Cathodic stripping voltammetry: Part I. Determination of organic sulfur compounds, flavins and porphyrins at the sub-micromolar level

Abstract

The experimental parameters of cathodic stripping voltammetry have been studied and optimised, and the use of a cell with a mercury pool electrode has been proposed. The technique is valuable for the determination of several classes of organic compounds, including thiols, disulfides, flavins, flavones, pterins and porphyrins at concentrations as low as 1×10 −8 M. In most cases the measurement precision at the 2×10 −7 M level is ±3–5%, which is similar to that of anodic stripping voltammetry. Detailed investigations were made of the electrode reaction mechanisms of cysteine, cystine, riboflavin and hemoglobin. All thiol compounds were found to adsorb strongly on mercury and chemically react with it to form a film of a mercury-thiol compound. Some closely-related thiols, e.g. 2- and 6-mercaptopurine, produced stripping peaks at well-separated potentials. Selectivity could be achieved with some thiol mixtures by adjustment of the deposition potential.