UV-detection capillary electrophoresis for benzo[a]pyrene and pyrene following a two-step concentration system using homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction and a sweeping method

10(-9) mol l-1 levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) suspected for certain noxious materials can be determined and separated by UV-detection capillary electrophoresis following a two-step concentration system. When the conditions of the homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction were [THF]T = 5 vol%, [HCl]T = 0.66 mol l-1, and [PFOA]T = 2 x 10(-3) mol l-1 (i.e., the volume of sample solution; 50 ml-->sedimented phase; 30 microliters), the extraction percentages of benzo[a]pyrene (Bap) and pyrene (Py) at 10(-6) mol l-1 were 102 and 97.5%, respectively. Also, when the total concentration factor(volume ratio), which includes that of the sweeping method, was 8335-fold, the determination range of Bap was 6.4 x 10(-9)-8.0 x 10(-7) mol l-1 and for Py, 8.0 x 10(-9)-7.0 x 10(-7) mol l-1. The detection limits (3 sigma) of Bap and Py were 1.6 x 10(-9) and 4.8 x 10(-9) mol l-1, respectively.     

Determination of lower sub ppt levels of environmental analytes using high-powered concentration system and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

The proposed method was successful in the determination and separation of lower sub ppt levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, a new phase separation phenomenon (i.e., homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction) was developed that rapidly and simply separated an immiscible liquid phase from water-miscible organic solvents. One liter of sample solution was preconcentrated by a solid phase extraction method, then the obtained eluate (5 mL) was further preconcentrated to just 20 microL by this homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction. The 20 [micro sign]L sedimented phase was directly injected into the high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (FL-HPLC). The entire preconcentration factor was 50,000-fold. Six kinds of PAHs were determined in the range of 3.0 x 10(-18) approximately 4.5 x 10(-11) mol L(-1). These chemicals were also satisfactorily separated.     

Determination of ppb levels of tryptophan derivatives by capillary electrophoresis with homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction and sweeping method

Tryptophan (Trp) derivatives were selectively separated from 24 kinds of amino acid mixture solutions. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) with UV detection using the described pretreatment system was able to separate and determine 4 kinds of Trp derivatives: 5-hydroxy L-tryptophan, 5-methyl L-tryptophan, 1-methyl L-tryptophan and L-tryptophan. The pretreatment system used a combination of a homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction and a sweeping method, the two are different kinds of powerful preconcentration/separation methods. Trp derivatives were thus separated by two different separation systems. First, these derivatives were selectively extracted at 57-100% by a homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction; secondly, they were respectively separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with a sweeping effect. The detection limits following complete separation of the Trp derivatives were 10(-8) mol l(-1) levels, respectively. The proposed method provided a more than 10-fold the improvement in sensitivity compared with fluorescence labeling/fluorophotometric analysis; the proposed method was also applied to the component analysis of nutritious medicine.     

Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction of uranium(VI) using tri-n-octylphosphine oxide.

A simple and efficient method for the selective separation and preconcentration of uranium(VI) using homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction was developed. Tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) and tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) were investigated as complexing ligands, and perfluorooctanoate ion (PFOA-) was applied as a phase separator agent under strongly acidic conditions. Under the optimal conditions ([PFOA-] = 1.7 x 10(-3) M, [TOPO] = 5.4 x 10(-4) M, [HNO3] = 0.3 M, [acetone] = 3.2% v/v) 10 microg of uranium in 40 ml aqueous phase could be extracted quantitatively into 8 microl of the sedimented phase. The maximum concentration factor was 5000-fold. However, an effort for the quantitative extraction using TBP was inefficient and the percent recovery was at most 56.7. The influence of the type and concentration of acid solution, optimum amount of the ligand, type and volume of the organic solvent, concentration of PFOA, volume of the aqueous sample and effect of different diverse ions on the extraction and determination of uranium(VI) were investigated. The proposed method was applied to the extraction and determination of uranium(VI) in natural water samples.     

X-ray fluorescence analysis of trace metal ions following a preconcentration of metal-diethyldithiocarbamate complexes by homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction

A homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for 36 metal ions with diethyldithiocarbamate was studied. As a result, 11 metal ions were extracted as metal-chelates. Under the experimental conditions, the maximum concentration factor was 500 (i.e., 0.1 mL of sedimented liquid phase was produced from 50 mL of aqueous phase). Moreover, the proposed method was utilized as a preconcentration method for X-ray fluorescence analysis of these metals. The recovery of each metal was ca. 97-100%. All calibration curves were linear over the range of 5.0 x 10(-7) mol L-1 to 1.0 x 10(-5) mol L-1. The detection limits were at the 10(-8) mol L-1 levels and the relative standard deviations were below 5% (5 determinations). When the proposed method was used for the determination of contaminants in a synthetic sample (Al-based alloy model) and of components in an Au-Pd alloy, the results were satisfactory.     

Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for spectrofluorimetric determination of chlorophyll a

A new homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction using a fluorocarbon ionic surfactant, Zonyl FSA (FSA), having a diethylthioether group as a spacer between the perfluoroalkyl group and carboxyl group has been developed. In this FSA method, the phase separation phenomena were observed at mild pH (below pH 6). Moreover, by using this extraction method as a preconcentration, a highly sensitive spectrofluorometric determination of chlorophyll a was established. The results for the standard chlorophyll a were as follows. The concentration factor (V(w)/V(o)) was 200 (water phase, V(w), 20 cm(3), water-immiscible phase, V(o), 100 mul), the distribution ratio, log D, was 4.85, the extraction percentage, E, was 99.7%, and the procedure time was approximately 30 min. The calibration curve was linear in the concentration range 2 x 10(-11)-3 x 10(-7) mol dm(-3) and the detection limit (S/N=3) was 1 x 10(-11) mol dm(-3). The relative standard deviation was 0.72% for 10(-8) mol dm(-3) (five determinations).     

Kinetically controlled separation of cadmium(II) from zinc(II) with dithizone in the presence of nitrilotriacetic acid.

The extraction rates of cadmium(II) and zinc(II) with dithizone (H2dz) in the presence of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) were measured, and the possible kinetic separation of cadmium(II) from zinc(II) was investigated. Upon the addition of NTA, the difference in the extraction rate between cadmium(II) and zinc(II) became large. Based on the observed rate constant under the condition [NTA] = 1 x 10(-2) mol dm-3, [H2dz]org = 1 x 10(-3) mol dm-3, and pH = 7.0, the shaking time required for the quantitative separation of cadmium(II) from zinc(II) was calculated to be between 326 and 995 s. The experimental results agreed with the prediction, and the quantitative separation of cadmium(II) from zinc(II) was performed within the above-mentioned range of shaking times.     

Determination of silver(I) by electrothermal-AAS in a microdroplet formed from a homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction system using tetraspirocyclohexylcalix[4]pyrroles.

A simple and efficient method for the selective separation and preconcentration of Ag+ using homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction was developed. Tetraspirocyclohexylcalix[4]pyrrole (TSCC4P) was synthesized and investigated as a suitable selective complexing ligand for Ag+. Zonyl FSA (FSA) was applied as a phase-separator agent under mild pH conditions. Under the optimal conditions ([TSCC4P] = 3.4 x 10(-4) M, [THF] = 25.0% v/v, [FSA] = 1.25% w/v, and pH = 4.5), 5 microg of Ag+ in 6.0 ml aqueous phase could be extracted quantitatively into 20 microl of the sedimented phase. The maximum concentration factor was 300-fold. The limit of detection of the proposed method was 0.005 ng/ml. The reproducibility of the proposed method was at most 3.5%. The influence of the pH, type and volume of the water-miscible organic solvent, concentration of FSA, concentration of the complexing ligand and the effect of different diverse ions on the extraction and determination of Ag+ were investigated. The proposed method was applied to the extraction and determination of Ag+ in different water samples.     

Determination of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in human serum by fluorescence labelling and high-performance liquid chromatography.

A method is described for the determination of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in human blood serum. The problems of sensitivity and selectivity encountered with previous techniques were avoided by the formation of a highly fluorescent Diels-Alder adduct following solid-phase extraction of the vitamin. After excess of reagent had been eliminated, quantification was achieved by high-performance liquid chromatography. The recovery of the vitamin from serum was 76.4 +/- 1.76%. The precision of the method was determined, and the relative standard deviations were 8.38% at a concentration of 47.0 x 10(-9) mol dm-3, 6.74% at a concentration of 99.8 x 10(-9) mol dm-3 and 3.79% at a concentration of 146.8 x 10(-9) mol dm-3. The detection limit for the adduct was 2.93 x 10(-14) mol injected, for a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1, and serum concentrations of 0.25 x 10(-9) mol dm-3 could easily be quantified. No interference from endogenous or exogenous substances was observed.     

Absorption spectra of the 4f electron transitions of the praseodymium complex with 1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-7-(4-ethyl-1-piperazinyl) -4-oxo-3-quinoline carboxylic acid hydrochloride and its analytical application.

The absorption spectra of the praseodymium complex with 1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-7-(4-ethyl-1-piperazinyl)-4-oxo-3- quinoline carboxylic acid hydrochloride (NNFX) has been studied by normal and derivative spectrophotometry. The complex showed maximum absorption at 350 nm at pH 6.0. The stoichiometry of the Pr-NNFX complex was calculated by the molar ratio and continuous variation methods. The ratio of Pr to NNFX was 1:3. The absorption bands of the 4f electron transitions of the praseodymium complex with NNFX are enhanced markedly, especially the wavelength at 481 nm. Using the third-derivative spectrum, the calibration graph is linear over the range 2.5 x 10(-5)-3.5 x 10(-4) mol dm-3 for praseodymium. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio of 2) is 1.4 x 10(-6) mol dm-3. The relative standard deviation is 1.2% for 7.0 x 10(-5) mol dm-3 of praseodymium. A method for the direct determination of praseodymium in rare earth mixtures with good accuracy and selectivity is described.     

Construction and performance characteristics of new fentanyl-selective plastic membrane electrode.

The construction and performance characteristics of an ion-selective electrode for fentanyl-drug cation, based on an ion-pair complex with tetrakis[3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate anion in a PVC matrix were studied. A linear response for 1 x 10(-5) mol dm-3 to 1 x 10(-2) mol dm-3 drug with a slope of 57.9 +/- 0.5 mV/decade was established. The optimum pH range was 2 to 6. The lower detection limit was 6.29 x 10(-6) mol dm-3 fentanyl citrate (2.1165 micrograms cm-3 fentanyl). There were negligible interferences from a number of inorganic cations, structural analogues, and some common drug additives in injections. The electrode proposed has been successfully applied to determine fentanyl citrate in injections. The results correlated well with those obtained by the United States Pharmacopoeia standard procedure.     

Voltammetric behaviour of morphine at a glassy carbon electrode and its determination in human serum by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection under basic conditions.

The electrochemical oxidation of morphine was studied at pH values of between 7.00 and 12.00 by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry at a planar glassy carbon electrode. The peak potential was dependent on pH over the range 7.00-9.75; it was independent of pH above the latter value, indicating a pKa value of 9.75. The peak current was found to be independent of pH, ionic strength of phosphate buffer (0.02-0.1 mol dm-3) and percentage of acetonitrile (0-40% v/v). The oxidation was found to occur in three steps; these are considered to result from a one-electron oxidation of the phenoxide group, followed by a one-electron loss from the oxidation product, pseudomorphine, and finally a two-electron loss from a tertiary amine group. A simple method of analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography was developed which employed a column packed with a reversed-phase, pH-stable, octadecylsilane-modified silica. Separation was achieved with a mobile phase containing 20% v/v acetonitrile in 0.05 mol dm-3 phosphate buffer, pH 11.0. Amperometric detection was carried out with an applied potential of +0.45 V versus Ag-AgCl. The detection limit was 1.24 x 10(-13) mol of morphine injected. The detector gave a linear response from 1.2 x 10(-12) to 4.0 x 10(-10) mol of morphine injected. The extraction method required 0.5 ml of serum, and no solvent evaporation was needed. The recovery of morphine was 80.9%. The method gave a linear response to at least 15.0 x 10(-7) mol dm-3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Chemiluminescence of tryptophan and histidine in Ru(bpy)3(2+)-KMnO4 aqueous solution

Amino acids with different chemical structures have different abilities in terms of increasing the intensity of chemiluminescence (CL) of tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) [Ru(bpy)3(2+)]. In a flow system, CL caused by the reaction between Ru(bpy)3(3+) and 15 amino acids was observed, but only tryptophan (Trp) and histidine (His) enhanced the intensity obviously, and so the CL of Trp and His and their molecular groups was studied. A calculation of the ionization potentials (IPs) of their N atom indicated that the CL intensities of these compounds depended on their IPs. In addition, the flow system was used for the determination of Trp and His, and the detection limits were 3 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) for His and 2.5 x 10(-9) mol L(-1) for Trp. The calibration curves for the two amino acids were 1.0 x 10(-7) to 5.0 x 10(-3) mol L(-1) for His and 1.0 x 10(-8) to 1.0 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) for Trp. The proposed approach was applied to the determination of His in Ganoderma.     

Determination of organic mercury species in soils by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection was optimized for the simultaneous separation and quantification of nine organic mercury compounds: methyl-, ethyl-, phenyl-, methoxyethyl-, ethoxyethyl-, benzoic and tolylmercury, mersalylic acid and nitromersol. The nine compounds were successfully separated on octadecylsilane columns (200 x 3 mm i.d.) by gradient elution with a methanol-water mixture ranging from 30 to 50% v/v. The detection limits for the various compounds are in the range 7.0-95.1 micrograms dm-3. For the extraction of five organomercurials from spiked soils, eight different extraction solutions were tested to differentiate between the total content and the available/soluble fraction of the analytes. Ammonium acetate solutions (1 mol dm-3) and water proved to be suitable agents for the estimation of the available and soluble fractions of methyl-, ethyl-, benzoic, methoxyethyl- and ethoxyethylmercury. For the determination of the total content of methyl- and benzoic mercury in soils, solutions of potassium iodide (1 mol dm-3)-ascorbic acid (0.1 mol dm-3) and oxalic acid (1 mol dm-3) provided recoveries in the ranges 53-81%. None of the solutions tested is suitable for the extraction of ethyl-, methoxyethyl- and ethoxyethylmercury.     

Determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceuticals and urine by reverse flow injection.

Two reverse flow injection (FI) methods, using spectrophotometric detection, are proposed for the determination of ascorbic acid. Both methods are based on its reaction with the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-CoIII complex in a medium of 5% diethylamine. In the first method, using the peak-height FI technique, ascorbic acid is determined over the range from 2 x 10(-4) to 5 x 10(-3) mol dm-3 and in the second, using the peak-width FI method, the working range is extended (2 x 10(-3)-5 x 10(-2) mol dm-3). Both FI methods were applied to the determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceuticals while the peak-height FI technique was also used to determine ascorbic acid in urine.     

Study of the electrochemical behavior of mitoxantrone and its determination at a Co-C modified ultramicroelectrode

In 0.005 mol dm-3 Tris-0.05 mol dm-3 NaCl buffer solution (pH 7.10), the electrochemical behavior of mitoxantrone was studied by linear-sweep voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry at a Co-carbon fiber ion implantation modified ultramicroelectrode. A sensitive reduction peak was obtained. The peak potential was -0.798 V (vs. SCE), the peak current was proportional to the concentration of mitoxantrone over the range of 2.0 x 10(-7)-6.0 x 10(6) mol dm-3 and the detection limit was 4.2 x 10(-8) mol dm-3. This method was applied to the direct determination of mitoxantrone in urine. Recoveries were in the range 95.4-105.8%. The reduction process was quasi-reversible with absorptive characteristics at a Co-C ultramicroelectrode. According to Laviron's theory, the electrode reaction rate constant ks and the electron transfer alpha of mitoxantrone were 4.4 s-1 and 0.48, respectively. The composition and depth distribution of elements on the surface of the Co-C ultramicroelectrode were determined by Auger electron spectroscopy. The experiments showed that Co was implanted into the surface of the carbon fiber, and the Co-C ultramicroelectrode had good stability and reproducibility.     

Determination of blood lead in dried blood-spot specimens by Zeeman-effect background corrected atomic absorption spectrometry.

A simple procedure for the determination of blood-lead levels in dried blood-spot filter-paper specimens is described. A 3/16 inch dried blood spot was analysed by a method involving extraction of the lead into 1.25% (NH4)2HPO4-0.5% Triton X-100 solution. A matrix-based calibration was used for analysis, with use of a Zeeman-effect background corrected atomic absorption spectrometer. The within-run precision (% relative standard deviation) of the method at the low end of the analytical range was 19% at 0.36 mumol dm-3 and 14% at 0.60 mumol dm-3. The accuracy of the method was verified by recovery tests and by comparison with a routine whole-blood method. The mean blood lead level of 425 Toronto newborns was 0.19 mumol dm-3 (range 0-0.75 mumol dm-3).     

Adsorption of Trivalent Cations on Silica

The temperature effect on the magnitude of adsorption was used to explain the mechanism of adsorption of gadolinium on silica at very low concentrations. Standard enthalpy of adsorption of gadolinium equals 36 kJ mol-1 for a total Gd concentration of 2 x 10(-8) mol dm-3 and 67 kJ mol-1 for 2 x 10(-5) mol dm-3. This result confirms the hypothesis that the Gd adsorption at low initial concentration is governed by formation of strong ternary surface complexes involving anionic impurities. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Quantification of dibromodimethylhydantoin disinfectants in water by chemiluminescent method.

Quantification of 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DBDMH) was studied by its chemiluminescence (CL) reaction with luminol in an alkaline medium. The stability of DBDMH, 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DCDMH) and 1-bromo-3-chloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (BCDMH) in water was initially assessed by its CL reaction capability. The results indicated that the hydrolysis process was critically dependent on the types of reagents and their pHs. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation with CL detection procedure was applied to the DBDMH solution. It was found that at least 3 species in the aqueous DBDMH solution could oxidize luminol to give luminescence: one of them was confirmed to be hypobromite and the others could be the unhydrolyzed or active oxygen produced in the hydrolysis reaction. Finally, a flow-injection chemiluminescent method was proposed for the determination of DBDMH. The concentration of the analyte showed a linear relationship with the CL intensity in the range of 1.2x10(-10) to 1.0x10(-6) mol dm-3 and the detection limit was as low as 6.2x10(-11) mol dm-3. The relative standard deviation (RSD) is 1.7% (n=9) for 2.8x10(-7) mol dm-3 DBDMH.     

液膜萃取法回收磷酸体系中的微量镧

通过斜率分析法研究了P204和TOPO从磷酸体系中液液萃取微量镧的反应机制和热力学,推测出一种可能的反应历程和萃合物结构,得到萃取反应式和反应的平衡常数K=104.502,焓变ΔH=-13.02 kJ.mol-1,自由能ΔG=-25.686 kJ.mol-1,熵变ΔS=0.0425kJ.(mol.K)-1。在液液萃取反应机制研究的基础上,采用液膜萃取法进行磷酸体系中微量镧的富集回收研究,考察了载体P204(2%～10%w/w)和TOPO(1%～10%w/w)、表面活性剂磺化聚丁二烯LYF(1%～10%w/w)、内萃取剂HCl(1～5 mol.L-1)和水乳体积比A/O(2:1～7:1)对液膜萃取收率及稳定性的影响。在最优条件下,可回收94.10%～95.94%的镧,并且膜溶胀率为8%～17%,破损率为0.45%～1.93%,能够维持较好的液膜稳定性。研究结果对磷酸中的微量稀土镧回收利用具有一定的参考价值。