Electrochemical Sensing of Pharmaceutical Anesthetics
Summary
Electrochemical sensing of pharmaceutical anesthetics has emerged as a pivotal analytical approach for rapid, sensitive and cost-effective monitoring of local and general anaesthetic agents in clinical, forensic and environmental contexts. By transducing redox or ionic interactions at electrode interfaces into measurable electrical signals, these techniques enable direct quantification of compounds such as lidocaine, procaine and benzocaine in complex matrices. Recent advances encompass the development of modified electrodes incorporating nanomaterials or selective membranes, which enhance signal specificity, lower detection limits and extend dynamic ranges. Integration of multi-sensor arrays permits simultaneous analysis of multiple anesthetic species, while miniaturised and portable platforms facilitate bedside or in-field testing. Overall, electrochemical methodologies offer real-time feedback and streamlined workflows, addressing the growing demand for on-site quality control, therapeutic drug monitoring and pollutant surveillance of anaesthetic residues.
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Electrochemical Sensing of Pharmaceutical Anesthetics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical sensing of pharmaceutical anesthetics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Polarography: Voltammetric technique in which current is measured while the potential of a dropping mercury electrode is varied, yielding characteristic peaks for analyte reduction or oxidation.
Potentiometric sensor: Device that measures the potential difference between a selective membrane electrode and a reference electrode, proportional to analyte activity.
Limit of detection (LOD): Lowest concentration of an analyte that produces a signal distinguishable from background noise, often defined at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.
Calibration curve: Plot of sensor response versus known analyte concentrations, used to determine unknown sample concentrations by interpolation.
References
- A New Approach for the Determination of Benzocaine and Procaine in Pharmaceuticals by Single‐Sweep Polarography. International Journal of Electrochemistry (2018).
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