Sensitive Voltammetric Determination of Methyl Parathion Using a Carbon Paste Electrode Modified with Mesoporous Zirconia

A mesoporous zirconia modified carbon paste electrode was developed for electrochemical investigations of methyl parathion (MP, Phen‐NO₂). The significant increase of the peak currents and the improvement of the redox peak potential indicate that mesoporous zirconia facilitates the electronic transfer of MP. The oxidation peak current was proportional to the MP concentration in the range from 1.0×10⁻⁸ to 1.0×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 4.6×10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ (S/N=3) after accumulation under open‐circuit for 210 s. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of MP in apple samples.