Sequential injection spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of iodide by its catalytic effect on the 4,4'-methylenebis(N,N-dimethylaniline)-chloramine-T reaction

A simple and sensitive sequential injection spectrophotometric procedure is proposed for the determination of trace amounts of iodide in pharmaceutical preparations. The method is based on the catalytic effect of iodide on the (tetra base) 4,4′-methylenebis(N,N-dimethylaniline)-chloramine-T reaction in acidic solution. The method involves a sequential aspiration of 255 μl sample/standard followed by 170 μl tetra base and then 128 μl chloramine-T solutions into a carrier stream to be stacked inside a holding coil and flow reversed through a reaction coil towards a detector. The resulting colored compound is measured at 600 nm using an UV/Vis-spectrophotometer. All the parameters that affect the reaction were evaluated and the calibration curve is linear over a range of 0.1–6.0 μg l⁻¹ of iodide concentration with detection limit of 0.05 μg l⁻¹. A sample throughput of 80 samples per hour and relative standard deviation of less than 2.0% was achieved. The method is successfully applied for the determination of iodide in three different samples (tablets).     

A sensitive and rapid assay for 4-aminophenol in paracetamol drug and tablet formulation, by flow injection analysis with spectrophotometric detection

4-Aminophenol (4AP) is the primary degradation product of paracetamol which is limited at a low level (50 ppm or 0.005% w/w) in the drug substance by the European, United States, British and German Pharmacopoeias, employing a manual colourimetric limit test. The 4AP limit is widened to 1000 ppm or 0.1% w/w for the tablet product monographs, which quote the use of a less sensitive automated HPLC method. The lower drug substance specification limit is applied to our products, (50 ppm, equivalent to 25 μg 4AP in a tablet containing 500-mg paracetamol) and the pharmacopoeial HPLC assay was not suitable at this low level due to matrix interference. For routine analysis a rapid, automated assay was required. This paper presents a highly sensitive, precise and automated method employing the technique of Flow Injection (FI) analysis to quantitatively assay low levels of this degradant. A solution of the drug substance, or an extract of the tablets, containing 4AP and paracetamol is injected into a solvent carrier stream and merged on-line with alkaline sodium nitroprusside reagent, to form a specific blue derivative which is detected spectrophotometrically at 710 nm. Standard HPLC equipment is used throughout. The procedure is fully quantitative and has been optimised for sensitivity and robustness using a multivariate experimental design (multi-level ‘Central Composite’ response surface) model. The method has been fully validated and is linear down to 0.01 μg ml⁻¹. The approach should be applicable to a range of paracetamol products.     

Determination of nanomolar concentrations of phosphate in freshwaters using flow injection with luminol chemiluminescence detection

A simple and rapid flow injection (FI) method is reported for the determination of phosphate (as molybdate reactive P) in freshwaters based on luminol chemiluminescence (CL) detection. The molybdophosphoric heteropoly acid formed by phosphate and ammonium molybdate in acidic conditions generated chemiluminescence emission via the oxidation of luminol. The detection limit (3× standard deviation of blank) was 0.03 μg P l⁻¹ (1.0 nM), with a sample throughput of 180 h⁻¹. The calibration graph was linear over the range 0.032–3.26 μg P l⁻¹ (r²=0.9880) with relative standard deviations (n=4) in the range 1.2–4.7%. Interfering cations (Ca(II), Mg(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Co(II), Fe(II) and Fe(III)) were removed by passing the sample through an in-line iminodiacetate chelating column. Silicate interference (at 5 mg Si l⁻¹) was effectively masked by the addition of tartaric acid and other common anions (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, HCO₃⁻, NO₃⁻ and NO₂⁻) did not interfere at their maximum admissible concentrations in freshwaters. The method was applied to freshwater samples and the results (26.1±1.1–62.0±0.4 μg P l⁻¹) were not significantly different (P=0.05) from results obtained using a segmented flow analyser method with spectrophotometric detection (24.4±4.45–84.0±16.0 μg P l⁻¹).     

Study of parameters associated with the determination of cadmium in lake sediments by slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Cadmium concentration in lake sediments is determined by suspending the solid samples in a solution containing 5% (v/v) concentrated nitric acid and 0.1% (v/v) Triton X-100. Three modifiers were tested for the direct determination. The furnace temperature programmes and appropriate amount for each modifier were optimised to get the highest signal and the best separation between the atomic and background signals. The drying stage is performed by programming a 400 °C temperature, a ramp time of 25 s and hold time of 10 s on the power supply of the atomiser. No ashing step is used and platform atomisation is carried out at 2200 °C. W–Rh permanent modifier combined with conventional modifier by delivering 10 μl of 0.50% (w/v) NH₄H₂PO₄ solution was the best chemical modifier for cadmium determination. This modifier also acts as a liquid medium for the slurry, thus simplifying the procedure. Calibration is performed using aqueous standards in the 1–5 μg l⁻¹ range. The optimised method gave a limit of detection of 0.56 ng ml⁻¹, characteristic mass of 10.1±0.8 pg for aqueous standard, 9.6±0.7 pg for slurry samples containing different Cd concentrations and good precision (7.6–5.2%). The method was validated by analysing four certified reference lake sediment materials: LKSD-1, LKSD-2, LKSD-3 and LKSD-4; satisfactory recoveries were obtained (90.0–96.3%) and no statistical differences were observed between the experimental and the certified cadmium concentration. The developed methodology was used to determine cadmium in three ‘real’ sediment samples from lakes in the area of Wielkopolski National Park, Poland.     

On-line determination of cyanide in the presence of sulfide by flow injection with pervaporation

A pervaporation-flow injection (PFI) method is described for the analysis of cyanide in the presence of sulfide. The interfering sulfide ion in the injected sample is precipitated on-line using an acidified lead nitrate reagent solution before the donor stream enters the pervaporation cell. Using amperometric detection at a silver electrode set at −50 mV (vs Ag/AgCl), linear calibration was obtained in the range 0.02–100.0 mg l⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.0 μg l⁻¹. Sample throughput was of the order of 12–15 h⁻¹. When the method was applied to the analysis of synthetic samples, there was no significant interference from sulfide at concentrations up to 50 mg l⁻¹. Thiocyanate did not interfere at levels up to 1000 mg l⁻¹. When applied to industrial samples containing sulfide and thiocyanate ions where the cyanide ions are predominantly complexed with various metal ions the PFI method was found to give results close to those obtained by standard distillation methods for weak acid dissociable (WAD) cyanide.     

Determination of As(III) and total inorganic arsenic by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple procedure was developed for the direct determination of As(III) and As(V) in water samples by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI–HG–AAS), without pre-reduction of As(V). The flow injection system was operated in the merging zones configuration, where sample and NaBH₄ are simultaneously injected into two carrier streams, HCl and H₂O, respectively. Sample and reagent injected volumes were of 250 μl and flow rate of 3.6 ml min⁻¹ for hydrochloric acid and de-ionised water. The NaBH₄ concentration was maintained at 0.1% (w/v), it would be possible to perform arsine selective generation from As(III) and on-line arsine generation with 3.0% (w/v) NaBH₄ to obtain total arsenic concentration. As(V) was calculated as the difference between total As and As(III). Both procedures were tolerant to potential interference. So, interference such as Fe(III), Cu(II), Ni(II), Sb(III), Sn(II) and Se(IV) could, at an As(III) level of 0.1 mg l⁻¹, be tolerated at a weight excess of 5000, 5000, 500, 100, 10 and 5 times, respectively. With the proposed procedure, detection limits of 0.3 ng ml⁻¹ for As(III) and 0.5 ng ml⁻¹ for As(V) were achieved. The relative standard deviations were of 2.3% for 0.1 mg l⁻¹ As(III) and 2.0% for 0.1 mg l⁻¹ As(V). A sampling rate of about 120 determinations per hour was achieved, requiring 30 ml of NaBH₄ and waste generation in order of 450 ml. The method was shown to be satisfactory for determination of traces arsenic in water samples. The assay of a certified drinking water sample was 81.7±1.7 μg l⁻¹ (certified value 80.0±0.5 μg l⁻¹).     

Determination of l-amino acids and alcohols with oxidase enzymes and a tubular iodide-selective electrode

L-Amino acids and alcohols (10^-2–10^-4 M) can be determined in a flow system by using a special tubular iodide-selective electrode, after reaction with L-atnino acid oxidase and alcohol oxidase, respectively. The hydrogen peroxide produced by both enzymatic reactions reacts with iodide in the presence of a molybdate catalyst, and the change in iodide concentration is monitored. The ranges of concentration that can be determined can be varied by adjusting parameters such as iodide concentration and buffer pH.     

Sequential flow injection determination of iodate and periodate with spectrophotometric detection

A flow injection (FI) system is described for the sequential determination of periodate and iodate based on their reaction with iodide at pH 3.5. Two sample plugs were injected into the same carrier stream sequentially. One injection is for the iodate determination and the other for the sum of iodate and periodate determination. For iodate determination, molybdate solution buffered at pH of 3.5 was used for selective masking of periodate. The influences of reagent concentrations were studied by a univariable method and the influence of FI manifolds was studied using univariable and simplex method. Periodate and iodate can be determined in the range of 0.050-5.0 and 0.050-10 microg/ml, respectively. The 3 sigma limit of detection was 0.030 and 0.050 microg/ml for periodate and iodate, respectively. The proposed method has been applied for the sequential determinations of periodate and iodate in water samples.     

Rapid determination of hydrogen peroxide in the wood pulp bleaching streams by a dual-wavelength spectroscopic method

This study has demonstrated a spectrophotometric method for residual hydrogen peroxide analysis in wood pulp bleaching streams. In an acidic medium, hydrogen peroxide can instantly associate with molybdate to form a peroxomolybdic acid complex that has an absorption peak at 330 nm. To avoid the spectral interference from excess molybdate ion, 350 nm is used for spectroscopic quantification. A linear relationship between the absorbance at 350 nm and peroxide concentration was found up to a peroxide concentration of ca. 0.2 mmol l⁻¹. It was discovered that 297 nm was an isosbestic point that could be used to develop a dual-wavelength method to account for the spectral interference from dissolved lignin in pulp bleaching streams, a critical procedure for the success of the present method. This method is simple, rapid, sensitive, accurate, and has the potential for on-line applications.     

Flow injection analysis of imidacloprid in natural waters and agricultural matrixes by photochemical dissociation, chemical reduction, and nitric oxide chemiluminescence detection

A flow injection analysis (FIA) to quantify imidacloprid was developed based upon (1) ultraviolet (254 nm) photochemical dissociation of imidacloprid to produce nitrite, (2) chemical reduction of the nitrite to nitric oxide by iodide in acid, (3) removal of gas-phase nitric oxide from the aqueous stream using a membrane separator, and (4) detection of the nitric oxide by chemiluminescent reaction with ozone. The cross-reactivity of imidacloprid with eight metabolites of imidacloprid was determined using a commercial ELISA kit and the FIA method. While the ELISA kit demonstrated varying degrees of cross-reactivity, cross-reactivity in the FIA method was observed for only the N-nitro and N-nitroso metabolites. The optimized analytical FIA method, FIA provides a linear response in imidacloprid concentration over four orders of magnitude, has a limit of detection of 5.6 pmol (1.5 ng) of imidacloprid, and exhibits an inter-day precision of 0.4%. Spike-recoveries by FIA demonstrated excellent recovery of imidacloprid in natural waters, hemlock xylem fluid, honey, and grapes with little to no interference from the matrix.     

Flow-injection extraction spectrophotometric determination of bismuth as tetraiodobismuthate(III) with the tetramethylenebis(triphenylphosphonium) cation

Bismuth can be determined spectrophotometrically at 495 nm after its extraction as tetramethylenebis(triphenylphosphonium) tetraiodobismuthate(III) into dichloromethane. The carrier stream is 2 M sulphuric acid and the reagent stream contains 2% (w/v) potassium iodine and 0.4% (w/v) tetramethylenebis(triphenylphosphonium) bromide. The injection rate is 20 h^-1. The calibration graph is linear up to 20 μ ml^-1 bismuth and the detection limit is 0.24 μ ml^-1 bismuth, based on injection volumes of 250μl. The system has been applied to determination of bismuth in pharmaceutical samples.     

Preparation of axially chiral quinolinium salts related to NAD models: new investigations of these biomimetic models as ‘chiral amide-transferring agents’

The general purpose of this work is to investigate the potential of biomimetic NAD⁺ models as ‘nucleophile-transferring agents’ with the ultimate motivation to develop new synthetic tools. This first report focuses on the preparation of an axially chiral quinolinium salt 8. A preliminary investigation of these NAD⁺ analogues as ‘chiral amide-transferring agents’ is reported herein. The synthesis of the desired quinolinium salt 8 was first attempted via a Friedländer approach. Given the poor reproducibility of this first synthetic route, a second strategy making use of an intramolecular nickel-catalyzed coupling was developed with success, furnishing the quinolinium salt 8 in 12% overall yield. The potential of the quinolinium salt 8 as a ‘chiral amide-transferring agent’ was then investigated. Regioselective 1,4-addition of benzylamine and piperidine produced, respectively, adducts 18a and 18b with high diastereoselectivity (de >95%). The resulting ‘chiral masked-amide’ 18b was reacted with various activated aryl esters affording the corresponding atropisomeric amide 20 with modest atropenantioselectivity (ee = 2–20%).     

Evaluation of an amperometric glucose biosensor based on a ruthenium complex mediator of low redox potential

An amperometric glucose ring-disk biosensor based on a ruthenium complex mediator of low redox potential was fabricated and evaluated. This thin-layer radial flow microsensor (10 μl) with ring-disk working electrode displayed remarkable amperometric sensitivity. For Ru₃(μ₃-O)(AcO)₆(Py)₃(ClO₄) (Ru-Py), a trinuclear oxo-acetate bridged cluster, a reversible redox curve of low redox potential and narrow potential window (redox potentials were −0.190 and −0.106 V versus Ag/AgCl wire, respectively) was observed, which is comparable to many reported mediators such as ferrocene derivatives and other ruthenium complexes. The glucose and hydrogen peroxide assays were carried out with this complex-modified electrode Ru-Py-HRP-GOx/Nafion. The sensitivity was obtained 24 nA (15.4 mA M⁻¹ cm⁻²) for 10 μM glucose and 126 nA (160 mA M⁻¹ cm⁻²) for 5 μM H₂O₂, respectively with a working potential at 0 V versus Ag/AgCl. Ascorbic acid was studied as interference to the glucose assay. The application of 0 V potential versus Ag/AgCl did not avoid the occurrence of the oxidation of ascorbic acid, however, the pre-coating of ascorbate oxidase on the disk part of the ring-disk working electrode efficiently pre-oxidized the ascorbic acid and hence eliminated its interference on the glucose response. The practical reliability was also evaluated by assaying the dialysate from the prefrontal cortex of Wistar rats.     

Kinetics of lipid layer formation at interfaces

A formal kinetic model of lipid layer formation at an interface in contact with a liposomal suspension is developed and investigated. Neglecting diffusion (for sufficiently high bulk concentrations) the kinetic scheme consists of two consecutive processes: (I) irreversible transformation of ‘soluble’ intact vesicles from the ‘subsurface’ layer into ‘adsorbed’ ones (‘defected’ or ‘ruptured’ liposomes, ‘mesophases’); and (II) irreversible transformation of the ‘adsorbed’ vesicles into a lipid monolayer. The resulting set of two differential equations is analyzed making use of the ‘steady-state concentration’ approach (with ‘adsorbed’ vesicles as intermediate compound). Numerical results illustrate the predicted kinetic behavior which depends on the relative magnitude of the rates of the two consecutive processes. Approximate analytical solutions in the case of a much slower process I are obtained in some limiting cases. The model is used to estimate rate constants from previously established experimental kinetic data at the air/water interface.     

Specific allylic-allylic coupling procedures effected by ligand-induced elimination from di(allylic)palladium species

Bis(allylic)palladium complexes can be induced to undergo reductive elimination by replacement of phosphine ligands in the system with π-acidic ligands. The product 1,5-diencs, formed in high yield, are predominantly the ‘head-to-head’ coupled isomers. The bis(allylic)palladium intermediatesmay be formed by addition of an allylic Grignard or trialkyl(allylic)tin reagent to an (η³-allyl)palladiuin chloride complex, or by 1,3-diene condensation. The latter process leads to cydodimerization, ‘unusual’ for palladium catalysed reactions.     

Highly selective dopamine quantification using a glassy carbon electrode modified with a melanin-type polymer

A highly selective dopamine quantification at a new polymer-modified electrode in the presence of large excess of ascorbic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid (dopac) is described. The electrochemical detection was performed at a glassy carbon electrode modified with a melanin-type polymer obtained by polymerization of 3.0×10⁻³ M -dopa in 0.050 M phosphate buffer solution pH 7.40 by applying 1.00 V for 60 min. The polymeric film exhibits attractive permselectivity excluding anionic species such as potassium ferricyanide, ascorbic acid, dopac and uric acid. Cationic species such as epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine and neutral ones such as catechol and hydrogen peroxide can be oxidized at the polymer-modified electrode. The use of ascorbic acid in the measurement solution allows the amplification of dopamine oxidation signal due to the reduction of the electrochemically generated dopaminequinone. By using 1.0×10⁻³ M ascorbic acid, the detection limit for dopamine is 5.0 nM. The interference for the maximum physiological concentrations of ascorbic acid and dopac in nervous centers, i.e. 500 μM ascorbic acid and 50 μM dopac is 8.1 and 1.4%, respectively.     

Reverse flow injection spectrophotometric determination of iron(III) using chlortetracycline reagent

A simple reversed flow injection colourimetric procedure for determining iron(III) was proposed. It is based on the reaction between iron(III) with chlortetracycline, resulting in an intense yellow complex with a suitable absorption at 435 nm. A 200 μl chlortetracycline reagent solution was injected into the phosphate buffer stream (flow rate 2.0 ml min⁻¹) which was then merged with iron(III) standard or sample in dilute nitric acid stream (flow rate 1.5 ml min⁻¹). Optimum conditions for determining iron(III) were investigated by univariate method. Under the optimum conditions, a linear calibration graph was obtained over the range 0.5–20.0 μg ml⁻¹. The detection limit (3σ) and the quantification limit (10σ) were 0.10 and 0.82 μg ml⁻¹, respectively. The relatives standard deviation of the proposed method calculated from 12 replicate injections of 2.0 and 10.0 μg ml⁻¹ iron(III) were 0.43 and 0.59%, respectively. The sample throughput was 60 h⁻¹. The proposed method has been satisfactorily applied to the determination of iron(III) in natural waters.     

Improvement of the ESR detection of irradiated food containing cellulose employing a simple extraction method

Fruit may be irradiated at rather low doses, below 1 kGy in combination treatments or for quarantine purposes. To improve the ESR detection sensitivity of irradiated fruit de Jesus et al. (Int. J. Food Sci. Technol. 34 (1999) 173.) proposed extracting the fruit pulp with 80% ethanol and measuring the residue with ESR using low power (0.25 mW) for detection of ‘cellulosic’ radicals. An improvement in ESR sensitivity using the extraction procedure could be confirmed in this paper for strawberries and papayas. In most cases, a radiation dose of 0.5 kGy could be detected in both fruits even after 2–3 weeks storage. In addition, some herbs and spices were also tested, but only for a few of them the ESR detection of the ‘cellulosic’ signal was improved by previous alcoholic extraction.

As an alternative to ESR measurements, other detection methods like DNA Comet Assay and thermoluminescence were also tested.     

An elastic neutron scattering on dynamical transition in hydrogen-bonded systems

Elastic incoherent neutron scattering measurements have been performed on trehalose and sucrose/D₂O mixtures as a function of temperature. The study provides an effective way for characterizing the dynamical behaviour, furnishing a set of parameters characterizing the ‘flexibility’ and the ‘rigidity’ that justifies the better cryptobiotic effect of trehalose with respect to sucrose. Elastic scans make evident a non-Gaussian behaviour of the intensity profiles, which is more marked for sucrose, with a dynamical transition at T253 and 250 K for trehalose/D₂O and sucrose/D₂O mixtures, respectively.     

Pressurized solvent extraction and monolithic column-HPLC/DAD analysis of anthocyanins in red cabbage

The aim of this work was to develop a fast method for extraction and analysis of anthocyanins in red cabbage. Pressurized hot water containing 5% of ethanol was used as an extremely efficient extraction solvent. HPLC/DAD with a monolithic column was used to accomplish a fast analysis—24 anthocyanin peaks within 18 min. Statistical design was used to optimize the studied extraction parameters: temperature (80–120 °C); sample amount (1–3 g); extraction time (6–11 min); concentration of formic acid in the extraction solvent (0–5 vol.%). The best extraction conditions for a majority of the anthocyanin peaks were 2.5 g of sample, 99 °C (at 50 bar), 7 min of extraction and a solvent composition of water/ethanol/formic acid (94/5/1, v/v/v).