Electrooxidation of chlorpromazine in aqueous and micellar media and spectroscopic studies of the derived cationic free radical and dication species

The electrochemical behaviour of chlorpromazine has been examined in phosphate buffers in aqueous as well as micellar media at a pyrolytic graphite electrode surface. Two oxidation peaks were obtained in linear sweep voltammetry of chlorpromazine. The first peak corresponds to the formation of the cationic free radical, which on further 1e(-)-oxidation gives a dication. The spectroscopic changes and kinetics of the cationic free radical and dication species generated during electrooxidation of chlorpromazine were investigated in both media. The decay of the dication was studied chronoamperometrically and was found to follow first-order kinetics with a half-life of similar to 25 ms. Surfactants affect both E-p and i(p) values. The anionic surfactant SDS has been found to catalyze the reaction of the free radical cation and the dication.