Determination of total iron in ground waters and multivitamin tablets using a solid-phase reactor with tiron immobilised on amberlite ion-exchange resin in a flow injection system

A method is described for the flow injection determination of total iron as Fe(III) using a solid-phase reactor containing disodium-1,2-dihydroxybenzene-3,5-disulphonate (tiron) as substrate. The iron(III) reacted with tiron to form a complex which absorbs strongly at 667 nm, where it was measured spectrophotometrically. The system has a linear range of 1 to 50 mg L^–1 with a detection limit of 0.67 mg L^–1. It is suitable for the determination of total iron in multivitamin tablets and iron-rich ground waters, with a relative standard deviation of better than 1.1%. The results obtained compared favourably with the certified values and a standard ICP-AES method.     

Determination of total iron in fresh waters using flow injection with potassium permanganate chemiluminescence detection

A flow injection method is described for the determination of iron in fresh water based on potassium permanganate chemiluminescence detection via oxidation of formaldehyde in aqueous hydrochloric acid. Total iron concentrations are determined after reducing Fe(III) to Fe(II) using hydroxylamine hydrochloride. The detection limit (three standard deviations of blank) is 1.0 nM, with a sample throughput of 120 h⁻¹. The calibration graph was linear over the range (2–10) × 10⁻⁷ M (r ² = 0.9985) with relative standard deviations (n = 5) in the range 1.0–2.3%. The effect of interfering cations (Ca(II), Mg(II), Zn(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), Pb(II), and Cu(II)) and common anions (Cl⁻, SO ₄ ²⁻ , PO ₄ ³⁻ , NO ₃ ⁻ , NO ₂ ⁻ , I⁻, F⁻, and SO ₃ ²⁻ ) was studied at their maximum admissible concentrations in fresh water. The method was applied to fresh-water samples from the Quetta Valley, and the results obtained (0.04 ± 0.001–0.11 ± 0.01 mg/L Fe(II)) were in reasonable agreement with those obtained using the spectrophotometric reference method (0.05 ± 0.01–0.12 ± 0.02 mg/L Fe(II)). The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Determination of creatine kinase activity using a co-immobilized auxiliary enzyme reactor coupled on-line with a flow injection system

Two flow injection methods (based on spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric detection) were developed for the determination of over-all creatine kinase activity. Despite the complexity of the reactions involved (both include three enzyme-catalysed steps), the manifold is very simple because the two auxiliary enzymes which catalyse the two-step indicator reaction are co-immobilized on controlled-pore glass. The features of the proposed methods (calibration ranges between 0.1 and 2.0 and 0.01 and 1.0 U l-1, relative standard deviation 0.93 and 0.53% for the spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric methods, respectively) allow the successful determination of the analyte activity in serum samples (recoveries better than 95-105% for both methods).     

Spectrophotometric determination of chloride in waters using a multisyringe flow injection system

A multisyringe flow injection system (MSFIA) with spectrophotometric detection is proposed as a fast, robust and low-reagent consumption system for the determination of chloride (Cl⁻) in waters. The system is based in the classic reaction of Cl⁻ with Fe³⁺ and Hg(SCN)₂, but due to the hazardous properties of this last reagent, the proposed methodology has been developed with the aim to minimize the consumption of this one, consuming less than 0.05 mg of Hg for a Cl⁻ determination, being the system of this type with the lowest Hg consumption. The linear working range was between 1 and 40 mg L⁻¹ Cl⁻ and the detection limit was 0.2 mg L⁻¹ Cl⁻. The repeatability (RSD) was 0.8% for a 10 mg L⁻¹ Cl⁻ solution, and the injection throughput was 130 h⁻¹. The proposed system is compared with other chloride monitoring flow systems, this comparison is realized with a point of view of the equilibrium between the obtained analytical features and produced residues toxicity. The proposed system was applied to the determination of Cl⁻ in mineral, tap and well water.     

Determination of total and dissolved amount of iron in water samples using catalytic spectrophotometric flow injection analysis

A flow injection spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of dissolved and total amounts of iron in tap and natural water samples. The method for the determination of iron employs a sample acidification step in order to decompose iron hydroxide and iron-complexes into free iron, Fe(III) and Fe(II). The amounts of free iron were detected using a catalytic action of Fe(III) and Fe(II) on the oxidation of N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Increase in absorbance of oxidized product was detected spectrophotometrically at 514 nm. The proposed method allows 0.02 and 0.06 μg l⁻¹ of LOD and LOQ, respectively, with relative standard deviation (RSD) below 2%. The accuracy and the precision of the method were evaluated by the analysis of the standard reference material, river water. The developed method was successfully applied to real water samples.     

Determination of trace iron in beer using flow injection systems with in-valve column and bead injection

Three flow injection (FI) systems were investigated for the determination of trace iron in beer: an FI-in-valve column-flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FI-FAAS) system, a spectrophotometric FI system with a column placed at the detection point, and an FI-spectrophotometric system with bead injection (FI-BI). Cationic exchange resin Dowex 50W X8 and iminodiacetate chelating resin, Chelex-100, were employed for the FI-spectrophotometric and FI-FAAS systems, respectively. The FI-in-valve column, packed with the resin, enhances the FAAS performance. The spectrophotometric FI system with a column (packed with Chelex-100) placed at the detection point (in a cell holder of a spectrophotometer) is based on the formation of iron (II)–1,10-phenanthroline complex sorbed onto the resin. No eluent has been found to be suitable. The FI-BI for renewable microcolumn has been proven to be an alternative. The FI-FAAS and FI-BI procedures provide online sample preseparation and preconcentration for the determination of iron in beer. Both are simple, rapid, and economical. The procedures also involve sample preparation (decarbonation and suppression of tannin interference by adding ascorbic acid) and standard addition. The results obtained by FI-FAAS and FI-BI agree with those of AOAC spectrophotometric method.     

An improved flow system for chloride determination in natural waters exploiting solid-phase reactor and long pathlength spectrophotometry

A single and sensitive spectrophotometric method for chloride ions determination based on a commuted flow system with a 100 cm optical path flow cell and a solid-phase reactor containing immobilized silver chloranilate was proposed. This procedure exploited the AgCl formation in the solid-phase reactor leading the chloranilate ions, monitored spectrophotometrically at 530 nm. The analytical signals were 75-fold higher and the sensitivity was 12-fold than that achieved with a 1 cm flow cell, allowed a chloride determination in the 0.5-100 mg l⁻¹ range. The R.S.D. was 1.1% (n = 20) with a sample throughput of 80 h⁻¹ and a waste generated of ca. 100 ng of chloranilate ions per determination. Four samples of natural waters from São Carlos and Araraquara cities were evaluated using the proposed method. Results agreed with the obtained by a reference method at the 95% confidence level.     

Determination of iron(II) and total iron in environmental water samples by flow injection analysis with column preconcentration of chelating resin functionalized with N-hydroxyethylethylenediamine ligands and chemiluminescence detection

A flow injection analysis (FIA) technique for the determination of Fe(II) and total-Fe in environmental water samples has been developed with a high sensitivity. The resin used for preconcentration of iron was the macroporous resin, Amberlite XAD-4 functionalized by N-hydroxyethylethylenediamine (HEED) groups. The technique employed was FIA by combination of on-line chelate resin preconcentration and chemiluminescence detection (CL), using brilliant sulfoflavine and hydrogen peroxide reagent solutions. The interference by coexisting Fe(III) could be eliminated by addition of 1×10⁻⁶ mol of deferrioxamine B solution. The detection limits of Fe(II) and total-Fe were 0.80 and 0.36 nmol l⁻¹ for 5.6-ml seawater samples with a concentration of 2 nmol l⁻¹. The relative standard deviations for both samples were less than ±4%. A typical analysis for Fe(II) can be performed in 7.5 min. The technique was ascertained by comparing the analytical value of total-Fe with the certified value of Fe in the reference standard seawater CASS-3.     

Determination of lead in natural waters using flow injection with on-line preconcentration and flame AAS detection

A rapid and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of lead in water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using on-line preconcentration on a microcolumn packed with silica gel treated with a mixture of Aliquat 336 and nitroso-R-salt. The lead is retained at pH 5.5. The preconcentrated lead is directly eluted from the column to the nebulizer-burner system using 150 L of 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid. The optimum preconcentration conditions are given and the retention efficiency achieved is higher than 80%. The enrichment factor is 37 and 100 for sample volumes of 5 and 30 mL, respectively. The limits of detection are 10.0, 6.0 and 4.0 ng/mL when 5, 10 and 30 mL of water is preconcentrated.     

Fast spectrophotometric determination of fluoride in ground waters by flow injection using partial least-squares calibration

The presence of sulphate constitutes a serious interference in the usual zirconium lake-based spectrophotometric method for the determination of fluoride in water. In this report, full spectral data have been recorded for the zirconium lake of 2-(parasulfophenylazo)-1,8-dihydroxy-3,6-naphthalene-disulfonate (SPADNS) in the simultaneous presence of fluoride and sulphate, as obtained with a flow injection system with a diode-array detector. The information has been processed with partial least-squares (PLS) multivariate calibration. Adequate modeling using a sixteen-sample calibration set allows fluoride to be determined in ground waters by the automated flow injection method, even in the presence of sulphate in concentrations up to 1000 mg l⁻¹. In the calibration range 0-1.50 mg l⁻¹ for fluoride, the limit of detection is 0.1 mg l⁻¹. The fluoride contents in real samples, as determined with the present method, were satisfactorily compared with those provided by ion selective potentiometry.     

Selenium determination by HG-ICPAES: Elimination of iron interferences by means of an ion-exchange resin in a continuous flow system

 An accurate procedure for the elimination of iron interferences in the determination of selenium in geological materials by the Hydride Generation – Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry technique (HG-ICPAES) is proposed. A selective removal of iron is achieved by on-line incorporation of a microcolumn filled with strongly acidic cation exchange resin (Dowex 50W-X8). The microcolumn manifold used was interfaced with the hydride generation manifold by a flow injection sample injection valve. After the removal of the iron, a 500 μl sample was injected into a carrier stream of water. This was merged with hydrochloric acid and sodium tetrahydroborate in order to generate the corresponding selenium hydride. The system was found to have a limit of detection of 0.4 ng ml^-1 and a relative standard deviation of 2% for 20 ng ml^-1 selenium. The application of the method on different Geochemical Standard Reference Samples demonstrated that results were statistically indistinguishable from certified values. Received: 7 March 1996 / Revised: 30 May 1996 / Accepted: 4 June 1996     

Determination of tetramethylthiuram disulfide (thiram) for residual analysis in food using spectrophotometry coupled with a solid-phase reactor (SPR) in a flow system

An analytical method was developed for quantification of the fungicide thiram (tetramethylthiuram disulfide), based on its capacity to complex Cu²⁺ ions. A solid-phase reactor (SPR) was coupled in a flow system containing a spectrophotometer as detector. The SPR consisted of a tube filled with finely ground resin, in which copper(II) phosphate was immobilised prior to polymerisation. Contact of thiram with the Cu²⁺ ions immobilised in the resin resulted in the formation of a strongly coloured Cu²⁺/thiram complex. Maximum absorbance of the Cu²⁺/thiram complex was obtained at a wavelength of 439 nm. The usefulness of the methodology has been evidenced by the determination of thiram residues in corn and bean grains. Previously, a variety of transition metal cations which would form coloured complexes with tetramethylthiuram disulfide were tested.     

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cobalt in biological samples and natural waters using a flow injection system with on-line preconcentration by ion-pair adsorption in a knotted reactor

An on-line flow injection preconcentration-ETAAS method is developed for trace determination of cobalt in biological materials and natural samples by ion-pair sorption on the inner walls of a PTFE knotted reactor. The ion-pair is formed between the negatively charged cobalt-nitroso-R-salt complex and the tetrabutylammonium counter-ion. An enhancement factor of 15, a sampling frequency of 17 and a concentration efficiency of 4 are obtained for a preconcentration time of 60 s and a sample loading flow rate of 5 mL min^–1. The detection limit (3σ) is 5 ng L^–1. The relative standard deviation at the 0.2 μg L^–1 level is 2.3%. The analytical results obtained for standard reference materials are in good agreement with the certified or indicated values and satisfactory recoveries of spiked cobalt in tap water are obtained.     

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cobalt in biological samples and natural waters using a flow injection system with on-line preconcentration by ion-pair adsorption in a knotted reactor

An on-line flow injection preconcentration-ETAAS method is developed for trace determination of cobalt in biological materials and natural samples by ion-pair sorption on the inner walls of a PTFE knotted reactor. The ion-pair is formed between the negatively charged cobalt-nitroso-R-salt complex and the tetrabutylammonium counter-ion. An enhancement factor of 15, a sampling frequency of 17 and a concentration efficiency of 4 are obtained for a preconcentration time of 60 s and a sample loading flow rate of 5 mL min(-1). The detection limit (3sigma) is 5 ng L(-1). The relative standard deviation at the 0.2 microg L(-1) level is 2.3%. The analytical results obtained for standard reference materials are in good agreement with the certified or indicated values and satisfactory recoveries of spiked cobalt in tap water are obtained.     

Determination of L-ascorbic acid in fruit and vegetable juices by flow injection with immobilised ascorbate oxidase

Ascorbate oxidase was immobilised on cyanogen bromide activated-Sepharose 4B and incorporated in a flow-injection system with amperometric detection at a glassy carbon electrode at +0.6 V. On passage through the immobilised ascorbate oxidase a fraction of the L-ascorbic acid was converted into dehydroascorbic acid and the decrease in signal was measured. This could be directly related to the amount of L-ascorbic acid present. The calibration graph was linear over the range 0-400 ng ml(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9994. The detection limit (2 sigma) in phosphate buffer (0.08 M, pH 5.5) was 4.0 ng ml(-1). The relative standard deviation for a 200 ng ml(-1) standard was 1.0% (n = 10) and the sampling throughput was 30 samples h(-1). The method was used for the simple and rapid determination of L-ascorbic acid in fruit and vegetable juice.     

Spectrophotometric determination of iron and boron in soil extracts using a multi-syringe flow injection system

In the last decade, significant advances in flow analysis have been reported, namely the extensive use of computer-controlled devices to enhance the autonomy and performance of analysers. In the present work, computer-controlled multi-syringe flow injection systems are proposed to perform the spectrophotometric determination of available iron and boron in soil extracts. The methodologies were based on the formation of ferroin complex (determination of iron) and azomethine-H reaction (determination of boron). Both determinations were performed in manifolds with similar configurations by changing the reagents present in the different syringes. In the determination of iron, elimination of Schlieren effect in the detection system was achieved through the binary sampling approach, where a three-way valve was actuated to intercalate small slugs of sample and reagent, promoting better mixing conditions for solutions with different values of refractive index. In the determination of boron, in-line sample blank measurement was attained by omitting the introduction of reagent through software control, without manifold reconfiguration. Linear calibration curves were established between 0.50 and 10.0 mg Fe l⁻¹ and between 0.20 and 4.0 mg B l⁻¹. No systematic difference was found when soil extracts were analysed by the proposed methodologies and compared to the respective reference procedures.     

A flow injection system with ion-exchange for spectrophotometric determination of copper in rocks

A flow injection system is proposed for the spectrophotometric determination of copper in rocks. Samples are mineralized by treatment with hydrofluoric and perchloric acids and the solutions analysed after iron III precipitation. Copper is preconcentrated in a small CHELEX-100 resin column placed in the flow system, eluted with 2.5M nitric acid and further mixed with diethanoldithiocarbamate (DEDC) in basic medium. The coloured complex was monitored at 410 nm. With the proposed system, about 2-30 samples are run per hour with low reagent consumption. Beer's law is followed within 0.04 and 2.00, microg/ml. Precision and accuracy were assessed by using reference rock standards from USGS and GSJ with copper content as low as 0.4 microg/g with good precision and accuracy.     

Amberlite XAD resin solid-phase extraction coupled on-line to a flow injection approach for the rapid enrichment and determination of phenols in water and waste waters

A novel and expeditious approach for direct determination of phenols in water and waste waters based on solid-phase extraction coupled on-line to a flow injection analysis (FIA) manifold is described. The method employs on-line preconcentration of the phenols in an acidified sample (pH=2.0) onto a 3 cmx3 mm column packed with Amberlite XAD-4 resin. The phenols are subsequently eluted from the resin into a flowing system with an alkaline solution (pH=13) by actuating a switching valve; the eluted analytes were then quantified spectrophotometrically as the products of reaction with 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) and potassium ferricyanide on passing through the flow-cell of a detector. The proposed method has a linear calibration range 0.01-1 mug ml(-1) of phenol, with a detection limit of 0.004 mug ml(-1) (S/N=3) and a sample throughput of 12 h(-1), investigated with a 4.4 ml sample volume. The relative standard deviation is 2.4% for 0.2 mug ml(-1) of the analyte. The sensitivity offered by the procedure was higher by a factor of 13 than that provided by a conventional flow injection analysis method. The analytical scheme of the proposed system is much simpler than its conventional manual counterpart due to the fact that it combines trace enrichment, sample clean-up, derivation and detection in one analytical set-up. The high speed, ease of use and automation, selectivity, and relative freedom from random contamination by sample handling make this method ideal for the phenols monitoring in water and waste waters.     

Determination of cefuroxime axetil in tablets and biological fluids using liquid chromatography and flow injection analysis

In the present work, the separations of calixarene derivatives have been investigated using both high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) techniques. HPLC-1 method with LC-318 (pore size = 300 Å) column and MeCN mobile phase was optimized for the separation of calixarenes. At the flow-rate of 1 ml/min p-nitrocalix[6]arene, calix[4]arene and calix[6]arene could be well baseline and symmetrically separated within 5 min. For the separation of p-tert-butylcalix[n]arenes (n = 4, 6, 8), HPLC-2 and NACE methods have been optimized. The optimal conditions in HPLC-2 method included NH₂ column and MeCN mobile phase, and p-tert-butylcalix[n]arenes (n = 4, 6, 8) were baseline separated within 10 min at 0.8 min/min. The optimal conditions for NACE method employed MeCN-H₂O (8:2, v/v) as the nonaqueous medium and 120 mM Tris/HCl (pH 9.0) as the buffer, and p-tert-butylcalix[n]arenes (n = 4, 6, 8) were successfully baseline resolved within 16 min. With the detection at 280 nm, the calibration lines were linear in the ranges of 1-200 μg/ml for calixarene derivatives by HPLC-1 and HPLC-2 methods, and of 2.5-200 μg/ml for p-tert-butylcalix[n]arenes (n = 4, 6, 8) by NACE method, respectively. The detection limits (S/N = 3) and recoveries ranged from 0.5 to 1.4 μg/ml and from 98.1 to 102.4% by both HPLC-1 and HPLC-2 methods, and from 1.3 to 2.0 μg/ml and from 97.9 to 105.1% by NACE method, respectively. The intra-day reproducibility of the methods was determined with satisfactory results. The proposed HPLC and NACE methods were accurate and reproducible, and could be utilized to separate and determine calixarene derivatives.