Nontraditional Electrode Materials in Environmental Analysis of Biologically Active Organic Compounds

Electrode mechanism and voltammetric determination of selected guanidino compounds

The present review describes the recent results on the electrochemical activity of bio-guanidino compounds, such as famotidine, metformin, acyclovir, ganciclovir, zanamivir, moroxydine as well as guanidino compounds, such as S-[(2-guanidino-thiazol-4-yl)methyl]isothiourea hydrochloride, 2-guanidino-1,3-thiazole, 2-guanidinobenzimidazole. The focus is on analyzing the electrode mechanism of the guanidino compounds at the hanging mercury drop electrode and at the silver amalgam film electrode, as well as on the character of the square wave (SW) voltammetric signals. It has been stated, that the compounds can act as electrocatalysts — they are protonated and adsorbed at the surface of the electrode, after which the protonated forms of the compounds are irreversibly reduced, yielding their initial form and hydrogen. The experimental adsorption data obtained by measuring the differential capacity of the double layer, the zero charge potential, and the surface tension at the zero charge potential have established the adsorption processes underlying their electrochemical activity. The analytical application of the obtained voltammetric signals in the determination of these compounds in biological samples is also presented. This review concentrates on our own results in the context of general developments in the field.

Glassy carbon and boron doped glassy carbon electrodes for voltammetric determination of linuron herbicide in the selected samples

In this study the application of home-made unmodified (GC) and bulk modified boron doped glassy carbon (GCB) electrodes for the voltammetric determination of the linuron was investigated. The electrodes were synthesized with a moderate temperature treatment (1000°C). Obtained results were compared with the electrochemical determination of the linuron using a commercial glassy carbon electrode (GC-Metrohm). The peak potential (E p ) of linuron oxidation in 0.1 mol dm−3 H2SO4 as electrolyte was similar for all applied electrodes: 1.31, 1.34 and 1.28 V for GCB, GC and GC-Metrohm electrodes, respectively. Potential of linuron oxidation and current density depend on the pH of supporting electrolyte. Applying GCB and GC-Metrohm electrodes the most intensive electrochemical response for linuron was obtained in strongly acidic solution (0.1 mol dm−3 H2SO4). Applying the boron doped glassy carbon electrode the broadest linear range (0.005–0.1 µmol cm−3) for the linuron determination was obtained. The results of voltammetric determination of the linuron in spiked water samples showed good correlation between added and found amounts of linuron and also are in good agreement with the results obtained by HPLC-UV method. This appears to be the first application of a boron doped glassy carbon electrode for voltammetric determination of the environmental important compounds.

The use of silver solid amalgam electrodes for voltammetric and amperometric determination of nitrated polyaromatic compounds used as markers of incomplete combustion

Genotoxic nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are formed during incomplete combustion processes by reaction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with atmospheric nitrogen oxides. 1-Nitropyrene, 2-nitrofluorene, and 3-nitrofluoranthene as the dominating substances are used as markers of NPAHs formation by these processes. In the presented study, voltammetric properties and quantification of these compounds and of 5-nitroquinoline (as a representative of environmentally important genotoxic heterocyclic compounds) have been investigated using a mercury meniscus modified silver solid amalgam electrode (m-AgSAE), which represent a nontoxic alternative to traditional mercury electrodes. Linear calibration curves over three orders of magnitude and limits of determination mostly in the 10(-7) mol L(-1) concentration range were obtained using direct current and differential pulse voltammetry. Further, satisfactory HPLC separation of studied analytes in fifteen minutes was achieved using 0.01 mol L(-1) phosphate buffer, pH 7.0 : methanol (15 : 85, v/v) mobile phase, and C(18) reversed stationary phase. Limits of detection of around 1 · 10(-5) mol L(-1) were achieved using amperometric detection at m-AgSAE in wall-jet arrangement for all studied analytes. Practical applicability of this technique was demonstrated on the determination of 1-nitropyrene, 2-nitrofluorene, 3-nitrofluoranthene, and 5-nitroquinoline in drinking water after their preliminary separation and preconcentration using solid phase extraction with the limits of detection around 1 · 10(-6) mol L(-1).

Prussian Blue Modified Solid Carbon Nanorod Whisker Paste Composite Electrodes: Evaluation towards the Electroanalytical Sensing ofH2O2

Metallic impurity free solid carbon nanorod “Whiskers” (SCNR Whiskers), a derivative of carbon nanotubes, are explored in the fabrication of a Prussian Blue composite electrode and critically evaluated towards the mediated electroanalytical sensing of H2O2. The sensitivity and detection limits for H2O2on the paste electrodes containing 20% (w/w) Prussian Blue, mineral oil, and carbon nanorod whiskers were explored and found to be 120 mA/(M cm2) and 4.1 μM, respectively, over the concentration range 0.01 to 0.10 mM. Charge transfer constant for the 20% Prussian Blue containing SCNR Whiskers paste electrode was calculated, for the reduction of Prussian Blue to Prussian White, to reveal a value of1.8±0.2 1/s (α=0.43,N=3). Surprisingly, our studies indicate that these metallic impurity-free SCNR Whiskers, in this configuration, behave electrochemically similar to that of an electrode constructed from graphite.

Voltammetric determination of the herbicide Linuron using a tricresyl phosphate-based carbon paste electrode

This paper summarises the results of voltammetric studies on the herbicide 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-methoxy-1-methylurea (Linuron), using a carbon paste electrode containing tricresyl phosphate (TCP-CPE) as liquid binder. The principal experimental conditions, such as the pH effect, investigated in Britton-Robinson buffer solutions (pH 2.0–7.0), the peak characteristics for the analyte of interest, or instrumental parameters for the differential pulse voltammetric mode were optimized for the method. As found out, the best electroanalytical performance of the TCP-CPE was achieved at pH 2.0, whereby the oxidation peak of Linuron appeared at ca. +1.3 V vs. SCE. The analytical procedure developed offers good linearity in the concentration range of 1.25–44.20 μg mL⁻¹ (1.77 × 10⁻⁴–5.05 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹), showing—for the first time—the applicability of the TCP-CPE for anodic oxidations in direct voltammetry (without accumulation). The method was then verified by determining Linuron in a spiked river water sample and a commercial formulation and the results obtained agreed well with those obtained by the reference HPLC/UV determination.

Influence of the soil organic matter content on voltammetric determination of derivatised glyphosate in herbicide contaminated soils

The method for monitoring of Glyphosate (GP) in soil samples containing different organic matter content based on differential pulse voltammetry at a hanging mercury drop electrode was developed to reach higher sample preparation efficiency, its repeatability and sufficient limits of detection. The soil samples with three different organic matter contents (evaluated as total organic carbon contents 30.7, 13.0 and 6.3 g kg–1) were tested. The decreasing content of organic matter resulted in a decreasing recoveries (86, 78 and 68%, respectively), with RSD around 10%. The GP derivatised to N-nitrosoglyphosate (NO-GP) can be determined using the adopted method with limits of detection around 2 ppm in the soil samples. This method might be further utilized for routine monitoring of the GP in soil samples during investigation of its effect on the soil biota.