Simultaneous determination of N-acetylcysteine and acetaminophen by voltammetric method using N-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)-3, 5 dinitrobenzamide modified multiwall carbon nanotube paste electrode nanostructured materials in advanced membrane technology for separation processes

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) commonly known as acetylcysteine, is a pharmaceutical drug and nutritional supplement with numerous uses. Its primary use is as a mucolytic agent. The drug rapidly metabolizes to intracellular glutathione which acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body. Finally, it has been claimed to have a protective effect against cancer for its action as an antioxidant and a glutathione precursor [1]. Acetaminaphen (AC) is widely used as an analgesic anti-pyretic drug with similar effects as aspirin. It is regarded as a suitable replacement for aspirin in patients sensitive to aspirin or those with asthma. Intravenous acetylcysteine is typically administered for the treatment of paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose [2]. Large quantities of paracetamol causes a minor metabolite called N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI) that accumulates in the body and is normally conjugated by glutathione. When taken in excess, the body's limited glutathione reserves fail to inactivate the toxic NAPQI. The metabolite thus produced is then free to react with key hepatic enzymes, damaging hepatocytes. This may lead to severe liver damage and even to death by fulminant liver failure [3]. Due to this fatal effect, simultaneous determination of these compounds (NAC & AC) is very important. However, a major problem is that at bare electrodes, the anodic peak potentials for NAC and AC are almost the same, which results in their overlapped current responses and makes their discrimination very difficult.