Validated voltammetric method for the determination of some antiprotozoa drugs based on the reduction at an activated glassy carbon electrode

A sensitive electrochemical procedure based on reduction of secnidazole (I), tinidazole (II) and ornidazole (III) at a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was introduced. A study of the variation of the peak current with solution variables such as pH, ionic strength, concentration of drugs, possible interference, and instrumental variables such as scan rate, pulse amplitude, preconcentration time, accumulation potential, has resulted in the optimization of the reduction signal for analytical purposes. Linear calibration plots were obtained over the concentration ranges of 50–800, 50–750 μg mL−1 for I, and both (II, III) respectively, in Britton–Robinson buffer of pH 7. The relative standard deviations of five replicate measurements of 1.0 and 10.0 μg mL−1 of I, II and III concentrations were 4.7%, 4.9% and 5.3%, and 2.2%, 2.6% and 2.8%, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) for I, II and III were found to be 2 × 10−10, 3 × 10−10 and 2.5 × 10−10 mol L−1 and limits of quantification (LOQ) for I, II and III were found to be 4.0 × 10−8, 1.2 × 10−8 and 4.4 × 10−8 mol L−1, respectively. The optimal conditions were: Eacc = −0.9 V, tacc = 30 s, scan rate = 20 mV s−1, pulse-height = 90 mV and Britton–Robinson buffer of pH 7. The method was applied for the determination of the cited drugs both in raw materials and in pharmaceutical preparations with satisfactory results and compared with the official reference method. Complete validation of the proposed method was also done.