L X-ray production cross sections, average L shell fluorescence yield and intensity ratios in heavy elements

L X-ray fluorescence cross sections, and intensity ratios were measured for elements in the 70￡Z￡92 atomic range at the excitation energy 59.5 keV using a Si(Li) detector. Furthermore, L X-ray fluorescence cross sections and intensity ratios were calculated for elements in the same range. The average L shell fluorescence yields were derived using experimental L X-ray fluorescence cross sections and theoretical photoionization cross sections. The obtained results were compared with other experimental and theoretical values. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

ICP-MS determination of heavy metals in submerged cultures of wood-rotting fungi

Accumulation of five heavy metal ions by five species of wood-rotting basidiomycetes during a 9-day cultivation was studied. Contents of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were measured using ICP-MS; the amount of mercury was determined directly in solid samples using the Advanced Mercury Analyser. A standard operation procedure for the sample preparation and determination of metal content was developed and validated. Presence of Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb decreased the accumulation of zinc by the fungi. The basidiomycete Pycnoporus cinnabarinus exhibited the highest metal binding capacity of all fungi tested.     

Isotachophoretic determination of stability constants of Ho and Y complexes with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid and 1,4,7,10-tetraazadodecane-N,N',N'',N'''-tetraacetic acid

The method of capillary isotachophoresis with conductivity detection was applied for the determination of the physico-chemical characteristics (conditional stability constants log beta') of holmium and yttrium complexes with DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) and DOTA (1,4,7,10-tetraazadodecane-N,N',N',N'-tetraacetic acid). The log beta' determination is based on the linear relation between the stability constants of lanthanide-DTPA (lanthanide-DOTA) complexes and the reduction of the zone of the complex owing to the bleeding phenomena (liberating free metal ion). The stability constants calculated using this relationship are comparable with the literary data obtained by other methods for both holmium (log beta'(Ho-DTPA)=21.9, log beta'(Ho-DOTA)=24.5) and yttrium complexes (log beta'(Y-DTPA)=21.2, log beta'(Y-DOTA)=24.4). Capillary isotachophoresis was applied for the determination of the optimum composition of the reaction mixture (metal:ligand ratio) as well.     

Enantiomeric separation of dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), methyldihydroxyphenylalanine (MDOPA) and hydrazinomethyldihydroxyphenylalanine (CDOPA) by using capillary electrophoresis with sulfobutyl ether-beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was successfully applied to the enantiomer resolution of racemic structurally related compounds, namely dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), methyldihydroxyphenylalanine (MDOPA) and hydrazinomethyldihydroxyphenylalanine (CDOPA). The chiral resolution was performed in an untreated fused-silica capillary by using a phosphate buffer at pH 2.5 or 3.0 supplemented with sulfobutylated beta-cyclodextrin (SBE-CD). Resolution was strongly influenced by the concentration of the chiral selector added to the background electrolyte. In fact, 2-5 mM of SBE-CD enabled the resolution of DOPA and MDOPA enantiomers, while CDOPA optical isomers were resolved by using either 0.5 mM or 6-20 mM of SBE-CD. The latter separation conditions (reversed polarity mode) made it possible to obtain inversion of migration order.     

Determination of terbinafine in pharmaceuticals and dialyzates by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoresis method has been developed for the separation and determination of terbinafine (TER) in various pharmaceutically relevant matrices. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separation and UV absorbance photometric detection were carried out in a 160 mm capillary tube with a 300 μm i.d., hydrodynamically (membrane) closed. The influences of pH, carrier cation and counterion on migration parameters of TER were studied and the following conditions were selected: a 20 mmol l⁻¹ glycine running buffer adjusted to pH 2.7 with acetic acid, 0.2% (w/v) methylhydroxyethylcellulose (m-HEC) as an electro-osmotic flow (EOF) suppressor, a 250 μA driving current, and 20 °C. The optimized separation conditions were convenient for the determination of TER in commercial tablets and spray and in dialyzates. Here, the dialysis was used to investigate in vitro permeation of TER through the skin from the gel. The samples of dialyzates were examined with and without simple extraction procedure and the results were compared. A permeation profile of the drug present in the gel of given composition was obtained analyzing pretreated samples. The proposed electrophoretic method was successfully validated. It was suitable for the simple, sensitive, rapid and highly reproducible assay of TER. CZE analysis was completed within 5.5 min. The detection limit of TER was 1.73 μmol l⁻¹ at a 224 nm detection wavelength. The intra- and inter-laboratory precisions over the concentration range 6.0-60.0 μmol l⁻¹ were between 0.32-0.69% and 1.04-1.44% including R.S.D. of migration times and peak areas, respectively. The mean absolute recoveries of drugs from samples were found to be 98.34 (tablets) and 99.47% (spray). It is suggested that there are potentialities to determine TER present in unpretreated complex samples, as CZE in a hydrodynamically closed separation system may be easily on-line combinable with purification and preconcentration CE modes (e.g., isotachophoresis, ITP).     

Spectrofluorimetric and isotachophoretic determination of maprotiline in human blood serum

Maprotiline determination in blood serum samples was investigated by the use of both capillary isotachophoresis and spectrofluorimetric techniques. The analyte had to be enriched before determination and extraction with n-heptane was used for this purpose. The preliminary separation enabled the determination of maprotiline in blood serum at therapeutic concentration levels.     

Electrophoretically mediated microanalysis with partial filling technique and indirect or direct detection as a tool for inhibition studies of enzymatic reaction

The inhibition of the model enzyme, haloalkane dehalogenase from Sphingomonas paucimobilis, was investigated by a combination of electrophoretically mediated microanalysis with a partial filling technique, followed by indirect or direct detection. In this setup, part of the capillary is filled with a buffer suitable for the enzymatic reaction (20 mM glycine buffer, pH 8.6) whereas the rest of the capillary is filled with the background electrolyte optimal for separation of substrates and products. Two different background electrolytes and corresponding detection approaches were used to show the versatility of the developed method. The inhibition effect of 1,2-dichloroethane on the dehalogenation of brominated substrate 1-bromobutane was studied by means of 10 mM chromate - 0.1 mM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (pH 9.2) in combination with indirect detection or 20 mM beta-alanine - hydrochloric acid (pH 3.5) in combination with direct detection. The method was used to estimate the inhibition constant K(I) (0.44 mM by indirect detection and 0.63 mM by of direct detection) and to determine the inhibition type. Compared to spectrophotometric and other discontinuous assays, the method is rapid, can be automated, and requires only small amount of reagents that is especially important in the case of enzymes and inhibitors.     

Automatic kinetic determination of Hg(II) by anodic stripping potentiometry with constant current oxidation

A new kinetic method for the determination of Hg(II) is proposed. It is based on the kinetic evolution of the anodic stripping potentiometric curves yielded by a gold electrode previously coated with mercury upon passage of constant electrical currents. The method features a linear determination range between 40 and 800 ppb of Hg(II) and a relative standard deviation of 5% (n = 9) for a mercury concentration of 200 ppb. The experiments were conducted on a customized automatic set-up, and instrumentation, data acquisition and processing were all governed by means of a QBASIC program (PSAKINEL) written by the authors.     

Structure analysis of intercalated layer silicates: combination of molecular simulations and experiment

Na(+)-montmorillonite type Wyoming, cloisite Na(+) from Southern Clay Products, Inc., was intercalated (i) with octadecylammonium cations and subsequently intercalated with octadecylamine molecules, (ii) with dodecylamine molecules, and (iii) with octylamine molecules to determine the applicability of these intercalates for nanocomposite materials on the base of polymer/clay. The structures were determined on the basis of a combination of results from X-ray diffraction and molecular simulations. The calculated values of basal spacings are in good agreement with experimental basal spacings when experimental samples were prepared. The interlayer space of intercalated montmorillonite shows a monolayer or bilayer arrangement of alkyl chains in dependence on the concentration of the intercalation solution. The values of the total sublimation energy, interaction energy, and exfoliation energy were calculated for all investigated samples. Low values of exfoliation energies lead to better exfoliation of intercalated silicate layers and this material appears suitable for use as a precursor for polymer/clay nanocomposites. The values of exfoliation energy for the investigated samples show that montmorillonite intercalated with dodecylamine or octadecylamine molecules is suitable for exfoliation of silicate layers.