Abstract: Preparation of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) film and its recognition property for methimazole (MMZ) was investigated. The polypyrrole (PPy) film was prepared by the cyclic voltammetric deposition of pyrrole in the presence of a supporting electrolyte (NaClO4-ÀH2O) with and without MMZ through on a pencil graphite electrode (PGE). A computational study based on density functional theory was developed to evaluate the template-monomer geometry and interaction energy in the prepolymerization mixture. The performance of MIP sensor and non-imprinted polymer (NIP) film was evaluated by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The most important parameters controlling the performance of sensor were investigated and optimized. The prepared electrode was used for MMZ measurement by a three-step procedure, including analyte extraction in the electrode, electrode washing and electrochemical measurement of MMZ. The molecularly imprinted film exhibited a high selectivity and sensitivity toward methimazole in the experimental conditions. The calibration curve demonstrated linearity over a concentration range of 0.007-6 mM with a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.9808. The accuracy of the method was studied through spiking blank samples showed recovery of 98% with precision of 4%. Limit of detection based on S/N = 3 was obtained 3 x 10-6 M. The proposed sensor was applied successfully to determine MMZ in biological model samples and pharmaceuticals
Author keywords: Methimazole sensor, Molecularly imprinted polymer, Electropolymerization, pencil graphite electrode