Electrochemical behavior of phytochelatins and related peptides at the hanging mercury drop electrode in the presence of cobalt(II) ions

Direct current voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry have been used to investigate the electrochemical behaviour of two phytochelatins: heptapeptide (γ-Glu–Cys)3–Gly and pentapeptide (γ-Glu–Cys)2–Gly, tripeptide glutathione γ-Glu–Cys–Gly and its fragments: dipeptides Cys–Gly and γ-Glu–Cys at the hanging mercury drop electrode in the presence of cobalt(II) ions. Most interesting results were obtained with direct current voltammetry in the potential region of − 0.80 V up to − 1.80 V. Differential pulse voltammetry of the same solutions of Co(II) with peptides gives more complicated voltammograms with overlapping peaks, probably in connection with the influence of adsorption at slow scan rates necessarily used in this method. However, in using Brdička catalytic currents for analytical purposes, differential pulse voltammograms seem to be more helpful. Presented investigations have shown that particularly the prewave of cobalt(II) allows distinguishing among phytochelatins, glutathione, and its fragments.