Determination of nitrite with the electrocatalytic property to the oxidation of nitrite on thionine modified aligned carbon nanotubes

A thionine modified aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) electrode was fabricated and was used to electrochemically determine nitrite. The thionine modified ACNTs electrode exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic behavior to the oxidation of nitrite. The electrochemical mechanism of the thionine/ACNTs electrode towards the oxidation of nitrite was discussed. The thionine modified ACNTs electrode exhibited fast response towards nitrite with a detection limit of 1.12 × 10⁻⁶ mol  L⁻¹ and a linear range of 3 × 10⁻⁶ – 5 × 10⁻⁴ mol  L⁻¹. The proposed method was successfully applied in the detection of nitrite in real samples.     

Voltammetric determination of tert-butylhydroquinone in biodiesel using a carbon paste electrode in the presence of surfactant

This paper reports an electroanalytical method developed for determining the antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) in biodiesel, based on the enhancement effect of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). In pH 6.5 Britton–Robinson buffer, a poorly defined oxidation peak was observed for TBHQ at a carbon paste electrode (CPE). In the presence of low concentrations of CTAB, however, the oxidation peak current was markedly increased. Several parameters were studied and optimized for the development of this methodology, and under optimal conditions the oxidation peak current was proportional to TBHQ concentration in the range of (1.05–10.15) × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, with limits of detection and quantification of 7.11 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ and 2.37 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹, respectively, by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The method was applied to TBHQ determination in soybean biodiesel samples. The results were satisfactory in comparison with those obtained using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).     

Simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid,epinephrine, and uric acid by differential pulse voltammetry using poly(p-xylenolsulfonephthalein) modified glassy carbon electrode

A novel poly(p-xylenolsulfonephthalein) modified glassy carbon electrode was prepared for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (AA), epinephrine (EP) and uric acid (UA). Cyclic voltammetric, chronoamperometric, and differential pulse voltammetric methods were used to investigate the modified electrode for the electrocatalytic oxidation of EP, AA, and UA in aqueous solutions. The separation of the oxidation peak potentials for AA–EP and EP–UA was about 200 and 130 mV, respectively. The calibration curves obtained for AA, EP, and UA were in the ranges of 10–1343, 2–390, and 0.1–560 μmol L⁻¹, respectively. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were 4, 0.1, and 0.08 μmol L⁻¹ for AA, EP and UA, respectively. The diffusion coefficient and the catalytic rate constant for the oxidation of EP at the modified electrode were calculated as 1.40(±0.10) × 10⁻⁴ cm² s⁻¹ and 1.06 × 10³ mol⁻¹ L s⁻¹, respectively. The present method was applied to the determination of EP in pharmaceutical and urine samples, AA in commercially available vitamin C tablet, and EP plus UA in urine samples.     

Electroenzymatic oxidation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons using chemical redox mediators in organic media

The bioelectrochemical oxidation of two polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH): anthracene (ANT) and pyrene (PYR), using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) resulting in the synthesis of photoactive polyaromatic quinones in organic media was studied. The electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide was compared with its direct addition in concentrations of up to 0.0012 mol L⁻¹. In addition, three different chemical redox mediators were evaluated: ABTS, thionin and ortho-aminophenol. In a reaction medium containing 30% acetone and ABTS as mediator with a molar ratio mediator/PAH of 1:10, HRP attained the highest level of oxidation of PAH (1 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹): ANT (94%) and PYR (91%), producing 9,10-anthraquinone and mainly 1,2 and 4,5-pyrenequinones, respectively.     

New methodology for anodic stripping voltammetric determination of methylmercury

A novel procedure for trace methylmercury determinations by anodic stripping voltammetry at a gold film electrode is presented. Measurements were performed in a flow system. For selective determination of methylmercury, the Hg²⁺ ions were masked by complexation with DTPA. Hg-DTPA complex is not reduced at the gold film electrode at the potential of methylmercury reduction to the metallic state. The calibration graph was linear from 5 × 10⁻⁹ to 1 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ for an accumulation time 600 s. A detection limit (based on 3σ criterion) for methylmercury was 2.3 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The validation of the proposed procedure was made by analyses of human hair certified reference material.     

Electrochemical oxidation behavior of nitrite on a chitosan-carboxylated multiwall carbon nanotube modified electrode

A novel chitosan-carboxylated multiwall carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode (MC/GCE) was developed to investigate the oxidation behavior of nitrite using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry modes. The electrochemical mechanism of the MC/GCE towards nitrite was discussed. The MC/GCE exhibited fast response towards nitrite with a detection limit of 1 × 10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹ and a linear range of 5 × 10⁻⁷–1 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹. The possible interference from several common ions was tested. The proposed method was successfully applied in the detection of nitrite in real samples.     

One-step fabrication of chitosan–hematite nanotubes composite film and its biosensing for hydrogen peroxide

This work reports on a novel chitosan–hematite nanotubes composite film on a gold foil by a simple one-step electrodeposition method. The hybrid chitosan–hematite nanotubes (Chi–HeNTs) film exhibits strong electrocatalytic reduction activity for H₂O₂. Interestingly, two electrocatalytic reduction peaks are observed at −0.24 and −0.56 V (vs SCE), respectively, one controlled by surface wave and the other controlled by diffusion process. The Chi–HeNTs/Au electrode shows a linear response to H₂O₂ concentration ranging from 1 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.6 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 5 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ and a sensitivity as high as 1859 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻².     

Sensing of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid by surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was obtained by employing a bi-layer gold substrate, assembled by the reduction of Au(III) over gold-seeded nanoparticles immobilized on functionalized glass substrates. The SERS signal was linear with the logarithm of the solution concentrations between 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ and 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹, indicating that the bi-layer gold substrate affords a significant dynamic range for SERS, providing an excellent analytical response within this concentration range, and revealing the high sensitivity of the gold surface towards such analyte. In addition, using the same gold substrate, a similar calibration curve was obtained for crystal-violet (CV), and it was possible to identify the concentration limit corresponding to the transition from the average SERS to the nonlinear SERS response.     

Radiation-induced degradation of aqueous 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene

The degradation of aqueous 2,3-dihydroxynaphthaline (2,3-DHN) under the influence of γ-ray was investigated under various experimental conditions. Using 2.5×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ 2,3-DHN in aerated media (pH=6–6.8) an initial degradation yield, G_i-(2,3-DHN)=0.32 was obtained, whereas in solutions saturated with N₂O the yield come to G_i-(2,3-DHN)=0.50.In airfree media the substrate decomposition was negligible. Possible reaction mechanisms are presented.Further, the rate constant, k(OH+2,3-DHN)=2.14×10¹⁰ L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ was determined by competition reactions with PNDA.     

Kinetics of the diazotization and azo coupling reactions of procaine in the micellar media

The kinetics of the diazotization reaction of procaine in the presence of anionic micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cationic micelles of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (DDTAB) and tetradecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (TDTAB) were carried out spectrophotometrically at λ_max = 289 nm. The values of the pseudo first order rate constant were found to be linearly dependent upon the [NaNO₂] in the concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ to 12.0 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ in the presence of 2.0 × 10⁻² mol dm⁻³ acetic acid. The concentration of procaine was kept constant at 6.50 × 10⁻⁵ mol dm⁻³. The addition of the cationic surfactants increased the reaction rate and gave plateau like curve. The addition of SDS micelles to the reactants initially increased the rate of reaction and gave maximum like curve. The maximum value of the rate constant was found to be 9.44 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ at 2.00 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ SDS concentration. The azo coupling of diazonium ion with β-naphthol (at λ_max = 488) nm was found to linearly dependent upon [ProcN₂⁺] in the presence of both the cationic micelles (CTAB, DDTAB and TDTAB) and anionic micelles (SDS). Both the cationic and anionic micelles inhibited the rate of reactions. The kinetic results in the presence of micelles are explained using the Berezin pseudophase model. This model was also used to determine the kinetic parameters e.g. k_m, K_s from the observed results of the variation of rate constant at different [surfactants].     

Investigation on binding of nitric oxide to horseradish peroxidase by absorption spectrometry

Binding of nitric oxide to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) has been investigated by absorption spectrometry in 0.2 M anaerobic phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4). Based on this binding equilibrium, a model equation for evaluating the binding constant of nitric oxide to HRP is developed and the binding constant is calculated to be (1.55 ± 0.06) × 10⁴ M^?1, indicating that HRP can form a stable complex with nitric oxide. The type of inhibition by nitric oxide is validated on the basis of studying initial reaction rates of HRP-catalyzed oxidation of guaiacol in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide. The inhibition mechanism is found to follow an apparent non-competitive inhibition by Lineweaver–Burk method. Based on this kinetic mechanism, the binding constant is also calculated to be (5.22 ± 0.06) × 10⁴ M^?1. The values of the binding constant determined by the two methods are almost identical. The non-competitive inhibition model is also applicable to studying the effect of nitric oxide on other metalloenzymes, which catalyze the two-substrate reaction with the “ping-pong” mechanism.     

A simple fluorescence quenching method for berberine determination using water-soluble CdTe quantum dots as probes

A novel method for the determination of berberine has been developed based on quenching of the fluorescence of thioglycolic acid-capped CdTe quantum dots (TGA-CdTe QDs) by berberine in aqueous solutions. Under optimum conditions, the relative fluorescence intensity was linearly proportional to the concentration of berberine between 2.5 × 10^?8 and 8.0 × 10^?6 mol L^?1 with a detection limit of 6.0 × 10^?9 mol L^?1. The method has been applied to the determination of berberine in real samples, and satisfactory results were obtained. The mechanism of the proposed reaction was also discussed.     

Gold nanoparticles/tetraaminophenyl porphyrin functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes nanocomposites modified glassy carbon electrode for the simultaneous determination of p-acetaminophen and p-aminophenol

A novel electrochemical platform was designed and prepared for simultaneous determination of p-acetaminophen (AMP) and p-aminophenol (AP) by combining the excellent conductivity and electrocatalytic activities of tetraaminophenyl porphyrin functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs-CONH-TAPP) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The as-synthesized CNTs-CONH-TAPP composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. The incisive oxidation current responses of AMP and AP at the modified electrode promised a sensitive and selective simultaneous determination of AMP and AP. Under optimized conditions, the peak currents were directly proportional to the concentrations of AMP and AP over the ranges of 4.5–500 μmol L⁻¹ and 0.08–60 μmol L⁻¹, respectively, and the limits of detection were 0.44 μmol L⁻¹ for AMP and 0.025 μmol L⁻¹ for AP(S/N = 3) respectively. The proposed modified electrode showed excellent selectivity, reproducibility and long-term stability and could be applied in simultaneous determination of p-acetaminophen and p-aminophenol in real samples.     

Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin and its electrocatalytic effect based on its direct immobilization on carbon ionic liquid electrode

Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin (Hb) has been achieved by its direct immobilization on carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE). CILE was immersed in a solution containing Hb and ionic liquid, octylpyridinium chloride ([OcPy][Cl]), to directly immobilize Hb on CILE. Cyclic voltammetry of modified electrode exhibited quasi-reversible peaks corresponding to Hb. The oxidation and reduction peak potentials of immobilized Hb in acetate buffer solution, pH 5.0 and at a scan rate of 0.1 V s⁻¹ were obtained at about –150 mV and –290 mV, respectively. The average surface coverage of the electroactive Hb adsorbed on the electrode surface was calculated as 8.4 × 10⁻¹¹ mol cm⁻². Hb retained its bioactivity on modified electrode and showed excellent electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and nitrite. Hydrogen peroxide can be determined in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁴–5.0 × 10⁻³ M.     

Catalytic and kinetic spectrophotometric method for determination of vanadium(V) by 2,3,4-trihydroxyacetophenonephenylhydrazone

A new catalytic and kinetic spectrophotometric method for the determination of vanadium(V) was studied using 2,3,4-trihydroxyacetophenonephenylhydrazone (THAPPH) as an analytical reagent. The present method was developed on the catalytic effect of vanadium on oxidation of THAPPH by hydrogen peroxide in hydrochloric acid–potassium chloride buffer (pH = 2.8) at the 20th minute. The metal ion has formed 1:2 (M:L) complex with THAPPH. Beer’s law was obeyed in the range 20–120 ng/mL of V(V) at λ_max 390 nm. The sensitivity of the method was calculated in terms of molar absorptivity (1.999 × 10⁵ L mol⁻¹cm⁻¹) and Sandell’s sensitivity (0.000254 μg cm⁻²), shows that this method is more sensitive. The standard deviation (0.0022), relative standard deviation (0.56%), confidence limit (±0.0015) and standard error (0.0007) revealed that the developed method has more precision and accuracy. The stability constant was calculated with the help of Asmu’s (9.411 × 10⁻¹¹) and Edmond’s & Birnbaum’s (9.504 × 10⁻¹¹) methods at room temperature. The interfering effect of various cations and anions was also studied. The present method was successfully applied for the determination of vanadium(V) in environmental and alloy samples. The method’s validity was checked by comparing the results obtained with atomic-absorption spectrophotometry and also by evaluation of results using F-test.     

The determination of cysteine at Bi-powder carbon paste electrodes by cathodic stripping voltammetry

The determination of cysteine by means of square wave cathodic stripping voltammetry (SWCSV) is reported here for the first time at Bi-modified carbon paste electrodes (CPEs). The modified electrodes are 17% w/w metallic Bi powder mixed with CP (Bi-CPEs) and the technique is based on the enhancement of Bi surface oxidation in the presence of cysteine at a carefully chosen accumulation potential and the subsequent reduction-stripping of the product (proposed to be bismuth(III) cysteinate) by potential scanning to more negative values. The wide concentration range of 1 × 10⁻⁶–5 × 10⁻⁵ M for cysteine can be assessed by SWCSV using Bi-CPEs and, by appropriate choice of accumulation times, two linear response concentration regimes could be identified: 1 × 10⁻⁶–1 × 10⁻⁵ M (accumulation for 600 s) and 1 × 10⁻⁵–5 × 10⁻⁵ M (accumulation for 100 s), with estimated detection limits of 3 × 10⁻⁷ and 2 × 10⁻⁶ M, respectively.     

Strontium(II) selective PVC membrane electrode based acetophenone semicarbazone (ACS) as an ionophore

A new PVC membrane based strontium(II) ion-selective electrode has been constructed using acetophenone semicarbazone as a neutral carrier. The sensor exhibits a Nerstian response for strontium(II) ion over a wide concentration range 1.0 × 10⁻²–1.0 × 10⁻⁷ M with the slope of 29.4 mV/per decade. The limit of detection was 2.7 × 10⁻⁸ M. It was relatively fast response time (<10 s for concentration ⩾1.0 × 10⁻³ and <15 s for concentration of ⩾1.0 × 10⁻⁶ M) and can be used for 8 months without any considerable divergence in potentials. The proposed sensor revealed relatively good selectivity and high sensitivity for strontium(II) over a mono, di, trivalent cation and can be used in a pH range of 2.5–10.5. It was also successfully used as an indicator electrode in potentiometer titration and in the analysis of concentration in various real samples.     

Dehydration of tetrahydrofuran by pervaporation using a composite membrane

Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is a strong aprotic solvent, commonly used in the pharmaceuticals industry due to its broad solvency for both polar and non-polar compounds. THF and water form a homogeneous azeotrope at 5.3 wt.% water thus simple distillation is not feasible to dehydrate THF below this concentration. Pervaporation offers a solution since it is not governed by vapour–liquid equilibria. However many polymer-based pervaporation membranes are cast utilizing THF as the casting solvent and so these membranes have a tendency to swell excessively in its presence. This results in poor separation performance and poor long-term stability and thus renders these membranes unsuitable for THF dehydration.In this study, a new membrane available from CM Celfa, CMC-VP-31 has been tested for the dehydration of THF. The membrane shows excellent performance when dehydrating THF with a flux of over 4 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ when dehydrating THF containing 10 wt.% water at 55 °C dropping to 0.12 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ at a water content of 0.3 wt.%. The permeances of water and THF in the membrane were calculated to be 11.76 × 10⁻⁶ and 7.36 × 10⁻⁸ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹, respectively, at 25 °C and found to decrease in the membrane with increasing temperature to values of 6.71 × 10⁻⁶ and 1.63 × 10⁻⁸ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ at 55 °C. The flux and separation factor were both found to increase with an increase in temperature thus favouring the operation of CMC-VP-31 at high temperatures to optimize separation performance.     

Oxygen permeation through (Bi2O3)0.74(SrO)0.26–Ag (40% v/o) composite

The dense dual phase composite membrane made from strontium-stabilized bismuth oxide and silver, (Bi₂O₃)_0.74(SrO)_0.26–Ag (40% v/o), was investigated. The composite was found to exhibit very high electrical conductivity at the room temperature, revealing that the silver phase has formed electron-conducting networks in the oxide matrix. The composite shows much improved oxygen permeability compared with the bismuth oxide alone. An oxygen flux of 5×10⁻⁸ mol cm⁻² s⁻¹ was observed for a 1.00 mm thick composite at 700°C with oxygen partial pressures of the feed and permeate side at 0.209, 0.0024 atm, respectively. Combination of electrical conductivity and oxygen permeation measurements reveals that oxygen-ion conduction through the oxide phase of the composite is the rate-limiting step for oxygen permeation.     

Flow injection analysis system with electrochemical detection for the simultaneous determination of nanomolar levels of acetaminophen and codeine

A simple, rapid and low-cost electroanalytical method is proposed for the determination of acetaminophen (ACP) and codeine (COD) at nanomolar levels in pharmaceutical and biological samples. The analytical procedure is based on a flow injection analysis system coupled to electrochemical detection, which was multiple pulse amperometry (FIA-MPA). Boron-doped diamond was used as the working electrode for electrochemical detection. The electrode was subjected to a cathodic pretreatment and was selected in this work due its good electrochemical performance. By applying the FIA-MPA method, after a number of optimization assays, the analgesics were simultaneously determined at excellent linear concentration ranges. The analytical curves ranged from 80 nmol L⁻¹ to 100 µmol L⁻¹ for ACP and from 50 nmol L⁻¹ to 10 µmol L⁻¹ for COD, and the obtained limits of detection were 30 nmol L⁻¹ and 35 nmol L⁻¹ for ACP and COD, respectively. The practical applicability of the electroanalytical method was evaluated from the ACP and COD determination in two sample matrices: commercial pharmaceutical samples and biological fluids. In the case of pharmaceutical formulation samples, the obtained results were statistically similar to those obtained using a reference chromatographic method. In addition, these drugs were simultaneously quantified in biological fluid samples of urine and human serum with excellent recovery percentages.