A multi-pumping flow-based procedure with improved sensitivity for the spectrophotometric determination of acid-dissociable cyanide in natural waters

An analytical procedure with improved sensitivity was developed for cyanide determination in natural waters, exploiting the reaction with the complex of Cu(I) with 2,2′-biquinoline 4,4′-dicarboxylic acid (BCA). The flow system was based on the multi-pumping approach and long pathlength spectrophotometry with a flow cell based on a Teflon AF 2400^® liquid core waveguide was exploited to increase sensitivity. A linear response was achieved from 5 to 200 μg L⁻¹, with coefficient of variation of 1.5% (n = 10). The detection limit and the sampling rate were 2 μg L⁻¹ (99.7% confidence level), and 22 h⁻¹, respectively. Per determination, 48 ng of Cu(II), 5 μg of ascorbic acid and 0.9 μg of BCA were consumed. As high as 100 mg L⁻¹ thiocyanate, nitrite or sulfite did not affect cyanide determination. Sulfide did not interfere at concentrations lower than 40 and 200 μg L⁻¹ before or after sample pretreatment with hydrogen peroxide. The results for natural waters samples agreed with those obtained by a fluorimetric flow-based procedure at the 95% confidence level. The proposed procedure is then a reliable, fast and environmentally friendly alternative for cyanide determination in natural waters.     

A multicommuted flow-system for spectrophotometric determination of tannin exploiting the Cu(I)/BCA complex formation

A flow system exploiting the multicommutation approach is proposed for spectrophotometric determination of tannin in beverages. The procedure is based on the reduction of Cu(II) in the presence of 4,4′-dicarboxy-2,2′-biquinoline, yielding a complex with maximum absorption at 558 nm. Calibration graph was linear (r = 0.999) for tannic acid concentrations up to 5.00 μmol L^− 1. The detection limit and coefficient of variation were estimated as 10 nmol L^− 1 (99.7% confidence level) and 1% (1.78 μmol L^− 1 tannic acid, n = 10), respectively. The sampling rate was 50 determinations per hour. The proposed procedure is more sensitive and selective than the official Folin-Denis method, also minimizing drastically waste generation. Recoveries within 91.8 and 115% were estimated for total tannin determination in tea and wine samples.     

On-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for the selective spectrophotometric determination of nicotine in the urine of smokers

This work describes an on-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) method for spectrophotometric determination of nicotine in urine samples of smokers. This method is based on manganese (VII) to manganese (VI) reduction in an alkaline medium, promoted by nicotine. Two wash solutions (1:4 (v/v) acetonitrile:sodium hydroxide - pH 11.4, and nitric acid - pH 2.5) were employed to circumvent interferences. Aqueous solutions containing nicotine plus different possible concomitants (cotinine, anabasine, norcotinine and caffeine) were tested individually. The analytical calibration curve was prepared in urine samples collected from non-smokers and spiked with nicotine standard from 1.1 to 60 μmol L⁻¹ (r² > 0.998). The limit of quantification and the analytical frequency were 1.1 μmol L⁻¹ and 11 h⁻¹, respectively. The precision, evaluated using 3, 10 and 30 μmol L⁻¹ nicotine in urine, was 10, 10 and 4% (intra-day precision) and 12, 13 and 5% (inter-day precision), respectively. Accuracy was checked through high performance liquid chromatography and the results did not present significant differences at the 95% confidence level according to the Student's t-test.     

Sensitive and ultra-fast determination of arsenic(III) by gas-diffusion flow injection analysis with chemiluminescence detection

A novel chemiluminescence gas-diffusion flow injection system for the determination of arsenic(III) in aqueous samples is described. The analytical procedure involves injection of arsenic(III) samples and standards into a 0.3 mol L⁻¹ hydrochloric acid carrier stream which is merged with a reagent stream containing 0.2% (w/v) sodium borohydride and 0.015 mol L⁻¹ sodium hydroxide. Arsine, generated in the combined carrier/reagent donor stream, diffuses across the hydrophobic Teflon membrane of the gas-diffusion cell into an argon acceptor stream and then reacts with ozone in the flow-through chemiluminescence measuring cell of the flow system. Under optimal conditions, the method is characterized by a wide linear calibration range from 0.6 μg L⁻¹ to 25 mg L⁻¹, a detection limit of 0.6 μg L⁻¹ and a sample throughput of 300 samples per hour at 25 mg L⁻¹ and 450 samples per hour at 25 μg L⁻¹.     

Preparation of silver hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles and its application for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid

A silver hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode was fabricated and then successfully used for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid by cyclic voltammetry. A detailed investigation by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electrochemistry was performed in order to elucidate the preparation process and properties of the nanocomposites. The size of silver hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles was examined by TEM around 27 nm. Linear calibration plots were obtained over the range of 4.0 × 10⁻⁶-7.8 × 10⁻⁵, 2.4 × 10⁻⁶-1.3 × 10⁻⁴ and 2.0 × 10⁻⁶-1.5 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ with detection limits of 4.2 × 10⁻⁷,1.4 × 10⁻⁷ and 6.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ for ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid, respectively. The practical analytical utilities of the modified electrode were demonstrated by the determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid in urine and human blood serum samples.     

Feasibility of ultra-high performance liquid and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry for accurate determination of primary and secondary phthalate metabolites in urine samples

Phthalates (PAEs) are ubiquitous toxic chemical compounds. During the last few years, some phthalate metabolites (MPAEs) have been proposed as appropriate biomarkers in human urine samples to determine PAE human intake and exposure. So, it is necessary to have fast, easy, robust and validated analytical methods to determine selected MPAEs in urine human samples. Two different instrumental methods based on gas (GC) and ultra-high performance liquid (UHPLC) chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) have been optimized, characterized and validated for the simultaneous determination of nine primary and secondary phthalate metabolites in urine samples. Both instrumental methods have similar sensitivity (detection limits ranged from 0.03 to 8.89 pg μL⁻¹ and from 0.06 to 0.49 pg μL⁻¹ in GC–MS and UHPLC–MS², respectively), precision (repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviation, which was lower than 8.4% in both systems, except for 5OH-MEHP in the case of GC–MS) and accuracy. But some advantages of the UHPLC–MS² method, such as more selectivity and lower time in the chromatographic runs (6.8 min vs. 28.5 min), have caused the UHPLC–MS² method to be chosen to analyze the twenty one human urine samples from the general Spanish population. Regarding these samples, MEP showed the highest median concentration (68.6 μg L⁻¹), followed by MiBP (23.3 μg L⁻¹), 5cx-MEPP (22.5 μg L⁻¹) and MBP (19.3 μg L⁻¹). MMP (6.99 μg L⁻¹), 5oxo-MEHP (6.15 μg L⁻¹), 5OH-MEHP (5.30 μg L⁻¹) and MEHP (4.40 μg L⁻¹) showed intermediate levels. Finally, the lowest levels were found for MBzP (2.55 μg L⁻¹). These data are within the same order of magnitude as those found in other similar populations.     

Automatic flow system for the sequential determination of copper in serum and urine by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

In this work, a fully automated flow system exploiting the advantages of the association of multi-pumping, multicommutation, binary sampling and merging zones, to accomplish the sequential determination of copper in serum and urine by flame atomic absorption spectrometry, is described. The developed flow system allowed multiple tasks, such as serum samples preparation (samples and standard solutions viscosity adjustment), serum copper (SCu) measurement, urine copper (UCu) pre-concentration and its subsequent elution and measurement, to be carried out sequentially. The implemented flow manifold presented a modular configuration consisting on two quasi-independent modules, each one accountable for a specific sample manipulation and whose combined operation under computer control enabled the determination of copper in a wide concentrations range.Once optimised and with a sample consumption of about 0.250 mL of serum and 7 mL of urine, the developed flow system allowed linear calibration plots up to 5 mg L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.035 mg L⁻¹ for SCu and linear calibration plots up to 300 μg L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.67 μg L⁻¹ for UCu. The sampling rate varied according to the module employed and was about 360 determinations h⁻¹ (SCu module), 12 determinations h⁻¹ (UCu module) or 24 determinations h⁻¹ (12 urine and 12 serum samples; UCu and SCu modules simultaneously). Repeatability studies (R.S.D.%, n = 10) showed good precision for UCu at concentrations of 25 μg L⁻¹ (2.54%), 50 μg L⁻¹ (0.90%) and 100 μg L⁻¹ (1.62%) as well as for SCu at concentrations of 0.25 mg L⁻¹ (8.11%), 1 mg L⁻¹ (3.11%) and 5 mg L⁻¹ (0.90%). A comparative evaluation showed a good agreement between the results obtained in the analysis of UCu and SCu (n = 18) by both the developed methodology and the reference procedures. Accuracy was further evaluated by means of the analysis of reference samples (Seronorm™ Trace Elements Urine and Seronorm™ Trace Elements Serum) and the obtained results complied with the certified values.     

Study of matrix effects and spectral interferences in the determination of lead in sediments, sludges and soils by SR-ETAAS using slurry sampling

An interference-free, fast, and simple method is proposed for Pb determination in environmental solid samples combining slurry sampling and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Samples were ground to an adequate particle size and slurries were prepared by weighing from 0.05 g to 0.20 g of dry sediment, adding nitric acid, and a solution containing 0.1% Triton X-100. Ultrasonic agitation was employed for slurries homogenization. Analytical variables including acid pre-treatment conditions, particle size, slurry stability, temperature program of the graphite furnace, and type and concentration of the chemical modifier were studied. The undesirable effects of potential non-specific and spectral interferences on Pb signal were also taken into account. Continuum source and self-reversal methods for background correction were evaluated and compared. For calibration, synthetic acid solutions of Pb were employed. Calibration was linear within the range 1-30 μg L⁻¹ and 5-30 μg L⁻¹ when the 217.0 nm and 283.3 nm analytical lines were used. Correlation coefficients of 0.9992 and 0.9997 were obtained. Using optimized conditions, limits of detection (3σ) of 0.025 μg g⁻¹ and 0.1 μg g⁻¹ were achieved for the 217.0 nm and 283.3 nm analytical lines, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of lead in soil, contaminated soil, municipal sludge, and sediment samples. The accuracy was assessed by the analysis of two certified reference materials: municipal sludge (QC MUNICIPAL SLUDGE A) and lake sediment (TRAP-LRM from IJS).     

Simultaneous determination of Mn(II), Cu(II) and Fe(III) as 2-(5′-bromo-2′-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol complexes by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry at a carbon paste electrode

A simple and precise square-wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (SW-AdCSV) method has been described for simultaneous determination of Mn(II), Cu(II) and Fe(III) in water samples using a carbon paste electrode. In 0.1 mol L⁻¹ acetate buffer (pH 5) containing 50 μmol L⁻¹ of 2-(5′-bromo-2′-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Br-PADAP), Mn(II), Cu(II) and Fe(III) were simultaneously determined as metal-complexes with 5-Br-PADAP following preconcentration onto the carbon paste electrode by adsorptive accumulation at +1.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/3 M KCl). Insignificant interference from various cations (K⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Al³⁺, Bi³⁺, Sb³⁺, Se⁴⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, V⁵⁺, Ti⁴⁺ and NH₄⁺), anions (HCO₃⁻, Cl⁻, NO³⁻, SO₄²⁻ and PO₄³⁻) and ascorbic acid was noticed. Limits of detection of 0.066, 0.108 and 0.093 μg L⁻¹ and limits of quantitation of 0.22, 0.36 and 0.31 μg L⁻¹ Mn(II), Cu(II) and Fe(III), respectively, were achieved by the described method. The described stripping voltammetry method was successfully applied for simultaneous determination of Mn(II), Cu(II) and Fe(III) in ground, tap and bottled natural water samples.     

Use of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant for the determination of copper and chromium in gasoline emulsions by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

In this work, the use of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant for the preparation of oil-in-water emulsions for the determination of Cu and Cr in gasoline by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) was evaluated. The surfactant amount was tested in the range of 25 to 300 mg, added to 2 ml of gasoline, and completed to 10 mL with 0.1% (v/v) nitric acid solution. 150 mg of surfactant was found optimum, and a sonication time of 10 min sufficient to form an oil-in-water emulsion that was stable for several hours. The ET AAS temperature program was established based on pyrolysis and atomization curves. The pyrolysis temperatures were set at 700 and 1300 °C for Cu and Cr, respectively and the selected atomization temperatures were 2400 and 2500 °C. The time and temperature of the drying stage and the atomization time were experimentally tested to provide optimum conditions. The limits of detection were found to be 5 μg L^− 1 and 1.5 μg L^− 1 for Cu and Cr, respectively in the original gasoline samples. The relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 4 to 9% in oil-in-water emulsions spiked with 5 μg L^− 1 and 15 μg L^− 1 of each metal, respectively. Recoveries varied from 90 to 98%. The accuracy of the proposed method was tested by an alternate procedure using complete evaporation of the gasoline sample. The method was adequate for the determination of Cu and Cr in gasoline samples collected from different gas stations in Salvador, BA, Brazil.     

Peat as a natural solid-phase for copper preconcentration and determination in a multicommuted flow system coupled to flame atomic absorption spectrometry

The physical and chemical characteristics of peat were assessed through measurement of pH, percentage of organic matter, cationic exchange capacity (CEC), elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy and quantitative analysis of metals by ICP OES. Despite the material showed to be very acid in view of the percentage of organic matter, its CEC was significant, showing potential for retention of metal ions. This characteristic was exploited by coupling a peat mini-column to a flow system based on the multicommutation approach for the in-line copper concentration prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination. Cu(II) ions were adsorbed at pH 4.5 and eluted with 0.50 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃. The influence of chemical and hydrodynamic parameters, such as sample pH, buffer concentration, eluent type and concentration, sample flow-rate and preconcentration time were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, a linear response was observed between 16 and 100 μg L⁻¹, with a detection limit estimated as 3 μg L⁻¹ at the 99.7% confidence level and an enrichment factor of 16. The relative standard deviation was estimated as 3.3% (n = 20). The mini-column was used for at least 100 sampling cycles without significant variation in the analytical response. Recoveries from copper spiked to lake water or groundwater as well as concentrates used in hemodialysis were in the 97.3-111% range. The results obtained for copper determination in these samples agreed with those achieved by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) at the 95% confidence level.     

A green analytical procedure for flow-injection determination of nitrate in natural waters

Nitrate determination in waters is generally carried out with cadmium filings and carcinogenic reagents or by reaction with phenolic compounds in highly concentrated sulfuric acid medium. In this work, it was developed a green analytical procedure for nitrate determination in natural waters based on direct spectrophotometric measurements in ultraviolet, using a flow-injection system with an anion-exchange column for separation of nitrate from interfering species. The proposed method employs only one reagent (HClO₄) in a minimum amount (equivalent to 18 μL concentrated acid per determination), and allowed nitrate determination within 0.50-25.0 mg L⁻¹, without interference of up to 200.0 mg L⁻¹ humic acid; 1.0 mg L⁻¹ NO₂⁻; 200.0 mg L⁻¹ PO₄³⁻; 75.0 mg L⁻¹ Cl⁻; 50.0 mg L⁻¹ SO₄²⁻ and 15.0 mg L⁻¹ Fe³⁺. The detection limit (99.7% confidence level) and the coefficient of variation (n = 20) were estimated as 0.1 mg L⁻¹ and 0.7%, respectively. The results obtained for natural water samples were in agreement with those achieved by the reference method based on nitrate reduction with copperized cadmium at the 95% confidence level.     

Simultaneous determination of tiopronin and d-penicillamine in human urine by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

d-Penicillamine and tiopronin are drugs widely used for the treatment of many diseases. Because of the relatively high frequency of side effects to these compounds, some of which are dose-related, drug monitoring in urine samples during treatment is advisable. In this paper, we describe a simple method for the determination of tiopronin and d-penicillamine in human urine. The method was based on derivatization with 2-chloro-1-methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate followed by ion-pairing reversed-phase liquid chromatography separation and ultraviolet-absorbance detection. 2-S-quinolinium derivatives of thiols were detected at 355 nm. The derivatization was optimized in terms of pH and time of the reaction. Baseline separation was achieved on an analytical Zorbax SB C-18 (5 μm, 150 mm × 4.6 mm) column with a mobile phase consisting of pH 2.0 0.09 mol L⁻¹ trichloroacetic acid buffer (component A) and acetonitrile (component B) pumped at 1.0 mL min⁻¹. Gradient elution was used: 0-4 min, 12% B; 4-8 min, 12-40% B; 8-12 min, 40-12% B. The d-penicillamine and tiopronin standards added to the urine show that the response of the detector is linear within the range studied, from 1 to 200 μmol L⁻¹ urine. The imprecision ranges for tiopronin and d-penicillamine were within 1.61-8.24% and 2.92-10.60%, respectively. The analytical accuracy for determined compounds was from 97.24 to 109.39%. The lower limits of detection and quantitation were 0.5 μmol L⁻¹ and 1.0 μmol L⁻¹ urine, respectively. This method can be used for routine clinical monitoring of the title thiol-drugs. Cysteine can be measured concurrently, if needed.     

A metallic furnace atomizer in hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry: Determination of bismuth and selenium

A flow injection hydride generation system with a metal furnace atomizer (Inconel 600® alloy) was employed for Bi and Se determination. The presented methods have linear ranges up to 200 and 500 μg L^− 1 for Bi and Se, respectively, with good linearities (r² = 0.9997 and 0.9974, respectively). The limits of quantification obtained according to IUPAC recommendations were 2.3 μg L^− 1 for Bi and 6 μg L^− 1 for Se, and the relative standard deviations (N = 6) based on Bi and Se analytical responses from real samples were 2.7% and 10%, respectively. Accuracy evaluations were based on certified materials such as SRM 361, SRM 363, and SRM 364 (steel alloys) for Bi, Mess-3 (marine sediment), SRM 397 (human hair), and Bio-Rad2 — 69042 (urine) for Se. Good agreements between the results were obtained at the 95% confidence level, according to the t-test.     

Determination of thiosulfate in human urine by high performance liquid chromatography

Thiosulfate is a sulfate analogue with a thiosulfur substituent and is found in human samples. Its concentration in urine is increased in some diseases and after exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas. We have developed a sensitive, simple and cheap method for thiosulfate determination in urine. The method is based on precolumn derivatization with 2-chloro-1-methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate followed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography separation and ultraviolet detection of 1-methyl-2-thioquinolone at 375 nm. The calibration curve for thiosulfate was linear in the tested range 0.5-50 μmol L⁻¹ with correlation coefficient better than 0.999. The analytical recovery and relative standard deviation values for precision within the calibration range were from 90.1% to 104.2% and from 2.39% to 5.59%, respectively. The lower limit of detection and quantitation were 0.3 and 0.5 μmol L⁻¹, respectively. The mean (range) concentration of thiosulfate normalized against creatinine for apparently healthy seven women and six men was 2.21 (1.45-2.77) and 2.51 (1.36-4.89) mmol mol⁻¹ creatinine, respectively. We monitored thiosulfate in urine samples from one volunteer for 24 h. The urinary excretion of thiosulfate was 21.4 μmol per 24 h. This method can be used for routine clinical monitoring thiosulfate in urine. Cysteine and cysteinylglycine can be measured concurrently, if needed.     

Sequential injection anodic stripping voltammetry with monosegmented flow and in-line UV digestion for determination of Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and Cu(II) in water samples

A cost-effective sequential injection system incorporating with an in-line UV digestion for breakdown of organic matter prior to voltammetric determination of Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and Cu(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) on a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) of a small scale voltammetric cell was developed. A low-cost small scale voltammetric cell was fabricated from disposable pipet tip and microcentrifuge tube with volume of about 3 mL for conveniently incorporated with the SI system. A home-made UV digestion unit was fabricated employing a small size and low wattage UV lamps and flow reactor made from PTFE tubing coiled around the UV lamp. An in-line single standard calibration or a standard addition procedure was developed employing a monosegmented flow technique. Performance of the proposed system was tested for in-line digestion of model water samples containing metal ions and some organic ligands such as strong organic ligand (EDTA) or intermediate organic ligand (humic acid). The wet acid digestion method (USEPA 3010a) was used as a standard digestion method for comparison. Under the optimum conditions, with deposition time of 180 s, linear calibration graphs in range of 10-300 μg L⁻¹ Zn(II), 5-200 μg L⁻¹ Cd(II), 10-200 μg L⁻¹ Pb(II), 20-400 μg L⁻¹ Cu(II) were obtained with detection limit of 3.6, 0.1, 0.7 and 4.3 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Relative standard deviation were 4.2, 2.6, 3.1 and 4.7% for seven replicate analyses of 27 μg L⁻¹ Zn(II), 13 μg L⁻¹ Cd(II), 13 μg L⁻¹ Pb(II) and 27 μg L⁻¹ Cu(II), respectively. The system was validated by certified reference material of trace metals in natural water (SRM 1640 NIST). The developed system was successfully applied for speciation of Cd(II) Pb(II) and Cu(II) in ground water samples collected from nearby zinc mining area.     

Flow injection fluorometric determination of ascorbic acid using perylenebisimide-linked nitroxide

A simple and sensitive flow injection fluorometric method for the determination of ascorbic acid is described. Perylenebisimide-linked nitroxide (PBILN) is used as a fluorescent reagent, which permits the selective determination of ascorbic acid. The fluorescence of the perylenebisimide moiety in PBILN is quenched by the nitroxide moiety, which is linked to the perylenebisimide. When a stream of a solution of ascorbic acid is merged with a stream of PBILN, the ascorbic acid reacts with the nitroxide moiety of PBILN to form hydroxylamine, and the fluorescence properties of the perylenebisimide moiety are recovered. As a result, a peak-shaped fluorescence signal is produced, which can be observed by a fluorescence detector located downstream. Under optimized conditions, a good linear relationship between the concentration of ascorbic acid and peak height in the concentration range from 0.5 to 10 μmol L⁻¹ was found and the detection limit (S/N = 3) was 0.28 μmol L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 4.0 μmol L⁻¹ ascorbic acid samples was 1.0% (n = 5). The proposed method was applied to the determination of ascorbic acid in several soft drink beverages and the analytical results were in good agreement with those obtained using a conventional method.     

Feasibility of internal standardization in the direct and simultaneous determination of As, Cu and Pb in sugar-cane spirits by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Bismuth and Sb were evaluated as internal standards (IS) to minimize matrix effects on the direct and simultaneous determination of As, Cu, and Pb in cachaça by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using W-coated platform plus Pd-Mg(NO₃)₂ as modifier. For 20 μL injected sample, calibration within the 0.5-10 μg L⁻¹ As, 100-1000 μg L⁻¹ Cu and 0.5-30 μg L⁻¹ Pb intervals were established using the ratios As absorbance to Sb absorbance, Cu absorbance to Bi absorbance and Pb absorbance to Bi absorbance versus analytes concentration, respectively. Typical linear correlations of 0.998, 0.999 and 0.999 were, respectively, obtained. The proposed method was applied for direct determination of As, Cu and Pb in 10 commercial cachaça samples and results were in agreement with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry at 95% confidence level. The found characteristic masses were 30 pg As, 274 pg Cu and 39 pg Pb. The useful lifetime of the graphite tube was around 760 firings. Recoveries of As, Cu and Pb added to cachaça samples varied, respectively, from 98% to 109%, 97% to 108% and 98% to 104% with internal standards and from 48% to 54%, 53% to 92% and 62% to 97% without internal standards. The limits of detection were 0.13 μg L⁻¹ As, 22 μg L⁻¹ Cu and 0.05 μg L⁻¹ Pb. The relative standard deviations (n = 12) for a spiked sample containing 20 μg L⁻¹ As, Pb and 500 μg L⁻¹ Cu were 1.6%, 1.0%, and 1.8% with IS and 4.3%, 5.2%, and 5.5% without IS.     

Simultaneous determination of copper and iron in automotive gasoline by X-ray fluorescence after pre-concentration on cellulose paper

This paper proposes an alternative analytical method using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) to determine Fe and Cu in gasoline samples. In the proposed procedure, samples were distilled and the distillation residues were spotted on cellulose paper disk to form a uniform thin film and to produce a homogeneous and reproducible interface to the XRF instrument. The disks were dried at 60 °C for 20 min and copper and iron were determined directly in the solid phase at 6.40 and 8.04 keV, respectively. The calibration curves showed linear response in the 20-800 μg L⁻¹ concentration range of each metal. The precisions (repeatability) calculated from 15 consecutive measurements and defined as the coefficient of variation of solutions containing 100 μg L⁻¹ of Fe and Cu were 7.8 and 8.1%, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD), defined as the analyte concentration that gives a response equivalent to three times the standard deviation of the blank (n = 10), were found to be 10 and 15 μg L⁻¹ for Fe and Cu, respectively. The proposed method was applied to copper and iron determination in gasoline samples collected from different gas stations.     

On-site fuel electroanalysis: Determination of lead,copper and mercury in fuel bioethanol by anodic stripping voltammetry using screen-printed gold electrodes

The potential application of commercial screen-printed gold electrodes (SPGEs) for the trace determination of lead, copper, and mercury in fuel bioethanol is demonstrated. Samples were simply diluted in 0.067 mol L⁻¹ HCl solution prior to square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) measurements recorded with a portable potentiostat. The proposed method presented a low detection limit (<2 μg L⁻¹) for a 240 s deposition time, linear range between 5 and 300 μg L⁻¹, and adequate recovery values (96–104%) for spiked samples. This analytical method shows great promise for on-site trace metal determination in fuel bioethanol once there is no requirement for sample treatment or electrode modification.