Determination of copper in water samples by atomic absorption spectrometry after cloud point extraction

Cloud point extraction employing the new reagent 6-[2′-(6′-methyl-benzothiazolylazo)]-1,2-dihydroxy-3,5-benzenedisulfonic acid as complexing agent and Triton X-114 as the surfactant is proposed for copper determination. A sample volume of 10 mL was used. Dilution of the surfactant-rich phase with acidified methanol was performed after phase separation, and the copper contents were measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Variables affecting the system were optimized using factorial design and Doehlert matrix. Signals were measured as peak height using an instrument software. Using the experimental conditions defined in the optimization, the method allowed copper determination with a detection limit of 1.5 μg L⁻¹. The calculated enrichment factor is 14. The effects of foreign ions are reported. The accuracy of the procedure was tested by analyzing certified reference material. The method was successfully applied to copper determination in natural and drinking water samples.     

Simple High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Assay, with Post-Column Derivatization, for Simultaneous Determination of Mycophenolic Acid and its Glucuronide Metabolite in Human Plasma and Urine

Two simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods have been established for simultaneous determination of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and its glucuronide metabolite (MPAG) in human urine, and of their total and unbound forms in human plasma. For total MPA and MPAG analysis sample preparation entailed precipitation of protein with acetonitrile and isolation of the free analytes from the plasma by ultrafiltration. For urine samples, fivefold dilution with water was used. MPAG was determined by UV detection whereas MPA was quantified by fluorescence detection after post-column derivatization with 0.2 M sodium hydroxide solution. For plasma, response was found to be linearly dependent on concentration over the ranges 0.1–40 μg mL^-1 and 0.01–1 μg mL^-1 for total and free MPA, respectively, and 10–200 μg mL^-1 and 2.5–100 μg mL^-1 for total and free MPAG, respectively. For urine, linearity was observed from 0.1 to 50 μg mL^-1 for MPA and 10 to 500 μg mL^-1 MPAG in the urine before dilution. The methods reported were found to be accurate and reproducible for quantifying the level of MPA and MPAG and can thus be used for clinical pharmacokinetic studies and for therapeutic drug monitoring. Contributed equally to this work An erratum to this article is available at .     

Optimisation and validation of an automated solid phase extraction technique coupled on-line to enzyme-based biosensor detection for the determination of phenolic compounds in surface water samples

Summary A fully integrated screening system for phenolic compounds was developed incorporating on-line solid phase extraction, fractionation and biosensor detection. Two different types of biosensors, solid graphite and carbon paste electrodes incorporating the enzyme tyrosinase, were compared and used in the screening system. Interfacing of the solid phase extraction and fractionation with the biosensor detection was given special attention since the biosensors were not compatible with the organic modifier used for desorption of phenols from the solid phase extraction step. The system was validated with conventional analytical techniques. Surface water samples from the Ebro river were spiked with 1,10, and 25 μg L⁻¹ of catechol, phenol,p-cresol, respectively. Three out of seven samples were spiked and the correct samples were identified, containing phenols equivalent to the spiked concentrations.     

Two-Dimensional Isotachophoresis for the Analysis of Homovanillic Acid and Vanillylmandelic Acid in Urine for Cancer Therapy Monitoring

Homovanillic acid (HVA) and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) are routinely analyzed by HPLC with electrochemical detection after solid phase extraction for the diagnosis of neuroblastoma and phaechromocytoma. The aim of our study was to investigate whether these compounds can be determined without sample preparation using capillary isotachophoresis (ITP). For this purpose we used a commercially available instrument with two coupled capillary columns. HVA and VMA could be easily separated by ITP–ITP analysis at pH 3.4; the LODs were in the lower μmol · L⁻¹ range using conductivity detection. ITP calibration curves in spiked urine samples showed good linear correlation. However, although good correlation with HPLC analysis was also found, the ITP–ITP values were elevated compared to the HPLC values due to underlying matrix compounds in the respective zones.     

Cloud point extraction procedure for flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of lead(II) in sediment and water samples

The conditions for cloud point extraction of lead(II) from aqueous solutions were investigated and optimized. The procedure is based on the separation of Pb(II) – brillant cresyl blue (BCB) complexes into the micellar media by adding the surfactant Triton X-114. After phase separation, the surfactant-rich phase was dissolved with 1 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ in ethanol and diluted with 1 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ solution before lead was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Optimization of the pH, ligand and surfactant quantities, incubation time, temperature, viscosity, sample volume, and interfering ions was performed. The effects of the matrix ions were also examined. The detection limits for three times the standard deviations of the blank for lead were 7.5 μg L⁻¹ for water samples and 0.33 μg g⁻¹ for sediment samples. The validity of cloud point extraction was checked by employing certified reference samples of Lake Sediment IAEA-SL-1 and Sewage Sludge BCR-CRM 144R. The procedure was applied to natural waters and sediment samples with satisfactory results (recoveries >95%, relative standard deviations <6.4%).     

Improvement of on-line solid-phase extraction for determining phenolic compounds in water

Summary Modifying the most common design for the on-line coupling of a precolumn to reversed phase LC with diode array detection has resulted in reduction of the broadening of the peaks which results when the compounds of interest are strongly retained by a highly hydrophobic sorbent. The modification consists of the desorption of the analytes trapped on the precolumn solely by the organic solvent used to modify the solvent strength of the mobile phase. Results obtained using this design were compared with those obtained with the conventional design, with C₁₈ and PLRP-S precolumns. The performance of the system was also tested with a highly cross-linked styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer (ENVI-chrom P) precolumn for the determination of phenolic compounds in real samples. The advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Ion-pair solid phase extraction is used in order to increase the breakthrough volumes of more polar compounds, mainly phenol. The use of the new design enables phenolic compounds to be determined at the low μg L⁻¹ level with limits of detection ranging between 0.1 and 2 μg L⁻¹ in tap water when a 10 mL sample was analyzed.     

Cloud Point Preconcentration and Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Determination of Cobalt and Nickel in Water Samples

 Cloud point methodology was successfully used to preconcentrate trace amounts of Co and Ni as a prior step to their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. 1-Nitroso-2-naphthol and polyethylene glycol-p-nonylphenylether (PONPE 7.5) are used as hydrophobic ligand and nonionic surfactant, respectively. Optimization was performed of the variables effecting complexation and phase separation. Additionally, the influence of viscosity on the analytical signal was investigated. Under the experimental conditions used, preconcentration of only 10 mL of sample in the presence of 0.075% (v/v) PONPE 7.5 permitted the detection of 1.09 μg L⁻¹ of Ni and 1.22 μg L⁻¹ of Co with enhancement factors of 29 and 27 for Ni and Co, respectively. The relative standard deviations (n=5) at concentrations of 80 and 50 μg L⁻¹ for Co and Ni were 2.53 and 2.89%, respectively. Good recoveries in the range of 96–105% were obtained for spiked samples. The effect of different interferent species was studied. The proposed method was applied to the determination of Ni and Co in different water samples. Correspondence: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran. e-mail: manzoori@tabrizu.ac.ir Received September 1, 2002; accepted November 8, 2002     

Solid phase extraction and direct HPLC separation of bilirubin and its conjugates in plasma

Summary A semi-automatic reversed-phase HPLC system is described for the direct determination of conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin in human plasma. An Advanced Automated Sample Processor (AASP) is used for sample preparation, and for controlling sample injection and elution. The method is highly sensitive, requiring only 10–50 μl of plasma per assay.     

Determination of Cd(II) and Cd-metallothioneins in biological extracts using baker’s yeast and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

The use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a sorbent material to separate Cd(II) and Cd-metallothionein complex (Cd-MT) has been explored. Solid–liquid phase extractions were carried out in batch mode and the main parameters of the process (pH, temperature, time of incubation, amount of biomass and analyte) were evaluated. Under optimized conditions, the yeast quantitatively retain (94 ± 5%) the Cd(II) while 97 ± 2% of the Cd-MT remain in the supernatant. On base of the findings of this study, a simple method is proposed to determine Cd(II) and Cd-MT in cytosols extracted from mouse kidney and crab hepatopancreas. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was used to quantify the analytes in solid and liquid phase. Determination of Cd in the solid phase was carried out by introducing a slurry of the yeast (0.0625 g/10 mL) directly to the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. Mixed standards solutions, which also have been submitted to the extraction procedure, were used to quantify the analytes in the samples. Thus, matrix effects due to nebulization of the slurry were overcame. Limits of detection (3σ) for Cd(II) and Cd-MT were 1.5 and 1.2 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Relative standard deviations of signals were 4.2% for measurements in the slurry of solid phase and 2.1% for measurements in the liquid phase. Recoveries of the analytes in cytosol samples were between 76 and 114%. The concentrations of Cd(II) (2.4 ± 0.5 μg L⁻¹) and Cd-MT (3.0 ± 0.5 μg L⁻¹) found by using the proposed approach were close to those found by tangential-flow ultrafiltration technique (2.6 ± 0.7 μg L⁻¹ for Cd(II) and 3.7 ± 1.7 μg L⁻¹ for Cd-MT).     

Determination of Arsenic Species in Fish Oil After Acid Digestion

Arsenic speciation is of increasing interest to the food industry, as concerns about high total arsenic concentrations in food can often be alleviated to a great extent if the ratio of toxic, less toxic and non-toxic arsenic compounds in the sample is known. The lipid matrix of fish oil is a challenge in the determination of arsenic species, as current methods for this type of analysis require the analyte to be water-soluble. In this study, two sample preparation techniques were applied. One the one hand water-soluble species were extracted with methanol/water, on the other, acid digestion was applied to release lipid-soluble arsenic compounds into the aqueous phase. Ion chromatography – inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS) was used for separation and sensitive element-specific detection of arsenic compounds. Additional experiments, including alkaline hydrolysis, were carried out to find out more about the type of lipids arsenic is bound to in fish oil. Up to eight different arsenic species were detected and quantified in fish oil with dimethylarsinate being the major compound both in the aqueous extract and in the acid digest. No inorganic arsenic was detected in the aqueous extract, and the maximum concentration of arsenate determined in the acid digest was 0.05 μg g⁻¹. The total arsenic concentration determined by ICP-MS ranged from <0.1 to 5 μg g⁻¹. With regard to the mass balance, approximately 1% of the total arsenic content was extractable with methanol/water, whereas the sum of arsenic species quantified after acid digestion yielded 85–100% of the total arsenic content. It was confirmed that the large fraction of arsenic in fish oil not extractable on an aqueous basis consists of organoarsenic compounds. This new approach in sample preparation makes the complete characterization of the arsenic content in the sample possible with regard to the respective species, providing necessary information required for risk assessment.     

二氧化碳和丙烯直接合成甲基丙烯酸的NiPMo/TiO2催化剂的研究

用溶胶-凝胶法以磷钼酸(MPA)的镍盐溶液水解钛酸四丁酯制备了NiPMo/TiO2催化剂.使用ICP、 XRD、 TG-DTA、 IR、 TPD-MS和微反应技术研究了催化剂的化学组成、热稳定性、化学吸附性质和催化反应性能.杂多钼酸盐与TiO2通过O2-在TiO2表面发生了键合.在623 K下,杂多阴离子仍保持原有的Keggin结构.CO2在Lewis酸位Ni(Ⅱ)和Lewis碱位Ni-O-Mo的桥氧协同作用下生成CO2卧式吸附态Ni(Ⅱ)←O-(CO)←(O--Ni).丙烯有多种吸附态在催化剂上吸附.在563 K、 1 MPa和空速1500 h-1的反应条件下,丙烯的摩尔转化率为3.2%,产物MAA选择性为95%.     

Synthesis of 1-benzyloxypyrazin-2(1H)-one derivatives

Different approaches for the synthesis of 1-benzyloxypyrazin-2(1H)-one derivatives from simple amino acids have been investigated. A library of 33 precursors for the preparation of N-hydroxy pyrazinones was obtained in moderate to good yields.     

α-Amino acid derived enaminones and their application in the synthesis of N-protected methyl 5-substituted-4-hydroxypyrrole-3-carboxylates and other heterocycles

A new and simple synthesis of novel N-protected methyl 5-substituted-4-hydroxypyrrole-3-carboxylates, which exist in equilibrium with their 4-oxo tautomers, has been developed in two steps starting from N-protected α-amino acids. The key intermediates are enaminones, which can also be isolated, characterized, and used for the construction of other functionalized heterocycles, before they spontaneously decompose to pyrrole products. 4-Hydroxypyrroles are prone to partial aerial oxidation but can be efficiently alkylated or reduced to stable polysubstituted pyrrolidine derivatives.     

Specific intramolecular aromatic CH insertion of diazosulfonamides

The chemoselectivity in the intramolecular CH insertion of various diazosulfonamides has been experimentally studied. The results reveal that the aliphatic 1,4-, 1,5-, or 1,6-C(sp³)?H insertions of diazosulfonamides are not accessible, while the aromatic 1,5-C(sp²)?H insertion can be realized specifically by adjusting the diazo-adjacent group. In addition, the general chemoselectivities in the intramolecular CH insertions of diazosulfonyl compounds are summarized. Generally, diazosulfones undergo both aromatic 1,5-C(sp²)?H and aliphatic 1,5- and 1,6-C(sp³)?H insertions, while diazosulfonates undergo aliphatic 1,5- and 1,6-C(sp³)?H insertions. However, diazosulfonamides only undergo aromatic 1,5-C(sp²)?H insertion.     

A general and convenient synthesis of 4-(tosylmethyl)semicarbazones and their use in amidoalkylation of hydrogen,heteroatom, and carbon nucleophiles

A general synthesis of previously unknown semicarbazone-based α-amidoalkylating reagents, 4-(tosylmethyl)semicarbazones, has been developed. The synthesis involved three-component condensation of semicarbazones of aliphatic or aromatic aldehydes with the same or other aldehydes and p-toluenesulfinic acid. The scope and limitations of this reaction were investigated. The compounds obtained were demonstrated to be an efficient α-(4-semicarbazono)alkylating agents. They were reacted with H- (sodium borohydride), O- (sodium methylate), S- (sodium phenylthiolate), N- (pyrrolidine, sodium succinimide), P- (trialkyl phosphites), and C-nucleophiles (sodium diethyl malonate) to give the corresponding products of the tosyl group substitution, 4-substituted semicarbazones, including analogues of nitrofurazone. Among the prepared compounds tested in vitro for antibacterial and antifungal activity, three nitrofuryl-containing semicarbazones exhibited high biological activities with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 8–32 μg/mL.     

Synthesis of novel chiral bidentate hydroxyalkyl-N-heterocyclic carbene ligands and their application in palladium-catalyzed Mizoroki–Heck couplings and asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde

A small library of new chiral bidentate hydroxyalkyl-imidazolium salts 1 is conveniently synthesized on multi-gram scale from inexpensive and commercially available chiral pool amino acids. The corresponding carbenes, generated by deprotonation of imidazolium salts 1, in combination with palladium(II) chloride were tested in the Mizoroki–Heck coupling reaction. The most significant results in terms of yields and reactivities were achieved with low catalyst loading. The catalytic activities of these imidazolium salts were also investigated in the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde. The use of MgO nanoparticles as an additive in conjunction with these ligands played a crucial role in increasing the efficiency of these reactions.     

Toward new camptothecins. Part 6: Synthesis of crucial ketones and their use in Friedländer reaction

In the context of the preparation of camptothecin and luotonin A analogs, the synthesis of some key keto-precursors and their use in Friedländer condensation are described. This paper also focuses on the stability of these keto intermediates and emphasizes the major differences between indolizinones and pyrroloquinazolinones series. Noteworthy is also the report of some original structures isolated as by-products of some experiments.     

N-Heterocyclic carbene-palladacyclic complexes: synthesis,characterization and their applications in the C-N coupling and α-arylation of ketones using aryl chlorides

N-Heterocyclic carbene-palladacyclic complexes 3 were successfully achieved in a one-pot procedure under mild conditions. The structure of 3a was unambiguously confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction and it was an active catalyst in the Buchwald-Hartwig amination and α-arylation of ketones even at very low catalyst loadings (0.01?mol%).     

Iodine-mediated oxidative Pictet-Spengler reaction using terminal alkyne as the 2-oxoaldehyde surrogate for the synthesis of 1-aroyl-β-carbolines and fused-nitrogen heterocycles

An efficient iodine-mediated oxidative Pictet-Spengler reaction in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) using terminal alkynes as the 2-oxoaldehyde surrogate for the synthesis of aryl (9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-1-yl)methanones is described. The scope of the protocol includes the total synthesis of Fascaplysin, Eudistomins Y₁ and Y₂. The methodology is extended for preparing pyrrolo[1,2-a]-quinoxaline and indolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline derivatives. The utility of 1-aroyl-β-carbolines was demonstrated by performing palladium-catalyzed β-carboline directed ortho-C(sp2)-H functionalization of the phenyl ring with thiomethyl (SMe) group using DMSO as source and for accessing 4-aryl-canthin-6-ones.     

Facile synthesis of bicyclic 1-arylpyrazol-5-ones

In this Letter, we described a facile method for constructing fused bicyclic 1-arylpyrazol-5-one ring system. We employed various methylene-containing carboxylic acids as the substrates and proved that the pyrazolone ring closure requires activated methylene group in intermediate II. Accordingly, a series of structurally diversified, fused bicyclic 1-arylpyrazol-5-ones was prepared in moderate to high yields using the requisite substrates.