Voltammetric Determination of Cefuroxime Axetil in Pharmaceuticals Using Graphene Oxide Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode and Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode

Abstract

Two novel, economic, rapid, simple, sensitive and selective square wave voltammetric (SWV) methods have been developed for the determination of cefuroxime axetil (CEFA) in pharmaceutical preparations. Electrochemical reduction and oxidation of the substance on hanging mercury drop electrode and graphene oxide modified glassy carbon electrode were investigated by square wave voltammetric methods which employ scan rates up to 1000 mV/s or faster, allowing much faster determinations. For hanging mercury drop electrode, well-defined peak was obtained at –1.06 V vs. Ag/AgCl/4.6 M KCl in 0.1 M phosphateborate buffer pH 7.0, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ) and linearity range were found 0.09, 0.26, and 0.26–15 μg mL–1, respectively. For modified glassy carbon electrode, well-defined peak was obtained at 1.30 V vs. Ag/AgCl/4.6 M KCl in Britton–Robinson buffer pH 2.0, LOD, LOQ and linearity range were found 2.70, 8.20, and 8.20–45 μg mL–1, respectively. According to validation studies, the developed SWV methods were found as accurate, precise, specific, sensitive, repeatable, rugged and robust. The developed and validated SWV methods were applied to the determination of CEFA in pharmaceutical formulations. The results were compared with those obtained by a published ultraviolet spectroscopic method and no difference was found statistically.