A simple, sensitive and cost-effective electrochemical sensor for the determination of N-acetylcysteine

In the present work, we prepared a simple and novel electrochemical sensor based on zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) and ionic liquid 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexa­fluorophosphate (BMIM.PF6) modified carbon paste electrode (CPE), which was effectively used for the determination of N-acetylcysteine. The cyclic voltammetry studies demonstrated the lowest peak potential and the enhanced peak current response for N-acetyl­cysteine at the surface of ZIF-67/BMIM.PF6-modified CPE compared to the other CPEs due to the significant catalytic effect of ZIF-67 and BMIM.PF6, as well as the combination of them. Under the optimized conditions, the electrochemical response of ZIF-67/BMIM.PF6/CPE sensor provided a good linear relationship with N-acetylcysteine concentration from 0.04 to 435.0 µM. The limit of detection is estimated to be 0.01 μM for N-acetylcysteine. In further studies and measurements, the estimation of N-acetylcysteine in tablet samples confirms the usefulness of the ZIF-67/BMIM.PF6/CPE sensor.