Square-wave voltammetric determination of bezafibrate in pharmaceutical formulations using a cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode

The determination of bezafibrate (BZF) using square-wave voltammetry (SWV) and a cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode is proposed. Cyclic voltammetry results showed one irreversible oxidation peak for BZF at 1.20 V (vs. Ag/AgCl (3.0 mol L−1 KCl)) in a 0.04 mol L−1 Britton–Robinson (BR) buffer solution (pH 2.0). Under optimized SWV conditions, a linear analytical curve is obtained for the BZF concentration range 0.10–9.1 μmol L−1 in the BR buffer solution (pH 2.0), with a detection limit of 0.098 μmol L−1. The obtained recoveries range from 93.4 to 108%. The proposed novel method was successfully applied in the determination of the BZF content in several pharmaceutical formulations (tablets) and the results are in close agreement (at a 95% confidence level) with those obtained using a comparative spectrophotometric method.

► Bezafibrate (BZF) is determined by square-wave voltammetry with a diamond electrode.
► For the first time in the literature, BZF is determined by a voltammetric method.
► A cathodically pretreated diamond electrode was used to develop the novel method.
► The new method was used in the determination of BZF in pharmaceutical formulations.
► The obtained results agree with those of a comparative spectrophotometric method.