Determination of Lead in Lipstick by Direct Solid Sampling High-Resolution Continuum Source Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry: Comparison of Two Digestion Methods

A new analytical procedure for the determination of lead in lipstick has been developed using direct solid sampling high resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (SS HR CS GFAAS). The performance of this method has been compared to acid digestion methods for sample preparation, with or without hydrofluoric acid (HF) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection. Good reliability was obtained for all three methods; the results obtained for certified reference materials with concentrations between 1 and 20 ppm were in agreement with the certified values. However, for materials with complex matrices, such as pearl or Ca-Na borosilicate, only ICP-MS with HF sample digestion or AAS with direct solid sampling allowed complete recovery of lead. To avoid the use of hazardous acids, the development of SS HR CS GFAAS is an interesting alternative. With the AAS method, a characteristic mass of 13.2 pg of lead was obtained, and the limit of detection was 0.005 µg/g. The performance of the method was evaluated by determining lead in lipstick. The use of the solid sampling technique constitutes a good alternative for accurate and rapid determination of lead content in lipstick and cosmetic raw materials, with a suitable limit of detection and a reduced risk of contamination or of analyte loss. Another alternative would be to use ICP-MS determination in conjunction with microwave-assisted acid digestion without the use of HF, which implies accepting a quantification of “nearly total” lead, closer to a “bio-extractible” fraction.     

Label-free detection of C-reactive protein using reflectometric interference spectroscopy-based sensing system

Reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) is a label-free, time-resolved technique, and suitable for detecting antibody–antigen interaction. This work describes a continuous flow biosensor for C-reactive protein (CRP), involving an effective immobilization method of a monoclonal antibody against CRP (anti-CRP) to achieve highly sensitive RIfS-based detection of CRP. The silicon nitride-coated silicon chip (SiN chip) for the RIfS sensing was first treated with trimethylsilylchloride (TMS), followed by UV-light irradiation to in situ generation of homogeneous silanols on the surface. Following amination by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, carboxymethyldextran (CMD) was grafted, and subsequently, protein A was immobilized to create the oriented anti-CRP surface. The immobilization process of protein A and anti-CRP was monitored with the RIfS system by consecutive injections of an amine coupling reagent, protein A and anti-CRP, respectively, to confirm the progress of each step in real time. The sensitivity was enhanced when all of the processes were adopted, suggesting that the oriented immobilization of anti-CRP via protein A that was coupled with the grafted CMD on the aminated surface of TMS-treated SiN chip. The feasibility of the present sensing system was demonstrated on the detection of CRP, where the silicon-based inexpensive chips and the simple optical setup were employed. It can be applied to other target molecules in various fields of life science as a substitute of surface plasmon resonance-based expensive sensors.     

Direct Determination of the Total Concentrations of Magnesium,Calcium, Manganese,and Iron in Addition to their Chemical and Physical Fractions in Dark Honeys

The present work demonstrates a very simple and rapid method for the reliable determination of total concentrations of Mg, Ca, Mn, and Fe in dark honeys by means of flame atomic absorption spectrometry without any special sample pretreatment except for dissolution in water. An analytical scheme for the partitioning of Mg, Ca, Mn, and Fe in analyzed honeys was proposed as well. For a complementary evaluation of fractionation patterns for studied metals, a two linked column solid phase extraction procedure with a nonionic adsorbing resin Amberlite XAD-16 and a strong cation exchange resin Dowex 50 W × 8–200 in addition to an ultrafiltration procedure with five membranes having molecular weight cut-offs of 5, 10, 30, 50, and 100 kDa were used. In the course of the fractionation analysis, it was found that the most dominant group of species is the one containing cationic forms of metals bound to low molecular weight (<5 kDa, 5–10 kDa) natural honey bioligands and is mostly the case of simple ions and labile species of Mg, Ca, Mn, and Fe. Correspondingly, the contribution of the cationic fraction for these metals in analyzed dark honeys was up to 96% (Mg), 95% (Ca), 90% (Mn), and 86% (Fe). A significant contribution of the hydrophobic fraction was also established; it was maximally 10, 18, 20, and 25% for Mg, Ca, Mn, and Fe, respectively.     

Determination of Trace Chlorine in Fine Ceramics by ICP-AES Using Tungsten Boat Furnace Vaporizer and Exchangeable Sample Cuvette System as a Direct Solid Sampler

A new approach to simple solid sample digestion, subsequent vaporization, and introduction into an inductively coupled plasma was developed for the direct determination of chlorine in fine ceramic materials by atomic emission spectrometry. To each small sample cuvette made of tungsten, a powder sample was placed and weighed accurately. Following an addition of modifier solution, the cuvette was positioned on the tungsten boat furnace incorporated an electrothermal vaporizer. Then, the analyte in the sample cuvette was vaporized and introduced into the plasma; the major components of ceramic being retained. The solid ceramic samples were analyzed by using an external calibration curve prepared with the aqueous standard solutions. The detection limit of chlorine was estimated to be 0.71 ng, which corresponds to 59 ng g^?1 of the chlorine concentration in solid ceramic materials. The relative standard deviation was calculated to be 3.2%. The analytical results in various ceramic materials are described.     

Use of an Impaction-Electrothermal Atomization Atomic Absorption Spectrometric System for the Direct Determination of Cadmium,Copper, and Manganese in the Laboratory Atmosphere

Abstract

Results on an impaction-electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometric system for the direct, and on a nearly real-time basis, determination of cadmium, copper, and manganese in the laboratory atmosphere are presented. Background levels for cadmium were 3 ng m^?3, for copper were 100 ng m^?3, and for manganese were 30 ng m^?3 and were found to increase with activity in the vicinity of the system. Addition of a connecting faceplate to the impactor allowed a more convenient and accurate method of standardization to be achieved.     

The Use of Buffers in the Determination of Fluoride by an Ion-Selective Electrode at Low Concentrations and in the Presence of Aluminum

Abstract

The influence of the composition of buffer solutions on fluoride analyses by the fluoride ion selective electrode was studied. Residual fluoride content of reagents was observed to restrict the use of some buffers and reagents in low-level work. The optimum pH for low-level fluoride determinations was found to be around 5, which can be maintained by a sodium acetate-acetic acid buffer. Of the complexing agents studied, citrate was observed to be the most efficient masking agent for aluminum, but this ability depended strongly on ligand concentration. Citrate was also effective in masking iron (III) and magnesium ions. Tris (hydroxymethyi) aminomethane showed a similar ability to complex aluminum at a pH around 8. However, at this pH the hydroxyde ion interferes in fluoride analysis below 0.1 ppm [fbar].     

Infrared Examination of Gas Chromatography Effluent using a Dual Beam,Single Detector Interference Spectrometer

Abstract

An infrared interference spectrometer set to operate in a dual beam, optical nulling mode can be used with a single detector. The use of such instrumentation for the examination of gas chromatography effluent was explored, and found promising.     

Improved Calcium Ion-Selective Electrode Based on a Neutral Carrier

Abstract

The performance of a liquid-membrane electrode using a synthetic, neutral carrier in o-nitro-phenyl-n-octyl-ether as membrane component in a PVC matrix, in the presence of sodium tetra-phenyl-borate, is described. Selectivities, working range, lifetime and anion interference are discussed. The electrode makes possible the measurement of calcium ion activities in the range 10^?1M to 10^?6M in unbuffered and in the range 10^?1M to 10^?8M in calcium buffered systems respectively. The selectivities of calcium over protons, magnesium, sodium and zinc are 25,000, 26,000, 2,800 and 7,100, respectively, and are far superior than those reported for other calcium sensors.     

Removal of Ammonia Interference in the Redox Chemiluminescence Assay of Nitric Oxide

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) is now recognized as an important mediator that regulates a number of physiological functions. The most sensitive chemical method for its quantitation is via a redox-chemiluminescence detector (RCD), which can detect sub-picomole quantities of NO. In a microsomal metabolism study involving nitroglycerin, we observed that NH₃ could produce a chemiluminescence signal that interfered with the assay of NO, although the RCD sensitivity toward NH₃ was, on a molar basis, approximately 2700× less than that toward NO. Incorporation of a Porapak® T column either completely removed NH₃ RCD signal (< 40 nmole), or caused a chromatographic separation between NH₃ and NO (> 40 nmole of NH₃). The presence of the polymer packing did not affect the sensitivity of detector response toward NO. The applicability of this separation method was validated in a biochemical study in which microsomes from bovine coronary artery smooth muscle cells were incubated under conditions that would produce NO as well as NH₃ the latter probably through protein degradation. The separation method described appears to be useful in safeguarding artifactual contamination from NH₃ in the redox chemiluminescence assay of NO.     

Temperature dependence of the rate constant of ionic analogs of H + H2 → H2 + H reaction by quantum instanton method

Rate constant ratios k(T)/k(1,500K) for two symmetrical reactions H^? + H₂ → H₂ + H^? and H⁺ + H₂ → H₂ + H⁺ are reported. Direct method based on quantum instanton approximation for evaluation of the temperature dependence of the quantum‐mechanical reaction rate constant is used. Implementation of the theory involves thermodynamic integration and path integral Monte Carlo method. Results of anionic case shows resemblance to neutral case, whereas cationic case is significantly different and below 1,000K rate constant shows strong deviation form linearity of Arrhenius plot due to high activation barrier. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012