Electrochemiluminescence of palmatine being oxidized by electrogenerated hydroxyl radical and its analytical application

A strong electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of palmatine in NaOH medium was observed at a vaseline-impregnated graphite anode. The ECL production could be described as follows: hydroxyl radical (OH(•)) was generated via the oxidation of hydroxyl group (OH(-)) in NaOH medium, and the formed OH(•) subsequently oxidized palmatine base converted from palmatine in NaOH medium to the excited state oxypalmatine (oxypalmatine*). As the oxypalmatine* went back to its ground state, a stronger chemiluminescence was produced. Based on the ECL of palmatine, an ECL method for the determination of palmatine was proposed. An ECL signal of palmatine in NaOH solution was obtained by applying direct current of 15 mA to the vaseline-impregnated graphite anode. The ECL intensity was rectilinear with palmatine concentration in the range of 8.0 × 10(-7) to 2.0 × 10(-5) mol l(-1) and the limit of detection (signal-to-noise = 3) was 3 × 10(-7) mol l(-1) . The proposed method was applied to the determination of palmatine in pharmaceutical preparations.