Voltammetric sensor based on long alkyl chain tetraalkylammonium ionic liquids comprising ascorbate anion for determination of nitrite

Switching Reaction Pathways of CO2 Electroreduction by Modulating Cations in the Electrochemical Double Layer

Tuning the selectivity of CO2 electroreduction reaction (CO2RR) solely by changing electrolyte is a very attractive topic. In this study, we conducted CO2RR in different aqueous electrolytes over bulk metal electrodes. It was discovered that controlled CO2RR could be achieved by modulating cations in the electrochemical double layer. Specifically, ionic liquid cations in the electrolyte significantly inhibits the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), while yielding high Faraday efficiencies toward CO (FECO) or formate (FEformate) depending on the alkali metal cations. For example, the product could be switched from CO (FECO=97.3 %) to formate (FEformate=93.5 %) by changing the electrolyte from 0.1 M KBr-0.5 M 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (OmimBr) to 0.1 M CsBr-0.5 M OmimBr aqueous solutions over pristine Cu foil electrode. In situ spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal that the ordered structure generated by the assembly of Omim+ under an applied negative potential alters the hydrogen bonding structure of the interfacial water, thereby inhibiting the HER. The difference in selectivity in the presence of different cations is attributed to the hydrogen bonding effect caused by Omim+, which alters the solvated structure of the alkali metal cations and thus affects the stabilization of intermediates of different pathways.

Applicability of a graphene oxide nanocomposite for fabrication of an electrochemical sensor for simultaneous detection of sunset yellow and rhodamine B in food samples

Developing a sensitive portable sensor for the determination of food additives is very important. Herein, a simple and sensitive electrochemical sensor has been constructed based on a carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets for the simultaneous determination of sunset yellow (SY) and rhodamine B (RhB) in phosphate buffer solution (pH = 4). The cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry (CV and DPV) results revealed two well-resolved anodic peaks for SY and RhB with a remarkable increase in oxidation signals of these colorants. Based on this, an electrochemical method was developed for the first time for the simultaneous detection of SY and RhB. Applicability of the sensor was confirmed in various concentrations of two analytes in two linear ranges of 1-20 μM for SY and 1-30 μM for RhB with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10.0 nM and 20.0 nM, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed sensor was successfully employed for the simultaneous detection of SY and RhB in food samples with recoveries of 93.1-106.0% indicating promising potential in practical application.

Voltammetric quantitative analysis of vildagliptin in bulk form and spiked human serum at a modified electrode

The electrochemical behavior of Vildagliptin (VILD) was studied using the cyclic voltammetric technique in an aqueous Britton–Robinson (BR) universal buffer solution of various pH levels between 4.0 and 10 at a 5% calcium-montmorillonite clay modified with carbon paste electrode surface (5% Ca-MMT/CPE). The results exhibited an irreversible anodic peak at about 1.238 V versus Ag/AgCl, KCl (3 mol L−1). The anodic peak was found to be diffusion–adsorption controlled. The possible reaction mechanism is estimated taking into consideration of the calculated electrons and protons number transferred on the electrode/electrolyte interface using the cyclic voltammetric technique. VILD was found to adsorb onto the surface of 5% Ca-MMT/CPE in a monolayer surface coverage of 3.0 × 10−12 mol cm−2. A validated square wave voltammetry (SWV) technique for VILD determination was performed. The calibration curve of VILD onto the 5% Ca-MMT/CPE surface was linear in the concentration range of 1.0–110 nmol L−1 with the mean limits of detection and quantification was 0.285 and 0.950 nmol L−1, respectively, in the bulk form. The proposed procedure for the assay of VILD in bulk form, dosage form, and spiked human serum has the advantage of being simple, rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive compared to other analytical methods. The described method showed an excellent performance for the trace determination of VILD in its formulation without interference from excipients.

Graphical abstract

Bridging the crystal and solution structure of a series of lipid-inspired ionic liquids

A series of 1,2-dimethylimidazolium ionic liquids bearing a hexadecyl alkyl chain are thoroughly examined via X-ray crystallography. The crystal structures reveal several key variations in the non-covalent interactions in the lipid-like salts. Specifically, distinct cation-cation π interactions are observed when comparing the bromide and iodide structures. Changing the anion to bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (Tf₂N^-) changes these cation-cation π interactions with anion⋯π interactions. Additionally, several well-defined geometries of the cations are noted based on torsion and core-plane angles of the alkyl chains. Hirshfeld surface analysis is used to distinguish the interactions and geometries in the solid state, helping to reveal characteristic structural fingerprints for the compounds. The solid-state structures of the ionic liquids are correlated with the solution-state structures through UV-vis spectroscopic studies, further emphasizing the importance of the π interactions in the formation of aggregates. Finally, we investigated the thermal properties of the ionic liquids, revealing complex phase transitions for the iodide-containing species. These phase transitions are further rationalized via the analysis of the data gathered from the structures of the other crystallized salts.