Electrochemical determination of methimazole based on the acetylene black/chitosan film electrode and its application to rat serum samples

A novel method has been developed for the determination of methimazole, which was based on the enhanced electrochemical response of methimazole at the acetylene black/chitosan composite film modified glassy carbon electrode. The electrochemical behavior of methimazole was studied at this film electrode by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The experimental results showed that methimazole exhibited a remarkable oxidation peak at 0.63 Vat the film electrode. Compared with the bare glassy carbon electrode, the oxidation peak current increased greatly, and the peak potential shifted negatively, which indicated that the acetylene black/chitosan film electrode had good catalysis to the electrochemical oxidation of methimazole. The enhanced oxidation current of methimazole was indebted to the nano-porus structure of the composite film and the enlarged effective electrode area. The influences of some experimental conditions on the oxidation of methimazole were tested and the calibration plot was examined. The results indicated that the differential pulse response of methimazole was linear with its concentration in the range of 1.0 x 10(-7) to 2.0 x 10(-5) mol/L with a linear coefficient of 0.998, and in the range of 4.0 x 10(-5) to 3.0 x 10(-4) mol/L with a linear coefficient of 0.993. The detection limit was 2.0 x 10(-8) mol/L (S/N = 3). The film electrode was used to detect the content of methimazole in rat serum samples by the standard addition method with satisfactory results. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.