The use of micro carbon pencil lead electrode for sensitive HPLC-ED analysis of selected antipsychotic drugs

Abstract Sensitive analysis of nine selected antipsychotic drugs is demonstrated by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with innovative electrochemical detector employing the non standard, 0.2 mm diameter Pentel AinStein pencil graphite as a working electrode. In addition to low cost, the detector performance is characterized by low background current, capability to operate in low ionic strength media and very fast attainment of stable baseline. These advantageous features are attributed to microelectrode character of the pencil lead surface. The concentration LODs ranged between 1.0 (olanzapine) and 7.9 nmol/L (chlorpromazine) with linearity up to 500 nmol/L . Model analyses in spiked control serum as well as the real sample analyses of human plasma samples of subjects after intoxication with olanzapine resp. promethazine are shown. The developed method could be used for forensic monitoring of commonly used APs in blood samples. According to relevant assessment tools, the whole procedure can be regarded as green.