In this work, fast Fourier transform continuous cyclic voltammetric technique for the monitoring of ultra trace amounts of citalopram in a flow-injection system has been presented. The potential waveform, consisting of the potential steps for cleaning, stripping and potential ramp, was continuously applied on an Au disk microelectrode (with a 12.5 µm in radius). The proposed detection method has some advantages, the greatest of which are as follows: first, it is no more necessary to remove oxygen from the analyte solution and second, this is a very fast and appropriate technique for determination of the drug compound in a wide variety of chromatographic analysis methods. The method was linear over the concentration range of 7 - 116 pg mL-1 (r = 0.9960) with a limit of detection and quantitation 2.3 and 7 pg mL-1, respectively. The method has the requisite accuracy, sensitivity, precision and selectivity to assay citalopram in tablets. The influences of pH of eluent, accumulation potential, sweep rate, and accumulation time on the determination of the citalopram were considered. The proposed method was applied to the determination of citalopram in a pharmaceutical preparation.
citalopram; fast Fourier transformation; flow injection analysis; Ultra microelectrode; cyclic voltammetry
