Surface functions of 2-mercaptopyridine, 2-mercaptopyrazine and 2-mercaptoquinoxaline modified Au(1 1 1) electrodes for direct rapid electron transfer of cytochrome c

Abstract Surface functions of modified electrodes for the rapid electron transfer of cytochrome c have been examined by using new surface modifiers. 2-Mercaptopyrazine (2-PyZSH) and 2-mercaptoquinoxaline (or 2-mercaptobenzopyrazine, 2-MQ) modified Au(1 1 1) electrodes gave well-defined cyclic voltammmograms of cytochrome c , while a 2-mercaptopyridine (2-PySH) modified electrode gave no response. The STM images of 2-PySH and 2-PyZSH modified surfaces were similar to each other, suggesting 2-PySH and 2-PyZSH adsorbed at both thiolate S and pyridine (or pyrazine) N atoms with pyridine (or pyrazine) ring being perpendicular to the electrode surface. The 2-PyZSH modified surface has another pyrazine N atom faced to the solution, through which cytochrome c can interact, and the double layer capacitance data of the electrode gave more hydrophilic nature than the 2-PySH modified surface. On the other hand, although 2-MQ was suggested to adsorb on the electrode in a similar manner to 2-PySH and 2-PyZSH to give N atom at the solution side, the 2-MQ modified surface showed less hydrophilicity than the 2-PySH modified surface due to the quinoxaline ring. These results clearly reveal that the pyridine and pyrazine N atoms faced to the solution (rather than the hydrophilicity of the electrode surface) are important for the rapid electron transfer of cytochrome c on these modified electrodes.