Adsorptive stripping voltammetry of selected cephalosporin antibiotics and their direct determination in urine

Accumulation of selected cephalosporin antibiotics cefazolin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime and ceftriaxone on hanging mercury drop electrode was studied. The effects of supporting electrolyte composition, pH, accumulation potential and time were examined and corresponding analytical parameters were established employing linear sweep (staircase) or differential pulse voltammetric detection. Britton-Robinson buffer of pH 4.0 for ceftriaxone and acetate buffer in the pH range 3.6–5.0 for the other three compounds were found to be the best media. Calibration curves were linear from micromolar down to nanomolar range with limits of detection 2 × 10^–9 moll^–1, 1 × 10^–9 moll^–1, 5 × 10^–10 moll^–1 and 5 × 10^–9 moll^–1 for cefazolin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime and ceftriaxone respectively, applying the accumulation times of 5 to 14 min. Direct and simple determination of cefazolin as a model compound in urine was established with no other manipulation of urine sample than dilution 1 + 500 with buffer and subsequent adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination. The detection limit of the method is 7 gml^–1 (1.5 × 10^–5 moll^–1) of cefazolin in urine, and the relative standard deviation of 9 measurements was found to be 2.8% at 23 gml^–1 of cefazolin in urine. Similar values were found for other three compounds as well. These values are comparable or even better than those obtained by high performance liquid Chromatographic methods and approve the suitability of the proposed method for urine level monitoring in clinical practice and pharmacological studies.     

Electroanalytical study of diethyl and dibutyl phthalate in micellar and oil-in-water emulsified media

A polarographic study was carried out of the reduction processes of diethyl and dibutyl phthalate in micellar solutions with the cationic surfactant Hyamine 1622, and in an emulsified medium from aliquots of the phthalates dissolved in a diethyl ether: ethyl acetate (1:9) mixture and Hyamine 1622 as emulsifying agent. The characteristics of the reduction processes in both media were established. The number of electrons involved was higher for the base form of the electroactive species. Using dpp at E=–50 mV, the detection limits obtained in the emulsified medium were 6.7×10^–8 and 7.4×10^–7 moll^–1 for diethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate, respectively. Interferences between the two phthalates were studied, and the possibility of carrying out the overall determination of both phthalates was demonstrated. Good results were obtained when applying the polarographic method developed in the emulsified medium to determine diethyl phthalate by dpp in spiked milk after extraction of the analyte with diethyl ether: ethyl acetate (1:9).     

Voltammetric study of glibenclamide at carbon paste and Sephadex-modified carbon paste electrodes

The oxidative behaviour of the antidiabetic agent glibenclamide on a bare carbon paste electrode (CPE) and a Sephadex-modified carbon paste electrode (SMCPE) was explored by cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The analysis procedure consisted of an open circuit accumulation step in stirred sample solution of Britton-Robinson buffer (0.04 mol L^–1, pH 2.0). This was followed by medium exchange to a clean solution of Britton-Robinson buffer (0.04 mol L^–1, pH 5.0), and subsequently an anodic potential scan was effected to obtain the voltammetric peak. The glibenclamide oxidation peak current obtained by DPV was proportional to the concentration of the glibenclamide in the range of 1.0×10^–9 mol L^–1 to 5.0×10^–8 mol L^–1 for 180 s accumulation time, with a detection limit of 4.0×10^–10 mol L^–1. A method was developed for the determination of glibenclamide in formulation and spiked human serum. Moreover, the proposed procedure was used to estimate the serum concentrations after oral administration of a 5 mg tablet of glibenclamide to three diabetic subjects.     

Adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of dimenhydrinate at a hanging mercury drop electrode

Dimenhydrinate exhibits a single adsorptive stripping peak at a hanging mercury drop electrode after accumulation at 0.0V vs Ag/AgCl electrode at pH 3.8 (acetate buffer). The addition of trace amounts of copper ions enhanced the dimenhydrinate peak and its height depends on the concentration of each dimenhydrinate and Cu²⁺. The adsorptive stripping response was evaluated with respect to accumulation time and potential, concentration dependence, electrolyte, the presence of other purines, surfactants and other metal ions, and some variables. The calibration graph for dimenhydrinate determination is linear over the range 2.0×10^–8–2.0×10^–7 M (pre-concentration for 60s). The correlation factor is found to be 0.985 and RSD is 3.2% at 1.0×10^–7 M. Detection limit is 1.0×10^–8 M after 5 min accumulation. The determination of dimenhydrinate in pharmaceutical formulations by the proposed method is also reported.     

Multiresidue analysis of phenylurea herbicides in environmental waters by capillary electrophoresis using electrochemical detection

A rapid multiresidue method has been developed for the analysis of seven phenylurea herbicides in the presence of two s-triazines in environmental waters. A simple end-column electrochemical detector was used in combination with a commercially-available capillary electrophoresis instrument with UV detection. The determination of phenylurea pesticides using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with electrochemical detection represents the first such determination that has been reported. In both detection systems, linear ranges were obtained for the seven phenylurea herbicides at concentrations lower than 2.0×10^–5 mol l^–1, in 0.020 mol l^–1 phosphoric acid at pH 7.0 and containing 0.020 mol l^–1 of sodium dodecylsulfate, in order to obtain selectivity in the additional separation by a micellar distribution process. Under these conditions a detection limit lower than 5.0×10^–6 mol l^–1 (0.25 pmol of pesticide) was achieved for most of them. The pesticides were resolved in less than 30 min.     

Electrochemical Study of Iodide in the Presence of Barbituric Acid: Application to the Catalytic Determination of Barbituric Acid

Electrochemical oxidation of iodide has been studied in the presence of barbituric acid using cyclic voltammetry and controlled-potential coulometry. The results indicate that the barbituric acid participating in the halogenation reaction converts to an iodo derivative of the parent compound. Moreover, the results are indicative of the suitability of iodide as a mediator for the determination of barbituric acid in aqueous solutions. The quasicatalytic peak current is linearly dependent on the barbituric acid concentration. The calibration graph is parabolic, with two linear sections of 6.0 × 10^–5–1.0 × 10^–3and 1.0 × 10^–3–1.0 × 10^–2M. The relative standard deviation for ten determinations of 2.0 × 10^–4M barbituric acid is 2.1%, and the detection limit of the method is 3.97 × 10^–5M.     

A copper ion-selective electrode with high selectivity prepared by sol-gel and coated wire techniques

A sol-gel electrode and a coated wire ion-selective poly(vinyl chloride) membrane, based on thiosemicarbazone as a neutral carrier, were successfully developed for the detection of Cu (II) in aqueous solutions. The sol-gel electrode and coated electrode exhibited linear response with Nernstian slopes of 29.2 and 28.1 mV per decade respectively, within the copper ion concentration ranges 1.0×10^–5–1.0×10^–1 M and 6.0×10^–6–1.0×10^–1 M for coated and sol-gel sensors. The coated and sol-gel electrodes show detection limits of 3.0×10^–6 and 6.0×10^–6 M respectively. The electrodes exhibited good selectivities for a number of alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions. The proposed electrodes have response times ranging from 10–50 s to achieve a 95% steady potential for Cu²⁺ concentration. The electrodes are suitable for use in aqueous solutions over a wide pH range (4–7.5). Applications of these electrodes for the determination of copper in real samples, and as an indicator electrode for potentiometric titration of Cu²⁺ ion using EDTA, are reported. The lifetimes of the electrodes were tested over a period of six months to investigate their stability. No significant change in the performance of the sol-gel electrode was observed over this period, but after two months the coated wire copper-selective electrode exhibited a gradual decrease in the slope. The selectivity of the sol-gel electrode was found to be better than that of the coated wire copper-selective electrode. Based on these results, a novel sol-gel copper-selective electrode is proposed for the determination of copper, and applied to real sample assays.     

Rapid determination of telmisartan in pharmaceuticals and serum by the parallel catalytic hydrogen wave method

The polarographic characteristics of telmisartan have been investigated in 0.8 mol L^–1 NH₃.H₂O–NH₄Cl (pH 8.9)–0.01 mol L^–1 H₂O₂ as supporting electrolyte. The results demonstrate that the polarographic reduction wave at ca. –1.30 V in the absence of H₂O₂ is a catalytic hydrogen wave, and the reduction wave enhanced by H₂O₂ is a so-called parallel catalytic hydrogen wave. The analytical sensitivity of the parallel catalytic hydrogen wave is ca. 60 times higher than that of the corresponding catalytic hydrogen wave. Based on the parallel catalytic hydrogen wave a novel method has been developed for determination of telmisartan by linear sweep polarography. The calibration curve is linear in the range 2.0×10^–8–2.0×10^–6 mol L^–1 and the detection limit is 1.0×10^–8 mol L^–1. The precision is excellent with relative standard deviations of 2.6% at a concentration of 1.0×10^–7 mol L^–1 telmisartan. The proposed method has been applied to the direct determination of the telmisartan in capsule forms and biological samples. The proposed method has been proved to be advantageous over existing CZE and MEKC methods in simplicity, rapidity, and reproducibility.     

Voltammetric behaviour and determination of moxifloxacin in pharmaceutical products and human plasma

The oxidative behaviour of moxifloxacin was studied at a glassy carbon electrode in different buffer systems using cyclic, differential pulse, and Osteryoung square-wave voltammetry. The oxidation process was shown to be irreversible over the entire pH range studied (2.0–10.0) and was diffusion-controlled. The methods were performed in Britton–Robinson buffer and the corresponding calibration graphs were constructed and statistical data were evaluated. When the proposed methods were applied at pH 6.0 linearity was achieved from 4.4×10^–7 to 1.0×10^–5 mol L^–1. Applicability to tablets and human plasma analysis was illustrated. Furthermore, a high-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode-array detection was developed. A calibration graph was established from 4.0×10^–6 to 5.0×10^–5 mol L^–1 moxifloxacin. The described methods were successfully employed with high precision and accuracy for estimation of the total drug content of human plasma and for pharmaceutical dosage forms of moxifloxacin.     

Determining the Critical Micelle Concentration in O/W Emulsion Using the Rate Constant of Hydrolysis for Benzyl Acetate

An attempt to evaluate the kinetically effective critical micelle concentration CMC of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in micellar solutions and in O/W emulsions at 40°C and pH 9 utilizing the pseudo first order rate constant of benzyl acetate hydrolysis was implemented. The critical micelle concentration of SDS in micellar solutions was determined by both surface tension measurements utilizing Wilhelmy plate technique and by rate constant of hydrolysis. Hydrolysis reaction of benzyl acetate was monitored in surfactant solutions as well as in o/w emulsions as a function of time. Emulsion droplets were controlled using microfluidizer 110 T and oily droplets were separated from the emulsion by ultracentrifugation at (11,500 rpm or 9,800 g) prior to analysis by high performance liquid chromatography. The value of the critical micelle concentration (CMC) in micellar solutions in the presence of benzyl acetate as determined from the Wilhelmy plate technique was 7.8 × 10^?4 moles/L (CMC in micellar solution was 10 times lower than the value in literature due to use of buffer) while the CMC as determined from the kinetic study was 8.8 × 10^?4 moles/L. In emulsion systems, using 5% mineral oil, the CMC value was 8.6 × 10^?3 moles/L and at 10% oil, the value doubled to 1.73 × 10^?2 moles/L. The above results indicate that kinetics can be used to determine CMC in micellar solutions and in o/w emulsions.     

Determination of the herbicide desmetryne in organised media by adsorptive stripping voltammetry

An electroanalytical method for the determination of the herbicide desmetryne at nanomolar levels in dispersed media, based on adsorptive stripping voltammetry, is reported. The adsorption of desmetryne at the hanging mercury drop electrode was checked both in micellar solutions, where the anionic surfactant sodium pentanesulphonate was chosen as the most suitable surfactant agent, and in oil-in-water emulsions prepared with ethyl acetate as the organic solvent. In a micellar medium formed with 0.02% sodium pentanesulphonate and with 0.1 mol l(-1) Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 1.5), the herbicide could be determined over the 1.0 x 10(-8)-4.0 x 10(-7) mol l(-1) concentration range, when an accumulation potential of -0.70 V was applied for 50 s. On the other hand, in an oil-in-water emulsion formed with 2% ethyl acetate and 0.04% sodium pentanesulphonate as emulsifying agent in 0.1 mol l(-1) HClO(4), desmetryne could be determined over the 2.0 x 10(-9)-1.0 x 10(-7) mol l(-1) concentration range. The limits of detection were 2.4 x 10(-9) and 4.2 x 10(-10) mol l(-1) in micellar and emulsified media, respectively, with R.S.D.s (n=10) 3.6 and 3.7%. The degree of interference from some other s-triazines on the desmetryne differential pulse response was also evaluated. Finally, the method developed in emulsified medium was applied to the determination of desmetryne in spiked apple juice.     

Reproterol plastic membrane ion-selective electrodes based on its individual and mixed ion-exchangers with phosphotungstic and/or phosphomolybdic acids

Reproterol hydrochloride (RpCl), selective PVC membranes based on ion associates of reproterolium-phosphotungstate (Rp-PTA); reproterolium-phospho-molybdate (Rp-PMA) or a mixture of both (Rp-PTA/PMA) were prepared. The electrodes displayed a linear response over the concentration range of 6.3×10⁻⁶–1.0×10⁻¹ mol dm⁻³ RpCl. The working pH ranges of the above electrodes were 2.5–9.0, 2.5–8.5 and 2.0–9.0 and their isothermal temperature coefficients were 0.00014, 0.00090 and 0.00103 V/°C, respectively. The electrodes showed good selectivity to the reproterolium ion with respect to many inorganic cations, sugars and amino acids. The standard additions and potentiometric titration methods were used to determine RpCl in pure solutions and in its pharmaceutical preparations with high accuracy and precision.     

Determination of nanomolar levels of guanine by differential-pulse adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry of its copper(II) complex

Guanine is determined at the 5.0×10^–10 –2.0×10^–7 mol/l level by differential-pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry at a hanging mercury drop electrode using the reduction peak of its copper (II) complex at –0.21 V vs. Ag-AgCl electrode. The optimum analytical conditions were found to be Britton-Robinson buffer solution (pH 4.8), an accumulation potential of 0.0 V and an accumulation time of 3 min. Under these conditions, the detection limit is 5.0×10^–10 mol/l and the relative standard deviation 2.6% for 1.0×10^–7 mol/l guanine. The method is compared with the previous voltammetric methods. The presence of some purine derivatives does not interfere.     

Analysis of mercury(II), methylmercury and phenylmercury by RPHPLC with micellized dithizone post-column derivatization photometric detection

Post-column derivatization detection system based on dithizone solubilized in cetyltrimethyl-ammonium hydrogenesulfate micellar media at pH 2.0 was devised and evaluated for selective detection of mercury(II), methylmercury and phenylmercury in reversed-phase HPLC system with photometric detection at 500 nm. This reagent solution is fully compatible with acidic organo-aqueous mobile phases generally used in RPHPLC. With the aid of the detection systematic study of the retention behaviour of three mercury species on octadecylsilica sorbent was carried out. Influence of pH, acetonitrile volume fraction, complex forming additives was investigated in detail. In mobile phase consisting of 5–30% of acetonitrile in water at pH 2.0 and 2·10^–4 mol·I^–1 DCTA linear calibration curves were measured in range 20–1000 ppb with correlation coefficient better than 0.99. Detection limits were 1–5 ng for this three mercury species. Interferences of copper(II) and silver(I) are negligible.     

Effect of a Weak Electrolyte on the Critical Micellar Concentration of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

The critical micellar concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate is strongly altered bytris(hydroxy-methyl)methylammonium ions. The effect of buffer solutions containing this weak electrolyte as the counterion source has been studied using various concentrations of the acid–base system as well as modifying the pH. Results show that counterion concentrations ranging from 0 to 340 × 10⁻³M induce an appreciable diminution of the critical micellar concentration from 8 to 0.7 × 10⁻³M. The analysis of data suggests that the critical micellar concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate depends on the concentration of weak electrolytes in a way very similar to that of strong electrolytes.     

Extraction Behaviour of Cyanex‐923 and Cyanex‐471X Towards the Rhodium(III) from Bromide Media and Its Separation from other Platinum Metals

The extraction of Rh(III) from bromide media with Cyanex‐923 and Cyanex‐471X in toluene was studied. The quantitative extraction of Rh(III) with extractants was found by studying the different parameters like, hydrobromic acid concentration, extractant concentration, diluents and effect of temperature on extraction. The optimum condition was [HBr] = 1.0–1.5 moll^?1, [SnCl₂] = 0.2 moll^?1 with [Cyanex‐923] = 0.15 moll^?1, while it was [HBr] = 1.5–2.0 moll^?1, [SnCl₂] = 0.4 moll^?1 with [Cyanex‐471X] = 0.8 moll^?1 in toluene. The quantitative extraction was observed only in the presence of SnCl₂ for both extractants. The complete recovery of Rh(III) from the Cyanex‐923 extracted organic phase was observed with the 1:1 mixture of (4.0 moll^?1 HCl + 2.0 moll^?1 HNO₃), and that with the Cyanex‐471X extracted organic phase was found with 1:1 mixture of (2.0 moll^?1 H₂SO₄ + 1.0 moll^?1 KMnO₄). Stoichiometric ratio of Rh(III) with both extractants was 1:1. The proposed methods were employed for extraction and separation of Rh(III) from other platinum metal ions and also for recovery of Rh(III) from a synthetic solution of spent autocatalysts.     

An Optical Chemical Sensor Based on Swellable Dicarboxylate Functionalized Polymer Microspheres for pH Copper and Calcium Determination

An optical chemical sensor based on polymer swelling and shrinking has been studied by way of optical transmission. Polyvinylbenzyl chloride cross-linked with divinylbenzene and derivatized as the dicarboxylate was dispersed as microspheres in a hydrogel membrane. The absorbance was measured vs. the wavelength upon exposing the modified membrane to solutions of varying pH (3.0–9.0). At low pH (3.0), the absorbance had the highest value (1.34), while the absorbance decreased significantly (1.10) when the pH was increased to 9.0, indicating polymer swelling.The modified membrane was also used for sensing metal ions, in particular calcium and copper. Complex formation with the dicarboxylate functionality caused the polymer to shrink. This resulted in an increase in absorbance for a concentration ranging from 1.0×10^–3 to 4.0×10^–3M.     

Potentiometric study using chemically modified silica gel with pyridinium as membrane for ClO 4 − ions

A potentiometric sensor for the perchlorate anion was developed by mixing chemically modified silicagel with pyridinium perchlorate, with an epoxy polymer and graphite. The electrode showed Nernstian response between 1.0 × 10^–2 and 1.0 × 10^–3 M perchlorate concentrations. The electrode showed high selectivity to this ion at solutions pH between 5.5 and 8.0. The presence of IO ₄ ^– , NO ₃ ^– ,Br^–, IO ₃ ^– , Cl^– and SO ₄ ^2– ions in the solutions, had only small interference in the electrode response in the range mentioned.     

KMnO4-OP Chemiluminescence system for FIA determination of hydrogen peroxide

A fast and simple KMnO₄-OP chemiluminescence system for flow-injection analysis of hydrogen peroxide is described. When a mixture of sample and OP is injected into acidic KMnO₄, solution in a flow-cell, strong chemiluminescence occurs. The response is linear to the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the range of 1.0 × 10^–8 to 6.0 × 10^–5 mol/l with 0.1 mol/l permanganate, and the upper limit of linear response could be extended to 6 × 10^–3 mol/l by increasing the permanganate concentration. The relative standard deviation of the method is between 1.6 and 2.3%. The detection limit is 6.0 × 10^–9 mol/l. This method is suitable for automatic and continuous analysis and has been successfully tested for determination of hydrogen peroxide in rain water. The chemiluminescence intensity was found to be remarkably enhanced in the presence of the OP micellar system.     

PVC Membrane electrode for trinitrobenzenesulfonate and its use for indirect determination of amino acids

A PVC membrane electrode of the conventional type was prepared which is selective for trinitrobenzenesulfonate (TNBS^–). It showed a rapid Nernstian response within the TNBS^– concentration range 1.0 × 10^–5 to 1.0 × 10^–2 M at 25 ± 0.1°C. The electrode was selective, precise (RSD < 0.87% for TNBS^– and < 1.32% for amino acids) and usable within the pH range 2.5–12. The standard electrode potentials,E°, were determined at different temperatures and used to calculate the isothermal temperature coefficient of the cell. Selectivity coefficients for numerous compounds are given. The electrode has been used for the direct determination of trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid in aqueous solutions either by the standard additions method or by potentiometric titration against cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr) at pH 7. The electrode has been also applied successfully for the indirect microdetermination of neutral, acidic and basic amino acids separately, and as binary or ternary mixtures of neutral amino-acids. Total amino acids were determined in urine samples.