Nanogold-modified Carbon Paste Electrode for the Determination of Atenolol in Pharmaceutical Formulations and Urine by Voltammetric Methods

A gold nanoparticles modified carbon paste electrode (GN-CPE) has been used for the determination of atenolol (ATN) in drug formulations by cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and chronocoulometric methods. The results revealed that the modified electrode shows an electrocatalytic activity toward the anodic oxidation of atenolol by a marked enhancement in the current response in buffered solution at pH 10.0. The anodic peak potential shifts by -80.0 mV when compared with the potential using bare carbon paste electrde. A linear analytical curve was observed in the range of $1.96\;{\times}\;10^{-6}$ to $9.09\;{\times}\;10^{-4}\;mol\;L^{-1}$. The detection limit for this method is $7.3\;{\times}\;10^{-8}\;mol\;L^{-1}$. The method was then successfully applied to the determination of atenolol in tablets and human urine. The percent recoveries in urine ranged from 92.0 to 110.0%.