Application of the nanogold-4,4'-bis(methanethiol)biphenyl modified gold electrode to the determination of tyrosinase-catechol reaction kinetics in acetonitrile.

The reactivity of tyrosinase adsorbed on nanogold bound with 4,4'-bis(methanethiol)biphenyl monolayer self-assembled on a gold disk with catechol in a dipolar aprotic solvent, acetonitrile (AN), was studied by cyclic voltammetric and amperometric methods. Tyrosinase exhibited characteristics of a Michaelis-Menten kinetic mechanism. The tyrosinase attached to the nanogold continued to react with substrates in AN even when the water content was lower than 0.01 w/w%. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant K(m) of tyrosinase for catechol is 5.5 +/- 0.4 mM (n = 5).     

Two OPEEs (organic phase enzyme electrodes) used to check the percentage water content in hydrophobic foods and drugs.

The development and optimization of an analytical method using enzymatic biosensors able to operate in organic solvents [organic phase enzyme electrodes (OPEEs)] for the determination of the water content in food fats (butter, margarine) or pharmaceutical or cosmetic ointments is described. The method is based on the increase in enzymatic activity which is related to the increase in the percentage water content in the organic phase into which the biosensor is dipped. The enzymes used to assemble the biosensors were tyrosinase or catalase, the substrates were phenol or p-cresol and tert-butyl hydroperoxide, respectively, and the organic solvents were acetonitrile or dioxane. A gas diffusion amperometric electrode for oxygen measurement was used as electrochemical transducer. The results were compared with those obtained applying the Karl Fischer method to the same food or drug matrices. The correlations among the two methods proved satisfactory, as the difference in the computed values of water content was never higher than 7%. Also, the precision of measurements was acceptable (RSD < 6%) in all the analyses of real matrices.     

Selective response mechanism of a platinum disk electrode modified with polyacrylamide membrane conjugated with gallium(III) phthalocyaninate

A non-plasticized polyacrylamide polymer (PAA) coupled with (phthalocyaninato) gallium(III) ([Ga(pc)]⁺), PAA-[Ga(pc)], was first synthesized, and the potentiometric response behavior of this PAA-[Ga(pc)] modified platinum electrode to certain ions was examined in the non-aqueous solvents acetonitrile (AN), dimethylacetamide (DMA), and N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP). The electrode showed a Nernstian or near-Nernstian response to CN⁻ and F⁻ in AN, DMA, and NMP, but it showed a non-thermodynamic response to Cl⁻and Br⁻ in all the above solvents. Both spectrophotometric and cyclic voltammetric methods were used to investigation the reaction of [Ga(pc)]⁺ with the ions in the solvents. The results revealed that the special selective response phenomena were due to the complex formation reactions of the ions with [Ga(pc)]⁺. The reaction mechanisms were determined on the basis of the shift of the maximum absorption peaks, the appearance of the new peaks on UV-vis spectra for [Ga(pc)]⁺ in the presence of CN⁻ and F⁻ and the clear difference in the redox voltammogram for [Ga(pc)]⁺ at the platinum electrode between the addition of F⁻ and Br⁻ in DMA. There were no obvious differences between the three solvents in terms of their influence on the complexing. It was concluded that the electrode might have applications in obtaining the solubility product of NaF in AN.     

Ion-selective electrode for aluminum determination in pharmaceutical substances, tea leaves and water samples

A novel ion-selective PVC membrane sensor for Al(III) ions based on 6-(4-nitrophenyl)-2-phenyl-4-(thiophen-2-yl)-3,5-diaza-bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-ene (NTDH) as a new ionophore has been prepared and studied. The electrode exhibit a good response for aluminum ion over concentration range of 1.0x10(-6) to 1.0x10(-1) mol L(-1) with a Nernstian slope of 19.6+/-0.4 mV per decade and low detection limit of 6.3x10(-7) mol L(-1). The best performance was obtained with membrane composition 30% poly(vinyl chloride), 62% acetophenone, 5% oleic acid, 3% ionophore and 2 ml tetrahydrofuran. NTDH-based electrode was suitable for aqueous solutions of pH 3. It has relatively fast response time (approximately 10 s) and can be used at least for 3 months without any considerable divergence in potentials. The proposed membrane electrode revealed good selectivity for Al(III) ions over a wide variety of other cations. The standard electrode potentials were determined at different temperatures and used to calculate the isothermal coefficient of the electrode. The formation constant and stoichiometry ratio of ionophore-Al(III) complex were calculated at 25 degrees C by using segmented sandwich membrane method. It was used in non-aqueous solvents and also as indicator electrode in potentiometric determination of Al(III) ions in some real samples.     

Anisotropic in-plane gradients of poly(acrylic acid) formed by electropolymerization with spatiotemporal control of the electrochemical potential

Laterally varying thickness gradients of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were formed by Zn(II)-catalyzed electropolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) in the presence of an in-plane electrochemical potential gradient applied to Au working electrodes. In the static potential gradient (SPG) approach, two ends of a Au working electrode were clamped at distinct potentials for the duration of the electropolymerization process, thereby generating a time-independent in-plane electrochemical potential gradient, V(x). A dynamic potential gradient (DPG) approach was also used, in which the two end potentials were varied in time, while maintaining a constant voltage offset, to generate an in-plane electrochemical potential gradient, V(x,t). Because the kinetics of heterogeneous electron transfer vary with the local overpotential, these two methods produce PAA films with laterally varying thickness gradients, although they exhibit different spatial characteristics. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging were used to characterize the PAA gradients. The in-plane thickness variations of PAA gradients formed by both SPG and DPG approaches agree with predictions of the Butler-Volmer equation at small absolute overpotentials, while at large (negative) overpotentials, mass transport dominates, and the thickness reaches a plateau value independent of local potential. DPG-produced PAA gradients are generally broader than SPG gradients with the same initial potential and comparable effective growth time, indicating that the DPG approach is more suitable for formation of thicker gradients.     

疏水性聚丙烯酸/聚乙烯醇/葡萄糖淀粉酶复合纳米纤维膜的制备及酶学性质

利用混合静电纺丝将葡萄糖淀粉酶(GA)固定于聚丙烯酸(PAA)/聚乙烯醇(PVA)纳米纤维膜上,并通过鉴定固定化GA的酶学特征检验PAA/PVA可否成为一种优良的酶固定化载体。 对其理化性质和酶学特征进行鉴定,经红外光谱(FT-IR)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)表征发现,GA可成功包埋于PAA/PVA纳米纤维膜内部;对包裹固定的GA进行酶学性质鉴定,发现固定化GA的最适反应温度为68 ℃,比游离GA提高了9 ℃;固定化GA的适用pH值范围明显变宽;热稳定性和存贮稳定性显著增强且可以重复使用。PAA/PVA纳米纤维膜是一种优良的酶固定化载体,可以通过混合静电纺丝包埋法简便地将蛋白质分子固定于其内部,具有一定的应用前景。     

Direct electron transfer enhancement of covalently bound tyrosinase to glassy carbon via Woodward's reagent K

This work describes the reaction mechanism for chemical modification of tyrosinase by Woodward's Reagent K and its covalent attachment to a glassy carbon electrode. The spectrophotometric studies revealed that the modification does not cause a significant structural change to tyrosinase. The direct electrochemistry of modified enzyme was achieved after immobilization on an oxidatively activated glassy carbon electrode. The enzyme film exhibited a pair of well-defined quasi-revesible voltammetric peaks corresponding to the Cu (II)/Cu (I) redox couple located in the active site of tyrosinase. The formal potential of immobilized enzyme was measured to be 90mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) in phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.0. The charge-transfer coefficient and apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant were estimated to be 0.5 and 0.9±0.06s(-1), respectively. Finally, the electrochemical behavior of the immobilized enzyme in the presence of caffeic acid and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine as substrates was investigated. The amperometric study of biosensor toward L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine resulted a linear response in the concentration range from 1.66×10(-6) to 8.5×10(-5)M with detection limit of 9.0×10(-5)M and sensitivity of 135mAμM(-1)cm(-2).     

Detection of organophosphorus insecticides with immobilized acetylcholinesterase – comparative study of two enzyme sensors

Two-enzyme systems based on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) - a mono-enzyme system based on AChE, with p-aminophenyl acetate as substrate, and a bi-enzyme system based on AChE and tyrosinase, with phenyl acetate as substrate - have been studied for detection of organophosphate insecticides. The analytical performance and detection limits for determination of the pesticides were compared for the two AChE configurations. The enzyme loading, pH, and applied potential of the bi-enzyme system were optimised. When phenyl acetate was used as substrate for AChE activity the phenol generated by enzymatic hydrolysis was determined with a second enzyme, tyrosinase. Amperometric measurements were performed at 100 mV and -150 mV relative to the Ag/AgCl reference electrode for the mono-enzyme and bi-enzyme systems. Screen-printed sensors were used to detect the organophosphorus pesticides paraoxon and chlorpyrifos ethyl oxon; the detection limits achieved with phenyl acetate as substrate were 5.2x10(-3) mg L(-1) and 0.56x10(-3) mg L(-1), respectively.     

电聚吡咯固定化酪氨酸酶电极的制备及性能

在应用恒电位法电化学聚合吡咯的同时 ,将酪氨酸酶固定在导电聚吡咯膜内 ,制成一种灵敏、稳定的酪氨酸电极 .讨论了溶液 pH值和聚合电位对酶固定化的影响 ,对酶分子嵌入吡咯膜前后的SEM图和CV曲线进行了分析、比较 .该电极对甲苯酚响应的线性范围为 5 .0× 10 -8～ 1.0× 10 -6mol/L ,最适 pH值为 6 .6 ,酶反应表观上遵循Michaelis_Menten动力学 ,表观米氏常数为 2 .2× 10 -5mol/L .     

Direct electrochemical redox of tyrosinase at silver electrodes

The direct electron transfer reactions between tyrosinase and silver electrode were investigated by using cyclic voltammetry and potential-step chronoamperometry as well as current-step chronopotentiometry techniques. The kinetics of these reactions is quasi-reversible with two electron transfer reactions and 0.030 s(-1) apparent electrode reaction rate constant. The results demonstrate that neither electrode surface modification nor the inclusion of mediators is necessary to study the electron transfer reactions of tyrosinase at silver electrodes. Moreover, both the anodic and the cathodic currents are linear relationship with the tyrosinase concentration in the range of 1 x 10(-9) approximately 5 x 10(-8)moll(-1). It is possible to be used as a method of analyzing tyrosinase concentration.     

Development of an amperometric biosensor for the determination of phenolic compounds in reversed micelles

The possibilities of amperometric enzyme electrodes in reversed micellar systems for the determination of phenol, 4-chloro-3-methylphenol and 2,4-dimethylphenol are illustrated. The used enzymatic reaction consisted of the oxidation of the phenolic compounds by oxygen, catalysed by tyrosinase. The reduction of the liberated quinones was amperometrically detected. The concentration of the components of the reversed micelles, as well as the potential applied to the tyrosinase electrode have been optimized. The stability of the enzyme electrode with time was also evaluated. The effect of the analyte solubility in water upon the analytical performance of the electrode was explored. Advantages of amperometric biosensors in reversed micelles are shown with respect to aqueous media and organic phase enzyme electrodes.     

Real‐Time Monitoring of Mass‐Transport‐Related Enzymatic Reaction Kinetics in a Nanochannel‐Array Reactor

To understand the fundamentals of enzymatic reactions confined in micro‐/nanosystems, the construction of a small enzyme reactor coupled with an integrated real‐time detection system for monitoring the kinetic information is a significant challenge. Nano‐enzyme array reactors were fabricated by covalently linking enzymes to the inner channels of a porous anodic alumina (PAA) membrane. The mechanical stability of this nanodevice enables us to integrate an electrochemical detector for the real‐time monitoring of the formation of the enzyme reaction product by sputtering a thin Pt film on one side of the PAA membrane. Because the enzymatic reaction is confined in a limited nanospace, the mass transport of the substrate would influence the reaction kinetics considerably. Therefore, the oxidation of glucose by dissolved oxygen catalyzed by immobilized glucose oxidase was used as a model to investigate the mass‐transport‐related enzymatic reaction kinetics in confined nanospaces. The activity and stability of the enzyme immobilized in the nanochannels was enhanced. In this nano‐enzyme reactor, the enzymatic reaction was controlled by mass transport if the flux was low. With an increase in the flux (e.g., >50 μL min^?1), the enzymatic reaction kinetics became the rate‐determining step. This change resulted in the decrease in the conversion efficiency of the nano‐enzyme reactor and the apparent Michaelis–Menten constant with an increase in substrate flux. This nanodevice integrated with an electrochemical detector could help to understand the fundamentals of enzymatic reactions confined in nanospaces and provide a platform for the design of highly efficient enzyme reactors. In addition, we believe that such nanodevices will find widespread applications in biosensing, drug screening, and biochemical synthesis.     

Electrochemical characterization of poly 3-thiopheneacetonitrile: Technique,solvent and relaxation effects

Characterization and electosynthesis of 3-thiopheneacetonitrile (TA) on a platinum electrode have been studied. Different solvents such as Nitrobenzene (NB), 1,2-Dichloroethane (DCE), Dichloromethane (DCM) and Acetonitrile (AN) were used. Many techniques were used for the electrodeposition of films such as potentiodynamic, chronoamperometric and galvanostatic techniques. Poly 3-thiopheneacetonitrile PTA has been subjected to relaxation effect. When the polymer is left at a potential value in its insulating state for some time, the reverse peak in the voltammetric profile during the first positive run differs from the steady state wave. The effect of solvent on the relaxation of the polymer has been studied. A weak or no relaxation was found by using different solvents such as NB, DCE, and DCM.     

Calculation of membrane potential in synaptosomes with use of a lipophilic cation (tetraphenylphosphonium)

To estimate membrane potential in synaptosomes with the use of tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP+), an equation relating the amount of TPP+ accumulated in synaptosomes with membrane potential was derived from the following two assumptions. (1) TPP+ molecules were distributed into plasma membranes, mitochondria and cytosol of synaptosomes. (2) TPP+ achieves a Nernst equilibrium across both the synaptosomal and inner mitochondrial membranes. We propose three methods for calculation of membrane potential using this equation. The concentration of TPP+ was measured under various controlled conditions with an electrode selective for TPP+. The amount of TPP+ accumulated in synaptosomes was determined by measuring the difference between its initial concentration and the concentration after addition of synaptosomes, and membrane potential was estimated by the three methods. The resting potential of synaptosomes was estimated to be -75 to -90 mV by all of these methods. Membrane potentials under various controlled conditions were calculated, and the characteristics of the methods for estimation of membrane potential and those of membrane potential obtained by the methods are discussed.     

多孔阳极氧化铝模板电化学法去阻挡层的研究

提出了一种通过电解去多孔阳极氧化铝(PAA)模板阻挡层的新方法. 用电化学方法研究了去阻挡层的影响因素, 用扫描电镜表征了模板的形貌, 在去阻挡层的PAA模板中化学沉积了普鲁士蓝. 循环伏安测试表明, PAA作阴极在氯化钾溶液中电解一段时间后, 在-0.4 V(vs Ag/AgCl)处出现铝的氧化峰, 普鲁士蓝修饰的PAA电极呈现两对可逆的氧化还原峰. 温度升高、电位降低, 碱生成速率增加, 去阻挡层的时间缩短. 在278 K和－1.8 V时, 电解900 s可去除PAA的阻挡层而不出现扩孔、连孔现象. 通过控制合适的温度、电位和时间, 电解可以去除PAA的阻挡层而不影响模板形貌.     

The Influence of the Cathodic Pretreatment on the Electrochemical Detection of Dopamine by Poly(1‐aminoanthracene) Modified Electrode

In this study we demonstrated the influence of the cathodic pretreatment of poly(1‐aminoanthracene) (PAA) electropolymerized on a platinum electrode for determination of dopamine (DA). The DA electrochemical response was obtained after a cathodic pretreatment of the PAA electrode which consisted of applying a potential of ?0.7 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for 3 s before each measurement. The pretreatment of the electrode changed the PAA electrocatalytic properties so that the electrode began to present electrochemical response to DA without interference of ascorbic acid (AA). The anodic peak currents determined by differential pulse voltammetry using pretreated PAA showed a linear dependence on the DA concentration from 0.56 to 100 µM with a detection limit of 0.13 µM and a correlation coefficient of 0.9986. The electrode exhibits a relative standard deviation of 1.2 % for ten successive measurements of a 0.5 mM DA solution. The analysis by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy show a homogeneous and nanostructured film with globular structures with diameter of about 20 nm. The analytical results obtained for DA determination at a pretreated PAA electrode in pharmaceutical formulation sample were in good agreement with those obtained by a comparative procedure at a 95 % confidence level. PAA electrode after the pretreatment showed electrochemical responses to DA with excellent selectivity, sensitivity, and high stability without interference of AA.     

Electric field driven changes of a gramicidin containing lipid bilayer supported on a Au(111) surface

Langmuir-Blodgett and Langmuir-Schaeffer methods were employed to deposit a mixed bilayer consisting of 90% of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and 10% of gramicidin (GD), a short 15 residue ion channel forming peptide, onto a Au(111) electrode surface. This architecture allowed us to investigate the effect of the electrostatic potential applied to the electrode on the orientation and conformation of DMPC molecules in the bilayer containing the ion channel. The charge density data were determined from chronocoulometry experiments. The electric field and the potential across the membrane were determined through the use of charge density curves. The magnitudes of potentials across the gold-supported biomimetic membrane were comparable to the transmembrane potential acting on a natural membrane. The information regarding the orientation and conformation of DMPC and GD molecules in the bilayer was obtained from photon polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PMIRRAS) measurements. The results show that the bilayer is adsorbed, in direct contact with the metal surface, when the potential across the interface is more positive than -0.4 V and is lifted from the gold surface when the potential across the interface is more negative than -0.4 V. This change in the state of the bilayer has a significant impact on the orientation and conformation of the phospholipid and gramicidin molecules. The potential induced changes in the membrane containing peptide were compared to the changes in the structure of the pure DMPC bilayer determined in earlier studies.     

Biosensor based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with tyrosinase immmobilized on multiwalled carbon nanotubes

We describe a biosensor for phenolic compounds that is based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with tyrosinase immobilized on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The MWNTs possess excellent inherent electrical conductivity which enhances the electron transfer rate and results in good electrochemical catalytic activity towards the reduction of benzoquinone produced by enzymatic reaction. The biosensor was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, and the experimental conditions were optimized. The cathodíc current is linearly related to the concentration of the phenols between 0.4???M and 10???M, and the detection limit is 0.2???M. The method was applied to the determination of phenol in water samples.

Solvent effects on the electrode kinetics of simple redox couples: Investigations on the electrochemical behaviour of the V(III)/V(II) system in water + acetonitrile mixtures

Parallel optical and electrochemical studies on the V(III)/V(II) system in H₂O + acetonitrile (AN) + CF₃SO₃H mixtures have been performed. It was found, on the basis of the spectra of vanadium ions in the visible range, that V(III) was totally hydrated in mixtures up to x_AN ⋍ 0.6 while V(II) was specifically solvated by AN molecules, even at a molar fraction of acetonitrile in H₂O + AN mixtures as low as 0.02. In agreement with this, the formal potentials of the V(III)/V(II) system expressed versus the ferrocene electrode move to less negative potentials with an increase in AN concentration.Straightforward correlations of the electrode kinetics of the V(III)/V(II) system at a mercury electrode in H₂O + AN mixtures with both the electrode surface coverage by AN molecules and the resolvation of vanadium ions in the bulk solution were found.     

Molecular parameterization and determination of the electrode potentials of anticoagulant derivatives: Electrochemical and quantum chemical study

This research presents calculations and computation of two anticoagulant derivatives electrode potentials in methanol. For this purpose, the ab initio molecular orbital calculations (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) together with the 6-31G(d) basis set were utilized. The calculated values were compared with the experimental values obtained by linear sweep voltammetry. The observed and the calculated changes in the reduction potential of the anticoagulant derivatives differed from those of the reference compound (catechol), being less than 20 mV. In this way, a method was provided, by which the reduction potentials of the related molecules could be predicted very accurately. Actually, the resulting data illustrated that the method was likely to be useful for the prediction of biomolecules electrode potentials in different aprotic solvents. The bond lengths, bond angles and dipole moment of the studied compounds were calculated in two different solvents and the solvent effects were discussed.