Electrochemical sensing of melamine with 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid as recognition element

A new electrochemical sensor for melamine with 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid as the recognition element is established. The results of Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectra demonstrate that melamine may interact with 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid to form a complex mainly through the hydrogen-bonding interaction. The electrochemical behavior of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in the presence of melamine was studied. The anodic peak currents of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid obtained by differential pulse voltammetry are linear with the logarithm of melamine concentrations in the range from 1.0 × 10−8 to 5.0 × 10−6 M with a linear coefficiency of 0.997. The detection limit is 3.0 × 10−9 M. The proposed method displayed an excellent sensitivity and was successfully applied to the determination of melamine in milk products.