Determination of Attogram Quantities of Silver via Quenching of the Solid Substrate Room-Temperature Phosphorescence of Rhodamine B Based on the Catalysis of its Oxidation by Potassium Persulfate

A new method of SS-RTP for the determination of trace silver has been established. This method is based on the fact that Ag⁺, when activated by ,-bipyridyl (bipy) in a media of HAc–NaAc (pH=4.9), can catalyze the reaction of Rhodamine B (RhoB) oxidized by K₂S₂O₈, thus causing the Solid Substrate Room-Temperature Phosphorescence (SS-RTP) of RhoB to be quenched. The activating efficiency of bipy is 6.7 times higher than that of o-phenanthroline (phen). The reduction of the phosphorescence intensity (I_p) of RhoB is directly proportional to the concentration of Ag⁺ ions in the range of 1.6016.0agspot^–1 (0.40µLspot^–1). The regression equation of the working curve can be expressed as I_p=18.78+5.100m_Ag+ (agspot^–1) (r=0.9994, n=6), the detection limit is 0.28agspot^–1. This rapid, accurate and sensitive method has been successfully applied to the determination of trace silver in tea and human hair samples, and the results agree well with the Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) method. The mechanism of the catalyzing reaction is also discussed.     

Fluorescence Quenching Studies of Curcumin by Hydrogen Peroxide in Acetonitrile Solution

Summary. Steady state quenching studies of curcumin, 1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione, fluorescence by hydrogen peroxide were conducted in acetonitrile solution. A quenching rate constant, k_q, of 1.05×10¹⁰M^–1·s^–1 was obtained with a short fluorescence lifetime of 347ps. The reaction rate constant, which is within the diffusion-limited regime, is activation-controlled. The rate constant of deactivation of the thermally excited curcumin was 1.2 orders of magnitude more nonradiative (2.67×10⁹s^–1) than radiative (2.16×10⁸s^–1). The reaction was exothermic with a G° of –1.97eV and solvent reorganization energy of 1.37eV. These values indicate that the electron transfer reaction is solvent-mediated with electron transfer rate constant, k_ET, of 2.16×10¹⁰s^–1.     

Polarographic Determination of Lovastatin in the Presence of H2O2 in Pharmaceuticals, Human Urine and Serum

The polarographic reduction and catalytic behavior of lovastatin are studied by polarography and cyclic voltammetry. The reduction wave of lovastatin appears at ca. –1.49V (vs. SCE) in 0.16molL^–1 Na₂B₄O₇–KH₂PO₄ (pH=7.4) supporting electrolyte containing 20% ethanol. It is ascribed to a 2e^–, 2H⁺ addition to the carbonyl group on lactone ring. If H₂O₂ is present, the reduction wave is catalyzed to produce a polarographic catalytic wave. Based on the catalytic wave, a novel method for the determination of lovastatin is proposed. A rectilinear calibration curve of the catalytic wave was obtained for lovastatin concentration in the range 1.5×10^–8 to 1.0×10^–6molL^–1. The peak current of the catalytic wave is ca. 12 times higher than that of the corresponding reduction wave. The detection limit is 8.0×10^–9molL^–1. The proposed method is simpler, faster and more sensitive than the known methods for lovastatin analysis, and can be applied to the direct determination of lovastatin in pharmaceuticals, urine and serum without preliminary separation.     

Preconcentration of Cd(II) and Pb(II) Using Humic Substances and Flow Systems Coupled to Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

This paper demonstrates the potential of two natural adsorbents, vermicompost and humic acid, for preconcentration of cadmium(II) and lead(II) using flow systems coupled to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The procedure involves the adsorption of Cd(II) or Pb(II) on these materials (using columns containing 25mg) and subsequent elution for determination by FAAS. Cadmium(II) was preconcentrated for 4min (flow rate of 4.0mLmin^–1) and eluted with 220µL of 3.0molL^–1 HNO₃. Under these conditions, preconcentration factors of 46 and 27 were obtained for vermicompost and humic acid, respectively. Except when using 1.0molL^–1 nitric acid (for humic acid), all conditions for lead(II) preconcentration were identical to those for cadmium(II), and preconcentration factors of 62 and 83 were obtained when vermicompost and humic acid, respectively, were used. The systems were stable with only slight variations in the slopes of the analytical curves (ca. 5% after 8h working period). The long-term stability shows that a minimum of 120 and 100 cycles, respectively, can be run using the same masses of vermicompost or humic acid. The detection limits for Cd(II) were 0.4 and 0.8µgL^–1 for vermicompost and humic acid respectively, while the detection limits for Pb(II) were 8.8 and 12.1µgL^–1, also for vermicompost and humic acid. The accuracy of the methods was checked by using spiked and real (certified and reference) samples. Due to the concomitant sorption of other metals leading to variable slopes for lead and cadmium determination, it was necessary to adopt the standard addition method for calibration purposes.     

The Dissociation Constants of 1,1′-Bis (pyridinium-4-aldoxime)trimethylene dibromide

Summary. The dissociation constants of the two oxime groups of 1,1-bis(pyridinium-4-aldoxime)trimethylene dibromide (TMB-4) were determined using spectrophotometric data. Two numerical methods were applied to treat the overlapping equilibria. The results obtained by both agreed with each other and their mean values at 25°C corrected for the ionic strength of 0.05moldm^–3 are pK_a1=7.49±0.11 and pK_a2=8.96±0.09. These values were discussed in terms of the pK_as of 1,1-bis(pyridinium-4-aldoxime)oxydimethylene dichloride (Toxogonin), a similar dioxime, which were derived by extrapolation of literature data.     

Application of Functionalized Ag Nanoparticles for the Determination of Proteins at Nanogram Levels Using the Resonance Light Scattering Method

A novel method for the determination of proteins in aqueous solutions has been developed based on the enhancement of resonance light scattering (RLS) of Ag nanoparticles in the presence of proteins. Factors including acidity of the media, concentration of Ag hydrosol, reaction time, temperature, and interference of non-protein substances were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, with the enhanced RLS signals at 452nm, the linear ranges of calibration curves were 0–0.8µgmL^–1 for bovine serum albumin (BSA), 0–1.2µgmL^–1 for human serum albumin (HSA), and 0–2.5µgmL^–1 for human -IgG (-IgG), respectively. The detection limits were 1.3ngmL^–1 for BSA, 10ngmL^–1 for HAS, and 5.7ngmL^–1 for -IgG.This method has been applied to the analysis of synthetic samples and real human serum samples, and the results were in good agreement with those reported by the hospital, indicating that the method presented here is not only sensitive and simple, but also reliable and suitable for practical applications.     

Synthesis,Structure, and Magnetic Properties of the Silicides <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">RE</Emphasis>IrSi (<Emphasis Type="Italic">RE</Emphasis> = Ce,Pr, Er,Tm, Lu) and SmIr<Subscript>0.266(8)</Subscript>Si<Subscript>1.734(8)</Subscript>

Summary. The equiatomic rare earth metal–iridium–silicides REIrSi (RE=Ce, Pr, Er, Tm, Lu) were prepared by arc-melting of the elements and subsequent annealing. All silicides were characterized through their X-ray powder patterns. The structures of CeIrSi, ErIrSi, and LuIrSi were refined from X-ray single crystal diffractometer data: LaIrSi type, P2₁3, a=629.15(2)pm, wR2=0.1232, 280F² values, and 11 variable parameters for CeIrSi; TiNiSi type, Pnma, a=673.4(1), b=416.07(5), c=744.88(9)pm, wR2=0.0705, 339F² values, and 20 variable parameters for ErIrSi, and a=664.0(3), b=412.9(1), c=742.6(1)pm, wR2=0.0398, 496F² values, and 20 variable parameters for LuIrSi. The iridium and silicon atoms in CeIrSi, ErIrSi, and LuIrSi build three-dimensional [IrSi] networks where the iridium atoms have three (CeIrSi, Ir–Si 229pm) and four (ErIrSi, Ir–Si 247–258pm; LuIrSi, Ir–Si 245–256pm) silicon neighbors. The [IrSi] networks leave larger channels in which the cerium, erbium, and lutetium atoms are located. Temperature dependent susceptibility data for LuIrSi indicate Pauli paramagnetism. CeIrSi shows Curie-Weiss paramagnetism above 100K with an experimental magnetic moment of 2.56(2)_B/Ce atom. With samarium as rare earth metal component the silicide SmIr_0.266(8)Si_1.734(8) with -ThSi₂ type structure was obtained: I4₁/amd, a=409.3(1), c=1397.2(5)pm, wR2=0.0575, 161F² values, and 9 variable parameters. Within the three-dimensional [Ir_0.266Si_1.734] network the Ir/Si–Ir/Si distances range from 230 to 237pm.     

Determination of Iron in Tap and Waste Water Using Liquid–Liquid Extraction in a Flow-Injection System

A flow-injection procedure for the determination of iron(III) in water is described. The procedure is based on the formation of an ion pair between the tetraphenylarsonium (Ph₄As⁺) (TPA) or tetrabutylammonium (But₄N⁺) (TBA) cations and the tetrathiocyanatoferrate(III) complex (TTF). This ion pair is extracted with chloroform, and the absorbance of the organic phase is measured at 503nm (for Ph₄As⁺) or 475nm (for But₄N⁺). Iron concentrations higher than 0.9×10^–6molL^–1 (50µgL^–1) can be detected in the first case, with a relative standard deviation of 1.9% (n=12), a linear application rangeof between 1.34 and 54.0×10^–6molL^–1 (75–3015µgL^–1), and a sampling frequency of 30h^–1. For the ion pair with But₄N⁺, the detection limit is 0.52×10^–6molL^–1 (29µgL^–1), with a relative standard deviation of 1.6% and a linear application range between 0.73 and 54.0×10^–6molL^–1. Under the proposed working conditions, only Pd(IV), Cu(II) and Bi(III) interfere. With the application of the merging zones technique, considerable amounts of organic reagent can be saved. The TBA method was applied to the analysis of iron(III) in tap and industrial waste waters.     

Selective Kinetic Determination of Cu2+ with Tetraazamacrocyclic Bis(Methylphosphonate) Ligand (Dipon)

A new macrocyclic ligand, 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-1,8-bis(methylphosphonic acid) (refered to as dipon) exhibits high thermodynamic and kinetic selectivity for Cu²⁺ compared to other transition metal ions. The initial-rate method (=310nm, pH=3.75, c_L4.6×10^–3molL^–1) was chosen as an optimal experimental approach in order to achieve maximum sensitivity of determination. The dynamic range of the method is (5–200)×10^–6molL^–1, and the detection limit is 2.5×10^–6molL^–1. A standard addition procedure was applied to the kinetic determination of Cu²⁺ to eliminate the effect of interfering ions (e.g. Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, HCO^–₃, Cl^–, SO₄^2–, etc.). The method was tested on artificial and real samples (alloys, pure and spiked mineral water) and gave satisfactory results which are in agreement with the values for some certified materials. The advantage of the proposed method is rapidity, simplicity and robustness in the presence of other metal ions.     

Adsorptive Catalytic Voltammetry of Physcion in the Presence of Dissolved Oxygen at a Carbon Paste Electrode

A novel electroanalytical method for the determination of physcion is described for the first time. Physcion yields an adsorption catalytic voltammetric peak at –0.74V (vs. SCE) in 0.4molL^–1 NH₄Cl–NH₃·H₂O buffer solution (pH 10.5) at a carbon paste electrode (CPE). The experimental results indicated that physcion is efficiently accumulated at a CPE by adsorption. In the subsequent potential scan, physcion was reduced to a homologous anthrahydroquinone compound. The compound was then immediately oxidized to physcion by the dissolved oxygen in the solution, and then physcion was again reduced at the CPE. As a result, a cyclic catalytic reaction was established. The second-order derivative peak current is proportional to the physcion concentration in the ranges of 2.0×10^–104.0×10^–9molL^–1 (accumulation 90s) and 4.0×10^–92.0×10^–8molL^–1 (accumulation 60s). The limit of detection is 8×10^–11molL^–1 (S/N=3) for a 120s accumulation time. The method was applied to the direct determination of physcion in the medicinal plant polygonum multiflorum Thumb with satisfactory results.     

Selective Spectrophotometric Determination of Aluminium in the Presence of Beryllium and Lanthanide Cations

A spectrophotometric method for the selective determination of Al(III) in the presence of Be and Ln (lanthanide) cations is proposed. It is based on the selective reaction of SXO (Semi-Xylenol Orange) with Al(III) at pH 2.6. The presence of 8%v/v of 1,2-ethanediol serves to stabilize the chelate formed by heating at 100°C for 5min. 0.5mg each of Be(II), Ce(III), La(III), 4mg of Mn(II), 1.2mg of Pb(II), 1mg of Tl(I), 40mg each of Ca(II) and Mg(II) and 1.9mg of sodium dihydrogen phosphate are tolerable. A ligand buffer of HEDTA-Pb is incorporated to further enhance the selectivity of the color reaction. Under the specified conditions SXO reacts with Al(III) to form a 1:1 chelate. Its molar absorptivity at 526nm was found to be 3.3×10⁴Lmol^–1cm^–1. The linear regression equation for 2–20µg of Al(III) is A=0.04458C+0.0112 (where C stands for the concentration of Al(III), µg per 25mL) and correlation coefficient =0.9988. The RSD at the level of 10µg (n=10) and LOQ were found to be 3.5% and 2µg, respectively.     

Solid-Phase Extraction and Spectrophotometric Determination of Trace Amounts of Mercury in Natural Samples

A sensitive and selective solid phase spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of inorganic mercury is described. Hg²⁺ was sorbed on a silica gel-packed column as an Hg²⁺–N,N-bis(2-mercaptophenyl)ethanediamide (H₂L) complex. The Hg²⁺ complex was eluted from the column using 7mL of acetone. Various parameters including pH, column flow rate, and ligand concentration were optimized. The complex was found to obey Beers law from 2.3 to 73.7µgmL^–1 within the optimum range when the preconcentration factor was two. The effective molar absorption coefficient at 523nm was 1.17×10³Lmol^–1cm^–1 at 523nm. The concentration limits in Beers law dropped from 0.09 to 2.95µgmL^–1 within the optimum range when the preconcentration factor was 50. The relative standard deviation at a concentration level of 5µgmL^–1 Hg²⁺ (9 repetitive determinations) was 1.6%. The detection limits are 0.34µgmL^–1 and 0.015µgmL^–1 when the preconcentration factors are 2 and 50, respectively. The method has been used for routine determination of trace levels of Hg²⁺ in natural waters. The potential application of this method for the removal of Hg²⁺ from natural samples (sea water and lake water) spiked with 100ngmL^–1 of Hg²⁺ was studied. In order to validate the proposed method, LGC 6156 (harbour sediment – extractable metals) was analysed by this method. The results proved that excellent extraction of Hg²⁺ from both natural water samples was obtained by solid phase extraction using N,N-bis(2-mercaptophenyl) ethanediamide.     

In vitro and in vivo antitumour studies of a new thiosemicarbazide derivative and its complexes with 3d-metal ions

A new ligand, 1-(2-furanthiocarbo)-3-thiosemicarbazide (H₂ftsc), prepared from thiosemicarbazide and carboxymethyl-2-furandithioate, forms complexes [Mn(ftsc)(H₂O)₂], [Pd(ftsc)] · 2H₂O, [M(Hftsc)(acac)₂] (M=Co^III or Cr^III), [M(Hftsc)₂(acac)] (M=Mn^III or Fe^III) and [Zn(Hftsc)₂] · 2H₂O, which were characterized by elemental analyses, magnetic susceptibility, i.r., electronic and n.m.r. spectral data. The Mössbauer spectra of [Fe(Hftsc)₂(acac)] at 298K and 80K suggest the presence of high-spin iron(III) with an S=5/2 state. In vivo and in vitro antitumour activity of the ligand and the complexes have been screened towards several tumour cell-lines.     

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Quinolizidine Alkaloids in Radix Sophora Flavescens Using Tris(2,2′-Bipyridyl)Ruthenium(II) Electrochemiluminescence

Electrogenerated chemiluminescences (ECLs) of quinolizidine alkaloids including matrine (MT), sophocarpine (SC), and sophoridine (SRI) are studied. The light emission is caused by an electro-oxidation reaction between Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and the tertiary amino group on the alkaloid compounds. A thin-layer flow cell equipped with a glassy carbon disk electrode (22.1mm²) at the potential of ⁺1.30V (vs. Ag/AgCl) was applied for ECL observation. MT, SC and SRI were separated and quantitatively determined within 25min by an ODS-80 Ts reversed-phase column with a mobile phase containing 80mmolL^–1 NaH₂PO₄–K₂HPO₄ buffer+acetonitrile (7:3)+40mmolL^–1 sodium dodecyl sulfate (pH 6.5). The determination limit at an S/N of 3 ranged from 3×10^–9gmL^–1 for MT, 6×10^–9gmL^–1 for SC and 1×10^–9gmL^–1 for SRI. The recoveries are from 92 to 108%, with repeatability ranging from 1.3 to 4.5% (relative standard deviation). The method was successfully applied to the determination of quinolizidine alkaloids in Sophora flavescens samples.     

A Salt-Tolerant Yeast-Based Microbial Sensor for 24 Hour Community Wastewater Monitoring in Coastal Regions

A microbial sensor for rapid determination of the concentration of biodegradable pollutants in wastewater has been developed using the salt-tolerant yeast Arxula adeninivorans LS3 immobilized by gel entrapment with poly (carbamoyl) sulfonate hydrogel (PCS gel) on a Clark-type oxygen electrode. This sensor needs 5min for every measurement instead of 5 days for BOD₅. The sensor has a linear response of up to 550mgL^–1 BOD with a correlation of coefficient R²=0.9785. The detection limit was calculated to be 2.1mgL^–1 BOD equivalents, and the determination limit was 6.0mgL^–1 BOD equivalents. The high tolerance to salt of the Arxula adeninivorans LS3 strain prevents the inactivation of cells caused by the seawater from affecting the measurements. In a 24-hour comparative study using real wastewater samples from an international college situated in Hong Kong, the microbial sensor showed a very good correlation (R²=0.9134) with the standard BOD₅ method and truly reflected the life cycle of the college people. The microbial sensor allows almost ideal real-time monitoring in water pollution and degradation.     

Determination of Trace Iron in KH2PO4 Crystal by Derivative Adsorption Chronopotentiometry

A sensitive derivative adsorption chronopotentiometric method was developed to determine trace amounts of Fe³⁺. The influence of preconcentration time, pH of solution and constant reducing current of the peak height is discussed. The detection limit and the linear range are 5.0×10^–10 and 2.0×10^–93.0×10^–6molL^–1, respectively. The method was used to determine trace Fe³⁺ in KH₂PO₄ crystals (KDP).     

Determination of Heavy Metal Ions in Chinese Herbal Medicine by Microwave Digestion and RP-HPLC with UV-Vis Detection

A new method for the simultaneous determination of heavy metal ions in Chinese herbal medicine by microwave digestion and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) has been developed. The Chinese herbal medicine samples were digested by microwave digestion. Lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, copper, zinc, and tin ions in the digested samples were pre-column derivatized with tetra-(4-chlorophenyl)-porphyrin (T₄-CPP) to form the colored chelates which were then enriched by solid phase extraction with C₁₈ cartridge and eluted from the cartridge with tetrahydrofuran (THF). The chelates were separated on a Waters Xterra RP₁₈ column by gradient elution with methanol (containing 0.05molL^–1 pyrrolidine-acetic acid buffer salt, pH=10.0) and THF (containing 0.05molL^–1 pyrrolidine-acetic acid buffer salt, pH=10.0) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.5mLmin^–1 and detected with a photodiode array detector in the range of 350–600nm. In the original samples the detection limits of lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, copper, zinc and tin are 4ngL^–1, 3ngL^–1, 6ngL^–1, 5ngL^–1, 2ngL^–1, 6ngL^–1, and 4ngL^–1, respectively. This method was applied to the determination of lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, copper, zinc and tin in Chinese herbal medicine samples with good results.     

Energy Transfer Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence for the Determination of Sulfite

A simple and novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) method for the determination of sulfite has been developed based on the energy transfer ECL process. It was found that a weak ECL signal of sulfite was electrochemically generated on a platinum electrode in neutral aqueous solution. The signal was strongly enhanced by rhodamine B as an energy receptor and further enhanced by the neutral surfactant Tween 80. In 0.10M phosphate buffer solution (pH=7.5) containing 2.0×10^–6gmL^–1 rhodamine B and 0.4% (v/v) Tween 80, the ECL response to the concentration of sulfite at a potential of 0.82V was linear over a range of 1.0×10^–7gmL^–1 to 8.0×10^–6gmL^–1, and the detection limit was 5×10^–8gmL^–1. The relative standard deviation (n=11, 1.0×10^–6gmL^–1) was 3.8%. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of sulfite in pharmaceutical injections and white sugar samples.     

Exciton Chirality. (A) Origins of and (B) Applications from Strongly Fluorescent Dipyrrinone Chromophores

Summary. (A) The origin of exciton interaction and examples of its application to organic stereochemistry are presented. (B) N,N-Carbonyl-bridged dipyrrinones constitute a new class of highly fluorescent chromophores suitable for investigations of stereochemistry and absolute configuration. N,N-Carbonylxanthobilirubic acid esters are strongly fluorescent, with a fluorescence quantum yield (_F) 0.8, but produce only weak exciton CD from the trans-1,2-cyclohexanediol template. The ester of an analog with benzoic acid replacing propionic, N,N-carbonyl-8-(4-carboxyphenyl)-3-ethyl-2,7,9-trimethyl-(10H)-dipyrrin-1-one, exhibits strong fluorescence (_F=0.68, _em=493nm, _ex=422nm in CHCl₃) and UV-Vis absorption (21000 at 424nm) in organic solvents. Its diester with (1S,2S)-cyclohexanediol is fluorescent and exhibits exciton circular dichroism (=+15dm³·mol^–1·cm^–1, =432nm; =–4dm³·mol^–1cm^–1, =380nm) that correlates with the Exciton Chirality Rule.     

Syntheses and properties of mixed dinuclear copper(II) complexes with heterocyclic dithiocarbamates and a cyclic octadentate tertiary amine

Five new Cu^II complexes of general formula [Cu₂(Rdtc)tpmc](ClO₄)₃, (1)–(5), where tpmc and Rdtc ^– refer to N,N,N,N-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,4,8,11-teraazacyclotetradecane and piperidine- (Pipdtc), 4-morpholine- (Morphdtc), 4-thiomorpholine- (Timdtc), piperazine- (Pzdtc) or N-methylpiperazine- (N-Mepzdtc) dithiocarbamates, respectively, have been prepared. Elemental analyses, conductometric and magnetic measurements, u.v./vis, i.r., e.p.r. and mass spectroscopy have been employed to characterize them. The complexes adopt an exo coordination of Cu^II ions and tpmc. The dithiocarbamate ion joins both the sulphur and the copper atoms acting as a bridging ligand The presence of different heteroatoms in the piperidine ring influences the (C=N) and (C=S) vibrations which decrease in the order of the complexes: Pipdtc>N-Mepipdtc>Pzdtc>Morphdtc>Timdtc ligands. Attention has been paid to the detailed mechanism of the mass spectral fragmentation of the complexes. The g _eff factors of the complexes have been also estimated by e.p.r. spectra. Finally, the complexes obtained demonstrate microbiologycal activity against some bacteria.