Manganese detection in marine sediments: anodic vs. cathodic stripping voltammetry

Three different electroanalytical techniques for the detection of manganese in marine sediments are evaluated. The anodic stripping voltammetry of manganese at an in situ bismuth-film-modified boron-doped diamond electrode and cathodic stripping voltammetry at a carbon paste electrode are shown to lack the required sensitivity and reproducibility whereas cathodic stripping voltammetry at a bare boron-doped diamond electrode is shown to be reliable and selective with a limit of detection, from applying a 60 s accumulation period of 7.4 × 10⁻⁷ M and a sensitivity of 0.24 A M⁻¹. The method was used to evaluate the manganese content of marine sediments taken from Šibenik, Croatia.     

A potential high-throughput method for the determination of lipase activity by potentiometric flow injection titrations

Potentiometric FIA titrations were performed to determine enzyme activities of lipase type B from Candida antarctica, CAL-B. Two substrates, triacetin and tributyrin were hydrolyzed in phosphate buffer solutions, and the concentration change of the base component of the buffer was titrated in a carrier solution containing hydrochloric acid and potassium chloride. The system was calibrated with butyric acid and acetic acid, respectively. FIA titration peaks were evaluated with respect to peak height and peak area. Butyric acid and acetic acid could be titrated in the buffer solution from 3 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ to 0.1 mol L⁻¹. The detection limit of enzyme activity was determined to be 0.07 U mL⁻¹ (15 min reaction time) and the minimum activity was calculated to be 0.035 units corresponding to 35 nmol min⁻¹. The specific activities of lipase B for the hydrolysis of tributyrin and triacetin were determined as 16 ± 2 U mg⁻¹ and 2 ± 0.2 U mg⁻¹ (per mg commercial lipase preparation), respectively.     

Redox kinetics of adriamycin adsorbed on the surface of graphite and mercury electrodes

Kinetics of the surface redox reactions of adriamycin (doxorubicin hydrochloride) adsorbed on paraffin-impregnated graphite electrode (PIGE) and on mercury electrode is measured by square-wave voltammetry. In 0.9 mol/L KNO3 buffered to pH 4.65, the standard electrode reaction rate constants of the first quinone/hydroquinone redox couple (see Scheme 2) on PIGE and mercury are k(s1)=49+/-12 s(-1) and k(s1)=147+/-36 s(-1), respectively. Under the same conditions, the standard rate constant of the second redox couple on the PIGE is smaller than 4 s(-1) and the electron transfer coefficient of the reduction is alpha2=0.35.     

Effects of surface-active substances in square-wave voltammetry and potentiometric stripping analysis of amalgam-forming metal ions

The influence of surface active substances (SAS) (Triton X-100, sodium dodecyl sulfate and dodecyl pyridinium chloride (DPC)) on the potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA), square-wave voltammetry (SWV) and anodic stripping square-wave voltammetry (ASSWV) of Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Bi(III) are measured for various contact times and detergent concentrations. Diagnostic criteria for the presence of SAS in electrolytes are reported. Zinc ions accumulate in the adsorbed layer of DPC, probably as a ZnCl⁺ complex. An anomalous dependence of zinc SWV peak currents on the delay time is observed.     

Three-phase electrodes: simple and efficient tool for analysis of ion transfer processes across liquid-liquid interface—twenty years on

In this review, we focus on major achievements of the three-phase electrode methodology applied for studying ion transfers across an interface between two immiscible liquids. Exactly 20 years ago, the group of electrochemists led by Fritz Scholz, invented an elegant and simple set up suitable to get access to the thermodynamics of ion transfers across liquid/liquid interface. Within the last two decades, besides determination of thermodynamics of the transfer of many important ionic substances, three-phase electrodes have been applied for many other purposes. Thermodynamics of interfacial chemical reactions, kinetics of ion and electron transfer, interfacial catalysis, recognition of chiral ions, synthesis of nano-particles, and biosensor development are some of the milestones achieved by application of three-phase electrodes. While elaborating briefly major achievements, future perspectives of this simple, but powerful electrochemical tool, have been also envisaged.