Selective determination of arbutin in cosmetic products through online derivatization followed by disposable electrochemical sensor.

An online derivatization followed by a disposable electrochemical sensor was used for the determination of arbutin (AR) in cosmetic products. The AR was chemically oxidized by MnO2 and subsequently reduced at inexpensive screen-printed carbon electrodes using a low detection potential which improved the selectivity of the method. The effects of various parameters, such as solution pH, detection potential, and flow rate of the mobile phase, were studied in detail. Under optimal conditions [pH 1.6 (0.1 M H3PO4), detection potential 0.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl), flow rate 0.6 mL/min], the linear range for AR was 0.1-1500 ppm (r2 = 0.999) with LOD of 30.06 ppb (S/N = 3). The practical application of the proposed method was demonstrated by the determination of arbutin concentration in commercial cosmetic products.

Determination of thioglycolic acid in hair-waving products by disposable electrochemical sensor coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography.

A disposable electrochemical sensor coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for the determination of thioglycolic acid (TGA) in commercial hair-waving products. The quantitative determination of TGA was first investigated by using a preanodized (*) screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE*). Because of the electrocatalytic effect of the SPCE*, the peak potential (Epa) was shifted less positively as the current magnitude increased. HPLC was used in this study to eliminate interference from the matrix of real samples. The effects of various parameters, such as preanodization potential, preanodization time, solution pH, detection potential, and mobile phase, were studied in detail. Under optimized conditions, the linear range for TGA is up to 20 ppm, correlation coefficient (r2) = 0.998, with a detection limit of 0.042 ppm (signal-to-noise ratio = 3). The practical application of the proposed method was demonstrated by the determination of TGA concentration in commercial hair-waving products.

A disposable screen-printed silver strip sensor for single drop analysis of halide in biological samples.

A screen-printed silver strip with three-electrode configuration of Ag-working, Ag-counter and Ag/Ag(x)O reference electrodes was developed for simultaneous determination of chloride, bromide and iodide in aqueous solutions. It was fabricated simply by screen-printing silver ink onto a polypropylene (PP) base. The in-situ prepared Ag/Ag(x)O reference electrode can avoid the leaching interference in chloride detection while using a conventional Ag/AgCl reference electrode. A single drop of analyte (50 microl) is enough to determine iodide, bromide and chloride by measuring the well-separated oxidation peak currents of respective silver halides. The calibration graph was linear from 10 microM to 20 mM for iodide and bromide and 100 microM to 20 mM for chloride and the detection limit (S/N=3) was 3.05 microM, 2.95 microM and 18.83 microM for iodide, bromide and chloride, respectively. The strip is designed to be disposable and as such manual polishing is not necessary. The proposed sensor is not only simple to manufacture and easy to operate but also fast and precise with little detection volume. It is successfully applied to the determination of halide ions in real samples.

Determination of lincomycin in urine and some foodstuffs by flow injection analysis coupled with liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection with a preanodized screen-printed carbon electrode.

An electroanalytical method for the determination of lincomycin in feeds, honey, milk and urine was demonstrated in this study. The procedure employed a solid-phase extraction for the isolation of lincomycin from real samples. The antibiotic residues were subsequently analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a disposable electrochemical sensor. The use of a disposable sensor together with the application of solid-phase extraction is attractive in practical application and should be useful in fast screening assay. The electroanalysis of lincomycin was first investigated using a preanodized screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE*). Note that the SPCE* holds the advantages of low cost and easy to handle. The analytical parameters, such as, preanodization potential, preanodization time, solution pH, detection potential, cartridge, wash solution, elute solution and mobile phase, were further studied in detail. Under optimized conditions, the linear detection range for lincomycin is up to 1mM (correlation coefficient=0.999) with a detection limit of 0.08microM (S/N=3) and a quantification limit of 0.27microM (S/N=10). The applicability of the method was successfully demonstrated in real sample analysis.

Photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of o-phenols on copper-plated screen-printed electrodes.

A novel and sensitive detection method based on photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of o-diphenols was demonstrated on a copper-plated screen-printed carbon electrode (designated CuSPE) in pH 8 phosphate buffer solution. The o-diphenols can be detected amperometrically through electrochemical oxidation at a low applied potential of -0.1 V versus Ag/AgCl, where the CuSPE is much less subject to interfering reactions. The mechanism that induces good selectivity of the CuSPE is explained in terms of the formation of a cyclic five-member complex intermediate (Cu(II)-o-quinolate). A prototype homemade flow through cell design is described for incorporating the photoelectrode and light source. Electrode irradiation results in a large increase in anodic current. The oxidative photocurrents produced by irradiation increase with light intensity presumably because of the formation of semiconductor Cu(2)O. The principle used in this study has an opportunity to extend into various research applications.