Electrochemical Oxidation Mechanism of Ethidium Bromide at a Glassy Carbon Electrode

The electrochemical behavior of ethidium bromide (EtBr) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was studied by cyclic, square wave and differential pulse voltammetry over a wide pH interval. The results revealed that the oxidation mechanism of EtBr is an irreversible and adsorption‐controlled electrode process that occurs in two consecutives steps. The first step is pH‐dependent and occurs at the amino group in the C8 position with the formation of ortho‐ and para‐quinone derivatives, while the second step is pH‐independent and occurs at the amino group in the C3 position. A square wave method for quantitative determination of EtBr is also proposed.