Flow-injection electrogenerated chemiluminescence determination of fluoroquinolones based on its sensitizing effect

A simple and sensitive flow-injection electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) method for the determination of fluoroquinolones was developed. The method is based on the sensitizing effect of fluoroquinolones on the weak ECL signal of electrochemical oxidation of luminol on the surface of the platinum flake electrode in the medium of 0.1 mol/L Na2CO3-NaHCO3. At the optimum experimental conditions, the relative ECL intensity increased linearly with increasing fluoroquinolones concentration, in the ranges 1.0 x 10(-8)-2.0 x 10(-4) g/mL for norfloxacin, 5.0 x 10(-9)-6.0 x 10(-6) g/mL for oxfloxacin, 2.0 x 10(-8)-1.4 x 10(-5) g/mL for ciprofloxacin, 1.0 x 10(-8)-1.4 x 10(-5) g/mL for pefloxacin, and 1.0 x 10(-9)-1.0 x 10(-5) g/mL for enoxacin, with detection limits of 4.0 x 10(-9) g/mL, 2.0 x 10(-9) g/mL, 1.0 x 10(-8) g/mL, 8.0 x 10(-9) g/mL, and 8.0 x 10(-10) g/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviations were all less than 2.5% for the determination of 2.0 x 10(-6) g/mL fluoroquinolones (n = 11). The method was used to determine these medicines in pharmaceutical samples with satisfactory results.