Voltammetric Determination of N,N‐Dimethyl‐4‐amine‐carboxyazobenzene at a Silver Solid Amalgam Electrode

The voltammetric behavior of N,N‐dimethyl‐4‐amino‐2′‐carboxyazobenzene was investigated by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at a mercury meniscus‐modified silver solid amalgam electrode (m‐AgSAE). Conditions have been found for its determination by DPV at m‐AgSAE in the concentration range of 0.4 to 15 μmol L^?1.     

Structural Diversity in the Self‐assembly of Cd(II) Complexes Containing 2,6‐Dimethyl‐3,5‐dicyano‐4‐(4‐pyridyl)‐1,4‐dihydropyridine

The syntheses, structures and properties of the complexes [CdBr₂( L )₂·4H₂O]_n [ L = 2,6‐dimethyl‐3,5‐dicyano‐4‐(4‐pyridyl)‐1,4‐dihydropyridine], 1 and [Cd(SCN)₂( L )₂(H₂O)]_n, 2 , are reported. In polymeric complexes 1 — 2 , the L ligands bridge the metal centers through the pyrimidyl and cyano nitrogen atoms forming 1‐D double‐stranded chain and zigzag chain, respectively. The L ligands in complex 1 act as κ1, κ1‐bidentate bridging ligand, whereas the L ligands in complex 2 act as κ1‐monodentae and κ1, κ1‐bidentate bridging ligand. The molecules of these complexes are interlinked through various weak interactions that form the packed structure. All the complexes exhibit emissions which may be tentatively assigned as intraligand (IL) π→π* transitions.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Luminescent Properties of Silver(I) Complexes based on Diphosphine Ligands and 2,9‐Dimethyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline

Five mono‐nuclear silver(I) complexes with the ligand 2,9‐dimethyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline, namely [Ag(DPEphos)(dmp)]BF₄ ( 1 ), [Ag(DPEphos)(dmp)]CF₃SO₃ ( 2 ), [Ag(DPEphos)(dmp)]ClO₄ ( 3 ), [Ag(DPEphos)(dmp)]NO₃ ( 4 ), and [Ag(dppb)(dmp)]NO₃ · CH₃OH ( 5 ) {DPEphos = bis[2‐(diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl]ether, dppb = 1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphanyl)benzene, dmp = 2,9‐dimethyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline} were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, IR, ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy. Their terahertz (THz) time‐domain spectra were also studied. In these complexes the silver(I), which is coordinated by two kinds of chelating ligands, adopts four‐coordinate modes to generate mono‐nuclear structures. In complexes 1 , 3 – 5 , offset π ··· π weak interactions exist between the neighboring benzene rings. In the ³¹P NMR spectra, there exist splitting signals (dd), which can be attributed to the coupling of the ^107,109Ag–³¹P. All the emission peaks of these complexes are attributed to ligand‐centered excited states.     

Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Nanomolar Concentration of Cerium(III) at a Carbon Paste Electrode Modified by N′‐[(2‐Hydroxyphenyl)Methylidene]‐2‐Furohydrazide

The aim of this work was to obtain an adsorptive stripping voltammetric method for the Ce(III) determination at a carbon paste electrode, chemically modified with N'‐[(2‐hydroxyphenyl)methylidene]‐2‐furohydrazide (NHMF). The electroanalytical procedure comprised two steps: the Ce(III) chemical accumulation at ?200 mV followed by the electrochemical detection of the Ce(III)/NHMF complex, using anodic stripping voltammetry. The factors, influencing the adsorptive stripping performance, were optimized including the modifier quantity in the paste, the electrolyte concentrations, the solution pH and the accumulation potential or time. The resulting electrode demonstrated a linear response over a wide range of Ce(III) concentration (5.0–90 nmol dm^?3). The detection limit was found to be 0.8 nmol dm^?3 on the basis of a signal to noise ratio of 3. The precision for six determinations of 10 and 55 nmol dm^?3 Ce(III) was 5.6% and 2.1% (relative standard deviation), respectively. Application of the procedure to the determination of cerium in phosphate rock and wastewater samples gave good results.     

Sensitive Voltammetric Determination of Cadmium(II) with 8‐Hydroxyquinoline and Ionic Liquid Modified Carbon Paste Electrode

In this paper 8‐hydroxyquinoline (HQ) and ionic liquid (IL) modified carbon paste electrode was fabricated and used for the sensitive determination of cadmium(II) with differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). The modified electrode was prepared by the addition of HQ and IL 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazoliam ethylsulphate as the modifiers into the traditional carbon paste mixture. Cd(II) was preconcentrated and reduced on the surface of the modified electrode at the potential of ‐1.0 V (vs. SCE) by the co‐contributions from the formation of HQ‐Cd(II) complex and the accumulation effect of IL. Then the reduced Cd on the electrode surface was reoxidized by DPASV with a sensitive oxidation peak appeared at ‐0.79 V (vs. SCE). Under the optimal conditions the oxidation peak current was proportional to the Cd(II) concentration in the range from 0.03 to 2.0 mol/L with the detection limit as 5.0 nmol/L (3σ). The proposed method was successfully applied to the water samples detection with the recovery in the range from 95.6% to 96.6%.     

A Highly Selective and Sensitive Barium(II)‐Selective PVC Membrane Based on Dimethyl 1‐Acetyl‐8‐oxo‐2,8‐dihydro‐ 1H‐pyra‐zolo[5,1‐a]isoindole‐2,3‐dicarboxylate

A poly(vinyl chloride)‐based membrane of dimethyl 1‐acetyl‐8‐oxo‐2,8‐dihydro‐1H‐pyra‐zolo[5,1‐a]isoindole‐2,3‐dicarboxylate as a neutral carrier with sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as an anion excluder and 2‐nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) as plasticizer was prepared and investigated as a Ba(II)‐selective electrode. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian slope of 29.7±0.4 mV per decade over a wide concentration range (1.0×10^?6 to 1.0×10^?1 M) with a detection limit of 7.6×10^?7 M between pH 3.0 and 11.0. The response time of the sensor is about 10 s and it can be used over a period of 2 months without any divergence in potential. The proposed membrane sensor revealed good selectivity for Ba(II) over a wide variety of other metal ions. It was successfully used in direct determination of barium ions in industrial wastewater samples.     

Three Ternary Rare Earth(III) Complexes Based on 3‐[(4,6‐Dimethyl‐2‐pyrimidinyl)thio]‐propanoic Acid and 1,10‐Phenanthroline: Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Antioxidant Activity

Three ternary rare earth [Nd^III ( 1 ), Sm^III ( 2 ) and Y^III ( 3 )] complexes based on 3‐[(4,6‐dimethyl‐2‐pyrimidinyl)thio]‐propanoic acid (HL) and 1,10‐phenanthroline (Phen) were synthesized and characterized by IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy, TGA, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The crystal structures showed that complexes 1 – 3 contain dinuclear rare earth units bridged by four propionate groups and are of general formula [REL₃(Phen)]₂ · nH₂O (for 1 and 2 : n = 2; for 3 : n = 0). All rare earth ions are nine‐coordinate with distorted mono‐capped square antiprismatic coordination polyhedra. Complex 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2₁/c with a = 16.241(7) Å, b = 16.095(7) Å, c = 19.169(6) Å, β = 121.48(2)°. Complex 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2₁/c with a = 16.187(5) Å, b = 16.045(4) Å, c = 19.001(4) Å, β = 120.956(18)°. Complex 3 crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P1 with a = 11.390(6) Å, b = 13.636(6) Å, c = 15.958(7) Å, α = 72.310(17)°, β = 77.548(15)°, γ = 78.288(16)°. The antioxidant activity test shows that all complexes own higher antioxidant activity than free ligands.     

Voltammetric Determination of Metronidazole Using a Sensor Based on Electropolymerization of α‐Cyclodextrin over a Carbon Paste Electrode

An electrochemical sensor for metronidazole (MTZ) was built via the surface modification of a carbon paste electrode (CPE) by a film obtained through electropolymerization of α‐cyclodextrin (CPE_α‐CD). The CPE_α‐CD was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), by both techniques was demonstrated that the polymer film is coating the electrode surface. The electroreduction behaviour of MTZ in HClO₄ media as a supporting electrolyte was studied by differential‐pulse voltammetric (DPV) technique. The DPV electrochemical process was observed to be diffusion controlled and irreversible. Under optimal conditions, the peak current was proportional to MTZ concentration in the range of 0.5 to 103.0 μM with a detection limit of 0.28±0.02 μM. The method was successfully applied to quantify of MTZ in pharmaceutical formulations. In addition, this proposed MTZ sensor exhibited good reproducibility, long‐term stability and fast current response.     

Voltammetric Determination of L‐Dopa on Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotube Composite Modified Microelectrodes

In the present communication, it is shown that platinum microelectrodes electrochemically coated with a composite of poly(3,4‐)ethylenedioxythiophene and single‐walled carbon nanotubes (PEDOT/SWNT) enable determinations of 3,4‐dihydroxy‐L ‐phenylalaines (L ‐dopa) in neutral phosphate buffer solutions containing an excess of ascorbic acid. The interpenetrated networked nanostructure of the composite was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. It is shown that the presence of the composite gives rise to an increase in the electroactive area of an order of magnitude in compared to the area for the bare microelectrodes. The composite film‐coated microelectrode, which yielded reversible cyclic voltammograms for the ferro/ferricyanide redox couple for scan rates between 0.01 and 0.10 V s^?1, also gave rise to two well‐resolved oxidation peaks for L ‐dopa and ascorbic acid (AA). The latter effect, which was not seen in the absence of the composite, enabled differential pulse voltammetric determinations of L ‐dopa in the concentration range between 0.1 to 20 μM with a detection limit of 100 nM.     

Electrochemical Oxidation and Sensitive Determination of Acetaminophen in Pharmaceuticals at Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐Modified Screen‐Printed Electrodes

The current study reports electrocatalytic oxidation of acetaminophen at screen‐printed electrode (SPE) modified with electrogenerated poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film. Cyclic voltammetric studies show that the SPE/PEDOT electrode lowers overpotentials and improves electrochemical behavior of acetaminophen (ACAP) in aqueous buffer solutions, compared to the bare SPE. Excellent analytical features are achieved, including high sensitivity, low detection limit and satisfactory dynamic range, by cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and flow‐injection amperometry (FIA) under optimized conditions. The proposed methods obtain satisfactory results in detection of acetaminophen in two commercial tablets.     

Electrocrystallization of Tetra‐ and Hexa‐coordinated Silver(II) Compounds Based on 4,4′‐Dimethyl‐2,2′‐Bipyridine Ligand – Single Crystal Structures and Magnetic Studies

In this paper we report on the potential dependent electrocrystallization of [Ag(4,4′‐dimethyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine)₂(NO₃)₂] ( 1 ) and Ag(4,4′‐dimethyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine)(NO₃)₂ ( 2 ) from the same electrolytic bath. Thus it has been shown for the first time that the coordination number of silver ion to ligands can be tuned by the electrocrystallization potential. The single crystal structure analysis [ 1 : C2/c, a = 18.6308(15), b = 14.5708(12), c = 11.5867(10) Å, β = 126.5910(10)°, Z = 4, R = 3.9 %] [ 2 : P2₁/c, a = 8.5865(11) b = 11.0157(14) c = 16.4554(10) Å, β = 111.102(10), Z = 4 , R = 3.5 %] show divalent silver to be in an approximately square planar surrounding. Both complexes are paramagnetic following Curie's law with magnetic moments of 1.86 μ_B and 1.72 μ_B respectively.     

Study of the Complexation of Pb(II) with meso‐2,3‐ Dimercaptosuccinic Acid (DMSA) and 2,3‐Dimercapto‐1‐propanesulfonic acid (DMPS) Using a Bismuth‐Bulk Rotating Disk Electrode

For the first time, the suitability of bismuth bulk rotating disk electrode (BiB‐RDE) for the study of metal complexation has been tested. Cyclic (CV) and differential pulse (DPV) voltammetry have been used to study the complexation of Pb(II) with two of the most effective chelating agents for the treatment of Pb(II) poisoning (meso‐2,3‐dimercaptosuccinic acid, DMSA, and 2,3‐dimercapto‐1‐propanesulfonic acid, DMPS). Multivariate curve resolution has been applied to voltammetric data to obtain the stoichiometries and stability constants of the complexes formed. In both systems, the ML₂ complex was predominant, with log β₂ values of 10.13 and 8.80 for DMSA‐Pb(II) and DMPS‐Pb(II), respectively.     

Voltammetric Determination of Surface‐Confined Biomolecules with N‐(2‐Ethyl‐ferrocene)maleimide

A thiol‐specific electroactive cross‐linker, N‐(2‐ethyl‐ferrocene)maleimide (Fc‐Mi), has been used to tag surface‐confined peptides containing cysteine residues or oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) whose 3′ ends have been modified with thiol groups. The peptides studied herein include both the oxidized and reduced forms of glutathione and a hexapeptide. Cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of the Fc‐Mi groups attached to the surfaces were used to quantify the total number of cysteine residues that are tagged and/or can undergo facile electron transfer reactions with the underlying electrodes. A quartz crystal microbalance was used in conjunction with CV to estimate the total number of cysteine groups labeled by Fc‐Mi per peptide molecule. By comparing to mass spectrometric studies, it is confirmed that not all of the Fc‐Mi linked to the cysteine groups can participate in the electron transfer reactions. The methodology is further extended to the determination of ODN samples in a sandwich assay wherein the thiol linker on the 3′ end can be tagged with Fc‐Mi. The analytical performance was evaluated through determinations of a complementary ODN target and targets with varying numbers of mismatching bases. ODN samples as low as 10 fmol can be detected. Such a low detection level is remarkable considering that no signal amplification scheme is involved in the current method. The approach is shown to be sequence‐ and/or structure‐specific and does not require sophisticated instrumentation and complex experimental procedure.     

Sensitive and Selective Electrochemical Analysis of Methyl‐parathion (MPT) and 4‐Nitrophenol (PNP) by a New Type p‐NiTSPc/p‐PPD Coated Carbon Fiber Microelectrode (CFME)

A novel modified carbon fiber microelectrode (CFME) was obtained by combination of tetrasulfonated nickel phtalocyanine (p‐NiTSPc) electroformed film associated to para‐phenylenediamine (p‐PPD) electropolymerized outer‐coating. The modified CFMEs where denoted C/p‐NiTSPc and C/p‐NiTSPc/p‐PPD, respectively. These electrodes are dedicated to the organophosphates compounds (OPs) methyl‐parathion (MPT) and para‐nitrophenol (PNP). Our contribution shows that both OPs can be determined simultaneously on the unmodified and modified C/p‐NiTSPc CFMEs. A clear electrocatalytic activity towards both MPT and PNP redox process was observed, for the first time, in presence of p‐NiTSPc. The obtained sensitivity for the C/p‐NiTSPc CFME was 80 nA L mg^?1 in the concentration range 0.01 to 10 mg/L with a detection limit of 40 μg/L. Also the combination of p‐NiTSPc and p‐PPD electrodeposited films show, for the first time, the possibility to discriminate on the C/p‐NiTSPc/p‐PPD CFME between MPT and PNP. Stability experiments were also conducted for 3 weeks in acetate buffer showing a good reproductibility of the sensitivity to PNP vs. time in presence of MPT with a little loss of sensitivity (5%) after 3 weeks.     

Recording the Reaction Process of Loop‐Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) by Monitoring the Voltammetric Response of 2′‐Deoxyguanosine 5′‐Triphosphate

We describe here a novel strategy for recording the reaction process of loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) by monitoring the voltammetric response of 2′‐deoxyguanosine 5′‐triphosphate (dGTP). Unlike the other three kinds of reactive substrates for DNA synthesis in LAMP reaction, dGTP exhibits sensitive voltammetric response at the carbon nanotube array electrode. When the LAMP reaction occurs, the concentration of dGTP decreases accordingly, bringing forth the decrease of the anodic peak current (i_pa). In inversion, the decrease of the i_pa of dGTP was used to characterize the reaction process of LAMP. The relationships among the LAMP reaction time, the initial quantity of template DNA and the value change of the i_pa were studied. The results indicate that the protocol integrated LAMP and voltammetric techniques can be used for not only qualitative gene discrimination but also quantitative gene assay in a wide range. The malB gene extracted from common strains of Escherichia coli cells was tested as a model. The detecting results of LAMPs obtained by voltammetric method were in good agreement with those by optical‐based methods (gel electrophoresis and fluorescent dye).     

Effect of hexyl substituent groups on photophysical and electrochemical properties of the poly[(9,9‐Dioctyluorene)−2,7‐diyl‐alt‐(4,7‐bis (3‐Hexylthien‐5‐Yl)−2,1,3‐Benzothiadiazole)−2′,2″‐diyl]

The effect of the presence of hexyl group in thiophene on the photophysical and electrochemical properties of poly[(9,9‐dioctyluorene)?2,7‐diyl‐alt‐(4,7‐bis(3‐hexylthien‐5‐yl)?2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole)?2′,2″‐diyl] (F8TBT) is investigated. The copolymers present electron donor–acceptor architecture and are synthesized by Suzuki coupling reaction. The UV/Vis spectra show absorption maximum in the wavelength range of blue and orange, which are associated with different segments of the polymer backbone. Addition of hexyl substituent groups has a positive effect on the molar absorptivity and increases the emission and absorption intensities due to fluorene and thiophene‐benzothiadiazole‐thiophene (TBT) units, although an increment in the bandgap is observed. Cyclic voltammetry study of the polymer films reveal irreversible reduction and oxidation processes of the TBT units in the polymer chain and the HOMO and LUMO energy levels suggest ambipolar character for the polymers, while the electrochemical bandgaps are consistent with the absorbance measurements. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1975–1982     

Electrochemistry and Voltammetric Determination of Adenosine with N‐Hexylpyridinium Hexafluorophosphate Modified Electrode

An ionic liquid N‐hexylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate (HPPF₆) modified carbon paste electrode was fabricated for the sensitive voltammetric determination of adenosine in this paper. Carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) was prepared by mixing graphite powder and HPPF₆ together and the CILE was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical methods. The electrochemical behaviors of adenosine on the CILE were studied carefully. Compared with the traditional carbon paste electrode (CPE), a small negative shift of the oxidation peak potential appeared with greatly increase of the oxidation peak current, which indicated the presence of ionic liquid in the carbon paste not only as the binder but also as the modifier and promoter. Under the optimal conditions the oxidation peak current increased with the adenosine concentration in the range from 1.0×10^?6 mol/L to 1.4×10^?4 mol/L with the detection limit of 9.1×10^?7 mol/L (S/N=3) by differential pulse voltammetry. The proposed method was applied to the human urine samples detection with satisfactory results.     

Efficient One‐pot Synthesis of Alkyl 3‐(alkyl)‐4‐methyl‐2‐thioxo‐2,3‐dihydrothiazole‐5‐carboxylates in a Multi Component Reaction

A simple and efficient one‐pot synthesis of alkyl 2‐(alkyl)‐4‐methyl‐2‐thioxo‐2,3‐dihydrothiazole‐5‐carboxylates from the reaction of primary alkylamines and carbon disulfide in the presence of 2‐chloro‐1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds is described. This new protocol has several advantages such as lack of necessity of the catalyst, good yields, mild conditions and short times for reaction.     

Stripping Voltammetry of Mercury(II) with a Chemically Modified Carbon Paste Electrode Containing Silica Gel Functionalized with 2,5‐Dimercapto‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole

The accumulation voltammetry of mercury(II) was investigated at a carbon paste electrode chemically modified with silica gel functionalized with 2,5‐dimercapto‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole (DTTPSG‐CPE). The repetitive cyclic voltammogram of mercury(II) solution in the potential range ?0.2 to +0.8 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), (0.02 mol L^?1 KNO₃ ; v=20 mV s^?1) show two peaks one at about 0.0 V and other at 0.31 V. However, the cathodic wave peak, around 0.0 V, is irregular and changes its form in each cycle. This peak at about 0.0 V is the reduction current for mercury(II) accumulated in the DTTPSG‐CPE. The anodic wave peak at 0.31 V is well‐defined and does not change during the cycles. The resultant material was characterized by cyclic and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry performed with the electrode in differents supporting electrolytes. The mercury response was evaluated with respect to pH, electrode composition, preconcentration time, mercury concentration, “cleaning” solution, possible interferences and other variables. The precision for six determinations (n=6) of 0.05 and 0.20 mg L^?1 Hg(II) was 2.8 and 2.2% (relative standard deviation), respectively. The method was satisfactory and used to determine the concentration of mercury(II) in natural waters contaminated by this metal.