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Development of an Electrochemical Sensor for Detection of Dissolved Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water

The aquatic environment is exposed to an increasing amount of pollution from various sources. In order to protect the Earths diverse ecosystems, close monitoring and early detection of potentially dangerous substances is crucial. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present a group of hydrophobic organic pollutants which can have cargenogenic and mutagenic effects on the aquatic organisms. More hydrophobic PAHs usually adsorb and associate with organic particles in the aquatic environment, while less hydrophobic PAHs may be present in the dissolved form, making them more available for uptake by aquatic organisms. We are developing an electrochemical sensor which could be used for early detection of the dissolved fraction of PAHs present in waters. As it has been found, PAHs interact with phospholipid monolayers adsorbed on a mercury electrode surface, causing a disruption of the monolayers’ fluidity and structure. This interaction is monitored electrochemically by fast cyclic voltammetry using a semi-automated flow cell system which incorporates a chip based mercury film microelectrode. A mixed layer of a phospholipid palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glicero-3- phosphocholine and triolein, an oleic acid triglyceride, in 3:1 molar ratio, adsorbed onto a mercury film microelectrode, was used as a sensing element for PAH detection. The system proved sensitive to the presence of four different PAH molecules, anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene and fluoranthene, in different matrices, with limits of detection down to 0.2 [micro]g/L [1]. The performance of the system was tested on a natural river sample, and its sensitivity compared to a conventional GC – MS method used for determination of PAHs. Reference: 1. Penezic, A., Gasparovic, B., Stipanicev, D., Nelson, A. In-situ electrochemical method for detecting freely dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water, Environmental Chemistry 2014, 11(2), 173-180.

Electrochemistry, Environmental Analysis, PAH, Sensors

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