Flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of fluoride based on alizarin fluorine blue in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate

The stopped-flow reagent-injection method proposed for the spectrophotometric determination of fluoride with lanthanum (III)/alizarin fluorine blue in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate at pH 4.6 (λ_max=574 nm) provides a linear calibration graph for 0.08–1.2 mg l^?1 fluoride. The relative standard deviation (n=10) was 0.2% at 0.60 mg l^?1 fluoride. The sampling rate was 60 h^?1. The method is applied to sea and bottled mineral waters with satisfactory results.     

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.     

Determination of humic acid by chemiluminescence

The analytical utility of the chemiluminescence resulting from the reaction of humic acid with permanganate is investigated. The chemiluminescence response curve rises sharply to a peak value at about 0.5 s after mixing and decays somewhat more slowly. The peak signal for a fixed humic acid concentration is shown to pass through a maximum near a permanganate concentration of 17 μmol l^-1 and to increase continuously with potassium hydroxide concentration up to 2.0 mol l^-1. Calibration plots of peak signal vs. humic acid concentration exhibit complex behaviour, being approximately linear up to about 20 mg l^-1, curving slightly toward the concentration axis up to about 40 mg l^-1, and then curving away from the concentration axis above 40 mg l^-1. The detection limit for humic acid is about 0.7 mg l^-1. No interference is observed for thirteen common inorganic species at typical levels in water samples. Substantial differences are observed for humic acid in selected samples determined by the chemiluminescence and visible absorption procedures.     

Spectrophotometric and fluorimetric determinations of trichothecene mycotoxins with reagents for formaldehyde

Several trichothecene mycotoxins, such as fusarenone-X (F-X) and T-2 toxin (T-2), readily liberate formaldehyde on heating with sulfuric acid. Spectrophotometric and fluorimetric methods for the determination of trichothecenes with reagents for formaldehyde are therefore possible. F-X (or T-2) can be determined in the 50–1000 mg l^-1 (or 50–1500 mg l^-1) range by the chromotropic acid method, in the 30–1200 mg l^-1 (or 50–2000 mg l^-1) range by the phenyl J acid method, and in the 1.25–25 mg l^-1 (or 2–40 mg l^-1) range by the J acid method. Other trichothecenes, neosolaniol, nivalenol, tetraacetylnivalenol, diacetoxyscirpenol and HT-2 toxin, etc. also give positive reactions but trichothecin and dihydronivalenol do not.     

An atomic absorption spectrometric method for the determination of non-ionic surfactants

A method is described for the determination of non-ionic surfactants in the concentration range 0.05–2 mg l^-1.Surfactant molecules are extracted into 1,2-dichlorobenzene as a neutral adduct with potassium tetrathiocyanatozincate(II) and the determination is completed by atomic absorption spectrometry. With a 150-ml water sample, the limit of detection is 0.03 mg l^-1(as Triton X-100).The method requires a single phase separation step, is applicable, without modification, to fresh, estuarine and sea-water samples and is relatively free from interference by anionic surfactants; the presence of up to 5 mg l^-1 of anionic surfactant (as LAS) introduces an error of no more than 0.07 mg l^-1 (as Triton X-100) in the apparent non-ionic surfactant concentration.     

A method of determining and removing sulphide to allow the determination of sulphate,phosphate, nitrite and ammonia by conventional methods in small volumes of anoxic waters

Mercury(II) chloride is used to precipitate free sulphide from <10-ml samples of anoxic water. The sulphide-free supernatant solution can be used for estimation of sulphide by measuring the concentration of unreacted mercury(II) ion and for determinations of sulphate, inorganic phosphate, ammonia and nitrite by spectrophotometric methods which normally cannot be used because of sulphide interference. Concentrations that can be determined lie within the ranges: sulphide 0.5–180 000 μg S l^?1, sulphate 0.024–2.77 g S l^?1, ammonia 1–70 000 μg N l^?1, nitrite 1–3000 μg N l^?1, inorganic phosphate 1–4000 μg P l^?1. Interstitial waters from estuarine sediments, tidal flats, mangrove swamps, and an anoxic estuarine basin were examined.     

Continuous potentiometric determination of sulphate in a differential flow system

Continuous monitoring of sulphate in a differential flow system equipped with two lead ion-selective electrodes is described. All solutions contained 75% methanol and were adjusted to pH 4. In the flow cell, a standard solution of lead(II) is pumped past the first sensing electrode and is mixed with the sample stream containing sulphate in a small mixing chamber; the mixture containing excess of lead(II) and lead sulphate precipitate then flows through the second sensing electrode chamber. The potential difference depends on the sulphate content in the sample. The effects of lead electrode passivation and the interferences of calcium and chloride are discussed. The system is useful for routine sulphate determination in the range 30–400 mg l^-1 with an accuracy of ±5%     

Differential pulse voltammetric study of a typical anaerobic adhesive formulation coated on a glassy carbon electrode

The determination of copper (II) and iron (III) added to an anaerobic adhesive formulation was investigated by differential pulse voltammetry after application of a solution of the adhesive in acetone to a glassy carbon electrode. The best supporting electrolyte was 0.1 M sodium dodecyl sulphate, which ensured adequate surface contact with the adhesive coating. Under optimum conditions, copper (II) (as CuEDTA ^2?) could be determined at levels down to 0.1 mg l^?1 and iron (III) (in some complexed form) down to 2.0 mg l^?1. The method is also capable of detecting the presence of poly (ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate, cumene hydroperoxide and N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine in a typical formulation.     

Determination of chlorite ion in dilute solution by pulse polarography

Chlorite is determined in the range 0–1.3 mg l^-1 by pulse polarography at pH 4.25–4.65. The detection limit is 0.05 mg l^-1.     

Extraction-spectrophotometric determination of anionic surfactants with a flow-injection system

Anionic surfactants are preconcentrated from 5-ml samples by extraction as the ion-pair with ethyl violet into toluene. The absorbance of aliquots of the toluene phase is measured at 610 nm in a flow-injection system. A phase converter is located prior to the injection valve to convert a water stream to, pumped with ordinary pump tubing, to a toluene stream. The working range was 0.01–1.0 mg l^?1 and the reproductibility (r.s.d, n = 10) was 2% for 0.4 mg l^?1 sodium dodecyl sulphate. The non-aqueous flow-injection system serves to miniaturize the extraction from separatory funnel (200 ml) to test tube (10 ml) scale without loss of precision or validity.     

Flow-injection ultraviolet spectrophotometric determination of sulphate in natural waters

The proposed method is based on measurement of the absorbance of the FeSO₄⁺ complex cation at 355 nm. Sample-injection and reagent-injection procedures are described. Calibration graphs are linear in the ranges 25–600 and 10–150 mg l^?1 sulphate, respectively. The main interference is from ultraviolet-absorbing organic compounds in the waters. Methods of eliminating the interference are discussed. Results for sulphate in river waters compare satisfactorily with those obtained by the gravimetric method. Depending on the pretreatment used, 10–30 samples can be analyzed per hour.     

A microcomputer-based peak-width method of extended calibration for flow-injection atomic absorption spectrometry

In the proposed method of extended calibration based on peak widths, all data collection and reduction are done by a microcomputer interfaced to the spectrometer. The method produces an estimate of concentration without dilution of the off-range samples. Calibrations covering the ranges 40/2-1000 mg l^?1, 1.0/2-50 mg l^?1 and 20/2-1000 mg l^?1 were obtained for chromium, magnesium and nickel, respectively.     

Spectrophotometric determination of sulphate in automotive fuel ethanol by sequential injection analysis using dimethylsulphonazo(III) reaction

A sensitive SIA method was developed for sulphate determination in automotive fuel ethanol. This method was based on the reaction of sulphate with barium-dimethylsulphonazo(III) leading to a decrease on the magnitude of analytical signal monitored at 665 nm. Alcohol fuel samples were previously burned up to avoid matrix effects for sulphate determinations. Binary sampling and stop-flow strategies were used to increase the sensitivity of the method. The optimization of analytical parameter was performed by response surface method using Box-Behnker and central composite designs. The proposed sequential flow procedure permits to determine up to 10.0 mg SO₄²⁻ l⁻¹ with R.S.D. <2.5% and limit of detection of 0.27 mg l⁻¹. The method has been successfully applied for sulphate determination in automotive fuel alcohol and the results agreed with the reference volumetric method. In the optimized condition the SIA system carried out 27 samples per hour.     

Determination of lead in gasoline by a flow-injection technique with atomic absorption spectrometric detection

The gasoline sample is treated with iodine and Aliquat-336 and diluted with 4-methylpentan-2-one; 100 μl is injected into a flowing acetone stream for aspiration into an atomic absorption spectrometer. Calibration is linear in the range 0/2-16 mg l^?1 lead. Results for commercial gasoline samples agree well with those obtained by published titrimetric and atomic absorption methods. The precision for samples containing 300/2-400 mg l^?1 lead is ±1%; with increased recorder amplification, the limit of detection is 0.1 mg l^?1 lead. The method is rapid and economic.     

Determination of residual chlorine by derivatisation with 2,6-dimethylphenol and gas chromatographic separation

Residual chlorine in aqueous solution is converted to 4-chloro-2,6-dimethylphenol, which is extracted into hexane and determined by gas chromatography. Relative standard deviations (n = 5) are 0.36–1.1% for chlorine concentrations of 8.6–0.01 mg l^-1 and chlorine recoveries are 99.2–101%. In the presence of dichromate (30 mg l^-1), relative standard deviations (n = 5) are 1.19–2.71% for chlorine concentrations of 9.3–0.1 mg l^-1. Oxidants and coloured solutes do not interfere.     

Application of edta to direct graphite-furnace atomic absorption analysis for cadmium in sea water

A method is described for the direct determination of cadmium in undiluted sea water by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The addition of EDTA ( 1 mg ml^-1) reduces the temperature of atomization of cadmium to far below that of volatilization of other matrix components. The need for very careful temperature control and accurate background compensation is thus minimized. Sea water was analyzed by the method of standard additions. A detection limit of 0.01 μg l^-1, a sensitivity of 0.034 μg l^-1 and a precision of ±10% at the 0.05 μg l^-1 level were obtained for 20-μl injections.     

Spectrophotometric determination of micro amounts of cationic polymeric flocculants by flow injection analysis

Cationic polymeric flocculants in water are determined spectrophotometrically with the anionic compound 3-(2-hydroxy-3-carboxyanilide-1-azonaphthalene)-4-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid at pH 10 by flow injection analysis. The calibration graph at 680 nm is rectilinear from 0 to 20 mg l^?1 under optimal conditions. The relative standard deviation for 20 injections of Cat-Floc (10 mg l^?1) was 1.2%; the sample throughput was 60 h^?1.     

The spectrophotometric determination of arsenic in sea water,potable water and effluents

Procedures are described for the determination of arsenic in sea water, potable waters and effluents. The sample is treated with sodium borohydride added at a controlled rate. The arsine evolved is absorbed in a solution of iodine and the resultant arsenate ion is determined photometrically by a molybdenum blue method. The time required for a complete analysis is about 90 min, but of this only 15 min is operator time. For sea water the range, standard deviation, and detection limit are 1–4 μgl^-1, 1.4 % and O.14 μg l^-1, respectively; for potable waters they are 0–800 μg l^-1, about 1 % (at 20μg l^-1 level) and 0.5μg l^-1, respectively. Silver and copper cause serious interference at levels of 0.5 mgl^-1, and nickel, cadmium and bismuth interfere at concentrations of a few tens of mg l^-1; however, these elements can be removed either by preliminary extraction with a solution of dithizone in chloroform or by ion exchange. Arsenic present in organo-arsenic compounds is not directly determinable, but can be rendered reactive either by photolysis with ultraviolet radiation or by oxidation with permanganate or nitric—sulphuric acid mixture. Arsenic(V) can be determined separately from total inorganic arsenic after extracting arsenic(III) as its pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate into chloroform.     

Detection of sulphate by flame emission spectrometry

A reasonably simple method for the determination of sulphate is presented. The method is based on disulphur molecular emission, produced in a hydrogen-nitrogen diffusion flame, utilizing a conventional atomic absorption spectrometer, with simple accessories to handle in-line ion-exchange pretreatment. A simplex program was written and used to obtain optimum experimental conditions. Disulphur emission was found to occur at temperatures from below 150°C; the optimum temperature is ca. 200°C. The method can be used for the determination of sulphate down to ca. 10 mg S l^?1.     

Spectrophotometric determination of sulphate in sodium hydroxide solutions by flow-injection analysis

A spectrophotometric flow-injection procedure is described for the determination of sulphate in sodium hydroxide solutions. Sulphate catalyses the reaction between zirconium and methylthymol blue to form a complex measured at 586 nm. Optimal reaction conditions are discussed. The calibration graph is linear over the range 0.05–0.5 g l^?1 sulphate with a relative standard deviation of 0.02. The sample throughput is 20 h^?1. Sulphate is easily determined in 1 M sodium hydroxide; the results agree with those obtained by the conventional gravimetric method and by ion chromatography.