Glycosylated flavonoid kaempferitrin: Electroanalytical detection and the proposal of an oxidation mechanism supported by quantum chemical calculations

Abstract

In this work, the electrochemical behavior of the glycosylated flavonoid kaempferitrin was studied, and an electroanalytical methodology was developed for its determination in infusions of Bauhinia forficata using a boron-doped diamond electrode (BDD). The electrochemical behavior of the flavonoid was studied by cyclic voltammetry, and two irreversible oxidation peaks at 0.80 and 1.0 V vs Ag/AgCl were observed. The influence of the pH on the voltammograms was examined, and higher sensitivity was found at pH 7.0. The electrochemical process corresponding to peak 1 at 0.80 V is predominantly diffusion-controlled, as the study shows at varying scan rates. An analytical plot was obtained by square wave voltammetry at optimized experimental conditions (frequency = 100 s−1, amplitude = 90 mV, and step potential = 8 mV) in the concentration range from 3.4 μmol L−1 to 58 μmol L−1, with a linearity of 0.99. The limit of detection and limit of quantification values were 1.0 μmol L−1 and 3.4 μmol L−1, respectively. Three samples of Bauhinia forficata infusions (2 g of sample in 100 mL of water) were analyzed, and the KF values found were 5.0 × 10−4 mol L−1, 3.0 × 10−4 mol L−1, and 7.0 × 10−4 mol L−1, with recovery percentages of 98 %, 106 % and 94 %, respectively. Finally, experiments were performed with two other flavonoids (chrysin and apeginin) to compare and propose an electrochemical oxidation mechanism for kaempferitrin, which was supported by quantum chemical calculations.