A Novel Carbon Nitride Nanosheets‐based Electrochemical Sensor for Determination of Hydroxychloroquine in Pharmaceutical Formulation and Synthetic Urine Samples

This study introduces modified carbon paste electrodes with carbon nitride nanosheets (CNNS) and outlines their application for the determination of hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) in tablets and synthetic urine samples. CNNS were synthesized by hydrothermal route (200 °C, 10 h) using melamine and citric acid as their precursors. The carbon nitride nanosheets‐based electrode (CNNS/E) presented a linear dynamic range for HCQ (LDR), ranging from 10.0 nmol l−1 to 6.92 μmol l−1, and detection (LOD) and quantification limits (LOQ) of 0.16 nmol l−1 and 0.52 nmol l−1, respectively. LOD and LOQ were calculated by the equations: LOD=3(Sd/b), and LOQ=10(Sd/b). The modified sensor presented excellent relative standard deviations for parameters such as repeatability (2.39 % and 1.87 %) and reproducibility (3.22 % and 2.32 %) in HCQ oxidation peaks (1 and 2). The CNNS/E has not shown significant variations in its anodic signal intensity in the presence of some organic and inorganic substances. It is worth bearing in mind that CNNS/E can be easily manufactured and the sensor has the lowest HCQ detection limits reported so far. The proposed sensor was successfully applied for HCQ determination in tablets and synthetic urine, showing good recovery values and an error of 0.60 % about comparative method in tablet samples, assuring the quality of the method.