Simultaneous determination of epinephrine and uric acid at a gold electrode modified by a 2-(2,3-dihydroxy phenyl)-1, 3-dithiane self-assembled monolayer

In the present paper, the use of a gold electrode modified by 2-(2,3-dihydroxy phenyl)-1,3-dithiane self-assembled monolayer (DPDSAM) for the determination of epinephrine (EP) and uric acid (UA) was described. Initially, cyclic voltammetry was used to investigate the redox properties of this modified electrode at various scan rates. The apparent charge transfer rate constant, k_s, and transfer coefficient, α, were calculated. Next, the mediated oxidation of EP at the modified electrode was described. At the optimum pH of 8.0, the oxidation of EP occurs at a potential about 155 mV less positive than that of an unmodified gold electrode. The values of electron transfer coefficients (α = 0.356), catalytic rate constant (k = 1.624 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ s⁻¹) and diffusion coefficient (D = 1.04 × 10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹) were calculated for EP, using electrochemical approaches. Based on differential pulse voltammetry, the oxidation of EP exhibited a dynamic range between 0.7 and 500.0 μM and a detection limit (3σ) of 0.51 μM. Furthermore, simultaneous determination of EP and UA at the modified electrode was described. Finally, this method was used for the determination of EP in EP ampoule.     

Electrochemistry of magnolol and interaction with DNA

The electrochemical behaviors of magnolol have been studied at glassy carbon electrode using cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and chronocoulometry. Moreover, its interaction with DNA was investigated in solution by electrochemical methods and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The experiment results indicated that the electrochemical oxidation of magnolol was an irreversible process with one proton and one electron transfer. The electron transfer coefficient (α) was calculated to be 0.441 ± 0.001. At the scan rate from 100 mV/s to 450 mV/s, the electrode process was controlled by the adsorption step and at the range of 600–950 mV/s the electrochemical oxidation was diffusion controlled process. The corresponding electrochemical rate constant (k_s) was 0.0760 ± 0.0001 s⁻¹. Through chronocoulometry experiment, the diffusion coefficient (D) and the surface concentration (Γ) were obtained as (3.76 ± 0.01) × 10⁻⁷ cm²/s and (2.98 ± 0.01) × 10⁻¹⁰ mol/cm². In addition, the interaction of magnolol and DNA was ascribed to be electrostatic interaction and the calculated association constant (β) and Hill coefficient (m) were 1.14 × 10⁵ M⁻¹ and 0.973. At last a sensitive and convenient electrochemical method was proposed for the determination of magnolol.     

Fabrication of functionalized carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode and its application for selective oxidation and voltammetric determination of cysteamine

The functionalized carbon nanotube electrode was fabricated by electrodeposition of 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonic acid sodium (Nq) on single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). This electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the results showed that Nq can rapidly and effectively be deposited on the surface of SWNT film with high stability. The electrochemical properties of functionalized SWNT/GCE with Nq (SWNT–Nq/GCE) were studied using cyclic voltammetry, double step potential chronoamperometry and differential pulse voltammetry methods. The results indicated that SWNT could improve the electrochemical behavior of Nq and greatly enhances its redox peak currents. The SWNT–Nq/GCE exhibited a pair of well-defined redox peaks. The experimental results also demonstrated that the Nq deposited species on SWNT could catalyze cysteamine oxidation and SWNT–Nq exhibited a high performance with lowering the overpotential by more than 710 mV. The effect of pH value, number of scans and Nq concentration were investigated on the electrochemical behavior of cysteamine. The selectivity of the reaction has been assessed with no interference from tyrosine, lysine, methionine, tryptophan, alanine and glutathione. The presented method has highly selectivity for voltammetric detection of cysteamine in the dynamic range from 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ M to 2.7 × 10⁻⁴ M and with a detection of limit (3σ) 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ M.     

Preparation of poly N,N-dimethylaniline/ferrocyanide film modified carbon paste electrode: Application to electrocatalytic oxidation of l-cysteine

Functionalized poly N,N-dimethylaniline film was prepared by adsorption of ferrocyanide onto the polymer forming at the surface of carbon paste electrode (CPE) in aqueous solution. The electrocatalytic ability of poly N,N-dimethylaniline/ferrocyanide film modified carbon paste electrode (PDMA/FMCPE) was demonstrated by oxidation of l-cysteine. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques were used to investigate this ability. In the optimum pH (6.00), the electrocatalytic ability about 480 mV and the catalytic reaction rate constant, (k_h), can be seen 3.08 × 10³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. The catalytic oxidation peak current determined by cyclic voltammetry method was linearly dependent on the l-cysteine concentration and the linearity range obtained was 8.00 × 10⁻⁵ –2.25 × 10⁻³ M. Detection limit of this method was determined as 6.17 × 10⁻⁵ M (2σ). At a fixed potential under hydrodynamic conditions (stirred solution), the calibration plot was linear over the l-cysteine concentration range 7.40 × 10⁻⁶ M–1.38 × 10⁻⁴ M. The detection limit of the method was 6.38 × 10⁻⁶ M (2σ).     

EIS characterization of tantalum and niobium oxide films based on a modification of the point defect model

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies were performed to analyze the passive properties of tantalum and niobium oxides films potentiostatically formed in a 0.1 M KOH solution. The quantitative characterization of these passive materials was carried out through a transfer function previously developed by our research group, which is based on the point defect model (PDM) framework considering the formation of molecular hydrogen. According to the PDM prediction criteria, Ta₂O₅ and Nb₂O₅ films exhibited an inherent n-type semiconductor behavior, which was confirmed by the parameters obtained from the fit to the transfer function. The diffusion coefficients of the oxygen vacancies were 0.53 ± 0.14 × 10⁻¹⁶ and 2.18 ± 0.14 × 10⁻¹⁶ cm² s⁻¹, for Ta₂O₅ and Nb₂O₅, respectively. And a slight increase of the corresponding hydroxyl vacancies diffusion (2.73 ± 0.02 and 2.23 ± 0.65 × 10⁻¹⁶ cm² s⁻¹) was obtained, suggesting the favorable diffusion of these defects due to the alkaline conditions.     

Highly temperature dependent mass-transport parameters for ORR in Nafion® 211

Nafion® 211 differs from previous versions of Nafion in that the membrane is cast from a dispersion rather than being melt-extruded. As such, the water sorption properties are different, as is the rate of increase in water content with temperature. Kinetic and mass-transport parameters for dispersion-cast Nafion® 211 were determined using solid-state electrochemistry in the temperature range 30–70 °C, 100% relative humidity, and 30 psi oxygen pressure. Exchange current densities, Tafel slopes, and transfer coefficients for ORR in Nafion® 211, are similar to those observed in Nafion® 117; mass-transport parameters are not. At 30 °C and 100% RH oxygen solubility and the diffusion coefficient is determined to be 1.16 × 10⁻⁵ mol cm⁻³ and 1.13 × 10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹, respectively. Oxygen permeability at 30 °C (1.28 × 10⁻¹¹ mol cm⁻¹ s⁻¹) is lower than in Nafion® 117 (5.31 × 10⁻¹¹ mol cm⁻¹ s⁻¹) by factor of 4, while at T > 60 °C the permeability of Nafion® 211 increases significantly to values higher than Nafion® 117, and is correlated with the increase in water content and hydration number (λ) with temperature.     

Scanning electrochemical microscope studies of dye regeneration in indoline (D149)-sensitized ZnO photoelectrochemical cells

A scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) in the feedback and generation-collection modes was used to investigate the regeneration of photoexcited dye cations at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on ZnO/D149. An effective dye regeneration rate constant k_ox of 9.55 × 10⁷ cm^9/2 mol^−3/2 s⁻¹ was obtained from feedback mode experiments at different wavelengths and light intensities on ZnO/D149 electrodes. Illuminated regions of the dye-sensitized electrodes could be differentiated from non-illuminated regions by local imaging in SECM generation-collection experiments with I^- as redox mediator. We also report SECM feedback measurements on non-illuminated dye-sensitized electrodes to investigate the electron transfer kinetics of dissolved redox couples at the underlying FTO substrate.     

Determination of trace vanadium(V) by adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry on an acetylene black paste electrode in the presence of alizarin violet

A sensitive and simplified voltammetric method is developed for the determination of trace amounts of vanadium(V) by adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry using an acetylene black (AB) paste electrode. The method is based on the preconcentration of the V(V)–alizarin violet (AV) complex at open circuit while stirring the solution for 90 s in 0.15 mol dm⁻³ hexamethylenetetraamine–hydrochloric acid buffer (pH 4.4), the adsorbed complex is then oxidized, producing a response with a peak potential of 564 mV when scanning linearly from 0 to 1000 mV. For voltammetric determination of V(V), the parameters influencing the peak current have been optimized. Under the selected conditions, the peak current and concentration of V(V) accorded with linear relationship in the range of 8.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol dm⁻³–1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol dm⁻³ (c_AV = 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol dm⁻³) and 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol dm⁻³–8.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol dm⁻³ (c_AV = 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol dm⁻³), the detection limit (three times signal to noise) was estimated to be 6.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol dm⁻³ for 90 s accumulation. The relative standard deviation (RSD) is 1.9% and 2.3% for V(V) concentrations of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol dm⁻³ and 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol dm⁻³ respectively. Finally, this proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of V(V) in natural water samples.     

Poly(N-methylaniline)/nickel modified carbon paste electrode as an efficient and cheep electrode for electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde in alkaline medium

This research in finding a cheap and efficient catalyst for electrooxidation of formaldehyde give us an attempt to make and examine the behavior of poly(N-methylaniline)/nickel modified carbon paste electrode (Ni/P(NMA)/MCPE) in absence and presence of formaldehyde. This involves in situ electropolymerization of N-methylaniline at carbon paste electrode, which is following to the incorporation of Ni(II) to polymeric layer by immersion of modified electrode in 1.0 M nickel sulphate solution. The electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde was studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods. The effects of scan rate and formaldehyde concentration on the electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde were also investigated at the surface of Ni/P(NMA)/MCPE. The diffusion coefficient (D = 14.1 × 10⁻⁵ cm² s⁻¹), and some kinetic parameters such as the transfer coefficient (α = 0.45) and also second-order rate constant (k = 8.96 × 10⁻⁴ cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹) of formaldehyde were calculated.     

Sorption of water, ethanol or ethanol/water solutions by light-cured dental dimethacrylate resins

Objectives

This work is concerned with the study of the sorption and desorption process of water, ethanol or ethanol/water solution 50% (v/v) or 75% (v/v) by the dental resins prepared by light curing of Bis-GMA, Bis-EMA, UDMA, TEGDMA or D₃MA.

Methods

A thin resin disc is placed in a bath of time to obtain the sorption curve m_t = f(t). Then the liquid is desorbed until a constant mass for the disc is reached and the desorption curve is recorded. These experimental curves help in the determination of the sorbed/desorbed liquid amount at equilibrium, the percentage of the extracted mass of unreacted monomer known as “solubility”, and the sorption/desorption diffusion coefficient which expresses correspondingly the rate of the liquid sorption/desorption.

Results

The highest liquid uptake by dental resins was 13.3 wt% ethanol for Bis-GMA-resin, 12.0 wt% ethanol for UDMA-resin, 10.10 wt% ethanol/water solution for TEGDMA-resin, 7.34 wt% ethanol for D₃MA-resin and 6.61 wt% ethanol for Bis-EMA-resin. The diffusion coefficient for all resins was higher in water than in ethanol/water solution or ethanol. Bis-GMA-resin showed the highest diffusion coefficient (11.01 × 10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹) followed by Bis-EMA-resin (7.43 × 10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹), UDMA-resin (6.88 × 10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹), D₃MA-resin (6.22 × 10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹) and finally by TEGDMA-resin (1.52 × 10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹).

Significance

All studied dental resins, except TEGDMA-resin, absorbed higher amount of pure ethanol than water or ethanol water solution. TEGDMA-resin absorbed higher amount of ethanol/water solution (50/50 or 75/25 (v/v)) than water or ethanol. For all studied dental resins the diffusion coefficient was higher in water than in ethanol/water solution or ethanol.     

Crown ether-dendrimer based potentiometric Na sensor electrode

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-based membranes of silacrown end grafted carbosilane dendrimer (I) with sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as an anion inhibitor and dibutylphthalate (DBP), dioctylphthalate (DOP), dibutyl (butyl) phosphonate (DBBP) and 1-chloronaphthalene (CN) as plasticizing solvent mediators were prepared and used as Na⁺-selective electrodes. Optimum performance was observed with the membrane having I–PVC–NaTPB–DOP in the ratio 1:33:1:65 (w/w). The electrode works well over a wide concentration range 1.5 × 10⁻⁶–1.0 × 10⁻¹ M with Nernstian compliance 56.0 mV/decade between pH 5.8 and 9.2 with a fast response time of about 15 s. The selectivity relative to alkali, alkaline earth and transition heavy metal ions is good. The selectivity coefficient values towards potassium ions have been calculated to be 2.3 × 10⁻⁴ by utilizing Fixed Interference Method. The proposed electrode could be used for at least 2 months without considerable alteration in its potential. The effect of nonionic surfactants Tween 20, Tween 80, Triton X 100, Span 20 and Span 60 on the potentiometric properties of the sodium selective membrane was also studied.     

Electrocatalytic activity of thianthrene toward one-electron oxidation of guanosine and DNA in a non-aqueous medium

In this study, the electrochemical behavior of thianthrene (TH) and its application toward the electrocatalytic oxidation of guanosine (Gs) and DNA in a non-aqueous solution are investigated using different voltammetric techniques. Guanosine and DNA are adsorbed on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by applying a positive potential to the GCE. The rate constant of catalytic reaction between DNA and TH and also between Gs and TH were evaluated using chronoamperometry which gave rate constants of 2.41 × 10⁶ cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 2.68 (±0.19) × 10⁶ cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. Also the diffusion coefficient of TH was obtained using hydrodynamic voltammetry (3.17 × 10⁻⁵ cm² s⁻¹). Furthermore, using hydrodynamic voltammetry, a one-electron mechanism for oxidation of Gs is suggested.     

A gold nanoparticle-modified PVC/TTF-TCNQ composite amperometric biosensor for glucose determination

A comparison of the analytical performances of several enzyme biosensor designs, based on the use of different tailored gold nanoparticle-modified composite PVC/TTF-TCNQ electrodes, is discussed. The analytical characteristics of glucose calibration plots and kinetic parameters of the enzyme reaction were compared for the biosensors tested: Au_coll + GOx, GOx + Au_coll, Mixed GOx + Au_coll and PVC/TTF-TCNQ-Au_coll. The presence of this nanomaterial enhances the analytical performance with respect to the precursor biosensor without Au. The proposed biosensor can be applied in batch (response linear up to 2.0 mM, sensitivity of 45 ± 0.5 mA M⁻¹ with a limit of detection, s/n = 3, of 6.2 × 10⁻⁶ M) and in FIA systems (linear range between 0.1 and 8 mM, sensitivity of 3.67 ± 0.3 mA M⁻¹ with a limit of detection, s/n = 3, of 1.9 × 10⁻⁵ M).     

Electron transfer kinetics and morphology of cytochrome c at the biomimetic phospholipid layers

Electrochemistry of cytochrome c (cyt c) at biomimetic phospholipid layers was studied in a phosphate buffer solution, which were formed with dilauroyl phosphatidic acid (DLPA, C12:0), dipalmitoyl phosphatidic acid (DPPA, C16:0), distearoyl phosphatidic acid (DSPA, C18:0), and palmitoyl–oleoyl phosphatidic acid (POPA, C16:0–18:1). The lipid-layers formed firstly at the air/water interface were immediately transferred onto the electrode surface using the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique. The electrochemical properties of cyt c at the lipid covered electrodes depended on the orientation, number of layers of phospholipids, tail (or head) group down, and vice versa. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of cyt c adsorbed on the POPA monolayer (showing the head group diameter of POPA to be ca. 0.7 nm) formed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) displayed uniform surface morphology of lipid layer and clumps of aggregated cyt c molecules with a minimum size corresponding to four cyt c molecules. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants, k⁰ values, of cyt c were determined to be 1.02 × 10⁻³, 0.98 × 10⁻³, and 0.67 × 10⁻³ cm/s for the lipid monolayer in the tail down orientation (X-type) of POPA, DLPA, and DPPA, and 0.67 × 10⁻³ and 0.50 × 10⁻³ cm/s for the head down orientation (Z-type) of POPA and DLPA monolayers, respectively.     

Electroanalytical determination of sildenafil in Viagra tablets using screen-printed and conventional carbon paste electrodes

This work compares the electroactivity of a conventional carbon-paste electrodes and screen-printed carbon electrodes. Potentiometric sensors responsive to sildenafil citrate (SILC) drug (the active component of Viagra) are described, characterized, compared and used for drug assessment. The proposed carbon paste electrode is fully characterized in terms of plasticizer type, response time, life span, soaking time, titrant, pH and temperature. The electrodes exhibited linear response with a Nernstian slope of 58.20 ± 1 and 58.82 ± 0.5 mV decade⁻¹ for SILC in the concentration range from 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻² and 5.30 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ with good reproducibility for CPE and SPE, respectively. Both CPE and SPE could be used in the pH range 3.0–5.0 and the isothermal coefficient is found to be 0.98 and 0.85 mV/°C, respectively. The limit of detection was found to be 9.0 × 10⁻⁸ and 3.5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ for CPE and SPE, respectively. They were applied to potentiometric determination of SILC in pure state and pharmaceutical preparation under batch conditions. The CPE and SPE sensors display good selectivity for SILC drug over large number of inorganic cations, sugars and amino acids commonly used in drug formulations. The CPE and SPE show high selectivity for the drug under investigation. The results obtained using the fabricated CPE is compared with those obtained by SPE for spiked pharmaceutical samples.     

Electrochemical layer-by-layer modified imprinted sensor based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes and sol–gel materials for sensitive determination of thymidine

A novel electrochemical sol–gel imprinted sensor for sensitive and convenient determination of thymidine was developed. Thin film of molecularly imprinted sol–gel polymers with specific binding sites for thymidine was cast on carbon electrode by electrochemical deposition. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were introduced for the enhancement of electronic transmission and sensitivity. The morphology and performance of the imprinted film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and amperometric measurements (i–t) in detail. The results showed that the imprinted film exhibited high selectivity toward thymidine. The linear range is over the range from 2 to 22 μmol L⁻¹, and the linear regression equation for thymidine is I = 0.867C + 0.232 with the detection limit of 1.6 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹(S/N = 3). The imprinted sensor was successfully employed to detect thymidine in some zidovudine-tablet samples.     

Selective electrochemical sensing of calcium dobesilate based on an ordered mesoporous carbon-modified pyrolytic graphite electrode

Cyclic voltammetric investigation of calcium dobesilate (CD) in aqueous acid media was carried out by using an ordered mesoporous carbon-modified pyrolytic graphite electrode (OMC/PGE). A pair of well-defined redox peaks of CD was observed at the OMC/PGE, showing its good elelctrochemial response towards CD. The anodic current is linear with CD concentration in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷–1.3 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. Meanwhile, the proposed electrode can avoid some interference coexisting with CD, such as uric acid, serotonin, and ascorbic acid. The proposed method can be potentially applied for selective electrochemical sensing of CD in physiological condition.     

Electrochemical adsorption studies of urea on copper surface in alkaline medium

The inhibitive action of urea on the corrosion behavior of copper was investigated in borate buffer pH (8.4) by means of cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A consistent trend of increase in inhibition efficiency was observed as a function of concentration of urea. The adsorption of urea on copper surface was found to obey the Langmuir adsorption isotherm with ΔG = −35.2 kJ/mole and adsorption constant K = 2.7 × 10⁴ dm³/mole. Impedance spectroscopic measurements confirmed that charge transfer resistance increases in presence of urea upon increasing its concentration.     

Molecularly imprinted poly[tetra(o-aminophenyl)porphyrin] as a stable and selective coating for the development of voltammetric sensors

Molecularly Imprinted poly[tetra(o-aminophenyl)porphyrin] is presented as an electrosynthesized coating for the development of selective microsensors. A carbon fiber microelectrode has been modified with this covering by cyclic voltammetry in the potential range from −0.15 to 1.0 V (scan rate 50 mV s⁻¹) obtaining a microsensor able to recognize the template molecule. To carry out this study dopamine was chosen as model to work with, since this molecule presents electroactivity as it can be oxidized on carbon electrodes. The MIP sensor presented a linear response to the dopamine concentration in the range from 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻⁴ M with good repeatability (RSD 6.22%). The selectivity shown by the microsensor was found to be excellent as it was able to differentiate between different catecholamines. A method has been developed for the determination of dopamine in brain tissue samples using the MIP microsensor.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of some amino acids on a cobalt hydroxide nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode

In this study we investigated the electrocatalytic oxidation of cysteine, cystine, N-acetyl cysteine, and methionine on cobalt hydroxide nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode in alkaline solution. Different electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and steady-state polarization were used to track the oxidation process and its kinetics. From voltammetric studies we concluded that in the presence of amino acids the anodic peak current of Co(IV) species increased, followed by a decrease in the corresponding cathodic current peak. This indicates that amino acids were oxidized on the redox mediator which was immobilized on the electrode surface via an electrocatalytic mechanism. Using Laviron’s equation, the values of α_s and k_s for the immobilized redox species were determined as α_s,a = 0.63, α_s,c = 0.38 and k_s = 0.28 s⁻¹, respectively. The catalytic rate constants, the electron transfer coefficients and the diffusion coefficients involved in the electrocatalytic oxidation of amino acids were determined.