Electrochemical properties of the hexacyanoferrate(II)–ruthenium(III) complex immobilized on silica gel surface chemically modified with zirconium(IV) oxide

The chemically modified silica gel with zirconium(IV) oxide was used to immobilize the [Fe(CN)6]4− complex ion initially. The reaction of this material with [Ru(edta)H2O]− complex ion formed the immobilized cyano-bridged mixed valence ruthenium complex, (Zr)5[(edta)RuNCFe(CN)5]. This material was incorporated into a carbon paste electrode and, its electrochemical properties were investigated. However, for an ascorbic acid solution, an enhancement of the anodic peak current was detected due to electrocatalytic oxidation. The electrode presented the same response for at least 150 successive measurements, with a good repeatability. The modified electrode is very stable and reproducible. The sensor was applied for ascorbic acid determination in pharmaceutical preparation with success.