title: Voltammetry and determination of metronidazole at a carbon fiber microdisk electrode.
abstract: The electrochemistry of metronidazole, 1-(hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole, was investigated at a carbon fiber microdisk electrode in pH 9 Britton Robinson buffer. Under these conditions, the reduction of metronidazole is controlled by both mass transport to the microdisk and adsorption with an equilibrium constant of 4x10(3)mol(-1)dm(3) and a saturation coverage of 0.88x10(-8)molcm(-2). The adsorption and accumulation of metronidazole on the surface of the carbon fiber allows its determination at low concentrations by square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry. A detection limit for metronidazole of 5x10(-7)moldm(-3) and a R.S.D. of 3.7% at 1x10(-6)moldm(-3) (n=4) were obtained with a two electrode system with no stirring during the accumulation step. Based on this method, a simple procedure for the determination of metronidazole in urine is described which requires no pre-treatment of the sample before analysis.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ghoneim
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: El-Hefnawy
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: El-Hallag