Square Wave Voltammetric Determination of Indole-3-acetic Acid Based on the Enhancement Effect of Anionic Surfactant at the Carbon Paste Electrode

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), an anionic surfactant, can strongly adsorb at the surface of a carbon paste electrode (CPE) via the hydrophobic interaction. In pH 3.0 $Na_2HPO_4$-citric acid buffer (Mcllvaine buffer) and in the presence of SDS, the cationic indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, $pK_a$ = 4.75) was highly accumulated at the CPE surface through the electrostatic interaction between the negative-charged head group of SDS and cationic IAA, compared with that in the absence of SDS. Hence, the oxidation peak current of IAA increases greatly and the oxidation peak potential shifts towards more negative direction. The experimental parameters, such as pH, varieties of surfactants, concentration of SDS, and scan rate were optimized for IAA determination. The oxidation peak current is proportional to the concentration of IAA over the range from $5\;{\times}\;10^{-8}$ mol/L to $2\;{\times}\;10^{-6}$ mol/L. The detection limit is $2\;{\times}\;10^{-8}$ mol/L after 3 min of accumulation. This new voltammetric method was successfully used to detect IAA in some plant leaves.