Quantification of N-acetylcysteine in pharmaceuticals using cobalt phthalocyanine modified graphite electrodes

Flow injection analysis (FIA) with amperometric detection was employed for the quantification of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in pharmaceutical formulations, utilizing an ordinary pyrolytic graphite (OPG) electrode modified with cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc). Cyclic voltammetry was used in preliminary studies to establish the best conditions for NAC analysis. In FIA-amperometric experiments the OPG-CoPc electrode exhibited sharp and reproducible current peaks over a wide linear working range (5.0 × 10⁻⁵-1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹) in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ NaOH solution. High sensitivity (130 mA mol⁻¹ cm²) and a low detection limit (9.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹) were achieved using the sensor. The repeatability (R.S.D.%) for 13 successive flow injections of a solution containing 5.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ NAC was 1.1%. The new procedure was applied in analyses of commercial pharmaceutical products and the results were in excellent agreement with those obtained using the official titrimetric method. The proposed amperometric method is highly suitable for quality control analyses of NAC in pharmaceuticals since it is rapid, precise and requires much less work than the recommended titrimetric method.     

Electronic micropipettor: a versatile fluid propulsion and injection device for micro-flow analysis

The shortage of ready to use small sized liquid propulsion and switching devices for microfluidic cells (μ-cell) is a bottleneck in the dissemination of micro-flow analysis (μ-FA), now that microfluidic electrochemical cells can be designed and assembled in any laboratory by thermal transfer of laser printed masks and CD-Rs. Microprocessor-controlled electronic pipettors, commercially available with minimum capacity of 10 μL, represent a compromise solution between oversized peristaltic pumps and tiny “on a chip” micropumps and valves. The versatility of the electronic pipette coupled with the μ-cell (13-μm deep longitudinal channel) was demonstrated in three operation modes: SIA like, FIA like and direct injection analysis (DIA). Injections of 100 nL K₄Fe(CN)₆ (0.1 mol L⁻¹ KCl) define a linear analytical curve (r = 0.999) in the range of 5 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ for flow amperometry at a gold electrode potentiostated at 0.4 V versus Ag/AgCl. Methods for the amperometric μ-flow determination of promethazine (FIA like), dipyrone (SIA like) and chlorpromazine (DIA) in pharmaceutical formulations were developed and applied to real samples. Excellent linearity of analytical curves and high repeatability (R.S.D. < 3.0%) at the low picomole range was obtained and all results for real samples were in agreement with reference methods. The results reflect the stability and the reliability of the setups envisioned for the electronic pipette coupled with amperometric μ-cell and the validity of the μ-FA methods.     

Preliminary evaluation of monolithic column high-performance liquid chromatography with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chemiluminescence detection for the determination of quetiapine in human body fluids

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chemiluminescence detection methodology is reported for the determination of the atypical antipsychotic drug quetiapine and the observation of its major active and inactive metabolites in human urine and serum. The method uses a monolithic chromatographic column allowing high flow rates of 3 mL min⁻¹ enabling rapid quantification. Flow injection analysis (FIA) with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chemiluminescence detection and HPLC time of flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) were used for the determination of quetiapine in a pharmaceutical preparation to establish its suitability as a calibration standard. The limit of detection achieved with FIA was 2 × 10⁻¹¹ mol L⁻¹ in simple aqueous solution. The limits of detection achieved with HPLC were 7 × 10⁻⁸ and 2 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ in urine and serum, respectively. The calibration range for FIA was between 5 × 10⁻⁹ and 1 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The calibration ranges for HPLC were between 1 × 10⁻⁷-1 × 10⁻⁴ and 1 × 10⁻⁸-1 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ in urine and serum, respectively. The quetiapine concentrations in patient samples were found to be 3 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ in urine and 7 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ in serum. Without the need for preconcentration, the HPLC detection limits compared favourably with those in previously published methodologies. The metabolites were identified using HPLC-TOF-MS.     

A renewable copper electrode as an amperometric flow detector for nitrate determination in mineral water and soft drink samples

A novel approach was developed for nitrate analysis in a FIA configuration with amperometric detection (E = −0.48 V). Sensitive and reproducible current measurements were achieved by using a copper electrode activated with a controlled potential protocol. The response of the FIA amperometric method was linear over the range from 0.1 to 2.5 mmol L⁻¹ nitrate with a detection limit of 4.2 μmol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The repeatability of measurements was determined as 4.7% (n = 9) at the best conditions (flow rate: 3.0 mL min⁻¹, sample volume: 150 μL and nitrate concentration: 0.5 mmol L⁻¹) with a sampling rate of 60 samples h⁻¹. The method was employed for the determination of nitrate in mineral water and soft drink samples and the results were in agreement with those obtained by using a recommended procedure. Studies towards a selective monitoring of nitrite were also performed in samples containing nitrate by carrying out measurements at a less negative potential (−0.20 V).     

Biomimetic sensor based on MnMn complex as manganese peroxidase mimetic for determination of rutin

A novel biomimetic sensor for rutin determination based on a dinuclear complex [Mn^IIIMn^II(Ldtb)(μ-OAc)₂]BPh₄ containing an unsymmetrical dinucleating ligand, 2-[N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-aminomethyl]-6-[N-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-oxidoben-zyl)-N-(2-pyridylamino)aminomethyl]-4-methylphenol (H₂Ldtb), as a manganese peroxidase mimetic was developed. Several parameters were investigated to evaluate the performance of the biomimetic sensor obtained after the incorporation of the dinuclear complex in a carbon paste. The best performance was obtained in 75:15:10% (w/w/w) of the graphite powder:Nujol:Mn^IIIMn^II complex, 0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.0) and 4.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ hydrogen peroxide. The response of the sensor towards rutin concentration was linear using square wave voltammetry in the range of 9.99 × 10⁻⁷ to 6.54 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ (r = 0.9998) with a detection limit of 1.75 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. The recovery study performed with pharmaceuticals ranged from 96.6% to 103.2% and the relative standard deviation was 1.85% for a solution containing 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ rutin (n = 6). The lifetime of this biomimetic sensor was 200 days (at least 750 determinations). The results obtained for rutin in pharmaceuticals using the biomimetic sensor and those obtained with the official method are in agreement at the 95% confidence level.     

FIA-near-infrared spectrofluorimetric trace determination of hydrogen peroxide using tricarchlorobocyanine dye (Cy.7.Cl) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)

A new kind of near-infrared fluorescence agent, tricarbochlorocyanine dye (Cy.7.Cl), had been synthesized in house and used for near-infrared spectrofluorimetric determination of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by flow injection analysis (FIA) for the first time. The oxidation reaction of Cy.7.Cl with H₂O₂ occurred under the catalysis of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and it was studied in detail. The possible reaction mechanism was discussed. Under optimal experimental conditions, fluorescence from Cy.7.Cl displayed excitation and emission maxima (ex/em) at 780 and 800 nm, respectively. The two linear working ranges were 1.86 × 10⁻⁷ to 4.11 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ and 4.11 × 10⁻⁷ to 7.19 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The detection limit was 5.58 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ of H₂O₂. The effect of interferences was studied. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of hydrogen peroxide in rainwater, serum and plant samples.     

Determination of brominated phenols in water samples by on-line coupled isotachophoresis with capillary zone electrophoresis

A method for determination of nine brominated phenols as environmental risk compounds was developed by on-line coupled capillary isotachophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis (ITP–CZE). For ITP step, 1 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ hydrochloric acid with 3 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ ammediol pH 9.1 was used as the leading electrolyte, and 3 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ β-alanine with 2 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ sodium hydroxide pH 10.05 was used as the terminating electrolyte. As the background electrolyte for CZE separation, 2.5 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ β-alanine with 2.5 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ lysine pH 9.6 was used. All electrolytes contained 0.05% or 0.1% (m/v) hydroxyethylcellulose to suppress the electroosmotic flow. UV detection at wavelength 220 nm was used. Detection limits in order of tens of nmol L⁻¹ were achieved. Good repeatability of migration times (less than 0.33% RSD) and good repeatability of peak areas (less than 7.19% RSD) at concentration level 5 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ were observed. Developed ITP–CZE method was applied to determination of brominated phenols in spiked tap and river water samples.     

Sunflower leaves tissue-based bioelectrode with amperometric flow-injection system for glycolic acid determination in urine

A novel plant tissue-based bioelectrode obtained by incorporating sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) leaves tissue as a source of glycolate oxidase and peroxidase into a ferrocene-mediated carbon paste electrode for the determination of glycolic acid was developed. It was coupled with the flow-injection (FI) system and used as the basis to develop a novel FI amperometric procedure for glycolic acid determination. The flow-injection amperometric measurements were performed by injecting aliquot of glycolic acid solution into the flowing stream of 0.05 mol L⁻¹ of phosphate buffer solution having pH 8.0 with a flow rate of 0.3 mL min⁻¹. The bioelectrode consisted of 20% (w/w) of sunflower leaves tissue and 5% (w/w) of ferrocene at 0.00 V (vs Ag/AgCl). The bioelectrode exhibited a linear response from 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ up to 2.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ glycolic acid with a detection limit (S/N = 3) and a quantitation limit (S/N = 10) of 1 × 10⁻⁶ and 3.3 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The sampling rate of 12 h⁻¹ and a relative standard deviation of 1.67% (n = 15) were achieved. The bioelectrode response decreased to 70% of the original value within 90 continuous injections. The proposed bioelectrode was satisfactorily applied to glycolic acid determination in human urine samples after appropriate sample pretreatment. Results obtained by the FI method were compared favorably with those obtained by HPLC. It offers advantages, which included rapidity, high activity, limited stability, ease of preparation and low cost.     

Flow-injection determination of hydrogen peroxide based on fluorescence quenching of chromotropic acid catalyzed with Fe(II)

Flow-injection analysis system (FIA system), which was based on Fe(II)-catalyzed oxidation of chromotropic acid with hydrogen peroxide, was developed for the determination of hydrogen peroxide. The chromotropic acid has a fluorescence measured at λ_em = 440 nm (emission wavelength) with λ_ex = 235 nm (excitation wavelength), and the fluorescence intensity at λ_em = 440 nm quietly decreased in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and Fe(II), which was caused by Fe(II)-catalyzed oxidation of chromotropic acid with hydrogen peroxide. By measuring the difference of fluorescence intensity, hydrogen peroxide (1.0 × 10⁻⁸-1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹) could be determined by the proposed FIA system, whose analytical throughput was 40 samples h⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.03% (n = 10) for 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ hydrogen peroxide. The proposed FIA technique could be applied to the determination of hydrogen peroxide in rain water samples.     

A novel stopped flow injection-amperometric procedure for the determination of chlorate

A novel stopped flow injection—amperometric (sFI-Amp) procedure for determination of chlorate has been developed. The reaction of chlorate with excess potassium iodide and hydrochloric acid, forming iodine/triiodide that is further electrochemically reduced at a glassy carbon electrode at +200 mV versus Ag/AgCl electrode is employed. In order to increase sensitivity without using of too high acid concentration, promoting of the reaction by increasing reaction time and temperature can be carried out. This can be done without increase of dispersion of the product zone by stopping the flow while the injected zone is being in a mixing coil which is immersed in a water bath of 55 ± 0.5 °C. In a closed system of FIA, a side reaction of oxygen with iodide is also minimized. Under a set of conditions, linear calibration graphs were in the ranges of 1.2 × 10⁻⁶-6.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹and 6.0 × 10⁻⁵-6.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹. A sample throughput of 25 h⁻¹ was accomplished. Relative standard deviation was 2% (n = 21, 1.2 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ chlorate). The proposed sFI-Amp procedure was successfully applied to the determination of chlorate in soil samples from longan plantation area.     

Rosmarinic acid determination using biomimetic sensor based on purple acid phosphatase mimetic

A new heterodinuclear Fe(III)Zn(II) complex which mimics the active site of the hydrolytic enzyme red kidney bean purple acid phosphatase was synthesized and characterized by IR, CHN and X-ray crystallographic analyses. This complex, [Fe^IIIZn^II(μ-OH)bpbpmp-CH₃](ClO₄)₂, containing the ligand (H₂bpbpmp-CH₃ = {2-[bis(2-pyridylmethyl)aminomethyl]-6-[(2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzyl) (2-pyridyl-methyl) aminomethyl]-4-methyl-phenol}) was employed in the construction of a biomimetic sensor and used in the determination of rosmarinic acid in plant extract samples. The response parameters and optimization of the biomimetic sensor design were evaluated. The best performance of this sensor was obtained for 75:15:10% (w/w/w) of the graphite powder:nujol:Fe(III)Zn(II) complex, 0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.5), 1.19 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ hydrogen peroxide with frequency, pulse amplitude, and scan increment at 30 Hz, 100 mV, and 0.6 mV, respectively. The rosmarinic acid concentration was linear in the range of 2.98 × 10⁻⁵ to 3.83 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ (r = 0.9991) with a detection limit of 2.30 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. This biomimetic sensor demonstrated long-term stability (300 days; 900 determinations) and reproducibility, with a relative standard deviation of 12.0%. The recovery study of rosmarinic acid in plant extract samples gave values from 90.3 to 98.3% and the concentrations determined showed agreement when compared with those obtained using capillary electrophoresis at the 95% confidence level.     

Flow injection analysis of ethyl xanthate by in-line dialysis and UV spectrophotometric detection

A simple and sensitive spectrophotometric flow method for determination of low concentrations of the flotation collector O-ethyldithiocarbonate (ethyl xanthate, CH₃CH₂-O-CS₂⁻) in solutions is described. The method is based on ethyl xanthate detection at 301 nm in medium of NaOH 50 mmol L⁻¹. By injection of 200 μL of sample, the analytical method shows linear response for the ethyl xanthate concentration from 0.5 up to 500 μmol L⁻¹. Successive injections of 4 μmol L⁻¹ ethyl xanthate (n = 23) show a coefficient of variation lower than 0.6%, denoting high repeatability. The detection limit is 0.3 μmol L⁻¹. At a flow rate of 2.0 mL min⁻¹, a frequency of 120 injections/h of ethyl xanthate can be attained. By introduction of a tangential dialysis cell in the FIA system, the manual sample filtration step with 0.22 μm filter was eliminated and the residual interference of suspended material, was completely overcome even for unfiltered sludge suspension samples, an important advantage that compensates for the frequency reduction to 25 injections/h elevation and detection limit elevation to 2 μmol L⁻¹, still outreaching for many applications. Potential applications of the method embrace the at line determination of ethyl xanthate in the ore processing industry, control of the concentration at its optimal level during the flotation process, as well as monitoring of residues in the effluents.     

Amperometric determination of bonded glucose with an MnO(2) and glucose oxidase bulk-modified screen-printed electrode using flow-injection analysis

A screen-printed amperometric biosensor based on carbon ink double bulk-modified with MnO₂ as a mediator and glucose oxidase as a biocomponent was investigated for its ability to serve as a detector for bonded glucose in different compounds, such as cellobiose, saccharose, (-)-4-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside, as well as in beer samples by flow-injection analysis (FIA). The biosensor could be operated under physiological conditions (0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.5) and exhibited good reproducibility and stability. Bonded glucose was released with glucosidase in solution, and the free glucose was detected with the modified screen-printed electrode (SPE). The release of glucose by the aid of glucosidase from cellobiose, saccharose and (-)-4-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside in solution showed that stoichiometric quantities of free glucose could be monitored in all three cases.The linear range of the amperometric response of the biosensor in the FIA-mode flow rate 0.2 mL min⁻¹, injection volume 0.25 mL, operation potential 0.48 V versus Ag/AgCl) extends from 11 to 13,900 μmol L⁻¹ glucose in free form. The limit of detection (3σ) is 1 μmol L⁻¹ glucose. A concentration of 100 μmol L⁻¹ yields a relative standard deviation of approximately 7% with five injections. These values correspond to the same concentrations of bonded glucose supposed that it is liberated quantitatively (incubation for 2 h with glucosidase).Bonded glucose could be determined in beer samples using the same assay. The results corresponded very well with the reference procedure.     

Rapid simultaneous analysis of 1-hydroxypyrene, 2-hydroxyfluorene, 9-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1- and 2-naphthol in urine by first derivative synchronous fluorescence spectrometry using Tween-20 as a sensitizer

A novel method of first derivative synchronous fluorescence was developed for the rapid simultaneous analysis of trace 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), 1-naphthol (1-NAP), 2-naphthol (2-NAP), 9-hydroxyphenanthrene (9-OHPe) and 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OHFlu) in human urine. Only one single scan was needed for quantitative determination of five compounds simultaneously when Δλ = 10 nm was chosen. In the optimal experimental conditions, there was a linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity and the concentration of 1-OHP, 1-NAP, 2-NAP, 9-OHPe and 2-OHFlu in the range of 1.75 × 10⁻⁹ to 4.50 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, 3.64 × 10⁻⁸ to 2.20 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, 8.18 × 10⁻⁹ to 1.20 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, 3.26 × 10⁻⁹ to 8.50 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ and 4.88 × 10⁻⁹ to 5.50 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) were found to be 5.25 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ for 1-OHP, 1.10 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ for 1-NAP, 2.46 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ for 2-NAP, 9.77 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ for 9-OHPe and 1.46 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ for 2-OHFlu. The proposed method is reliable, selective and sensitive, and has been used successfully in the determination of traces of 1-OHP, 1-NAP, 2-NAP, 9-OHPe and 2-OHFlu in human urine samples, whose results were in good agreement with those gained by the HPLC method.     

Electrochemical determination of iodide on a vanadium oxide-polypropylene carbonate coated glassy carbon electrode

A vanadium oxide-modified glassy carbon electrode was simply and conveniently fabricated by casting vanadium tri(isoproxide) oxide (VO(OC₃H₇)₃) and poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) onto the glassy carbon electrode surface. The electrochemical properties of iodide at the VO(OC₃H₇)₃-PPC film-modified glassy carbon electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, and an anodic peak was observed at approximately +0.71 V (vs. SCE). Based on this, a sensitive and convenient electrochemical method was proposed for the determination of iodide. Flow injection amperometry (FIA) exhibited a good linear relationship with the concentration of iodide in the range of 5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ and 1 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹, and the detection limit was 1 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. Quantitative recovery of iodide in synthetic samples has been obtained and the interferences from different cations and anions have been studied. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of iodide in dry edible seaweed. The concentrations of iodide measured by this method are in good agreement with those obtained by spectrophotometric method.     

Determination of chlorogenic acid in coffee using a biomimetic sensor based on a new tetranuclear copper(II) complex

A new tetranuclear copper(II) complex which mimics the active site of catechol oxidase was synthesized and characterized by IR, CHN, electronic spectroscopic and ¹H NMR methods. The title complex [Cu₂(μ-OH)(bpbpmp-NO₂)]₂[ClO₄]₂ was employed in the construction of a novel biomimetic sensor and used in the determination of chlorogenic acid by square wave voltammetry. The performance and optimization of the resulting biomimetic sensor were studied in detail. The best response of this sensor was obtained for 75:15:10% (w/w/w) ratio of the graphite powder:nujol:Cu(II) complex, 0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.0), with frequency, pulse amplitude, and scan increment at 30 Hz, 100 mV, and 3.0 mV, respectively. The chlorogenic acid concentration was linear in the range of 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.45 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ (r = 0.9985) with a detection limit of 8.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. This biomimetic sensor demonstrated long-term stability (250 days; 640 determinations) and reproducibility, with a relative standard deviation of 10.0%. The recovery study of chlorogenic acid in coffee samples gave values from 93.2% to 106.1% and the concentrations determined showed good agreement when compared with those obtained using capillary electrophoresis at the 95% confidence level.     

Batch and hydrodynamic monitoring of vitamin C using novel periodate selective sensors based on a newly synthesized Ni(II)-Schiff bases complexes as a neutral receptors

A highly selective membrane electrodes based on a two newly synthesized nickel (II) Schiff bases, [NiL¹] and [NiL²] where L¹ and L² are N,N/bis(salicylaldehyde)4,5-dimethyl-1,2-phenylenediamine (H₂L¹) and N,N/bis(salicylaldehyde)4,5-dichloro-1,2-phenylenediamine (H₂L²) were used as a neutral carrier ionophores for static and hydrodynamic potentiometric mode of operations for the determination of periodate. Under static mode of operation, the sensors displayed a near-Nernstian slope of −66.1 ± 0.8 and −59.9 ± 1.1 mV decade⁻¹ of activity and detection limits to 5.2 × 10⁻⁶ and 7.3 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ for the sensors based on [NiL¹] and [NiL²], respectively. Under hydrodynamic mode of operation (FIA), the slope of the calibration plot, limit of detection, and working linear range were −71.1 mVdecade⁻¹ of activity, 7.3 × 10⁻⁶ and 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The response time of the sensors in whole concentration ranges was very short (<10 s). The response of the sensors was independent on the pH range of 3-8. A tubular version was further developed and coupled to a flow injection system for ascorbic acid (AA) determination in beverages and pharmaceutical preparations. This approach was achieved by selecting a 50-cm reactor and an overall flow of 3 mL min⁻¹, and injecting volume 100 μL of AA standards in a 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ IO₄⁻ solution. Under these conditions, a linearity range of 2-13 μg mL⁻¹, with a slope of 4.97 mV (mg/L)⁻¹ (r² = 0.9995), detection limit 0.9 mg L⁻¹ and a reproducibility of ±1.1 mV (n = 5) was recorded. This simple and inexpensive flow injection analysis manifold, with a good potentiometric detector, enabled the analysis of ∼50 samples h⁻¹ without requiring pretreatment procedures. An average recovery of 98.8% and a mean standard deviation of 1.3% were obtained.     

An optical redox chemical sensor for determination of iodide

A novel optical sensor based on a redox reaction for the determination of iodide has been developed. The optode membrane is constructed by immobilization of methyltrioctylammonium chloride on triacetylcellulose polymer. The exchange of chloride as counter ion with iodate in the membrane changes the color to yellow, when it is placed in acidic solution of iodide. The sensor can readily be regenerated by 0.1 mol L⁻¹ NaOH in less than 15 s. The optode has a linear range of 3.94 × 10⁻⁶ to 5.51 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ of iodide ions with a limit of detection 7.44 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation for eight replicate measurements of 3.94 × 10⁻⁶ and 1.57 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ of iodide was 2.83 and 1.38%, respectively. The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of iodide in tablet, powdered milk and urine samples.     

Synthesis and application of a peroxidase-like molecularly imprinted polymer based on hemin for selective determination of serotonin in blood serum

This work reports the preparation of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for selective catalytic detection of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT). The process is based on the synthesis of polymers with hemin introduced as the catalytic center to mimic the active site of peroxidase. The copolymer MIP, containing artificial recognition sites for 5-HT, has been prepared by bulk polymerization using methacrylic acid (MAA) and hemin as the functional monomers, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross-linker. For the determination of 5-HT, a flow injection analysis system coupled to an amperometric detector was optimized using multivariate analysis. The effects of different parameters, such as pH, buffer flow rate, buffer nature, peroxide concentration and sample volume were evaluated. After optimizing the experimental conditions, a linear response range from 1.0 up to 1000.0 μmol L⁻¹ was obtained with a sensitivity of 0.4 nA/μmol L⁻¹. The detection limit was found to be 0.30 μmol L⁻¹, while the precision values (n = 6) evaluated by relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) were, respectively, 1.3 and 1.7% for solutions of 50 and 750 μmol L⁻¹ of 5-HT. No interference was observed by structurally similar compounds (including epinephrine, dopamine and norepinephrine), thus validating the good performance of the imprinted polymer. The method was applied for the determination of 5-HT in spiked blood serum samples.     

Simultaneous voltammetric determination of paracetamol and caffeine in pharmaceutical formulations using a boron-doped diamond electrode

A simple and highly selective electrochemical method was developed for the single or simultaneous determination of paracetamol (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, acetaminophen) and caffeine (3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione) in aqueous media (acetate buffer, pH 4.5) on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode using square wave voltammetry (SWV) or differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Using DPV with the cathodically pre-treated BDD electrode, a separation of about 550 mV between the peak oxidation potentials of paracetamol and caffeine present in binary mixtures was obtained. The calibration curves for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine showed an excellent linear response, ranging from 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ to 8.3 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ for both compounds. The detection limits for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine were 4.9 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ and 3.5 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied in the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine in several pharmaceutical formulations (tablets), with results similar to those obtained using a high-performance liquid chromatography method (at 95% confidence level).