Trace Determination of Chromium by Square‐Wave Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry on Bismuth Film Electrodes

This works reports the use of adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV) for the trace determination of chromium on a rotating‐disk bismuth‐film electrode (BFE). During the reductive accumulation step, all the chromium species in the sample were reduced to Cr(III) which was complexed with cupferron and the complex was accumulated by adsorption on the surface of a preplated BFE. The stripping step was carried out by using a square‐wave (SW) potential‐time voltammetric signal. Electrochemical cleaning of the bismuth film was employed, enabling the same bismuth film to be used for a series of measurements in the presence of dissolved oxygen. The experimental variables as well as potential interferences were investigated and the figures of merit of the method were established. Using the selected conditions, the 3σ limit of detection for chromium was 100 ng L^?1 (for 120 s of preconcentration) and the relative standard deviation was 3.6% at the 2 μg L^?1 level (n=8). Finally, the method was applied to the determination of chromium in real samples with satisfactory results.     

Silica‐modified Electrodes for Electrochemical Detection of Malachite Green

New silica‐modified glassy carbon electrodes prepared with three different sorts of ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) were characterized and tested for the electrochemical detection of Malachite Green (MG). The electrodes were prepared by drop casting using silica suspensions and, for stability sake, a Nafion coating was deposited on the electrode top by the same technique. Square wave anodic stripping voltammetry was used to investigate the effect of various experimental parameters (deposition time, solution pH, silica type and concentration) on the performance of the modified electrodes. The best electrode (GC/MCM‐41‐NH₂/Nafion) with detection limit 0.36 μM, sensitivity 0.164±0.003 A/M; linear domain 1–6 μM was applied to detect MG in a commercial product commonly used as biocide in aquaria for ornamental fish.     

Electrochemical Determination of Cu(II) Ions in Chloride‐Rich Environment Using Polyviologen‐Modified Glassy Carbon Electrodes

Polyviologen was formed on glassy carbon electrodes using potentiostatic electropolymerization in pH 4.2 Britton‐Robinson buffer solution. The polyviologen‐modified glassy carbon electrode (PVGCE) was employed to determine Cu(II) in chloride‐rich solutions in order to demonstrate the electroanalytical application of polyviologen. The PVGCE was found capable of enhancing the detection limit of Cu(II) in chloride‐rich environment because of the anion‐exchange feature of the polymer film. Cathodic stripping square‐wave voltammetry (CSSWV) was employed to determine Cu(II). The dependence of the cathodic stripping current on the concentration of Cu(II) was linear from 0.06 ppm to 9.53 ppm with a regression coefficient of 0.999. The detection limit is 0.02 ppm (σ = 3). Regeneration of the PVGCE can be achieved by simply immersing the electrode in a stirred 0.5 M NaCl solution.     

Tellurium Film Electrodes Deposited on Carbon and Mesoporous Carbon Screen‐printed Substrates for Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Copper

The performance of screen‐printed electrodes modified in situ with tellurium film for the anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) determination of Cu(II) is reported. It was found that two types of screen‐printed substrates, namely carbon and mesoporous carbon, were optimal for this application. The selected in situ tellurium film modified electrodes were applied for the square wave ASV determination of copper at μg L⁻¹ concentration levels. Well‐defined and reproducible Cu oxidation stripping peaks were produced at a potential more negative than the anodic dissolution of tellurium. The highest sensitivity of Cu determination was achieved in 0.05 M HCl containing 50 μg L⁻¹ Te(IV) after 300 s of accumulation at −0.5 V. Using the optimized procedure, a linear range from 2 to 35 μg L⁻¹ of Cu(II) was obtained with a detection limit of 0.5 μg L⁻¹ Cu(II) (S/N=3) for 300 s of deposition time. Both sensors, carbon TeF‐SPE and mesoporous carbon TeF‐SPE, were successfully applied for the quantification of Cu in a certified reference surface water sample.     

Determination of Melatonin Hormone in Bulk Form,Tablets and Human Serum by Square‐Wave Cathodic Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

Melatonin hormone plays an important role in many distinct physiological functions. A fully validated, sensitive and reproducible square‐wave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetric procedure was described for determination of melatonin in bulk form, tablets and human serum. The procedure was based on the reduction of the adsorptive hormone onto a hanging mercury drop electrode. Reduction behavior of melatonin was studied in both Britton‐Robinson (pH 2–11) and acetate (4.5–5.5) buffers. Acetate buffer of pH 5.0 was found reasonable as a supporting electrolyte for assay of the drug. The square‐wave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammogram of melatonin showed a single well‐defined peak at ?1.45 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/KCl_s) using an accumulation potential of ?0.65 V. This peak may be attributed to the reduction of C?O double bond of the amide functional group of the reactant molecule. A mean recovery for 1×10^?8 M melatonin in bulk form followed 30 s accumulation of 98.87%±0.78 and a detection limit of 3.13×10^?10 M were achieved. The proposed procedure was successfully applied for the determination of the drug in tablets and human serum with mean recoveries of 97.68%±0.57 and 101.67%±0.85, respectively. A detection limit of 8.80×10^?10 M was achieved for the determination of the drug in human serum. Results of the proposed method were comparable and coincided with those obtained by reported method. Vitamin B₆ and common excipients, which are co‐formulated with melatonin, did not interfere. Also the effect of some interfering compounds such as serotonin, tryptophan and 5‐hydroxytryptophan on the determination of melatonin in human serum was studied, and all have no significant effect on the assay recovery.     

Determination of Trace Manganese by Square‐Wave Stripping Voltammetry

A novel method of determining trace manganese by square‐wave stripping voltammetry with simultaneous plating mercury electrode is described in this paper. Well‐defined stripping peaks of manganese are obtained in H₃BO₄‐NaOH buffer (pH 8.0) and peak currents are in good linear relationship with manganese concentrations in two ranges: from 0.36 nM to 36 nM and from 73 nM to 909 nM. The obtained detection limit is 0.18 nM and relative standard deviation is 2.3% (n=7) under a predeposition time of 90 s. This proposed method has been used for the determination of trace manganese in real plasma samples with satisfiable results and good matching with the results of graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.     

Stripping Voltammetry with Bismuth Modified Graphite‐Epoxy Composite Electrodes

The attractive performance of graphite‐epoxy composite electrodes (GECE) surface‐modified with a bismuth film (Bi‐GECE) for simultaneous and separate stripping determination of trace amounts of heavy metals (lead, cadmium and zinc) is described. Several key parameters have been optimized. Bi‐GECEi electrode shows superior accumulation properties when compared to bare GECE or even to Hg‐GECE. Bi‐GECE exhibits well‐defined, undistorted, reproducible and sharp stripping signals with RSD of 2.99%, 1.56% and 2.19% for lead, cadmium and zinc respectively. Detection limits of 23.1, 2.2 and 600 μg/L for lead, cadmium and zinc were obtained. Sharp peaks with high resolution (of neighboring signals) that permit convenient multi‐elemental measurements resulted. The applicability of the electrodes to the real samples (tap water and soil sample) was also tested and promising results with good recoveries were obtained.     

Electrochemical Monitoring of Saos‐2 Cell Differentiation on Pyrolytic Carbon Electrodes

In this study we establish an electrochemical platform based on two dimensional (2D) pyrolytic carbon electrodes for in vitro analysis of osteoblast differentiation. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to monitor cell adhesion and proliferation, while an electrochemical assay based on square wave voltammetry (SWV) was applied to measure the activity of the differentiation marker alkaline phosphatase (ALP). 2D pyrolytic carbon electrodes were fabricated and used to monitor Saos‐2 cell differentiation for a period of up to 21 days. With this method it was possible to detect a faster increase of ALP activity for cells cultured in medium supplemented with differentiation factors compared to cells cultured in growth medium. This was confirmed by the results obtained with Alizarin Red staining, showing that cells subjected to osteogenic medium went through the entire differentiation process, from proliferation to mineralization. Finally, for the first time, real‐time monitoring of ALP activity combined with continuous EIS monitoring of the same cell culture was achieved using the pyrolytic carbon electrodes.     

Selective Determination of Quercetin Using Carbon Nanotube‐Modified Electrodes

Electrochemical detection of quercetin has been carried out on glassy carbon electrodes modified with carbon nanotubes and Nafion (GC/Nafion‐CNT). GC/Nafion‐CNT electrodes did not show passivation effect that occurs on the unmodified electrodes and displayed better stability and reproducibility. Quercetin oxidation was most favorable in acidic conditions and current gradually decreased as the solution pH increased. No oxidation was observed when two ? OH groups in a catechol moiety were fully deprotonated. These electrodes enabled selective determination of quercetin in the presence of interfering species such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, glucose, and catechol in large excess. Quantification of quercetin in a yellow onion has been made and favorably compared with reported values. Good selectivity and high sensitivity obtained by Osteryoung sSquare‐wave voltammetry can open new possibilities of direct quercetin determination in vegetables with a minimal sample treatment.     

Simultaneous and Sensitive Detection of Cd(II) and Pb(II) Using a Novel Bismuth Film/Ordered Mesoporous Carbon‐molecular Wire Modified Graphite Carbon Paste Electrode

An electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous and sensitive detection of Cd(II) and Pb(II) is proposed on the basis of square‐wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) experiments using a novel bismuth film/ordered mesoporous carbon‐molecular wire modified graphite carbon paste electrode (Bi/OMC‐MW/GCPE). Ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) and molecular wire (MW) (diphenylacetylene) were used as the modifier and binder, respectively. The Bi/OMC‐MW/GCPE was prepared with the addition of graphite powder, OMC and DPA at the ratio of 2 : 1 : 1. The electrochemical properties and morphology of the electrode were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), SWASV and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The parameters affecting the stripping current response were investigated and optimized. The experimental results show that the prepared electrode exhibited excellent electrochemical performance, good electrical conductivity and a high stripping voltammetric response. Under optimized conditions, a linear range was achieved over a concentration range from 1.0 to 70.0 μg/L for both Cd(II) and Pb(II) metal ions, with detection limits of 0.07 μg/L for Cd(II) and 0.08 μg/L for Pb(II) (S/N=3) with the deposition time 150 s. Moreover, the sensor exhibited improved sensitivity and reproducibility compared to traditional CPEs. The fabricated electrode was then successfully used to satisfactorily detect Cd(II) and Pb(II) in real soil samples.     

Electroanalytical Determination of Promethazine Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Formulations on Highly Boron‐Doped Diamond Electrodes Using Square‐Wave Adsorptive Voltammetry

The electrochemical oxidation of promethazine hydrochloride was made on highly boron‐doped diamond electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry experiments showed that the oxidation mechanisms involved the formation of an adsorbed product that is more readily oxidized, producing a new peak with lower potential values whose intensity can be increased by applying the accumulation potential for given times. The parameters were optimized and the highest current intensities were obtained by applying +0.78 V for 30 seconds. The square‐wave adsorptive voltammetry results obtained in BR buffer showed two well‐defined peaks, dependent on the pH and on the voltammetric parameters. The best responses were obtained at pH 4.0, frequency of 50 s^?1, step of 2 mV, and amplitude of 50 mV. Under these conditions, linear responses were obtained for concentrations from 5.96×10^?7 to 4.76×10^?6 mol L^?1, and calculated detection limits of 2.66×10^?8 mol L^?1 (8.51 μg L^?1) for peak 1 and of 4.61×10^?8 mol L^?1 (14.77 μg L^?1) for peak 2. The precision and accuracy were evaluated by repeatability and reproducibility experiments, which yielded values of less than 5.00% for both voltammetric peaks. The applicability of this procedure was tested on commercial formulations of promethazine hydrochloride by observing the stability, specificity, recovery and precision of the procedure in complex samples. All results obtained were compared to recommended procedure by British Pharmacopeia. The voltammetric results indicate that the proposed procedure is stable and sensitive, with good reproducibility even when the accumulation steps involve short times. It is therefore very suitable for the development of the electroanalytical procedure, providing adequate sensitivity and a reliable method.     

Cathodic Stripping Voltammetry of Uracil. Experimental and Theoretical Study Under Conditions of Square‐Wave Voltammetry

The electrode mechanism of uracil at a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) is studied under cathodic stripping square‐wave voltammetric mode owing to the cathodic dissolution of a sparingly soluble compound formed between the electrode material and uracil. The experimental results can be partly explained in the light of the recent theory for cathodic stripping processes of insoluble salts under conditions of square‐wave voltammetry. It is established that the electrode reaction is complicated by attractive interactions between the deposited species of the insoluble compound. To elucidate the electrode mechanism completely a novel theoretical model is developed considering adsorption of the reacting analyte and lateral interactions between species of the insoluble compound. With the help of numerical simulations the effect of interactions is studied in detail, emphasizing the properties of the response that can be used as diagnostic criteria for recognition of the type of interaction forces. Theoretically predicted voltammetric properties agree well with the experimental results enabling clarification of the complex electrode mechanism of uracil at HMDE.     

Determination of Rutin in Pharmaceutical Compounds and Tea Using Cathodic Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

A new sensitive electrochemical procedure is presented for the determination of Rutin based on the accumulation of Rutin onto the surface of hanging mercury drop electrode for 80 s. Then the preconcentrated Rutin‐complex was analyzed by cathodic stripping square‐wave voltammetry. The effect of various parameters such as pH, concentration of copper, accumulation potential, accumulation time and scan rate on the sensitivity were studied. The optimum conditions for determination of Rutin include pH 6.0, 6.0 ng mL^?1 copper(II) concentration, accumulation potential of ?0.30 V and scan rate of 0.40 V s^?1. Under the optimum conditions and for an accumulation time of 80 s, the measured peak current at about ?0.03 V is proportional to the concentration of Rutin over the range of 2.0–85.0 nM. The practical limit of detection is 0.5 nM. The relative standard deviations for six replicate analyses of 10 and 50 nM Rutin are 1.8% and 1.7%, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of Rutin in synthetic, tea, and pharmaceutical samples with satisfactory results. The diffusion coefficient, complex formation constant and number of electron transfer of Rutin–Cu(II) complex was also estimated.     

Electrochemical Impedance Characterization of Nafion‐Coated Carbon Film Resistor Electrodes for Electroanalysis

Carbon film disk electrodes with Nafion coatings have been characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with a view to a better understanding of their advantages and limitations in electroanalysis, particularly in anodic stripping voltammetry of metal ions. After initial examination by cyclic voltammetry, spectra were recorded over the full potential range in acetate buffer solution at the bare electrodes, electrodes electrochemically pretreated in acid solution, and Nafion‐coated pretreated electrodes in the presence and absence of dissolved oxygen. EIS equivalent circuit analysis clearly demonstrated the changes between these electrode assemblies. In order to simulate anodic stripping voltammetry conditions, spectra were also obtained in the presence of cadmium and lead ions in solution at Nafion‐coated electrodes, both after metal ion deposition and following re‐oxidation. Permanent changes to the structure of the Nafion film occurred, which has implications for use of these electrode assemblies in anodic stripping voltammetry at relatively high trace metal ion concentrations.     

Electroanalytical Determination of Lidocaine in Pharmaceutical Preparations Using Boron‐Doped Diamond Electrodes

A new electroanalytical procedure was developed for the determination of lidocaine in commercial local anesthetics products containing lidocaine as the active ingredient. The procedure is based on the use of electrochemical methods as cyclic and square‐wave voltammetry, with boron‐doped diamond electrodes. The oxidation of lidocaine in Britton–Robinson buffer (0.1 mol L^?1) using this type of electrode gives rise to one irreversible peak in 1.68 V (versus Ag/AgCl). The detection and quantification limits obtained from pure water were 10.0 and 34.4 μg/L, respectively. The proposed electrochemical method was also successfully applied to the analysis of commercially available pharmaceutical preparations. The electrochemical responses of pharmaceutical preparations (gels) were identical to those of standard lidocaine. No influence of propyleneglycol present in the gels on the voltammetric responses was observed. Lidocaine recoveries ranged from 97.6% to 99.2%.     

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.     

Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Determination of 4‐Hexylresorcinol in Pharmaceutical Products Using Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Based Electrodes

A sensitive electroanalytical method is presented for the determination of 4‐hexylresorcinol using adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdsSV) at a multiwalled carbon nanotube modified basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrode (MWCNT‐BPPGE). This method is also extended to the use of a MWCNT modified screen‐printed electrode (MWCNT‐SPE), thereby demonstrating that this approach can easily be incorporated into a facile and inexpensive electrochemical sensor.     

Sensitive Detection of Capsaicin by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry at a Boron‐Doped Diamond Electrode in the Presence of Sodium Dodecylsulfate

In the present paper, a sensitive electroanalytical methodology for the determination of capsaicin using adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV) at a boron‐doped diamond (BDD) electrode is presented. The voltammetric results indicate that in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) the BDD electrode remarkably enhances the oxidation of capsaicin which leads to an improvement of the peak current with a shift of the peak potential to less negative values. A linear working range of 0.05 to 6.0 µg mL^?1 (0.16–20 µM) with a detection limit of 0.012 µg mL^?1 (0.034 µM) has been obtained using BDD electrode by AdSV.     

Adsorptive Stripping Analysis of Riboflavin at Electrically Heated Graphite Cylindrical Electrodes

Electrically heated graphite cylindrical electrodes (HGCEs) made from ground pencil leads have been used to perform adsorptive stripping square wave voltammetry (SWV) measurements of trace riboflavin (RF). The SWV stripping peak current was significantly enhanced with increasing the electrode temperature only during preconcentration step. This enhancement was due to the forced thermal convection induced by heating the electrode rather than the bulk solution. It is the thermal convection that has the ability to improve mass transfer and facilitate adsorption thus enhance stripping responses. It was found that the detection limit of 5×10^?9 M (S/N=3) could be obtained at an electrode temperature of 72 °C during 5 min accumulation, more than one magnitude lower than that at 22 °C (room temperature), the sensitivity could be enhanced ca. eight or four folds for two different RF concentration ranges. So it is possible to develop a new highly sensitive method to determine riboflavin at HGCEs. Such HGCEs were also successfully used to determine RF in multivitamin tablets.     

Study of the Electrochemical Behavior and Sensitive Detection of Pesticides Using Microelectrodes Allied to Square‐Wave Voltammetry

This work describes the application of gold and carbon fiber microelectrodes allied to square‐wave voltammetry for the study of the electrochemical behavior of the organophosphorous insecticides (methyl parathion and dichlorvos) and bipyridilium herbicides (paraquat and diquat), and the development of the sensitive methodology for their analytical determinations in natural water samples. The microelectrodes were lab‐made constructed and their electrochemical behavior was characterized by measuring the electrochemical response with a solution of potassium ferricyanide. The experimental and voltammetric conditions to obtain the best analytical signal, in terms of intensities and profile of the peak voltammetric, for four pesticides were optimized and the results were used to evaluate the type of the electrochemical redox process and to appraise the number of electrons covered in each reduction process that occurred for pesticides and also, to propose a possible redox mechanism for a reduction process of pesticides at microelectrodes. Analytical curves were constructed and presented the linear relationships between the peak currents and the concentration of pesticides, for this, the detection limits for pure water (laboratory samples) for four pesticides were calculated and presented values under 15 μg L^?1, lower than maximum limit for drinking water (100 μg L^?1) permitted by Brazilian Council for groundwater, indicating that the methodology could be employed to analyze those pesticides in natural water samples.