Analysis of Mercury in Skin Lightening Cream by Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (MP-AES)

This research aimed at developing an analysis method, which was optimized and validated to determine the content of mercury in skin lightening cream discovered in the market in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, through the use of microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES). The optimization on the analysis method was conducted on pump rate, viewing position, and reductant concentration in order to obtain the highest mercury emission intensity, while the solution stability was optimized to know the stability of mercury in the solution. The result showed that the method developed had precision with a relative standard deviation of 2.67%, recovery value of 92.78%, and linearity with an r value of 0.993, respectively. The sensitivity of the instrument detection had a limit of analysis method detection and quantification of 0.59 and 1.98 µg/L, respectively. The results of the test of the lightening cream (8 of 16 samples) positively contained mercury in the range of 422.61–44,960.79 ng/g. Therefore the method of analysis developed may be used for routine analysis of chemicals in any cosmetics products.     

Synthesis of polytitanosiloxanes and their transformation to SiO2–TiO2 ceramic fibers

A one-pot synthesis of polytitanosiloxanes (PTS) and its transformation to SiO₂–TiO₂ ceramic fibers were investigated. PTS was prepared by the hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane followed by the reaction with bis(2,4-pentanedionato)titanium diisopropoxide in methanol in 33–95 SiO₂ mol %. PTS was considered to be a ladder- or sheet-type polymer consisting of Si? O? Si and Si? O? Ti linkages as a main chain with pendant hydroxyl and 2,4-pentanedionato groups. SiO–TiO ceramic fibers were prepared by the pyrolysis of SiO₂–TiO₂ precursor fibers, which were prepared by the dry spinning of PTS followed by steam treatment. The tensile strength was 610 MPa for the SiO₂–TiO₂ fibers (SiO₂/TiO₂ = 20) after the pyrolysis at 700₀C. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.