An electrochemical sensor based on CuO nanoparticle for simultaneous determination of hydrazine and bisphenol A

In the present research, the direct electrochemical oxidation of hydrazine in the presence of bisphenol A was investigated at a copper oxide nanoparticles/ionic liquid/carbon paste electrode (CuO NPs/IL/CPE). The combination of the good conductive 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and CuO nanoparticles resulted in an electrode with attractive properties for the determination of hydrazine in the presence of bisphenol A. The linear dynamic ranges were obtained in the ranges of 0.05–150 and 0.2–175 µM with the detection limits (3sb/m) 0.03 and 0.1 µM for HY and BPA, respectively. High stability, sensitivity, selectivity and reproducibility, fast response, the ease of preparation, and surface renewal made the sensor well suitable for the determination of hydrazine in the presence of bisphenol A, which are important pollutants in the environment. Finally, this new sensor was used for the determination of HY and BPA in some water samples such as river water and wastewater.     

A sensitive and selective nitrite sensor based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with gold nanoparticles and sulfonated graphene

We describe a highly sensitive and selective amperometric sensor for the determination of nitrite. A glassy carbon electrode was modified with a composite made from gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and sulfonated graphene (SG). The modified electrode displays excellent electrocatalytic activity in terms of nitrite oxidation by giving much higher peak currents (at even lower oxidation overpotential) than those found for the bare electrode, the AuNPs-modified electrode, and the SG-modified electrode. The sensor has a linear response in the 10 μM to 3.96 mM concentration range, a very good detection sensitivity (45.44 μA mM^?1), and a lower detection limit of 0.2 μM of nitrite. Most common ions and many environmental organic pollutants do not interfere. The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of nitrite in water samples, and the results were found to be consistent with the values obtained by spectrophotometry.

Electrochemical determination of nitrite via covalent immobilization of a single-walled carbon nanotubes and single stranded deoxyribonucleic acid nanocomposite on a glassy carbon electrode

A novel method has been developed for determination of nitrite by modifying the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using single-walled carbon nanotubes with covalently immobilized single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid. The modified electrodes were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical techniques. The results demonstrate that the nanotube-DNA nanocomposite has been successfully immobilized on the surface of the GCE. The new electrode, under optimum conditions at room temperature, exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of nitrite, with a significantly reduction of the overpotential. The linear range for the detection of nitrite is from 0.6 to 540 μM, with a sensitivity of 0.216 μA?μM^?1, and a detection limit as low as 0.15 μM. The electrode showed good reproducibility and high stability and was successfully used to analyze nitrite in water and sausage samples.     

Highly improved electrocatalytic behavior of sulfite at carbon ionic liquid electrode: application to the analysis of some real samples

The electrocatalytic oxidation of sulfite was investigated at carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE). This electrode is a very good alternative to previously described electrodes because the electrocatalytic effect is achieved without any electrode modification. Comparative experiments were carried out using carbon paste electrode (CPE) and glassy carbon electrode (GCE). At CILE, highly reproducible and well-defined cyclic voltammograms were obtained for sulfite with a peak potential of 0.55 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Sulfite oxidation at CILE does not result in deactivation of the electrode surface. The kinetic parameters for this irreversible heterogeneous electron transfer process were determined. Under optimal experimental conditions, the peak current response increased linearly with sulfite concentration over the range of 6-1000 μM. The detection limit of the method was 4 μM. The method was applied to the determination of sulfite in mineral water, grape juice and non-alcoholic beer samples.     

An automated headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method to determine macrocyclic musk fragrances in wastewater samples

A fully automated method has been developed for determining eight macrocyclic musk fragrances in wastewater samples. The method is based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Five different fibres (PDMS 7 μm, PDMS 30 μm, PDMS 100 μm, PDMS/DVB 65 μm and PA 85 μm) were tested. The best conditions were achieved when a PDMS/DVB 65 μm fibre was exposed for 45 min in the headspace of 10 mL water samples at 100 °C. Method detection limits were found in the low ng L^?1 range between 0.75 and 5 ng L^?1 depending on the target analytes. Moreover, under optimized conditions, the method gave good levels of intra-day and inter-day repeatabilities in wastewater samples with relative standard deviations (n?=?5, 1,000 ng L^?1) less than 9 and 14 %, respectively. The applicability of the method was tested with influent and effluent urban wastewater samples from different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The analysis of influent urban wastewater revealed the presence of most of the target macrocyclic musks with, most notably, the maximum concentration of ambrettolide being obtained in WWTP A (4.36 μg L^?1) and WWTP B (12.29 μg L^?1), respectively. The analysis of effluent urban wastewater showed a decrease in target analyte concentrations, with exaltone and ambrettolide being the most abundant compounds with concentrations varying between below method quantification limit (<MQL) and 2.46 μg L^?1.

Determination of hydrogen peroxide and glucose using a novel sensor platform based on Co0.4Fe0.6LaO3 nanoparticles

We report on a novel nonenzymatic sensor platform for the determination of hydrogen peroxide and glucose. It is based on a carbon paste electrode that was modified with Co_0.4Fe_0.6LaO₃ nanoparticles synthesized by the sol–gel method. The structure and morphology of Co_0.4Fe_0.6LaO₃ nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical performance of this sensor was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and amperometry, and the results demonstrated that it exhibits strong electrocatalytical activity towards the oxidation of H₂O₂ and glucose in an alkaline medium. The sensor has a limit of detection as low as 2.0 nM of H₂O₂ and a linear range that extends from 0.01 to 800 μM. The response to glucose is characterized by two analytical ranges of different slope, viz. from 0.05 to 5 μM and from 5 to 500 μM, with a 10 nM limit of detection. The glucose sensor has a fast response and good long term stability.

A novel nitrite sensor fabricated through anchoring nickel-tetrahydroxy-phthalocyanine and polyethylene oxide film onto glassy carbon electrode by a two-step covalent modification approach

In this paper, we present a two-step covalent modification approach to fabricate a novel nitrite sensor through anchoring nickel-tetrahydroxy-phthalocyanine (NiPc(OH)₄) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The surface morphology of the prepared NiPc(OH)₄/PEO composite films under different dry conditions was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical behavior of NiPc(OH)₄/PEO composite film modified GCE toward the catalytic oxidation of nitrite in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution (PBS) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). After drying under an infrared lamp, the fabricated sensor showed a pronounced electrocatalytic activity improvement toward the oxidation of nitrite and led to a significant decrease in the anodic overpotentials compared with bare GCE, which should be ascribed to the synergistic effect of NiPc(OH)₄ and PEO, as well as the enlarged electrochemical effective surface area after drying. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), the sensor gave a linear response to nitrite over the concentration range of 0.1–5,300 μM, with a detection limit of 0.0522 μM. The nitrite sensor exhibits good sensitivity, selectivity, and stability and has been applied for the determination of nitrite in water samples.     

Determination of Ascorbic Acid in the Presence of Uric Acid and Folic Acid by a Nanostructured Electrochemical Sensor Based on a TiO2 Nanoparticle Carbon Paste Electrode

A carbon paste electrode (CPE), modified with novel hydroquinone/TiO₂ nanoparticles, was designed and used for simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA) and folic acid (FA). The magnitude of the peak current for modified TiO₂-nanoparticle CPE (MTNCPE) increased sharply in the presence of ascorbic acid and was proportional to its concentration. A dynamic range of 1.0–1400.0 μM, with the detection limit of 6.4 × 10^?7 M for AA, was obtained using the DPV technique (pH = 7.0). The prepared electrode was successfully applied for the determination of AA, UA, and FA in real samples.     

Determination of Nitric Oxide-Derived Nitrite and Nitrate in Biological Samples by HPLC Coupled to Nitrite Oxidation

Nitrite and nitrate are main stable products of nitric oxide, a pivotal cellular signaling molecule, in biological fluids. Therefore, accurate measurement of the two ions is profoundly important. Nitrite is difficult to be determined for a larger number of interferences and unstable in the presence of oxygen. In this paper, a simple, cost-effective and accurate HPLC method for the determination of nitrite and nitrate was developed. On the basis of the reaction that nitrite is oxidized rapidly to nitrate with the addition of acidic potassium permanganate, the determination of nitrite and nitrate was achieved by the following strategy: each sample was injected twice for HPLC analysis, i.e. the first injection was to measure nitrate, and the second injection was to measure total nitrate including initial nitrate and the nitrate from the conversion of nitrite with the addition of acid potassium permanganate in the sample. The amount of nitrite can be calculated as difference between injections 2 and 1. The HPLC separation was performed on a reversed phase C₁₈ column for 15 min. The mobile phase consisted of methanol–water (2:98 by volume); the water in the mobile phase contained 0.60 mM phosphate salt (potassium dihydrogen and disodium hydrogen phosphate) and 2.5 mM tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP). The UV wavelength was set at 210 nm. Additionally, we systemically investigated the effects of the concentration of phosphate salt and TBAP in the mobile phase, the pH of the mobile phase, and the amount of acidic potassium permanganate added to the sample on the separation efficacy. The results showed that the limits of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.075 and 0.25 μM for nitrate (containing the oxidized nitrite), respectively. The linear range was 1–800 μM. This developed approach was successfully applied to assay nitrite/nitrate levels in cell culture medium, cell lysate, rat plasma and urine.

     

Development of carbon paste electrode modified with cadmium ion-imprinted polymer for selective voltammetric determination of Cd2+

A simple and fast voltammetric method based on a new electrode composed of carbon paste electrode/bifunctional hybrid ion imprinted polymer (CPE/IIP) was developed for the quantification of Cd²⁺ in water samples. The voltammetric measurements by Differential Pulse Voltammetry were performed by using CPE containing 11.0 mg of IIP under phosphate buffer solution at concentration 0.1 mol L^?1 and pH 6.5. The electrochemical method was carried out by Cd²⁺ preconcentration at ?1.2 V during 210 s, followed by anodic stripping. The performance of IIP towards Cd²⁺ determination was evaluated by comparison to non-imprinted polymer, whose detectability of IIP was much higher (45%). The sensitivity of the sensor was found to be 0.0105 µA/µg L^?1. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were found to be 4.95 μg L^?1 and 16.4 μg L^?1, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to Cd²⁺ determination in mineral, tap and lake water samples, whose results are in agreement with thermospray flame furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (TS-FF-AAS) used as reference analytical technique. According to achieved results, the developed method can be used for routine analysis of quality control of water samples from different sources.     

Determination of Nitric Oxide-Derived Nitrite and Nitrate in Biological Samples by HPLC Coupled to Nitrite Oxidation

Nitrite and nitrate are main stable products of nitric oxide, a pivotal cellular signaling molecule, in biological fluids. Therefore, accurate measurement of the two ions is profoundly important. Nitrite is difficult to be determined for a larger number of interferences and unstable in the presence of oxygen. In this paper, a simple, cost-effective and accurate HPLC method for the determination of nitrite and nitrate was developed. On the basis of the reaction that nitrite is oxidized rapidly to nitrate with the addition of acidic potassium permanganate, the determination of nitrite and nitrate was achieved by the following strategy: each sample was injected twice for HPLC analysis, i.e. the first injection was to measure nitrate, and the second injection was to measure total nitrate including initial nitrate and the nitrate from the conversion of nitrite with the addition of acid potassium permanganate in the sample. The amount of nitrite can be calculated as difference between injections 2 and 1. The HPLC separation was performed on a reversed phase C₁₈ column for 15 min. The mobile phase consisted of methanol–water (2:98 by volume); the water in the mobile phase contained 0.60 mM phosphate salt (potassium dihydrogen and disodium hydrogen phosphate) and 2.5 mM tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP). The UV wavelength was set at 210 nm. Additionally, we systemically investigated the effects of the concentration of phosphate salt and TBAP in the mobile phase, the pH of the mobile phase, and the amount of acidic potassium permanganate added to the sample on the separation efficacy. The results showed that the limits of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.075 and 0.25 μM for nitrate (containing the oxidized nitrite), respectively. The linear range was 1–800 μM. This developed approach was successfully applied to assay nitrite/nitrate levels in cell culture medium, cell lysate, rat plasma and urine.     

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.     

Determination of sulfite with emphasis on biosensing methods: a review

Sulfite is used as a preservative in a variety of food and pharmaceutical industries to inhibit enzymatic and nonenzymatic browning and in brewing industries as an antibacterial and antioxidizing agent. Convenient and reproducible analytical methods employing sulfite oxidase are an attractive alternative to conventional detection methods. Sulfite biosensors are based on measurement of either O₂ or electrons generated from splitting of H₂O₂ or heat released during oxidation of sulfite by immobilized sulfite oxidase. Sulfite biosensors can be grouped into 12 classes. They work optimally within 2 to 900 s, between pH 6.5 and 9.0, 25 and 40 °C, and in the range from 0 to 50,000 μM, with detection limit between 0.2 and 200 μM. Sulfite biosensors measure sulfite in food, beverages, and water and can be reused 100–300 times over a period of 1–240 days. The review presents the principles, merits, and demerits of various analytical methods for determination of sulfite, with special emphasis on sulfite biosensors.     

Glassy carbon electrode modified with a film of poly(Toluidine Blue O) and carbon nanotubes for nitrite detection

This work describes the modification of a glassy carbon electrode with poly(Toluidine Blue O) (GC/poly-TBO) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) for the electrocatalytic oxidation of nitrite. GC/poly-TBO was prepared by electropolymerization and used as such or after immobilizing SWCNT on the polymeric film to give a composite GC/poly-TBO-SWCNT electrode. The electrochemical and catalytic behavior of both electrodes was studied comparatively. It was observed that the presence of SWCNT contributed to enhance the electrocatalytic response for nitrite oxidation, as measured by amperometry at +0.92 V vs. Ag/AgCl/KCl_sat and pH 7. The response was linear with respect to the nitrite concentration in the 0.001–4 mM range, with a detection limit of 0.37 μM (based on signal to noise ratio of 3) for GC/poly-TBO-SWCNT. The proposed method was also applied to the determination of nitrite in a wastewater sample and compared to the spectrophotometric method.     

The hemoglobin-modified electrode with chitosan/Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanocomposite for the detection of trichloroacetic acid

A hemoglobin (Hb)-modified electrode based on chitosan/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite coated glassy carbon has been constructed for trichloroacetic acid (TCA) detection. The structure of chitosan/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite was investigated using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The electron transfer rate constant (k _s) of Hb was estimated for as high as 3.12 s^?1. The immobilized Hb exhibited excellent electro-catalytic activity toward the reduction of TCA. The response current regressed to the concentration of TCA within the range of 5.70 μM to 205 μM with a detection limit of 1.9 μM (S/N = 3).     

Determination of Bromate in Bottled Drinking Water from Saudi Arabian Markets by HPLC/ICP-MS

The determination of bromate BrO₃ ^? in 50 different bottled drinking water samples collected from Saudi Arabian markets has been investigated using liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS). For analysis, samples were injected directly without any further pretreatment or dilution, using only a 50 μL injection volume. The method showed: detection limit of 0.5 μg/L, limit of quantification of 1.0 μg/L, 1.0 ? 200.0 μg/L linearity range (r² = 0.9998), relative standard deviation (%RSD) for reproducibility (inter-day precision) values of 14% and 4% for low and high concentration levels (10,100 μg/L), respectively. The results obtained for bromate showed that 30% of the samples are acceptable as US EPA standards (10 μg/L), 40% of the samples are acceptable as Gulf (Saudi Arabia) standards (25 μg/L), and almost 60% of the samples exceed the allowable limits for bromate in bottled drinking water.     

Determination of manganese (VII), chromium (VI) and nickel (II) in medicinal herb samples by cloud-point extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography

A highly sensitive method for the determination of manganese (VII), chromium (VI) and nickel (II) in medicinal herb samples is proposed. The method is based on analytes reacted with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC) to give hydrophobic chelates (M–APDC), which were separated and enriched by cloud-point extraction (CPE) with non-ionic surfactant Tergitol TMN-6 as extractant. The surfactant-rich phase containing the chelates is determined with a high-performance liquid chromatography system. To achieve the best CPE method, the Box–Behnken design was used to study the concentration of Tergitol TMN-6, equilibrium temperature, equilibrium time as well as their interaction. What followed was the individual research for the pH of the sample solutions and the concentration of APDC. What is more, in the given optimized experimental conditions, calibration plots were found to be linear in the range of 0.0200–0.500 mg/L for Mn (VII) and Cr (VI), meanwhile 0.0500–1.00 mg/L for Ni (II), the linear correlation coefficients were between 0.996 and 0.999, the recoveries ranged from 91.8 to 97.8 % and the relative standard deviations were between 1.09 and 2.30 % (n = 3). The limits of detection were 0.164 μg/L for Mn (VII), 0.562 μg/L for Cr (VI) and 5.12 μg/L for Ni (II), respectively. The proposed method was applied to determine manganese (VII), chromium (VI) and nickel (II) in medicinal herb samples with satisfactory results.     

Amperometric nitrite biosensor based on a gold electrode modified with cytochrome c on Nafion and Cu-Mg-Al layered double hydroxides

An amperometric biosensor for nitrite was prepared by immobilizing cytochrome c (Cyt c) on a gold electrode that was modified with Nafion and a Cu-Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (Cu-LDH). The Cu-LDH was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. The UV-visible spectrum suggests that Cyt c retains its native conformation in the modified film. The direct electrochemical investigation indicated that the composite film represents a good platform for the immobilization of Cyt c as well as an excellent promoter for the electron transfer between Cyt c and the gold electrode. Moreover, the biosensor showed a remarkable bioelectrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of nitrite with a linear range from 0.75 to 123 μM. The detection limit is 2?×?10^?7 M (S/N?=?3). The biosensor was successfully applied to the determination of nitrite in food samples.     

“Green Electrodes” Modified with Au Nanoparticles Synthesized in Glycerol,as Electrochemical Nitrite Sensor

A new environmentally friendly Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) synthesis in glycerol by using ultraviolet irradiation and without extra‐added stabilizers is described. The synthesis proposed in this work may impact on the non‐polluting production of noble nanoparticles with simple chemicals normally found in standard laboratories. These Au NPs were used to modify a carbon paste electrode (CPE) without having to separate them from the reaction medium. This green electrode was used as an electrochemical sensor for the nitrite detection in water. At the optimum conditions the green sensor presented a linear response in the 2.0×10^?7–1.5×10^?5 M concentration range, a good detection sensitivity (0.268 A L mol^?1), and a low detection limit of 2.0×10^?7 M of nitrite. The proposed modified green CPE was used to determine nitrite in tap water samples.     

Ultrasound-assisted emulsification-microextraction coupled to ion mobility spectrometry for monitoring of atrazine and simazine in environmental water

Triazine herbicides and some of their transformation products are considered as one of the most important classes of chemical pollutants owing to their widespread use and toxicity. Triazines and their degradation products have caused concern because they are toxic and persistent in water, soil, and organisms. The present paper describes the validation of ultrasound-assisted emulsification-microextraction (USAEME) method for determination of atrazine and simazine using ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) in environmental water. The parameters influencing the extraction efficiency such as sonication time, extraction solvent, extraction volume and salt concentration were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, enrichment factors was 170 and 150 with corresponding LOD of 8 and 12 μg/L for atrazine and simazine respectively . Linearity with a coefficient of estimation (r²) were >0.99 in the concentration level range of 15–1500 μg/L and 20–1700 μg/L for extraction of atrazine and simazine in water samples. The proposed method successfully was applied to screen of atrazine and simazine in environmental water.