A sensitive electrochemical sensor for rapid and selective determination of nitrite ion in water samples using modified carbon paste electrode with a newly synthesized cobalt(II)-Schiff base complex and magnetite nanospheres

In this work, a simple and sensitive electrochemical sensor was developed for determination nitrite ion in water samples by using carbon paste electrode (CPE), which is modified with magnetite nanospheres as nanostructured materials and a newly synthesized cobalt(II)-Schiff base complex. The effects of various experimental parameters on the electrochemical oxidation response of the nitrite ions were investigated and optimized. At the optimum conditions the sensor has a linear response in the 0.2-30.0 mu mol L-1 concentration range and a low detection limit of 1.5 x 10(-2) mu mol L-1 of nitrite. The results showed that the modified electrode has higher sensitivity toward nitrite ion in comparison with unmodified carbon paste electrode (CPE) and/or its nanomaterial-modified form. Obtained results showed that the modified electrode could be successfully applied for determination of nitrite in some water real samples. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.