Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Characteristics of Artemisinin Antimalarial Drug: Charge Transfer Redox Process

Artemisinin is a plant extract and popular in treating many diseases including malaria. It is a sesquiterpene lactone with several binding modes to several molecules. Oxidation and reduction of this molecule at different electrode materials was studied in tetrabutyl ammonium bromide in acetonitrile solution. The apparent standard heterogeneous rate constant for electron transfer (kh) was found to be 23 cm s−1. The value of the electron transfer coefficient (αna) was found to be 0.496. The diffusion coefficient (D) was found to be 3.34 × 10−6 cm s−1. Gold (Au), glassy carbon, and pyrolytic graphite electrodes exhibited distinguishable current densities. A value of E1/2 = –0.81 V versus Ag/AgCl was obtained, and a value of n = 1.52 (2) was estimated.