Flow injection biamperometric determination of metronidazole with on-line photodegradation

Abstract The determination of metronidazole is performed in a flow injection assembly, provided with a 40 W low pressure mercury lamp and a home-made biamperometric flow-cell furnished with two platinum electrodes polarized at 100 mV. The sample solution after being irradiated is inserted into a pure water stream. It then merges with an in situ mixed solution containing potassium iodide in sulphuric acid. The calibration graph was linear over the range 0.2–8.0 mg l −1 metronidazole; the 3 σ limit of detection was 0.008 mg l −1 ; the relative standard deviation was 0.6% (for 4 mg l −1 n  = 13) and the sample throughput 50 h −1 . The influence of foreign compounds is slight and the method is …