Highly sensitive choline biosensor based on carbon nanotube-modified Pt electrode combined with sol-gel immobilization

A novel amperometric choline biosensor has been fabricated with choline oxidase (ChOx) immobilized by the sol-gel method on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) modified platinum electrode to improve the sensitivity and the anti-interferential property of the sensor. By analyzing the electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrode by MWCNT, it was found that MWCNT could not only improve the current response to H₂O₂ but also decrease the electrocatalytic potential. The effects of experimental variables such as the buffer solutions, pH and the amount of loading enzyme were investigated for the optimum analytical performance. This sensor shows sensitive determination of choline with a linear range from 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L when the operating pH and potential are 7.2 and 0.15 V, respectively. The detection limit of choline was 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L. Selectivity for choline was 9.48 μA·(mmol/L)⁻¹. The biosensor exhibits excellent anti-interferential property and good stability, retaining 85% of its original current value even after a month. It has been applied to the determination of choline in human serum. Translated from Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 2006, 34(7): 910–914 (in Chinese)     

Determination of p-nitroaniline by the tartrate-acetone-Mn2+-KBrO3-H2SO4 double organic substrate oscillating system using non-equilibrium stationary state

This paper described the determination of p-nitroaniline in a double organic substrate oscillating system of tartrate-acetone-Mn²⁺-KBrO₃-H₂SO₄. Under the optimum conditions, temperature was chosen as a control parameter to design the bifurcation point and proposed a convenient method for determination of p-nitroaniline. Results showed that the system consisting of 3.5 mL 0.06 mol L⁻¹ tartrate, 4.0 mL 0.7 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄, 1.5 mL 1.5×10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ MnSO₄, 4.0 mL 0.4 mol L⁻¹ acetone and 7.0 mL 0.05 mol L⁻¹ KBrO₃ was very sensitive to the surrounding at 33.5°C. A good linear relationship between the potential difference and the negative logarithm concentration of p-nitroaniline was obtained to be in the range of 2.50×10⁻⁷∼3.75×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ with a lower detection limit of 2.50×10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹.      

Tripodal chelating ligand-based sensor for selective determination of Zn(II) in biological and environmental samples

Potassium hydrotris(N-tert-butyl-2-thioimidazolyl)borate [KTt^t-Bu] and potassium hydrotris(3-tert-butyl-5-isopropyl-l-pyrazolyl)borate [KTp^t-Bu,i-Pr] have been synthesized and evaluated as ionophores for preparation of a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane sensor for Zn(II) ions. The effect of different plasticizers, viz. benzyl acetate (BA), dioctyl phthalate (DOP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), tributyl phosphate (TBP), and o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE), and the anion excluders sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB), potassium tetrakis(p-chlorophenyl)borate (KTpClPB), and oleic acid (OA) were studied to improve the performance of the membrane sensor. The best performance was obtained from a sensor with a of [KTt^t-Bu] membrane of composition (mg): [KTt^t-Bu] (15), PVC (150), DBP (275), and NaTPB (4). This sensor had a Nernstian response (slope, 29.4 ± 0.2 mV decade of activity) for Zn²⁺ ions over a wide concentration range (1.4 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻¹ mol L⁻¹) with a limit of detection of 9.5 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. It had a relatively fast response time (12 s) and could be used for 3 months without substantial change of the potential. The membrane sensor had very good selectivity for Zn²⁺ ions over a wide variety of other cations and could be used in a working pH range of 3.5–7.8. The sensor was also found to work satisfactorily in partially non-aqueous media and could be successfully used for estimation of zinc at trace levels in biological and environmental samples. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Simultaneous determination of catechol and hydroquinone based on poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) functionalized graphene-modified glassy carbon electrode

Simultaneous determination of catechol (CC) and hydroquinone (HQ) were investigated by voltammetry based on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified by poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) functionalized graphene (PDDA-G). The modified electrode showed excellent sensitivity and selectivity properties for the two dihydroxybenzene isomers. In 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.0), the oxidation peak potential difference between CC and HQ was 108 mV, and the peaks on the PDDA-G/GCE were three times as high as the ones on graphene-modified glass carbon electrode. Under optimized conditions, the PDDA-G/GCE showed wide linear behaviors in the range of 1 × 10⁻⁶−4 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L for CC and 1 × 10⁻⁶−5 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L for HQ, with the detection limits 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L for CC and 2.5 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L for HQ (S/N = 3) in mixture, respectively. Some kinetic parameters, such as the electron transfer number (n), charge transfer coefficient (α), and the apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k _s), were calculated. The proposed method was applied to simultaneous determine CC and HQ in real water samples of Yellow River with satisfactory results.     

The electrochemical properties of dopamine,epinephrine and their simultaneous determination at a poly(L-methionine) modified electrode

A poly(L-methionine) modified electrode, fabricated by electrochemical immobilization of the L-methionine on a glassy carbon electrode, was used for simultaneous determination of dopamine and epinephrine through cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical properties of dopamine and epinephrine have been investigated. This sensor gave two separated cathodic peaks at −0.282 and 0.112 V for EP and DA, respectively. A linear response was obtained in the range of 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ for epinephrine, and 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 5.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ for dopamine. The detection limits were 3.6 × 10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹ and 4.2 × 10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹ for epinephrine and dopamine, respectively. This method was successfully applied for simultaneous determination of dopamine and epinephrine in human urines. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Flow-injection analysis for the determination of total inorganic carbon and total organic carbon in water using the H2O2–luminol–uranine chemiluminescent reaction

In the presence of carbonate and uranine, the chemiluminescent intensity from the reaction of luminol with hydrogen peroxide was dramatically enhanced in a basic medium. Based on this fact and coupled with the technique of flow-injection analysis, a highly sensitive method was developed for the determination of carbonate with a wide linear range. The method provided the determination of carbonate with a wide linear range of 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰–5.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ and a low detection limit (S/N = 3) of carbonate of 1.2 × 10⁻¹¹ mol L⁻¹. The average relative standard deviation for 1.0 × 10⁻⁹–9.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ of carbonate was 3.7% (n = 11). Combined with the wet oxidation of potassium persulfate, the method was applied to the simultaneous determination of total inorganic carbon (TIC) and total organic carbon (TOC) in water. The linear ranges for TIC and TOC were 1.2 × 10⁻⁶–6.0 × 10⁻² mg L⁻¹ and 0.08–30 mg L⁻¹ carbon, respectively. Recoveries of 97.4–106.4% for TIC and 96.0–98.5% for TOC were obtained by adding 5 or 50 mg L⁻¹ of carbon to the water samples. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 2.6–4.8% for TIC and 4.6–6.6% for TOC (n = 5). The mechanism of the chemiluminescent reaction was also explored and a reasonable explanation about chemical energy transfer from luminol to uranine was proposed. Figure Chemiluminescence profiles in batch system. 1, Injection of 100 μL of K₂CO₃ into 1.0 mL luminol-1.0 mL H₂O₂ solution; 2-3 and 4-5, Injection in sequence of 100 μL of K₂CO₃ and 100 μL of uranine into 1.0 ml luminol-1.0 mL H₂O₂ solution; C_luminol = 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L, C_H2O2 = 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L, C_uranine = 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L, C_K2CO3 = 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L except for 4-5 where C_K2CO3 = 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L     

A Novel Enhancing Flow-Injection Chemiluminescence Method for the Determination of Glutathione Using the Reaction of Luminol with Hydrogen Peroxide

 A rapid flow-injection method with chemiluminescence (CL) detection is described for the determination of glutathione (GSH). The method is based on the CL reaction of luminol and hydrogen peroxide. GSH can greatly enhance the chemiluminescence intensity in 0.1 mol/L borax–sodium hydroxide buffer solution (pH = 9.7). The maximum CL intensity was directly proportional to the concentration of GSH in the range 3.0 × 10⁻⁷–2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L, and the detection limit was 6.8 × 10⁻⁸ mol/L. The relative standard deviation was 3.4% for 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L of GSH (n = 11). Received October 23, 2001; accepted June 18, 2002     

Electrochemical behaviors of metol on ionic-liquid-modified carbon paste electrode and its analytical application

The electrochemical behaviors of metol on an ionic liquid N-butylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate modified carbon paste electrode (IL-CPE) were studied in this paper. The results indicated that a pair of well-defined quasi-reversible redox peaks of metol appeared with the decrease of overpotential and the increase of redox peak current, which was the characteristics of electrocatalytic oxidation. The electrocatalytic mechanism was discussed and the electrochemical parameters were calculated with results of the charge-transfer coefficient (α) as 0.45, the electrode reaction rate constant (k _s) as 4.02 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹, and the diffusion coefficient (D) as 6.35 × 10⁻⁵ cm²/s. Under the optimal conditions, the anodic peak current was linear with the metol concentration in the range of 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ ∼ 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol/L (n = 11, γ = 0.994) and the detection limit was estimated as 2.33 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L (3σ). The proposed method was successfully applied to determination of metol content in synthetic samples and photographic solutions.     

Voltammetric determination of 2,4-dinitrophenol and 2,5-dinitrophenol using a poly-aspartic acid modified electrode1

In pH 5.0, 0.1 mol l⁻¹ NaAc-HAc buffer solution, 2,4-dinitrophenol and 2,5-dinitrophenol exhibited sensitive and distinguishable voltammetric responses at the glassy carbon electrode modified with poly-aspartic acid. By measuring the reduction peak currents of nitro groups in different positions, dinitrophenol isomers have been determined simultaneously and quantitatively. The linear calibration ranges were 1.1 × 10⁻⁶–6.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ for 2,4-dinitrophenol and 7.0 × 10⁻⁷–6.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ for 2,5-dinitrophenol, with detection limits of 2.7 × 10⁻⁷ and 1.1 × 10⁻⁷ mol l-1 respectively. This method has been applied to the detection of dinitrophenols in simulation water sample, and the recovery was from 96.7 to 102.5%.     

Flow screen-printed amperometric detection of p-nitrophenol in alkaline phosphatase-based assays

p-Nitrophenyl phosphate is one of the most widely used substrates for alkaline phosphatase in ELISAs because its yellow, water-soluble product, p-nitrophenol, absorbs strongly at 405 nm. p-Nitrophenol is also electroactive; an oxidative peak at 0.97 V (vs. an Ag pseudoreference electrode) is obtained when a bare screen-printed carbon electrode is used. When an amperometric detector was coupled to a flow-injection analysis system the detection limit achieved for p-nitrophenol was 2×10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹, almost two orders of magnitude lower than that obtained by measuring the absorbance of the compound. By use of this electrochemical detection method, measurement of 7×10⁻¹⁴ mol L⁻¹ alkaline phosphatase was achieved after incubation for 20 min. The feasibility of coupling immunoassay to screen-printed carbon electrode amperometric detection has been demonstrated by performing an ELISA for detection of pneumolysin, a toxin produced by Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes respiratory infections. The method is simple, reproducible, and much more sensitive than traditional spectrophotometry.     

Determination of sulfanilamide based on the Mn(II)-catalyzed oscillating chemical reaction

A convenient and sensitive method for determination of sulfanilamide (SNA) was described based on the Mn(II)-catalyzed oscillating chemical reaction. Under optimum conditions, a linear relationship existed between the changes of oscillating period or amplitude and the negative of logarithm of SNA concentration in the range of 4.27 × 10⁻⁸ mol ·L⁻¹ ∼ 7.41 × 10⁻⁶ mol ·L⁻¹ (RSD, 0.85%) and 9.33 × 10⁻⁸ mol ·L⁻¹ ∼ 3.02 × 10⁻⁶ mol ·L⁻1 (RSD, 1.08%), respectively. The lower limit of detection was found to be 2.69 × 10⁻⁸ mol ·L⁻¹ and 6.03 × 10⁻⁸ mol ·L⁻¹, respectively.      

Fluorescent microscopic determination of gatifloxacin in milk,injection, human urine,and rabbit serum samples by self-ordered ring technique on glass slides support

A simple and sensitive self-ordered ring (SOR) technique, which was based on the capillary effect of solvent on a hydrophobic glass slide, was successfully applied to the determination of gatifloxacin in milk, injection, human urine and rabbit serum samples. In a medium of pH 3.20 (HAc-NaAc) with the aid of poly(vinyl alcohol)-124 (PVA-124), when 0.50 μL aluminum-sensitized gatifloxacin was dropped on glass slide with dimethyl dichlorosilane (DMCS) pretreated, a typical fluorescent SOR with diameter (2R) of the ring less than ca. 1.77 mm and the belt width (2δ) less than 29.3 μm can be obtained. The solute on the ring belt had strong fluorescence. Data of the imaged SOR showed that the gatifloxacin molecule across the SOR belt section follows a Gaussian distribution. The assay showed that when the droplet volume is 0.1 μL, the SOR method could be used to determine gatifloxacin in the range of 5.61 × 10⁻¹⁴ ∼ 1.50 × 10⁻¹² mol/ring (5.61 × 10⁻⁸∼1.50 × 10⁻⁵ M) and the limit of determination (LOD) reached 5.61 × 10⁻¹⁵ mol/ring (5.61 × 10⁻⁸ M) with three-fold signal-to-noise ratio (S/N = 3).     

Adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry of zirconium(IV)-alizarin red S complex at a carbon paste electrode

A sensitive adsorptive anodic stripping procedure for the determination of trace zirconium at a carbon paste electrode (CPE) has been developed. The method is based on adsorptive accumulation of the Zr(IV)-alizarin red S(ARS) complex onto the surface of the CPE, followed by oxidation of adsorbed species. The optimal experimental conditions include the use of 0.10 mol · L⁻¹ ammonium acetate buffer (pH 4.3), ARS, an accumulation potential of 0.20 V (versus SCE), an accumulation time of 2 min, a scan rate of 200 mV · s⁻¹ and a second-order derivative linear scan mode. The oxidation peak for the complex appears at 0.69 V. The peak current is proportional to the concentration of Zr(IV) over the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁹–2.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol · L⁻¹, and the detection limit is 3 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol · L⁻¹ for a 2 min adsorption time. The relative standard deviations (n = 8) for 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ and 5.0 × 10⁻⁹ mol · L⁻¹ Zr(IV) are 3.3 and 4.8%, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the determination of zirconium in ore samples with satisfactory results.     

Microencapsulated Engineered <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactococcus lactis Cells</Emphasis> for Heterologous Protein Delivery: Preparation and In Vitro Analysis

This article demonstrates the potential of encapsulated, engineered Lactococcus lactis as a vehicle for the oral delivery of therapeutic proteins. Using alginate-poly-l-lysine-alginate membrane-encapsulated L. lactis engineered to secrete the reporter protein Staphylococcal aureus nuclease, we show comparable viability and protein secretion between free and immobilized cells. After 12 h, microcapsules with a cell density of 4.8 × 10⁵ colony forming unit (CFU) ml⁻¹ grew to 2.2 × 10⁸ CFU ml⁻¹ and released 0.24 arbitrary unit (AU) ml⁻¹ of nuclease, producing similar results as free cells, which grew from 3.4 × 10⁵ to 1.9 × 10⁸ CFU ml⁻¹ and secreted 0.21 AU ml⁻¹ of nuclease. Moreover, encapsulated cells at a density of 4.4 × 10⁷ CFU ml⁻¹ grew to 2.2 × 10¹⁰ CFU ml⁻¹ in 12 h and secreted 15.3 AU ml⁻¹ of nuclease although 3.1 × 10⁷ CFU ml⁻¹ of free cells reached only 2.3 × 10⁹ CFU ml⁻¹ and released 5.6 AU ml⁻¹ of nuclease. We also show the sustained stability of the microcapsules during storage at 4°C over 8 weeks.     

Study and Application of Electrochemical Behavior of Calcium-ARS on a Mercury Film Electrode

A sensitive complex absorptive wave of Ca-ARS was obtained by using differential pulse voltammetry when a mercury film glass carbon electrode was immersed in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ KOH and 4.5×10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ ARS solution. The peak potential obtained was −1.17 V (vs Ag-AgCl). The peak current was proportional to the concentration of calcium in the range of 5.0×10⁻⁸−4.2×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The detection limit was 2.0×10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. This method was applied successfully to determining traces of calcium in blood serum. The electrochemical behavior of the system was also studied by cyclic voltammetry, and the experiment results showed that the electrode process was an irreversible absorptive with two electrons participating. Translated from Journal of Beijing Normal University (Natural Science Edition), 2005, 41(2) (in Chinese)     

Electrochemical behavior of electrodeposited film derived from rhein and its activity towards myoglobin reduction

The stable electroactive thin film of rhein has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the electrodeposited film derived from rhein indicated the electrode reaction was kinetically controlled in the region of higher frequency, the charge transfer resistance was 2.6×10³ Ω cm² and capacitance value was 13.2 μF cm² . The electrodeposited film derived from rhein exhibited a good electrocatalytic activity for myoglobin (Mb) reduction. In 0.30 mol dm⁻³ H₂SO₄solution, the catalysis currents were proportional to the concentrations of Mb over the range of 1.5×10⁻⁷–1.3×10⁻⁵ mol dm⁻³. The detection limit is 1.0×10⁻⁷ mol dm⁻³ (S/N=3). The relative standard deviation is 4.8% for eight successive determinations of 5.0×10⁻⁷ mol dm⁻³ Mb.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of nitric oxide at nano-TiO2/Nafion composite film modified glassy carbon electrode

A novel nanocrystalline TiO₂ (nano-TiO₂) and Nafion composite film modified glassy carbon electrode has been developed for the determination of nitric oxide (NO) radical in an aqueous solution. This modified electrode can be employed as a NO sensor with a low detection limit, fast response, high sensitivity and selectivity. Two apparent anodic peaks were observed at 0.67 and 0.95 V at the nano-TiO₂ modified glassy carbon electrode by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). After further modification with a thin film of Nafion, which was capable of preventing some anionic interference such as nitrite and ascorbic acid, only one peak appeared and the peak current enhanced greatly. The chronocoulometric experimental results showed NO was oxidized by one-electron transfer reaction at the composite film modified electrode. The amperometric responses increased linearly with the concentrations of NO ranging from 3.6×10⁻⁷ mol/L to 5.4×10⁻⁵ mol/L. The detection limit was estimated to be 5.4×10⁻⁸ mol/L. In this sensor system, the modification film provides complete selectivity for NO over nitrite anions (NO₂⁻).     

Naked eye detection of cadmium using inorganic–organic hybrid mesoporous material

A novel and low-cost optical sensor for the naked eye detection of Cd²⁺in aqueous media based on mesoporous silica containing 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR) as a probe molecule anchored by N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (TMAC) was prepared. The effects of various factors such as pH, solvent volume, temperature, reaction time, amount of the material, and the presence of various ions were studied in order to optimize operating conditions. The detection was based on the color change of PAR from orange-yellow to purple as a result of complexation with Cd²⁺. The intensity of the Cd-PAR complex varies linearly with the Cd²⁺concentration, from zero to 1.78×10⁻⁷ mol dm⁻³. The detection and quantification limits for the method when determining Cd²⁺ were 1.75×10⁻⁸ and 5.77×10⁻⁸ mol dm⁻³, respectively, with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. Good chemical stability of the material was observed for a period of five months. The developed sensor was applied to the analysis of various industrial effluents and tap water samples. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

The amperometric determination of indole-3-acetic acid based on CeCl<Subscript>3</Subscript>-DHP film modified gold electrode

An amperometric sensor for the determination of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) based on the CeCl₃-DHP film modified gold electrode was developed. CeCl₃ was dissolved into water in the presence of dihexadecyl hydrogen phosphate (DHP). The IAA sensor was prepared via evaporating solvent of the CeCl₃-DHP dispersion on the gold electrode surface. The amperometric response of IAA on the CeCl₃-DHP film modified gold electrode was investigated. The experimental results indicate that the passivation of the electrode due to the adsorption of the oxidation product of IAA decreases significantly at the CeCl₃-DHP film modified gold electrode, in contrast to that at the bare and the DHP modified gold electrode. The experimental parameters were optimized and an electrochemical method for the determination of IAA was established. The oxidation peak current is linearly with the concentration of IAA from 1 × 10⁻⁷ to 2 × 10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹ and the detection limit is 3 × 10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹. The relative standard deviation of eight measurements is 3.2% for 5 × 10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹ IAA. The IAA in plant leaves were extracted and determined by the IAA sensor.     

Electrochemical behaviors of ofloxacin and its voltammetric determination at carbon nanotubes film modified electrode

A multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)-Nafion film-coated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was fabricated and the electrochemical behavior of ofloxacin on the MWNTs-Nafion film-coated GCE were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The oxidation peak current of ofloxacin increased significantly on the MWNTs-Nafion film modified GCE compared with that using a bare GCE. This nano-structured film electrode exhibited excellent enhancement effects on the electrochemical oxidation of ofloxacin. A well-defined oxidation peak attributed to ofloxacin was observed at 0.97 V and was applied to the determination of ofloxacin. The oxidation peak current was proportional to ofloxacin concentration in the ranges 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L and 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L. A detection limit of 8.0 × 10⁻⁹ mol/L was obtained for 400 s accumulation at open circuit (S/N = 3). This method for the detection of ofloxacin in human urine was satisfactory. __________ Translated from Chinese Journal of Applied Chemistry, 2007, 24(5): 540–545 [译自: 应用化学]