Book Reviews

Glossary On Air Pollution, Who Regional Publications European Series No. 9 (Director, Promotion of Environmental Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Scherfigsvej 8, DK-2100 Copenhagen θ) 1980, 114 pages (including an introduction, a list of reviewers and a list of the sources of definitions), stiff paper cover, format 239 ± 159 mm, ISBN 92-9020-109-6, WHO Health and Biomedical Information Programme, CH-1211 Geneva 27, SFr. 12.

Spektroskopische Methoden in Der Organischen Chemie (in German), by Manfred Hesse, Herbert Meier and Bernd Zeeh, 478 pages, including 169 figures and 86 tables, flexible paper cover, ISBN 3-13-576101-0, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart 1979, price DM 26.80.

Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Environmental Samples, World Health Organisation/International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC Publication No. 29 (Series: Environmental Carcinogens, Selected Methods of Analysis, Volume 3, edited by H. Egan, Laboratory of the Government Chemist, London, U.K. et al.) 1980, 240 pages (including 17 figures, 18 tables, many formulae, an annex with 8 methods of analysis and 29 pages of valuable references in two sections), linen, format 242 ± 186 mm, ISBN 92-8-321129-4, WHO Health and Biomedical Information Programme, CH-1211 Geneva 27, US$30 or SFr. 50.

Toxic Metals and Their Analysis by Eleanor Berman, Cook County Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., 304 pages (including an index of 5 pages, 29 tables and 5 figures), linen, format 241 × 163 mm, ISBN 0-85501-468-7, published 1980 by Heyden International Topics in Science, Spectrum House, Hillview Gardens, London NW4 2JQ, U.K., prices £12, US$27 or DM 56.     

A singular function boundary integral method for elliptic problems with singularities

In this work we present a singular function boundary integral method for elliptic problems with boundary singularities. In this method, the approximation is constructed from the truncated asymptotic expansion for the solution near the singular point and the Dirichlet boundary conditions are weakly enforced by means of Lagrange multiplier functions. The resulting discrete problem is posed and solved on the boundary of the domain, away from the point of singularity. We are able to show that the method approximates the generalized stress intensity factors, i.e. the coe cients in the asymptotic expansion, at an exponential rate. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Solution of the planar Newtonian stick–slip problem with the singular function boundary integral method

A singular function boundary integral method (SFBIM) is proposed for solving biharmonic problems with boundary singularities. The method is applied to the Newtonian stick–slip flow problem. The streamfunction is approximated by the leading terms of the local asymptotic solution expansion which are also used to weight the governing biharmonic equation in the Galerkin sense. By means of the divergence theorem the discretized equations are reduced to boundary integrals. The Dirichlet boundary conditions are weakly enforced by means of Lagrange multipliers, the values of which are calculated together with the singular coefficients. The method converges very fast with the number of singular functions and the number of Lagrange multipliers, and accurate estimates of the leading singular coefficients are obtained. Comparisons with the analytical solution and results obtained with other numerical methods are also made. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol-modified polymeric membranes for the effective batch pre-concentration and determination of zinc traces with flame atomic absorption spectrometry

The development of 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN)-modified polymeric membranes for the effective batch pre-concentration and determination of zinc traces with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) is described. The method is based on the chemical bonding of the metal species with a suitable ligand, which has been immobilized into a water-insoluble cellulose acetate (CA) membrane followed by simple rinsing of the chelating agent-metal complex with an acidified methanolic solution. The latter is directly aspirated to the nebulizer of a FAA spectrophotometer without any other treatment. As an analytical demonstration, trace concentrations of Zn(II) were successfully detected in real samples, such as seawater, river and lake water, wastewater as well as in a reference material, without any laborious and time-consuming treatment. Several working parameters were investigated. A pre-concentration factor of 100 was achieved by simple immersing of a circular piece of the CA-PAN membrane (0.6 cm diameter) in the tested samples for 30 min at room temperature. The analytical curve was rectilinear up to 30 mug l(-1) zinc with detection limit of 0.7 mug l(-1), a quantitation limit of 2.0 mug l(-1) and a relative standard deviation lower than 2%.     

Assay of reducing sugars in beverages, wines, honey and marmalades using potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA)

Summary A simple, rapid and non-destructive method for the detection and determination of phosphines and phosphine oxides in solution by ¹H and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy is proposed. Diphenylphosphine (DPP) and diphenylphosphine oxide (DPPO) mixtures in C₆D₆ chosen as model system were studied in wide ranges of concentration (10^–2 to 4 mol/l). The detection of DPP and DPPO in solution by ¹H NMR was based on the presence of two doublets (hydrogen directly bonded to phosphorus, H_P) originating from P-H and P(O)H groups with one bond coupling constant ¹J_PH of 216.08 and 476.12 Hz. ³¹P NMR signals at –40.07 and +18.26 ppm additionally proved the presence of DPP and DPPO in solution. A linear dependence of the measured H_P and ortho-proton integral intensity on the concentration of DPP and DPPO was found. The content of DPP and DPPO evaluated by ³¹P without adding Cr(acac)₃ and by ¹H NMR agreed with the quoted amounts within 1 to 3%.Under Indo-Polish cultural exchange programme, temporarily at Silesian University     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Trace Amounts of Vanadium Based on its Catalytic Effect on the Reaction of Diphenylamine and Hydrogen Peroxide

 In this work a kinetic spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of vanadium is presented. The method is based on the catalytic effect of the vanadium(V) on the reaction between diphenylamine (DPhA) and hydrogen peroxide in a concentrated solution of formic acid. The formation of the deep-blue oxidation product is followed by a filter spectrophotometer, equipped with an optical fiber assembly, on line with a PC provided with the suitable software. The measurements were taken at 583 nm, with an immersed type cell of 1 cm light path length. The optimization of the operating conditions regarding concentrations of the reagents, temperature and interferences are also investigated. The working curve is linear over the concentration range 0.40–4.0 μg/ml vanadium(V). The relative standard deviation for a standard solution of 0.6 μg/ml of vanadium is 0.5% (n = 5). The proposed method proved highly sensitive, selective and relatively rapid for the assay of vanadium, at low level of 0.40 μg/ml without any pre-concentration step. The method was applied to alloys and cosmetics samples. The results were compared to those received with a reference method. Good agreement was attained, with a mean error of 0.5%. Received February 25, 2000. Revision May 15, 2000.     

Construction of a Triphenyltetrazolium Liquid Membrane Ion Selective Electrode and its Analytical Application to the Assay of Vitamin C

 The construction of a liquid triphenyltetrazolium cation (TT⁺) ion-selective electrode (ISE) based on [TT⁺]₃[P(W₃O₁₀)₄] salt dissolved in 2-nitrotoluene is described. The liquid membrane electrode exhibits a rapid and almost Nernstian response to triphenyltetrazolium cations in the concentration range from 2×10⁻⁴ to 1×10⁻² mol l⁻¹. The Nernstian slope is 56–58 mV decade⁻¹ which remains constant for at least two months. The response is virtually unaffected by pH changes in the range 3–12. Major interferents are periodate and malate. Deviation from linearity is also observed in the presence of bromide, iodide and thiocyanate, due to their precipitation with triphenyltetrazolium cations. Analytical applications such as direct potentiometry for the determination of TT⁺ in aqueous solutions and indirect potentiometry for the assay of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in pharmaceutical preparations are described. Ascorbic acid in the range of 150–500 mg l⁻¹, under specified experimental conditions, can be determined with mean relative error of 1.9%. Received February 25, 2000. Revision April 4, 2000.     

The 4-aminoantipyrine Method Revisited: Determination of Trace Phenols by Micellar Assisted Preconcentration

The traditional method for phenol analysis based on the oxidizing coupling of 4-aminoantipyrine (4-APP) with phenol in alkaline solution is re-evaluated in this study in combination with micellar assisted preconcentration (cloud point extraction). The method employs the conventional reaction pathway while extraction is facilitated by surfactant based precipitation, during which the nonpolar derivative of 4-AAP-phenol is entrapped in the micelles and concentrated into a surfactant-rich phase. The latter is the re-solubilized and the complex is quantified spectrophotometrically in the presence of a surfactant. Compared to the traditional method the modification proposed offers certain analytical advantages like massive analysis of many samples, lower detection limits and shorter time of analysis. The method was applied in various samples of different origin with satisfactory results.     

Micelle mediated extraction of magnesium from water samples with trizma-chloranilate and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

This article describes an analytical method for the determination of magnesium taking advantage of the cloud point phenomenon employing a suitable chelating agent (chloranilate) for Mg analysis. The method encompasses pre-concentration of the metal chelate followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) analysis. The chelating agent chosen for this task is a newly synthesised salt of chloranilic acid, trizma-chloranilate, which reacts with Mg but at the same time has a very low affinity for other metallic cations like silicon, aluminium and sodium, which interfere with the determination of Mg in FAAS. The condensed surfactant phase with the metal chelate(s) is introduced into the flame of an atomic absorption spectrometer after its treatment with an acidified methanolic solution. In this way, complex and time-consuming steps for sample treatment are avoided while increased sensitivity is achieved by the presence of both methanol and surfactant in the aspirated sample. The analytical curve was rectilinear in the range of 5-220 mugl(-1) and the limit of detection was as low as 0.75 mugl(-1) with a standard deviation of 5.2%. The method was applied for the determination of Mg in natural and mineral waters with satisfactory results and recoveries in the range of 97-102%.     

Simple and Selective Spectrophotometric Method for the Determination of Iron (III) and Total Iron Content, Based on the Reaction of Fe(III) with 1,2-Dihydroxy-3,4-Diketocyclo-Butene (Squaric Acid)

 Squaric acid (1,2-dihydroxy-3,4-diketo-cyclobutene) is used in a specific reaction with Fe(III) for the spectrophotometric determination of Fe(III) and total iron content. The optimization of the experimental parameters leads to the establishment of a simple, fast and accurate analytical method. The analytical procedure includes mixing ammonium squarate (40 mM), prepared in a phthalate buffer solution of pH 2.7, with the sample and measuring the absorbance at 515 nm. The molar absorptivity of the colored product is 3.95×10³ L·mol⁻¹·cm⁻¹, at 515 nm. Calibration graphs for Fe(III) are rectilinear for 0.5–20 mgL⁻¹, with a detection limit of 0.3 mgL⁻¹ and r.s.d. not exceeding 2.5%, for five replicates of a 3.0 mgL⁻¹ standard solution. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of iron (III) and the total iron content after quantitative oxidation of iron (II). The results for several analyzed samples when compared with those acquired by using the FAAS technique, were found to be in satisfactory agreement. Author for correspondence: University of Ioannina, Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Ioannina 451 10, Greece. E-mail: panavelt@cc.uoi.gr Received July 27, 2002; accepted December 20, 2002 Published online April 11, 2003