Simultaneous determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers using preanodized inlaying ultrathin carbon paste electrode

In this paper, we described a rapid, sensitive and selective method for simultaneous voltammetric determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers with a preanodized inlaying ultrathin carbon paste electrode (PAIUCPE). Scanning electron microscope (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and voltammetry were employed to characterize the configuration and electrochemical properties of the electrode. The resulting PAIUCPE exhibited excellent recognition ability towards dihydroxybenzene isomers. Three well-defined oxidation peaks of catechol (CC), resorcinol (RC) and hydroquinone (HQ) can be identified entirely at the electrode. The oxidation peak potential difference between HQ and CC was 120 mV, CC and RC 430 mV, respectively. The peak currents increased linearly with increasing the concentration of dihydroxybenzene isomers. The proposed electrode can be applied to simultaneous determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers without previous chemical or physical separations.