Determination of Essential and Toxic Elements in Tropical Fruit by Microwave-Assisted Digestion and Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry

The concentrations of eight essential (Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Se, V, and Zn) and five toxic elements (Al, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) were determined in 457 samples of commonly consumed fresh tropical fruit including bananas (Musa acuminata), kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa), mangos (Mangifera indica), and pineapple (Ananas comosus) from supermarkets from Seoul, Busan, Gangneung, Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju, South Korea. The samples were digested by microwave-assisted combustion using HNO₃ and H₂O₂ and determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The Hg concentrations were evaluated by furnace-gold amalgamation direct mercury analysis. The techniques were validated by linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision, recovery, and the analysis of a NIST-1570a spinach leaves certified reference material. The concentrations of essential elements varied considerably among the tropical fruit. Overall, the tropical fruit was higher in Mn (0.027–13.2?µg/g) and Zn (0.514–2.20?µg/g), while lower in Co (0.002–0.005?µg/g) and V (0.001–0.002?µg/g). The concentrations (µg/g) of toxic elements were 0.001 (kiwi) to 0.003 (mango) for As and Cd, 0.0004 (pineapple) to 0.002 (banana) for Hg, and 0.005 (kiwi) to 0.013 (mango) for Pb. The calculated values of estimated dietary intake, target hazard quotients and hazard indices were lower than one and the safety limits established by World Health Organization. The tropical fruits were therefore safe and did not pose any threat to consumers.     

Determination of Mercury(II) in Drinking Water by Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry and Liquid–Liquid Microextraction

The total reflection X-ray fluorescence determination of mercury(II) in drinking water at concentrations of 7?×?10^?2 to 3.0?µg/L is reported. The mercury(II) preconcentration protocol includes directly suspended droplet microextraction with benzene as a molecular iodine complex. The proposed approach is highly selective. The elements Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, and Pb at concentrations up to 0.1?g/L did not interfere with the extraction of trace mercury(II). The method is characterized by high sensitivity (limit of detection of 21?ng/L) and suitable reproducibility (relative standard deviation of 0.12 for 100?ng/L). The accuracy of the results was confirmed by recovery and the method of standard addition.     

Mercury Speciation in Fish by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Post-Column Ultraviolet (UV)-Photochemical Vapor Generation (PVG): Comparison of Conventional Line-Source and High-Resolution Continuum Source (HR-CS) Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS)

An ultraviolet-photochemical generator (UV-PVG) capable of post-column on-line transformation of both organic and inorganic mercury species to cold vapor (Hg⁰) with subsequent detection by quartz tube-atomic absorption spectrometry (QT-AAS) was developed. Mercury(II), methylmercury(I), ethylmercury(I), and phenylmercury(I) were successfully detected after separation by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Two types of AAS detectors were compared. The first was a commonly used line-source instrument while the second was a high-resolution continuum source (HR-CS) AAS. The latter provided better limits of detection: 0.47?µg?L^?1 for Hg(II), 0.84?µg?L^?1 for methylmercury(I), 0.80?µg?L^?1 for ethylmercury(I), and 2.0?µg?L^?1 for phenylmercury(I). The repeatability at 30?μg?L^?1 was 3.6%, 4.1%, 6.2%, and 4.5% for these species (n?=?10). These figures of merit were comparable with those reported for more sensitive atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Nine sample extraction procedures were investigated. Extraction by tetramethylammonium hydroxide and HCl at 75?°C was selected as the only method compatible with the proposed separation and detection steps providing high extraction efficiency and no changes in mercury speciation. The applicability of the proposed high-performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet-photochemical vapor generation–quartz tube-atomic absorption spectrometry method was demonstrated using fish samples and certified reference materials (CRM) DOLT-4 (dogfish liver) and ERM-CE464 (tuna fish). The results were comparable to those obtained by a reference method based on L-cysteine extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC–ICP-MS) determination.     

Enhanced Specificity and Sensitivity for the Determination of Nickel(II) by Square-wave Adsorptive Cathodic Stripping Voltammetry at Disposable Graphene-modified Pencil Graphite Electrodes

Chemical sensors relying on graphene-based materials have been widely used for electrochemical determination of metal ions and have demonstrated excellent signal amplification. This study reports an electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO)/mercury film (HgF) nanocomposite-modified pencil graphite electrode (PGE) prepared through successive electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide (GO) sheets and an in situ plated HgF. The ERGO-PG-HgFE, in combination with dimethylglyoxime (DMG) and square-wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (SW-AdCSV), was evaluated for the determination of Ni²⁺ in tap and natural river water samples. A single-step electrode pre-concentration approach was employed for the in situ Hg-film electroplating, metal-chelate complex formation, and non-electrolytic adsorption at –0.7 V. The current response due to nickel-dimethylglyoxime [Ni(II)-DMG₂] complex reduction was studied as a function of experimental paratmeters including the accumulation potential, accumulation time, rotation speed, frequency and amplitude, and carefully optimized for the determination of Ni²⁺ at low concentration levels (μg?L^?1) in pH 9.4 of 0.1 M NH₃–NH₄Cl buffer. The reduction peak currents were linear with the Ni²⁺ concentration between 2 and 16?μg?L^?1. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.120?±?0.002?µg?L^?1 and 0.401?±?0.007?µg?L^?1 respectively, for the determination of Ni²⁺ at an accumulation time of 120?s. The ERGO-PG-HgFE further demonstrated a highly selective stripping response toward Ni²⁺ determination compared to Co²⁺. The electrode was found to be sufficiently sensitive to determine metal ions in water samples at 0.1?µg?L^?1, well below the World Health Organization standards.     

Electrochemical Determination of Carbofuran in Tomatoes by a Concanavalin A (Con A) Polydopamine (PDA)-Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO)-Gold Nanoparticle (GNP) Glassy Carbon Electrode (GCE) with Immobilized Acetylcholinesterase (AChE)

A new biosensor method was developed to determine residual carbofuran in tomatoes in a rapid and convenient fashion based on immobilizing acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on an electrode modified by concanavalin A (Con A)/polydopamine (PDA)-reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-gold nanoparticle (GNP) nanocomposites. The specific binding between Con A and AChE was investigated by the Ellman method and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The synthesis of nanocomposites was monitored by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that, due to the specific binding and good electrical conductivity, the biosensor had 2.2 times higher bioactivity, leading to high sensitivity with a low Michaelis constant of 0.10?mM. Parameters that affect the response of the biosensor, such as the pH, enzyme loading, ionic concentration, and inhibition time, were optimized. When used for the detection of carbofuran, this biosensor showed a wide range of applicability from 5?µg/kg to 40?µg/kg with a detection limit of 0.012?µg/kg. In addition, the biosensor demonstrated good recovery values of 101% and 90% for 10?µg/kg and 100?µg/kg of the analyte, good stability, high repeatability, and a rapid detection time of 20?min for carbofuran in tomatoes, which provides significant advantages for future analysis.     

Determination of trace chromium(VI) by an inhibition-based enzyme biosensor incorporating an electropolymerized aniline membrane and ferrocene as electron transfer mediator

A novel inhibition-based glucose oxidase (GOx) biosensor for environmental chromium(VI) detection is described. An electropolymerized aniline membrane has been prepared on a platinum electrode containing ferrocene as electron transfer mediator, on which GOx is cross-linked by glutaraldehyde. The mechanism of the redox reaction on the electrode and the performance of the sensor are studied. The sensor's response to glucose decreases when it is inhibited by chromium(VI), with a lower detection limit of 0.49?µg?L^?1, and the linear response range is divided into two parts, one of which is 0.49–95.73?µg?L^?1 and the other is 95.73?µg^?1 to8.05?mg?L^?1. The enzyme membrane is shown to be completely reactivated after inhibition, retaining 90% activity over more than forty days. Interference to chromium(VI) determination from lead(II), copper(II), cadmium(II), chromium(III), cobalt(II), tin(II) and nickel(II) is found to be minimal, while high concentrations of mercury(II) and silver(I) may interfere with the determination of trace chromium(VI). The sensor has been used for chromium(VI) determination in soil samples with good results.     

Determination of Organic and Inorganic Mercury Species as Emetine Dithiocarbamate Complexes by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Electrogenerated Tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) Chemiluminescence Detection

A sensitive method for simultaneous determination of organic and inorganic mercury species has been developed and is presented in this study. The method is based on complex formation of mercury species with the emetine dithiocarbamate (emetine-CS₂) ligand, HPLC separation, and tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) chemiluminescence detection. The complexation reactions of the mercury species and emetine-CS₂ ligand occurred instantaneously upon the addition of emetine-CS₂ solution to the solution containing the mercury species. The complete separation of these complexes was achieved using an ODS column with 20 mM NaH₂PO₄-acetonitrile (52:48, v/v) containing 30 mM NaClO₄ as an ion-pair reagent. The calibration graphs of these complexes were linear in the range from 1–100 µg/L. The detection limits were 0.27 µg/L, 0.33 µg/L, 0.39 µg/L, and 0.17 µg/L for methylmercury, ethylmercury, phenylmercury, and the mercury ion, respectively, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The developed technique was validated by analyzing certified reference materials, CRM7402-a (cod fish, NMIJ) and CE464 (tuna fish, ERM), in combination with sonication-assisted acid leaching and liquid-liquid extraction. The emetine-CS₂ ligand has been used for extraction, separation, and detection of mercury species. The results determined using the proposed method were in good agreement with the values of the certified reference materials. The MeHg⁺ and EtHg⁺ recoveries for the spiked samples were found to be almost 100%.     

A Solid Film Electrode of Intermetallic Ag2Hg3.02 for the Direct Determination of Folic Acid in Fresh and Processed Fruit Juices

AgSIE was used for the direct analysis of folic acid (FA), with a detection limit and lower level of quantitation of 6.8×10^?10 mol L^?1 and 2.3×10^?8 mol L^?1. The analysis in fresh and processed fruits was done without any sample pretreatment. In strawberry and acerola juices, FA concentration level values were below the method detection limit. FA was detectable in peach (77.7±0.4 µg L^?1 and 64.4±0.5 µg L^?1), Persian lime (45.4±0.7 µg L^?1), pineapple Hawaii (66.2±0.4 µg L^?1), pear pineapple (35.3±0.6 µg L^?1), cashew (54.4±0.5 µg L^?1), passion fruit (73.2±0.3 µg L^?1), and apple (84.4±0.5 µg L^?1).     

Hapten Syntheses,Antibody Generation,and Ultrasensitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for the Determination of Tonalid in Human Blood

Two novel and high-throughput enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were developed for determining tonalide in human blood samples. For establishing the proposed methods, the tonalide hapten and immunogen primarily were prepared. After the immunization, the polyclonal antibody and biotinylated polyclonal antibody were obtained. The biotin-streptavidin system and polyamidoamine-gold nanoparticle conjugation were applied respectively to establish thebiotin-streptavidin-ELISA and Au-polyamidoamine-ELISA. For reducing the background interference, some factors and procedures were also discussed and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the IC₁₀ of biotin-streptavidin-ELISA was 0.046?µg/L and the IC₁₀ of Au-polyamidoamine-ELISA was 0.016?µg/L. The Au-polyamidoamine-ELISA was used to determine tonalide in human blood and the recovery values and coefficients of variation were acceptable. In this study, tonalide was detected in 92.2% of the samples; the median and the maximum values were 0.62 and 1.76?µg/L, respectively. In general, due to the specificity of the antibody and novel nanoprobe design, this Au-polyamidoamine-ELISA simplified the sample preparation and provided a useful and potential way for trace determination of tonalide. The results also suggested that tonalide concentrations were not significantly relative to gender, but the high concentrations of tonalide in human blood should encourage further toxicological studies.     

Selenium speciation in soil extracts using LC-ICP-MS

Selenium (Se) speciation in soil affects its bioavailability to crops. An analytical procedure for the determination of inorganic Se species (selenite and selenate) in soil extracts by anion-exchange liquid chromatography (LC) with ICP-MS detection has been developed, with 10-fold higher sensitivity than existing HGAAS-based soil Se measurements. A comparison of phosphate extraction solutions on agricultural soils amended with 20?µg?kg^–1 selenate or selenite was carried out, and a 0.016?M?KH₂PO₄ extraction solution is recommended. Recovery of selenate was >91%; however, selenite recovery ranged between 18.5% and 46.1%, due to rapid binding to the soil. Soil preparation did not have a significant (p?>?0.05) effect on the extractability of the selenate or selenite amendments. The stability of Se species in the phosphate extracts was variable, depending on temperature and storage time. Therefore, immediate (<1?h) analysis of the soil extracts is preferable. The method developed was applied to the determination of extractable Se from six arable soils in the UK. Extractable Se levels in these soils ranged between 6 and 13?µg?kg^–1 consisting of selenite and some soluble organic Se.     

Mercury determination in sediments by CVAAS after on line preconcentration by solid phase extraction with a sol-gel sorbent containing CYANEX 471X®

The development of a preconcentration method for the measurement of trace levels of mercury in digested sediments is described. Solid phase extraction (SPE) was used for the preconcentration of mercury coupled on-line by means of a flow injection (FI) system followed by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS) detection. The SPE was carried out through a column packed with a sorbent material containing triisobutylphosphine sulfide (CYANEX 471X®) as mercury extractant and prepared by the sol-gel process. The effects of FI variables (argon, eluent, and reductant flow rates, loading and elution times) as well as the eluent concentration on the analytical performance of the method were evaluated. The proposed method was validated under the optimum conditions. The calibration graph was linear from 0.05?µg?L^?1 to 3.0 µg?L^?1 of Hg. The detection limit (DL), based on three times the standard deviation of the blank measurement criterion, was 24?ng^?L^?1. The repeatability was 1.5% and 1.8% RSD (n?=?10) at concentrations of 0.5 and 1 µg?L^?1 of Hg, respectively. Method enrichment factors of 16 with a productivity of 30 samples h^?1 or 32 with a productivity of 17 samples h^?1 were achieved under selected conditions. Certified reference materials, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVAFS), were used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method.     

Elemental Analysis of Tarhana by Microwave Induced Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry

Elemental analysis of tarhana, a traditional Turkish cereal soup, has been conducted. A new method was developed for the determination of calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and sodium, in tarhana by microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry. A sample of 0.1?g were mineralized by microwave digestion in 10?mL of 65% HNO₃. A wheat flour standard reference material (GBW 08503) was used for validation. Linear calibration using standards prepared in acid was conducted for all determinations. The limits of detection were 1.21?µg?g^?1 for Ca at 393.366?nm, 0.43?µg?g^?1 for Fe at 259.940?nm, 11.5?µg?g^?1 for K at 766.491?nm, 0.12?µg?g^?1 for Mg at 285.213?nm, 0.04?µg?g^?1 for Mn at 403.076?nm, and 0.04?µg?g^?1 for Na at 588.995?nm. Ca, K, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Na were determined in tarhana with values from 0.73 to 1.61, 0.016 to 0.061, 2.02 to 4.09, 0.473 to 1.414, 0.019 to 0.043, and 0.26 to 1.83?mg?g^?1, respectively.     

Applying green analytical chemistry for development and validation of RP-HPLC stability indicating assay method for estimation of fenoverine in bulk and dosage form using quality by design approach

A green and robust reverse-phase liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of fenoverine (FEN), by applying combined principles of green analytical chemistry and quality by design approaches on a Spherisorb C18 column (150?×?4.6?mm, 3?µm) with UV detection at 262?nm. A two level fractional factorial design (2^^7-3) Res IV was used for screening of influential chromatographic factors. The critical method parameters actively affecting critical quality attributes (CQAs) were identified and further optimized using Box–Behnken design. The predicted optimum assay conditions comprised of methanol and ammonium acetate buffer 20?mM, in an extent of 81:19% v/v individually having a flow rate of 1.0?mL/min with a column oven temperature of 33°C. The drug was stressed in hydrolytic, oxidative, reductive, thermal, and photolytic conditions. The developed method was validated successfully. The detector response was linear in the concentration of 0.5–160?µg/mL with a limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) as 0.1 and 0.3?µg/mL, respectively. The % recovery was found to be 99.7%. The analytical method volume intensity value for developed method was 45?mL and the environment assessment tool (EAT) score was 41.07. The method is simple, environmentally benign, rapid, and robust for the determination of FEN in bulk and in its dosage form.     

Simultaneous Detection of Copper,Lead and Zinc on Tin Film/Gold Nanoparticles/Gold Microelectrode by Square Wave Stripping Voltammetry

In this work, three heavy metals (Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II)) in wide potential window were simultaneously detected on tin film/gold nanoparticles/gold microelectrode (Sn/GNPs/gold microelectrode) by the method of square wave stripping voltammetry. The Sn/GNPs/gold microelectrode was fabricated by in situ plating of a Sn film on a gold nanoparticles (GNPs) modified gold microelectrode. The influence of hydrogen overflow on stripping of Zn(II) on the gold microelectrode was reduced by modification of GNPs, which made the stripping potential of target metals shift positively. The interference of sulfhydryl groups was reduced and the selectivity of the microelectrode was improved due to the addition of Sn in the detection solution. After accumulation at ?1.4 V for 300 s in acetate buffer solution (0.1 mol L^?1, pH 4.5), the Sn/GNPs/gold microelectrode revealed a good linear behavior in the examined concentration ranges from 5 to 500 µg L^?1 for Cu(II) and Pb(II), and from 10 to 500 µg L^?1 for Zn(II), with a limit of detection of 2 µg L^?1 for Cu(II), 3 µg L^?1 for Pb(II) and 5 µg L^?1 for Zn(II) (S/N=3). When compared with a Sb/GNPs/gold microelectrode and a Bi/GNPs/gold microelectrode, the Sn/GNPs/gold microelectrode showed the best stripping performance to Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II). As a new type of environment‐friendly electrode, the Sn/GNPs/gold microelectrode has potential applications for detection of heavy metals.     

Novel Screen-Printed Gold Nano Film Electrode for Trace Mercury(II) Determination Using Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

Integrating the screen printing technique with the vacuum evaporation method, we developed a novel and disposable screen-printed gold film electrode (SPGFE) in the present work. First, a conductive silver layer, a connection graphite-carbon layer, and an insulating polymer layer were successively printed onto a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Then, a gold thin film was achieved on the scheduled vacant site by use of the vacuum evaporation method. In order to enhance the electroanalytical performance of the SPGFE, the thickness of the gold film was controlled in the range of 70–80 nm under optimum conditions. The fabricated SPGFE was applied to detect trace mercury(II) based on the square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). The results indicated that the proposed SPGFE exhibited higher sensitivity to trace mercury(II) than the gold disc electrode. The stripping current was linearly related to the concentration of mercury(II) in the range of 16–280 µg/L (R² = 0.9919) and 1.2–8.0 µg/L (R² = 0.9977), with a detection limit of 0.8 µg/L (S/N = 3) under 180 s accumulation. The SPGFE was further used to detect mercury in real samples, and the obtained results revealed a good agreement with those of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The highly sensitive and environmental friendly electrode, as another type of “mercury-free” electrode, holds great promise in stripping measurements.     

Large Volume Sample Stacking (LVSS) in Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) with Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for the Determination of Phenolics in Food Samples

Abstract

A capillary electrophoresis method with large volume sample stacking (CE-LVSS) has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of seven phenolic compounds: naringin, rutin, carnosic acid, apigenin, quercetin, morin, and chichoric acid. Optimization was carried out by response surface methodology and a set of 20 experiments helped to optimize the parameters such as the concentration of buffer, buffer pH, and applied voltage. Analytes were separated using a 50?µm diameter capillary with 56?cm effective length and an extended light path using 20?mM borate buffer at pH 9.2. The LVSS method was optimized and a three- to fivefold improvement in detectability was achieved with injection at 100 mbar for 20?s followed by polarity switching at –20?kV for 6?s. The linearity values of all seven analytes were observed in the concentration ranges from 0.5 to 50?µg/mL for CE and 0.1 to 25?µg/mL for LVSS. The limits of detection were from 0.012 to 0.241 and 0.003 to 0.086?µg/mL for CE and LVSS. The obtained limits of quantitation were within 0.041 to 0.802 for CE and 0.012 to 0.286?µg/mL for LVSS. The recoveries were between 91.1 and 109.8% and 96.3 and 108.4% for CE and LVSS, respectively. The developed method has been successfully applied for the quantitative determination of analyzed components from food samples that are important sources of these compounds.     

Automated Determination of Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) and Zn(II) in Environmental Samples by Square Wave Voltammetry Exploiting Sequential Injection Analysis and Screen Printed Electrodes

This paper describes the development of a methodology for quantification of Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) and Zn(II) in waters and sediments by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) automated by Sequential Injection Analysis (SIA) using a graphite screen printed sensor modified with mercury. Determinations were made by standard addition automated by the SIA system. The limits of detection and quantification were, respectively, 1.3 and 4.3 µg L^?1 for Cu(II), 1.4 and 4.6 µg L^?1 for Pb(II), 0.6 and 1.8 µg L^?1 for Cd(II) and 4.2 and 14 µg L^?1 for Zn(II). These limits were obtained for a sample volume of 1000 µL, flow rate of 10 µL s^?1 (during the deposition step), and utilizing 3 flow reversals (volume of reversion=950 µL), totalizing a deposition time of 315 s. The potentiostat worked synchronically with the SIA system applying the conditioning potential of ?0.1 V vs. pseudo reference of Ag (100 s), deposition potential of ?1.0 V for Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) or ?1,3 V for Zn(II), square wave frequency of 100 Hz, potential step of 6 mV and pulse height of 40 mV. For quantification of Zn(II) in sediment extracts, deposition of Ga⁰ on the working electrode was necessary to avoid the formation of intermetallic between Zn⁰ and Cu⁰. The accuracy of the method was assessed by spike and recovery experiments in water samples which resulted recovery rates near 100 % of the spiked concentrations. Recoveries of concentrations in the certified sediment sample CRM‐701 undergoing the three steps sequential extraction procedure of BCR varied from 71.7 % for Zn(II) in the acetic acid extract to 112.4 % for Cu(II) in the oxidisable fraction, confirming that the standard addition approach corrected the matrix effects in the complex samples of sediment extracts.     

Trace Elemental Analysis of Allium Species by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) with Multivariate Chemometrics

Aerial parts and roots of the 12 Allium species collected from five localities of Turkey were studied for trace elements (Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Se, Tl, V, and Zn) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A tomato leaves certified reference material was used to characterize the accuracy and precision of the analysis. Each Allium species contained Se (315–2740?µg/kg), Tl (2.75–71?µg/kg), V (77–6790?µg/kg), and Zn (3.73–26.6?mg/kg) which can meet the necessary daily intake of these minerals. In addition, chemometric analyses were performed using correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis to determine the association of 12 trace elements in the Allium species. Using chemometrics, the distribution of elements between aerial parts and roots, and geographic collection localities of Allium species were also examined. This study is important the consumers because of the wide consumption of Allium species. This report is the first detailed characterization of the metal content of Allium species.     

Square wave voltammetric determination of diafenthiuron and its application to water,soil and insecticide formulation

A square wave cathodic stripping voltammetric (SWCSV) method has been developed for the determination of insecticide diafenthiuron. The procedure is based on controlled accumulation of the insecticide on a static hanging mercury drop electrode (SHMDE) at 0.00?mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) in Britton-Robinson buffer solution (pH 7.0). The insoluble mercury compound was reduced at ?510?mV during the cathodic potential scan. The peak currents were linearly related to insecticide concentration between 30.4 and 3200?µg?L^?1 . The detection and quantification limit were 9.1?µg?L^?1 and 30.4?µg?L^?1, respectively. The proposed analytical procedure was applied to natural water and soil samples. The method was extended to direct determination of diafenthiuron in insecticide formulation Polo® 50 WP and average content of 50.3?±?1.7 (m/m) at 90% confidence level, in close agreement with the 50.0% quoted by the manufacturer. HPLC comparison method indicated that accuracy was in agreement with that obtained by the proposed method.     

Ultratrace determination of lead,cadmium and copper in environmental and biological samples by atomic absorption spectrometry after their separation and preconcentration using octadecyl silica membrane disks modified with a new n–s schiff base

Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) ions were separated and preconcentrated by solid-phase extraction on octadecyl-bonded silica membrane disks modified with a new S–N-containing Schiff base (bis-2-thiophenal propandiamine) (BTPD) followed by elution and atomic absorption spectrometric detection. The method was applied as a separation and detection method for lead(II), cadmium(II) and copper(II) in environmental and biological samples. Extraction efficiency and the influence of sample matrix, flow rate, pH, and type and minimum amount of stripping acid were investigated. The maximum capacity of the membrane disks modified by 4?mg of BTPD was found to be 668 ± 10, 480 ± 8 and 454 ± 7?µg of lead, cadmium and copper, respectively. The limit of detection of the proposed method is 0.25, 0.01 and 0.02?ng/mL for lead, cadmium and copper, respectively.