Electrochemical detection of triacetone triperoxide employing the electrocatalytic reaction of iron(II/III)-ethylenediaminetetraacetate and hydrogen peroxide

An electrochemical method for the detection of triacetone triperoxide (TATP) is proposed and examined. In this method, TATP solutions were treated with 1.08 M HCl for 10 min releasing H₂O₂ and/or hydroperoxides. Subsequently, these peroxides undergo an electrocatalytic reduction through the Fe^II/IIIethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) complex at a glassy carbon electrode. Cyclic voltammetric results indicate that no redox reaction was observed between Fe^IIEDTA and TATP. Acid treated TATP yielded voltammograms indicative of electrocatalysis of ROOH/HOOH reduction via Fe^II/IIIEDTA redox cycling. Chronoamperometric results yielded a detection limit of 0.89 μM for TATP and a sensitivity of 0.025 mA mM⁻¹. The influence of pH and O₂ interference on the analytical signal is briefly discussed.     

Electrochemical detection of the explosive, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD)

A rapid electrochemical detection scheme for the improvised explosive, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) is demonstrated. This is based on the hydrolysis of HMTD releasing H₂O₂ and the electrochemical redox cycling of Fe^II/IIIEDTA via the following scheme:

Fe^IIIEDTA + e⁻→Fe^IIEDTA     

Immobilization of [Cu(bpy)2]Br2 complex onto a glassy carbon electrode modified with α-SiMo12O40 and single walled carbon nanotubes: Application to nanomolar detection of hydrogen peroxide and bromate

A simple procedure has been used for preparation of modified glassy carbon electrode with carbon nanotubes and copper complex. Copper complex [Cu(bpy)₂]Br₂ was immobilized onto glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with silicomolybdate, α-SiMo₁₂O₄₀⁴⁻ and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)_. Copper complex and silicomolybdate irreversibly and strongly adsorbed onto GC electrode modified with CNTs. Electrostatic interactions between polyoxometalates (POMs) anions and Cu-complex, cations mentioned as an effective method for fabrication of three-dimensional structures. The modified electrode shows three reversible redox couples for polyoxometalate and one redox couple for Cu-complex at wide range of pH values. The electrochemical behavior, stability and electron transfer kinetics of the adsorbed redox couples were investigated using cyclic voltammetry. Due to electrostatic interaction, copper complex immobilized onto GC/CNTs/α-SiMo₁₂O₄₀⁴⁻ electrode shows more stable voltammetric response compared to GC/CNTs/Cu-complex modified electrode. In comparison to GC/CNTs/Cu-complex the GC/CNTs/α-SiMo₁₂O₄₀⁴⁻ modified electrodes shows excellent electrocatalytic activity toward reduction H₂O₂ and BrO₃⁻ at more reduced overpotential. The catalytic rate constants for catalytic reduction hydrogen peroxide and bromate were 4.5(±0.2) × 10³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 3.0(±0.10) × 10³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. The hydrodynamic amperommetry technique at 0.08 V was used for detection of nanomolar concentration of hydrogen peroxide and bromate. Detection limit, sensitivity and linear concentration range proposed sensor for bromate and hydrogen peroxide detection were 1.1 nM and 6.7 nA nM⁻¹, 10 nM-20 μM, 1 nM, 5.5 nA nM⁻¹ and 10 nM-18 μM, respectively.     

Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrite at polypyrrole nanowire-platinum nanocluster modified glassy carbon electrode

Pt nanoclusters were deposited in polypyrrole (PPy) nanowires by cyclic voltammetry method, fabricating a PPy-Pt nanocomposite on glassy carbon electrode (PPy-Pt/GCE). The electrocatalytic reduction of nitrite at PPy-Pt/GCE has been investigated using 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution. The sensor exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity toward nitrite reduction. In acidic medium, the cyclic voltammetry at 20 mV s^− 1 gave a nitrite reduction peak at − 0.124 V with 0.566 μA μM^− 1 current sensitivity in the range of 5.0 × 10^− 7-1.0 × 10^− 3 M. The detection limit was 1.5 × 10^− 7 M (s/n = 3). The proposed method was successfully applied in the detection of nitrite in real water samples and obtained satisfactory results. The PPy-Pt composite modified electrode had good storage stability, reproducibility and anti-interference ability.     

Determination of pKa value, kinetic studies of decomposition and oxygen transfer for chromium(VI) peroxide

The determination of pK_a value for the unstable chromium(VI) peroxide, CrO(O₂)₂(H₂O) in aqueous solution is presented. The pK_a value is found to be (1.55 ± 0.03). The kinetic decomposition of chromium(VI) peroxide is dependent on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the pH range between 2.5 and 4.0. We have proposed the possible explanation for the formation of triperoxo chromium complex of hydrogen peroxide which is dependent on decomposition. Activation of coordinate peroxide in chromium(VI) peroxide observed in the kinetic studies is by reduction of thiolato-cobalt(III) complex. The rate constant (M⁻¹ s⁻¹, 15 °C) for the oxygen atom transfer reaction from CrO(O₂)₂(OH)⁻ to (en)₂Co(SCH₂CH₂NH₂)²⁺ is found to be (25.0 ± 1.3).     

Enthalpy change and mechanism of oxidation of o-phenylenediamine by hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase

The hydrogen peroxide-oxidation of o-phenylenediamine (OPD) catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) at 37 °C in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) was studied by calorimetry. The apparent molar reaction enthalpy with respect to OPD and hydrogen peroxide were −447 ± 8 kJ mol⁻¹ and −298 ± 9 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Oxidation of OPD by H₂O₂ catalyzed by HRP (1.25 nM) at pH 7.0 and 37 °C follows a ping-pong mechanism. The maximum rate V_max (0.91 ± 0.05 μM s⁻¹), Michaelis constant for OPD K_m,S (51 ± 3 μM), Michaelis constant for hydrogen peroxide Km,H₂O₂ (136 ± 8 μM), the catalytic constant k_cat (364 ± 18 s⁻¹) and the second-order rate constants k₊₁ = (2.7 ± 0.3) × 10⁶ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and k₊₅ = (7.1 ± 0.8) × 10⁶ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ were obtained by the initial rate method.     

Determination of the hydroxyl radical by its adduct formation with phenol and liquid chromatography/electrochemical detection

An HPLC-ECD method is described for the indirect determination of the hydroxyl (OH) radical. Fenton's reaction is used to produce OH, which simultaneously attacks phenols (phenol or pyrocatechol) to form the adducts, pyrocatechol or pyrogallic acid. Thus, [OH] quantification is based on the separation and detection of pyrogallic acid and/or pyrocatechol by an isocratic HPLC-ECD method. The quantification of OH is also performed alternatively by a chronoamperometric detection in an electrochemical cell, where simultaneously formed Fe^III (Fenton's reaction) combines [Fe^II(CN)₆]⁴⁻ to produce the Prussian blue (PB) molecules (Fe₄^III[Fe^II(CN)₆]₃). Newly formed PB molecules are then immediately converted to colorless Everitts salt (K₄Fe₄^II[Fe^II(CN)₆]₃) with the reduction of the high-spin Fe^III to Fe^II at the surface of a glassy carbon electrode at +0.150 V (versus Ag/AgCl). The calculated concentration of OH during incubation (0.626 ppm) can be detected with negative errors by the HPLC-ECD (0.595 and 0.615 ppm with the errors −5.2 and −1.8%, respectively) and by the chronoamperometric method (0.552 and 0.607 ppm with the errors −11.8 and −3.0%, respectively). For the comparison of the two sets of data, HPLC-ECD method is much more promising.     

Oxidation of substituted pyridines by dimethyldioxirane: kinetics and solvent effects

The oxidation of a series of substituted pyridines by dimethyldioxirane (1) produced the expected N-oxides in quantitative yields. The second order rate constants (k₂) for the oxidation of a series of substituted pyridines (2a-g) by dimethyldioxirane were determined in dried acetone at 23 °C. An excellent correlation with Hammett sigma values was found (ρ = −2.91, r = 0.995). Kinetic studies for the oxidation of 4-trifluoromethylpyridine by 1 were carried out in the following dried solvent systems: acetone (k₂ = 0.017 M⁻¹ s⁻¹), carbon tetrachloride/acetone (7:3; k₂ = 0.014 M⁻¹ s⁻¹), acetonitrile/acetone (7:3; k₂ = 0.047 M⁻¹ s⁻¹), and methanol/acetone (7:3; k₂ = 0.68 M⁻¹ s⁻¹). Kinetic studies of the oxidation of pyridine by 1 versus mole fraction of water in acetone [k₂ = 0.78 M⁻¹ s⁻¹ (χ = 0) to k₂ = 11.1 M⁻¹ s⁻¹ (χ = 0.52)] were carried out. The results showed the reaction to be very sensitive to protic, polar solvents.     

Rosmarinic acid determination using biomimetic sensor based on purple acid phosphatase mimetic

A new heterodinuclear Fe(III)Zn(II) complex which mimics the active site of the hydrolytic enzyme red kidney bean purple acid phosphatase was synthesized and characterized by IR, CHN and X-ray crystallographic analyses. This complex, [Fe^IIIZn^II(μ-OH)bpbpmp-CH₃](ClO₄)₂, containing the ligand (H₂bpbpmp-CH₃ = {2-[bis(2-pyridylmethyl)aminomethyl]-6-[(2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzyl) (2-pyridyl-methyl) aminomethyl]-4-methyl-phenol}) was employed in the construction of a biomimetic sensor and used in the determination of rosmarinic acid in plant extract samples. The response parameters and optimization of the biomimetic sensor design were evaluated. The best performance of this sensor was obtained for 75:15:10% (w/w/w) of the graphite powder:nujol:Fe(III)Zn(II) complex, 0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.5), 1.19 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ hydrogen peroxide with frequency, pulse amplitude, and scan increment at 30 Hz, 100 mV, and 0.6 mV, respectively. The rosmarinic acid concentration was linear in the range of 2.98 × 10⁻⁵ to 3.83 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ (r = 0.9991) with a detection limit of 2.30 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. This biomimetic sensor demonstrated long-term stability (300 days; 900 determinations) and reproducibility, with a relative standard deviation of 12.0%. The recovery study of rosmarinic acid in plant extract samples gave values from 90.3 to 98.3% and the concentrations determined showed agreement when compared with those obtained using capillary electrophoresis at the 95% confidence level.     

Fabrication of Pt/polypyrrole hybrid hollow microspheres and their application in electrochemical biosensing towards hydrogen peroxide

Pt/polypyrrole (PPy) hybrid hollow microspheres were successfully prepared by wet chemical method via Fe₃O₄ template and evaluated as electrocatalysts for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. The as-synthesized products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductive coupled plasma emission spectrum (ICP) and Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR) measurements. The results exhibited that ultra-high-density Pt nanoparticles (NPs) were well deposited on the PPy shell with the mean diameters of around 4.1 nm. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results demonstrated that Pt/PPy hybrid hollow microspheres, as enzyme-less catalysts, exhibited good electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.0). The composite had a fast response of less than 2 s with linear range of 1.0-8.0 mM and a relatively low detection limit of 1.2 μM (S/N = 3). The sensitivity of the sensor for H₂O₂ was 80.4 mA M⁻¹ cm⁻².     

Mn(II)-sodium dodecyl sulphate complex mimic enzyme-catalyzed fluorescence quenching of Pyronine B by hydrogen peroxide

Mn(II)-sodium dodecyl sulphate complex (Mn(II)-SDS) is used to mimic the active group of peroxidase. The catalytic characteristic of this mimic enzyme catalyst in the oxidation reaction of fluorescence substrate, tetraethyldiaminoxanthyl chloride (Pyronine B (PB)), with hydrogen peroxide has been studied. The experimental results show that Mn(II)-SDS complex has similar catalytic activity that of peroxidase. The steady-state catalytic rate depends upon mimic enzyme and substrate concentrations, and the Michaelis-Menten parameters K_m, V_max and K_cat are 7.6×10⁻⁶ M, 7.9×10⁻⁷ M s⁻¹ and 7.9 s⁻¹, respectively. The catalytic activity of Mn(II)-SDS complex is compared with those of HRP and Hemin. Though the catalytic activity of Mn(II)-SDS complex is 15.9% of that of HRP, it can catalyze the oxidation reaction of PB with hydrogen peroxide lead to fluorescence quenching of PB. Under optimum conditions, linear relationship between fluorescence quenching F₀/F and concentration of H₂O₂ is in the range of (0.0-3.6) × 10⁻⁷ M. The detection limit is determined to be 3.0×10⁻⁹ M. By coupling this mimic catalytic reaction with the catalytic reaction of glucose oxidase (GOD), glucose can be detected. Linear relationship between F₀/F and concentration of glucose is in the range of (0.0-1.4) × 10⁻⁷ M. The detection limit is determined to be 4.2×10⁻⁹ M. This method is applied to the determination of glucose in human serum and the results are in good agreement with the phenol-4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP).     

Structural, spectroscopic, and magnetic properties of a diphenolate-bridged FeNi complex showing excellent phosphodiester cleavage activity

To mimic the phosphate ester hydrolysis behavior of purple acid phosphatases the heterobimetallic complex [(BNPP)Fe^IIIL(μ-BNPP)Ni^II(H₂O)](ClO₄) (1) has been synthesized from the precursor complexes [Fe^III(LH₂)(H₂O)₂](ClO₄)₃·3H₂O and [Fe^III(LH₂)(H₂O)Cl](ClO₄)₂·2H₂O. In these compounds, L²⁻ is the anion of the tetraiminodiphenol macrocyclic ligand (H₂L), while LH₂ is the zwitterionic form in which the phenolic protons are shifted to the two metal-uncoordinated imine nitrogens, and BNPP is bis(4-nitrophenyl)phosphate. The X-ray crystal structure of compound 1 has been determined. The structure of 1 comprises of two edge-shared distorted octahedrons whose metal centers are bridged by two equatorial phenolate oxygens and two axially disposed oxygens of a BNPP ligand. The internuclear Fe?Ni distance is 3.083 Å. The high-spin iron(III) and nickel(II) in 1 are antiferromagnetically coupled (J = −7.1 cm⁻¹; H = −2JS₁·S₂) with S = 3/2 spin ground state. The phosphodiesterase activity of 1 has been studied in 70:30 H₂O-(CH₃)₂SO medium with NaBNPP as the substrate. The reaction rates have been measured by varying pH (3-10), temperature (25-50 °C), and with different concentrations of the substrate and complex at a fixed pH and temperature. Treatment of the rate data, obtained at pH 6.0 and at 35 °C, by the Michaelis-Menten approach have provided the following parameters: K_M = 3.6 × 10⁻⁴ M, V_max = 1.83 × 10⁻⁷ M s⁻¹, k_cat = 9.15 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹. As compared to the uncatalyzed hydrolysis rate of BNPP, the k_cat value is 8.3 × 10⁸ times higher, showing that 1 behaves as an excellent model for phosphate ester hydrolysis.     

Caged mitochondrial uncouplers that are released in response to hydrogen peroxide

Caged versions of the most common mitochondrial uncouplers (proton translocators) have been prepared that sense the reactive oxygen species (ROS) hydrogen peroxide to release the uncouplers 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) and carbonylcyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP) from caged states with second order rate constants of 10 (±0.8) M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 64.8 (±0.6) M⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. The trigger mechanism involves conversion of an arylboronate into a phenol followed by fragmentation. Hydrogen peroxide-activated uncouplers may be useful for studying the biological process of ageing.     

Reverse atom transfer radical polymerisation (RATRP) of methacrylates using copper(I)/pyridinimine catalysts in conjunction with AIBN

N-n-Propyl-2-pyridylmethanimine, 1, N-n-octyl-2-pyridylmethanimine, 2, N-n-lauryl-2-pyridylmethanimine, 3, and N-n-octadecyl-2-pyridylmethanimine, 4 have been used in conjunction with copper(II) bromide and azo initiators for the reverse atom transfer radical polymerisation of a range of methacrylates. AIBN to Cu^IIBr₂ ratios of 0.5:1, 0.75:1 and 1:1 give PMMA with M_n 11 500 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 1.24) (at 22% conversion), 12 500 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 1.06) (at 83% conversion) and 10 900 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 1.11) (at 84% conversion), respectively. A Cu^IIBr₂ complex is demonstrated to be needed at the start of the reaction for good control over molecular weight and polydispersity as reactions using Cu(I)Br as catalyst yielded PMMA of M_n 31 000 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 2.90), reactions with no copper yield PMMA of M_n 33 000 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 2.95). The RATRP of styrene was carried out using Cu^IIBr₂ as catalyst. AIBN to Cu^IIBr₂ ratio of 0.5:1, 0.75:1 and 1:1 gave PS with M_n = 12 400 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 1.27) at low conversion, M_n = 15 500 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 1.11) and 12 400 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 1.38), respectively at ∼85% conversion. A series of block copolymers of MMA with BMA, BzMA and DMEAMA (15 600 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 1.18), 13 300 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 1.14) 15 300 g mol⁻¹ (PDi) = 1.16), using a PMMA macroinitiator were prepared. Emulsion polymerisation of MMA using [initiator]:[Cu^(II)Br₂] ratio = 0.5:1 with Brij surfactant gave a linear increase of M_n with respect to conversion, final M_n = 112 800 g mol⁻¹ (PDi = 1.42). Further reactions were carried out with [initiator]:[Cu^(II)Br₂] ratio = 0.75:1 and 1:1. Both giving PMMA with M_n ∼ 32 000 g mol⁻¹ (PDi ∼ 2.4). These reactions exhibit no control, this is because the azo initiator is present in excess and all of the monomer is consumed by a free radical polymerisation as opposed to a controlled reaction. Particle size analysis (DLS) showed the particle size between 160 and170 nm in all cases.     

Nonenzymatic amperometric organic peroxide sensor based on nano-cobalt phthalocyanine loaded functionalized graphene film

An enzyme-free amperometric method was established for the electrochemical reduction tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) on the utilization of nano-cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) loaded functionalized graphene (FGR) and to create a highly responsive organic peroxide sensor. FGR was synthesized with a simple and fast method of electrolysis with potassium hexafluorophosphate (KPF₆) solution as electrolyte under the static current of 0.2 A. In the present work, FGR was dispersed in the solution of CoPc to fabricate chemical modified electrode to detect TBHP. The electro-reduction of TBHP can be catalyzed by FGR–CoPc, which has an excellent electrocatalytical activity due to the synergistic effect of the FGR with CoPc. The sensor can be applied to the quantification of TBHP with a linear range covering from 0.0260 to 4.81 mM, a high sensitivity of 13.64 A M⁻¹, and a low detection limit of 5 μM. This proposed sensor was designed as a simple, robust, and cheap analytical device for the determination of TBHP in body lotion.     

Biomimetic sensor based on MnMn complex as manganese peroxidase mimetic for determination of rutin

A novel biomimetic sensor for rutin determination based on a dinuclear complex [Mn^IIIMn^II(Ldtb)(μ-OAc)₂]BPh₄ containing an unsymmetrical dinucleating ligand, 2-[N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-aminomethyl]-6-[N-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-oxidoben-zyl)-N-(2-pyridylamino)aminomethyl]-4-methylphenol (H₂Ldtb), as a manganese peroxidase mimetic was developed. Several parameters were investigated to evaluate the performance of the biomimetic sensor obtained after the incorporation of the dinuclear complex in a carbon paste. The best performance was obtained in 75:15:10% (w/w/w) of the graphite powder:Nujol:Mn^IIIMn^II complex, 0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.0) and 4.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ hydrogen peroxide. The response of the sensor towards rutin concentration was linear using square wave voltammetry in the range of 9.99 × 10⁻⁷ to 6.54 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ (r = 0.9998) with a detection limit of 1.75 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. The recovery study performed with pharmaceuticals ranged from 96.6% to 103.2% and the relative standard deviation was 1.85% for a solution containing 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ rutin (n = 6). The lifetime of this biomimetic sensor was 200 days (at least 750 determinations). The results obtained for rutin in pharmaceuticals using the biomimetic sensor and those obtained with the official method are in agreement at the 95% confidence level.     

Simple and fast spectrophotometric determination of H(2)O(2) in photo-Fenton reactions using metavanadate

This work proposes a spectrophotometric method for the determination of hydrogen peroxide during photodegradation reactions. The method is based on the reaction of H₂O₂ with amonium metavanadate in acidic medium, which results in the formation of a red-orange color peroxovanadium cation, with maximum absorbance at 450 nm. The method was optimized using the multivariate analysis providing the minimum concentration of vanadate (6.2 mmol L⁻¹) for the maximum absorbance signal. Under these conditions, the detection limit is 143 μmol L⁻¹. The reaction product showed to be very stable for samples of peroxide concentrations up to 3 mmol L⁻¹ at room temperature during 180 h. For higher concentrations however, samples must be kept refrigerated (4 °C) or diluted. The method showed no interference of Cl⁻ (0.2-1.3 mmol L⁻¹), NO₃⁻ (0.3-1.0 mmol L⁻¹), Fe³⁺ (0.2-1.2 mmol L⁻¹) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) (0.2-1.0 mmol L⁻¹). When compared to iodometric titration, the vanadate method showed a good agreament. The method was applied for the evaluation of peroxide consumption during photo-Fenton degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol using blacklight irradiation.     

Electrochemical evaluation of Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 1 activity and inhibition by imatinib mesylate and danusertib

Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 1 (ABL1) catalysed phosphorylation involves the addition of a phosphate group from ATP to the tyrosine residue on the substrate abltide. The phosphorylation reactions were carried out by incubating ABL1, ATP and the substrate abltide. Adsorption at the glassy carbon electrode surface in either reaction mixtures or control solutions, followed by differential pulse voltammetry in buffer allowed detection of the variation of abltide tyrosine residue oxidation peak reflecting the occurrence of the phosphorylation reaction. The effect of abltide, ATP and ABL1 concentrations as well as the time course of the phosphorylation reaction were studied. The influence of co-adsorption of ABL1, ATP and phosphorylated abltide was evaluated and the conditions for the electrochemical detection of ABL1-catalysed phosphorylation optimised. The Michaelis–Menten constant for abltide binding K_M ∼ 4.5 μM, turnover number k_cat ∼ 11 s⁻¹ and enzyme efficiency k_cat/K_M ∼ 2.3 s⁻¹ μM⁻¹ were calculated. The inhibition of ABL1 by imatinib mesylate and danusertib was also electrochemically investigated and IC50 values of 0.53 and 0.08 μM determined.     

Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of hemoglobin immobilized in a magnetic nanoparticles-chitosan film

Magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) were synthesized by a chemical coprecipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to confirm the crystallite structure and the particle's radius. The Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and chitosan (CS) were mixed to form a matrix in which haemoglobin (Hb) can be immobilized for the fabrication of H₂O₂ biosensor. The Fe₃O₄-CS-Hb film exhibited a pair of well-defined and quasi-reversible cyclic voltammetric peaks due to the redox of Hb-heme Fe (III)/Fe (II) in a pH 7.0 phosphate buffer. The formal potential of Hb-heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) couple varied linearly with the increase of pH in the range of 4.0-10.0 with a slope of 46.5 mV pH⁻¹, indicating that electron transfer was accompanied with single proton transportation in the electrochemical reaction. The surface coverage of Hb immobilized on Fe₃O₄-CS film glassy carbon electrode was about 1.13 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol cm⁻². The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k_s) was 1.04 s⁻¹, indicating great facilitation of the electron transfer between Hb and magnetic nanoparticles-chitosan modified electrode. The modified electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen and hydrogen peroxide reduction. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant for H₂O₂ was estimated to be 38.1 μmol L⁻¹.     

A probe method for studying dibromocarbene by time resolved infrared spectroscopy

Dibromocarbene reacts with tertiary-butylisocyanide to form a ketenimine. The absolute rate constant of the reaction (k_TBI = 2.3 × 10⁹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹) was determined by laser flash photolysis techniques with UV-vis detection of the dibromocarbene-pyridine ylide. The ketenimine was detected by TRIR spectroscopy at 2040 cm⁻¹. Isocyanide trapping of carbenes to form ketenimines is proposed as a general method of studying IR silent carbenes by TRIR spectroscopy.