Amperometric Method for Detecting Paracetamol using a Carbon Paste Electrode Modified with Vanadium(V) Oxide

This new and simple amperometric method takes advantage of the electroactivity of V2O5 in the oxidation of paracetamol (PCM) on a carbon paste electrode (CPE). With the modified electrode (VOX/CPE) the anode peak current for PCM was more than 100 % than that of the unmodified electrode. The electrode surface was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The amperograms were measured at +0.70 V (vs Ag/AgCl), and the calibration curve indicated a detection limit of 0.06 mu mol/L and a sensitivity of 1.93 mu A/mu M cm2. The modified electrode was used in the detection of solid drugs such as PCM tablets and children's syrup with acceptable results. A novel amperometric method is reported for the detection of paracetamol using a carbon paste decorated with vanadium oxide. This method provided a detection limit less than 1.0 mu mol/L. The results for this new method are interesting due to its potential for application in the pharmaceutical industry. image