A glassy carbon electrode was used and challenged for the determination of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). This probe showed a significantly enhanced electrochemical activity when it tested with copper (II). When challenged in amperometric batch mode, the response was stable and showed a linear dependence up to 1 x 10(-5) mol L-1 of DNPH. The very high sensitivity toward copper (96.3 mA mol(-1) L cm(-2)) was then used as the basis for developing an analytical method for DNPH detection since a non electroactive compound is formed in the presence of the copper. By selecting an appropriate concentration of copper, a concentration of DNPH as low 1.0 x 10(-8) mol L-1 was detected. Satisfactory recovery was obtained when the system was tested in industrial water samples. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.