Abstract

Three glass electrodes covered with Co-cobaltite/SnO2:F (to obtain conducting glass electrodes) modified with p-Ni-tetraaminophenylporphyrin are described. In one electrode the porphyrin was absorbed on the electrode surface at room temperature, in another the porphyrin was electropolymerized on the electrode surface by cyclic voltammetry, and in the third the bare electrode was immersed in DMF containing the porphyrin and refluxed 6 h at 150°C. The three electrodes were tested as electrocatalysts for the oxidation of hydrazine and as potentiometric sensors of this chemical. The electrode modified by refluxing showed good electrocatalytic behavior as well as a linear relationship between its open circuit potential and the concentration of hydrazine in a concentration range from 0.16 to 12 μM, with fast response. These characteristics indicate that the conducting glass electrode of Co-cobaltite/SnO2:F covered with p-Ni-tetraaminophenylporphyrin by the reflux method is a good potentiometric sensor of hydrazine. The active site is probably the ligand that changes its electron density by formation of a supramolecular system. © 2007 Taylor & Francis.