Amperometric detector for high-performance liquid chromatography, featuring a glassy carbon working electrode array in the wall-jet configuration

Abstract

A wall-jet segmented-ring-disc electrode array is applied to reversed-phase HPLC. The segmented-ring electrode consists of eight independent glassy carbon discs, located around the central disc electrode. The electrode array is operated under amperometric conditions, and displays distinct qualitative advantage over other modes of electrochemical detection. The advantages are discussed in relation to data extraction from partially resolved chromatograms. The potential interference effects of closely eluting species are considered by the use of limited quantitative data. The power to distinguish between co-eluting components is clearly demonstrated by comparison with single-wavelength UV absorbance detection. The analytes studied were phenol, 4-methylphenol, 2-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2-chlorophenol and 4-chlorophenol. A further application of the electrode array is discussed, that of the analogous operation to the wall-jet ring-disc electrode.