A new voltammetric sensor for the determination of sulfite in water and wastewater using modified-multiwall carbon nanotubes paste electrode

The electrochemical response of a modified-carbon nanotubes paste electrode with p-aminophenol was investigated as an electrochemical sensor for sulfite determination. The electrochemical behaviour of sulfite was studied at the surface of the modified electrode in aqueous media using cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry. It has been found that under the optimum condition (pH 7.0) in cyclic voltammetry, the oxidation of sulfite occurs at a potential about 680?mV less positive than that of an unmodified-carbon nanotubes paste electrode. Under the optimized conditions, the electrocatalytic peak current showed linear relationship with sulfite concentration in the range of 2.0?×?10^?7–2.8?×?10^?4?mol?L^?1 with a detection limit of 9.0?×?10^?8?mol?L^?1 sulfite. The relative standard deviations for ten successive assays of 1.0 and 50.0?µmol?L^?1 sulfite were 2.5% and 2.1%, respectively. Finally, the modified electrode was examined as a selective, simple and precise new electrochemical sensor for the determination of sulfite in water and wastewater samples.     

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.     

Anodic stripping voltammetric determination of silver ion at a carbon paste electrode modified with carbon nanotubes

A carbon paste electrode (CPE) was modified with multi-wall carbon nanotubes and successfully applied to the determination of silver ion by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. Compared to a conventional CPE, a remarkably improved peak current response and sensitivity is observed. The analytical procedure consisted of an open circuit accumulation step for 2?min in ?0.4?V, this followed by an anodic potential scan between +0.2 and?+?0.6?V to obtain the voltammetric peak. The oxidation peak current is proportional to the concentration of silver ion in the range from 1.0?×?10^?8 to 1.0?×?10^?5?mol?L^?1, with a detection limit of 1.8?×?10^?9?mol?L^?1 after an accumulation time of 120?s. The relative standard deviation for 7 successive determinations of Ag(I) at 0.1???M concentration is 1.99%. The procedure was validated by determining Ag(I) in natural waters.

Cathodic Adsorptive Voltammetry of the Gallium‐Alizarin Red S Complex at a Carbon Paste Electrode

The adsorptive voltammetric behavior of the gallium‐alizarin red S (ARS) complex in NH₄OAc‐HCl buffer at a carbon paste electrode(CPE) was investigated. The results showed that the complex can be adsorbed on the surface of the CPE, yielding one reduction peak at ?0.52 V(vs. SCE), corresponding to the irreversible reduction of the ligand, ARS, bonded in the complex. The optimal experimental conditions include the use of 0.10 mol L^?1 ammonium acetate buffer(pH 4.5), 1.0×10^?5 mol L^?1 ARS, an accumulation potential of ?0.05 V, an accumulation time of 180 s ,a rest time of 10 s, a scan rate of 200 mV s^?1and a second‐order derivative linear scan mode. The peak current is proportional to the concentration of gallium(III) over the range 0.02–6.0 μg L^?1, with the detection limit of 0.01 μg L^?1 for an accumulation time of 180 s. The method was applied to the determination of gallium in food samples with satisfactory results.     

半晶化双螺旋介孔MnO2的合成和电化学性质

Mesoporous silica KIT-6 has novel three-dimensional gyroidal channel structure, space group of 1a-3d, and ordered tunable pores up to 10 nm. In this paper, such mesostructured silica was employed as hard template to prepare semicrystalline gyroidal mesoporous MnO2. The structure was investigated by XRD, TEM and HRTEM, and found to be of high quality 1a-3d symmetry, in good accordance with the template structure. The material has a BET surface of 118 m2·g^-1 and pore volume of 0.35 cm3·g^- 1 after eliminating template. Mesoporous MnO2 has shown good electrochemical property as supercapacitor material in 1 mol·L^-1 Na2SO4 and 1 mol·L^-1 LiClO4 solutions, but interesting pseudocapacitance behavior was observed in the case of 6 mol·L^-1 KOH. It was found that mesoporous MnO2 performed stable reversible electrochemical behavior with capacitance of 220 F·g^-1 in a potential range of -0.1-0.55 V vs. Hg/HgO in alkaline solution, demonstrating that it is a promising novel electrode material for the fabrication of electrochemical capacitors.     

Voltammetric detection of guanosine and adenosine using a carbon paste electrode modified with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate

A novel kind of carbon paste electrode (CPE) was prepared by mixing graphite powder, liquid paraffin and the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate. The resulting electrode was used for the simultaneous determination of guanosine and adenosine by differential pulse voltammetry. Compared to a conventional CPE, the oxidation peak currents are largely increased, and the oxidation peak potentials are negatively shifted. The electrochemical responses to guanosine and adenosine were investigated. Under optimized conditions, the calibration curves are linear in the concentration range from 1.0?×?10^-6?mol?L^-1 to 1.6?×?10^-4?mol?L^-1 for guanosine, and from 1.0?×?10^-6?mol?L^-1 to 2.7?×?10^-4?mol?L^-1 for adenosine at pH 3.5. Substances potentially interfering in the biological matrix do no interfere. The method was successfully applied to detect adenosine and guanosine in human urine without sample treatments.

An Ionic Liquid Bulk-Modified Carbon Paste Electrode and Its Electrocatalytic Activity toward p-Aminophenol

An ionic liquid bulk-modified carbon paste electrode （M-CPE） has been fabricated by using 1-heptyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide as a modifier. Cyclic voltammetry （CV） and differential pulse voltammetry （DPV） were used to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity of the proposed electrode by choosing p-aminophenol （p-AP） as a model compound. Both at a bare carbon paste electrode （CPE） and the M-CPE, p-AP yielded a pair of redox peaks in 0.1 mol·L^-1 phosphate buffer solution （PBS, pH 7.0）. At the CPE, the peak-to-peak potential separation （AEp） was 0.233 V, while at the M-CPE the AEp was decreased to 0.105 V. Furthermore, the current response to p-AP at the M-CPE was 10.2 times of that at the CPE by DPV. The electron transfer rate constant （ks） ofp-AP at the M-CPE was 13.3 times of that at the CPE. Under the optimal condition, a linear dependence of the catalytic current versus p-AP concentration was obtained in the range of 2.0× 10^- 6 to 3.0× 10^- 4 mol·L^-1 with a detection limit of 6.0× 10^-7 mol·L^-1 by DPV. In addition, compared to other modified method the proposed electrode exhibited distinct advantages of simple prapartion, surface renewal, good reproducibility and good stability. It has been used to determine p-AP in simulated wastewater samples.     

Use of Cationic Surfactants Film Carbon Paste Electrodes Modified with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes in Electrochemical Analysis of dsDNA

Direct electrochemistry of dsDNA based on the enhancement effect of cationic surfactants such as dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) was achieved by using a carbon paste electrode modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs/CPE) as the basal electrode. The results indicated that the dsDNA molecules have been adsorbed quite strongly on the cationic surfactants’ film and very well developed peaks which were attributed to the oxidation of guanine residues on the dsDNA molecule structure were obtained from both electrodes. The electrochemical behavior of dsDNA at the surface of the modified electrodes was also evaluated. Based on the signal of guanine, under the optimal conditions, very low levels of dsDNA were detected following short accumulation times with detection limits of 0.650 mg L^?1 and 0.119 mg L^?1 for DTAB/MWCNTs/CPE and TTAB/MWCNTs/CPE, respectively.     

Thiol‐Functionalized Silica Thin Film Modified Electrode in Determination of Mercury Ions in Natural Water

The use of a thin thiol‐functionalized silica film modified glassy carbon electrode in the determination of Hg(II) ions in a natural water sample is described. A typical measurement involves two successive steps: a glassy carbon electrode coated with a thin mesoporous silica film containing 10% of mercaptopropyl groups, according to the MPTMS/TEOS ratio in the starting sol‐gel, was first immersed into the accumulation medium for 15 min, then removed, and finally transferred into a detection solution containing KCl 1.0 mol L^?1 where detection was performed by anodic stripping voltammetry. In this medium the previously accumulated Hg²⁺ species complexed by the thiol groups in an open circuit preconcentration step is then directly reduced at ?0.6 V during 60 s prior to be quantified by a differential pulse anodic scan from ?0.6 to 0.3 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). A stripping peak appeared at about ?0.01 V, which is directly proportional to the quantity of the analyte previously accumulated into the film. The best results were obtained under the following conditions: 100 mV pulse amplitude and 10 mV s^?1 scan rate in 1.0 mol L^?1 KCl solution pH 2.0. Using such parameters a linear dynamic range from 1.00 to 10.0×10^?8 mol L^?1 Hg(II) was observed with a limit of detection of 4.3 nmol L^?1 for an accumulation time of 15 min. Hg(II) spiked in a natural water sample was determined between 97.0 and 101.4% mean recovery at 10^?8 mol L^?1 level. The results indicate that this electrode is sensitive and selective for the Hg(II)determination.     

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.     

Separation and spectrophotometric determination of very low levels of Cr(VI) in water samples by novel pyridine-functionalized mesoporous silica

A modified SBA-15 mesoporous silica was developed, as an adsorbent, for the removal of Cr(VI) ions from natural-water samples. The effects of experimental parameters, including pH of solution, sample and eluent flow rate, the eluent composition, the eluent volume, and the effect of coexisting ions on the separation and determination of Cr(VI), were investigated. It was shown that Cr(VI) was selectively adsorbed from aqueous solution at pH 3, but Cr(III) could be adsorbed from solution at alkaline pH range. The retained Cr(VI) was eluted with 0.5?mol?L^?1 KCl solution in 0.1?mol?L^?1 Na₂CO₃ subsequently. Under the optimum conditions, the modified mesoporous silica (py-SBA-15) with a high pore diameter exhibited an adsorption capacity of 136?mg?g^?1 and a lower limit of detection than 2.3?µg?L^?1 by using diphenylcarbazide as a chromophorous reagent for the determination of Cr(VI) ions. A preconcentration factor as high as 200 was calculated for Cr(VI). The loaded py-SBA-15 can be reactivated with recovery of more than 98.5% over at least eight cycles. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for Cr(VI) ion recovery was less than 1.8%. Validation of the outlined method was performed by analysing a certified reference material (BCR 544). The proposed method was applied to determine Cr(VI) value in natural and waste water samples successfully.     

Electrochemical determination of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-cresol using mesoporous TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-modified carbon paste electrode

A mesoporous TiO₂ (meso-TiO₂) was synthesized, and used to prepare modified carbon paste electrode (CPE). The electrochemical sensing properties were characterized using K₃[Fe(CN)₆], showing that meso-TiO₂ modified CPE possesses larger surface area and higher electron transfer rate. The electrochemical behavior of p-cresol was investigated. At the meso-TiO₂ modified CPE, the oxidation peak current of p-cresol remarkably increases, and the oxidation peak potential shifts negatively, suggesting that meso- TiO₂ exhibits highly efficient catalytic activity to the oxidation of p-cresol. Based on this, a sensitive, rapid and convenient electrochemical method was developed for the detection of p-cresol. The linear range is from 1.5 × 10⁻⁷ and 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹, and the limit of detection is as low as 8.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹. Finally, the new method was successfully used to determine p-cresol in water samples.     

Trace determination of vardenafil hydrochloride in commercial formulation and human serum by adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry at a carbon paste electrode

The electrochemical behavior of vardenafil HCl (VRL) at a carbon paste electrode (CPE) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, and the mechanism of its oxidation was suggested and discussed. A simple Nujol-based CPE in combination with a sensitive square-wave adsorption anodic stripping voltammetry method was described for trace determination of VRL. The described method showed excellent performance for trace determination of VRL in its formulation “Levitra® tablets” without interference from excipients. The results were statistically compared with those obtained with an established HPLC method; nonsignificant differences were found between the described voltammetric and HPLC methods. The described stripping voltammetric method is highly sensitive (limit of detection?=?3?×?10^?10?mol?L^?1 and limit of quantitation?=?1?×?10^?9?mol?L^?1). It was successfully applied for the determination of VRL in spiked human serum without the necessity for pretreatment and/or time-consuming extraction steps prior to the analysis.     

Correlation between Electrochemical Impedance and Spectroscopic Measurements in Adsorbing Paraquat on Silver: Application in Underground Water Samples

The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been used to study the interaction between paraquat and carbon modified by silver (Ag? CPE) and silver particles‐impregnated natural phosphate (Ag/NPh? CPE). This study was developed using spectrophotometry (UV? Vis) and infrared spectroscopy. The resulting interaction was controlled by adsorption at lower concentration (≤1.0×10^?5 mol L^?1) and by diffusion in the opposite case. Both electrodes are used to determining paraquat with a low detection limit (<1.0×10^?12 mol L^?1). The precision expressed as relative standard deviation RSD for the concentration level 1.0×10^?5 mol L^?1 of paraquat, (n=8) were 0.93 % and 1.1 % for Ag/NPh? CPE and Ag? CPE respectively.     

Determination of Sulfide by Hematoxylin Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Modified Carbon Paste Electrode

This study investigates a new approach for the amperometric determination of sulfide using a hematoxylin multiwalled carbon nanotubes modified carbon paste electrode (HM‐MWCNTs/CPE). The experimental results show that HM‐MWCNTs/CPE significantly enhances the electrocatalytic activity towards sulfide oxidation. Cyclic voltammetric studies show that the peak potential of sulfide shifted from +400 mV at unmodified CPE to +175 mV at HM‐MWCNTs/CPE. The currents obtained from amperometric measurements at optimum conditions were linearly correlated with the concentration of sulfide. The calibration curve was obtained for sulfide concentrations in the range of 0.5–150×10^?6 mol L^?1. The detection limit was found to be 0.2×10^?6 mol L^?1 for the amperometric method. The proposed method was successfully applied to a river water sample in Pardubice, Czech Republic.     

Electroanalytical Determination of Morpholine as a Corrosion Inhibitor at a Cathodically Pretreated Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode

An electroanalytical method for the determination of morpholine, a corrosion inhibitor, was developed at a cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode (BDDE). The voltammetric response of morpholine at the BDDE in 0.1?mol L^?1 KCl (pH 10) shows an irreversible oxidation process at approximately 1.3?V vs. Ag/AgCl in 3.0?mol L^?1 KCl. Using cyclic voltammetry, the number of electrons involved in the morpholine electroxidation mechanism was found to be 1. The application of chronoamperometry showed that the apparent diffusion coefficient (D₀) was 2.99?×?10^?6 cm² s^?1. Using square wave voltammetry under the optimized conditions (frequency of 30.0?Hz, pulse amplitude of 100?mV and step potential of 20?mV at pH 10.0), the developed method provided limits of detection and quantification of 2.1 and 6.9?mg L^?1, respectively, with a linear range from 5.0 to 100.0?mg L^?1 (r?=?0.991). Intraday (n?=?10) and interday (two consecutive day) precision values assessed as the relative standard deviation for solutions containing 30.0, 60.0, and 90.0?mg L^?1 of morpholine were from 0.41 to 5.86% and 0.92 to 3.19%, respectively. The feasibility of the method for the interference-free determination of morpholine was verified by the analysis of synthetic boiler water samples containing CaCO₃, Na₂SO₃, Na₃PO_4, FeCl₃, and humic acid as organic matter. In addition, hydrazine was added as a possible interfering compound because of its widespread use in corrosion inhibition. Recovery values from 90.9 to 109.4% were obtained in the synthetic boiler water, thereby attesting to the accuracy of the method.     

A novel biosensor based on ZnO nanoparticle/1,3-dipropylimidazolium bromide ionic liquid-modified carbon paste electrode for square-wave voltammetric determination of epinephrine

The direct electrochemistry of epinephrine (EP) on a modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) was described. The electrode was modified with Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and 1,3-dipropylimidazolium bromide as a binder. The oxidation peak potential of EP at the surface of the ionic liquid ZnO nanoparticle CPE (IL/ZnO/NP/CPE) appeared at 350 mV, which was about 80 mV lower than the oxidation peak potential at the surface of the traditional carbon CPE under a similar condition. On other hand, the oxidation peak current was increased for about three times at the surface of IL/ZnO/NP/CPE compared to CPE. The linear response range and detection limit were found to be 0.09–800 μmol L^?1 and 0.06 μmol L^?1, respectively. Other physiological species did not interfere in the determination of EP at the surface of the proposed sensor in the optimum condition. The proposed sensor was successfully applied for the determination of EP in real samples.     

Simultaneous Flow Injection Analysis of Paracetamol and Ascorbic Acid with Multiple Pulse Amperometric Detection

The present work reports a simple and quick strategy for simultaneous determination of paracetamol (PC) and ascorbic acid (AA) in pharmaceutical formulations using flow injection method with multiple pulse amperometric detection. The method allows the resolution of the mixture without chemical pretreatment of the sample or electrode modification or the use of chemometric techniques for data analysis. The compounds are detected by applying four sequential pulses (waveform) in function of time to a three‐electrode amperometric system that uses a wall‐jet cell with gold as working electrode. AA is direct detected at +0.40 V and PC is indirectly detected at 0.0 V by the reduction (desorption) of the oxidation product (N‐acetyl‐p‐benzoquinoneimine) electrochemically generated at +0.65 V. The fourth potential pulse (?0.05 V) is applied for the complete regeneration (cleaning) of the gold electrode surface. The linear response range was optimized between 5 and 24 mg L^?1 for AA and 50 and 240 mg L^?1 for PC. The difference between the two responses ranges (10‐fold) present correlation with the concentration of these compounds in two different pharmaceutical formulations available in the Brazilian market. The analytical frequency was calculated in 60 injections per hour. The use of the proposed methodology for PC quantification in the presence of higher AA concentrations was also carried out. Using the standard addition method, it was possible to detect PC in trace levels (LD=0.2 mg L^?1) in the presence of 880‐fold more of AA (176 mg L^?1).     

A novel and simple biosensor based on poly(indoleacetic acid) film and its application for simultaneous electrochemical determination of dopamine and epinephrine in the presence of ascorbic acid

A novel and simple biosensor based on poly(indoleacetic acid) film-modified electrode (PIAA/CPE) was fabricated by electrochemical polymerization of indoleacetic acid on a carbon paste electrode (CPE) through cyclic voltammetry. The resulting electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and the electrochemical behaviors of dopamine (DA) and epinephrine (EP) at the electrode were studied. It was illustrated that PIAA/CPE had excellent electrochemical catalytic activities toward DA and EP. The anodic peak currents (I _pa) were dramatically enhanced by about seven-fold for DA and ten times for EP at PIAA/CPE. Thus, the determinations of DA and EP were carried out using PIAA/CPE successfully. The linear responses were obtained in the range of 3.0?×?10^?7～7.0?×?10^?4 and 1.0?×?10^?6 ～8.0?×?10^?4 mol L^?1 with the detection limits (3σ) of 1?×?10^?7 and 4?×?10^?7 mol L^?1 corresponding with DA and EP, respectively. Moreover, the cathodic peaks of DA and EP were well-separated with a potential difference about 325 mV in pH 5.3 phosphate-buffered saline, so simultaneous determination of DA and EP was carried out in this paper. Additionally, the interference studies showed that the PIAA/CPE exhibited excellent selectivity in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA). With good selectivity and sensitivity, the present method has been successfully applied to the determination of DA and EP in pharmaceutical samples.     

Sensitive Voltammetric Determination of Methyl Parathion Using a Carbon Paste Electrode Modified with Mesoporous Zirconia

A mesoporous zirconia modified carbon paste electrode was developed for electrochemical investigations of methyl parathion (MP, Phen‐NO₂). The significant increase of the peak currents and the improvement of the redox peak potential indicate that mesoporous zirconia facilitates the electronic transfer of MP. The oxidation peak current was proportional to the MP concentration in the range from 1.0×10⁻⁸ to 1.0×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 4.6×10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ (S/N=3) after accumulation under open‐circuit for 210 s. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of MP in apple samples.