Immobilizing redox enzymes at mesoporous and nanostructured electrodes

Three key challenges are stimulating intensive research in the development of productive direct electron transfer mode enzyme electrodes: proper enzyme orientation, high enzyme loading, and full retention of enzyme activity. In this review, we summarize some significant advances that have been reported in the last years on the design of mesoporous and nanostructured electrodes as enzyme scaffolds and of innovative methodologies for wiring enzymes to electrodes. Particular attention is given to investigations on physical factors that determine a favorable enzyme immobilization, to provide rational guidelines for the design of productive enzymatic electrodes. Finally, some emerging trends focused on the spatial organization of either single enzymes or enzyme cascades are also briefly addressed.     

Simple, expedient methods for the determination of water and electrolyte contents of cellulose solvent systems

The concentrations of water, W, and electrolytes present in solutions of LiCl in N,N-dimethylacetamide, LiCl/DMAc, and of tetrabutylammonium fluoride. x-hydrate in DMSO, TBAF.xW/DMSO can be accurately and expediently determined by three independent methods, UV–vis, FTIR and EMF measurement. The first relies on the use of solvatochromic probes whose spectra are sensitive to solution composition. It is applicable to W/LiCl/DMAc solutions but not to TBAF.xW/DMSO, because the charge-transfer complex bands of the probes are suppressed by strong interactions with the latter electrolyte. Integration of ν_OH band of water may be employed in order to determine [W], hence [electrolyte] by weight difference. EMF measurement uses ion-selective electrodes in order to determine [electrolyte], hence [W] by weight difference. Results of the latter method were in excellent agreement with those of FTIR. The reason for the failure of Karl Fischer titration is addressed, and the relevance of the results obtained to functionalization of cellulose under homogenous solution conditions is briefly commented on.     

Chalcogenide based all-solid-state thin electroplated ion-selective membrane for Hg(II) flow-injection determinations

The response to Hg(II) of a thin all-solid-state Te-doped silver chalcogenide membrane, described by the general formula Ag₂ + δSe_{1 − x}Te_x, which has been electrochemically prepared following a previously proposed approach, has been investigated. The kinetics of formation of the membrane's secondary dynamic response to Hg(II) has been successfully combined with the precise timing and transient signal, typical for flow-injection (FI) measurements, in developing a sensitive and reliable mercury FI detector. Under optimized stream conditions it exhibits a linear Nernstian response, with a double slope of the calibration graph of 59 mV dec⁻¹, over the mercury(II) concentration range 10⁻⁶ − 10⁻³ M, the typical sample throughput amounting to about 70 samples per hour. The observed chemical amplification of the signal is due to the specificity of the processes dominating the initial step in formation of the steady-state signal of the membrane to mercury. The analytical performance of the Hg(II) FI detector, as regards sensitivity, reproducibility, selectivity and long-term stability has been thoroughly investigated. The exact procedure for membrane electrodeposition is given and the potential of the proposed approach as a cost-effective way for preparing chalcogenides of unique structure and properties has been outlined in the above context.     

Effect of surfactants on the voltammetric response and determination of an antihypertensive drug

The effect of adding surface-active agents to electrolytes containing terazosin, an antihypertensive drug, on the voltammetric response of glassy carbon electrode was studied. The current signal due to the oxidation process was a function of the amount of terazosin, pH of the medium, type of surfactant, and accumulation time at the electrode surface. Two surfactants were used, an anionic type, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and a cationic type, cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). Addition of SDS to the terazosin-containing electrolyte was found to enhance the oxidation current signal while CTAB showed an opposite effect. Beside the interfacial interaction of the surfactant with the electrode surface in reference to the bias applied potential and the charge of surfactant, terazosin-surfactant interaction in the electrolytic solution was found to be critical to the magnitude of current signal. Addition of SDS to terazosin-containing buffer solution resulted in a decrease in the drug absorption spectrum both in the ultra-violet and visible (UV-vis) regions. Moreover, NMR measurements showed considerable chemical shifts for the aromatic protons of the quinazolinyl moiety of the terazosin in presence of SDS. The affected aromatic protons are positioned next to the interacting protonated amino-group of the terazosin with the charged sulfonate-group of SDS. On the other hand, addition of CTAB did not cause noticeable changes both to the UV-vis and NMR spectra of the drug. The use of SDS in the electrochemical determination of terazosin using linear sweep voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry at solid glassy carbon electrode enhanced the detection limit from 6.00 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ in absence of surfactant to 4.58 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ when present. The validity of using this method in the determination of drug active ingredient in urine samples and tablet formulations was also demonstrated.     

Production of carbon soot with a high content of C60 and C70 fullerenes by electric arc

The effect of the parameters of the electric arc (helium pressure, current and voltage, clearance between electrodes) and of the peculiarities of the setup design (arrangement of electrodes, distance between the arc and the cooling surface, temperature of the soot condensation surface) on the yield of fullerenes has been studied. Conditions for producing soot with a C₆₀ and C₇₀ content up to 43% (toluene extract) have been found.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 805–809, May, 1994.The authors are grateful to N. G. Spitsyna and A. V. Dubovitskii for the determination of the content of C₆₀ and C₇₀ fullerenes in the extract.The work was financially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project 93-03-18705).     

Recognition of Monohydrogen Anions of Geometrical and Positional Isomers of Dicarboxylic Acids Based on Polymeric Liquid Membranes Incorporating Polyamine Host

Macrocyclic lipophilic polyamines were applied as the sensory elements of polymeric liquid membrane electrodes. These hosts gain the anion receptor functionality upon protons uptake from the aqueous solutions. The electrodes studied were able to distinguish potentiometricaly isomers of monocharged and doublecharged forms of ethylene and benzene dicarboxylic acids. The selectivity of interaction between protonated hosts and anionic guests relays not only on the electrostatic interactions, but on hydrogen bounds formations as well. The influence of lipophilicity of protonated hosts on the potential response generation was discussed.     

Reaction of SbPO4 with lithium in non-aqueous electrochemical cells: preliminary study and evaluation of its electrochemical performance in anodes for lithium ion batteries

SbPO₄, a phosphate with a layered structure, was tested as an electrode material for lithium cells spanning the 3.0-0.0 V range. Two main electrochemical processes were detected as extensive plateaus at ca. 1.6 and 0.7 V in galvanostatic measurements. The first process was found to be irreversible, thus excluding a potential intercalation-like mechanism for the reaction and being better interpreted as a decomposition reaction leading to the formation of elemental Sb. This precludes the use of this compound as a cathodic material for lithium cells. By contrast, the process at 0.7 V is reversible and can be ascribed to the formation of lithium-antimony alloys. The best electrochemical response was obtained by cycling the cell at a C/20 discharge rate over the voltage range 1.25-0.25 V. Under these conditions, the cell delivers an average capacity of 165 Ah/kg—a value greater than those reported for other phosphates—upon successive cycling.     

Computational Electrochemistry: A Model to Studying Ohmic Distortion of Voltammetry in Multiple Working Electrode,Microfluidic Devices,an Adaptive FEM Approach

Characteristics of mass transport and potential distribution applicable to microfluidic electrochemical flow cell devices has been modelled using the finite element method. A flexible, automatic grid generation algorithm has been combined with an a‐posteriori error indication technique presented by Nann and Heinze to allow irregular cell geometries to be modelled. The code has been applied to the problem of steady state generator – detector linear sweep voltammetry in a channel flow cell showing the effects of IR drop on the voltammetric response of each electrode.     

Determination of Hydrogen Single Ion Activity Coefficients in Aqueous HCl Solutions at 25°C

The single ion activity coefficients of hydrogen and chloride ions in aqueous HCl solutions have been estimated at 25°C at concentrations up to 1 mol-kg^–1, using potentiometric measurements with ion-selective electrodes and appropriate calibration procedures. Two methods are described for an internal calibration of the electrodes in the extended Debye–Hückel concentration range. The results are compared to the conventional pH calibration with external buffer solutions. Since the latter calibration method does not account for the liquid junction potential E _J which arises at the reference electrode, the resulting activity coefficients are quite different in HCl solutions of higher concentration. These differences between internal and external calibration decrease significantly, when a correction for E _J is introduced into the conventional pH calibration. Hence, in solutions of higher ionic strength the accuracy of the conventional pH electrode calibration using buffer solutions is very limited, when exact H⁺ activities are required. The consistency of the results indicates that the liquid junction potentials in the examined systems calculated by the Henderson/Bates approximation are of reasonable precision.