Developing a sequential injection-square wave voltammetry (SI-SWV) method for determination of atrazine using a hanging mercury drop electrode

This paper describes the development of a sequential injection analysis method to automate the determination of atrazine by square wave voltammetry exploiting the concept of monosegmented flow analysis to perform in-line sample conditioning and standard addition. To perform these tasks, an 800 μL monosegment is formed, composed by 400 μL of sample and 400 μL of buffer/standard solution. To obtain an efficient homogenization, the sample solution is divided in five zones intercalated by four zones of the Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 2.0) in presence of appropriate concentration of NaNO₃ and varying atrazine standard concentrations. This mixture zone is isolated from the carrier solution by two 100 μL air bubbles. After homogenization in an auxiliary reaction coil the mixture zone is injected toward the flow cell, which is adapted to the capillary of a hanging drop mercury electrode, at a flow rate of 50 μL s⁻¹. After a suitable delay time, the potential is scanned from −0.5 to −1.2 V versus Ag/AgCl using a frequency of 300 Hz and pulse height of 25 mV. The linear dynamic range is observed for atrazine concentrations between 1.16 × 10⁻⁷ and 2.32 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, obeying the linear equation i_p = (−6.91 ± 0.07) × 10⁸[atrazine] + (4 ± 8), with r² = 0.9996, for which the slope is given in nA L mol⁻¹. The detection and quantification limits of the method are 2.1 × 10⁻⁸ and 7.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The sampling frequency is 37 h⁻¹, when the standard addition protocol is followed. This frequency can be increased to 42 h⁻¹ if the protocol to obtain in-line calibration curve is used for quantification. The method was applied for determination of atrazine in spiked river water samples and its accuracy was evaluated by comparison with the batch standard addition approach, which revealed that there is no evidence of statistically significant differences between the two methods.     

Square wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry automated by sequential injection analysis Potentialities and limitations exemplified by the determination of methyl parathion in water samples

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a sequential injection method to automate the determination of methyl parathion by square wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry exploiting the concept of monosegmented flow analysis to perform in-line sample conditioning and standard addition. Accumulation and stripping steps are made in the sample medium conditioned with 40 mmol L⁻¹ Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 10) in 0.25 mol L⁻¹ NaNO₃. The homogenized mixture is injected at a flow rate of 10 μL s⁻¹ toward the flow cell, which is adapted to the capillary of a hanging drop mercury electrode. After a suitable deposition time, the flow is stopped and the potential is scanned from −0.3 to −1.0 V versus Ag/AgCl at frequency of 250 Hz and pulse height of 25 mV. The linear dynamic range is observed for methyl parathion concentrations between 0.010 and 0.50 mg L⁻¹, with detection and quantification limits of 2 and 7 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The sampling throughput is 25 h⁻¹ if the in line standard addition and sample conditioning protocols are followed, but this frequency can be increased up to 61 h⁻¹ if the sample is conditioned off-line and quantified using an external calibration curve. The method was applied for determination of methyl parathion in spiked water samples and the accuracy was evaluated either by comparison to high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection, or by the recovery percentages. Although no evidences of statistically significant differences were observed between the expected and obtained concentrations, because of the susceptibility of the method to interference by other pesticides (e.g., parathion, dichlorvos) and natural organic matter (e.g., fulvic and humic acids), isolation of the analyte may be required when more complex sample matrices are encountered.     

Automatic flow system for the sequential determination of copper in serum and urine by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

In this work, a fully automated flow system exploiting the advantages of the association of multi-pumping, multicommutation, binary sampling and merging zones, to accomplish the sequential determination of copper in serum and urine by flame atomic absorption spectrometry, is described. The developed flow system allowed multiple tasks, such as serum samples preparation (samples and standard solutions viscosity adjustment), serum copper (SCu) measurement, urine copper (UCu) pre-concentration and its subsequent elution and measurement, to be carried out sequentially. The implemented flow manifold presented a modular configuration consisting on two quasi-independent modules, each one accountable for a specific sample manipulation and whose combined operation under computer control enabled the determination of copper in a wide concentrations range.Once optimised and with a sample consumption of about 0.250 mL of serum and 7 mL of urine, the developed flow system allowed linear calibration plots up to 5 mg L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.035 mg L⁻¹ for SCu and linear calibration plots up to 300 μg L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.67 μg L⁻¹ for UCu. The sampling rate varied according to the module employed and was about 360 determinations h⁻¹ (SCu module), 12 determinations h⁻¹ (UCu module) or 24 determinations h⁻¹ (12 urine and 12 serum samples; UCu and SCu modules simultaneously). Repeatability studies (R.S.D.%, n = 10) showed good precision for UCu at concentrations of 25 μg L⁻¹ (2.54%), 50 μg L⁻¹ (0.90%) and 100 μg L⁻¹ (1.62%) as well as for SCu at concentrations of 0.25 mg L⁻¹ (8.11%), 1 mg L⁻¹ (3.11%) and 5 mg L⁻¹ (0.90%). A comparative evaluation showed a good agreement between the results obtained in the analysis of UCu and SCu (n = 18) by both the developed methodology and the reference procedures. Accuracy was further evaluated by means of the analysis of reference samples (Seronorm™ Trace Elements Urine and Seronorm™ Trace Elements Serum) and the obtained results complied with the certified values.     

Dissolved oxygen amperometric sensor based on layer-by-layer assembly using host-guest supramolecular interactions

The development of a simple, efficient and sensitive sensor for dissolved oxygen is proposed using the host-guest binding of a supramolecular complex at a host surface by combining a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of mono-(6-deoxy-6-mercapto)-β-cyclodextrin (βCDSH), iron (III) tetra-(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)-porphyrin (FeTMPyP) and cyclodextrin-functionalized gold nanoparticles (CDAuNP). The supramolecular modified electrode showed excellent catalytic activity for oxygen reduction. The reduction potential of oxygen was shifted about 200 mV toward less negative values with this modified electrode, presenting a peak current much higher than those observed on a bare gold electrode. Cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode (RDE) experiments indicated that the oxygen reduction reaction involves probably 4-electrons with a rate constant (k_obs) of 7 × 10⁴ mol⁻¹ L s⁻¹. A linear response range from 0.2 up to 6.5 mg L⁻¹, with a sensitivity of 5.5 μA L mg⁻¹ (or 77.5 μA cm⁻² L mg⁻¹) and a detection limit of 0.02 mg L⁻¹ was obtained with this sensor. The repeatability of the proposed sensor, evaluated in terms of relative standard deviation was 3.0% for 10 measurements of a solution of 6.5 mg L⁻¹ oxygen.     

A highly sensitive amperometric sensor for oxygen based on iron(II) tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine and iron(III) tetra-(N-methyl-pyridyl)-porphyrin multilayers

The development of a highly sensitive sensor for oxygen is proposed using a glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with alternated layers of iron(II) tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (FeTsPc) and iron(III) tetra-(N-methyl-pyridyl)-porphyrin (FeT4MPyP). The modified electrode showed excellent catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction. The reduction potential of the oxygen was shifted about 330 mV toward less negative values with this modified electrode, presenting a peak current much higher than those observed on a bare GC electrode. Cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode (RDE) experiments indicated that the oxygen reduction reaction involves 4 electrons with a heterogenous rate constant (k_obs) of 3 × 10⁵ mol⁻¹ L s⁻¹. A linear response range from 0.2 up to 6.4 mg L⁻¹, with a sensitivity of 4.12 μA L mg⁻¹ (or 20.65 μA cm⁻² L mg⁻¹) and a detection limit of 0.06 mg L⁻¹ were obtained with this sensor. The repeatability of the proposed sensor, evaluated in terms of relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) was 2.0% for 10 measurements of a solution of 6.4 mg L⁻¹ oxygen. The sensor was applied to determine oxygen in pond and tap water samples showing to be a promising tool for this purpose.     

Multi-pumping flow system for the determination of dissolved orthophosphate and dissolved organic phosphorus in wastewater samples

A multi-pumping flow system (MPFS) for the spectrophotometric determination of dissolved orthophosphate and dissolved organic phosphorus in wastewater samples is proposed. The determination of orthophosphate is based on the vanadomolybdate method. In-line ultraviolet photo-oxidation is employed to mineralise organic phosphorus to orthophosphate prior to detection. A solenoid valve allows the deviation of the flow towards the UV-lamp to carry out the determination of organic phosphorus.Calibration was found to be linear up to 20 mg P L⁻¹, with a detection limit (3s_b/S) of 0.08 mg P L⁻¹, an injection throughput of 75 injections h⁻¹ and a repeatability (R.S.D.) of 0.6% for the direct determination of orthophosphate. On the other hand, calibration graphs were linear up to 40 mg P L⁻¹, with a detection limit (3s_b/S) of 0.5 mg P L⁻¹, an injection throughput of 11 injections h⁻¹ and a repeatability (R.S.D.) inferior to 2.3% for the procedures involving UV photo-oxidation.     

Sequential injection method for the direct spectrophotometric determination of bismuth in pharmaceutical products

A spectrophotometric method is reported for the determination of bismuth in pharmaceutical products using sequential injection analysis. Methylthymol blue (MTB) was used as a color forming reagent and the absorbance of the Bi(III)-MTB complex was monitored at 548 nm. The various chemical and physical variables that affected the reaction were studied. A linear calibration graph was obtained in the range 0.0-75.0 mg l⁻¹ Bi(III) at a sampling frequency of 72 h⁻¹. The reagent consumption was considerably reduced compared to conventional flow injection systems, as only 150 μl of MTB were consumed per run. The precision was very satisfactory (s_r=0.5%, at 50.0 mg l⁻¹ Bi(III), n=12) and the limit of detection, c_L, was 0.250 mg l⁻¹. The developed method was applied successfully to the analysis of various pharmaceutical products containing Bi(III). The relative errors e_r, were <1.5% in all cases and were evaluated by comparison of the obtained results with those found using atomic absorption spectrometry as the reference method.     

Sequential injection methodology for carbon speciation in bathing waters

A sequential injection method (SIA) for carbon speciation in inland bathing waters was developed comprising, in a single manifold, the determination of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), free dissolved carbon dioxide (CO₂), total carbon (TC), dissolved organic carbon and alkalinity. The determination of DIC, CO₂ and TC was based on colour change of bromothymol blue (660 nm) after CO₂ diffusion through a hydrophobic membrane placed in a gas diffusion unit (GDU). For the DIC determination, an in-line acidification prior to the GDU was performed and, for the TC determination, an in-line UV photo-oxidation of the sample prior to GDU ensured the conversion of all carbon forms into CO₂. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was determined by subtracting the obtained DIC value from the TC obtained value. The determination of alkalinity was based on the spectrophotometric measurement of bromocresol green colour change (611 nm) after reaction with acetic acid. The developed SIA method enabled the determination of DIC (0.24–3.5 mg C L⁻¹), CO₂ (1.0–10 mg C L⁻¹), TC (0.50–4.0 mg C L⁻¹) and alkalinity (1.2–4.7 mg C L⁻¹ and 4.7–19 mg C L⁻¹) with limits of detection of: 9.5 μg C L⁻¹, 20 μg C L⁻¹, 0.21 mg C L⁻¹, 0.32 mg C L⁻¹, respectively. The SIA system was effectively applied to inland bathing waters and the results showed good agreement with reference procedures.     

A flow injection procedure based on solenoid micro-pumps for spectrophotometric determination of free glycerol in biodiesel

A flow system designed with solenoid micro-pumps is proposed for fast and greener spectrophotometric determination of free glycerol in biodiesel. Glycerol was extracted from samples without using organic solvents. The determination involves glycerol oxidation by periodate, yielding formaldehyde followed by formation of the colored (3,5-diacetil-1,4-dihidrolutidine) product upon reaction with acetylacetone. The coefficient of variation, sampling rate and detection limit were estimated as 1.5% (20.0 mg L⁻¹ glycerol, n = 10), 34 h⁻¹, and 1.0 mg L⁻¹ (99.7% confidence level), respectively. A linear response was observed from 5 to 50 mg L⁻¹, with reagent consumption estimated as 345 μg of KIO₄ and 15 mg of acetylacetone per determination. The procedure was successfully applied to the analysis of biodiesel samples and the results agreed with the batch reference method at the 95% confidence level.     

Assessment of cadmium and iron adsorption in sediment,employing a flow injection analysis system with on line filtration and detection by flame atomic absorption spectrometry and thermospray flame furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

This work presents an evaluation of iron and cadmium adsorption in sediment of the Furnas Hydroelectric Plant Reservatory located in Alfenas, Minas Gerais (Brazil). The metal determination was done employing a flow injection analysis (FIA) with an on-line filtering system. As detection techniques, flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) for iron and thermospray flame furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (TS-FF-AAS) for cadmium determinations were used. The developed methodology presented good limits of detection, being 190 μg L⁻¹ for iron and 1.36 μg L⁻¹ for cadmium, and high sampling frequency for both metals 144 and 60 readings h⁻¹ for iron and cadmium, respectively. Both metals obey the Langmuir model, with maximum adsorptive capacity of 0⋅169 mg g⁻¹ for iron and 7⋅991 mg g⁻¹ for cadmium. For iron, a pseudo-first-order kinetic model was obtained with a theoretical Q_e = 9⋅8355 mg g⁻¹ (experimental Q_e = 9⋅5432 mg  g⁻¹), while for cadmium, a pseudo-second-order kinetic model was obtained, with a theoretical Q_e = 0.3123 mg g⁻¹ (experimental Q_e = 0⋅3052 mg g⁻¹).     

Highly selective flow injection spectrophotometric determination of gold based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation of variamine blue by potassium iodate in aqueous N,N-dimethylformamide medium

A highly selective and simple flow injection method is reported for the determination of Au(III) in jewel samples. The method is based on the catalytic effect of Au(III) on the oxidation of 4-amino-4′-methoxydiphenylamine hydrochloride (Variamine Blue B base, VB) by KIO₃. The colored reaction product was monitored spectrophotometrically at 546 nm. A volume fraction of 40% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) greatly enhances the selectivity of the method. The chemical (pH and concentrations of reagents) and instrumental variables (sample injection volume, reagents flow rates, reaction coil length) affecting the determination were studied and optimized. Under the selected values, the analyte could be determined in the range of 0.1-12.0 mg L⁻¹ (r = 0.9997), at a sampling rate of 120 h⁻¹. The proposed assay was precise (s_r = 0.8% at 5.0 mg L⁻¹ Au(III), n = 12) and adequately sensitive with a 3σ limit of detection of 0.03 mg L⁻¹. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of jewel samples. The obtained results were favorably compared to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) used as a reference method.     

A green analytical procedure for flow-injection determination of nitrate in natural waters

Nitrate determination in waters is generally carried out with cadmium filings and carcinogenic reagents or by reaction with phenolic compounds in highly concentrated sulfuric acid medium. In this work, it was developed a green analytical procedure for nitrate determination in natural waters based on direct spectrophotometric measurements in ultraviolet, using a flow-injection system with an anion-exchange column for separation of nitrate from interfering species. The proposed method employs only one reagent (HClO₄) in a minimum amount (equivalent to 18 μL concentrated acid per determination), and allowed nitrate determination within 0.50-25.0 mg L⁻¹, without interference of up to 200.0 mg L⁻¹ humic acid; 1.0 mg L⁻¹ NO₂⁻; 200.0 mg L⁻¹ PO₄³⁻; 75.0 mg L⁻¹ Cl⁻; 50.0 mg L⁻¹ SO₄²⁻ and 15.0 mg L⁻¹ Fe³⁺. The detection limit (99.7% confidence level) and the coefficient of variation (n = 20) were estimated as 0.1 mg L⁻¹ and 0.7%, respectively. The results obtained for natural water samples were in agreement with those achieved by the reference method based on nitrate reduction with copperized cadmium at the 95% confidence level.     

Reversed flow injection spectrophotometric determination of chlorate

An interfacing has been developed to connect a spectrophotometer with a personal computer and used as a readout system for development of a simple, rapid and sensitive reversed flow injection (rFI) procedure for chlorate determination. The method is based on the oxidation of indigo carmine by chlorate ions in an acidic solution (dil. HCl) leading to the decrease in absorbance at 610 nm. The decrease in absorbance is directly related to the chlorate concentration present in the sample solutions. Optimum conditions for chlorate were examined. A linear calibration graph over the range of 0.1-0.5 mg L⁻¹ chlorate was established with the regression equation of Y = 104.5X + 1.0, r² = 0.9961 (n = 6). The detection limit (3σ) of 0.03 mg L⁻¹, the limit of quantitation (10σ) of 0.10 mg L⁻¹ and the RSD of 3.2% for 0.3 mg L⁻¹ chlorate (n = 11) together with a sample throughput of 92 h⁻¹ were obtained. The recovery of the added chlorate in spiked water samples was 98.5 ± 3.1%. Major interferences for chlorate determination were found to be BrO₃⁻, ClO₂⁻, ClO⁻ and IO₃⁻ which were overcome by using SO₃²⁻ (as Na₂SO₃) as masking agent. The method has been successfully applied for the determination of chlorate in spiked water samples with the minimum reagent consumption of 14.0 mL h⁻¹. Good agreement between the proposed rFIA and the reference methods was found verified by Student's t-test at 95% confidence level.     

Dithizone immobilized silica gel on-line preconcentration of trace copper with detection by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A novel adsorbent-silica gel bound dithizone (H₂Dz-SG) was prepared and used as solid-phase extraction of copper from complex matrix. The H₂Dz-SG is investigated by means of FT-IR spectra and the SEM images, demonstrating the bonding of dithizone. The H₂Dz-SG quantitatively adsorb copper ions, and the retained copper is afterwards collected by elution of 10% (v/v) nitric acid. An on-line flow injection solid-phase extraction procedure was developed for trace copper separation and preconcentration with detection by flame atomic spectrometry. By loading 5.4 mL of sample solution, a liner range of 0.5-120 μg L⁻¹, an enrichment factor of 42.6, a detection limit of 0.2 μg L⁻¹ and a precision of 1.7% RSD at the 40 μg L⁻¹ level (n = 11) were obtained, along with a sampling frequency of 47 h⁻¹. The dynamic sorption capacity of H₂Dz-SG to Cu²⁺ was 0.76 mg g⁻¹. The accuracy of the proposed procedure was evaluated by determination of copper in reference water sample. The potential applications of the procedure for extraction of trace copper were successfully accomplished in water samples (tap, rain, snow, sea and river). The spiking recoveries within 91-107% are achieved.     

Determination of acetaldehyde in saliva by gas-diffusion flow injection analysis

The consumption of ethanol is known to increase the likelihood of oral cancer. In addition, there has been a growing concern about possible association between long term use of ethanol-containing mouthwashes and oral cancer. Acetaldehyde, known to be a carcinogen, is the first metabolite of ethanol and it can be produced in the oral cavity after consumption or exposure to ethanol. This paper reports on the development of a gas-diffusion flow injection method for the online determination of salivary acetaldehyde by its colour reaction with 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone (MBTH) and ferric chloride. Acetaldehyde samples and standards (80 μL) were injected into the donor stream containing NaCl from which acetaldehyde diffused through the hydrophobic Teflon membrane of the gas-diffusion cell into the acceptor stream containing the two reagents mentioned above. The resultant intense green coloured dye was monitored spectrophotometrically at 600 nm. Under the optimum working conditions the method is characterized by a sampling rate of 9 h⁻¹, a linear calibration range of 0.5–15 mg L⁻¹ (absorbance = 5.40 × 10⁻² [acetaldehyde, mg L⁻¹], R² = 0.998), a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.90% (n = 10, acetaldehyde concentration of 2.5 mg L⁻¹), and a limit of detection (LOD) of 12.3 μg L⁻¹. The LOD and sampling rate of the proposed method are superior to those of the conventional gas chromatographic (GC) method (LOD = 93.0 μg L⁻¹ and sampling rate = 4 h⁻¹). The reliability of the proposed method was illustrated by the fact that spiked with acetaldehyde saliva samples yielded excellent recoveries (96.6–101.9%), comparable to those obtained by GC (96.4–102.3%) and there was no statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level between the two methods when non-spiked saliva samples were analysed.     

Flow injection analysis of ethyl xanthate by gas diffusion and UV detection as CS2 for process monitoring of sulfide ore flotation

A sensitive and robust analytical method for spectrophotometric determination of ethyl xanthate, CH₃CH₂OCS₂⁻ at trace concentrations in pulp solutions from froth flotation process is proposed. The analytical method is based on the decomposition of ethyl xanthate, EtX⁻, with 2.0 mol L⁻¹ HCl generating ethanol and carbon disulfide, CS₂. A gas diffusion cell assures that only the volatile compounds diffuse through a PTFE membrane towards an acceptor stream of deionized water, thus avoiding the interferences of non-volatile compounds and suspended particles. The CS₂ is selectively detected by UV absorbance at 206 nm (? = 65,000 L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹). The measured absorbance is directly proportional to EtX⁻ concentration present in the sample solutions. The Beer's law is obeyed in a 1 × 10⁻⁶ to 2 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ concentration range of ethyl xanthate in the pulp with an excellent correlation coefficient (r = 0.999) and a detection limit of 3.1 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹, corresponding to 38 μg L⁻¹. At flow rates of 200 μL min⁻¹ of the donor stream and 100 μL min⁻¹ of the acceptor channel a sampling rate of 15 injections per hour could be achieved with RSD < 2.3% (n = 10, 300 μL injections of 1 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ EtX⁻). Two practical applications demonstrate the versatility of the FIA method: (i) evaluation the free EtX⁻ concentration during a laboratory study of the EtX⁻ adsorption capacity on pulverized sulfide ore (pyrite) and (ii) monitoring of EtX⁻ at different stages (from starting load to washing effluents) of a flotation pilot plant processing a Cu-Zn sulfide ore.     

A sequential injection system for indirect spectrophotometric determination of lactic acid in yogurt and fermented mash samples

A suitable non-enzymatic method is presented as an alternative to the lactic acid determination in yogurt and fermented mash samples. The oxidative conversion of lactic acid by Ce⁴⁺ to CO₂ was performed in a sequential injection system with a heating coil set at 45 °C. A gas diffusion unit was coupled to the flow system for promoting the permeation of CO₂, which was collected into a bromothymol blue solution (pH 8.4), used as indicator solution for the spectrophotometric determination (619 nm). Simplicity in operation, low reagent consumption, low cost and ruggedness are some remarkable characteristics of the proposed system. Base line drift was < 0.005 h^− 1. A linear range from 20.0 to 100.0 mg L^− 1 lactic acid was obtained (r² = 0.998), and the detection and quantification limits were estimated as 0.158 mg L^− 1 and 1.6 mg L^− 1, respectively. The sampling rate was 22 h^− 1, with a consumption of 0.04 g Ce⁴⁺ per determination. Interferences of matrix components were not detected. Samples of yogurt and sugar cane fermented mash products were analyzed, and no significant difference at 95% confidence level was observed when comparing the proposed method with HPLC analysis.     

Application of sequential injection-square wave voltammetry (SI-SWV) to study the adsorption of atrazine onto a tropical soil sample

Square wave voltammetry automated by sequential injection analysis was applied to determine the Freundlich adsorption coefficients for the adsorption of atrazine onto a clay rich soil. The detection limit in soil extracts was between 0.18 and 0.48 μmol L⁻¹, depending on the medium used to prepare the extracts (0.010 mol L⁻¹ KCl, CaCl₂ or HNO₃ and 0.0050 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄), all of them conditioned in 40 mmol L⁻¹ Britton-Robinson buffer at pH 2.0 in presence of 0.25 mol L⁻¹ NaNO₃. Also in soil extracts the linear dynamic range was between 1.16 and 18.5 μmol L⁻¹ (0.25-4.0 μg mL⁻¹), with a sampling frequency of 190 h⁻¹. The K_f Freundlich adsorption coefficient was 3.8 ± 0.2 μmol^1−1/n Lⁿ kg⁻¹ in medium of 0.010 mol L⁻¹ KCl or CaCl₂, but increased to 7.7 ± 0.1 and 9.0 ± 0.3 μmol^1−1/n Lⁿ kg⁻¹ in 0.010 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ and 0.0050 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄, respectively. The increase of K_f was related to the decrease of pH from 6.4-6.7 in KCl and CaCl₂ to 3.7-4.0 in presence of HNO₃ or H₂SO₄, which favors protonation of atrazine, facilitating electrostatic attractions with negative charges of the clay components of the soil. The 1/n parameters were between 0.76 and 0.86, indicating that the isotherms are not linear, suggesting the occurrence of chemisorption at specific adsorption sites. No statistically significant differences were observed in comparison to the adsorption coefficients obtained by HPLC. The advantage of the proposed SI-SWV method is the great saving of reagent because it does not use organic solvent as in the case of HPLC (50% (v/v) acetonitrile in the mobile phase). Additionally the start up of SI-SWV is immediate (no column conditioning necessary) and the analysis time is only 19 s.     

Spectrophotometric flow injection monitoring of sulfide during sugar fermentation

A spectrophotometric flow injection procedure involving N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD) is applied to the sulfide monitoring of a sugar fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae under laboratory conditions. The gaseous chemical species evolving from the fermentative process, mainly CO₂, are trapped allowing a cleaned sample aliquot to be collected and introduced into the flow injection analyzer. Measurement rate, signal repeatability, detection limit and reagent consumption per measurement were estimated as 150 h⁻¹, 0.36% (n = 20), 0.014 mg L⁻¹ S and 120 μg DMPD, respectively. The main characteristics of the monitoring record are discussed. The strategy is worthwhile for selecting yeast strain, increasing the industrial ethanol production and improving the quality of wines.     

A sensitive spectrophotometric method for determination of carbon tetrachloride with the aid of ultrasonic decolorization of methyl orange

A sensitive method for carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) determination has been developed with the aid of ultrasonic oxidation decolorization of methyl orange (MO). It is found that the ultrasonic oxidation decolorization rate of MO can be significantly promoted by adding a little amount of CCl₄. The increased ultrasonic decolorization rate of MO is strongly dependent on the concentration of CCl₄ added, and a linear correlation is observed between the amount of CCl₄ and the decolorization rate of MO in the ultrasonic oxidation process. Thus, the CCl₄ determination is transformed to a simple and direct determination of the decoloration extent of MO solution at a given concentration. As an indirect spectrophotometric determination of CCl₄, the new method is sensitive and easy of operation with a maximum wavelength of 508 nm, molar absorptivity of 3.83 × 10⁴ L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹, and a Sandell sensitivity of 7.96 × 10⁻³ μg cm⁻². Under optimized conditions, Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0.4-20 mg L⁻¹ of CCl₄ (DL = 0.19 mg L⁻¹, r = 0.9996). The concentrations of CCl₄ in several practical samples have been determined satisfactorily by using this method.