Simultaneous Determination of Hydroquinone and Catechol at an Activated Glassy Carbon Electrode

A selective and very simple electrochemical method, based on anodization of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE), was developed for the simultaneous detection of hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CT). It was found that the activated GCE showed an excellent catalytic behavior and enhanced reversibility towards the oxidation of both HQ and CT. The redox responses from the mixture of HQ and CT were easily resolved at an activated GCE. The detection limits for HQ and CT were calculated to be 0.16 and 0.11 μM, respectively. The activated GCE was successfully examined for real sample analysis with tap water and it showed a stable and reliable recovery data.