Electrochemical Behavior and Voltammetric Determination of Chloramphenicol and Doxycycline Using a Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Single-walled Carbon Nanohorns

We report a method for the direct and quantitative determination of chloramphenicol (CAP) and doxycycline (DOX) using a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with carboxylic-group-functionalized single-walled carbon nanohorns. The modified electrode exhibits high electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of CAP and the oxidation of DOX. It shows a linear response to CAP between 0.1 μM and 100 μM and to DOX between 0.5 μM and 100 μM. The detection limits for CAP and DOX are 0.1 μM and 0.5 μM, respectively. The modified GCE displays good sensitivity, making it suitable for the determination of CAP and DOX in real samples.     

Comparison of Insulin Determination on NiNPs/chitosan‐ MWCNTs and NiONPs/chitosan‐MWCNTs Modified Pencil Graphite Electrode

The rising amount of patients suffering for diabetes mellitus increases the requirements for effective insulin sensors. Carbon materials are a suitable choice for the development of insulin sensors due to their electrochemical characteristics. Pencil graphite electrodes (PGE) represent the trade‐off between price and excellent conductive properties. The modification of PGE by NiO and Ni nanoparticles fixed by chitosan results in surface area enlargement and improved electrocatalytic properties. This paper is focused on the comparison of different properties of Ni and NiO nanoparticles and their effect on redox reaction mechanism of insulin and detection characteristics. The electrode modified by Ni nanoparticles displays linear range of 1 μM–5 μM (R² 0.80), limit of detection (LOD) of 4.34 μM and sensitivity of 0.12 μA/μM. On the other hand, the electrode modified by NiO nanoparticles displays enhanced electrochemical characteristics such as linear range of 0.05 μM–5 μM (R² 0.99), limit of detection of 260 nM and sensitivity of 0.64 μA/μM. These properties make the NiO nanoparticles modified PGE the appropriate candidate for insulin determination.     

Electrodeposited Silver Nanoparticles on Carbon Ionic Liquid Electrode for Electrocatalytic Sensing of Hydrogen Peroxide

Silver nanoparticles (narrowly dispersed in diameter) were electrodeposited on carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) surface using a two‐step potentiostatic method. Potentiostatic double pulse technique was used as a suitable and simple method for controlling the size and morphologies of silver nanoparticles electrodeposited on CILE. The obtained silver nanoparticles deposited on CILE surface showed excellent electrocatalytic activity (low overpotential of ?0.35 V vs. Ag/AgCl) towards reduction of hydrogen peroxide. A linear dynamic range of 2–200 μM with an experimental detection limit of 0.7 μM (S/N=3) and reproducibility of 4.1% (n=5) make the constructed sensor suitable for peroxide determination in aqueous solutions.     

Simultaneous Trace Electrochemical Determination of Xanthine Theophylline and Theobromine with a Novel Sensor Based on a Composite Including Metal Oxide Nanoparticle Multi-walled Carbon Nanotube and Nano-Na-montmorillonite Clay

We report the simultaneous determination of purine molecules with biological significance on pencil graphite electrode (PGE) modified with a composite solution including NiO nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), and natural nano-Na-montmorillonite clay (NNaM) using DPV technique. The novel sensor, NiO/MWCNT/NNaM/PGE, achieved simultaneous determination of xanthine, theophylline, and theobromine at the detection limits 0.077 μM, 0.361 μM, and 0.458 μM with the linear working ranges 0.5–150 μM, 5–200 μM, and 5–250 μM in Britton-Robinson buffer at pH 2.0, respectively. The sensor revealed excellent performance for the simultaneous determination of XT, TP, and TB in three real-world samples.     

Determination of total organic carbon in water in the form of carbamate by means of a simple denuder/electrolytic conductivity flow cell system

A simple and sensitive technique for measuring both volatile organic carbon (VOC) and total organic carbon (TOC) in water is presented. The VOC fraction is stripped by a stream of oxygen and subjected to high-temperature catalytic combustion after removing the carbon dioxide, obtained from inorganic constituents at pH ? 2, with lithium hydroxide. The residual non-volatile organics (NVOC) are converted into carbon dioxide by injecting an aliquot of the stripped sample directly into the combustion tube. The carbon dioxide derived from the VOC/NVOC is preconcentrated from the gas stream by absorption in a stainless-steel capillary tube coated with a 2 M ethanolic solution of 3-methoxypropylamine. The carbamate formed in the liquid film is then eluted with a stream of the absorbent circulating through a microelectrolytic conductivity detector. The change in specific conductance due to the presence of the carbamate in the effluent stream is linearly related to the amount of VOC/NVOC/TOC up to 4.5 μg of carbon. The limit of detection for VOC is 0.5 μg l^?1 and for NVOC it is 100 μg l^?1. A simple determination takes 5 min. The precision was better than 5% (P=95%) for 0.5–4.5 μg of carbon. The method is also suitable for the determination of total carbon and inorganic carbon in water.     

Acetylcholinesterase Biosensor Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide – Carbon Black Composite for Determination of Reversible Inhibitors

For the first time, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) biosensors based on mixed carbon nanomaterials (electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) and carbon black (CB) particles) were described for the determination of antidementia drugs. Changes in the content of underlying layer allowed varying selectivity and sensitivity of the inhibitor determination. Appropriate limits of detection (LOD) varied in the range from 1 pM to 0.1 nM for donepezil, 5 nM–0.1 μM for berberine, 0.1–50 nM for huperzine A and 0.1–300 nM for galantamine. Variation in the inhibition measurement parameters can be used for increasing selectivity of the measurements.     

Electrochemical Detection of Alloxan on Reduced Graphene Oxide Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

Alloxan is a toxic reagent that strongly induces the diabetes by destroying insulin‐producing β‐cells in the pancreas of living organisms. The reduction product of alloxan is dialuric acid, which is responsible for the intracellular generation of ROS to enhance the stress in living cells to cause kidney disease or diabetic nephropathy. Herein, we studied for the first time the electrochemical properties of alloxan on reduced graphene oxide modified glassy carbon electrode (rGO/GCE) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at pH 7. The obtained results were compared with graphene oxide modified GCE (GO/GCE) and bare GCE surfaces. The modified rGO/GCE showed well defined redox couple with 10 fold increase in both reduction as well as oxidation peak current for alloxan than that of GO/GCE and bare GCE. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique shows the linear increase in both oxidation and reduction peak current of alloxan in the range of 30 μM to 3 mM with LOD of 1.2 μM. An amperometric signal of alloxan is also increases with respect to each addition of 50 μM of alloxan on rGO/GCE at constant potential of ?0.05 V. The linear range of alloxan is observed between 50 μM to 750 μM (S/N=3). This kind of rGO/GCE surface is more suitable platform or sensor matrix for estimating unknown concentration of alloxan molecule in the real biological systems.     

An Electrochemical Sensor Based on Ni(II) Complex and Multi Wall Carbon Nano Tubes Platform for Determination of Glucose in Real Samples

In the present paper, a stable and selective non‐enzymatic sensor is reported for determination of glucose (Glc) by using a carbon paste electrode modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes and Ni(II)‐SHP complex as modifier in an alkaline solution. This modified electrode showed impressive activity for oxidation of glucose in NaOH solution. Herein, Ni(II)‐SHP acts as a suitable platform for oxidation of glucose to glucolactone on the surface of the modified electrode by decreasing the overpotential and increasing in the current of analyte. Under the optimum conditions, the rate constant and electron transfer coefficient between electrode and modifier, were calculated to be 1.04 s⁻¹ and 0.64, respectively. The anodic peak currents indicated a linear dependency with the square root of scan rate and this behavior is the characteristic of a diffusion controlled process. So, the diffusion coefficient of glucose was found to be 3.12×10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹ due to the used number of transferred electron of 1. The obtained results revealed two linear ranges (5 to 190.0 μM (R²=0.997), 210.0 to 700.0 μM (R²=0.999)) and the detection limit of 1.3 μM for glucose was calculated by using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) method. Also, the designed sensor was used for determination of glucose in the blood serum and urine samples. Some other advantages of Ni(II)‐SHP/CNT/CPE sensor are remarkable reproducibility, stability and selectivity which can be related to using nanomaterial of carbon nanotubes due to enhancement of electrode surface area.     

Electrochemical Oxidation of the Antiretroviral Drug Nelfinavir on Modified Screen‐printed Electrodes

This paper describes the voltammetric study of the electrochemical oxidation of the antiretroviral drug Nelfinavir using a screen‐printed sensor modified with carbon nanotubes. The performance of the sensor in the determination of the drug was characterized in terms of precision (RSD 5.05 %, n=5) and capability of detection (10.99±0.87 μM for α=β=0.05, n=5) under optimized voltammetric conditions of pH, accumulation time and potential, in the calibration range from 10 to 150 μM of NFV. In order to check the viability of the device, the determination of the analyte in pharmaceutical and biological samples was carried out and its performance was also validated comparing it with HPLC.     

A Powder Based Polyaniline Carbon Paste Electrode for Urea Analysis

A new polyaniline carbon paste electrode prepared by mixing polyaniline (emeraldine), nafion, graphite powder and urease for urea analysis was exploited. The ratio of polyaniline, nafion, urease and graphite for the construction of the electrodes and the optimal conditions for urea determination were studied. The detection limit of this sensor for urea is 5 μM and the linearity from 5 μM to 7.5 mM is obtained in FIA. This sensor has a response time of 90s and shows good reproducibility and stability (RSD, 6.3%, n = 43). The blood samples from a patient during blood dialysis were taken and analyzed. The urea concentrations in blood obtained from this sensor are comparable with urea test kit method.     

A Novel Sensor Based on Carbon Paste Electrode Modified with Polypyrrole/Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes for the Electrochemical Detection of Cytostatic Drug Rapamycin

The electrocatalytic oxidation of rapamycin, one of the most studied immunosuppressant, cancer-preventing drug, is investigated for the first time on the surface of the modified carbon paste electrode prepared by incorporating multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and conductive polymer pyrrole using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Rapamycin exhibited a well-defined oxidation peak at +1.1 V (versus Ag/AgCl) in Briton Robinson buffer solution with a pH 4.0. Effect of the most important experimental parameters was optimized and obtained signals are linear to the concentration of rapamycin in the range from 0.1 to 20 μM with 0.06 μM limit of detection. The repeatability is calculated as ±2 % and the reproducibility as ±5 %. The possible interfering compounds were tested showing negligible effect and the sensor was successfully applied for the determination of rapamycin in commercial pharmaceutical formulations with obtained recoveries in the range from 98 % to 102 %.     

Flufenamic Acid Determination in Human Serum by Adsorptive Voltammetry with In Situ Surfactant Modified Carbon Paste Electrodes

A simple and sensitive adsorptive- differential pulse- voltammetric method for the determination of flufenamic acid (FFA) is presented. The method is based on the preconcentration of FFA on carbon paste electrodes modified in situ with cationic surfactants, dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) or cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), at submicellar concentrations. The best results were obtained with DTAC-modified electrodes. After optimization, with these electrodes and using an accumulation step at 0 V for 3 minutes in 0.1 M phosphate solutions pH 7, the peak current of the main oxidation process of FFA varies linearly with its concentration from 1×10⁻⁹ M to 5×10⁻⁵ M, with a limit of detection of 0.64 nM (0.2 ng/mL). The proposed method has been applied to the determination of FFA in spiked serum samples, treated with acetonitrile to separate the proteins. In the concentration range studied (3 μM to 65 μM) the recovery was near 100 % and the lowest concentration attainable in these samples is below 3 μM (0.8 ppm).     

The determination of gold by anodic stripping voltammetry

A method is described for the routine determination of gold as its chloride or cyanide complex by anodic stripping voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode coupled to a microprocessor-controlled voltammeter. The preferred supporting electrolyte is 0.1 M HCl/0.32 M HNO₃, with plating at ?200 mV or ?1200 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl). The stripping peak potentials range from 830 to 1150 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) depending on concentration and plating time. Precision (percent relative standard deviation) is better than 5 % for a range of concentrations between 5 μg l^?1 and 1000 μg l^?1. The detection limit is about 5 μg l^?1 for a 5-min plating period. Interferences from Cu, Hg, Ag and other electroactive species are overcome by preliminary extraction with diethyl ether.     

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.     

Highly Sensitive Nanostructured Electrochemical Sensor Based on Carbon Nanotubes-Pt Nanoparticles Paste Electrode for Simultaneous Determination of Levodopa and Tyramine

A multicomponent electrochemical sensor, with two nanometer-scale components in sensing matrix/electrode, was used to simultaneous determination of levodopa (LD) and tyramine (TR) in pharmaceutical and diet samples. Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as carbonaceous materials in the electrode construction. 5-amino-3',4'-dimethoxy-biphenyl-2-ol (5ADMB) was used as electron mediator and Pt nanoparticles (nPt) as a catalyst. The 5ADMB catalyzes the oxidation of LD to the corresponding catecholamine, which is electrochemically reduced back to LD. Preparation of this electrode was very simple and modified electrode showed good properties at electrocatalytic oxidization of LD and TR. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), a highly selective and simultaneous determination of LD and TR has been explored at the modified electrode. Differential pulse voltammetry peak currents of LD and TR increased linearly with their concentrations at the ranges of 0.50–100.0 μM and 0.60–100.0 μM, respectively. Also, the detection limits for LD and TR were 0.31 and 0.52 μM, respectively. The electrode exhibited an efficient catalytic response with good reproducibility and stability.     

Construction of amperometric biosensor modified with conducting polymer/carbon dots for the analysis of catechol

Phenolic compounds used in food industries and pesticide industry, are environmentally toxic and pollute the rivers and ground water. For that reason, detection of phenolic compounds such as catechol by using simple, efficient and cost-effective devices have been becoming increasingly popular. In this study, a suitable and a novel matrix was composed using a novel conjugated polymer, namely poly[1-(5-(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophen-2-yl)furan-2-yl)-5-(2-ethylhexyl)-3-(furan-2-yl)-4H thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6(5H)-dione] (PFTBDT) and carbon dots (CDs) to detect catechol. PFTBDT and CDs were synthesized and the optoelectronic properties of PFTBDT were investigated via electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical studies. Laccase enzyme was immobilized onto the constructed film matrix on the graphite electrode. The proposed biosensor was found to have a low detection limit (1.23 μM) and a high sensitivity (737.44 μA/mM.cm⁻²) with a linear range of 1.25–175 μM. Finally, the applicability of the proposed enzymatic biosensor was evaluated in a tap water sample and a satisfactory recovery (96–104%) was obtained for catechol determination.     

Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence Determination of Dopamine and Epinephrine in the Presence of Ascorbic Acid at Carbon Nanotube/Nafion‐Ru(bpy)$\rm{ {_{3}^{2+}}}$ Composite Film Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

Based on the inhibition effect of dopamine and epinephrine on Ru(bpy) ‐tripropylamine electrogenerated chemiluminescence system, the excellent properties of carbon nanotube, and the cation permselectivity of Nafion film, an electrogenerated chemiluminescence inhibition method for determination of dopamine and epinephrine in the presence of ascorbic acid at carbon nanotube/Nafion‐Ru(bpy) composite film modified glassy carbon electrode was described. The results showed that the proposed method was sensitive and selective for the determination of dopamine and epinephine. The linear calibration range was from 1.6×10^?9 M to 3.2×10^?5 M and 5×10^?8 M to 6×10^?5 M for dopamine and epinephrine, respectively. 200‐fold excess of ascorbic acid did not interfere with the determination of 1 μM dopamine and epinephrine.     

A Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/Chitosan Composite as a New Sensor for Simultaneous Determination of Acetaminophen and Mefenamic Acid in Pharmaceutical Preparations and Biological Samples

A new chemically modified electrode is constructed based on multiwalled carbon nanotube/chitosan modified glassy carbon electrode (MWCNTs‐CHT/GCE) for simultaneous determination of acetaminophen (ACT) and mefenamic acid (MEF) in aqueous buffered media. The measurements were carried out by application of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) methods. Application of DPV method showed that the linear relationship between oxidation peak current and concentration of ACT and MEF were 1 μM to 145 μM, and 4 μM to 200 μM, respectively. The analytical performance of this sensor has been evaluated for detection of ACT and MEF in human serum, human urine and a pharmaceutical preparation with satisfactory results.     

Copper oxide nanoparticles and ionic liquid modified carbon electrode for the non-enzymatic electrochemical sensing of hydrogen peroxide

The direct electrocatalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide in alkaline medium at a carbon ionic liquid electrode modified with copper oxide nanoparticles was investigated. The electrode was prepared by mixing graphite particles, ionic liquid (n-octylpyridium hexafluorophosphate) and copper oxide nanoparticles. Unlike the film-modified electrode, the fabrication of this electrode is simple and highly reproducible. The combination of the good conductivity of the ionic liquid and the high catalytic activity of the nanoparticles resulted in an electrode with attractive properties for the determination of hydrogen peroxide. The concentration of NaOH and the loading of copper oxide nanoparticles were optimized. The linear range for the determination of hydrogen peroxide is from 1.0 μM to 2.5 mM, the detection limit is 0.5 μM. High stability, sensitivity, selectivity and reproducibility, fast response, the ease of preparation, and surface renewal made the electrode well suitable for the determination of hydrogen peroxide in real samples.     

Non‐enzymatic Electrochemical Sensor for the Simultaneous Determination of Xanthine,its Methyl Derivatives Theophylline and Caffeine as well as its Metabolite Uric Acid

Xanthine and its methyl derivatives, theophylline and caffeine are purines which find important roles in biological systems. The simultaneous voltammetric behaviour of these purines has been studied on a glassy carbon electrode modified with an electropolymerised film of para amino benzene sulfonic acid. Well defined and well separated peaks were obtained for the oxidation of xanthine, theophylline and caffeine on the polymer modified electrode in the square wave mode. The experimental requirements to obtain the best results for individual as well as simultaneous determination were optimised. The signal for the electro‐oxidation was found to be free of interferences from each other in the range 0.9 – 100 μM in the case of xanthine and from 10–100 μM in the case of theophylline and caffeine with detection limits 0.35 μM, 7.02 μM and 11.95 μM respectively. The simultaneous determination of uric acid, the final metabolic product of xanthine oxidation in biological systems could also be accomplished along with xanthine, theophylline and caffeine atphysiological pH. The mechanistic aspects of the electro‐oxidation on the polymer modified electrode was also studied using linear sweep voltammetry. Chronoamperometry was employed to determine the diffusion coefficient of these xanthines. The developed sensor has been successfully demonstrated to be suitable for the determination of these compounds in real samples without much pre‐treatment.