Electrochemical methods are more and more widely used for the study of electroactive compounds in pharmaceutical forms and physiological fluids due to their simple, rapid, and economical properties [1]. Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is one of the most extensively employed drugs in the world [2]. It is an effective and safe agent for the relief of mild to moderate pain associated with headache, arthritis and postoperative pain [3]. Following our experience in the electrochemical study of acetaminophen and the synthesis of new acetaminophen derivatives [4-7], in this work, the electrochemical oxidation of acetaminophen is carried out in the presence of sodium sulfite as nucleophiles using cyclic voltammetry at a glassy carbon. The effect of potential scan rate on the cyclic voltammetric response of acetaminophen in the anodic region, confirms the quasi-reversibility of the oxidation process. On the other hand, the electrochemical behavior of acetaminophen has been studied in buffer solution with different pH values. It was found that the peak potentials shifted to the negative potentials by increasing pH. The results indicate acetate buffer solution (0. 2 M, pH 5) can be used as the optimum pH. The results of this work will be used in the synthesis of new acetaminophen derivatives.
