Flow injection-pulse amperometric detection of ephedrine at a cobalt phthalocyanine modified carbon paste electrode

Direct detection of ephedrines and other underivatized amino compounds (amines, alicyclic amines, alkanolamines, and amino acids) can be carried out via electrocatalytic oxidation at a carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPC) in alkaline solution (0.10 mol L-1 NaOH). Most of the amino compounds tested could be determined using the CoPC/CPE in an amperometric flow detector. The analytical signal of ephedrine was stabilised by alternating the potential between an anodic detection potential of +0.30 V (+0.45 V for other amino compounds) applied for 220 ms and a cathodic reactivation potential of -0.30 V applied for 100 ms (potentials versus SCE). The linear response range for ephedrine was within 1-100 mumol L-1 and the detection limit was 0.8 mumol L-1 with a 100 microL sample loop and a typical sampling ra 60 h-1. The signal (oxidation peak current) reproducibility was 2-3%. The method was applied to the determination of ephedrine in pharmaceutical formulations with results comparable to those obtained with a standard spectrophotometric method.