The enclosed project describes the development of pulse voltammetry strategies to minimize the background current at carbon electrodes used in the analysis of catecholamines and other biogenic amines. The background current from electrochemically activated carbon electrodes will be investigated; the temporal response of the background current will be fit to model functions. The background current as a function of applied potential will also be studied. The time course of the background current will be used to tailor pulse voltammetry methods that discriminate between the carbon residual current and the desired analytical signal. Once these pulse voltammetry methods have been optimized, they will also be used to study trace level of catecholamines by adsorption stripping. 'the pulse techniques developed will be optimized for the solution conditions of neuronal tissue. Students working on this project will learn both basic theory and techniques in bio-electrochemistry. They will learn how to plan and interpret the analyses of biogenic amines.
