Simultaneous Electroanalysis of Guaiacol and its Analogs Based on their Differential Complexation with α‐Cyclodextrin on Nafion Modified Boron‐doped Diamond Electrode

Guaiacol and its analogs, a distinct flavor in whiskey, foods, and beverages, display different inclusion complexes with α‐Cyclodextrin (α‐CD) and can be detected on a Nafion modified boron‐doped diamond (BDD) electrode. The stable Nafion layer preconcentrates the analyte‐α‐CD complexes prior to electroanalysis by square wave voltammetry (SWV) to enhance detection sensitivities. This sensing mode together with peak deconvolution successfully distinguishes between guaiacol, 4‐ethylguaiacol (4‐EG), three cresol isomers, and phenols in a popular whiskey brand. The results obtained are corroborated by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Anodic oxidation at + 2 V in phosphate buffer, pH 7 is proven as an effective method to renew the electrode surface after its exposure to the guaiacols. This robust approach circumvents several drawbacks associated with the use of enzymes and nanomaterials for the analysis of such analytes as reported in the literature.     

Electroanalysis of Benzalkonium Chloride in Ophthalmic Formulation by Boron-doped Diamond Electrode

Benzalkonium chloride (BAK) is a mixture of alkyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chlorides, which is used primarily as a biocide, surfactant, preservative, and antimicrobial agent in the pharmaceutical industry, in particular in ophthalmologic and nasal solutions. However, BAK may cause harmful consequences on the eye structures of the anterior segment. Control of BAK identity and content is necessary by applying a sensitive detection method. This study unravels the use of a glassy carbon (GC) electrode and a pristine boron-doped diamond electrode (BDD) for the detection of four BAK homologs in a non-aqueous medium using square wave voltammetry (SWV). The BDD provided more reproducibility of the oxidation potential than GC with a correlation coefficient of 0.999. The irreversible oxidation peak was very broad and deconvoluted into 3 peaks corresponding to C₁₂, C₁₄, and combined C₁₆–C₁₈ to reflect their concentration ratio in the mixture. The method was then extended to the detection of the C₁₂ homolog in the ophthalmic formulations with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.4 μg/mL. The estimated BAK levels in three  ophthalmic formulations were in agreement with the specified values by the manufacturers. The results were validated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection, confirming the presence of a single homolog (C₁₂) in the eye drops.     

Perspectives on electrochemical biosensing of COVID-19

Rapid detection of human coronavirus disease 2019, termed as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID-19 infection, is urgently needed for containment strategy owing to its unprecedented spreading. Novel biosensors can be deployed in remote clinical settings without central facilities for infection screening. Electrochemical biosensors serve as analytical tools for rapid detection of viral structure proteins, mainly spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, human immune responses, reactive oxygen species, viral ribonucleic acid, polymerase chain reaction by-products, and other potential biomarkers. The development of point-of-care testing devices is challenging due to the requirement of extensive validation, a time-consuming and expensive step. Together with specific biorecognition molecules, nanomaterial-based biosensors have emerged for the fast detection of early viral infections.     

Rapid Nanomolar Detection of Guaiacol from its Precursors Using a Core-shell Reversed-phase Column Coupled with a Boron-doped Diamond Electrode

The electrooxidation mechanisms of guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol), a food and beverage spoilage metabolite, and its precursors; vanillic acid (VA), vanillin, and ferulic acid (FA) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) together with a BDD electrode poised at +1.6 V vs. Pd/H₂, was optimized for their sensitive detection. The separation was achieved in 60 s with a core-shell column (HALO C₁₈). The detection limits of these analytes ranged from 10–30 nM. The method was applicable for the analysis of guaiacol and its precursors from a popular commercial drink.     

Practical and General Alcohol Deoxygenation Protocol

Herein, we describe a practical protocol for the removal of alcohol functional groups through reductive cleavage of their benzoate ester analogs. This transformation requires a strong single electron transfer (SET) reductant and a means to accelerate slow fragmentation following substrate reduction. To accomplish this, we developed a photocatalytic system that generates a potent reductant from formate salts alongside Brønsted or Lewis acids that promote fragmentation of the reduced intermediate. This deoxygenation procedure is effective across structurally and electronically diverse alcohols and enables a variety of difficult net transformations. This protocol requires no precautions to exclude air or moisture and remains efficient on multigram scale. Finally, the system can be adapted to a one-pot benzoylation-deoxygenation sequence to enable direct alcohol deletion. Mechanistic studies validate that the role of acidic additives is to promote the key C(sp³)−O bond fragmentation step.