Catalytic mechanism in cyclic voltammetry at disc electrodes: an analytical solution

The theory of cyclic voltammetry at disc electrodes and microelectrodes is developed for a system where the electroactive reactant is regenerated in solution using a catalyst. This catalytic process is of wide importance, not least in chemical sensing, and it can be characterized by the resulting peak current which is always larger than that of a simple electrochemical reaction; in contrast the reverse peak is always relatively diminished in size. From the theoretical point of view, the problem involves a complex physical situation with two-dimensional mass transport and non-uniform surface gradients. Because of this complexity, hitherto the treatment of this problem has been tackled mainly by means of numerical methods and so no analytical expression was available for the transient response of the catalytic mechanism in cyclic voltammetry when disc electrodes, the most popular practical geometry, are used. In this work, this gap is filled by presenting an analytical solution for the application of any sequence of potential pulses and, in particular, for cyclic voltammetry. The induction principle is applied to demonstrate mathematically that the superposition principle applies whatever the geometry of the electrode, which enabled us to obtain an analytical equation valid whatever the electrode size and the kinetics of the catalytic reaction. The theoretical results obtained are applied to the experimental study of the electrocatalytic Fenton reaction, determining the rate constant of the reduction of hydrogen peroxide by iron(II).     

Square wave voltammetry at disc microelectrodes for characterization of two electron redox processes

Analytical explicit solutions are presented for the use of square wave voltammetry (SWV) at disc microelectrodes to study two-electron reversible redox processes. This combines the advantages of SWV (minimization of capacitative effects, peak-shaped response and quick experiments) with those of microelectrodes (reduction of capacitative and ohmic drop effects, enhanced mass transport and measurements of small volumes). Further, the analytical expressions are very easy to implement in comparison with the numerical methods usually employed for simulation of electrochemical experiments at microdisc electrodes. From the theory, the effects of the technique parameters (frequency, pulse amplitude) are examined and procedures are given for the characterization of the redox system from the values of the peak current, peak potential and half-peak width. Finally, the theory is applied to the experimental study of the two-electron reduction of anthraquinone-2-sulfonate in aqueous media. For this system, the formal potentials of the redox centres in aqueous solutions can be tuned by means of the electrolyte cation.     

Investigation of electrochemical behavior of lipid lowering agent atorvastatin calcium in aqueous media and its determination from pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological fluids using boron-doped diamond and glassy carbon electrodes

The electrochemical behavior of atorvastatin calcium at glassy carbon and boron-doped diamond electrodes has been studied using voltammetric techniques. The possible mechanism of oxidation was discussed with model compounds. The dependence of the peak current and potentials on pH, concentration, scan rate and nature of the buffer were investigated for both electrodes. The oxidation of atorvastatin was irreversible and exhibited a diffusion-controlled fashion on the diamond electrode. A linear response was obtained within the range of 9.65 x 10(-7) - 3.86 x 10(-5) M in 0.1 M H(2)SO(4) solution for both electrodes. The detection limits of a standard solution are estimated to be 2.11 x 10(-7) M with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and 2.05 x 10(-7)M with square wave voltammetry (SWV) for glassy carbon electrode, and 2.27 x 10(-7) M with DPV and 1.31 x 10(-7)M with SWV for diamond electrodes in 0.1 M H(2)SO(4) solution. The repeatability of the methods was found good for both electrodes. The methods were fully validated and successfully applied to the high-throughput determination of the drug in tablets, human serum and human urine with good recoveries.     

Voltammetric investigation of Tamsulosin

The electrooxidative behavior and determination of Tamsulosin HCl (TAM), one of the alpha(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist, on a glassy carbon disc electrode were investigated for the first time by using cyclic, linear sweep, differential pulse (DPV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). TAM showed an irreversible oxidation behavior at all pH values and buffers studied. From the electrochemical response, the main oxidation step was found to be related to the methoxy group on the phenyl ring. DPV and SWV were used to generate peak current versus concentration curves for TAM. A linear response was obtained in the range comprised between 2x10(-6) and 4x10(-4) M for both techniques with detection limit of 3.34x10(-7) M for DPV and 2.45x10(-7) M for SWV. The methods were proposed for the determination of TAM in dosage forms adopting both DPV and SWV modes. The methods were extended to the in vitro determination of TAM in spiked serum samples.     

Ordered Mesoporous Silica Incorporating Platinum Nanoparticles as Electrode Material for Paracetamol Detection

High ordered mesoporous materials (SBA-15) modified with Al and/or B and Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs) were used for preparing modified graphite paste electrodes (Pt/M−SBA-15-GPE, where M=Al−, B− or Al−B−) and applied for paracetamol (PA) detection. The electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Square wave voltammetry (SWV) technique was used to obtain the analytical parameters for PA detection. The acquired values of electrochemical and analytical parameters recommend the mesoporous compound containing Pt NPs to be used as composite electrode material for PA detection in real samples.     

A Facile and Cost‐effective Electroanalytical Strategy for the Quantification of Deoxyguanosine and Deoxyadenosine in Oligonucleotides Using Screen‐printed Graphite Electrodes

The development of electroanalytical methods for the detection and quantification of nucleotides in DNA offers vital implications in assessing the degree of oxidation or epigenetic modification in DNA. Unfortunately, the electrochemical response of oligonucleotides is strongly influenced by the size, composition and nucleic base sequence. In this article, an optimized analytical procedure for the enzymatically breakdown of the oligonucleotides to their corresponding nucleotides for the evaluation of the electrochemical response through the use of square wave voltammetry (SWV) is presented. Enzymatic digestion of oligonucleotides has been optimized in terms of buffer composition, digestion time, strategy for stopping the enzymatic reaction and filtration requirement for enzyme removal, and then compared to an established protocol. Under the optimized protocol SWV response of a number of untreated and enzymatically digested six‐mer oligonucleotides, namely 5′‐GGGGGG‐3′, 5′‐AAAAAA‐3′, 5′‐CGCGCG‐3′ and 5′‐AAACGC‐3′ have been analysed, providing a higher sensitivity for the determination of guanosine and adenosine monophosphate species under digestion conditions with a more facile and cost effective procedure. The novel strategy for the enzymatically treated oligonucleotides in combination with the SWV response provides a proof of principle for feasible applications in the diagnosis of methylated guanosine in DNA as a potential biomarker due to its relation with cancer.     

Effect of Different Carbon Blacks on the Simultaneous Electroanalysis of Drugs as Water Contaminants Based on Screen‐printed Sensors

For the construction of the sensor, three different carbon black (CB) materials (VULCAN XC72R, BLACK PEARLS 4750 and CB N220) were explored as modifying nanomaterial. Firstly, the electrochemical activity of the each SPE modified was compared by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique, using [Fe(CN)₆]^3?/4? as redox couple. After demonstrating that electrodes modified with different types of CB were characterized by improved electrochemical performances when compared with bare electrodes, and among them, electrodes modified with CB BP4750 is characterised by slightly better electrochemical properties, this type of electrode was used for the development of the analytical method. By applying SWV technique in 0.2 mol L^?1 phosphate buffer (pH 3.0), the obtained analytical curves for ACP and LVF were found linearly from 4.0 to 80.0 μmol L^?1 and from 0.90 to 70.0 μmol L^?1 with limit of detection of 2.6 μmol L^?1 and 0.42 μmol L^?1 for ACP and LVF, respectively. Finally, the quantification of these drugs in river water was evaluated using the new here‐proposed sensor by recovery method in spiked samples, obtaining satisfactory recovery values. The results achieved demonstrated that the developed analytical tool is of great analytical interest being easy to use, cost‐effective, miniaturized, and thus suitable for low cost on site analysis.     

Additive Differential Pulse Voltammetry for the Study of Slow Charge Transfer Processes at Spherical Electrodes

The application of additive differential pulse voltammetry to the study of the kinetics of a charge transfer process is studied. A simple analytical solution is presented, valid for spherical electrodes of any size and for electrode processes of any reversibility. From this solution, valuable diagnostic criteria for the elucidation of the electrochemical reversibility are established based on the variation of the ADPV signal with the duration of the potential pulses, the electrode radius and the pulse height. Working curves for the determination of the kinetic parameters are also given. The value of the ADPV technique is experimentally demonstrated by studying the kinetics of the reduction of 3‐nitrophenolate^? and europium³⁺ at mercury hemispherical microelectrodes.     

Direct Electrochemical Oxidation of DNA on Polycrystalline Gold Electrodes

Electrochemical CV and SWV studies were performed with double stranded DNA from salmon testes (dsDNA) and single stranded DNAs, containing 25 nucleotides (ssDNA) directly adsorbed at polycrystalline Au electrodes. A distinct oxidation peak at +730 mV (SWV, scan rate 0.248 V s^?1) or at +730 – +780 mV (CV, scan rate from 0.3 to 1 V s^?1) was obtained with DNA‐modified Au electrodes after a time‐dependent prepolarization step at a positive potential value, i.e., at +500 mV (vs. Ag|AgCl), performed with the DNA‐modified Au electrodes dipped in a blank buffer solution. No electrochemical activity was detected when ssDNA, containing no guanines, was used for adsorptive modification of the Au electrodes. Electrochemical impedance measurements registered a possible reorganization of the adsorbed DNA layer in the course of the prepolarization, accompanied by decreasing in‐phase impedance. The results enable us to relate the oxidation process observed at the DNA‐modified Au electrodes with the oxidation of guanine residues in DNA.     

Improvement of alternariol monomethyl ether detection at gold electrodes modified with a dodecanethiol self-assembled monolayer

The electro-oxidation of alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), one of the main metabolites of the Alternaria genus mycotoxins, is studied at 1-dodecanethiol (DDT)-modified gold electrodes, in acetonitrile (ACN) – aqueous phosphate buffer solutions of different pH values, by using cyclic (CV) and square-wave (SWV) voltammetries. The AME voltammetric response at the bare electrode suffers from two drawbacks: it appears at potentials close to the onset of gold oxide formation, and it is hampered by a fouling of the electrode surface due to the accumulation of oxidized products. These shortcomings are circumvented by the use of DDT-coated electrodes, since the intervening monolayer inhibits gold oxide formation and surface passivation by the electrochemical products, without affecting the oxidation kinetics of AME significantly. Diagnostic criteria based on the voltammetric peak parameters show that the electrochemical behavior of AME at the modified electrode is mainly controlled by reactant diffusion from solution, with a weak adsorption of both the mycotoxin and its oxidation products at monolayer defects. Calibration curves were constructed from the AME square-wave voltammetric response and a detection limit of 9.1 × 10⁻⁸ mol dm⁻³ was determined, which is about three times smaller than a previous estimate at platinum and glassy carbon electrodes, and about fifty times smaller than the limit derived from measurements carried out at a polyphenol oxidase-modified carbon paste electrode.     

The surface catalytic mechanism: a comparative study with square-wave and staircase cyclic voltammetry

A pseudo-first-order catalytic mechanism in which both reactant and product of a redox reaction are strongly immobilized on an electrode surface is theoretically analysed under conditions of square-wave (SWV) and staircase cyclic voltammetry (SCV). A mathematical procedure is developed under diffusionless conditions. The relationships between the properties of the voltammetric response and both the kinetic parameters of the redox reaction and the parameters of the excitation signal are studied. The phenomenon of the quasi-reversible maximum is discussed. A comparative study between SWV and SCV is presented and the limitations and advantages of both techniques, from analytical and kinetic points of view, are discussed. The theoretical predictions are experimentally confirmed by the redox reaction of azobenzene in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent. Electronic Publication     

Multimembrane carbon fiber microelectrodes for amperometric determination of serotonin in human urine

An electrochemical sensor for the determination of serotonin in urine was prepared using Ni(II)-phthalocyanine and Nafion to modify the surface of a 4 mm length carbon fiber microelectrode. The resultant sensor was found to improve the response towards this neuronal amine versus the microelectrode without the polymer films. Different polymerization conditions, as well as different conditioning solutions and buffer systems, were investigated in order to optimize the response of the electrodes. Square wave voltammetry (SWV) is proposed as a direct method for determination of serotonin in human urine, after a solid-liquid extraction process. The proposed method enables a detection limit for serotonin of 0.80 +/- 0.04 microgram L-1 to be achieved at a reduction potential of 0.35 V, with an overall prediction error of 2.2% and recoveries of 93%.     

Voltammetric Detection of the Herbicide Metamitron at a Bismuth Film Electrode in Nondeaerated Solution

In this work, we present a novel application of bismuth film electrodes (BiFE) for the direct analysis of the herbicide metamitron (4‐amino‐3‐methyl‐6‐phenyl‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5one) in nondeaerated solutions by square‐wave voltammetry (SWV) and differential pulse amperometry. Bismuth films were plated ex‐situ onto carbon paste electrodes (CPE) by 240 s deposition at ?0.600 V from a 0.10 M acetate buffer (pH 4.5) containing 0.50 mM bismuth nitrate. Metamitron SWV analytical signals were registered in 0.10 M acetate buffer (pH 4.5) solutions, where the herbicide reduction takes place at ?0.675 V. The metamitron signals obtained with BiFE have the double sensitivity and a 50 mV positive potential shift when compared to those obtained with plain CPE. Under these conditions, the dynamic linear range of concentrations is comprised between 10 and 200 μM and the detection limit is 2 μM.     

Electroanalysis of the Anthelmintic Drug Bithionol at Edge Plane Pyrolytic Graphite Electrode

An electrochemical study of the anthelmintic drug bithionol using edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode (EPPGE) is presented for the first time by applying different electrochemical techniques, such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), square‐wave voltammetry (SWV), square‐wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SWAdSV), and alternating current (AC) impedance spectroscopy. Mechanistic aspects of the electrode reaction were studied implying a quasireversible electrode reaction from an adsorbed state of the reactant, coupled with a follow‐up chemical reaction to a final electroinactive product. The overall mechanism appears totally irreversible under conditions of CV at moderate scan rate, while being quasireversible under conditions of the fast SWV. Furthermore, an optimisation of the analytical procedure for quantitative determination of bithionol was conducted by applying SWV in an adsorptive stripping mode. The calibration curve was constructed in the concentration range of 0.1–1.0 μmol L^?1 (R²=0.9984) with a sensitivity of 3.6 μA L μmol^?1 and LOD of 26.7 nmol L^?1. The simple and sensitive SWAdSV procedure was proved to be suitable for the analysis of spiked urine samples.     

Voltammetric Reduction of a 4‐Nitroimidazole Derivative on a Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

We report the electrochemical behavior of a 4‐nitroimidazole derivative, 1‐methyl‐4‐nitro‐2‐hydroxymethylimidazole (4‐NImMeOH), on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). As dispersing agents, dimethylformamide (DMF) and water were used. The electrochemical response of the resulting electrodes was evaluated using linear sweep, cyclic and square‐wave voltammetry (LSV, CV and SWV). Several parameters such as medium pH, nature and concentration of the CNTs dispersion and accumulation time were tested. The optimal conditions determined for obtain better response were: pH 2, dispersion concentration=4 mg/mL of CNT in water, accumulation time=7 min. The MWCNT‐modified GCE exhibited attractive electrochemical properties producing enhanced currents with a significant reduction in the overpotential and good signal‐to‐noise characteristics, in comparison with the bare GCE. The modified electrode is highly repeatable for consecutive measurements, reaching a variation coefficient of 2.9% for ten consecutive runs.     

Bio-electrocatalysis of NADH and ethanol based on graphene sheets modified electrodes

Characterization and application of graphene sheets modified glassy carbon electrodes (graphene/GC) have been presented for the electrochemical bio-sensing. A probe molecule, potassium ferricyanide is employed to study the electrochemical response at the graphene/GC electrode, which shows better electron transfer than graphite modified (graphite/GC) and bare glassy carbon (GC) electrodes. Based on the highly enhanced electrochemical activity of NADH, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is immobilized on the graphene modified electrode and displays a more desirable analytical performance in the detection of ethanol, compared with graphite/GC or GC based bio-electrodes. It also exhibits good performance of ethanol detection in the real samples. From the results of electrochemical investigation, graphene sheets with a favorable electrochemical activity could be an advanced carbon electrode materials for the design of electrochemical sensors and biosensors.     

Electrochemical deposition of Pd nanoparticles on indium-tin oxide electrodes and their catalytic properties for formic acid oxidation

Pd nanoparticles (NPs) were directly deposited on indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in a bulk Pd²⁺ solution and the size of the Pd (NPs) was evaluated by SEM. The electrochemical deposition conditions of the Pd NPs were varied according to a scan rate. As the scan rate was decreased, the size of the Pd NPs increased, but the formic acid catalytic property was weakened. With regard to cycle number, with increased cycling, the size of the Pd NPs increased but the formic acid catalytic property decreased. As the conditions of electrochemical deposition were varied, the particle size and catalytic activity for formic acid were also changed.     

Theoretical Aspects of a Surface Electrode Reaction Coupled with Preceding and Regenerative Chemical Steps: Square‐wave Voltammetry of a Surface CEC’ Mechanism

Large number of lipophilic substances, whose electrochemical transformation takes place from adsorbed state, belong to the class of so‐called “surface‐redox reactions”. Of these, especially important are the enzymatic redox reactions. With the technique named “protein‐film voltammetry” we can get insight into the chemical features of many lipophilic redox enzymes. Electrochemical processes of many redox adsorbates, occurring at a surface of working electrode, are very often coupled with chemical reactions. In this work, we focus on the application of square‐wave voltammetry (SWV) to study the theoretical features of a surface electrode reaction coupled with two chemical steps. The starting electroactive form Ox_(ads) in this mechanism gets initially generated via preceding chemical reaction. After undergoing redox transformation at the working electrode, Ox_(ads) species got additionally regenerated via chemical reaction of electrochemically generated product Red_(ads) with a given substrate Y. The theory of this so‐called surface CEC’ mechanism is presented for the first time under conditions of square‐wave voltammetry. While we present plenty of calculated voltammograms of this complex electrode mechanism, we focus on the effect of rate of regenerative (catalytic) step to simulated voltammograms. We consider both, electrochemical reactions featuring moderate and fast electron transfer. The obtained voltammetric patterns are very specific, having sometime hybrid‐like features of voltammograms as typical for CE, EC and EC’ mechanisms. We give diagnostic criteria to recognize this complex mechanism in SWV, but we also present hints to access the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters relevant to both chemical steps, and the electrochemical reaction, too. Indeed, the results presented in this work can help experimentalists to design proper experiments to study chemical features of important lipophilic systems.     

Electrochemical Determination of NDPhA via its Electrocatalysis at Porous Au Electrode in Room Temperature Ionic Liquid

N‐Nnitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA) is a typical kind of nonvolatile nitrosamine. Its electrochemical oxidation occurs usually at relative positive potentials (>1.1 V) even at catalytic noble metal electrodes in aqueous solutions. The formation of oxide and evolution of oxygen at such high potentials makes the analysis of NDPhA on noble metal electrodes difficult. Accordingly, its electrochemical analysis is usually performed in anhydrous organic electrolytes. In this work, room temperature ionic liquid [BMIM⁺] [BF ] acting as electrolyte was introduced in this electrochemical analysis systems. It acts as supporting electrolyte itself, has good solubility of organic compounds, and allows a wide performance potential window of noble electrode, and in turn, highly electrocatalytic noble electrode of platinum or gold can be used as working electrodes. After the investigation of the electrocatalytic behavior of NDPhA at a gold electrode in this room temperature ionic liquid electrolyte, high sensitive determination of NDPhA was designed. It is demonstrated that the electrochemical response of NDPhA is determined by a surface‐controlled process. Therefore, a sensor with high sensitivity was constructed by applying porous Au electrodes with highly electrocatalytic activity and large active surface area. The present approach on one hand broadens the application field of room temperature ionic liquids, and on the other hand provides a sensitive analytical method for environmental detection.