Natural pyrite as an electrochemical sensor for potentiometric titrations with EDTA, mercury(II) and silver(I)

The results obtained in potentiometric titrations of copper(II), mercury(II) and iron(III) with standard EDTA solutions are presented. The titration of copper(II) at pH values in the range from 8.11 to 10.99 (ammonia buffer) and the titration of mercury(II) and iron(III) at pH values from 3.59 to 5.65 (acetate buffer) were performed. The titration end-point (TEP) was detected with an indicator electrode made from natural crystalline pyrite as an electrochemical sensor. The results obtained in potentiometric titration with the pyrite electrode were compared with those obtained using a platinum electrode (Fe³⁺), a Cu ion selective electrode (Cu²⁺) and a Hg electrode (Hg²⁺). Accurate and reproducible results with good agreement were obtained, but higher potential changes at the TEP were obtained using the pyrite electrode. In the course of the titration the potential was established within less than 1 min, whereas at the TEP it was within about 2–3 min. The potential changes at the TEP were in the range from 60 to 200 mV per 0.1 ml EDTA, according to the stability constant of the complex formed. The highest potential changes, ranging from 160 to 200 mV, were obtained in the titration of iron(III) at pH 3.59. Reverse titration was also performed and accurate and reproducible results were obtained. Moreover, titration of halogenide and thiocyanate with standard mercury(II) solutions, as well as cyanide with silver(I) solution, were performed and accurate and reproducible results were again obtained. Received: 20 February 1998 / Accepted: 19 November 1999     

Construction and Application of an Electrochemical Sensor for Simultaneous Determination of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II) in Water and Foodstuff Samples

By incorporation of synthesized magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs) coated with a new Schiff base into carbon paste electrode, a novel modified electrode was constructed for simultaneous determination of ultra trace amounts of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II). The complexation reaction of Schiff base with metal ions was studied spectrophotometrically. Under optimal conditions a detection limit of 0.20, 0.90 and 1.00 ng mL^?1 for Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II), respectively, was obtained. We take the advantages of the proposed method for simple, rapid, sensitive and selective simultaneous determination of trace amounts of hazardous Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II) in water and foodstuff samples.     

Sensitive electrochemical sensor using a graphene–polyaniline nanocomposite for simultaneous detection of Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II)

This work describes the development of an electrochemical sensor for simultaneous detection of Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) using a graphene–polyaniline (G/PANI) nanocomposite electrode prepared by reverse-phase polymerization in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Two substrate materials (plastic film and filter paper) and two nanocomposite deposition methods (drop-casting and electrospraying) were investigated. Square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry currents were higher for plastic vs. paper substrates. Performance of the G/PANI nanocomposites was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry. The G/PANI-modified electrode exhibited high electrochemical conductivity, producing a three-fold increase in anodic peak current (vs. the unmodified electrode). The G/PANI-modified electrode also showed evidence of increased surface area under SEM. Square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry was used to measure Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) in the presence of Bi(III). A linear working range of 1–300 μg L⁻¹ was established between anodic current and metal ion concentration with detection limits (S/N = 3) of 1.0 μg L⁻¹ for Zn(II), and 0.1 μg L⁻¹ for both Cd(II) and Pb(II). The G/PANI-modified electrode allowed selective determination of the target metals in the presence of common metal interferences including Mn(II), Cu(II), Fe(III), Fe(II), Co(III), and Ni(II). Repeat assays on the same device demonstrated good reproducibility (%RSD < 11) over 10 serial runs. Finally, this system was utilized for determining Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) in human serum using the standard addition method.     

Electrochemical detection of copper(II) at a gold electrode modified with a self-assembled monolayer of penicillamine

A penicillamine (PCA) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) was prepared on a gold electrode. It has been found that the modified electrode exhibited a selective response to copper ions. As demonstrated by cyclic voltammetric experiments, the SAM-based electrode showed an attractive ability to preconcentrate efficiently traces of copper(II) from solutions. Under optimum conditions, the anodic peak current was proportional to the concentration of Cu(II) in the range from 8.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M with a detection limit of 4.0 × 10⁻⁷ M. Moreover, this modified gold electrode is also characterized by excellent repeatability, showing a relative standard deviation of 3.2% for nine successive measurements of 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M Cu(II). The PCA/Au SAM gold electrode was used for the determination of Cu(II) in a tap water sample and the results showed a good agreement with the data obtained by atomic emission spectrometry. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Antibacterial,DFT and molecular docking studies of metformin complex as active material for the fabrication of copper (II) selective potentiometric sensor

The prepared and characterized metformin ‐copper (II) complex was used as elecroactive material for modification of a new sensitive and selective modified carbon paste electrode (MCPE) for the potentiometric determination of copper (II) in water samples. The performance characteristics of MCPE were carried out. The electrode showed perfect potentiometric response for Cu (II) over concentration range of 1.0 × 10^?6 – 5.0 × 10^?2 mol L^?1 with a detection limit of 1.0 × 10^?6 mol L^?1 with divalent slope value 30.8 ± 0.92 mV decade^?1 over the pH range of 2–6 and exhibits fast response time of 9 s. Also, this electrode exhibited good selectivity towards Cu (II) ions with respect to other metal ions. The obtained results using the proposed electrode were in a good agreement with those obtained using the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method.     

Effect of presence of 18-crown-6 on the response of 1-pyrrolidine dicarbodithioate-based lead selective electrode

The lipophilic ammonium salt of 1-pyrrolidine dicarbodithioic acid (PCDT)[I] was introduced as a selective ionophore for a sensitive Pb-ion selective electrode. Also, the effect of immobilization of 18-crown-6 (CW), into the above membrane, on the electrode performance was discussed. The slope of the PCDT-based [I] electrode was (26–30 mV decade⁻¹), while it was (29-30 mV decade⁻¹) for (PCDT+CW)-based [II] electrode according to the doping time. The linear concentration ranges were (1×10⁻⁶–1×10⁻¹ M) and (5×10⁻⁵–1×10⁻¹ M) for electrode types [I] and [II] after one-day doping. The working pH ranges were (5.0–10.0) and (7.0–10.0) for electrode types [I] and [II], respectively. Most of the common cations were tested for the evaluation of the electrode selectivity with correlation to the ionic radii of the tested cations. Among them only Na⁺, Ag⁺ and Fe³⁺ were the real interference. Application of using the electrode for the determination of lead in lubrication oil samples was performed with RSD (0.86–1.03%). The obtained results were compared to those of an atomic absorption spectrophotometric method.     

Selective Electrochemical Analysis of Various Metal Ions at an EDTA Bonded Conducting Polymer Modified Electrode

An EDTA‐bonded conducting polymer modified electrode was prepared and characterized by FT‐IR. The modified electrode was used for the selective electrochemical analysis of various trace metal ions such as, Cu(II), Hg(II), Pb(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Fe(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) at the different pHs by linear sweep and square wave voltammetry. Dynamic ranges were obtained using square wave voltammetry from 0.1 μM to 10.0 μM for Co(II), Ni(II), Cd(II), Fe(II), and Zn(II) and 0.5 nM to 20 nM for Cu(II), Hg(II), and Pb(II) after 10 min of preconcentration. The detection limits were determined to be 0.1 nM, 0.3 nM, 0.4 nM, 50.0 nM, 60.0 nM, 65.0 nM, 80.0 nM, and 90.0 nM for Cu(II), Hg(II), Pb(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cd(II), Fe(II), and Zn(II), respectively. The technique offers an excellent way for the selective trace determination of various heavy metal ions in a solution.     

Preparation and application of a new glucose sensor based on iodide ion selective electrode

An electrode for glucose has been prepared by using an iodide selective electrode with the glucose oxidase enzyme. The iodide selective electrode used was prepared from 10% TDMAI and PVC according our previous study. The enzyme was immobilized on the iodide electrode by holding it at pH 7 phosphate buffer for 10 min at room temperature. The H₂O₂ formed from the reaction of glucose was determined from the decrease of iodide concentration that was present in the reaction cell. The iodide concentration was followed from the change of potential of iodide selective electrode. The potential change was linear in the 4×10⁻⁴ to 4×10⁻³ M glucose concentration (75-650 mg glucose/100ml blood) range. The slope of the linear portion was about 79 mV per decade change in glucose concentration. Glucose contents of some blood samples were determined with the new electrode and consistency was obtained with a colorimetric method. The effects of pH, iodide concentration, the amount of enzyme immobilized and the operating temperature were studied. No interference of ascorbic acid, uric acid, iron(III) and Cu(II) was observed. Since the iodide electrode used was not an AgI-Ag₂S electrode, there was no interference of common ions such as chloride present in biological fluids. The slope of the electrode did not change for about 65 days when used 3 times a day.     

Electrochemical sensors for the simultaneous determination of zinc,cadmium and lead using a Nafion/ionic liquid/graphene composite modified screen-printed carbon electrode

A simple, low cost, and highly sensitive electrochemical sensor, based on a Nafion/ionic liquid/graphene composite modified screen-printed carbon electrode (N/IL/G/SPCE) was developed to determine zinc (Zn(II)), cadmium (Cd(II)), and lead (Pb(II)) simultaneously. This disposable electrode shows excellent conductivity and fast electron transfer kinetics. By in situ plating with a bismuth film (BiF), the developed electrode exhibited well-defined and separate peaks for Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). Analytical characteristics of the BiF/N/IL/G/SPCE were explored with calibration curves which were found to be linear for Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) concentrations over the range from 0.1 to 100.0 ng L⁻¹. With an accumulation period of 120 s detection limits of 0.09 ng mL⁻¹, 0.06 ng L⁻¹ and 0.08 ng L⁻¹ were obtained for Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively using the BiF/N/IL/G/SPCE sensor, calculated as 3σ value of the blank. In addition, the developed electrode displayed a good repeatability and reproducibility. The interference from other common ions associated with Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) detection could be effectively avoided. Finally, the proposed analytical procedure was applied to detect the trace metal ions in drinking water samples with satisfactory results which demonstrates the suitability of the BiF/N/IL/G/SPCE to detect heavy metals in water samples and the results agreed well with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.     

Use of the differential pulse cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetric method for the simultaneous determination of trace amounts of cadmium and zinc

A selective and sensitive method for the determination of cadmium and zinc is presented. The method is based on the adsorptive accumulation of the complexes of Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions with 4-amiono-5-methyl-2.4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-tion (MMTT) onto hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE), followed by the reduction of the adsorbed species using a voltammetric scan using differential pulse modulation. The ligand concentration, pH, potential and time of accumulation, scan rate, and pulse height were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, a linear calibration curve was obtained for the concentration of Cd(II) and Zn(II) in the range of 5–450 and 5–850 ng/mL, respectively, with a detection limit of 1.7 ng/mL Cd(II) and 1.3 ng/mL Zn(II). The ability of the method was evaluated by analysis of cadmium and zinc in water and alloy samples The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Stripping voltammetry study of ultra-trace toxic metal ions on highly selectively adsorptive porous magnesium oxide nanoflowers

We have demonstrated highly selective and sensitive detection of Pb(II) and Cd(II) using a highly selective adsorptive porous magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoflowers. The MgO nanoflower-modified glassy carbon electrode was electrochemically characterized using cyclic voltammetry; and the anodic stripping voltammetric performance of bound Pb(II) and Cd(II) was evaluated using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) analysis. The MgO nanoflower-modified electrode exhibited excellent sensing performance toward Pb(II) and Cd(II) that was never observed previously at bismuth (Bi)-based electrodes. Simultaneous additions of Pb(II) and Cd(II) were investigated in the linear range from 3.3 to 22 nM for Pb(II) and 40 to 140 nM for Cd(II), and detection limits of 2.1 pM and 81 pM were obtained, respectively. Some foreign ions, such as Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cr(III) do not interfere with the detection of Pb(II) and Cd(II). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a highly adsorptive metal oxide with hierarchical micro/nanostructure that allows the detection of both Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions.     

Hg(II) immobilized MWCNT graphite electrode for the anodic stripping voltammetric determination of lead and cadmium

The preparation of Hg(II)-modified multi walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) by reaction of oxidized MWCNT with aqueous HgCl₂ was carried out. The Hg(II)-modified multi walled carbon nanotube (Hg(II)/MWCNT) dispersed in Nafion solution was used to coat the polished graphite electrode surface. The Hg(II)/MWCNT modified graphite electrode was held at a cathodic potential (−1.0 V) to reduce the coordinated Hg(II) to Hg forming nanodroplets of Hg. The modified electrode was characterized by FESEM/EDAX which provided useful insights on the morphology of the electrode. The SEM images showed droplets of Hg in the size of around 260 nm uniformly distributed on the MWCNT. Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to study the Hg(II) binding with MWCNT. Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry of ppb levels of cadmium and lead using the modified electrode yielded well-defined peaks with low background current under a short deposition time. Detection limit of 0.94 and 1.8 ng L⁻¹ were obtained following a 3 min deposition for Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively. Various experimental parameters were characterized and optimized. High reproducibility was observed from the RSD values for 20 repetitive measurements of Pb(II) and Cd(II) (1.7 and 1.9%, respectively). The determination of Pb(II) and Cd(II) in tap water and Pb(II) in human hair samples was carried out. The above method of fabrication of Hg(II)/MWCNT modified graphite electrode clearly suggests a safe route for preparing Hg immobilized electrode for stripping analysis.     

Construction of Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for Highly Sensitive Simultaneous Electrochemical Determination of Trace Amounts of Copper (II) and Cadmium (II)

A chemically modified electrode was constructed for rapid, simple, accurate, selective and highly sensitive simultaneous determination of Cu(II) and Cd(II) using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. The electrode was prepared by incorporation of SiO₂ nanoparticles, coated with a newly synthesized Schiff base, in carbon paste electrode. The limit of detection was found to be 0.28 ng mL^?1 and 0.54 ng mL^?1 for Cu(II) and Cd(II), respectively. The proposed chemically modified electrode was used for the determination of copper and cadmium in several foodstuffs and water samples.     

1‐Pyrrolidine Dicarbodithioate Based Electrodes for Determination of Iron(III) in Lubrication Oil

The lipophillic ammonium salt of 1‐pyrrolidine dicarbodithioic acid (PCDT) (I) was introduced as a new selective ionophore for an iron selective electrode. In addition, the effect of immobilization of 18‐crown‐6 (18CE6) (membrane type‐II), on the electrode performance was discussed. The slope of the PCDT‐based (I) electrode was (20 mV/decade). The linear concentration range was (10^?5–10^?1 M) after one day doping. The detection limit for electrode type‐(II) was (1.3×10^?6 M). For membrane with only 18CE6 (type‐III) the linear range and the detection limit were improved (10^?5–10^?1 M and 3.2×10^?6 M, respectively). The pH‐range was between 5–11 for type‐II, and III electrodes, while it was 7–11 for type‐I electrode. Most of the common cations were tested for the evaluation of the electrode selectivity with correlation to the ionic radii of the tested cations. Among them only Ag⁺ and Pb²⁺ were the real interference for type‐III electrode. Application of using the electrode for the determination of iron in lubrication oil samples was performed with RSD (1.77–2.7%) and (1.01–2.3%) for type‐II and III electrodes, respectively. The corresponding recovery ranges were (93.0–99.9%) and (96.3–100%). The obtained results were compared to those of an atomic absorption spectrophotometric method.     

Individual and simultaneous determination of lead, cadmium, and zinc by anodic stripping voltammetry at a bismuth bulk electrode

A bismuth bulk electrode (BiBE) has been investigated as an alternative electrode for the anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) analysis of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II). The BiBE, which is fabricated in-house, shows results comparable to those of similar analyses at other Bi-based electrodes. Metal accumulation is achieved by holding the electrode potential at −1.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for 180 s followed by a square wave voltammetric stripping scan from −1.4 to −0.35 V. Calibration plots are obtained for all three metals, individually and simultaneously, in the10-100 μg L⁻¹ range, with a detection limit of 93, 54, and 396 ng L⁻¹ for Pb(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), respectively. A slight reduction in slope is observed for Cd(II) and Pb(II) when the three metals are calibrated simultaneously vs. individually. Comparing the sensitivities of the metals when calibrated individually vs. in a mixture reveals that Zn(II) is not affected by stripping in a mixture. However, Pb(II) and Cd(II) have decreasing sensitivities in a mixture. The optimized method has been successfully used to test contaminated river water by standard addition. The results demonstrate the ability of the BiBE as an alternative electrode material in heavy metal analysis.     

Construction and characterization of nano iron complex ionophore for electrochemical determination of Fe(III) in pure and various real water samples

Electrochemical methods represent an important class of widely used techniques for the detection of metal ions. The unique chemical and physical properties of nanoparticles make them extremely suitable for designing new and improved sensing devices, especially electrochemical sensors and biosensors. This study focused on the synthesis of a nano‐Fe(III)–Sud complex and its characterization using various spectroscopic and analytical tools, optimized using the density functional theory method, screened for antibacterial activity and evaluated for possible binding to DNA using molecular docking study. Proceeding from the collected information, nano‐Fe(III)–Sud was used further for constructing carbon paste and screen‐printed ion‐selective electrodes. The proposed sensors were successfully applied for the determination of Fe(III) ions in various real and environmental water samples. Some texture analyses of the electrode surface were conducted using atomic force microscopy. At optimum values of various conditions, the proposed electrodes responded towards Fe(III) ions linearly in the range 2.5 × 10^?9–1 × 10^?2 and 1.0 × 10^?8–1 × 10^?2 M with slope of 19.73 ± 0.82 and 18.57 ± 0.32 mV decade^?1 of Fe(III) ion concentration and detection limit of 2.5 × 10^?9 and 1.0 × 10^?8 M for Fe(III)–Sud‐SPE (electrode I) and Fe(III)–Sud‐CPE (electrode II), respectively. The electrode response is independent of pH in the range 2.0–7.0 and 2.5–7.0, with a fast response time (4 and 7 s) at 25°C for electrode I and electrode II, respectively. Moreover, the electrodes also showed high selectivity and long lifetime (more than 6 and 3 months for electrode I and electrode II, respectively). The electrodes showed good selectivity for Fe(III) ions among a wide variety of metal ions. The results obtained compared well with those obtained using atomic absorption spectrometry.     

Trace amounts determination of lead,zinc and copper by adsorptive stripping voltammetry in the presence of dopamine

A selective and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of lead, zinc and copper by adsorptive differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry is presented. The method is based on adsorptive accumulation of the complexes of Pb(II), Zn(II), and Cu(II) ions with dopamine onto hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE), followed by reduction of adsorbed species by differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry. The effect of experimental parameters such as pH, dopamine concentration, accumulation time and potential and scan rate were examined. Under the optimized conditions, linear calibration curves were established for the concentration of Pb, Zn, and Cu in the ranges of 5–150, 5–250, and 1–150 ng/mL, respectively. Detection limits of 0.06, 0.25, and 0.04 ng/mL for Pb, Zn, and Cu were obtained. An application of the proposed method is reported for the determination of these elements in some real samples such as natural waters and alloys.     

Lead ion-selective electrodes based on polyphenylenediamine as unique solid ionophores

A novel membrane electrode for Pb(II) ion detection based on semi-conducting poly(m-phenylenediamine) microparticles as a unique solid ionophore was fabricated. The electrode exhibited significantly enhanced response towards Pb(II) over the concentration range from 3.16 × 10⁻⁶ to 0.0316 M at pH 3.0-5.0 with a low detection limit of 6.31 × 10⁻⁷ M, a high sensitivity displaying a near-Nernstian slope of 29.8 mV decade⁻¹ for Pb(II). The electrode showed a long lifetime of 5 months and a short response time of 14 s. A systematical investigation on the effect of anion excluder and various foreign ions on the selectivity of the electrode by a fixed interference method suggests that all other metal ions hardly ever interfere with the determination of Pb(II) except high concentration Hg(II). The electrode was successfully used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Pb(II) with EDTA. Furthermore, the electrode has been used to satisfactorily analyze four types of real-world samples like spiked human urine, spiked tap water, and river water containing interfering ions like Na(I), Ca(II), Mg(II), Zn(II), Pd(II), Fe(III), K(I), Cu(II) and Hg(II) up to 8.04 × 10⁻⁴ M, demonstrating fast response, high selectivity, good recovery (96.6-121.4%), good repeatability (RSD 0.31-6.45%), and small relative error (5.0%).     

Silica-modified electrode for the selective detection of mercury

Pure silica particles were dispersed within carbon paste and the resulting modified electrode was applied to the selective voltammetric detection of mercury(II) species after their accumulation at open circuit. The remarkable selectivity observed between pH 4 and 7 was attributed to the intrinsic adsorption mechanism which involves a condensation reaction between mercury(II) hydroxide and hydroxyl groups on the silica surface, leading to the formation of an inner-sphere-type surface complex. After optimization with respect to the electrode composition, the detection medium, and the voltammetric scan mode, a linear response was obtained in the concentration range between 2 × 10⁻⁷ M to 1 × 10⁻⁵ M, by applying anodic stripping square wave voltammetry. Various silica samples were used and their sorption behavior was discussed in relation to their specific surface area and porosity. The effect of chloride and pH on the accumulation of mercury(II) on silica was also investigated. Received: 4 September 1999 / Accepted: 5 January 2000     

Selective detection and recovery of gold at tannin-immobilized non-conducting electrode

A tannin-immobilized glassy carbon electrode (TIGC) was prepared via electrochemical oxidation of the naturally occurring polyphenolic mimosa tannin, which generated a non-conducting polymeric film (NCPF) on the electrode surface. The fouling of the electrode surface by the electropolymerized film was evaluated by monitoring the electrode response of ferricyanide ions as a redox marker. The NCPF was permselective to HAuCl₄, and the electrochemical reduction of HAuCl₄ to metallic gold at the TIGC electrode was evaluated by recording the reduction current during cyclic voltammetry measurement. In the mixed electrolyte containing HAuCl₄ along with FeCl₃ and/or CuCl₂, the NCPF remained selective toward the electrochemical reduction of HAuCl₄ into the metallic state. The chemical reduction of HAuCl₄ into metallic gold was also observed when the NCPF was inserted into an acidic gold solution overnight. The adsorption capacity of Au(III) on tannin-immobilized carbon fiber was 29 ± 1.45 mg g⁻¹ at 60 °C. In the presence of excess Cu(II) and Fe(III), tannin-immobilized NCPF proved to be an excellent candidate for the selective detection and recovery of gold through both electrochemical and chemical processes.