Spectrofluorimetric determination of total amount of nitrite and nitrate in biological sample with a new fluorescent probe 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(3',4'-diaminophenyl)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacence

A new synthesized fluorescent probe, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(3′,4′-diaminophenyl)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacence (TMDABODIPY), has been used to detect nitrite. When TMDABODIPY reacted with nitrite, a weak fluorescent triazole formed in 0.2 mol l⁻¹ HCl medium at room temperature. The fluorescence quenching intensity was linear over a nitrite concentration of 0.04–0.32 μmol l⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.3 nmol l⁻¹ (S/N=3). The proposed method has been applied to the determination of total amount of nitrite and nitrate (reduced by Zn powder) in human serum and urine of health and hypertension persons with recoveries of 91.83–101.80%.     

Chemiluminescence nitrogen detection in ion chromatography for the determination of nitrogen-containing anions

Chemiluminescence nitrogen detection (CLND) provides equimolar response for nitrogen-containing ions such as nitrate, nitrite, cyanide, ammonium and tetradecyltrimethylammonium. Only azide yields a lower response. Nitrite, azide and nitrate are separated on a Dionex AS11 column using 5 mM NaOH as eluent with a 3 μM (1 ng N) limit of detection. Matrices, such as 1:10 diluted seawater, do not degrade these detection limits. CLND also provides equally sensitive (limit of detection 3 μM, 78 ppb) detection of weak acids such, as cyanide, which yield poor sensitivity with suppressed conductivity detection.     

New spot tests for nitrates and nitrites

New spot test reactions for the nitrates and nitrites are described. These are based on a reaction with hydroquinone whereby nitric oxide and chloranil are produced. Nitric oxide is detected in the gas phase by the Griess reaction and chloranil is determined by a reaction with tetra base. Nitrate and nitrite ions are also detected in presence of each other. Some organic and inorganic nitrate samples are tested, the lower limit of identification being 50 μg.     

Spectrophotometric simultaneous determination of nitrite, nitrate and ammonium in soils by flow injection analysis

A new rapid flow injection procedure for the simultaneous determination of nitrate, nitrite and ammonium in single flow injection analysis system is proposed. The procedure combines on-line reduction of nitrate to nitrite and oxidation of ammonium to nitrite with spectrophotometric detection of nitrite by using the Griess-llosvay reaction. The formed azo dye was measured at 543 nm. The influence of reagent concentration and manifold parameters were studied. Nitrite, nitrate and ammonium can be determined within the range of 0.02–1.60 μg mL⁻¹, 0.02–1.60 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.05–1.40 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. R.S.D. values (n = 10) were 2.66; 1.41 and 3.58 for nitrate, nitrite and ammonium, respectively. This procedure allows the determination and speciation of inorganic nitrogen species in soils with a single injection in a simple way, and high sampling rate (18 h⁻¹). Detection limits of 0.013, 0.046 and 0.047 μg mL⁻¹were achieved for nitrate, nitrite and ammonium, respectively. In comparison with others methods, the proposed one is more simple, it uses as single chromogenic reagent less injection volume (250 mL in stead of 350 mL) and it has a higher sampling rate.     

Simultaneous determination of inorganic disinfection by-products and the seven standard anions by ion chromatography

For the first time, an ion chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of the disinfection by-products bromate, chlorite, chlorate, and the so-called seven standard anions, fluoride, chloride, nitrite, sulfate, bromide, nitrate and orthophosphate is presented. The separation of the ten anions was carried out using a laboratory-made high-capacity anion-exchanger. The high capacity anion-exchanger allowed the direct injection of large sample volumes without any sample pretreatment, even in the case of hard water samples. For quantification of fluoride, chloride, nitrite, sulfate, bromide, nitrate, orthophosphate and chlorate, a conductivity detection method was applied after chemical suppression. The post-column reaction, based on chlorpromazine, was optimized for the determination of chlorite and bromate. The method detection limit for bromate measured in deionized water is 100 ng/l and for chlorite, it is 700 ng/l. In hard drinking water, the method’s detection limits are 700 ng/l (bromate) and 3.5 μg/l (chlorite). The method’s detection limits for the other eight anions, determined by conductivity detection, are between 100 μg/l (nitrite) and 1.6 mg/l (chlorate).     

Selective and sensitive detection of nitrite based on NO sensing on a polymer-coated rotating disc electrode

A new effective way of nitrite detection in complex samples is presented. It is based on chemical conversion of nitrite to nitric monoxide (NO) in acidic aqueous solution containing hexacyanoferrate(II) as a reductor. NO is then detected on a poly-eugenol coated platinum electrode. When the electrode is rotating and the reduction medium is continuously purged with nitrogen, the addition of a nitrite-containing sample produces narrowed current spikes. The peak current is proportional to nitrite content in the sample over the range of 5.0–100 μM and detection limit is 0.6 μM. The method is simple and highly reproducible. Relative standard deviation of 10 repetitions is less than 4%. Practical utility of the proposed approach is demonstrated by nitrite determination in human saliva.     

Improved determination of tributyl phosphate degradation products (mono- and dibutyl phosphates) by ion chromatography

Tributyl phosphate (TBP) is a very important compound in the nuclear industry, particularly in the area of nuclear fuel reprocessing. This compound is used in the PUREX (plutonium and uranium refining extraction) process which consists of the extraction of uranium and plutonium from an aqueous nitric acid phase, for the purpose of recycling. But TBP may be degraded to dibutyl phosphate (DBP) and monobutyl phosphate (MBP) by dealkylation of one or two butoxy groups, respectively. We have compared and evaluated the capacity of two resins manufactured by Dionex (AS11 and AS5A) in the separation and measurement of these two degradation products. AS11 generates two interferences: nitrite/DBP and carbonate/MBP. The first one is the most serious. So, we have developed a method for oxidising nitrite ions to nitrate ions which have no trouble over the measurement. The second resin tested, AS5A, allows a very efficient separation between DBP and NO₂⁻ ions and a good separation between MBP and CO₃²⁻ in comparison with the AS11. The detection limits for the AS5A column are 0.13 μM for MBP and 0.71 μM for DBP (injection LOOP=50 μl).     

Simple flow-injection system for the simultaneous determination of nitrite and nitrate in water samples

A novel spectrophotometric reaction system was developed for the determination of nitrite as well as nitrate in water samples, and was applied to a flow-injection analysis (FIA). The spectrophotometric flow-injection system coupled with a copperised cadmium reductor column was proposed. The detection was based on the nitrosation reaction between nitrite ion and phloroglucinol (1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene), a commercially available phenolic compound. Sample injected into a carrier stream was split into two streams at the Y-shaped connector. One of the streams merged directly and reacted with the reagent stream: nitrite ion in the samples was detected. The other stream was passed through the copperised cadmium reductor column, where the reduction of nitrate to nitrite occurred, and the sample zone was then mixed with the reagent stream and passed through the detector: the sum of nitrate and nitrite was detected. The optimised conditions allow a linear calibration range of 0.03–0.30 μg NO₂⁻-N ml⁻¹ and 0.10–1.00 μg NO₃⁻-N ml⁻¹. The detection limits for nitrite and nitrate, defined as three times the standard deviation of measured blanks are 2.9 ng NO₂⁻-N ml⁻¹ and 2.3 ng NO₃⁻-N ml⁻¹, respectively. Up to 20 samples can be analyzed per hour with a relative standard deviation of less than 1.5%. The proposed method could be applied successfully to the simultaneous determination of nitrite and nitrate in water samples.     

Detection and spectrophotometric determination of EDTA with cobalt(II) and phosphomolybdic acid in urine and detergents

A simple, rapid, sensitive and selective method for the microgram detection and spectrophotometric determination of EDTA in water, human urine and detergents, based on its reaction with Co(II) and phosphomolybdic acid at pH 0.5–2.0 is reported. Absorbance is measured against Co(II)–phosphomolybdic acid reference solution at 750 nm. The effect of time, temperature, pH and Co(II) or phosphomolybdic acid concentration is studied, and optimum operating conditions are established. Beer's law is applicable in the concentration range 0.3–1.9 μg ml⁻¹ of 10⁻⁵M EDTA. Its detection limit is 0.14 μg in the solution phase and 0.03 μg in the resin phase. The relative standard deviation is ±0.13 μg. Ag(I), Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), Ca(II), Mg(II), Fe(III), Cr(III), U(VI), chloride, nitrite, phosphate, oxalate, borate and amino acids do not interfere.     

Determination of mercury in soils and sediments by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with slurry sampling

A graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric procedure for the determination of mercury is presented, in which the samples are suspended in a solution containing hydrofluoric and nitric acids. Silver nitrate (4% m/v) and potassium permanganate (3%) are incorporated, in the order specified, and aliquots are directly introduced into the graphite furnace. A fast heating programme with no conventional pyrolysis step is used. The detection limit for mercury in a 125 mg ml⁻¹ suspension is 0.1 μg g⁻¹. Calibration is performed by using aqueous standards. The reliability of the procedure is proved by analysing certified reference materials.     

新型荧光碳点的制备及其在Hg2+检测中的应用

以中药材川佛手为碳源,通过高温热解产生的烟制备了平均粒径为6 nm的新型荧光碳点,其最大激发波长285 nm,最大荧光发射波长340 nm。 基于碳点良好的荧光性能及Hg²⁺对碳点荧光的猝灭作用,建立了检测Hg²⁺的新方法。 结果表明,在0.2 mol/L磷酸盐缓冲溶液(pH=7.0)中,响应时间为2 min时,该方法具有良好的选择性和抗干扰能力,检测Hg²⁺浓度的线性范围为0.2~40 μmol/L,相关系数为r=0.9996,检出限为0.052 μmol/L。 当加入2.0和40.0 μmol/L Hg²⁺到实际水样后,相对标准偏差(RSD)和加标回收率分别为0.3%~2.4%和99.5%~101.1%,可用于实际水样中Hg²⁺的分析检测。     

Amperometric detection of ultra trace amounts of Hg(I) at the surface boron doped diamond electrode modified with iridium oxide

Iridium oxide (IrOx) films formed electrochemically on the surface boron doped diamond electrode by potential cycling in the range −0.2 to 1.2 V from a saturated solution of alkaline iridium(III) solution. A strongly adherent deposit of iridium oxide is formed after 5–10 potential scans. The properties, stability and electrochemical behavior of iridium oxide layers were investigated by atomic force microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The boron doped diamond (BDD) electrode modified with electrodeposition of a thin film, exhibited an excellent catalytic activity for oxidation of Hg(I) over a wide pH range. The modified electrode shows excellent analytical performance for Hg(I) amperometric detection. The detection limit, sensitivity, response time and dynamic concentration ranges are 3.2 nM, 77 nA μM⁻¹, 100 ms and 5 nM–5 μM. These analytical parameters compare favorably with those obtained with modern analytical techniques and recently published electrochemical methods.     

A multiwall carbon nanotubes film-modified carbon fiber ultramicroelectrode for the determination of nitric oxide radical in liver mitochondria

A novel chemically modified electrode based on the multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) film-coated carbon fiber ultramicroelectrode (CFUE) has been described for the determination of nitric oxide radical (.NO). The electrochemical behaviors of MWNTs-modified CFUE have been characterized in 0.2 mmol L(-1) K(4)Fe(CN)(6) and 0.1 mol L(-1) KCl solution. The Nafion film was used to avoid some electroactive interferences. The amount of Nafion was optimized, and some possible interferents [such as nitrite (NO(2)(-)), nitrate (NO(3)(-)), ascorbate, dopamine (DA), l-arginine (l-Arg), etc.] were tested and evaluated. The oxidation peak current of .NO increases significantly at the MWNT/Nafion-modified CFUE, in contrast to that at the bare and the Nafion-modified CFUE, and the oxidation peak potential is at 0.78 V (vs. SCE), which can be used for the detection of .NO. The oxidation peak current is linearly with the concentration of .NO from 2x10(-7) to 8.6x10(-5) mol L(-1), and the detection limit is 2x10(-8) mol L(-1). The liver mitochondria in Carassius auratus were isolated and .NO release from mitochondria was monitored by using this ultramicroelectrode system.     

Direct determination of nitrite traces in high ionic-strength samples by electrostatic ion chromatography using diluted acid solutions as eluent

An ion-chromatographic (IC) system with high selectivity for separation of nitrite is described. It is analogous to the EIC (electrostatic IC) previously reported and was established using 3-(N,N-dimethylstearylammonio)propanesulfonate (C23H49NO3S, a sulfobetaine type of zwitterionic surfactants) as the stationary phase and dilute aqueous HCl solutions as the mobile phase. Five inorganic anions, sulfate, chloride, bromide, nitrate, and nitrite were chosen as the model analytes and were analyzed using this EIC system. Sulfate was always eluted first, followed by chloride, bromide and nitrate. Nitrite, however, could be eluted either before or after nitrate, depending on the concentration of HCl in the eluent. An elution order nitrate< nitrite was always obtained simply by using >3 mmol L(-1) HCl as the eluent. For nitrite the detection limit was better than 2.1 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) (100 microL sample injection volume, S/N=3, UV at 210 nm). Bromide and nitrate could also be separated under these HPLC conditions. The detection limit for bromide was 7.2 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) and for nitrate 6.5 x 10(-8) mol L(-1). Both nitrite and nitrate in real seawater samples were successfully determined with direct sample injection using this EIC system.     

High-Throughput Griess Assay of Nitrite and Nitrate in Plasma and Red Blood Cells for Human Physiology Studies under Extreme Conditions

The metabolism of nitric oxide plays an increasingly interesting role in the physiological response of the human body to extreme environmental conditions, such as underwater, in an extremely cold climate, and at low oxygen concentrations. Field studies need the development of analytical methods to measure nitrite and nitrate in plasma and red blood cells with high requirements of accuracy, precision, and sensitivity. An optimized spectrophotometric Griess method for nitrite–nitrate affords sensitivity in the low millimolar range and precision within ±2 μM for both nitrite and nitrate, requiring 100 μL of scarcely available plasma sample or less than 50 μL of red blood cells. A scheduled time-efficient procedure affords measurement of as many as 80 blood samples, with combined nitrite and nitrate measurement in plasma and red blood cells. Performance and usefulness were tested in pilot studies that use blood fractions deriving from subjects who dwelt in an Antarctica scientific station and on breath-holding and scuba divers who performed training at sea and in a land-based deep pool facility. The method demonstrated adequate to measure low basal concentrations of nitrite and high production of nitrate as a consequence of water column pressure-triggered vasodilatation in deep-water divers.     

Quantification of residual nitrite and nitrate in ham by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography/diode array detector

Nitrite and nitrate are used as additives in ham industry to provide colour, taste and protect against clostridia. The classical colorimetric methods widely used to determine nitrite and nitrate are laborious, suffer from matrix interferences and involve the use of toxic cadmium. The use of chromatography is potentially attractive since it is more rapid, sensitive, selective and provides reliable and accurate results. A rapid and cost-effective RP-HPLC method with diode array detector was optimized and validated for quantification of nitrites and nitrates in ham. The chromatographic separation was achieved using a HyPurity C18, 5 μm chromatographic column and gradient elution with 0.01 M n-octylamine and 5 mM tetrabutylammonium hydrogenosulphate to pH 6.5. The determinations were performed in the linear range of 0.0125–10.0 mg/L for nitrite and 0.0300–12.5 g/L for nitrate. The detection limits were 0.019 and 0.050 mg/kg, respectively. The reliability of the method in terms of precision and accuracy was evaluated. Coefficients of variation lower than 2.89% and 5.47% were obtained for nitrite and nitrate, respectively (n = 6). Recoveries of residual nitrite/nitrate ranged between 93.6% and 104.3%. Analysis of cooked and dried ham samples was performed, and the results obtained were in agreement with reference procedures.     

The determination of molybdenum in water and biological samples by graphite furnace atomic spectrometry after polyurethane foam column separation and preconcentration

A system for molybdenum separation and enrichment aiming its determination in water and biological samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) is proposed. The procedure is based on the sorption of the molybdenum (VI) thiocyanate complex onto a mini-column packed with polyurethane foam (PUF). The elution is accomplished by a 3.0 mol l⁻¹ nitric acid solution. Flow variables were optimized and an enrichment factor of 10 as well as a limit of detection (LOD) (3 s) of 0.08 μg l⁻¹ in the sample solution were achieved. The coefficient of variation showed values of 3 and 2% for molybdenum solutions of 2.0 and 10.0 μg l⁻¹, respectively. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by the good concordance between found and certified values in the analysis of certified reference materials (CRMs) (CASS-3 Nearshore Seawater, NIST 1547 Peach Leaves, NIST 1515 Apple Leaves and NIST 1572 Citrus Leaves). The procedure was also applied for the molybdenum determination in mineral waters as well as in produced water samples. The results obtained for the mineral water samples compared well with those obtained by ICP-MS. Concerning the produced water samples, in spite of their large salinity, recoveries of 90 to 120% at the 1 μg l⁻¹ were observed.     

纳米银比色法检测多巴胺

在银纳米粒子存在下, 多巴胺可还原硝酸银生成银, 导致银纳米粒子粒径增大, 从而使溶液颜色发生改变. 基于此, 提出了一种用于检测多巴胺的纳米银比色法. 随着多巴胺浓度的增大, 溶液的颜色由浅黄色逐渐变为深黄色, 银纳米粒子溶液的吸收峰发生红移且吸光度增大. 在最优实验条件下, 该方法检测多巴胺的线性范围为0.05~16 μmol/L, 检出限为0.04 μmol/L. 该方法操作简单、 灵敏且选择性良好, 可用于人血清中多巴胺的检测.     

A sensitive flow-injection method for determination of trace amounts of nitrite

A new sensitive colour reaction for nitrite determination is presented. In acidic medium, nitrite was reacted with safranine to form a diazonium salt which caused the reddish-orange dye colour of the solution to change to blue. The carrier stream, into which the sample solution was injected, was doubly distilled water. The reagent solution stream, which contained safranine dye, hydrochloric acid and potassium chloride, was mixed with the carrier in a 3-m length of silicon tubing (bore 0.5 mm) maintained at 30°C in a thermostatic bath. The absorbance intensity was measured at 520 nm. The detection limit was 20 ng ml⁻¹ and the RSD% of 20 injections of 1 μg ml⁻¹ of nitrite was 0.65%. Analysis can be done at a rate of up to 30 h⁻¹. Under the optimum conditions in the concentration range of 30–4000 ng ml⁻¹ of nitrite ion, a linear calibration graph was obtained (r=0.9999). The method was applied successfully to the determination of nitrite in sausages.     

A rapid technique for determination of nitrate and nitric acid by acid reduction and diazotization at elevated temperature

A rapid technique for determination of nitrate by acid reduction and diazotization at elevated temperature has been standardized. The technique is based on quantitative diazotization of sulfanilamide by nitrate on incubation in boiling water bath for 3, 5 or 10 min in presence of high concentration of HCl, ca. 64.5%. The diazotized sulfanilamide is coupled at room temperature to N-1-(naphthyl)-ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, and the chromophore evaluated spectrophotometrically at 540 nm. The technique provides linear estimate of nitrate over the test range of 0.5 through 10 μg N mL⁻¹ sample with all test incubation time periods using alkali nitrate and nitric acid as sources of nitrate anion. Urea treatment enables selective determination of nitrate in presence of nitrite with overall 99 ± 1% recovery, and without affecting nitrate determination (P > 0.1) or its regression coefficient. The technique has obvious advantages over metal-reduction technique. It is simple, rapid, selective in presence of nitrite, and an inexpensive method for routine determination of nitrate with detection range 0.5–10 μg N mL⁻¹ sample. Besides, the technique provides opportunity to detect nitric acid as low as 35 μM even in presence of other acids.