In this work, we report a selective electrochemical sensing of nitrobenzene (NB) using an alumina (gamma-Al2O3) polished glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the first time. The scanning electron microscopy studies confirm the presence of alumina particles on the GCE surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies reveal that the utilized alumina is gamma-Al2O3. The alumina polished GCE shows an enhanced sensitivity and lower overpotential toward the reduction of NB compared to unpolished GCE. The differential pulse voltammetry response was used for the determination of NB and it shows that the reduction peak current of NB is linearly proportional to the concentrations of NB ranging from 0.5 to 145.5 mu M. The limit of detection is found to be 0.15 mu M based on 3 sigma. The fabricated electrode exhibits its appropriate selectivity towards NB in the presence of a range of nitro compounds and metal ions. The good practicality of the sensor in various water samples reveals that it can be a promising electrode material for practical applications. In addition, the proposed NB sensor is simple and cost effective one when compared with previously reported NB sensors in the literature. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.