Voltammetric Determination of α‐Tocopheryl Acetate in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

A simple and rapid voltammetric method has been developed for the quantitative determination of α‐tocopheryl acetate (α‐TOAc) in pharmaceutical preparations. Studies with linear scan (LSV), square‐wave (SQWV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were carried out using platinum microelectrodes. A well‐defined, irreversible oxidation wave/peak was obtained at 1.30 V (vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode.) The use of SQWV or DPV technique provides a precise determination of α‐tocopheryl acetate using the multiple standard addition method. The statistical parameters and the recovery study data clearly indicate good reproducibility and accuracy of the method. Accuracy of the results assessed by recovery trials was found within the 99.3% to 103.5%, and 99.1% to 101.4%, for SQWV and DPV, respectively. The quantification limits for the both voltammetric techniques were found to be 6×10^?5 M (SQWV) and 7×10^?5 M (DPV). Analysis of the authentic samples containing α‐TOAc showed no interference with common additives and excipients, such as unsaturated fatty acids (co‐formulated as glycerine esters) and vitamin A (as retinol or β‐carotene). The method proposed does not require any pretreatment of the pharmaceutical dosage forms. A gas chromatography determination of α‐TOAc in real samples was also performed for comparison.     

Determination of Esomeprazole on an Electropolymerized L‐arginine and β‐cyclodextrin Modified Screen Printed Carbon Electrode

The formation of an inclusion complex of the proton‐pump inhibitor (PPI) drug esomeprazole (ESO) with ß‐cyclodextrin (ß‐CD) has been investigated and proven by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The formation constant of the complex was determined. Thereafter, an electropolymerized β‐CD and L‐arginine (L‐arg) modified screen printed carbon electrode (P‐β‐CD‐L‐arg/SPCE) was developed for the determination of ESO using differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DPAdSV). A significant enhancement of the peak current was observed when applying an accumulation step due to the effect of adsorption. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) further indicated that the polymer of β‐CD and L‐arg efficiently improved the electron transfer kinetic between analyte and electrode surface. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation peak current was linearly proportional to the concentration of the drug in the range of 1.0×10^?8 to 1.0×10^?5 M. The DPAdSV method was successfully used to determine the concentrations of the drug in spiked human serum samples.     

Application of Polymer‐Modified Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode in the Indirect Determination of Certain β‐Lactam Antibiotics by Differential Pulse,Ion‐Exchange Voltammetry

A selective and sensitive polymer‐modified electrode was developed for β‐lactam antibiotics (cefaclor, amoxycillin and ampicillin) present in formulated and blood plasma samples for the quantitative analysis in aqueous environment. The detection was made using an ion‐exchange voltammetric technique, in differential pulse mode, on poly(N‐chloranil N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylene diammonium dichloride)‐modified hanging mercury drop electrode of a three‐electrode system (PAR Model 303A) attached with a Polarographic Analyzer/Stripping Voltammeter (PAR Model 264A). Antibiotics, which are electroinactive compounds, were essentially converted to their electroactive oxazolone analogues through acid treatment under drastic conditions (0.1 mol L^?1 HCl, ～85 °C, 2 h). These analytes in the form of their respective oxazolones were indirectly analyzed by oxazolone entrapment in the polymeric film through ion‐exchange process at modified electrode surface (accumulation potential ?0.20 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), accumulation time 120 s, pH 7.4, KH₂PO₄‐NaOH buffer (ionic strength 0.1 mol L^?1), scan rate 10 mV s^?1, pulse amplitude 25 mV). The limit of detection of cefaclor‐derived oxazolone was found to be 2.12 nmol L^?1 (0.82 ppb, S/N 3, RSD 3.21%) in terms of cefaclor (a representative β‐lactam) concentration.     

Novel Electrochemically Treated Graphite Pencil Electrode Surfaces for the Determination of Trace α‐Naphthol in Water Samples

An electrochemically treated graphite pencil electrode (PGPE) has been simply prepared for trace level determination of α‐naphthol. The pretreatment of GPE surfaces is conducted in 0.8 M NaOH by cycling the potential between +1.3 and +1.9 V for 50 CV segments at a scan rate of 100 mV s^?1. The influence of the pretreatment is studied extensively, and optimum conditions are obtained. Linear sweep anodic stripping voltammetry (LSASV) is used for the determination of α‐naphthol. Based on the constructed calibration curve, a linear range of 0.01 μM to 2.0 μM with a detection limit of 1.5 nM (S/N=3) is obtained. The results reveal that the electrochemical treatment of the GPE surface improves its electrochemical catalytic activity with reference to surfaces of the non‐treated GPE. The present method is applied for the determination of trace α‐naphthol in real water samples.