Simultaneous detection of hydroquinone and catechol with decreasing pH at a bare glassy carbon electrode surface

Abstract

Hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CC) are two isomers, which often coexist and interfere with each other during their identification in samples. To measure HQ and CC, electrochemists must handle the problem of the partial overlap of their voltammetric peaks. If the concentration of disodium hydrogen phosphate is twice that of HQ, then the peak separation between HQ and CC exceeds 0.2 V which is large enough for the simultaneous determination of HQ and CC. As a result, we developed a method to measure HQ and CC with a bare glassy carbon electrode. Without modifying the working electrode surface, the method presented excellent stability, good reproducibility and satisfactory anti-interference performance. This approach was successfully applied for the determination of HQ and CC in a tap water sample.