New Screen Printed Electrode Based on Graphite and Polyurethane Composite for the Determination of Acetaminophen

Abstract

A disposable screen-printed electrode based on a graphite and polyurethane resin composite (EIGPU) was developed and evaluated as a voltammetric detector in pharmaceutical analysis. Using cyclic voltammetry, an analytical curve was obtained with the linear dynamic range between 1.00–100 µmol L⁻¹ and a detection limit of 8.18 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ for acetaminophen (paracetamol) as a probe. During the APAP determination in pharmaceutical formulations, recoveries between 97.2 and 102% were found. There were no interferences from ascorbic acid and other constituents of the pharmaceutical formulation at the 95% confidence level compared to HPLC analysis.

Keywords:

• Acetaminophen
• Graphite-polyurethane composite electrode
• Screen printed electrode

Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to the Brazilian agencies CNPq and FAPESP for TRS fellowship (2010/05913-6), and financial support (2010/06485-8 and 2010/11080-7) and PROCONTES/USP Program.

Notes

^a commercially available screen printed carbon electrode described in the experimental section.

^a FIA, flow injection analysis; CPE, carbon paste electrode; GCE, glassy carbon electrode; CV, cyclic voltammetry; DPV, differential pulse voltammetry; SWCNT, multi-walled carbon nanotubes; MWCNT, multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

sd, standard deviation; n = 3.

^a result ± standard deviation.

^b 3 determinations.

^c CV vs. Labeled (CV – Labeled / Labeled) × 100%.

^d HPLC vs. CV (HPLC – CV / CV) × 100%.