Selective determination of hydroquinone in the presence of catechol based on over-oxidized poly(hydroquinone)

Selective determination of hydroquinone (HQ) in the presence of catechol (CC) was developed at an over-oxidized poly(hydroquinone) (PHQ) electrode. The electrochemical polymerization of HQ was carried out by potentiostatic method on a glassy carbon electrode. The resulting PHQ was over-oxidized in 0.10 mol/L NaOH solution and thus poly(p-benzoquinone) was obtained. Two dihydroxybenzene isomers, HQ and CC, show different voltammetric behavior at the over-oxidized PHQ electrode. The peak current of HQ is much larger than that of CC with the same concentration, which is attributed to the different position of the hydroxyl groups in benzene ring of the two isomers. The results from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy also demonstrates that the over-oxidized PHQ electrode has a stronger affinity for HQ over CC.