The potentiometric behavior of polymer-supported metallophthalocyanines used as anion-selective electrodes

Liquid polymer membrane electrodes based on nickel and manganese phthalocyanines were examined for use as anion-selective electrodes. The electrodes were prepared by incorporating the ionophores into plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) membranes, which were directly coated onto the surfaces of graphite electrodes. The resulting electrodes demonstrate near-Nernstian responses over a wide linear range of perchlorate anion (5 × 10⁻⁷ to 1 × 10⁻¹ M). The electrodes have a fast response time, submicromolar detection limits (5 × 10⁻⁷ M perchlorate), and could be used over a wide pH range of 3.5–10. The influences of lipophilic cationic and anionic additives on the response properties of the electrodes were investigated. The proposed sensors revealed high selectivity for perchlorate over a number of common inorganic and organic anions. The highest selectivity was observed for the electrode based on manganese phthalocyanine in the presence of the lipophilic anionic additive sodium tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate. Application of the electrodes to determine perchlorate in tap water and human urine is also reported.      

Development of membrane electrodes for selective determination of some antiepileptic drugs in pharmaceuticals,plasma and urine

Newly developed, simple, low-cost and sensitive ion-selective electrodes have been proposed for determination of some antiepileptic drugs such as lamotrigine, felbamate, and primidone in their pharmaceutical preparations as well as in biological fluids. The electrodes are based on poly(vinyl chloride) membranes doped with drug–tetraphenyl borate (TPB) or drug–phosphotungstic acid (PT) ion-pair complexes as molecular recognition materials. The novel electrodes displayed rapid Nernstian responses with detection limits of approximately 10⁻⁷ M. Calibration graphs were linear over the ranges 5.2 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³, 1.5 × 10⁻⁶–1.0 × 10⁻³, and 2.6 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³ M for drug–TPB and 5.8 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³, 1.8 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³, and 6.6 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³ M for drug–PT electrodes, respectively, with slopes ranging from 52.3 to 62.3 mV/decade. The membranes developed have potential stability for up to 1 month and proved to be highly selective for the drugs investigated over other ions and excipients. The results show that the selectivity of the ion-selective electrodes is influenced significantly by the plasticizer. The proposed electrodes were successfully applied in the determination of these drugs in pharmaceutical preparations in four batches of different expiry dates. Statistical Student’s t test and F test showed insignificant systematic error between the ion-selective electrode methods developed and a standard method. Comparison of the results obtained using the proposed electrodes with those found using a reference method showed that the ion-selective electrode technique is sensitive, reliable, and can be used with very good accuracy and high percentage recovery without pretreatment procedures of the samples to minimize interfering matrix effects. Figure Structure of lamotrigine, felbanate and primidone     

Construction and Evaluation of a Promazinium Cation-Selective Electrode

 The construction of a plasticised PVC matrix-type promazinium cation-selective membrane electrode and its use in the potentiometric determination of promazine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations are described. It is based on the use of the ion-associate species, formed by promazinium cation and tetraphenylborate (TPB) counter ion. The basic electrode performance characteristics are evaluated according to IUPAC recommendations. It exhibited a linear response for 1 × 10⁻²−1 × 10⁻⁵ M of promazine hydrochloride solutions with a cationic Nernstian slope over the pH range 2–6. Common organic and inorganic cations showed negligible interference. Direct potentiometric determination of 1 × 10⁻²−1 × 10⁻⁵ M aqueous promazine hydrochloride using this membrane electrode system showed an average recovery of 99.5% with a mean standard deviation of 1.5%. This electrode was successfully used for monitoring the titration of promazine hydrochloride with sodium tetraphenyl borate and for determining promazine hydrochloride in ampoules. Received June 15, 2001 Revision November 6, 2001     

Determination of furfural in an oscillating chemical reaction using an analyte pulse perturbation technique

A rapid and convenient method for the determination of furfural is presented that is based upon sequential perturbation of the Mn(II)-catalyzed B-Z oscillating system with different amounts of furfural using a continuous-flow stirred tank reactor (CSTR). When the sample was injected, the change in the amplitude and/or period was linearly proportional to the logarithm of the concentration of furfural over the range 3×10⁻⁸∼1×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. This method gave a detection limit of 3×10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ under optimum conditions. Finally, the possible mechanism of furfural perturbation in the oscillating reaction is discussed. When the furfural was injected into the Mn(II)-catalyzed B-Z oscillating system, the change in the amplitude and/or period was linearly proportional to the logarithm of the concentration of furfural over the range 3×10⁻⁸~1×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 3×10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ under optimum conditions.      

Reagentless biosensor for phenolic compounds based on tyrosinase entrapped within gelatine film

A simple and new reagentless phenolic compound biosensor was constructed with tyrosinase immobilized in the gelatine matrix cross-linked with formaldehyde. The morphologies of gelatine and gelatine/tryosinase were characterized by SEM. The tyrosinase retains its bioactivity when being immobilized by the gelatine film. Phenolic compounds were determined by the direct reduction of biocatalytically liberated quinone at -0.1 V vs SCE. The process parameters for the fabrication of the enzyme electrode were studied. Optimization of the experimental parameters has been performed with regard to pH, operating potential, temperature and storage stability. This biosensor exhibits a fast amperometric response to phenolic compounds. The linear range for catechol, phenol, and p-Cresol determination was from 5×10⁻⁸ to 1.4×10⁻⁴ M, 5×10⁻⁸ to 7.1×10⁻⁵ M, and 1×10⁻⁷ to 3.6×10⁻⁵ M, with a detection limit of 2.1×10⁻⁸ M, 1.5×10⁻⁸ M, and 7.1×10⁻⁸ M, respectively. The enzyme electrode retained ca.77% of its activity after 7 days of storage at 4°C in a dry state. The proposed sensor presented good repeatability, evaluated in terms of relative standard deviation (R.S.D.=8.6%) for eight different biosensors and was applied for determination in water sample. The recovery for the sample was from 99.0% to 99.8%.     

Development of a novel nitrite amperometric sensor based on poly(toluidine blue) film electrode

A novel sensor for the determination of nitrite anion () was fabricated by electrodeposition of toluidine blue. The sensor exhibited good catalytic activity toward the electrochemical oxidation of nitrite. Amperometry was carried out to determine the concentration of . A linear response in the range from 1.0×10⁻⁷ to 1.52×10⁻⁵ M with a substantially low detection limit of 5×10⁻⁸ M (S/N=3) was obtained. The proposed sensor had a feature of high sensitivity of 4.7×10⁵ μA M⁻¹ cm⁻². The possible interference from several common ions was tested. This sensor was applied to the amperometric determination of nitrite in food samples, and the results were consistent with those obtained with the standard spectrophotometric procedure.     

Fluorescence-detecting cationic surfactants using luminescent CdTe quantum dots as probes

A novel fluorescence quenching method for the determination of cationic surfactants (CS), specifically cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), has been developed using water-soluble luminescent CdTe quantum dots (QDs) modified with thioglycolic acid (TGA). The possible interference from heavy and transition metals (HTM) has been efficiently eliminated through simple sample treatment with mercapto cotton made in-house. Under optimum conditions, the extent of fluorescence quenching of CdTe QDs is linearly proportional to the concentration of CS from 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 7.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation for 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ CTAB is 2.5% (n = 6). The proposed method exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity and furthermore avoided the use of toxic organic solvents and tedious solvent extraction procedures. It has been applied to the determination of trace CS in natural river water and commodity samples with satisfactory results. Potential interference from heavy and transition metals is eliminated during photoluminescence detection of CS through simple sample pre-treatment with mercapto cotton     

Simultaneous voltammetric determination of epinephrine and serotonin at a p-tetra-butyl calix [6] arene-L-Histidine chemically modified electrode

A new p-tetra-butyl calix [6] arene-L-Histidine chemically modified glassy carbon electrode (BCH/GCE) has been proposed for simultaneous investigation and determination of epinephrine (Ep) and serotonin (5-HT) by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). In potassium dihydrogen phosphate-borax (PDPB) buffer solution (pH 5.8), the anodic peaks of Ep and 5-HT were observed at 0.27 and 0.45 V, respectively, with E up to 180 mV. The peak currents on the DP voltammogram are in a linear relationship with the concentrations of Ep in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶−1.30 × 10⁻⁴ M in the presence of 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M 5-HT. A linear relationship was similarly found for 5-HT in the range 1.0 × 10⁻⁶⁻ 1.40 × 10⁻⁴ M in the presence of 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M Ep. It is found that Ep and 5-HT could be simultaneously determined with good sensitivity in the presence of 1.0 × 10⁻³ M ascorbic acid (AA). The developed method has been applied to the determination of Ep and 5-HT in synthetic samples with satisfactory results. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Comparison of analytical methods for quality control of pharmaceutical formulations containing glutathione

Summary The aim of this investigation was the study and development of analytical procedures suitable for the assay of glutathione (GSH) in pharmaceutical formulations. Two are based on isocratic HPLC with a 250 mm×4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm C₁₈ column and UV detection. In the first procedure sample solutions were injected without pretreatment whereas in the second the samples were injected after derivatization with Ellman’s reagent which forms an easily detectable adduct with GSH. Good linearity was obtained over the range 0.12–6.00×10⁻⁴M for the direct procedure and 0.25–3.00×10⁻⁴M for the derivatization procedure. The precision and rapidity of analysis were also good for both methods. The third method is based on capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in a 27 cm×75 μm i.d untreated fused silica capillary containing pH 7 phosphate buffer. All results are in good agreement with a spectrophotometric procedure used as reference method.     

Photometric determination of aqueous cobalt (II), nickel (II), copper (II) and iron (III) with 1-nitroso-2-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid disodium salt in gelatin films

Photometric determination of aqueous Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Fe(III) was performed using indicator films prepared by immobilization of 1-nitroso-2-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid disodium salt (NRS) into hardened photographic film. Immobilization was based on electrostatic interaction of reagent and metal complexes with the gelatin. The isoelectric point pH of hardened gelatin (4.46±0.04) was evaluated by viscometry. Co(II), Fe(III), Ni(II) form 1:3 complexes with NRS in gelatin at pH 2 and Cu(II) forms 1:2 complexes. Their log β′ values were: Co-6.7, Fe-8.6, Cu-8.0, and Ni-6.4. The absorption maxima were: 370nm for NRS, and 430nm, 470nm, 495nm and 720nm for complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Fe(III). An algorithm for their simultaneous determination using the indicator films was developed. The detection limits were: c_lim(Co²⁺) = 0.45×10⁻⁵ M, c_lim(Fe³⁺) = 0.50×10⁻⁵ M, c_lim(Cu²⁺) = 0.67×10⁻⁵ M, c_lim(Ni²⁺) = 0.75×10⁻⁵ M,; and their sum c_lim(ΣMn⁺) = 0.82×10⁻⁵ M.      

Construction of different types of ion-selective electrodes and validation of direct potentiometric determination of phenytoin sodium

The construction and performance characteristics of phenytoin sodium selective electrodes are detailed. Two types of electrodes: plastic membrane I and coated wire II, were constructed based on the incorporation of phenytoin sodium with tungstosilicic acid. The influence of membrane composition, kind of plasticizer, pH of the test solution, soaking time and the electrodes’ foreign ions were investigated. The electrodes showed a Nernstian response with a mean calibration graph slope of 30.9±0.1 and 28.9±0.1 mV decade⁻¹ at 25°C for electrode I and II respectively, over a phenytoin sodium concentration range of 5×10⁻³−5×10⁻⁶ M and 1×10⁻³−1×10⁻⁶ M with a detection limit 1.3×10⁻⁶ M and 2.5×10⁻⁷ M for electrode I and II, respectively. The electrodes gave average selective precision and were usable within the pH range 6–10. Interference studies from common cations, alkaloids, sugars, amino acids and drug excipients are reported. The results obtained by the proposed electrodes were also applied successfully for the determination of the drug in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids.     

Simultaneous determination of silicic acid, Ca, Mg and Al in mineral water and composite tablets by Ion chromatography

Summary A simple, selective and sensitive ion-chromatography method was investigated for simultaneously determining silicic acid, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺ and anions (Cl⁻ and NO ₃ ⁻ ) in real samples. It involved a single-column ion-chromatograph with sodium hydroxide-methanol-water eluent and conductometric detection. Cations were converted to complex anions by adding EDTA to the sample solution. A set of well-defined peaks of silicic acid, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺, Cl⁻ and NO ₃ ⁻ were obtained. Detection limits using 3.3σ (σ=standard deviation of blank solution) were 1.25×10⁻⁶ M for H₃SiO ₄ ⁻ , 1.32×10⁻⁶ M for Ca²⁺, 1.28×10⁻⁶ M for Mg²⁺, 1.33×10⁻⁶ M for Al³⁺, 1.31×10⁻⁶ M for Cl⁻ and 1.24×10⁻⁶ M for NO ₃ ⁻ . The method was successfully applied to analysis of mineral water and composite tablets.     

Derivative Spectrophotometric Determination of Nd, Ho and Er in Rare Earth Mixtures with 1-Ethyl-6,8-difluoro-7-(3-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-3-quinoline carboxylic acid

 The second derivative spectrophotometric method has been developed as a procedure for the determination of neodymium, holmium and erbium in mixed rare earths. It was found that the 1-ethyl-6, 8-difluoro-7-(3-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-4-oxo-1,4- dihydro-3-quinoline carboxylic acid forms stable complexes with neodymium, holmium and erbium ions in the pH 9.2–10.5 range. In the second derivative spectra the optimum analytical signals for neodymium, holmium and erbium are at 576.2 (+)−574.5 (−)nm, 444.2 (+) −447.8 (−)nm and 516.0 (+) −517.2(−)nm, respectively. Beer’s law is obeyed from 5.0×10⁻⁵ M to 2.5×10⁻⁴ M of neodymium, holmium and erbium. The quantification limits (10 Sb) were 1.2×10⁻⁵ M for Nd, 9.7×10⁻⁵ M for Ho and 3.0×10⁻⁶ M for Er. Received April 22, 1998. Revision March 8, 1999.     

Electrochemical oxidation of methylthiomethyleneisoquinolinium chloride — the first water soluble alkylthiomethylene substituted ammonium salt

Electrochemical oxidation of methylthiomethyleneisoquinolinium chloride (MTMIQ), the first alkylthiomethyl substituted ammonium salt, which is fully miscible with water has been investigated by voltammetric (SWV) method using glassy carbon electrode. On the electrode, MTMIQ undergoes oxidation at the potential near Ep = 0.07V (vs. Ag/AgCl/3 M KCl). The influence of the pH of buffers, amplitude, frequency, step potential on the received signal was studied. The best results were obtained with a citrate buffer at a pH of 5. The oxidation peak current used for MTMIQ voltammetric determination was in the range of 2–8×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, LOD = 3.7×10⁻⁶, LOQ = 1.2×10⁻⁵. The product of the oxidation was accumulated at the working electrode and was investigated by spectroscopic method. Mechanistic pathways of the oxidation have been proposed.      

The determination of lansoprazole in pharmaceutical preparation by capillary electrophoresis

Summary A capillary electrophoretic method for the determination of lansoprazole in pharmaceutical preparations is described. The analysis was performed in a fused silica capillary using 20 mM borate buffer at pH 8.7 as a background electrolyte. The best resolution was obtained by applying a potential of 30 kV and vacuum injection of 1 s. Detection was made at 200 nm. Phenobarbital sodium was a good internal standard and the migration times were 4.1±0.2 min (lansoprazole) and 5.7±0.2 min (phenobarbital sodium). A well-correlated calibration equation was found in the range of 1.12×10⁻⁵ and 2.24×10⁻⁴ M. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 1.4×10⁻⁶ M (RSD 1.44%) and 4.42×10⁻⁶ M (RSD 1.49%), respectively. The method was validated and applied to the capsules containing enteric coated pellets of lansoprazole. The results of the proposed method were compared those of UV spectrophotometry. Insignificant differences were found between the two methods at the 95% probability level. The described CE method is selective, rapid, sensitive and accurate for the analysis of lansoprazole in quality control laboratories.     

Simultaneous determination of uric acid and ascorbic acid at a ferrocenium–thioglycollate modified electrode

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMS) of chemisorbed thioglycollate on a gold electrode surface have been used as a base interface for the electrostatic adsorption of ferrocenium ion. Electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were used to evaluate the electrochemical properties of the supramolecular film. The bare gold electrode failed to distinguish the oxidation peaks of ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) in phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.0), while the ferricinium–thioglycollate modified electrode could separate them efficiently. In differiential pulse voltammetric measurements, the prepared gold electrode could separate AA and UA signals, allowing the simultaneous determination of AA and UA. Under optimal conditions and within the linear range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 5.0 × 10⁻⁴ M, the detection limits of AA and UA achieved were 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ and 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ M, respectively. The applicability of the prepared electrode was demonstrated by measuring AA and UA in human urine without any pretreatment. Figure Fabrication process for the modified electrode     

Differential kinetic thermal lens determination of aniline and 4-nitroaniline

Thermal lens spectrometry was used for the differential kinetic determination of aniline (over the concentration range of 8 × 10⁻⁴–3.2 × 10⁻³ M) and 4-nitroaniline (2 × 10⁻⁴–1.6 × 10⁻³ M) present in combination in a single sample based on the oxidation reaction with periodate ions in an acidic medium (this determination is not possible with the spectrophotometric monitoring of the rate of reaction). The thermal lens procedure (λ_e = 488.0 nm; 80 mW) was characterized by good performance characteristics in the determination of aniline (c _min = 3 × 10⁻⁴ M; c _d = 8 × 10⁻⁴ M) and 4-nitroaniline (c _min = 7 × 10⁻⁵ M; c _d = 2 × 10⁻⁴ M), simplicity, and rapidity.     

Cobalt(II) ion-selective electrode with solid contact

A new all plastic sensor for Co²⁺ ions based on 2-amino-5 (hydroxynaphtyloazo-1′)-1,3,4 thiadiazole (ATIDAN) as ionophore was prepared. The electrode exhibits a low detection limit of 1.5 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ and almost theoretical Nernstian slope in the activity range 4.0 × 10⁻⁶–1 × 10⁻¹ mol L⁻¹ of cobalt ions. The response time of the sensor is less than 10 s and it can be used over a period of 6 months without any measurable divergence in potential. The proposed sensor shows a fairly good selectivity for Co(II) over other metal ions. The electrode was successfully applied for determination of Co²⁺ in real samples and as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of Co²⁺ ions with EDTA.      

Determination of sulfanilamide based on the Mn(II)-catalyzed oscillating chemical reaction

A convenient and sensitive method for determination of sulfanilamide (SNA) was described based on the Mn(II)-catalyzed oscillating chemical reaction. Under optimum conditions, a linear relationship existed between the changes of oscillating period or amplitude and the negative of logarithm of SNA concentration in the range of 4.27 × 10⁻⁸ mol ·L⁻¹ ∼ 7.41 × 10⁻⁶ mol ·L⁻¹ (RSD, 0.85%) and 9.33 × 10⁻⁸ mol ·L⁻¹ ∼ 3.02 × 10⁻⁶ mol ·L⁻1 (RSD, 1.08%), respectively. The lower limit of detection was found to be 2.69 × 10⁻⁸ mol ·L⁻¹ and 6.03 × 10⁻⁸ mol ·L⁻¹, respectively.      

Online phototransformation–flow injection chemiluminescence determination of triclosan

A highly selective and sensitive chemiluminescence method for the determination of triclosan is proposed. The method is based on the phototransformation of triclosan to a light-emitting precursor in the presence of fluorescein in alkaline medium and the chemiluminescence reaction is then triggered by strong base or oxidants such as N-bromosuccinimide. Based on this reaction an online phototransformation–flow injection manifold was developed, in which the photoreactor comprises a 150-cm-long × 0.8-mm-i.d. piece of PTFE tubing coiled around a 25-W fluorescent lamp, and the phototransformed products were then injected into a carrier stream of borate buffer. After mixing with the oxidant stream the produced light was detected by a photomultiplier. A wide calibration range from 8.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ was obtained under the optimized conditions, and the detection limit was as low as 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. The whole process of analysis, including the online phototransformation and subsequent chemiluminescence detection, could be completed in 6 min. Most of the foreign substances tested showed high tolerance levels, and the proposed method was directly applied to the determination of triclosan in toothpaste samples without any pre-separation procedure. Figure Schematic representation of the phototransformation of triclosan and subsequent chemiluminescence reaction