Investigation on the Electrochemistry of Rutin and Its Analytical Application

An electrochemical investigation for rutin on glassy carbon electrode is presented. An adsorptive process is observed. The maximum coverage on the electrode surface is 5.09 × 10−10 mol/cm2, this area corresponding to a benzene ring with 3′,4′-dihydroxides adsorbed on the electrode surface; the other parts of rutin keep away from the surface. In the meantime, a new electrochemical method for determining rutin is presented. In a medium of 0.1 M acetate buffer solution (pH = 4.46), a very sensitive polargraphic adsorptive wave is observed by using a differential pulse voltammetry at about 0.29 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The linear relationship between the peak current and the concentration of rutin exists in a range from 3.28 × 10−7 to 3.28 × 10−5 M. The detection limit of rutin is down to 2.51 × 10−8 M. This method has been applied to determine rutin in several samples of Chinese medicines. The results are satisfactory.