Evaluation of a glassy-carbon electrode for amperometric detection of selected methylxanthines in serum after their separation by reversed-phase chromatography.

We examined the relative merits of direct-current, pulse, and differential pulse amperometry at a flow-through, glassy-carbon electrode used in monitoring column chromatography. We give a rapid, simple procedure for determining theophylline (1,3-dimethylxanthine) in 20--100 microliter of blood serum. Interference by 1,7-dimethylxanthine, a metabolite of caffeine, is compared for photometric and amperometric detection, and some advantages of combined photometric and amperometric detection are discussed.