The nitrofurazone (NF) electrochemical reduction has been studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) in non-aqueous medium using three different ionic liquids (IL): BMImTf2N, BMImBF4 and BMMImTf2N, having a carbon fiber microelectrode as working electrode. In all of them, two reversible cathodic peaks were recorded for NF. Under higher frequency values, only one reversible cathodic peak was registered. The systems reversibility could also be observed by CV, since a reversible redox couple was registered for this reduction. The systems reversibility with product and reagent adsorptions on the electrode surface was confirmed and the electrons number involved in this reduction indicated the nitro-anion radical formation followed by its respective dianion. For the first reduction, the EC mechanism (an electrochemical step followed by a chemical one) was considered for the systems in aprotic medium, in which there was a probable second-order chemical reaction after the charge transfer process, being the kinetic constants calculated following the Olmstead and Nicholson model.

O presente estudo teve por objetivos o desenvolvimento e a aplicação de um método eletroquímico para a determinação da cumarina simples em meio aquoso utilizando o eletrodo de diamante dopado com boro (BDDE). Os estudos foram realizados em pH 8,0 utilizando a voltametria cíclica (CV) e observou-se um processo de redução irreversível controlado por difusão com um pico de redução em torno de -1,6 V. Entretanto, foi possível observar por voltametria de onda quadrada (SWV) que no mesmo pH a redução da cumarina possui um caráter reversível. Além disso, esta reversibilidade se tornou mais evidente com o aumento do pH da solução. Um estudo cronoamperométrico mostrou que o processo de redução da cumarina envolve dois elétrons. A partir dos parâmetros otimizados da SWV uma curva analítica foi construída no intervalo linear de 0,5 × 10-5 a 10,0 × 10-5 mol L-1. Os limites de detecção e de quantificação foram 1,5 × 10-6 mol L-1 e 4,5 × 10-6 mol L-1, respectivamente. A cumarina foi determinada em amostras de Mikania glomerata (infusão aquosa) com valores de recuperação entre 92 e 104%.

The present study aims the development and application of an electrochemical method for simple coumarin determination in aqueous media by using a boron-doped diamond electrode (BDDE). The studies were carried out at pH 8.0 by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and registered an irreversible reduction process controlled by diffusion with the peak potential recorded around -1.6 V. The square wave voltammetry analysis (SWV) showed the reversible behavior of the electrochemical reduction of coumarin at the same pH. Additionally, the reversibility of the process was improved by increasing the solution pH. The chronoamperometry study showed that the coumarin reduction process involves two electrons. From the optimized SWV parameters, the analytical curve was constructed in a linear range between 0.5 × 10-5 and 10.0 × 10-5 mol L-1. The limits of detection and quantification were 1.5 × 10-6 mol L-1 and 4.5 × 10-6 mol L-1, respectively. The coumarin was determined in an aqueous infusion of Mikania glomerata, showing recovery values between 92 and 104%.

The first studies about DNA electrochemistry appeared at the end of the fifties. The voltammetric techniques became important tool for the DNA conformational analysis, producing evidences about DNA double helix polimorphism. The new techniques based on electrodes modification with nucleic acid enlarged the use of the electrochemical methods on the DNA research. DNA electrochemical biosensors are able to detect specific sequences of DNA bases, becoming important alternative for the diagnosis of disease, as well as in the carcinogenic species determination. Besides, the use of DNA biosensors in the mechanism study of biological drug actions can be useful for drug design.

Metronidazol é o fármaco mais importante do grupo de 5-nitroimidazoles, possuindo toxicidade contra microrganismos anaeróbicos, sendo a molécula de DNA o principal alvo de sua ação biológica. O mecanismo de ação do metronidazol depende do processo de redução do grupo nitro e, em meio ácido, a redução é pH-dependente envolvendo quatro elétrons na completa redução ao derivado hidroxilamínico. Em meio aprótico a redução do metronidazole acontece em duas etapas: a primeira envolvendo um elétron para formar o radical nitro e a segunda etapa envolve mais três elétrons até a formação da hidroxilamina. Neste artigo o mecanismo de redução do metronidazol foi estudado utilizando as técnicas voltamétricas: polarografia d.c. e pulso diferencial, voltametria cíclica usando o eletrodo gota de mercúrio como eletrodo de trabalho.

Metronidazole is the most important drug of the group of 5-nitroimidazoles and possesses toxicity to anaerobic micro-organisms DNA being the main target for their biological action. The mechanism of biological action of metronidazole is dependent upon the nitro group reduction process. The reduction of metronidazole is pH dependent in acid medium and four electrons are involved in the complete reduction to the hydroxylamine derivative. In aprotic medium the reduction of the metronidazole occurs in two steps, the first involving one electron to form the nitro radical and the second step involving three more electrons until the formation of the hydroxylamine derivative. In this paper the mechanism of reduction of metronidazole was studied by using the voltammetric techniques: d.c. polarography, differential pulse polarography and cyclic voltammetry using the mercury drop as the working electrode.