Enhanced reduction and determination of trace thyroxine at carbon paste electrode in the presence of trace cetyltrimethylammonium bromide.

The electrochemical response of thyroxine (T4) at a carbon paste electrode (CPE) in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was investigated. It gave a well-defined oxidation peak at 0.80 V and a sensitive reduction peak at 0.40 V. Compared with the indiscernible signal in the absence of CTAB, the reduction current of T4 at CPE was greatly enhanced in the presence of CTAB, due to the interactions between T4, CTAB and the hydrophobic electrode surface. The electrode process of T4 was explored by cyclic voltammetry and chronocoulometry. The effect of surfactants on the reduction reaction proved that bromide ions (Br(-)) in CTAB might form special ion complexes with T4 via a special interaction with the iodine atoms on T4, which would activate the reduction of T4. The sensitive and selective reduction of T4 in this system was applied to the determination of T4 in drugs; a detection limit of 6.5 x 10(-9) M was obtained (sigma= 3).