Fast surface water quality analysis based on an ultra-sensitive determination of the antidepressant drug duloxetine hydrochloride on a diamond electrode by voltammetry

Duloxetine hydrochloride (DUL) is an antidepressant drug that is being increasingly consumed and so, it is classified as an emerging pollutant. As it is found at very low concentration in the environment, in this work, we investigated the electrochemical monitoring of surface waters for trace determination of DUL based on the use of cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode (CP-BDDE) coupled to differential pulse voltammetry. The antidepressant was determined in Britton-Robinson buffer solution at pH 7.0 and the current was linearly dependent to the concentration in the range of 0.030-0.333 mu mol L(-1)with a limit of detection of 5.87 nmol L-1. The precision, selectivity, and accuracy were evaluated, and the method was applied to the analysis of real lake, river, and tap water with an average recovery of 101%. The CP-BDDE proved to be an excellent electrochemical platform for trace DUL monitoring in surface waters.

Automated summary

In this study, the electrochemical monitoring of trace antidepressant in surface waters was successfully achieved using a cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode coupled with differential pulse voltammetry. The method showed high accuracy and detection sensitivity, and demonstrated good recovery rates in the analysis of real samples.