Voltammetric Determination of Azidothymidine Using Silver Solid Amalgam Electrodes

A new simple and direct electroanalytical method was developed for the determination of azidothymidine in commercial pharmaceutical preparations. It is based on differential pulse voltammetry at silver solid amalgam electrode with polished surface (p‐AgSAE) or surface modified by mercury meniscus (m‐AgSAE). The electroreduction of azidothymidine in basic media at these electrodes gives rise to one irreversible cathodic peak. Its potential in 0.05 mol L^?1 borate buffer, pH 9.3 at ca. ?1050 mV is comparable to that using hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). Achieved limits of quantitation are in the 10^?7 mol L^?1 concentration range for both amalgam electrodes. According to the procedure based on the standard addition technique, the recoveries of known amounts of azidothymidine contained in pharmaceutical preparations available in capsules were 101.4±1.8% (m‐AgSAE), 100.3±3.5% (p‐AgSAE) and 102.0±1.0% (HMDE) (n=10). There was no significant difference between the values gained by proposed voltammetric methods and the HPLC‐UV recommended by the United States Pharmacopoeia regarding the mean values and standard deviations.     

Electrodes of Nontoxic Solid Amalgams for Electrochemical Measurements

The preparation, activation and electrochemical pretreatment of electrodes based on nontoxic solid amalgams were described. Testing of metal solid amalgam electrodes (MeSAEs) proved their broad applicability in many respects, e.g., as to the range of working potentials and the level of background currents, well comparable with those of the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). A regeneration of their surfaces before each measurements could be simply automatized using a PC‐controlled system providing a reasonable repeatability of voltammetric measurements down to 3% RSD. Combination with stripping techniques at accumulation times t_ac=300 s the detection limit amounted to the concentration level of 1 ppb Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), etc. Best electrochemical properties were exhibited by the silver solid amalgam electrode (AgSAE). For example, polished AgSAE (p‐AgSAE), completely free of liquid mercury, proved satisfactory even at more negative potentials enabling the determination of Zn(II), Mn(II), IO , etc. Moreover, even better repeatability of mercury meniscus modified AgSAE (m‐AgSAE) was due to better quality and renewability of its surface. In many cases further testing confirmed that under appropriate conditions MeSAEs represent good, often cheaper and more users‐friendly alternatives to HMDE.     

Working Electrodes from Amalgam Paste for Electrochemical Measurements

Paste electrode with paste amalgam as an active electrode material is described here for the first time. Designed electrode from silver paste amalgam (AgA‐PE) is solely metallic and does not contain any organic binder. Mechanical surface regeneration of AgA‐PE is performed in the same way as for classical carbon paste electrodes and reproducibility of such regeneration is about 10%. Electrochemical surface regeneration appeared very efficient for most measurements. In dependence on paste metal content, the electrode surface can be liquid (resembling a film) or rather solid. The hydrogen overvoltage on AgA‐PE is high, and the electrode allows measurements at highly negative potentials. AgA‐PE is well suited for study of reduction or oxidation processes without an accumulation step. Anodic stripping voltammetry of some metals tested on the electrode is influenced by formation of intermetallic compounds. The measurement based on cathodic stripping voltammetry (adenine, cysteine) and on catalytic processes from adsorbed state (complex of osmium tetroxide with 2,2′‐bipyridine) can be performed on AgA‐PE practically under the same conditions as found earlier for HMDE and for silver solid amalgam electrode. The working electrode from paste amalgam combines the advantages of paste and metal electrodes.     

Voltammetric Behavior of Osmium‐Labeled DNA at Mercury Meniscus‐Modified Solid Amalgam Electrodes. Detecting DNA Hybridization

The complex of osmium tetroxide with 2,2′‐bipyridine has been utilized as a probe of DNA structure and an electroactive marker of DNA in DNA hybridization sensors. It produces several voltammetric signals, the most negative of them has been observed only at mercury electrodes. This signal is of catalytic nature affording a high sensitivity of DNA determination. The catalytic current due to evolution of hydrogen in voltammetry of DNA modified by complex of osmium tetroxide with 2,2′‐bipyridine (DNA‐Os,bipy) was studied. Solid amalgam electrodes (modified with mercury menisci) of silver (m‐AgSAE), copper (m‐CuSAE), gold, and of combined bismuth and silver, were used as possible substitutes for mercury electrodes. Besides the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE), the catalytic current was observed only on m‐AgSAE and m‐CuSAE. Electrodes of gold and bismuth amalgams did not give the catalytic current. The detection limit of DNA‐Os,bipy on HMDE was 0.1 ng mL^?1 (RSD=2.3 %, N=11), and on m‐AgSAE 0.2 ng mL^?1 (RSD=3.1%, N=11). The m‐AgSAE was successfully applied as a detection electrode in double‐surface DNA hybridization experiments offering highly specific discrimination between complementary (target) and nonspecific DNAs, as well as determination of the length of a repetitive DNA sequence. The m‐AgSAE has proved a convenient alternative to the HMDE or carbon electrodes used for similar purposes in previous work.     

Characterization and Use of Copper Solid Amalgam Electrode for Electroanalytical Determination of Triazines‐Based Herbicides

This paper reports the construction, characterization and use of copper solid amalgam electrode in the study of the electrochemical behavior of atrazine and ametryne herbicides by square‐wave voltammetry. This study was used as basis for the development of sensitive analytical methods for the determination of these herbicides in natural water, avoiding the use of mercury, by means of a solid electrode that presents high sensitivity and minimizes any environment contamination with mercury residues. The experimental and voltammetric conditions were evaluated and the results showed a reduction peak for atrazine at ?0.98 and at ?1.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl 3.0 mol L^?1 for ametryne, both with characteristic of an irreversible electrode reaction in an electrochemical diffusion controlled process, involving two electrons for each herbicide reduction. Based on voltammetric studies, it has been demonstrated that the most possible mechanism for the reduction of herbicides involved reduction of bond carbon‐chloride for atrazine and the reduction of bond carbon–SCH₃ for ametryne. The detection limit of herbicides obtained in pure water (laboratory samples) was shown to be lower than the maximum limit of residue established for natural water by the Brazilian Environmental Agency, demonstrating that this methodology is very suitable for determining any contamination by atrazine and ametryne residues in different samples, proving a good substitute for mercury electrodes.     

Voltammetric Determination of 4‐Nitrophenol and 5‐Nitrobenzimidazole Using Different Types of Silver Solid Amalgam Electrodes – A Comparative Study

The voltammetric behavior of two genotoxic nitro compounds (4‐nitrophenol and 5‐nitrobenzimidazole) has been investigated using direct current voltammetry (DCV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at a polished silver solid amalgam electrode (p‐AgSAE), a mercury meniscus modified silver solid amalgam electrode (m‐AgSAE), and a mercury film modified silver solid amalgam electrode (MF‐AgSAE). The optimum conditions have been evaluated for their determination in Britton‐Robinson buffer solutions. The limit of quantification (L_Q) for 5‐nitrobenzimidazole at p‐AgSAE was 0.77 µmol L^?1 (DCV) and 0.47 µmol L^?1 (DPV), at m‐AgSAE it was 0.32 µmol L^?1 (DCV) and 0.16 µmol L^?1 (DPV), and at MF‐AgSAE it was 0.97 µmol L^?1 (DCV) and 0.70 µmol L^?1 (DPV). For 4‐nitrophenol at p‐AgSAE, L_Q was 0.37 µmol L^?1 (DCV) and 0.32 µmol L^?1 (DPV), at m‐AgSAE it was 0.14 µmol L^?1 (DCV) and 0.1 µmol L^?1 (DPV), and at MF‐AgSAE, it was 0.87 µmol L^?1 (DCV) and 0.37 µmol L^?1 (DPV). Thorough comparative studies have shown that m‐AgSAE is the best sensor for voltammetric determination of the two model genotoxic compounds because it gives the lowest L_Q, is easier to prepare, and its surface can be easily renewed both chemically (by new amalgamation) and/or electrochemically (by imposition of cleaning pulses). The practical applicability of the newly developed methods was verified on model samples of drinking water.     

Reference Electrodes Based on Solid Amalgams

A reference saturated calomel electrode based on the non‐toxic silver solid amalgam (SCE‐AgSA) as a substitute for liquid mercury is described. Long‐term as well as short‐term tests made during a period of one year confirmed the SCE‐AgSA potential to be equal to that of SCE within the limits of ±1 mV (the difference ΔE_SCE‐AgSA=+1.08±0.24 mV (vs. SCE); SD=0.87; N=51). The voltammograms of four selected metal ions registered vs. SCE‐AgSA and vs. SCE could practically overlap each other. None of the mentioned electrodes were polarized to a significant degree even if the electric current applied reached 2 mA. On the basis of the obtained results the SCE‐AgSA could be considered as equivalent substitute for SCE. Owing to practically identical electrode potential of both types of the mentioned electrodes the results obtained using SCE‐AgSA are completely comparable to those measured vs. SCE, without any correction of peak potentials.     

Carbon Powder Based Films on Traditional Solid Electrodes as an Alternative to Disposable Electrodes

The covering of conventional solid electrode with a film using an ink containing a conductive powder and a polymer enables to broaden the potential window of the original solid electrode. A solid silver amalgam electrode covered with such a film exhibits a potential window from ?600 mV to +1400 mV vs. SCE reference electrode. The renewal of the film is fast and simple: the electrode can be simply wiped with a filter paper to remove the old film and immersed into an ink solution or 1–2 μL of this ink solution can be applied to the surface of the electrode with a micro dispenser to form a new film. Therefore, just the inexpensive film at the electrode surface is disposable and there is no need to dispose the whole, more expensive electrode. Moreover, when a suitable electrochemical pretreatment of the film electrode is applied, the same film can be used for reproducible measurements for several days.     

Detecting DNA Damage with a Silver Solid Amalgam Electrode

Mercury electrodes modified with supercoiled (sc) DNA have been used as highly sensitive tools for the detection of DNA strand breaks or as sensors for DNA cleaving substances. In this paper we show that silver solid amalgam electrode (AgSAE), in connection with alternating current voltammetry, provides similar information about DNA damage as the hanging mercury drop electrode. The AgSAE can be used for the detection of enzymatic or chemical DNA cleavage in solution or at the electrode surface. AgSAE modified with scDNA can be utilized as a sensor for DNA nicking substances.     

Tubular Detector of Silver Solid Amalgam for Electrochemical Measurements in Flow Systems

This paper presents the application of the tubular detector based on silver solid amalgam (TD‐AgSA) for electrochemical determinations of reducible inorganic (Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺) and organic (4‐nitrophenol) compounds under flow injection analysis conditions. The newly developed TD‐AgSA is simple, robust and inexpensive. The limits of detections of Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺ and 4‐nitrophenol are 1.4×10^?6, 7.0×10^?7, and 5.0×10^?7 mol dm^?3, respectively (i.e. 0.09, 0.08 and 0.07 ppm). The obtained results proved the long‐term stability of the detector (RSD of the determination of Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, and 4‐nitrophenol were 0.8, 0.9 and 0.8 % (n=10; c_Zn=7.7×10^?5 mol dm^?3, c_Cd=4.5×10^?5 mol dm^?3 and c_4‐NPh=3.6×10^?5 mol dm^?3), respectively and its applicability for cathodic measurements in aqueous solutions at potentials up to ?2 V.     

双硫腙修饰固体银汞合金电极吸附伏安法测定痕量铅

制作了银汞合金电极,在其表面用双硫腙进行修饰,溶液中铅离子与电极表面的双硫腙发生螯合作用被富集。当电极电位在-0.20~-0.70V间进行阴极化扫描时,配合物中铅离子在电极表面被还原,于-0.40V左右形成灵敏的还原峰。选择了反应介质并优化了pH值、双硫腙用量、富集时间等实验参数。利用该修饰电极测定铅的线性范围为0.02~1.2mg/L,检出限为10μg/L。对0.6mg/L Pb2 溶液进行11次平行测定,相对标准偏差为4.1%。该法用于实际水样铅的测定,回收率为94.8%。     

Utilization of a Copper Solid Amalgam Electrode for the Analytical Determination of Atrazine

A copper solid amalgam electrode was prepared and used for the voltammetric determination of atrazine in natural water samples by square wave voltammetry. This electrode is a convenient substitute for the hanging mercury electrode since it is selective, sensitive, reliable and inexpensive and presents low toxicity characteristic. The detection limit of atrazine obtained in pure water (laboratory samples) was shown to be lower than the maximum limit of residue established for natural water by the Brazilian Environmental Agency. The relative standard deviation for 10 different measurements was found to be only 3.98% in solutions containing 8.16×10^?6 mol L^?1 of atrazine. In polluted stream water samples, the recovery measurements were approximately 70.00%, sustaining the applicability of the proposed methodology to the analysis of atrazine in such matrices.     

Electroreduction of Polychlorobenzenes Using Either Lead or Copper Electrodes

Polychlorobenzenes can be reduced electrolytically to dichlorobenzenes by using either lead or copper as the electrodes in a MeOH/THF solution. Among the resultants of dichlorobenzenes, 1,4‐dichlorobenzene is a major product that might be due to a low enthalpy of formation. A chlorine atom situated at the ortho position of another chlorine atom in the benzene ring is removed prior to others. However, the sequence of reactivities of the polychlorobenzenes for electroreducing by lead electrodes in this study is as follows: 1,2,3,4‐C₆H₂Cl₄ > 1,3,5‐C₆H₃Cl₃ > C₆HCl₅ ～ 1,2,4,5‐C₆H₂Cl₄ > 1,2,3,5‐C₆H₂Cl₄ ～ 1,2,3‐C₆H₃Cl₃ > 1,2,4‐C₆H₃Cl₃ >C₆Cl₆.     

Amalgam Electrodes for Electroanalysis

Liquid mercury is a unique material for the indicator electrode in voltammetry. One reason for this is the high overvoltage for hydrogen formation, thus extending the actual potential window. Diluted amalgams are important reaction products in voltammetric (polarographic) processes, however liquid amalgams are rarely used directly as electrode material for analytical purposes. Because of the fact that voltammetry is very suitable for field and remote monitoring, issues concerning the use of mercury electrodes in environmental analyses have led to considerable research effort aimed at finding alternative tools with acceptable performance. Solid electrodes are such alternatives. Different types of electrodes are reviewed. In particular, solid amalgam electrodes are very promising, with acceptable low toxicity to be used for field measurements. Solid amalgam electrodes are easy and cheap to construct and are stable over a reasonable time up to several weeks. Assessment of the toxicity risk and the long time stability for remote and unattended monitoring is discussed. The differences between solid dental amalgam electrodes, made by using techniques known from dental clinical practice, and mercury film or mercury layer electrodes on solid substrates are reviewed. In particular the dental technique for constructing solid amalgam electrodes gives advantage because it's fast and inexpensive. Also the technique for making dental amalgam has been explored and optimized over years by dentists, giving advantage when the same technique is used for constructing electrodes. Dental amalgam electrodes has been found to act similar to a silver electrodes, but with high overvoltage towards hydrogen. This make it possible to use the dental amalgam electrode for detection of zinc, cobalt and nickel in additions to other metals like lead, copper, thallium, cadmium, bismuth, iron etc. Also the use for reducible organic compounds is expected to be promising.     

Application of Non‐Stop‐Flow Differential Pulse Voltammetry at a Tubular Detector of Silver Solid Amalgam for Electrochemical Determination of Lomustine (CCNU)

An application of the flow differential pulse voltammetry with tubular detector based on silver solid amalgam for determination of antineoplastic drug lomustine in pharmaceutical preparations is presented. The highest sensitivity was obtained in [0.10 mol dm^?3 MES; 2.00 mol dm^?3 NaCl; pH 6.0]:EtOH (9 : 1) with flow rate 0.50 mL min^?1, and the magnitude of the modulation amplitude ?0.070 V. The calibration dependence was linear in the range 1×10^?6–1 × 10^?4 mol dm^?3 (R²=0.999). The limit of detection was 1.5×10^?7 mol dm^?3. This method was successfully used for determination of lomustine in real samples of chemotherapy drug CeeNU Lomustine 40 mg.     

Electrodeposition of Silver Amalgam on Thin Gold Film Electrodes for Voltammetric Detection of 4‐Nitrophenol and DNA Labeled with Osmium Tetroxide‐Bipyridine Complex

Alternative electrode materials suitable to prepare novel working electrode applicable in detecting biopolymers such as nucleic acids, proteins or glycoproteins, represent a significant contribution to bio‐electroanalysis. Herein, electrodes made of vapor‐deposited thin gold films (vAuE) were used as an alternative substrate for the electrodeposition of silver amalgam particles (AgAPs), next to indium tin oxide and pyrolytic graphite, which are already used. The conditions and parameters of double pulse chronoamperometry were optimized for the most‐sensitive voltammetric detection of 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP). The resulting electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. While 4‐NP could not be detected by bare nonactivated vAuEs at all, their electrochemical activation offered a limit of detection (LoD) of 25 and 5 μmol.l^?1 by means of CV and DPV, respectively. AgAP electrodeposited on vAuE, offered 2.5‐times lower LoDs 10 μmol.l^?1 by CV and comparable LoD 5 μmol.l^?1 by DPV. Advantageously, AgAPs could be repeatedly deposited on and anodically dissolved from the vAuE with a relative standard deviation 13 % of the ten‐times repeated DPV signal of 4‐NP (100 μmol.l^?1). In comparison to vAuE, the vAuE‐AgAP offered about 400 mV broader potential window, which allowed detection of single strand DNA fragment labeled by osmium tetroxide?bipyridine complex down to 2 ng.μl^?1 by means of DPV.     

Determination of triazine herbicides: development of an electroanalytical method utilizing a solid amalgam electrode that minimizes toxic waste residues, and a comparative study between voltammetric and chromatographic techniques

The use of a copper solid amalgam electrode (CuSAE) for the analytical determination of triazine herbicides (atrazine and ametryne) instead of the conventional hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) is reported. The results obtained using electroanalytical methods utilizing each of these electrodes were also compared with those provided by the HPLC technique. The results indicated that the CuSAE electrode can be used to detect the herbicides studied, since the detection limits reached using the electrode (3.06 μg L⁻¹ and 3.78 μg L⁻¹ for atrazine and ametryne, respectively) are lower than the maximum values permitted by CONAMA (Brazilian National Council for the Environment) for wastewaters (50 μg L⁻¹) and by the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency of the United States) in natural water samples (10.00 μg L⁻¹). An electroanalytical methodology employing CuSAE and square wave voltammetry (SWV) was successfully applied to the determination of atrazine and ametryne in natural water samples, yielding good recoveries (70.30%–79.40%). This indicates that the CuSAE provides a convenient substitute for the HMDE, particularly since the CuSAE minimizes the toxic waste residues produced by the use of mercury in HDME-based analyses.     

Voltammetric Determination of Nitronaphthalenes at a Silver Solid Amalgam Electrode

Abstract

Electrodes based on amalgam materials were re-introduced in electroanalytical chemistry in the year 2000, partially as reaction to unsubstantiated public fears of liquid mercury. In this publication, the voltammetric behavior of 1-nitronaphthalene and 2-nitronaphthalene was investigated at a mercury meniscus-modified silver solid amalgam electrode. The reduction mechanism in mixed neutral buffer-methanol medium includes the four-electron reduction to hydroxylaminoderivative followed by a two-electron reduction to the amine in acidic medium, similarly to mercury electrodes. In alkaline media, both compounds show the splitting of the main four-electron reduction peak typical for mercury electrodes in two new ones, the first one corresponding to a one electron reduction of the nitroderivative to the nitro radical anion, which was confirmed by microcoulometry. Using optimized conditions (differential pulse voltammetry, Britton-Robinson buffer pH 7.0 – methanol (9:1) medium) the calibration dependences are linear in the range of 2·10^?7 (4·10^?7) to 1·10^?4 mol L^?1 for 1-nitronaphthalene (2-nitronaphthalene). After preconcentration of the analytes from drinking and river water samples using solid phase extraction the limit of determination was lowered to ～3·10^?8 mol L^?1.     

Potentiometry with Solid Electrodes Based on Oxide Bronzes of Vanadium and Tungsten

A mathematical model is presented and the possibility of analytic application of electrodes of vanadium and tungsten oxide bronzes for the ion-selective determination of concentrations of oxygen-containing vanadium(5+) and tungsten(6+) ions in aqueous solutions 10^–5 to 10^–2 M at controlled pH is established.