A highly efficient and portable laser-scribed graphene-based electrochemical system for forensic-oriented determination of acepromazine

• Published in: Analytical methods Vol. 15; no. 35; pp. 4467 - 4476
• Main Authors: de Lima, Lucas F, de Araujo, William R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 14.09.2023
• Subjects: Anesthesia; Charge transfer; Drug abuse; Electrochemical analysis; Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; Electrochemistry; Electrode materials; Electrodes; Electron transfer; Electrons; Forensic science; Graphene; Parameter robustness; Phenothiazine; Polyetherimides; Porosity; Potassium; Potassium ferricyanide; Scanning electron microscopy; Sex crimes; Spectroscopy; Square waves; Substrates; Voltammetry
• ISSN: 1759-9660; 1759-9679; 1759-9679
• DOI: 10.1039/d3ay00815k

Acepromazine (ACP) is a phenothiazine derivative drug commonly used as a tranquilizer veterinary medication due to its sedative properties. Benefiting from sedative properties, ACP has emerged as a drug of abuse and has been associated with drug-facilitated sexual assaults. Herein, we report, for the first time, the electrochemical behavior of ACP using a miniaturized and environmentally friendly laser-scribed graphene-based (LSG) sensor fabricated on a polyetherimide (PEI) substrate. The LSG device presented high porosity, as demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements of the PEI-LSG electrode confirmed the enhanced electroactive area (3.1-fold increase) caused by the rough surface and revealed a low charge transfer resistance of the electrode material, with a heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant ( k 0 ) of 8.66 × 10 −3 cm s −1 for potassium ferricyanide redox probe. A simple and accurate method was applied to quantify ACP by using square wave voltammetry (SWV) under optimized experimental conditions, which exhibited high sensitivity (0.686 ± 0.008 A L mol −1 cm −2 ) and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 7.43 × 10 −8 mol L −1 , with a linear concentration ranging from 0.5 to 100 μmol L −1 ACP. Aiming for on-site analysis, the PEI-LSG sensor was integrated with a miniaturized potentiostat controlled by using a smartphone and applied as proof of applicability to ACP detection in commercial beverage and synthetic urine samples. These studies demonstrated adequate recoveries, ranging from 95.1% to 115.8%. The analytical parameters highlight the robustness and reliability of the proposed method for analyses of ACP directly at a potential crime scene. Acepromazine (ACP) is a tranquilizer veterinary medication that has emerged as a drug of abuse and is associated with drug-facilitated sexual assaults. Therefore, portable and reliable methods for its detection are of utmost importance.