Electrochemical behavior and voltammetric determination of the herbicide metribuzin at mercury electrodes

The electrochemical behavior of the herbicide metribuzin (4-amino-6-tert-butyl-4,5-dihydro-3-methylthio-1,2,4-triazin-5-one) at mercury electrodes was studied in aqueous solutions by direct current (DC) and tast polarography, differential pulse (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), and controlled-potential coulometry. The electrolysis products were separated and identified by chromatographic techniques combined with mass spectrometric detection. The reduction process in acid media includes two irreversible steps. In the first four-electron step the N–NH₂ and the 1,6-azomethine bonds are reduced. The second step leads to the formation of 5-tert-butyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydroimidazol-4-one at the mercury-pool electrode. The first reduction step combined with adsorptive accumulation of the herbicide molecule at the mercury electrode surface was used for its determination by differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DPAdSV). Calibration curves were linear in the range 1–30 μg L^–1 with a detection limit of 0.27 μg L^–1 (1 nmol L^–1) under the conditions used (buffer pH 4.5, E_acc = –0.45 V relative to Ag/AgCl and t_acc = 10 s). Preconcentration on solid-phase extraction columns (SPE-phenyl) was used for the determination of very small amounts of metribuzin in river water samples. Recovery was approximately 97%. The reproducibility of the analytical procedure including SPE treatment and DPV determination was expressed as relative standard deviations of 2.53 and 3.66% for 2 and 6 μg L^–1 metribuzin, respectively.     

Determination of lead in the presence of morin-5′-sulfonic acid and sodium dodecyl sulfate by adsorptive stripping voltammetry

A simple and sensitive electroanalytical method is developed for the determination of lead by adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV) in the presence of morin-5′-sulfonic acid (MSA) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The Pb-MSA complex accumulates on the surface of a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) and peak current is measured by square wave voltammetry (SWV). The complex is reduced at −0.48 V and peak current increases when low concentrations of SDS are added to the sample solution. The experimental variables pH, MSA concentration (C_MSA); accumulation time (t_acc); accumulation potential (E_acc), and SDS concentration (C_SDS), as well as potential interferences, are investigated. Under the optimized conditions (pH 3.2; C_MSA: 0.5 μmol L⁻¹; t_acc: 60 s; E_acc: −0.35 V, and C_SDS: 20 μmol L⁻¹), peak current is proportional to the concentration of Pb(II) over the 0.1-32.0 μg L⁻¹ range, with a detection limit of 0.04 μg L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation for a solution containing 5.0 μg L⁻¹ of Pb(II) solution was 1.5% for seven successive assays. The method was validated by determining Pb(II) in synthetic sea water (ASTM D665) spiked with ICP multi-element standard solution and in certified reference water (GBW08607). Finally, the method was successfully applied to the determination of Pb(II) in tap water and sea water after UV digestion.     

Development of an Electrochemical Sensor to Detect Dopamine and Ascorbic Acid Based on Neodymium (III) Oxide and Chitosan

Neodymium (III) oxide (Nd_Ox) was dispersed in chitosan dissolution and deposited on a glassy carbon electrode (chitosan‐Nd_Ox/GCE). The surface properties of the chitosan‐Nd_Ox/GCE were evaluated with FeCN₆⁻³ solution using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The modified electrode was used in the determination of individual dopamine (DP) and ascorbic acid (AA) with square wave adsorptive voltammetry. Under optimal parameters (pH 4.0; accumulation time; t_ACC 60s and accumulation potential; E_ACC 0.10 V) for DP and (pH 3,0; t_ACC 60s and; E_ACC −0.20 V) for AA, anodic peak currents were proportional to the concentration of DP and AA between 0.90 and 17.0 μmolL⁻¹, with detection limit of 0.079 μmolL⁻¹ for DP and 0.12 μmolL⁻¹ for AA. The sensor was used in the determination of DP and AA in human urine samples and vitamin C tablets with consistent results. The new sensor is easy to develop. In addition, the sensitivity in particular for AA was improved compared with previous work.     

Simultaneous Determination of Antimony(III) and Molybdenum(VI) by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry Using Quercetin as Complexing Agent

A sensitive and selective voltammetric method for simultaneous determination of Sb(III) and Mo(VI) using Quercetin (Q) as complexing agent is described. Optimal conditions were found to be: pH 3.7, C_Q=6.0 µmol L^?1 and E_acc=?0.10 V. The LOD (3σ) for Sb(III) are 0.076 and 0.040 µg L^?1, whereas for Mo(VI) are 0.086 and 0.048 µg L^?1 with t_acc of 60 and 120 s, respectively. The method was validated using synthetic sea water (ASTM D665) and was applied to the determination of Sb(III) and Mo(VI) in natural waters with satisfactory results.     

Voltammetric Behavior of Arsenic(III) in the Presence of Sodium Diethyl Dithiocarbamate and Its Determination in Water and Highly Saline Samples by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

This paper describes the voltammetric behavior of As(III) at the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) in the presence of sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate (SDDC) and a new voltammetric method for the determination of As(III) at trace levels. The method is based on the adsorptive deposition of a As(III) complex with SDDC at ?0.45 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) on the HMDE in acidic medium of 0.01 mol L^?1 HCl (pH 2.0) and its cathodic stripping during the potential scan (100 mV s^?1). The linear range for the determination of As(III) in the presence of SDDC (4 μmol L^?1) in water samples was between 1 and 10 μg L^?1 for a deposition time of 300 s (r=0.994) and between 10 and 100 μg L^?1 for a deposition time of 60 s (r=0.999). For the determination of As(III) in dialysis concentrate samples, the linear range was between 5 and 25 μg L^?1 for a deposition time of 180 s (r=0.992) and between 10 and 100 μg L^?1 for a deposition time of 60 s (r=0.996). Detection limits of 0.3 and 2.2 μg L^?1 in water and dialysis concentrate samples were calculated for the method using a deposition time of 300 and 180 s, respectively. Recovery values between 93.0 and 110.0% for As(III) added to deionized, mineral, seawater (synthetic and real) and dialysis concentrate samples prove the satisfactory accuracy and applicability of the procedure.     

Determination of Trace Amount of Lead(II) in Sweet Fruit‐Flavored Powder Drinks by Differential Pulse Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry at Carbon Paste Electrode

A new method is described for the determination of lead based on the cathodic adsorptive stripping of the lead–nuclear fast red (NFR) at a carbon paste electrode (CPE). The differential pulse voltammograms of the adsorbed complex of lead–NFR are recorded from ?0.10 to ?0.60 V (versus Ag/AgCl electrode). Optimal conditions were found to be an electrode containing 25% paraffin oil and 75% high purity graphite powder, 4.0×10^?5 mol L^?1 NFR; buffer solution (pH of 3.0), accumulation potential and time, ?0.20 V, 60 and 120 s (for high and low concentration of lead), respectively. The results show that the complex can be adsorbed on the surface of the CPE, yielding one peak at ?0.34 V, corresponding to reduction of NFR in the complex at the electrode. The detection limit was found to be 0.2 ng mL^?1 with a 120s accumulation time. The linear ranges are from 0.5 to 50 (t_acc=120 s) and 50 to 200 ng mL^?1 (t_acc=60 s). Application of the procedure to the determination of lead in lake water, bottled mineral water, synthetic samples and sweet fruit‐flavored powder drinks samples gave good results.     

Voltammetric Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Melatonin and Pyridoxine in Dietary Supplements Using a Cathodically Pretreated Boron‐doped Diamond Electrode

The simultaneous voltammetric determination of melatonin (MT) and pyridoxine (PY) has been carried out at a cathodically pretreated boron‐doped diamond electrode. By using cyclic voltammetry, a separation of the oxidation peak potentials of both compounds present in mixture was about 0.47 V in Britton‐Robinson buffer, pH 2. The results obtained by square‐wave voltammetry allowed a method to be developed for determination of MT and PY simultaneously in the ranges 1–100 μg mL⁻¹ (4.3×10⁻⁶–4.3×10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹) and 10–175 μg mL⁻¹ (4.9×10⁻⁵–8.5×10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹), with detection limits of 0.14 μg mL⁻¹ (6.0×10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹) and 1.35 μg mL⁻¹ (6.6×10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹), respectively. The proposed method was successfully to the dietary supplements samples containing these compounds for health‐caring purposes.     

Highly Sensitive and Selective Measurement of Bismuth in Seawater and Drug with 1,2‐Phenylenedioxydiacetic Acid by Cathodic Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

A new method is presented for determination of bismuth based on cathodic adsorptive stripping of complex bismuth with 1,2‐phenylenedioxydiacetic acid (PDA) at a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). The effect of various parameters such as pH, concentration of ligand, accumulation potential and accumulation time on the selectivity and sensitivity were studied. The optimum conditions for determination of bismuth include nitric acid concentration 0.01 M, 8.0×10^?4 M PDA and accumulation time 120 s, accumulation potential of ?200 mV. The limits of detection are 0.25 and 0.05 nM, and responses are linear 1–1000 and 0.1–400 nM at t_acc of 60 and 120 s, respectively. Many common anions and cations do not interfere in the determination of bismuth. The method was applied to the determination of bismuth in some real samples such as sea – and spring water and drug.     

Determination of the Natural Dissolved Concentration of Zirconium in Seawater by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

A voltammetric method was developed for zirconium determination as Zr(IV)‐cupferron‐oxalate‐diphenylguanidine complex based on adsorptive accumulation at the HMDE (E_peak=?0.95 V). The supporting electrolyte was a mixture of acetate/acetic acid (pH 4.6) and ammonium acetate (pH 5.7) solutions. E_ads=?0.6 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), t_ads=400 s, 10 mV s^?1 scan rate, and DP mode were the main parameters. The linear range was 0.033 to 3.3×10^?9 mol L^?1, and the LOD and LOQ (t_ads=400 s) were 0.77 and 1.6×10^?11 mol L^?1, respectively. The method was adequate for seawater samples, although not sufficiently sensitive for surface waters.     

A new Approach for the Voltammetric Sensing of the Phytoestrogen Genistein at a Non-modified Boron-doped Diamond Electrode

An effective electrochemical sensor was constructed using an unmodified boron-doped diamond electrode for determination of genistein by square-wave voltammetry. Cyclic voltammetric investigations of genistein with HClO₄ solution indicated that irreversible behavior, adsorption-controlled and well-defined two oxidation peaks at about +0.92 (P_A1) & +1.27 V (P_A2). pH, as well as supporting electrolytes, are important in genistein oxidations. Quantification analyses of genistein were conducted using its two oxidation peaks. Using optimized experiments as well as instrumental conditions, the current response with genistein was proportionately linear in the concentrations range of 0.1 to 50.0 μg mL⁻¹ (3.7×10⁻⁷−1.9×10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹), by the detection limit of 0.023 μg mL⁻¹ (8.5×10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹) for P_A1 and 0.028 μg mL⁻¹ (1.1×10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹) for P_A2 in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HClO₄ solution (in the open circuit condition at 30 s accumulation time). Ultimately, the developed method was effectively applied to detect genistein in model human urine samples by using its second oxidation peak (P_A2).     

Development of an Electroanalytical Method for the Quantification of Zearalenone (ZEA) in Maize Samples

The application of electroanalytical techniques to detect and quantify zearalenone (ZEA) mycotoxin that frequently contaminates maize and foodstuff is studied in this work. Rice and maize grains were inoculated with Fusarium fungus to obtain ZEA in artificially infected samples. The electro‐oxidation of ZEA adsorbed on the surface of glassy carbon (GC) electrodes in 20% acetonitrile (ACN)+80% 1 M HClO₄ (aqueous solution) reaction medium was studied by using square‐wave voltammetry (SWV). Studies were conducted to find the most favorable accumulation potential (E_acc) and accumulation time (t_acc) to perform the ZEA preconcentration on the electrode surface. It was found that E_acc was any value in the range from 0.00–0.90 V and the best t_acc was 120 s, respectively, for ZEA separated from extracting solution by TLC (ZEA_TLC) while E_acc=0.90 V corresponded to ZEA in non separated matrix solution (ZEA_matrix). The ZEA quantitative determination was performed by SWV combined with the standard addition method. Linear plots were obtained from the net peak current (I_{p, n}) vs c*_ZEA in the concentration range from 20 to 3184 ppb. Detection limit of 30 ppb at a signal to noise ratio of 3 : 1 was obtained. On the other hand, recovery experiments were performed on uncontaminated maize samples spiked with ZEA.     

Sensitive detection of sulfanilamide by redox process electroanalysis of oxidation products formed in situ on glassy carbon electrode

This paper reported a simple method for sulfanilamide determination by redox process electroanalysis of oxidation products (SFDox) formed in situ on glassy carbon electrode. The CV experiments showed a reversible process after applied E _acc = + 1.06 V and t _acc = 1 s, in 0.1 mol L^?1 BRBS (pH = 2.0) at 50 mV s^?1. Different voltammetric scan rates (from 10 to 450 mV s^?1) suggested that the redox peaks of SFDox on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is an adsorption-controlled process. Square-wave voltammetry (SWV) method optimized conditions showed a linear response to SFD from 3.00 to 250.0 μmol L^?1 (R = 0.998) with a limit of detection of 0.638 μmol L^?1 and limit of quantification of 2.0 μmol L^?1. The developed the SWV method was successfully used in the determination of SFD pharmaceutical formulation and human serum. The SFD quantification results in pharmaceutical obtained by SWV-GCE were comparable to those found by official analytical protocols.     

A New Approach for the Voltammetric Determination of Amoxicillin in the Dosage Form Using Azo Coupling Reaction with Sulphanilamide

The novel method of amoxicillin (AM) determination has been developed using single-sweep polarography. The proposed method is based on the obtaining of yellow coloured azo compound due to azo coupling reaction of previous diazotized sulphanilamide (SA) (in the medium of 0.6 M hydrochloric acid) with amoxicillin at pH=9.0 with the further reduction of the formed analytical form on a dropping mercury electrode. Voltammetric determination of amoxicillin is carried out due to the reduction peak of azo group of the obtained azo compound in the presence of 0.05 mol ⋅ L⁻¹ Na₂B₄O₇ as a background electrolyte at the potential E_c^p2=−0.55 V and potential sweep rate of 2.5 V ⋅ s⁻¹. The developed voltammetric method has two linear ranges of the determined concentrations (0.05–2.0) ⋅ 10⁻⁵ mol ⋅ L⁻¹ and (0.2–1.0) ⋅ 10⁻⁴ mol ⋅ L⁻¹ and the high sensitivity: LOD without the removing of unreacted sodium nitrite is 1.1 ⋅ 10⁻⁶ mol ⋅ L⁻¹, and 7.2 ⋅ 10⁻⁷ mol ⋅ L⁻¹, when NaNO₂ excess is removed using urea. The developed voltammetric technique of AM determination has been approved during the analyses of tablets and oral suspension.     

Renewable Copper and Silver Amalgam Film Electrodes of Prolonged Application for the Determination of Elemental Sulfur Using Stripping Voltammetry

New, renewable copper (Hg(Cu)FE) and silver (Hg(Ag)FE) based amalgam film electrodes applied for the determination of elemental sulfur using differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry are presented. With surface areas adjustable from 1 to 12 mm², both electrodes are characterized by very good surface reproducibility (≤2%) and long‐term stability (a few thousand measurement cycles). The mechanical refreshing of the amalgam film takes about 1–2 seconds. The effects of various factors such as instrumental parameters and the supporting electrolyte composition were optimized. Interferences from sulfides are easily removed by the addition of acid, and bubbling with argon, for Hg(Ag)FE. In the case of Hg(Cu)FE, sulfides did not interfere. The calibration graph is linear within the studied range from 16 ng L^?1 to 4.8 μg L^?1 for Hg(Cu)FE, and up to 6.4 μg L^?1 for Hg(Ag)FE (t_acc=15 s). The correlation coefficients for the two electrodes were at least 0.997. The detection limits for a low concentration of S(0) and t_acc=60 s are as low as 14 ng L^?1 for Hg(Cu)FE and 4 ng L^?1 for Hg(Ag)FE. The proposed method was successfully applied and validated by studying the recovery of S(0) from spiked river water.     

Over‐Oxidized Poly (Phenol Red) Film Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode for Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Ultra‐Trace Antimony (III)

In this study, we introduce a very sensitive and selective method for the differential pulse anodic stripping determination of Sb(III) ion on the over‐oxidized poly(phenol red) modified glassy carbon electrode (PPhRed_ox/GCE) in 0.1 mol L^‐1 HCl medium. The formation of both poly(phenol red) and over‐oxidized poly(phenol red) film on the electrode surfaces were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques. An anodic stripping peak of Sb(III) was observed at 0.015 V on the PPhRed_ox/GCE. Higher anodic stripping peak current of Sb(III) was obtained at PPhRed_ox/GCE compared with both bare GCE and poly(phenol red) film modified GCE (PPhRed/GCE). The calibration graph consisted of two linear segments of 0.044 ‐ 1.218 μg L⁻¹ and 3.40 – 18.26 μg L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.0075 μg L⁻¹. The proposed over‐oxidized polymer film modified electrode was applied successfully for the analysis of antimony in different spiked water samples. Spiked recoveries for water samples were obtained in the range of 93.0–103.0%. The accuracy of the method was also verified through the analysis of standard reference materials (SCP SCIENCE‐EnviroMAT™ EP−L‐2).     

Voltammetric Analysis of Cadmium and Lead (Undesirable Elements) in Brine,Supported by Solid Phase Extraction – the Right Solution of the Analytical Challenge

The stripping voltammetry at HMDE is proposed for Cd and Pb (undesirable ingredients) determination in the natural brine (C_Cl >43 g L⁻¹). Samples with so high salinity have to be significantly diluted. For ICP MS, a 10^5–6 times dilution is required, which disqualifies this method. The proposed procedure allows to determine Cd (0.001 μg L⁻¹) and Pb (0.005 μg L⁻¹) after only 100 times dilution. The thermal chloride stripping or isolation by Chelex 100 increase the quality of obtained data. The recovery study was performed. The LOQs are below recommendations related to the use of brines in balneology.     

Electrochemical behaviour and determination of rimsulfuron herbicide by square wave voltammetry

The voltammeric behaviour of rimsulfuron herbicide has been studied by square wave stripping voltammetry on static hanging mercury drop electrode. It exhibited a well-defined peak within the pH range of 1.0–6.0, having a maximum peak response at ?600 mV (vs.Ag/AgCl) at pH 3.0. The factors such as accumulation potential (E_acc), accumulation time (t_acc), frequency (f), pulse amplitude (ΔE) and step potential (ΔE_s) have been optimised. The calibration plot was a straight line in the range of 4.4–134.4 μg L^?1 with a detection limit of 1.3 μg L^?1. The validity of the method was assessed from the recoveries of spiked lake water, tomato juice and agrochemical formulation of Doncep^®. The results of the experiments conducted for five recoveries were 48.8 ± 1.7 and 49.7 ± 1.0 μg L^?1, which are very close to the rimsulfuron spiked to lake water and tomato juice (50 μg L^?1), with a relative error of –2.4% and ?0.6%, respectively. The electrode reaction mechanism was also postulated.     

Redox Speciation of Inorganic Arsenic in Water and Saline Samples by Adsorptive Cathodic Stripping Voltammetry in the Presence of Sodium Diethyl Dithiocarbamate

This paper describes a new voltammetric procedure for the inorganic speciation of As(III) and As(V) in water samples. The procedure is based on the chemical reduction of arsenate [As(V)] to arsenite [As(III)] followed by the voltammetric determination of total arsenic as As(III) at the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (AdCSV) in the presence of sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate (SDDC). The reduction step involved the reaction with a mixture of Na₂S₂O₅ and Na₂S₂O₃ in the concentrations 2.5 and 0.5 mg mL^?1, respectively, and the sample heating at 80 °C for 45 min. The linear range for the determination of total arsenic as As(III) in the presence of SDDC was between 5 and 150 μg L^?1 for a deposition time of 60 s (r=0.992). A detection limit of 1.05 μg L^?1 for total As was calculated for the method in water samples using a deposition time of 60 s. The detection limits of 4.2 μg L^?1 and 15.0 μg L^?1 for total As in seawater and dialysis concentrates, respectively, were calculated using a deposition time of 60 s. The relative standard deviations calculated were 2.5 and 4.0% for five measurements of 20 μg L^?1 As(V) as As(III) in water and dialysis concentrates, respectively, after chemical reduction under optimized conditions. The method was applied for the determination of As(III) and total As in samples of dialysis water, mineral water, seawater and dialysis concentrates. Recovery values between 86.0 and 104.0% for As(III) and As(V) added to the samples prove the satisfactory accuracy and applicability of the procedure for the arsenic monitoring.     

Cathodic Stripping Voltammetry of 2-Mercapto-5-Methyl-1,3,4-Thiadiazol and 2,5-Dimercapto-1,3,4-Thiadiazol at a Controlled-Growth Mercury Drop Electrode

2-Mercapto-5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol (MMTD) and 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol (DMTD) were studied by differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry (DPCSV). The influence of buffer, pH, accumulation potential (E_acc), and accumulation time (t_acc) was investigated. It was stated that the concentration of the buffer affects the height of DPCSV peaks. The best analytical signals were recorded in acetate buffer at pH 4.3 and a buffer concentration of 0.01 mol/L for MMTD and 0.02 mol/L for DMTD, E_acc = 0.2 V, and t_acc = 120 s for MMTD and 180 s for DMTD. A linear dependence was found from 1 to 8 × 10^?8 mol/L for MMTD and from 1 × 10^?8 to 1 × 10^?7 mol/L for DMTD. The influence of cations [Cu(II), Co(II)] was also considered.     

Determination of Diazepam and Clonazepam in Natural Water – a Voltammetric Study

The differential pulse adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (DP‐AdsCSV) employing the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) was used towards the determination of two psychotropic drugs in environmental samples. Voltammetric and experimental conditions to Clonazepam (CLO) and diazepam (DIAZ) were optimized and the methods were in‐house validated. Accumulation potentials were −0.3 V to CLO and −0.6 V to DIAZ at 120 s of accumulation time. Pulse amplitude, pulse time and scan rate were 80 mV, 20 ms and 25 mV s⁻¹ to CLO and 100 mV, 20 ms and 40 mV s⁻¹ to DIAZ, respectively. Recovery tests were done in three different concentrations to evaluate methods’ accuracy and the results were from 88±6 to 120±13 %. In precision tests, standard deviations were lower than 15 % for both methods. Goods limits of quantification 0.65 and 0.27 μg L⁻¹ to CLO and DIAZ respectively were achieved without pre‐concentration steps such as SPE, etc. Voltammetry employing HMDE was first used for the determination of CLO and DIAZ in natural water. Natural samples were spiked and recovery tests confirmed the applicability of the methods developed. Nine samples from Parana state, Brazil, were analyzed and CLO and DIAZ values were below the limits of detection in all samples.