Determination of Paracetamol Based on its Quenching Effect on the Photoluminescence of CdTe Fluorescence Probes

L-Cysteine capped CdTe nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized in aqueous medium, and their application as fluorescence probes in the determination of paracetamol was studied. The L-cysteine capped CdTe NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction spectrometry, spectrofluorometry, ultraviolet-visible and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. Based on the distinct fluorescence quenching of CdTe fluorescence probes in the presence of paracetamol, a simple, rapid and specific method for paracetamol determination was presented. Under optimum conditions, the relative fluorescence intensity of CdTe NPs was linearly proportional to paracetamol concentration from 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol/L to 1.6 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L with a detection limit of 4.2 × 10⁻⁹ mol/L. The proposed method was applied to detect paracetamol in commercial tablets with satisfactory results.     

Interaction of Thyroxine with 7 Hydroxycoumarin: A Fluorescence Quenching Study

The interaction between thyroxine hormone and 7 hydroxycoumarin (7HC) was investigated using fluorescence quenching method. The experimental results showed that thyroxine could quench the fluorescence of 7HC by forming the 7HC–thyroxine complex with static quenching. The apparent binding constants (K) between 7HC and thyroxine were determined to be 1.51 × 10⁴ (297 K) and 9.06 × 10³ (310 K). The binding sites (n) 0.98 ± 0.1. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the interaction between 7HC and thyroxine was driven mainly by hydrogen bonding interactions and van der Waals force. Calibration for thyroxine, based on quenching titration data, was linear in the concentration range 2.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 3.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/l. The relative standard deviation was 2.58% for 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/l thyroxine (n = 4) and the 3σ limit of detection was 3.42 × 10⁻⁸ mol/l in cationic surfactant CTAB medium.     

Fluorescence Enhancement Effect for the Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls with Bovine Serum Albumin

A sensitive and selective method for the trace determination of 3, 3’, 4, 4’-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77) by using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a fluorescence probe was introduced. Under optimum conditions, the enhanced fluorescence intensity was proportional to the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls in the range of 8.9 × 10⁻⁸–5.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ for PCB77, and 5.0 × 10⁻⁷–5.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ for 2, 2’, 5, 5’-tetrachlorbiphenyl (PCB52). The detection limits (S/N = 3) of PCB77 and PCB52 were 2.6 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ and 2.9 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹, respectively. Furthermore, the fluorescence enhancement mechanism was discussed in detail. Results indicated that fluorescence enhancement of the system originated from the formation of BSA-PCBs complexes. In addition, PCBs were mainly bound to the tyrosine residues in BSA molecules.     

Binding of Quercetin to Lysozyme as Probed by Spectroscopic Analysis and Molecular Simulation

The binding of quercetin to lysozyme (LYSO) in aqueous solution was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and molecular simulation at pH 7.4. The fluorescence quenching of LYSO by addition of quercetin is due to static quenching, the binding constants, K _a , were 3.63 × 10⁴, 3.31 × 10⁴ and 2.85 × 10⁴ L·mol⁻¹ at 288, 298 and 308 K, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy change, ∆H, and entropy change, ∆S, were noted to be −7.56 kJ·mol⁻¹ and 61.07 J·mol⁻¹·K⁻¹. The results indicated that hydrophobic interaction may play a major role in the binding process. The distance r between the donor (LYSO) and acceptor (quercetin) was determined as 3.34 nm by the fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy showed the polarity around the tryptophan residues increased and the hydrophobicity decreased. Furthermore, the study of molecular simulation indicated that quercetin could bind to the active site (a pocket made up of 24 amino-acid residues) of LYSO mainly via hydrophobic interactions and that there were hydrogen interactions between the residues (Gln 57, Ile 98) of LYSO and quercetin. The accessible surface area (ASA) calculation verified the important roles of tryptophan (Trp) residues during the binding process.     

Fluorescence Enhancement of the Silver Nanoparticales – Curcumin - Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide-nucleic Acids System and its Analytical Application

It is found that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can further enhance the fluorescence intensity of curcumin (CU) - cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) – nucleic acids and improve its anti-photobleaching activity. Under optimum conditions, the enhanced fluorescence intensity is proportion to the concentration of nucleic acids in the range of 2.0 × 10⁻⁸–1.0 × 10⁻⁶ g mL⁻¹ for fish sperm DNA (fsDNA), 2.0 × 10⁻⁸–1.0 × 10⁻⁶ g mL⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA (ctDNA), 1.0 × 10⁻⁸–1.0 × 10⁻⁶ g mL⁻¹ for yeast RNA (yRNA), and their detection limits (S/N = 3) are 8.0 ng mL⁻¹, 10.5 ng mL⁻¹ and 5.8 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. This method is used for determining the concentration of DNA in actual sample with satisfactory results. The interaction mechanism is also studied.     

Fluorescent Method for the Determination of Sulfide Anion with ZnS:Mn Quantum Dots

Water-soluble Mn²⁺-doped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) were prepared using mercaptoacetic acid as the stabilizer. The optical properties and structure features were characterized by X-Ray, absorption spectrum, IR spectrum and fluorescence spectrum. In pH 7.8 Tris-HCl buffer, the QDs emitted strong fluorescence peaked at 590 nm with excitation wavelength at 300 nm. The presence of sulfide anion resulted in the quenching of fluorescence and the intensity decrease was proportional to the S²⁻ concentration. The linear range was from 2.5 × 10⁻⁶ to 3.8 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ with detection limit as 1.5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. Most anions such as F⁻, Cl⁻, Br⁻, I⁻, CH₃CO₂ ⁻, ClO₄ ⁻, CO₃ ²⁻, NO₂ ⁻, NO₃ ⁻, S₂O₃ ²⁻, SO₃ ²⁻ and SO₄ ²⁻ did not interfere with the determination. Thus a highly selective assay was proposed and applied to the determination of S²⁻ in discharged water with the recovery of ca. 103%.     

Spectrofluorimetric Determination of Coumarin in Commercial Tablets

A simple, rapid and effective analytical method based on fluorescence spectroscopy for the determination of coumarin in pharmaceutical formulations without pre-treatment or pre-concentration step was development. Coumarin had maximum excitation and emission at 310 nm and 390 nm, respectively. Optimum conditions for the detection of coumarin were investigated. Under optimized conditions, we observed a linear behavior for the sign of coumarin in the concentration range of 2.5 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, with linearity of 0.998 and sensitivity of 2.9 × 10¹⁰ u.a/mol L⁻¹. The proposed method was validated in terms of accuracy, precision and specificity of coumarin using the standard addition and external calibration. It was noted that the results support (P < 0.05), indicating that the matrices were not an interference in the determination of coumarin by fluorescence spectroscopy. The results were favorable compared with those obtained by reference chromatographic methods.     

Oxygen-dependent Oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) and Interaction of Fe(III) with Bovine Serum Albumin, Leading to a Hysteretic Effect on the Fluorescence of Bovine Serum Albumin

The serum albumin is the most abundant protein in blood plasma and the iron is essential for many cellular processes. However, the interaction between Fe³⁺ and haem-free serum albumin remains unclear. Here we provide evidence for the fact that haem-free BSA possesses one specific Fe³⁺-binding site. The binding of Fe³⁺ to BSA results in a significant quenching of the Trp fluorescence of BSA. The average apparent dissociation constant value for the interaction of Fe³⁺ and BSA is 3.46 × 10⁻⁸ ± 3 × 10⁻¹⁰ M at 37 °C and 3.30 × 10⁻⁸ ± 5 × 10⁻¹⁰ M at 25 °C, respectively, as determined by fluorescence titration. Addition of 50 μM Fe²⁺ to 1 μM BSA results in an obvious hysteretic effect on the fluorescence of BSA. The time-dependent fluorescence quenching of BSA by Fe²⁺ is not caused by the Fe²⁺-induced conformational change of BSA, but the oxygen-dependent oxidation of Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺. Fe²⁺ undergoes an oxygen-dependent oxidation to Fe³⁺ under aerobic conditions, which is accelerated by the interaction of BSA with Fe³⁺ and extensively inhibited under anaerobic conditions. The results suggest that BSA may take part in non-transferrin bound iron transfer.     

Effect of Host Medium on the Fluorescence Emission Intensity of Rhodamine B in Liquid and Solid Phase

In this work, we study the effect of concentration, host medium, PH and phase states on the fluorescence emission from the laser dye Rhodamine B pumped by UV laser as exited source. The polymethylmethacrylate PMMA is used as a host medium in case of solid phase samples while, ethanol and Tetrahydrofuran (THF) are used in case of a liquid one. Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) technique was used to study the fluorescence properties of both cases of liquid and thin film solid-state samples. In addition, the Dual Thermal Lens (DTL) technique was used to study the quantum yield of these samples. The concentrations of Rhodamine B in ethanol as solvent between 2 × 10⁻² M and 5 × 10⁻⁶ M were studied. The maximum fluorescence emission is observed at concentration of Rhodamine B C = 3 × 10⁻⁴ M. Comparison studies were investigated for different host medium such as ethanol, THF, PMMA in liquid phase state and PMMA in solid phase state. The measurements revealed that, the behavior of both phases state was analogous. Rhodamine B/PMMA thin film sample by ratio of 4:1 and thickness 0.12 mm was found to have the best photostability sample with a quantum yield about ≈0.82.     

Determination of Enoxacin Using Tb Composite Nanoparticles Sensitized Luminescence Method

In our study, terbium-acetylacetone (Tb-acac) composite nanoparticles have been prepared under vigorous ultrasonic irradiation. The nanoparticles are water soluble, stable and have extremely narrow emission bands and high internal quantum efficiencies. They were used as fluorescence probes in the determination of enoxacin (Enox) based on the fluorescence enhancement of nanoparticles through fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The influence of buffer solution on the fluorescence intensity was investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the fluorescence intensity of the Tb-acac-Enox system is linearly proportional to the Enox concentration in the Enox concentration range of 2 × 10⁻⁷–1 × 10⁻⁴ M. The correlation coefficient for the calibration curve was 0.9976. The limit of detection as defined by IUPAC, C _LOD = 3S _b/m (where S _b is the standard deviation of the blank signals and m is the slope of the calibration graph) was found to be 3 × 10⁻⁸ M. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for six repeated measurements of 1 × 10⁻⁴ M Enox was 1.35%. The method was applied to the determination of Enox in pharmaceutical formulation and recovery results were obtained from urine samples.     

Study of Enhanced Chemiluminescence of Diperiodatocuprate (III) on 1,10-Phenanthroline/Hydrogen Peroxide/Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide System

In the paper, a chemiluminescence (CL) system was developed based on the catalytical effect of diperiodatocuprate (III) (DPC) on the 1,10-phenanthroline (phen)/hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The effects of experimental conditions were investigated. Meanwhile the increase of CL intensity of the DPC/phen/H₂O₂/CTAB system is proportional to the concentration of phen in the range of low concentration. The linear range of the calibration curve is 5.0 × 10⁻⁹–1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, and the corresponding detection limit is 1.9 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The effects of phenolic compounds (PCs) on the system were investigated. Hydroquinone was used as an example to investigate the application of the CL system to the determination of PCs. The quenched CL intensity is linearly related to the logarithm of concentration of hydroquinone. The linear range of the calibration curve is 2.5 × 10⁻⁹–1.0 × 10⁻⁵ g mL⁻¹, and the corresponding detection limit is 1.8 × 10⁻⁹ g mL⁻¹. This phen and hydroquinone can be synchronously determined. The method was applied to the determination of hydroquinone in water samples and the recoveries were from 92% to 106%.     

Spectrofluorimetric Assessment of Doxycycline Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Tablets and Serum Sample Based on the Enhancement of the Luminescence Intensity of the Optical Sensor Sm<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Ion

A simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method for determination of trace amount of doxycycline hydrochloride (DC) in pharmaceutical tablets and serum samples was developed. In ammonia buffer solution of pH 8.9 the doxycycline hydrochloride can remarkably enhance the luminescence intensity of the Sm³⁺ ion in Sm³⁺- DC complex at λ_ex = 400 nm. The produced luminescence intensity of Sm³⁺- DC complex in DMSO is in proportion to the concentration of DC and used as optical sensor for its determination. The dynamic range for the determination of DC is 1 × 10⁻⁸ – 5 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ and in case of quantum yield calculations is 7 × 10⁻⁹ – 5 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ with detection limit of 6.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹. The enhancement mechanism of the luminescence intensity in the Sm³⁺- DC system has been also discussed. A comparison with other spectrofluorimetric methods for tetracycline derivatives in which Eu³⁺ ion is used instead of Sm³⁺ ion is also studied.     

Pyrophosphate Selective Recognition in Aqueous Solution Based on Fluorescence Enhancement of a New Aluminium Complex

A novel and simple fluorescence enhancement method for selective pyrophosphate(PPi) sensing was proposed based on a 1:1 metal complex formation between bis(8-hydroxy quinoline-5-solphonat) chloride aluminum(III) (Al(QS)₂Cl), (L) and PPi in aqueous solution. The linear response range covers a concentration range of 1.6 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L of PPi and the detection limit of 2.3 × 10⁻⁸ mol/L. The association constant of L-PPi complex was calculated 2.6 × 10⁵ L/mol. L was found to show selectively and sensitively fluorescence enhancement toward PPi over than I₃^-, NO₃^-, CN⁻, CO₃²⁻, Br⁻, Cl⁻, F⁻, H₂PO4⁻ and SO₄²⁻, which was attributed to higher stability of inorganic complex between pyrophosphate and L.     

Cilostazol determination by the enhancement of the green emission of Tb3+ optical sensor

The efficiency of excited-state interaction between Tb³⁺ and the industrial product Cilostazol (CIL) has been studied in different solvents. High luminescence intensity peak at 545 nm of terbium complex in acetonitrile was obtained. The photophysical properties of the green emissive Tb³⁺ complex have been elucidated, the terbium was used as optical sensor for the assessment of CIL in the pharmaceutical tablets and body fluids at pH 3.1 and λ_ex = 320 nm with a concentration range 1.0 × 10⁻⁹–1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ of CIL, correlation coefficient of 0.998 and detection limit of 7.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹.     

Spectrofluorimetric Assessment of Chlorzoxazone and Ibuprofen in Pharmaceutical Formulations by using Eu-Tetracycline HCl Optical Sensor Doped in Sol–Gel Matrix

A novel, simple, sensitive and selective spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of chlorzoxazone and Ibuprofen in pharmaceutical tablets using optical sensor Eu-Tetracycline HCl doped in sol–gel matrix. The chlorzoxazone or Ibuprofen can remarkably enhance the luminescence intensity of Eu-Tetracycline HCl complex doped in a sol–gel matrix in dimethylformamide (DMF) at pH 9.7 and 6.3, respectively, λ_ex = 400 nm. The enhancing of luminescence intensity peak of Eu-Tetracycline HCl complex at 617 nm is proportional to the concentration of chlorzoxazone or Ibuprofen a result that suggested profitable application as a simple optical sensor for chlorzoxazone or Ibuprofen assessment. The dynamic ranges found for the determination of chlorzoxazone and Ibuprofen concentration are 5 × 10⁻⁹–1 × 10⁻⁴ and 1 × 10⁻⁸–7 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, and the limit of detection (LOD) and quantitation limit of detection (LOQ) are 3.1 × 10⁻¹⁰ , 9.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ and 5.6 × 10⁻¹⁰, 1.7 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹, respectively.     

Spectrofluorimetric Study and Detection of Ketoconazole in the Presence of β-cyclodextrin

The formation of a complex between ketoconazole and β-cyclodextrin was followed by spectrofluorimety. The inclusion of ketoconazole in β-cyclodextrin cavity enhanced the native fluorescence of the drug. The stoichiometry of the complex was 1:1 β-cyclodextrin to ketoconazole and the stability constant of the complex (log K _f) was determined to be 4.3 ± 0.01 at pH = 7.9 and 3.7 ± 0.04 at pH = 2.6. A sensitive spectrofluorimetric method for the detection of ketoconazole is presented. At optimized experimental conditions, a linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity of the solution and concentration of ketoconazole is observed in the range of 0.01–10 μg ml⁻¹ (5 × 10⁻⁸ M–1.88 × 10⁻⁵ M). The method was applied to the detection of ketoconazole in pharmaceutical products and the results were satisfactory in comparison to the official method (relative error = 2.8% and standard deviation = 0.06 for tablets of ketoconazole). The recovery of ketoconazole from a blood serum sample, determined by the proposed method, was 97.1 ± 2.4%.     

Proton-conducting hybrid membranes for medium temperature (>100 °C) fuel cells

Hybrid membranes doped with silicotungstic acid (STA) were prepared by sol–gel process with 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, phosphoric acid, and tetraethoxysilane as chemical precursors. The thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis measurements confirmed that the hybrid membranes were thermally stable up to 350 °C. Relatively, a high proton conductivity of 2.85 × 10⁻² S/cm was obtained for 10 mol% STA-doped hybrid membrane at 120 °C under 90% RH. The hydrogen permeability was found to decrease in the temperature range 20–120 °C from 1.64 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 1.36 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol/cm.s.Pa.     

A Long Wavelength Excitable Fluorophore; Chloro Phenyl Imino Propenyl Aniline (CPIPA) for Selective Sensing of Hg (II)

In this study, a very sensitive and highly selective irreversible optical chemical sensor (optode) for mercury ions was described. The sensing scheme was based on the interaction of Hg (II) with a newly synthesized fluoroionophore; chloro phenyl imino propenyl aniline (CPIPA) in plasticized PVC membrane. The sensor membranes were tested for the determination of mercury ion in aqueous solutions by batch and flow-through methods. The optodes allow determination of Hg (II) in the working range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁹–1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M with a detection limit of 4.3 ppb. The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity for Hg (II) with respect to several common alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal ions. The association constant of the 1:1 complex formation for Hg (II) was found to be K_a = 1.86 × 10⁵ M⁻¹. The CPIPA exhibited high fluorescence quantum yield, long excitation and emission wavelength and high Stokes’ shift values in the solid matrix which makes it compatible with solid state optics.     

Fluorescence and Electrochemical Sensing of Pesticides Methomyl, Aldicarb and Prometryne by the Luminescent Europium-3-Carboxycoumarin Probe

This work describes the application of time resolved fluorescence in microtiterplates and electrochemical methods on glassy carbon electrode for investigating the interactions of europium-3-carboxycoumarin with pesticides aldicarb, methomyl and prometryne. Stern-volmer studies at different temperatures indicate that static quenching dominates for methomyl, aldicarb and prometryne. By using Lineweaver-Burk equation binding constants were determined at 303 K, 308 K and 313 K. A thermodynamic analysis showed that the reaction is spontaneous with ΔG being negative. The enthalpy ΔH and the entropy ΔS of reactions were all determined. A time-resolved (gated) luminescence-based method for determination of pesticides in microtiterplate format using the long-lived europium-3-carboxycoumarin has been developed. The limit of detection is 4.80, 5.06 and 8.01 μmol L⁻¹ for methomyl, prometryne and aldicarb, respectively. This is the lowest limit of detection achieved so far for luminescent lanthanide-based probes for pesticides. The interaction of the probe with the pesticides has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse polarography (DPP), square wave voltammetry (SWV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) on a glassy carbon electrode in I = 0.1 mol L⁻¹ p-toluenesulfonate at 25 °C. The diffusion coefficients of the reduced species are calculated. The main properties of the electrode reaction occurring in a finite diffusion space are the quasireversible maximum and the splitting of the net SWV peak for Eu(III) ions in the ternary complex formed . It was observed that the increase of the cathodic peak currents using LSV is linear with the increase of pesticides concentration in the range 5 × 10⁻⁷ to 1 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The detection limit (DL) were about 1.01, 2.23 and 1.89 μmolL⁻¹ for aldicarb, methomyl and prometryne, respectively. In order to assess the analytical applicability of the method, the influence of various potentially interfering species was examined. Influence of interfering species on the recovery of 10 μmol L⁻¹ pesticides has been investigated.