Square Wave Voltammetric Determination of Fomesafen Herbicide Using Modified Nanostructure Carbon Paste Electrode as a Sensor and Application to Food Samples

Cyclic and square wave voltammetric measurements were performed to deduce the electrochemical behavior of fomesafen herbicide on the prepared carbon nanotube paste electrodes. Fomesafen has created a well-defined cathodic peak at -540 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl), but no corresponding oxidation peak has appeared on the reverse scan. The influence of the pH on the electro-reduction peak was tested at various pH values, and the E (p) versus pH plot suggested that protons are involved in reduction process. Electrochemical studies showed that -NO2 group was responsible for the reduction process. A linear relationship has been constructed in the concentration range of 0.30-40 mg/L. The limits of detection and quantification values were obtained as 0.089 and 0.297 mg/L, respectively. Fomesafen was determined in the presence of some well-known pesticides, and the extent of recoveries of 5 mg/L fomesafen in the presence of equal amounts of pesticides anilazine, pymetrozine, and triflumizole was 103.7 +/- 0.9, 94.3 +/- 0.4, and 97.9 +/- 0.5 %, respectively (n = 3). The accuracy of the recommended method was further proved by the determination of fomesafen in spiked real samples such as apricot juice, cherry juice, and lake water with a relative error of -4.2, -2.8, and -1.8 %, respectively. The obtained results suggest that the recommended method is sufficiently accurate, selective, and precise.