Determination of ascorbic acid by a modified multiwall carbon nanotube paste electrode using cetrimonium iodide/iodine

A new modified graphite-multiwall carbon nanotube paste electrode for the determination of ascorbic acid (AA) based on cetrimonium iodide-iodine is described. The electrochemical response characteristics of the modified electrode toward AA were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) in phosphate buffer solution (pH 2.0). When compared to activated carbon, graphite, and multiwall carbon nanotube paste electrode containing new modifier, the proposed modified paste electrode not only shifted the oxidation potential of AA towards less positive potential but also enhanced its oxidation peak current. Further, the oxidation of AA was highly stable at the modified paste electrode. The optimum analytical conditions were sought. The current response of AA increases linearly while increasing its concentration from 5.6 × 10−5 to 1.2 × 10−2 M with the correlation coefficient of 0.999 and a detection limit (3σ) was found to be 1.2 × 10−6 M. The present modified paste electrode was also successfully used for the determination of AA in the presence of common interference compounds. The present modified electrode was successfully used in the determination of AA in pharmaceutical and food samples.