Potentiometric detection of citrate in beverages using a graphite carbon electrode

The development, evaluation and application of a simple and low-cost graphite carbon electrode for the direct determination of citrate in food samples are described here. The electrode exhibits a linear response with a slope of −29.0 ± 1.0 mV decade⁻¹ in a concentration range of 0.07-7.0 mmol L⁻¹ in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ KCl/1.0 mmol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution with a limit of detection of 3.0 μmol L⁻¹. The electrode is easily constructed at a relatively low cost and has a fast time response (within 120 s) with no significant changes in its performance characteristics. The performance of the graphite sensor was tested to determine citrate in beverage samples (juices and an isotonic drink), and the results were validated against a reference procedure. The proposed method is quick, inexpensive, selective and sensitive, and is based entirely on conventional instrumentation.     

Application of fast ultrasound water-bath assisted enzymatic hydrolysis--high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry procedures for arsenic speciation in seafood materials

Enzymatic hydrolysis of seafood materials for isolating arsenic species (As(III), As(V), DMA and AsB) has been successfully performed by assisting the procedure with ultrasound energy (35 kHz) supplied by an ultrasound water-bath. The use of pepsin, as a proteolytic enzyme, under optimized operating conditions (pH 3.0, temperature 40 °C, enzyme to sample ratio of 0.3) led to an efficient assistance of the enzymatic process in a short period of time (from 4.0 to 30 min). The enzymatic extract was then subjected to a clean-up procedure based on ENVI-Carb™ solid phase extraction (SPE). An optimized anion exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) permitted the fast separation (less than 15 min) of six different arsenic species (arsenite, As(III); arsenate, As(V); dimethylarsinic acid, DMA; and arsenobetaine, AsB; as well as monomethylarsonic acid, MMA; and arsenocholine, AsC) in a single run. Relative standard deviations (n = 11) of the over-all procedure were 7% for AsB and DMA, 11% for As(III) and 9% for MMA. HPLC–ICP-MS determinations were performed using aqueous calibrations covering arsenic concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 25, 100 and 200 μg L⁻¹ (expressed as arsenic) for As(III), As(V), MMA, DMA and AsC; and 0, 125, 250, 500, 750, 1000 and 2000 μg L⁻¹ (expressed as arsenic) for AsB. Germanium (5 μg L⁻¹) was used as an internal standard. Analytical recoveries from the anion exchange column varied from 96 to 105% (enzymatic digests spiked with low target concentrations), from 97 to 104% (enzymatic digests spiked with intermediate target concentrations), and from 98 to 103% (enzymatic digests spiked with high target concentrations). The developed method was successfully applied to two certified reference materials (CRMs), DORM-2 and BCR 627, which offer certified AsB and DMA contents, and also to different seafood samples (mollusks, white fish and cold water fish). Good agreement between certified and found AsB concentrations was achieved when analyzing both CRMs; and also, between certified and found DMA concentrations in BCR 627. In addition, the sum of the different arsenic species concentrations found in most of the analyzed samples was statistically similar to the assessed total arsenic concentrations after a total sample matrix decomposition treatment.     

Preparation and ion chromatographic properties of a new core-shell chromatographic support Al2O3/SiO2-10

A new stationary phase Al₂O₃/SiO₂-10 was prepared and characterized by XPS, XRD, SEM and surface analysis. The anion exchanger properties of this new stationary phase were investigated by the separation of inorganic anions in ion chromatography (IC). pH of the mobile phase, concentration and strength of the Lewis base of the elute, and the organic modifier of the mobile phase strongly affect the separation of inorganic anions, and anion exchange selectivities of the analyte on the new support are significantly different from quaternary ammonium styrene based anion exchangers. The result of separation of inorganic anions shows that the new stationary phase provides excellent column efficiency, well-defined chromatographic peaks and favorable retention times.     

Fesoterodine stress degradation behavior by liquid chromatography coupled to ultraviolet detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

In the present study, a rapid validated stability-indicating LC method was established and comprehensive stress testing of fesoterodine was carried out according to ICH guidelines. Fesoterodine was subjected to stress conditions of acid and basic hydrolysis, oxidation, photolysis and thermal decomposition. The degradation products formed under stress conditions were investigated by LC-UV and LC-ESI-MS. Successful separation of the drug from its degradation products was achieved on a monolithic C₁₈ column (100 mm × 4.6 mm i.d.) maintained at 45 °C using acetonitrile-methanol-0.03 mol L⁻¹ ammonium acetate (pH 3.8) (30:15:55, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The flow rate was 2.4 mL min⁻¹ and the detection wavelength was 208 nm. Validation parameters such as specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and robustness were evaluated. Chromatographic separation was obtained within 2.5 min and it was suitable for high-throughput analysis. Fragmentation patterns of degradation products formed under different stress conditions were studied and characterized through LC-ESI-MS fragmentation. Based on the results, a drug degradation pathway was proposed, and the validated LC method was successfully applied to the quantitative analysis of fesoterodine in tablet dosage forms, helping to improve quality control and to assure therapeutic efficacy.     

Trace analysis of fluoxetine and its metabolite norfluoxetine. Part I: development of a chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for wastewater samples

An enantioselective method for the determination of fluoxetine (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) and its pharmacologically active metabolite norfluoxetine has been developed for raw and treated wastewater samples. The stable isotope-labeled fluoxetine and norfluoxetine were used in an extended way for extraction recovery calculations at trace level concentrations in wastewater. Wastewater samples were enriched by solid phase extraction (SPE) with Evolute CX-50 extraction cartridges. The obtained extraction recoveries ranged between 65 and 82% in raw and treated wastewater at a trace level concentration of 50 pM (15-16 ng L⁻¹). The target compounds were identified by the use of chiral liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The enantiomers were successfully resolved on a chiral α₁-acid glycoprotein column (chiral AGP) with acetonitrile and 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer at pH 4.4 (3/97, v/v) as the mobile phase. The effects of pH, amount of organic modifier and buffer concentration in the mobile phase were investigated on the enantiomeric resolution (R_s) of the target compounds. Enantiomeric R_s-values above 2.0 (1.03 RSD%, n = 3) were achieved for the enantiomers of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine in all mobile phases investigated. The method was validated by assessing parameters such as cross-contamination and carryover during SPE and during LC analysis. Cross-talk effects were examined during the detection of the analytes in SRM mode. In addition, the isotopic purity of fluoxetine-d₅ and norfluoxetine-d₅ were assessed to exclude the possibility of self-contamination. The interassay precision of the chromatographic separation was excellent, with relative standard deviations (RSD) equal to or lower than 0.56 and 0.81% in raw and treated wastewaters, respectively. The method detection and quantification limits (respectively, MDL and MQL) were determined by the use of fluoxetine-d₅ and norfluoxetine-d₅. The MQL for the single enantiomers ranged from 12 to 14 pM (3.6-4.3 ng L⁻¹) in raw wastewater and from 3 to 4 pM (0.9-1 ng L⁻¹) in treated wastewater. The developed method has been employed for the quantification of (R)-fluoxetine, (S)-fluoxetine and the enantiomers of norfluoxetine in raw and treated wastewater samples to be presented in Part II of this study.     

Enantioseparation of phenylsuccinic acid by high speed counter-current chromatography using hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin as chiral selector

High speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully applied to resolution of phenylsuccinic acid (PSA) with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) as chiral selector (CS). The two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane–methyl tert-butyl ether–0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution with pH = 2.51 (0.5:1.5:2, v/v/v) was selected. Influence factors involved in the chiral separation were investigated, including the concentration of chiral selector, pH value of the aqueous phase, the separation temperature, and the thermodynamic parameters of inclusion complex were calculated. The complex formation constants were determined using analytical instrument. Two HSCCC elution modes were studied and peak resolution equation was discussed. Under optimum separation conditions, 712 mg of PSA racemate was separated using preparative apparatus. The purities of both of the fractions including (+)-PSA and (−)-PSA from the preparative CCC separation were over 98.5% determined by HPLC and enantiomeric excess of (+)-PSA and (−)-PSA reached 97.6% and 98.6%, respectively. Recovery for the target compounds from the CCC fractions reached 80–82% yielding 285 mg of (+)-PSA and 292 mg of (−)-PSA.     

Fast cation-exchange separation of proteins in a plastic microcapillary disc

A novel disposable adsorbent material for fast cation-exchange separation of proteins was developed based on plastic microcapillary films (MCFs). A MCF containing 19 parallel microcapillaries, each with a mean internal diameter of 142 μm, was prepared using a melt extrusion process from an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH). The MCF was surface functionalised to produce a cation-exchange adsorbent (herein referred as MCF-EVOH-SP). The dynamic binding capacity of the new MCF-EVOH-SP material was experimentally determined by frontal analysis using pure protein solutions in a standard liquid chromatography instrument for a range of superficial flow velocities, u_LS = 5.5–27.7 cm s⁻¹. The mean dynamic binding capacity for hen-egg lysozyme was found to be approximately 100 μg for a 5 m length film, giving a ligand binding density of 413 ng cm⁻². The dynamic binding capacity did not vary significantly over the range of u_LS tested. The application of this novel material to subtractive chromatography was demonstrated for anionic BSA and cationic lysozyme at pH 7.2. The chromatographic separation of two cationic proteins, lysozyme and cytochrome-c, was also performed with a view to applying this technology to the analysis or purification of proteins. Future applications might include separation based on anion exchange and other modes of adsorption.     

Fast separation of antiviral nucleoside phosphoramidate and H-phosphonate diastereoisomers by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

The nucleoside-based antiviral phosphoramidates and H-phosphonates were synthesized and separated using reversed-phase liquid chromatography on bridged ethane hybrid (BEH) C₁₈ column packed with 1.7 μm particles of non-chiral stationary phase. The influences of the composition of mobile phase and column temperature have been investigated to optimize the diastereoisomeric separation. Complete separations of the phosphoramidate and H-phosphonate prodrugs with good resolution (R_S = 1.99–2.77) were achieved within a short time (5–9 min). The validation study of the optimized method including linearity, accuracy, repeatability and detection limit has revealed it is better performance versus conventional HPLC method. In addition, HPLC was combined with high resolution electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF MS), which enabled the exact mass measurement and high sensitivity. Using MS as detection, the limits of detection and limits of quantification of the studied pronucleotide diastereoisomers were determined in the range of several nmol L⁻¹ level.     

Evaluation of oxygen pressurized microwave-assisted digestion of botanical materials using diluted nitric acid

The feasibility of diluted nitric acid solutions for microwave-assisted decomposition of botanical samples in closed vessels was evaluated. Oxygen pressurized atmosphere was used to improve the digestion efficiency and Al, Ca, K, Fe, Mg and Na were determined in digests by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). Efficiency of digestion was evaluated taking into account the residual carbon content (RCC) and residual acidity in digests. Samples were digested using nitric acid solutions (2, 3, 7, and 14 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃) and the effect of gas phase composition inside the reaction vessels by purging the vessel with Ar (inert atmosphere, 1 bar), air (20% of oxygen, 1 bar) and pure O₂ (100% of oxygen, 1 bar) was evaluated. The influence of oxygen pressure was studied using pressures of 5, 10, 15 and 20 bar. It was demonstrated that a diluted nitric acid solution as low as 3 mol L⁻¹ was suitable for an efficient digestion of sample masses up to 500 mg of botanical samples using 5 bar of oxygen pressure. The residual acidities in final digests were lower than 45% in relation to the initial amount of acid used for digestion (equivalent to 1.3 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃). The accuracy of the proposed procedure was evaluated using certified reference materials of olive leaves, apple leaves, peach leaves and pine needles. Using the optimized conditions for sample digestion, the results obtained were in agreement with certified values. The limit of quantification was improved up to a factor of 14.5 times for the analytes evaluated. In addition, the proposed procedure was in agreement with the recommendations of the green chemistry once it was possible to obtain relatively high digestion efficiency (RCC < 5%) using only diluted HNO₃, which is important to minimize the generation of laboratory residues.     

Determination of mercurial species in fish by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with anion exchange chromatographic separation

This work demonstrated the feasibility of mercury speciation analysis by anion exchange chromatographic separation with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection. For the first time, by complexing with the mobile phase containing 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate into negatively charged complexes, fast separation of inorganic mercury (Hg²⁺), monomethylmercury (MeHg), ethylmercury (EtHg) and phenylmercury (PhHg) was achieved within 5 min on a 12.5-mm strong anion exchange column. The detection limits for Hg²⁺, MeHg, EtHg and PhHg were 0.008, 0.024, 0.029 and 0.034 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The relative standard deviations of peak height and peak area (5.0 μg L⁻¹ for each Hg species) were all below 3%. The determined contents of Hg²⁺, MeHg and total Hg in a certified reference material of fish tissue by the proposed method were in good accordance with the certified values with satisfactory recoveries. The relative errors for determining MeHg and total mercury were −2.4% and −1.2%, respectively, with an acceptable range for spike recoveries of 94–101%. Mercury speciation in 11 fish samples were then analyzed after the pretreated procedure. The mercury contents in all fish samples analyzed were found compliant with the criteria of the National Standards of China.     

Determination of some refractory elements and Pb by fluorination assisted electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with platform and wall vaporization

Platform and wall vaporization for electrothermal vaporization (ETV)-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) determination of some refractory elements (Ti, V, Cr, Mo, La and Zr) and Pb were comparatively studied with the use of poly (tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) as fluorinating reagent. The factors affecting the vaporization behaviors of the target analytes in the platform and tube wall vaporization including vaporization temperature and time, pyrolytic temperature and time were studied in detail, and the flow rates of carrier gas/auxiliary carrier gas, were carefully optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the signal profiles, signal intensity, interferences of coexisting ions and analytical reproducibility for wall and platform vaporization ETV-ICP-MS were compared. It was found that both wall and platform vaporization could give very similar detection limits, but the platform vaporization provided higher signal intensity and better precision for some refractory elements and Pb than the wall vaporization. Especially for La, the signal intensity obtained by platform vaporization was 3 times higher than that obtained by wall vaporization. For platform vaporization ETV-ICP-MS, the limits of detection (LODs) of 0.001 μg L⁻¹ (La) ~ 0.09 μg L^− 1 (Ti) with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.5% (Pb) ~ 15.5% (Zr) were obtained. While for wall vaporization ETV-ICP-MS, LODs of 0.005 μg L^− 1 (La) ~ 0.4 μg L^− 1 (Pb) with RSDs of 3.2% (Mo) ~ 12.8% (Zr) were obtained. Both platform and tube wall vaporization techniques have been used for slurry sampling fluorination assisted ETV-ICP-MS direct determination of Ti, V, Cr, Mo, La, Zr and Pb in certified reference materials of NIES No. 8 vehicle exhaust particulates and GBW07401 soil, and the analytical results obtained are in good agreement with the certified values.     

Samarium (III) adsorption on bentonite modified with N-(2-hydroxyethyl) ethylenediamine

A new material has been synthesized using dry process to activate bentonite followed by N-(2-hydroxyethyl) ethylenediamine connecting chlorosilane coupling agent. The synthesized new material was characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR and thermogravimetry which proved that bentonite was successfully modified. The most interesting trait of the new material was its selective adsorption for rare earth elements. A variety of conditions of the new material were investigated for adsorption. The optimal conditions were determined with respect to pH and shaking time. Samarium (Sm) was quantitatively adsorbed at pH 4 and shaking time of 2 min onto the new material. Under these conditions the maximum static adsorption capacity of Sm(III) was found to be 17.7 mg g⁻¹. The adsorbed Sm(III) ion were quantitatively eluted by 2.0 mL 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HCl and 5% CS (NH₂)₂ solution. According to IUPAC definition, the detection limit (3σ) of this method was 0.60 ng mL⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (RSD) under optimum conditions was less than 3% (n = 8). The new material also was applied for the preconcentration of trace Sm(III) in environmental samples with satisfactory results.     

Titania immobilized polypropylene hollow fiber as a disposable coating for stir bar sorptive extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry speciation of arsenic in chicken tissues

The bottleneck of applying stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) to elemental speciation analysis is lack of suitable extraction phases with good affinities to different elemental species. In this paper, a newly high polar extraction phase of titania immobilized polypropylene hollow fiber (TiO₂-PPHF) was prepared by sol–gel immersion and low temperature hydrothermal process and the obtained TiO₂-PPHF inherits the adsorption properties of TiO₂ and the toughness of PPHF. With a suitable size of stainless steel magnetic bar inserted into the prepared TiO₂-PPHF, a disposable TiO₂-PPHF coating stir bar was obtained. The prepared TiO₂-PPHF was characterized by X-ray diffraction spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy and the significant parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of different arsenic species were studied. Based on the above facts, a new method of SBSE combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed for the speciation of phenyl arsenic compounds and their possible transformation products in chicken tissues. Under the optimal conditions, limits of detection (LODs) of the developed method for eight target arsenic species were in the range of 11.4–64.6 ng L⁻¹ with enrichment factors of 8.5–22.3 (theory enrichment factor was 50), and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were varying from 6.3 to 12.6% (c_AsIII/V = 5 μg L⁻¹, c_{MMA,DMA,p-ASA,4-OH,3-NHPAA,PA,4-NPAA} = 10 μg L⁻¹, n = 7). The proposed method was successfully applied to the speciation of arsenic in chicken meat/liver samples and the recoveries for the spiked samples were in the range of 78.5–120.4%. In order to validate the accuracy of the proposed method, a certified reference material of BCR-627 tuna fish tissue was analyzed and the determined values were in good agreement with the certified values. The TiO₂-PPHF was demonstrated to be a highly selective coating for the target arsenic species, and could be easily prepared in batches with low cost. In addition, with the disposable coating, the carry-over effect commonly encountered in conventional SBSE was avoided.     

Azo calix[4]arene based neodymium(III)-selective PVC membrane sensor

We found that the PVC membrane, containing azo calix[4]arene is a suitable ionophore, exhibited a Nernstian response for neodymium (Nd³⁺) ions (with slope of 19.8 ± 0.2 mV decade⁻¹ for the triply charged ion) over a wide linear range of 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.0 × 10⁻¹ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹, a relatively fast response time, in the whole concentration range (<10 s), and a considerable life time at least for four months in the pH range of 4.0-8.0. Furthermore, the electrode revealed high selectivity with respect to all the common alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions, including the members of the lanthanide family other than Nd³⁺. Concerning its applications, it was effectively employed for the determination of neodymium ions in industrial waste water as well as in lake water.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method with amperometric detection employing boron-doped diamond electrode for the determination of sildenafil, vardenafil and their main metabolites in plasma

A simple, fast and sensitive HPLC method with electrochemical detection employing boron-doped diamond electrode (BDD) for the determination of sildenafil (Viagra™), vardenafil (Levitra™) and their main metabolites, N-desmethyl sildenafil and N-desethyl vardenafil in human plasma is presented. The assay involved drug extraction by tert-butyl methyl ether and isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatography with amperometric detection. Complete separation of all analytes was achieved within 12 min. The mobile phase consisted of 20 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate with 40 mM sodium perchlorate/acetonitrile (70:30, v/v), pH 3.5. The electrode working potential was +1520 mV (vs. Pd/H₂). Calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 10–400 ng mL⁻¹. Phloretin was used as an internal standard. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for the studied analytes were within the range of 2–4 ng mL⁻¹ and 7.0–13.4 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The developed method was applied to human plasma samples spiked with analytes at therapeutic concentrations. The study confirms the method's suitability for both pharmacokinetic studies and therapeutic monitoring.     

Development of a stir bar sorptive extraction and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for determining synthetic musks in water samples

This study presents the development of an analytical method for determining 9 synthetic musks in water matrices. The developed method is based on stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), coated with polydimethylsiloxane, and coupled with a thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry system (TD–GC–MS). SBSE can efficiently trap and desorb the analytes providing low limits of detection (between 0.02 ng L⁻¹ and 0.3 ng L⁻¹). Method validation showed good linearity, repeatability and reproducibility for all compounds. Furthermore, the limited manipulation of the sample required in this method implies a significant decrease of the risk of external contamination of the samples. The performance of the method in real samples was evaluated by analysing biological wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent and effluent samples, reverse osmosis treatment plant effluents and river waters. The most abundant musk was galaxolide with values up to 2069 ng L⁻¹ and 1432 ng L⁻¹ in the influent and effluent of urban WWTP samples, respectively. Cashmeran, Pantolide and Tonalide were also detected in all the matrices with values up to 94 ng L⁻¹, 26 ng L⁻¹ and 88 ng L⁻¹, respectively. Although in Europe the use of nitromusks in cosmetics is prohibited, musk xylene and musk ketone were detected both in the WWTP and in the river samples. As far as we know, this is the first time than a SBSE method coupled with TD is applied for the determination of synthetic musks in water samples.     

Retention of some glucosinolates in anion exchange chromatography. Part I: Qualitative study on a silica-trialkylammonium exchanger

Summary The retention and separation of glucosinolates, as organic anions, were studied on a silica-based strong anion exchanger under isocratic elution conditions. All glucosinolates carry the same functional ionic group (-OSO ₃ ^– ), however they do not have the same retention in anion exchange chromatography. The plots of capacity factors of organic anions versus the reciprocal of eluent ion concentration show good linearity. From the slope and y-intercept data the major retention mechanisms are interpreted as ion exchange and reversed-phase interactions. The effects of nature and concentration of the eluent ion and the influence of organic modifier addition to the aqueous buffered mobile phase are also investigated. Direct and indirect UV detection were used.Our results open the way for the development of new systems for intact glucosinolate analysis which are easier to use than the present ion-pairing chromatographic method.     

Fabrication of new solid state phosphate selective electrodes for environmental monitoring

A highly selective and sensitive phosphate sensor has been fabricated by constructing a crystal disk consisting of variable mixtures of aluminium powder (Al), aluminium phosphate (AlPO₄) and powdered copper (Cu). The membrane sensor exhibits linear potential response in the concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻¹ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The proposed sensor also exhibits a fast response time of <60 s. Its detection limit is lower than 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The electrode has a long lifetime and can be stored in air when not in use. The selectivity of the sensor with respect to other common ions is excellent.     

Determination of antimony species with high-performance liquid chromatography using element specific detection

A new method for the fast and simultaneous determination of Sb(III) and Sb(V) is presented involving the use of anion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a complexing reagent in the mobile phase, and element specific detection with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Chromatographic parameters such as nature and concentration of the complexing and eluting compounds and pH of the mobile phase were investigated in detail. Additionally, the separation of inorganic Sb(III) and Sb(V) from organically bounded antimony (as (CH₃)₃SbCl₂ and (CH₃)₃Sb(OH)₂) was investigated by using anion, and cation exchange, and reversed phase HPLC. Best separation was obtained with anion exchange HPLC under alkaline conditions. Cation exchange and reversed-phase HPLC were not useful for the separation of the above compounds. With FAAS concentrations in the upper mg L^–1 range are detectable, which is not sensitive enough for the analyses of environmental samples. When the chromatographic system was coupled to ICP-MS, the detection limits are in the lower μg L^–1 range. The method was applied to various environmental samples with anthropogenic and naturally elevated Sb concentrations.     

Simple spectrophotocolorimetric method for quantitative determination of gold in nanoparticles

A simple spectrophotocolorimetric method devoted to the measurement of gold content in nanoparticles (NPs) was developed. It includes two steps: (i) metal gold NPs (Au NPs) are oxidized into the AuCl₄⁻ anion using a 5 × 10⁻² M HCl-1.5 × 10⁻² M NaCl-7 × 10⁻⁴ M Br₂ solution, next (ii) AuCl₄⁻ concentration is measured using a spectrophotometric assay based on the reaction of AuCl₄⁻ with the cationic form of Rhodamine B to give a violet ion pair complex. This latter is extracted with diisopropyl ether and the absorbance of the organic complex is measured at 565 nm. The method is linear in the range 6-29 μM of AuCl₄⁻ with a limit of detection of 4.5 μM.The analytical method was optimized with respect of bromine excess to obtain complete Au NPs oxidation. The method was applied to two types of Au NPs currently under investigation: citrate-stabilized Au NPs and Au NPs capped with dihydrolipoic acid (Au@DHLA). Both the gold content of Au NPs and the concentration of NPs (using NP diameter measured by transmission electron microscopy) have been calculated.