Electrochemical behavior of genotoxic nitro derivatives of quinoline, namely 5-nitroquinoline (5-NQ), 6-nitroquinoline (6-NQ) and 8-nitroquinoline (8-NQ), was investigated by DC tast polarography (DCTP) and differential pulse polarography (DPP), both at a classical dropping mercury electrode (DME), and by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and adsorptive stripping differential pulse voltammetry (AdSDPV), both at a miniaturized hanging mercury drop minielectrode (HMDmE), in buffered aqueous (for 5-NQ) or aqueous-methanolic (for 6-NQ and 8-NQ) solutions. Optimum conditions were found for the determination of 5-NQ, 6-NQ and 8-NQ by DCTP at DME (with limits of quantification, LQ ≈ 9 × 10–7, 3 × 10–7 and 2 × 10–6 mol l–1, respectively), by DPP at DME (LQ ≈ 1 × 10–8, 9 × 10–8 and 1 × 10–7 mol l–1, respectively), by DPV at HMDmE (LQ ≈ 2 × 10–8, 1 × 10–7 and 1 × 10–7 mol l–1, respectively), and by AdSDPV at HMDmE (LQ ≈ 1 × 10–8 mol l–1 for 8-NQ; an attempt at increasing the sensitivity using AdSDPV at HMDmE was not successful for 5-NQ and 6-NQ). Practical applicability of the developed methods was verified on the direct determination of the studied compounds in model samples of drinking and river water in submicromolar concentrations and on the determination in model samples of drinking and river water using preliminary separation and preconcentration by solid phase extraction (SPE) in nanomolar concentrations.
