Electrochemical Sensing of Hydrogen Sulfide Traces in Biological Samples

Abstract

Given that trace level H2S quantitation in biological samples currently requires expensive and time-consuming instrumental procedures, we herein developed an electrochemical Ag/C sensor for the detection of H2S in protein-containing neutral solutions. The detection principle was based on the increase in galvanic current that was elicited by the sulfidation of the Ag electrode and was linearly dependent on the concentration of H2S. This linear relationship enabled the quantitation of H2S in the concentration range of 0.037–6.7 µmol L−1 in mock biological samples without any pretreatment, highlighting the potential of the Ag/C sensor for the analysis of water quality and food, blood, and other biological samples.

Keywords

• electrochemical sensor
• ag electrode
• galvanic current
• h2s