ-3) in samples of commercial cosmetic preparations. The supporting electrolyte that provided the best-defined and most intense peak current for EHMC determination was Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 4.0) in the presence of a cationic surfactant. Under optimized conditions, EHMC exhibited one single peak of reduction at −1.49 V versus Ag/AgCl. A limit of detection of 3.76 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ and a limit of quantitation of 1.25 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ were found for the pure EHMC standard. A good average recovery rate was reached for all the samples analyzed.     

A sub-nanomole level electrochemical method for determination of prochloraz and its metabolites based on medical stone doped disposable electrode

A ultrasensitive, simple and convenient electrochemical method was firstly developed for the determination of prochloraz and its metabolites as 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) using nano-aperture medical stone. Compared with the undoped disposable electrode (UDE), nano-aperture medical stone doped disposable electrode (MSDDE) not only significantly enhances the oxidation peak current of 2,4,6-TCP but also lowers the oxidation overpotential, suggesting that the nano-aperture MSDDE can remarkably improve the sensitivity of 2,4,6-TCP. The experimental conditions such as pH values of buffer solution, the content of nano-aperture medical stone, accumulation potential and time were optimized for the determination of 2,4,6-TCP. At optimal conditions, the oxidation peak current is proportional to the concentration of 2,4,6-TCP over the range from 6.0 × 10⁻⁹ to 8.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. Finally, this novel method was successfully employed to detect prochloraz and its metabolites in orange rind with the detection limit of 8.4 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ (0.3 ng g⁻¹) and the method was validated by gas chromatography.     

Simultaneous determination of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol and p-aminophenol with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) modified glassy carbon electrode

A sensitive and selective method was developed for the determination of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP) and p-aminophenol (PAP) using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry were used to investigate the electrochemical reaction of APAP and PAP at the modified electrode. Both APAP and PAP showed quasireversible redox reactions with formal potentials of 367 mV and 101 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl), respectively, in phosphate buffer solution of pH 7.0. The significant peak potential difference (266 mV) between APAP and PAP enabled the simultaneous determination both species based on differential pulse voltammetry. The voltammetric responses gave linear ranges of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶-1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ and 4.0 × 10⁻⁶-3.2 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, with detection limits of 4.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ and 1.2 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ for APAP and PAP, respectively. The method was successfully applied for the determination of APAP and PAP in pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples.     

Fabrication of β-cyclodextrin-coated poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride)-functionalized graphene composite film modified glassy carbon-rotating disk electrode and its application for simultaneous electrochemical determination colorants of sunset yellow and tartrazine

We proposed a green and facile approach for the synthesis of β-cyclodextrin-coated poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)-functionalized graphene composite film (β-CD-PDDA-Gr) by using l-ascorbic acid (l-AA) as the reducing agent at room temperature. The β-CD-PDDA-Gr composite film modified glassy carbon-rotating disk electrode (GC-RDE) was then developed for the sensitive simultaneous determination of two synthetic food colorants: sunset yellow (SY) and tartrazine (TT). By cyclic voltammetry (CV), the peak currents of SY and TT increased obviously on the developed electrochemical sensor. The kinetic parameters, such as diffusion coefficient D and standard heterogeneous rate constant k_b, were estimated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). Under the optimal conditions, the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) signals of SY and TT on the β-CD-PDDA-Gr modified GC-RDE were significantly enhanced. The enhanced anodic peak currents represented the excellent analytical performance of simultaneous detection of SY and TT in the range of 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 1.25 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ for SY and 1.43 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ for TT (S N⁻¹ = 3). This proposed method displayed outstanding selectivity, good stability and acceptable repeatability and reproducibility, and also has been used to simultaneously determine SY and TT in some commercial soft drinks with satisfactory results. The obtained results were compared to HPLC of analysis for those two colorants and no significant differences were found. By the treatment of the experimental data, the electrochemical reaction mechanisms of SY and TT both involved a one-electron-one-proton-transfer process.     

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).     

Electrocatalytic oxidation behavior of guanosine at graphene, chitosan and Fe3O4 nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode and its determination

A graphene, chitosan and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (nano-Fe₃O₄) modified glassy carbon electrode (graphene-chitosan/nano-Fe₃O₄/GCE) was fabricated. The modified electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscope and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The electrochemical oxidation behavior of guanosine was investigated in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The experimental results indicated that the modified electrode exhibited an electrocatalytic and adsorptive activities towards the oxidation of guanosine. The transfer electron number (n), transfer proton number (m) and electrochemically effective surface area (A) were calculated. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation peak current was proportional to guanosine concentration in the range of 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 3.5 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ with the correlation coefficient of 0.9939 and the detection limit of 7.5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). Moreover, the modified electrode showed good ability to discriminate the electrochemical oxidation response of guanosine, guanine and adenosine. The proposed method was further applied to determine guanosine in spiked urine samples and traditional Chinese medicines with satisfactory results.     

Square wave voltammetric determination of nitrofurantoin in pharmaceutical formulations on highly boron-doped diamond electrodes at different boron-doping contents

The influence of the boron-doping levels in boron-doped diamond film electrodes on the electrochemical response of nitrofurantoin (NFT) and the development of an electroanalytical procedure for NFT determination were investigated. The investigations were carried out using the techniques of cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry on diamond film electrodes with different boron-doping levels (i.e., 5000, 10,000 and 20,000 mg L⁻¹). The level of boron-doping in the diamond film electrodes influenced the electrochemical reduction of NFT. The appropriate cyclic voltammetric response of NFT was obtained with Britton-Robinson buffer at pH 4 and for diamond films doped with 10,000 and 20,000 mg L⁻¹ of boron. These two films were selected for the development of the electroanalytical procedure. The use of square wave voltammetry with the optimized parameters demonstrated a good linear relationship between the peak current and the NFT concentration for a wide range of concentration. The lower limit of detection for the electrodes doped with 10,000 and 20,000 mg L⁻¹ of boron were 2.69 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ (6.40 μg L⁻¹) and 8.15 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ (1.94 μg L⁻¹), respectively, while the lower limits of quantification were 8.96 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ (21.33 μg L⁻¹) and 2.72 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ (6.47 μg L⁻¹), respectively. The applicability of the proposed procedure was tested using a commercial pharmaceutical formulation of NFT, and the results were compared with the procedure recommended by the British Pharmacopeia. The proposed procedure was sensitive, accurate and precise for analysis of NFT and did not require complex preparations or renovations of the electrode surface. This presents the advantage of eliminating mercury waste and minimizing the adsorptive problems related to the use of other electrodic solid surfaces.     

Electroreduction of the antifouling agent TCMTB and its electroanalytical determination in tannery wastewaters

The electrochemical reduction of antifouling agent 2-thiocyanomethylthiobenzothiazole (TCMTB) was investigated by cyclic and pulse differential voltammetry. The irreversible electrode reduction of TCMTB proceeded by ECEC reaction mechanism by two electrons transfer with one irreversible wave. Upon the basis of electrochemical evidence, the electrodic reaction mechanism was suggested to formation of mercaptobenzothiazole (MTB) in solution.Subsequently, a pulse differential method is described for the formation of TCMTB based on this electroreduction. Having been obtained a detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ and recovery to 98% to concentration of 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. Therefore, the proposed method in this study is practical, sensitive and accurate for the analysis of TCMTB in tannery wastewater samples.     

Bilayer lipid membrane biosensor with enhanced stability for amperometric determination of hydrogen peroxide

In this paper, a polydopamine (PDA) film is electropolymerized on the surface of bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) which is immobilized with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The coverage of the PDA film on HRP/BLM electrode is monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrocatalytic reduction of H₂O₂ at the PDA/HRP/BLM electrode is studied by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV). The biosensor has a fast response to H₂O₂ of less than 5 s and an excellent linear relationship is obtained in the concentration range from 2.5 × 10⁻⁷ to 3.1 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The response current of BLM/HRP/PDA biosensor retains 84% of its original response after being stored in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ pH 7.0 PBS at 4 °C for 3 weeks. The selectivity, repeatability, and storage stability of PDA/HRP/BLM biosensor are greatly enhanced by the coverage of polydopamine film on BLM.     

Determination of epinephrine based on its enhancement for electrochemiluminescence of lucigenin

Epinephrine was found to be able to strongly enhance the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of lucigenin system by using the anodic potential sweep. Based on which, a novel ECL method for the determination of epinephrine was developed. Under the optimum condition, the enhanced ECL intensity was linear with the epinephrine concentration in the range of 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. The detection limit (defined as S/N = 3) was 2.4 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹, and the relative standard deviation was 2.7% for 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ epinephrine (n = 11). The method was successfully applied to the determination of epinephrine in pharmaceutical samples with satisfactory results. In addition, the possible mechanism for the lucigenin ECL system in the presence of epinephrine has also been discussed.