Reactions of synthetic phenolic antioxidants with electrogenerated titrants and their analytical applications

Synthetic phenolic compounds (pyrogallol, catechol, hydroquinone, and their derivatives bearing heterocyclic fragments) react with electrogenerated titrants, halogens, and ferricyanide(III) ions. Stoichiometric coefficients of reactions are found. It is shown that the use of ferricyanide(III) ions as a titrant and a one-electron oxidant for the determination of this class of antioxidants offers advantages in comparison with titrants-halogens. The found amounts of pyrogallol, pyrocatechol, and hydroquinone derivatives in model solutions with the RSD 1–5% are fractions of milligrams. It is found that, in the series of the studied synthetic phenolic compounds, pyrocatechol derivatives possess the maximum antioxidant capacity (AOC).     

Glassy carbon electrodes modified with mixed covalent monolayers of choline, glycine, and glutamic acid for the determination of phenolic compounds

A series of mixed covalent monolayer carbon glassy electrodes (choline/amino acid/GCE) was prepared using choline and amino acids, and the properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The oxidations of phenolic compounds including dopamine hydrochloride, epinephrine and phenol have been studied. Electrooxidation of phenols, first leads to the formation of phenoxy radical, which reduces to phenols and hydroquinone; the reaction of polyoxyphenylene is effectively restrained at this electrode, unlike only at chlorine or amino acids modified electrode or bare electrode, which rapidly forms polyoxyphenylene and results in electrode passivation. Owing to significant improvement of electrode passivation shaped insulating polymerization, these mixed covalent monolayer carbon glassy electrodes show themselves excellent resistance ability for pollution, could be successfully used as amperometric sensor for phenolic compounds.     

Electrocatalytic activity and simultaneous determination of catechol and hydroquinone at mesoporous platinum electrode

The electrochemical oxidation of catechol and hydroquinone was investigated using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetries at nanostructured mesoporous platinum film electrochemically deposited from the hexagonal liquid crystalline template of C₁₆EO₈ surfactant. The mesoporous platinum electrode has shown an excellent electrocatalytic activity and reversibility towards the oxidation of catechol and hydroquinone redox isomers in 1.0 M HClO₄. The oxidation and reduction peak separation (ΔE) has been decreased from 485 to 55 mV for hydroquinone and from 430 to 75 mV vs. SCE for catechol at polished polycrystalline and mesoporous platinum electrodes, respectively. The differential pulse voltammograms in a mixture solution of catechol and hydroquinone have shown that the oxidation peaks became well resolved and are separated by about 100 mV, although the bare electrode gave a single broad oxidation peak. Moreover, the oxidation current of hydroquinone and catechol has been enhanced by a factor of two and four times, respectively, at mesoporous platinum electrode. Using differential pulse voltammetry, a highly selective and simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol has been explored at mesoporous platinum electrode.     

Sensitive determination of hydrazine using poly(phenolphthalein), Au nanoparticles and multiwalled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode

This study reports a detailed analysis of an electrode material containing poly(phenolphthalein), carbon nanotubes and gold nanoparticles which shows superior catalytic effect towards to hydrazine oxidation in Britton–Robinson buffer (pH 10.0). Glassy carbon electrode was modified by electropolymerization of phenolphthalein (PP) monomer (poly(PP)/GCE) and the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was dropped on the surface. This modified surface was electrodeposited with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs/CNT/poly(PP)/GCE). The fabricated electrode was analysed the determination of hydrazine using cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and amperometry. The peak potential of hydrazine oxidation on bare GCE, poly(PP)/GCE, CNT/GCE, CNT/poly(PP)/GCE, and AuNPs/CNT/poly(PP)/GCE were observed at 596 mV, 342 mV, 320 mV, 313 mV, and 27 mV, respectively. A shift in the overpotential to more negative direction and an enhancement in the peak current indicated that the AuNPs/CNT/poly(PP)/GC electrode presented an efficient electrocatalytic activity toward oxidation of hydrazine. Modified electrodes were characterized with High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Amperometric current responses in the low hydrazine concentration range of 0.25–13 µM at the AuNPs/CNT/poly(PP)/GCE. The limit of detection (LOD) value was obtained to be 0.083 µM. A modified electrode was applied to naturel samples for hydrazine determination.     

Amperometric biosensor based on tyrosinase immobilized in hydrotalcite-like compounds film for the determination of polyphenols

A tyrosinase (Tyr) biosensor has been constructed by immobilizing tyrosinase on the surface of Mg–Al–CO₃ hydrotalcite-like compound film (HTLc) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the determination of polyphenols. The negatively charged tyrosinase was adsorbed firmly on the surface of a positively charged HTLc/GCE by electrostatic interactions and retained its activity to a great degree. The modified electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and AC impedance spectra. Polyphenols were determined by a direct reduction of biocatalytically generated quinone species. The different parameters, including pH, temperature, and enzyme loading were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, Tyr/HTLc electrode gave a linear response range of 3–300, 0.888–444, and 0.066–396 μM with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.1, 0.05, and 0.003 μM for catechol, caffeic acid, and quercetin, respectively. In addition, the repeatability and stability of the enzyme electrode were estimated. Total polyphenol contents of real samples were also determined to study the potential applicability of the Tyr/HTLc/GCE biosensor.     

Carbon nanotube detectors for microchip CE: comparative study of single-wall and multiwall carbon nanotube, and graphite powder films on glassy carbon, gold, and platinum electrode surfaces

The performance of microchip electrophoresis/electrochemistry system with carbon nanotube (CNT) film electrodes was studied. Electrocatalytic activities of different carbon materials (single-wall CNT (SWCNT), multiwall CNT (MWCNT), carbon powder) cast on different electrode substrates (glassy carbon (GC), gold, and platinum) were compared in a microfluidic setup and their performance as microchip electrochemical detectors was assessed. An MWCNT film on a GC electrode shows electrocatalytic effect toward oxidation of dopamine (E(1/2) shift of 0.09 V) and catechol (E(1/2) shift of 0.19 V) when compared to a bare GC electrode, while other CNT/carbon powder films on the GC electrode display negligible effects. Modification of a gold electrode by graphite powder results in a strong electrocatalytic effect toward oxidation of dopamine and catechol (E(1/2) shift of 0.14 and 0.11 V, respectively). A significant shift of the half-wave potentials to lower values also provide the MWCNT film (E(1/2) shift of 0.08 and 0.08 V for dopamine and catechol, respectively) and the SWCNT film (E(1/2) shift of 0.10 V for catechol) when compared to a bare gold electrode. A microfluidic device with a CNT film-modified detection electrode displays greatly improved separation resolution (R(s)) by a factor of two compared to a bare electrode, reflecting the electrocatalytic activity of CNT.     

Electron-transfer properties of different carbon nanotube materials,and their use in glucose biosensors

Different types of carbon nanotube material (single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) of different internal diameter) have been used for preparation of CNT-modified glassy-carbon electrodes. Redox reactions involving ferricyanide and hydrogen peroxide were examined at the CNT-modified electrodes. Electrodes modified with SWCNTs usually had better electron-transfer properties than MWCNT-modified electrodes. Glucose biosensors were also prepared with electropolymerized polyphenylenediamine films, CNT materials, and glucose oxidase. Amperometric behavior in glucose determination was examined. SWCNT-modified glucose biosensors usually had a wider dynamic range (from 0.1 to 5.5 mmol L⁻¹) and greater sensitivity in glucose determination. The detection limit was estimated to be 0.05 mmol L⁻¹.     

Analytical applications of glassy carbon electrodes modified with multi-wall carbon nanotubes dispersed in polyethylenimine as detectors in flow systems

This work reports the advantages of using glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) modified with multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNT) dispersed in polyethylenimine (PEI) as detectors in flow injection and capillary electrophoresis. The presence of the dispersion of CNT in PEI at the electrode surface allows the highly sensitive and reproducible determination of hydrogen peroxide, different neurotransmitters (dopamine (D) and its metabolite dopac, epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE)), phenolic compounds (phenol (P), 3-chlorophenol (3-CP) and 2,3-dichlorophenol (2,3CP)) and herbicides (amitrol). Sensitivities enhancements of 150 and 140 folds compared to GCE were observed for hydrogen peroxide and amitrol, respectively. One of the most remarkable properties of the resulting electrode is the antifouling effect of the CNT/PEI layer. No passivation was observed either for successive additions (30) or continuous flow (for 30 min) of the compounds under investigation, even dopac or phenol. A critical comparison of the amperometric and voltammetric signal of these different analytes at bare- and PEI-modified glassy carbon electrodes and pyrolytic graphite electrodes is also included, demonstrating that the superior performance of CNT is mainly due to their unique electrochemical properties. Glassy carbon electrodes modified with CNT-PEI dispersion also show an excellent performance as amperometric detector in the electrophoretic separation of phenolic compounds and neurotransmitters making possible highly sensitive and reproducible determinations.     

Electrochemical detection of phenolic compounds using composite film of multiwall carbon nanotube/surfactant/tyrosinase on a carbon paste electrode

A new tyrosinase-based biosensor was developed for detection of phenolic compounds using composite film of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/dimethylditetradecylammonium bromide (DTDAB)/tyrosinase (Tyr) on a Nafion-incorporated carbon paste electrode. The biosensor showed a sensitive electrochemical response to the reduction of the oxidation products of different phenolic compounds (phenol, catechol, p-cresol, and p-chlorophenol) by dissolved O₂ in the presence of the immobilized enzyme. The effects of pH, operating potential, MWCNT concentration, and the DTDAB/Tyr ratio on electrochemical response were explored for optimum analytical performance. The biosensor exhibited a linear response range of 1.5–25.0, 2.0–15.0, 2.0–15.0, and 2.5–25.0 μM and sensitivity of 2,900, 3,100, 3,100, and 1,500 μA/mM for phenol, catechol, p-cresol, p-chlorophenol, respectively. In addition, the response of the enzyme electrode showed Michaelis–Menten behavior at concentrations of the phenolic compounds higher than 5.0 μM. The stability and the application of the biosensor were also evaluated.     

Fabrication of poly(orthanilic acid)–multiwalled carbon nanotubes composite film-modified glassy carbon electrode and its use for the simultaneous determination of uric acid and dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid

A multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) coated with poly(orthanilic acid) (PABS) film (PABS–MWNT/GCE) has been fabricated and used for simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and electrochemical techniques have been used to characterize the surface morphology of the PABS–MWNT composite film and the polymerization of ABS on electrode surface. In comparison with the bare GCE and the MWNT-modified GCE, the PABS–MWNT composite film-modified GCE, which combines the advantages of MWNT and the self-doped PABS, exhibits good selectivity and sensitivity for the simultaneous and selective determination of UA and DA in the presence of AA. Due to the different electrochemical responses of AA, DA, and UA, PABS–MWNT/GCE can resolve the overlapped oxidation peak of DA and UA into two well-defined voltammetric peaks with enhanced current responses using both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and DPV. The peak potential separations between DA and UA are 170 mV using CV and 160 mV using DPV, respectively, which are large enough for the selective and simultaneous determination of these species. In the presence of 0.5 mM AA, the DPV peak currents are linearly dependent on the concentration of UA and DA in the range of 6–55 and 9–48 μM with correlation coefficients of 0.997 and 0.993, respectively. The detection limits (S/N = 3) for detecting UA and DA are 0.44 and 0.21 μM, respectively. The PABS–MWNT/GCE shows good reproducibility and stability and has been used for the simultaneous determination of DA and UA in the presence of AA in samples with satisfactory results.     

Simultaneous Determination of Hydroquinone and Catechol at a Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes

A simply and high selectively electrochemical method for simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol has been developed at a glassy carbon electrode modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNT). It was found that the oxidation peak separation of hydroquinone and catechol and the oxidation currents of hydroquinone and catechol greatly increase at MWNT modified electrode in 0.20 M acetate buffer solution (pH 4.5). The oxidation peaks of hydroquinone and catechol merge into a large peak of 302 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl, 3 M NaCl) at bare glassy carbon electrode. The two corresponding well‐defined oxidation peaks of hydroquinone in the presence of catechol at MWNT modified electrode occur at 264 mV and 162 mV, respectively. Under the optimized condition, the oxidation peak current of hydroquinone is linear over a range from 1.0×10^?6 M to 1.0×10^?4 M hydroquinone in the presence of 1.0×10^?4 M catechol with the detection limit of 7.5×10^?7 M and the oxidation peak current of catechol is linear over a range from 6.0×10^?7 M to 1.0×10^?4 M catechol in the presence of 1.0×10^?4 M hydroquinone with the detection limit of 2.0×10^?7 M. The proposed method has been applied to simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol in a water sample with simplicity and high selectivity.     

Dispersion of multi-wall carbon nanotubes in polyethylenimine: A new alternative for preparing electrochemical sensors

In this work we report on the analytical performance of glassy carbon electrodes modified with a dispersion of multi-wall carbon nanotubes in polyethylenimine (GCE/(PEI/CNT)). The resulting electrodes show an excellent electrocatalytic activity toward different bioanalytes like ascorbic acid, dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (dopac) and hydrogen peroxide. An important decrease in the overvoltages for the oxidation of ascorbic acid (505 mV) and hydrogen peroxide (350 mV) and for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (450 mV), as well as a dramatic improvement in the reversibility of the electrochemical behavior of dopamine and dopac is obtained. The currents are higher than those obtained with other dispersant agents like Nafion, concentrated acids or chitosan, evidencing the high efficiency of the dispersion in PEI. The GCE/(PEI/CNT) demonstrated to be highly reproducible, with 3.0% RSD for the sensitivity of hydrogen peroxide for 10 electrodes prepared with five different dispersions. Differences in sensitivity of 10.0% were obtained for hydrogen peroxide with electrodes prepared using the same dispersion even after 14 days preparation. The CNT/PEI layer immobilized on glassy carbon electrodes has been also used as a platform for building supramolecular architectures based on the self-assembling of polyelectrolytes without any pretreatment of the electrode surface, oxidation or derivatization of the carbon nanotubes, just taking advantages of the polycationic nature of the polymer used for dispersing the nanotubes. The self-assembling of glucose oxidase has allowed us to obtain a supramolecular multistructure for glucose biosensing, with detection limits of 11 μM (0.02 g/L). Such an excellent performance of GCE/(PEI/CNT) toward hydrogen peroxide and the effectiveness of the use of CNT/PEI as a platform for obtaining supramolecular multistructures, represents a very good alternative for developing other enzymatic biosensors.     

LaNi<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/CoFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>-based sensor for sensitive determination of paracetamol

A novel electrochemical sensor based on LaNi_0.5Ti_0.5O₃/CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticle-modified electrode (LNT–CFO/GCE) for sensitive determination of paracetamol (PAR) was presented. Experimental conditions such as the concentration of LNT–CFO, pH value, and applied potential were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the electrochemical performances of LNT–CFO/GCE have been researched on the oxidation of PAR. The electrochemical behaviors of PAR on LNT–CFO/GCE were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The results showed that LNT–CFO/GCE exhibited excellent promotion to the oxidation of PAR. The over-potential of PAR decreased significantly on the modified electrode compared with that on bare GCE. Furthermore, the sensor exhibits good reproducibility, stability, and selectivity in PAR determination. Linear response was obtained in the range of 0.5 to 901 μM with a detection limit of 0.19 μM for PAR.     

Preparation and electrochemical performance of activated carbon thin films with polyethylene oxide-salt addition for electrochemical capacitor applications

The effect of polymer–salt addition in the activated carbon electrode for electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) has been investigated. A series of composite thin film electrode consisting of activated carbon, carbon black, polytetrafluoroethylene and polymer–salt complex (polyethyleneoxide–LiClO₄) with an appropriate weight ratio were prepared and examined their performance for EDLCs using 1 mol L⁻¹ LiClO₄ in ethylene carbonate:diethylcarbonate electrolyte solution. The electrochemical capacitance performances of these electrodes with different compositions were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge cycling, and AC impedance measurements. By comparison, the best results were obtained with a composite electrode rich in polymer–salt additive (132 F g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹ of galvanostatic experiment). In general, the polymer–salt-containing electrode had shown improved performance over activated carbon electrodes without polymer–salt at high current density.     

Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of nitrite based on nano-alumina-modified electrode

Simple and sensitive electrochemical method for the determination of nitrite, based on a nano-alumina-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE), is described. Nitrite yields a well-defined oxidation peak whose potential is 0.74 V at the nano-alumina-coated GCE in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer (pH 5.0). Compared with bare GCE, the nano-alumina-modified GCE has evident catalytic effect towards the oxidation of nitrite, and its peak current can be significantly enhanced. Some of the experimental parameters were optimized for the determination of nitrite. The oxidation peak current was proportional to nitrite concentration in the range of 5.0 × 10⁻⁸–1.1 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹, and a detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ was obtained. This method has been successfully used to the determination of nitrite in sausage sample. Furthermore, results obtained by the method have been compared with spectrophotometric method.     

A graphene-based electrochemical sensor for sensitive and selective determination of hydroquinone

Graphene was prepared by electrochemical reduction of exfoliated graphite oxide at cathodic potentials, and used to fabricate a graphene-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) which was applied in a sensor for highly sensitive and selective voltammetric determination of hydroquinone (HQ). Compared to a bare (conventional) GCE, the redox peak current for HQ in pH 5.7 acetate buffer solution is significantly increased, indicating that graphene possesses electrocatalytic activity towards HQ. In addition, the peak-to-peak separation is significantly improved. The modified electrode enables sensing of HQ without interference by catechol or resorcinol. Under optimal conditions, the sensor exhibits excellent performance for detecting HQ with a detection limit of 0.8?μM, a reproducibility of 2.5% (expressed as the RSD), and a recoveries from 98.4 to 101.2%.

Mechanism of activation of glassy carbon electrodes by cathodic pretreatment

The performance of carbon electrodes depends on the surface pretreatment methods. An exclusively cathodically pretreated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) shows very good activity towards monomeric molybdate(VI) ion adsorption and its reduction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies reveal the creation of >C–O– surface groups on cathodisation. A strong interaction between the Mo(VI) ion and these >C–O– surface groups with the formation of Mo(V) is responsible for the activation of the cathodically pretreated GCE surface. Received: 5 January 1998 / Accepted: 10 January 1999     

Electrochemical Behavior of Hydroquinone at Poly (Acridine Orange)–Modified Electrode and Its Separate Detection in the Presence of o‐Hydroquinone and m‐Hydroquinone

Abstract

Poly (acridine orange) (PAO) film–modified electrode was prepared by the electrooxidation of Acridine orange on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the detection of hydroquinone in the presence of o‐hydroquinone and m‐hydroquinone. The electrochemical behavior of hydroquinone on the modified electrode was investigated with respect to different solution acidity, scan rate, and accumulation time. A pair of sharp and well‐defined peaks was obtained at 0.45 and 0.42 V [vs. a saturated calomel electrode (SCE)] at the PAO film–modified electrode. The potential difference between this pair of cathodic and anodic peaks was decreased to only 30 mV as compared to the 241 mV that was obtained on the bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE). As to o‐hydroquinone and m‐hydroquinone, their corresponding oxidation peaks appeared at 0.55 V and 0.89 V (vs. SCE), respectively. The oxidation potential differences between these three isomers enabled the separate detection of hydroquinone. Under the optimum experimental situation, the oxidation peak current of hydroquinone was proportional to the concentration at the range of 6.8×10^?7–9.6×10^?5 M. The detection limit was been estimated as 3×10^?7 M with 130 s accumulation. This method was applied to the hydroquinone detection in tap water samples.     

Nitric oxide measurement in biological and pharmaceutical samples by an electrochemical sensor

A nitric oxide (NO) electrochemical sensor was developed via one-step construction of gold nanoparticles (GNPs)–chitosan (CS) nanocomposite sensing film on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface. This method is very simple and convenient. The GNPs–CS film which is controllable and stable exhibits catalytic activity to NO oxidation. The anodic peak potential significantly shifted negatively compared with that at bare GCE. The high sensitivity and good stability of developed method have been coupled to a wide linear range from 3.60 × 10⁻⁸ to 4.32 × 10⁻⁵ M for the quantitative analysis of NO. The detection limit of 7.20 nM is much lower than the vast majority of reported methods. This NO sensor has been successfully applied to NO measurement in biological and pharmaceutical samples. Real-time amperometric data show that the addition of L-arginine (L-Arg) can cause a slow release of NO from a whole rat kidney with a maximum concentration of ca. 150 nM. The concentration of NO monitoring from the drug sample was calculated to be ca. 1.60 μM.     

Simple sensor for simultaneous determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers

A simple sensor based on bare carbon ionic liquid electrode was fabricated for simultaneous determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.0). The oxidation peak potential of hydroquinone was about 0.136 V, catechol was about 0.240 V, and resorcinol 0.632 V by differential pulse voltammetric measurements, which indicated that the dihydroxybenzene isomers could be separated absolutely. The sensor showed wide linear behaviors in the range of 5.0 × 10⁻⁷–2.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ for hydroquinone and catechol, 3.5 × 10⁻⁶–1.535 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ for resorcinol, respectively. And the detection limits of the three dihydroxybenzene isomers were 5.0 × 10⁻⁸, 2.0 × 10⁻⁷, 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹, respectively (S/N = 3). The proposed method could be applied to the determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers in artificial wastewater and the recovery was from 93.9% to 104.6%.