Electroanalysis of some nitro-compounds using bulk bismuth electrode

Nitro compounds were usually determined electrochemically using the mercury drop with DPP technique. An alternate way to toxic mercury is the increasing use of the bismuth electrode as thin film electrodeposited on glassy carbon or copper for example, or as bulk bismuth disc. In the present paper several nitrocompounds were investigated: mononitrophenols, dinitrophenol, nitrobenzoic acid, nitrobenzaldehyde and a well known pesticide, parathion, which has a nitro group in para position on a phenyl cycle. Bulk bismuth electrode was a disc (cross section of a rod of 5mm diameter embedded in Teflon (R)) polished with silicon carbide disc (P2400) and sonicated to remove any abrasive particle. The supporting electrolyte was the acetic buffer (pH 4.7), which was found suitable for all these compounds. Using cathodic sweep differential pulse voltammetry, it was noticed that according to the position of the nitro group on the cycle, the peak potentials might range between -300 to -750mV vs. SCE. Limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were determined for each compound whose response for increasing concentration was linear in the similar to 3-50 mu molL(-1) whatever the considered molecule. Adsorptive differential pulse voltammetry was found very efficient to determine parathion, because this molecule adsorbs on bismuth at -0.2V vs. SCE. Bulk bismuth electrode was compared to the hanging mercury drop electrode and led to an identical behaviour.