Gold nanoparticles decorated on cobalt porphyrin-modified glassy carbon electrode for the sensitive determination of nitrite ion

•AuNPs were decorated on GCE with the aid of amine functionalized porphyrin.•AuNPs decorated GCE was used for the determination of nitrite ion.•A detection limit of 60 nM (S/N = 3) was achieved for nitrite ion.•Determination of nitrite ion is also possible in the presence common interferents.

The present study reports the electrochemical determination of nitrite ion using citrate-gold nanoparticles (cit-AuNPs) decorated on meso-tetra(para-aminophenyl)porphyrinatocobalt(II) (Co(II)MTpAP) self-assembled glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The decoration of cit-AuNPs on Co(II)MTpAP was achieved with the aid of amine groups present on the surface of the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of Co(II)MTpAP. The SEM image shows that the cit-AuNPs were densely packed on Co(II)MTpAP. The AuNPs decorated electrode was successfully used for the determination of nitrite ion. The cit-AuNPs decorated electrode not only shifted nitrite ion oxidation potential towards less positive potential but also greatly enhanced its current when compared to bare and Co(II)MTpAP SAM modified electrodes. The amperometric current increases linearly while increasing the concentration of nitrite ion ranging from 0.5 × 10−6 to 4.7 × 10−3 M and the detection limit was found to be 60 nM (S/N = 3). Further, the modified electrode was successfully used to determine nitrite ion in the presence of 200-fold excess of common interferents such as Na+, NO3-, I−, K+, CO32-, Ca2+, SO42-, NH4+, Cl− and glucose. The practical application of the cit-AuNPs decorated electrode was demonstrated by determining nitrite ion in water samples.

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