Simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol at PASA/MWNTs composite film modified glassy carbon electrode

A poly-amidosulfonic acid and multi-wall carbon nanotubes composite (PASA/MWNTs) modified electrode has been constructed by electropolymerization on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The electrochemical behaviors of hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CC) were investigated using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetries (DPVs) at the prepared electrode. Separation of the reductive peak potentials for HQ and CC was about 120 mV in pH 6.0 phosphate buffer solution (PBS), which makes it suitable for simultaneous determination of these compounds. In the presence of 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ isomer, the reductive peak currents of DPV are proportional to the concentration of HQ in the range of 6.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 4.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, and to that of CC in the range of 6.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 7.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹. When simultaneously changing the concentration of both HQ and CC, the linear concentration range of HQ (or CC) is 6.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ (or 6.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.8 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹), and the corresponding detection limits are 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The proposed method has been applied to simultaneous determination of HQ and catechol in water sample, and the results are satisfactory.     

A novel poly(taurine) modified glassy carbon electrode for the simultaneous determination of epinephrine and dopamine

A novel taurine modified glassy carbon electrode was prepared by electropolymerization method. The electrochemical behaviors of epinephrine (EP) and dopamine (DA) at the modified electrode were studied by cyclic voltammetry. The modified electrode exhibited enhanced sensitivity and excellent electrochemical discrimination to DA and EP. The cathodic peaks of the two species were well-separated with a potential difference of about 390 mV, so the poly(taurine) modified electrode was used for simultaneous voltammetric measurement of EP and DA by differential pulse voltammetry. Under the optimum conditions, the cathodic peak currents were linear to concentrations of EP and DA in the range of 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 6.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ and 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 8.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The detection limits for EP and DA were 3.0 × 10⁻⁷ and 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹, respectively. Because the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA) is an irreversible reaction at modified electrode, the interference of AA for determining EP and DA was eliminated. The modified electrode has been satisfactorily used for the simultaneous determination of EP and DA in pharmaceutical injections.     

Luminescent CuS nanotubes as silver ion probes

CuS nanotubes (NTs) made up of nanoparticles were successfully prepared in large quantities in an O/W microemulsion system under low temperature. Based on the characteristics of synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS), a new method with high sensitivity and selectivity was developed for rapid determination of silver ion with functional copper sulphide (CuS) nanotubes as a fluorescence probe. Under optimal conditions, functional copper sulphide displayed a calibration response for silver ion over a wide concentration range from 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. The limit of detection was 0.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ and the relative standard deviation of eight replicate measurements for the highest concentration (1 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹) was 3%. Compared with several fluorescence methods, the proposed method had a wider linear range and improved the sensitivity. Furthermore, the concentration dependence of the synchronous fluorescence intensity is effectively described by a Langmuir-type binding isotherm.     

Bifunctional sensor of nitric oxide and oxygen based on hematite nanotubes embedded in chitosan matrix

A novel hybrid bifunctional sensing platform for simultaneous determination of NO and O₂ has been developed, whereby hematite nanotubes are immobilized into the chitosan matrix onto a gold electrode (labeled as HeNTs-Chi/Au). The HeNTs distributed in porous-structured chitosan matrix not only offer abundant active sites for bifunctional sensing of NO and O₂, but also facilitate oxidation of NO and reduction of O₂ dramatically. Straight calibration curves are achieved in analyte concentration ranges of 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.25 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ for NO and 2.5 × 10⁻⁷ to 6.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ for O₂. Also, the detection limits are low of 8.0 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ for NO and 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ for O₂. Such an efficient bifunctional sensor for NO and O₂ offers great potential in quantitation of NO levels in biological and medical systems, since NO level is highly regulated by various reactive oxygen species.     

Voltammetric determination of N-acetylcysteine using a carbon paste electrode modified with copper(II) hexacyanoferrate(III)

The preparation and electrochemical characterization of a carbon paste electrode modified with copper(II) hexacyanoferrate(III) (CuHCF) as well as its behavior as electrocatalyst toward the oxidation of N-acetylcysteine were investigated. The electrochemical behavior of the modified electrode and the electrooxidation of N-acetylcysteine were explored using sweep linear voltammetry. The best voltammetric response was observed for a paste composition of 20% (w/w) copper(II) hexacyanoferrate(III) complex, acetate buffer solution at pH of 6.0 as the electrolyte and scan rate of 10 mV s^− 1. A linear voltammetric response for N-acetylcysteine was obtained in the concentration range from 1.2 × 10^− 4 to 8.3 × 10^− 4 mol L^− 1, with a detection limit of 6.3 × 10^− 5 mol L^− 1. The proposed electrode is useful for the quality control and routine analysis of N-acetylcysteine in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Electrochemical behavior and voltammetric determination of tryptophan based on 4-aminobenzoic acid polymer film modified glassy carbon electrode

Herein, a novel electrochemical method was developed for the determination of tryptophan based on the poly(4-aminobenzoic acid) film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The electrochemical behaviors of tryptophan at the modified electrode were investigated. It was found that the oxidation peak current of tryptophan at the modified GCE was greatly improved compared with that at the bare GCE. The effects of supporting electrolyte, pH value, scan rate, accumulation potential and time were examined. The oxidation peak current of tryptophan was proportional to its concentration over the range from 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹. The limit of detection was evaluated to be 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. The proposed method was sensitive and simple. It was successfully employed to determine tryptophan in pharmaceutical samples.     

Novel lipoate-selective membrane sensor for the flow injection determination of alpha-lipoic acid in pharmaceutical preparations and urine

A potentiometric lipoate-selective sensor based on mercuric lipoate ion-pair as a membrane carrier is reported. The electrode was prepared by coating the membrane solution containing PVC, plasticizer, and carrier on the surface of graphite electrode. Influences of the membrane composition, pH, and possible interfering anions were investigated on the response properties of the electrode. The sensor exhibits significantly enhanced response toward lipoate ions over the concentration range 1 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ to 1 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ with a lower detection limit of (LDL) of 9 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ and a slope of −29.4 mV decade⁻¹, with S.D. of the slope is 0.214 mV. Fast and stable response, good reproducibility, long-term stability, applicability over a pH range of 8.0–9.5 is demonstrated. The sensor has a response time of ≤12 s and can be used for at least 6 weeks without any considerable divergence in its potential response. The proposed electrode shows good discrimination of lipoate from several inorganic and organic anions. The CGE was used in flow injection potentiometry (FIP) and resulted in well defined peaks for lipoate ions with stable baseline, excellent reproducibility and reasonable sampling rate of 30 injections per hour. The proposed sensor has been applied for the direct and FI potentiometric determination of LA in pharmaceutical preparations and urine; and has been also utilized as an indicator electrode for the potentiometric titration of LA.     

An electropolymerized Nile Blue sensing film-based nitrite sensor and application in food analysis

This paper reports a poly-Nile Blue (PNB) sensing film based electrochemical sensor and the application in food analysis as a possible alternative for electrochemical detection of nitrite. The PNB-modified electrode in the sensor was prepared by in situ electropolymerization of Nile Blue at a prepolarized glassy carbon (GC) electrode and then characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and pulse voltammetry in phosphate buffer (pH 7.1). Several key operational parameters affecting the electrochemical response of PNB sensing film were examined and optimized, such as polarization time, PNB film thickness and electrolyte pH values. As the electroactive PNB sensing film provides plenty of active sites for anodic oxidation of nitrite, the nitrite sensor exhibited high performance including high sensitivity, low detection limit, simple operation and good stability at the optimized conditions. The nitrite sensor revealed good linear behavior in the concentration range from 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ for the quantitative analysis of nitrite anion with a limit of detection of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. Finally, the application in food analysis using sausage as testing samples was investigated and the results were consistent with those obtained by standard spectrophotometric method.     

An investigation of the chemiluminescence reaction in the sodium hypochlorite–folic acid–emicarbazide hydrochloride system

A chemiluminescence method for the determination of folic acid by the sodium hypochlorite–folic acid–semicarbazide hydrochloride system with a new flow injection technique has been established. The new method can perform simple, sensitive and rapid determinations of folic acid. The response to the concentration of folic acid, in the range of 1.0×10⁻⁷5.0×10⁻⁵ g/ml, is linear. The relative standard deviation of the method is 2.3% (C_s=4.0×10⁻⁶ g/ml, n=11). The detection limit is 2.7×10⁻⁸ g/ml. This method is suitable for automatic and continuous analysis, and has been successfully tested for the determination of folic acid in a folic acid tablet.     

Surface-enhanced oxidation and detection of Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine using multi-walled carbon nanotubes film-modified electrode

The insoluble multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) was successfully dispersed into water in the presence of hydrophobic surfactant. After that, MWNT film-coated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was achieved via dip-coating and evaporating water. Owing to huge surface area, high sorption capacity and subtle electronic properties, MWNT film exhibits highly efficient accumulation efficiency as well as considerable surface enhancement effects to Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine. As a result, the oxidation peak currents of Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine remarkably increase at the MWNT film-modified GCE. Based on this, a novel electrochemical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine. The limits of detection are 10.0 ng mL⁻¹ (2.2 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹) and 0.1 μg mL⁻¹ (1.88 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹) for Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine. Finally, the proposed method was successfully used to detect Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine in soft drinks.     

Voltammetric determination of hypoxanthine based on the enhancement effect of mesoporous TiO2-modified electrode

A mesoporous TiO₂ was synthesized according to the reported method, and then used to modify the carbon paste electrode (CPE). The electrochemical behavior of hypoxanthine was investigated with great detail. Compared with the unmodified CPE, the mesoporous TiO₂-modified CPE greatly enhances the oxidation signal of hypoxanthine. Due to huge surface area, well-defined and special mesopores, the mesoporous TiO₂-modified CPE shows considerable enhancement effect toward hypoxanthine. Based on this, a sensitive, rapid and convenient electrochemical method was developed for the determination of hypoxanthine. The linear range is over the range from 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, and the limit of detection is estimated to be 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for 10 mesoporous TiO₂-modified CPEs is 5.7%. Finally, this sensing method was successfully used to determine hypoxanthine in human blood serum samples.     

Characterization of a 10.3-μm pulsed DFB quantum cascade laser

We have measured the output parameters of a 10.3-μm pulsed distributed-feedback (DFB) quantum cascade (QC) laser manufactured by Alpes Lasers and intended for high-sensitivity detection of ammonia and ethylene. The laser beam was collimated with an AR-coated aspheric ZnSe lens with focal length of 11.6 mm and clear aperture of 16.5 mm. Near- and far-field distributions of the laser emission were recorded with an infrared imaging camera. The fast-and slow-axis laser beam divergences were measured to be 1.2 and 1.4 mrad (FWHM), respectively. The divergence was found to be increasing with injection current. An air-spaced Fabry–Perot interferometer with free spectral range of 0.05 cm⁻¹ was used to measure the frequency tuning rates of the laser. The laser was tuned by either heat sink temperature, injection current or pulse repetition rate with rates of −8 × 10⁻² cm⁻¹ K⁻¹, −7 × 10⁻² cm⁻¹ A⁻¹ and −9 × 10⁻⁴ cm⁻¹ kHz⁻¹, respectively. The laser frequency decreased linearly with a rate of 10⁻² cm⁻¹ ns⁻¹ (300 MHz ns⁻¹) for laser pulses varied from 10 to 50 ns, and the frequency chirp rate was found to decrease for longer laser pulses.     

Design of fluorescent self-assembled multilayers and interfacial sensing for organophosphorus pesticides

This paper details the fabrication of indole (ID) self-assembled multilayers (SAMs) and fluorescence interfacial sensing for organophosphorus (OP) pesticides. Quartz/APES/AuNP/l-Cys/ID film was constructed on l-cysteine modified Quartz/APES/AuNP surface via electrostatic attraction between ID and l-cysteine. Cyclic voltammetry indicates that ID is immobilized successfully on the gold surface. Fluorescence of the Quartz/APES/AuNP/l-Cys/ID film shows sensitive response toward OPs. The fluorescent sensing conditions of the SAMs are optimized that allow linear fluorescence response for methylparathion and monocrotophos over 5.97 × 10⁻⁷ to 3.51 × 10⁻⁶ g L⁻¹ and 3.98 × 10⁻⁶ to 3.47 × 10⁻⁵ g L⁻¹, with detection limit of 6.1 × 10⁻⁸ gL⁻¹ and 3.28 × 10⁻⁶ gL⁻¹, respectively. Compared to bulk phase detection, interfacial fluorescence sensing based on the SAMs technology shows higher sensitivity by at least 2 order of magnitude.     

Synthesis, characterization and radiolytic properties of bis(oxalato)borate containing ionic liquids

Previously unreported bis(oxalato)borate (BOB) ionic liquids (ILs) containing imidazolium, pyridinium, and pyrrolidinium cations were prepared from the corresponding halide salts by reaction with sodium bis(oxalato)borate (NaBOB), and their properties are reported. Pulse radiolysis experiments revealed that the BOB anion scavenges solvated electrons with rate constants of 3×10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ in the ionic liquid C₄mpyrr NTf₂ and 2.8×10⁷ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ in water. This reactivity indicates that BOB ILs may be too sensitive to be used as neat solvents for nuclear separations processes in high radiation fields but may still be useful for preventing criticality while processing relatively “cold” fissile actinides.     

Non-extraction flow injection determination of cationic surfactants using eriochrome black-T

A new, rapid, sensitive, non-extraction batch, and flow injection spectrophotometric method for the determination of cationic surfactants (CSs) such as cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), tetra-n-butyl ammonium chloride (TBAC) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) is proposed. The method is based on the interaction of cationic surfactants with eriochrome black-T to form an ion-association complex. This complex has strong absorbance at 708 nm. The effects of chemical parameters and FIA variables on the determination of cationic surfactants were studied in detail, especially for CTAB. Under optimum conditions, the two linear calibration ranges of the method are 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 5.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ CTAB, CPB and DTAB for the batch spectrophotometric method and 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ CTAB, CPB and TBC for the flow injection spectrophotometric method. The sample throughput was 35 ± 5 samples h⁻¹ at room temperature. The relative standard deviations for 10 replicates of analysis of (2.0, 0.6 and 0.2) × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ CTAB were 1.2, 1.3, and 0.8%, respectively. In addition, the influence of potential interfering substances on the determination of cationic surfactants was studied. The proposed method is simple and rapid, using no toxic organic solvents. It was applied to the determination of trace CS in industrial wastewater with satisfactory results.     

Comparative studies on hydrolysis of bis(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate catalyzed by short- and long-alkyl-multiamine metallomicelles

Four short- and long-alkyl-multiamine ligands L¹–L⁴ have been synthesized and characterized. The catalytic efficiency of complex CuL¹ and functional metallomicelles CuL²–CuL⁴ were comparatively investigated for the hydrolysis of bis(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate (BNPP) in buffered solution at 30 °C. The ternary kinetic model for metallomicellar catalysis was suggested to analyze the experimental data. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters k^′_N, K_T and pK_a were obtained. The results indicated that the complexes with 1:1 ratio of ligands L²–L⁴ to copper(II) ion were the kinetic active catalysts, and the deprotonized Cu(II) complex formed by activated water molecule was the real active species for BNPP catalytic hydrolysis. The real rate constant of the reaction catalyzed by CuL¹–CuL⁴ was 4.00 × 10⁻⁶, 7.44 × 10⁻⁵, 1.42 × 10⁻⁴ and 4.10 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹, respectively. The effects of ligand and microenvironment on the hydrolytic reaction of BNPP have been discussed in detail.     

C60 trianion-mediated electrocatalysis and amperometric sensing of hydrogen peroxide

Heterogeneous electrocatalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by C₆₀ is reported for the first time. C₆₀ is embedded in tetraoctylammonium bromide (TOAB) film and is characterized by scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Electrocatalytic studies show that the trianion of C₆₀ mediates the electrocatalytic reduction of H₂O₂ in aqueous solution containing 0.1 M KCl. Application of such film modified electrode as an amperometric sensor for H₂O₂ determination is also examined. The sensor shows a fast response within 1 s and a linear response is obtained (R = 0.9986) in the concentration range from 3.33 × 10⁻⁵ to 2.05 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ for H₂O₂, with the detection limit of 2 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ and the sensitivity of 1.65 μA mM⁻¹. A good repeatability and stability is shown for the sensor during the experiment.     

Scavenging of and OH radicals in concentrated HCl and NaCl aqueous solutions

In neutral and acidic aqueous solutions containing 2 mol L⁻¹ of Cl⁻, the decay of the solvated electron and the formation of ClOH⁻ and were studied by picosecond pulse radiolysis experiment. The rate constant for the reaction of and H₃O⁺ is 1.3 × 10¹⁰ L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹. The yield of the OH radical at 100 ps is estimated to be 5.0 × 10⁻⁷  mol  J⁻¹.     

Oxidative degradation of non-ionic surfactant (TritonX-100) by chromium(VI)

Degradation of polyoxyethylene chain of non-ionic surfactant (TritonX-100) by chromium(VI) has been studied spectrophotometrically under different experimental conditions. The reaction rate bears a first-order dependence on the [Cr(VI)] under pseudo-first-order conditions, [TritonX-100]  [Cr(VI)] in presence of 1.16 mol dm⁻³ perchloric acid. The observed rate constant (k_obs) was 3.3 × 10⁻⁴ to 3.5 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ and the half-life (t_1/2) was 33–35 min for chromium(VI). The effects of total [TritonX-100] and [H⁺] on the reaction rate were determined. Reducing nature of non-ionic TritonX-100 surfactant is found to be due to the presence of –OH group in the polyoxyethylene chain. It was observed that monomeric and non-ionic micelles of TritonX-100 were oxidized by chromium(VI). When [TritonX-100] was less than its critical micelle concentration (cmc) the k_obs values increased from 0.76 × 10⁻⁴ to 1.5 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹. As the [TritonX-100] was greater than the cmc, the k_obs values increases from 2.1 × 10⁻⁴ to 8.2 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ in presence of constant [HClO₄] (1.16 mol dm⁻³) at 40 °C. A comparison was made of the oxidative degradation rates of TritonX-100 with different metal ion oxidants. The order of the effectiveness of different oxidants was as follows: permanganate > diperiodatoargentate(III) > chromium(VI) > cerium(IV).