Determination of uranium, iron, copper, and nickel from ore samples by MEKC using N,N'-ethylene bis(salicylaldimine) as complexing reagent

An analytical procedure has been developed for the separation of dioxouranium(VI), iron(III), copper(II), nickel(II), cobalt(II), cobalt(III), palladium(II), and thorium(IV) by MEKC using N,N'-ethylene bis(salicylaldimine) (H(2)SA(2)en) as a complexing reagent with total runtime <4.5 min. SDS was used as micellar medium at pH 8 with sodium tetraborate buffer (0.1 M). An uncoated fused-silica capillary with an effective length of 50 cm x 75 microm id was used with an applied voltage of 30 kV with photodiode array detection at 231 nm. Linear calibrations were obtained within 0.111-1000 microg/mL of each element with LODs within 37-325 ng/mL. The developed method was tested for analysis of uranium ore samples indicating its presence within 103-1789 microg/g with RSD within 0.79-1.87%. Likewise copper, nickel, and iron in their combined matrix were also simultaneously determined with RSD 0.4-1.6% (n = 6).     

Determination of glyoxal and methylglyoxal in the serum of diabetic patients by MEKC using stilbenediamine as derivatizing reagent

An analytical method has been developed for the separation of glyoxal (Go), methylglyoxal (MGo), and dimethylglyoxal (DMGo) by MEKC using stilbenediamine (SD) as derivatizing reagent, separation time 6.5 min, SDS as micellar medium at pH 8, and sodium tetraborate (0.1 M) as buffer. Uncoated fused-silica capillary, effective length 50 cm x 75 microm id; applied voltage 20 kV and photodiode array detection, were used. Calibration was linear within 0.02-150 microg/mL with detection limits 3.5-5.8 ng/mL. Go and MGo, observed for diabetic and healthy volunteers, were within 0.098-0.193 microg/mL Go and 0.106-0.245 microg/mL MGo with RSD 1.6-3.5 and 1.7-3.4%, respectively, in diabetics against 0.016-0.046 microg/mL Go and 0.021-0.066 microg/mL MGo with RSDs 1.5-3.5 and 1.4-3.6%, respectively, in healthy volunteers. Go and MGo in diabetics were also measured by standard addition and DMGo as an internal standard. Additives do not contribute significantly to Go and MGo matrix.     

Capillary gas chromatographic analysis of pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate metal chelates

Pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) chelates of Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(III), Fe(III), Mn(II), Cr(III), and VO(II) were analysed by capillary GC on a DB-1701 column (30 m x 0.25 mm id) with flame ionisation detection (FID). Linear calibrations were attained within "1-30 microg/mL" for Ni(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), and VO(II), and within "2-50 microg/mL" for Co(III) and Zn(II). The limits of detection were in the "150-500 ng/mL" range, corresponding to 15-50 pg amounts reaching the FID system. The optimised method was applied to the determination of Cu(II) and Ni(II) in coins, and that of Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), Cr(III), and VO(II) in pharmaceutical preparations with relative standard deviations within 1.1-5.2%. The results obtained are in good agreement with sewage water samples and the declared values for the pharmaceutical formulations, or with the results of AAS of metal contents in coins, pharmaceutical preparations, and sewage water samples.     

Doehlert matrix for optimisation of procedure for determination of nickel in saline oil-refinery effluents by use of flame atomic absorption spectrometry after preconcentration by cloud-point extraction

This paper proposes a preconcentration procedure for determination of nickel in saline aqueous waste samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). It is based on cloud-point extraction of nickel(II) ions as 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethilaminophenol (Br-PADAP) complexes using octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114) as surfactant. The optimisation step was performed using a four-variable Doehlert design, involving the factors centrifugation time (CT) of system after addition of surfactant, solution pH, methanol volume (MV) added at micellar phase, and buffer concentration (BC). The analytical response used was absorbance, after volume correction. Using the established experimental conditions in the optimisation step the procedure enables nickel determination with a detection limit (3 delta/ S) of 0.2 microg L(-1), quantification limit (10 delta/ S) of 0.7 microg L(-1), and precision, calculated as relative standard deviation ( RSD) of 4.7 ( n=8) and 3.5% ( n=8) for nickel concentration of 1 and 5 microg L(-1), respectively. The preconcentration factor, determined from the ratio of the slopes of the analytical curves with and without preconcentration, is 74. The recovery achieved for nickel determination in the presence of several cations demonstrated that this procedure could be applied for analysis of water samples. The robustness was checked by using saturated fractional factorial designs, centred on the established experimental conditions in the optimisation step. The results of these tests demonstrated that the variables centrifugation time and buffer concentration are robust for modification by 10% and that solution pH and methanol volume are robust for 5%. Accuracy was evaluated by using the certified material reference SLEW-3 estuarine water for trace metals. The procedure was used for determination of nickel in saline effluents from oil refinery samples. Recovery results (95-104%) indicate that the procedure has satisfactory accuracy for nickel determination in these samples.     

Coprecipitation with lanthanum phosphate as a technique for separation and preconcentration of iron(III) and lead

The usefulness of coprecipitation with lanthanum phosphate for separation and preconcentration of some heavy metals has been investigated. Although lanthanum phosphate coprecipitates iron(III) and lead quantitatively at pH 2.3, iron(II) can barely be collected at this pH. This coprecipitation technique was applicable to the separation and preconcentration of iron(III) before inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometric (ICP-AES) determination; the recoveries of iron(III) and iron(II) from spiked water samples were 103-105% and 0.2-0.7%, respectively. The coprecipitation was also useful for separation of 20 microg lead from 100 mL of an aqueous solution that also contained 1-100 mg iron. Coprecipitation of iron was substantially suppressed by addition of ascorbic acid, which enabled recovery of 97-103% of lead added to the solution, bringing the recovery to within 1.6-5.0% of the relative standard deviations. Lanthanum phosphate can also coprecipitate cadmium and indium quantitatively, although chromium(III), cobalt, and nickel and large amounts of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are barely coprecipitated at pH approximately/= 3.     

Simultaneous determination of 16 estrogens,dehydroepiandrosterone and their glucuronide and sulfate conjugates in serum using sodium cholate micelle capillary electrophoresis

The simultaneous determination of 16 estrogens, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and their glucuronide and sulfate conjugates by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with sodium cholate micelle is reported. Sodium cholate, sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and alpha-, beta-, gamma-cyclodextrins were studied as micelle reagents in the pH range of 7.0-10.0. Estrogens, DHEA and their glucuronide and sulfate conjugates were separated using a 50 cm x 50 microm capillary with 10 mM borate-phosphate buffer (pH 8.0) containing 50 mM sodium cholate as carrier. The method could simultaneously determine 1.0-1000 microg/mL of steroids and metabolites in 100 microL of serum by photometric detection at 214 nm within 14 min and 80 ng/mL steroids could be determined by using 2.0 mL of serum. The relative standards deviations were 6.7-7.7% at 10 microg/mL in serum. The recoveries were 89.1-92.0% with 10 microg/mL serum samples.     

MEKC determination of vanadium from mineral ore and crude petroleum oil samples using precapillary chelation with bis(salicylaldehyde)tetramethyl‐ethylenediimine

An analytical procedure has been developed for the separation of Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Fe(II), Pd(II), Th(IV), V(IV), and determination of Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and V(IV) by MEKC after chelation with bis(salicylaldehyde)tetramethylethylenediimine (H₂SA₂Ten). Uncoated fused silica capillary was used with an applied voltage of 30 kV with photo‐diode array detection at 228 nm. SDS was added as micellar medium at pH 8.2 with sodium tetraborate buffer (0.1 M). Linear calibrations were established within 0.015–1000 μg/mL of each element with LOD within 5–67 ng/mL. The method was applied for the determination of vanadium from crude oil and ore samples in the range 0.34–2.40 and 114.2–720.7 μg/g with RSD 1.7–3.8 and 0.98–2.30% (n = 3), respectively. Fe, Ni, and Co present in crude oil and ore samples were also determined with RSD 1.3–2.8, 1.1–4.1, and 1.2–3.5% (n = 3), respectively. The results were compared with that of supplier's specifications and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Method was evaluated by standard addition technique.     

Development and validation of a method to determine amoxicillin in physiological fluids using micellar liquid chromatography

A simple and robust method was developed for the routine identification and quantification of amoxicillin by micellar LC. Amoxicillin, a beta-lactamase inhibitor, is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the treatment of urine and skin structure infections. In this work, amoxicillin was determined in urine samples without any pretreatment step in a phenyl column using a micellar mobile phase of 0.10 M SDS and 4% butanol at pH 3. A UV detection set at 210 nm was used. Amoxicillin was eluted at 5.1 min with no interference by the protein band or endogenous compounds. Linearities (r >0.9998), intra- and interday precisions were determined (RSD (%) 0.4-2.7% and 0.3-5%, respectively, in micellar media, and 0.14-2.6% and 0.13-6%, respectively, in urine), and robustness was studied in the method validation. LOD and LOQ were 0.04 and 0.1 microg/mL in micellar media and 0.14 and 0.34 microg/mL in urine, respectively. Recoveries in the urine matrix were in the range of 95-110%. The validated method proved to be reliable and sensitive for the determination of amoxicillin in urine samples.     

A novel multi-element coprecipitation technique for separation and enrichment of metal ions in environmental samples

A multi-element preconcentration-separation technique for heavy metal ions in environmental samples has been established. The procedure is based on coprecipitation of gold(III), bismuth(III), cobalt(II), chromium(III), iron(III), manganese(II), nickel(II), lead(II), thorium(IV) and uranium(VI) ions by the aid of Cu(II)-9-phenyl-3-fluorone precipitate. The Cu(II)-9-phenyl-3-fluorone precipitate was dissolved by the addition 1.0 mL of concentrated HNO₃ and then the solution was completed to 5 mL with distilled water. Iron, lead, cobalt, chromium, manganese and nickel levels in the final solution were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometer, while gold, bismuth, uranium and thorium were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The optimal conditions are pH 7, amounts of 9-phenyl-3-fluorone: 5 mg and amounts of Cu(II): 1 mg. The effects of concomitant ions as matrix were also examined. The preconcentration factor was 30. Gold(III), bismuth(III), chromium(III), iron(III), lead(II) and thorium(IV) were quantitatively recovered from the real samples. The detection limits for the analyte elements based on 3 sigma (n = 15) were in the range of 0.05-12.9 μg L⁻¹. The validation of the presented procedure was checked by the analysis of two certified reference materials (Montana I Soil (NIST-SRM 2710) and Lake Sediment (IAEA-SL-1)). The procedure was successfully applied to some environmental samples including water and sediments.     

Gas and liquid chromatography of metal chelates of pentamethylene dithiocarbamate

Capillary GC and HPLC of metal chelates of pentamethylene dithiocarbamate were examined. Copper(II), nickel(II), cobalt(III), iron(III), manganese(II) and chromium(III) chelates formed in slightly acidic media (pH 5) were extracted in methyl isobutyl ketone or chloroform. Capillary GC elution and separation was carried out on methylsilicone DB-1 column (25 m x 0.2 mm I.D.) with film thickness 0.25 microm. Electron-capture detection was used. Elution was carried at initial column temperature 200 degrees C with an increment at a rate of 5 degrees C/min up to 250 degrees C and maximum temperature was maintained for 10 min. Symmetrical peaks with baseline separation were obtained with the metal chelates investigated with linear calibration range between 5 and 25 microg/ml for each metal ion and detection limits in the range of 0.5-6.0 microg/ml corresponding to 27-333 pg of metal ion reaching to the detector. HPLC separation was carried out from LiChrosorb ODS, 5 microm column and complexes eluted with methanol-water-1 mM sodium acetate (70:28:2, v/v) with a flow-rate of 1.2 ml/ml. UV detection was at 260 nm. The detection limits obtained were in the range 2-6 microg/ml. The methods were applied to the determination of metal ions in canal water and coal samples with RSD values within 4.15%. The results when compared with a standard flame atomic absorption spectrophotometric method and revealed no significant difference.     

Determination of bisphenol A and 10 alkylphenols in serum using SDS micelle capillary electrophoresis with gamma-cyclodextrin.

A new micelle capillary electrophoresis based on cyclodextrin micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) for the determination of bisphenol A and 10 alkylphenols in rat serum is reported. Several surfactants and dextrins were studied. Bisphenol A and alkylphenols were separated using a 50 microm x 50 cm capillary with 20 mM borate phosphate buffer (pH 8.0) containing 20 mM sodium dodecylsulfate and 5 mM gamma-cyclodextrin as carrier. The method could determine 0.6-2000 microg/mL of phenols in 100 microL serum by photometric detection at 214 nm. Using 2.0 mL serum, 1.0 ng/mL of phenols could be determined. The relative standards deviations were 6.3-7.7% at 10 microg/mL in serum. The recoveries were 91.8-93.0% with 10 microg/mL serum samples.     

Liquid chromatography of uranium complexes of tetradentate Schiff bases.

Dioxouranium together with copper(II), nickel(II) and iron(II) were extracted in chloroform as complexes of bis(salicylaldehyde)-dl-stilbenediimine (dl-H2SA2S) or bis(salicylaldehyde)-meso-stilbenediimine (meso-H2SA2S), and separated by liquid chromatography with UV detection. The linear calibration range and detection limits were 40 - 200 ng and 10 ng/injection for each metal ion. The method was applied to the determination of uranium from mineral ore samples at concentrations of 30 - 700 microg/g with coefficients of variation from 3.6 to 5.5%. The relative elution of dioxouranium complexes of different Schiff bases was examined from reversed-phase HPLC; the substitution of methyl and phenyl groups at the bridge position enhanced the column retention of uranyl complexes.     

An improved colorimetric determination of lead(II) in the presence of nonionic surfactant.

Phenanthraquinone monophenyl thiosemicarbazone (PPT), an excellent color-forming chelating agent, combines to Pb(II) to form a slightly soluble complex in aqueous solution. To determine this metal ion, a tedious and time-consuming separation technique, such as liquid-liquid extraction, has to be performed. However, the Pb(II)-PPT complex could be determined conveniently by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry at 520 nm in a Tween 80 micellar medium that has polyoxyethylene groups. After conditions, such as the pH, the concentration of PPT and the stability, were adjusted to their optimum values, the sensitivities of the Pb(II) ions in the Tween 80 micellar medium and in chloroform were compared. It was shown that the sensitivity of Pb(II) in the Tween 80 micellar medium was higher than in chloroform. The interference from different cations and anions was studied. Beer's law was obeyed over a concentration range of 0-40 microg ml(-1). The detection limit of Pb(II) was 0.036 microg ml(-1). The recovery yields of the lead(II) in the synthetic mixtures and water samples ranged from 98 to 99.8%, and their relative standard deviations (RSD) were below 4%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of lead in certified reference samples, biological samples and in environmental water samples.     

Cloud point extraction of copper, lead, cadmium, and iron using 2,6-diamino-4-phenyl-1,3,5-triazine and nonionic surfactant, and their flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination in water and canned food samples

A cloud point extraction procedure was optimized for the separation and preconcentration of lead(II), cadmium(II), copper(II), and iron(III) ions in various water and canned food samples. The metal ions formed complexes with 2,6-diamino-4-phenyl-1,3,5-triazine that were extracted by surfactant-rich phases in the nonionic surfactant Triton X-114. The surfactant-rich phase was diluted with 1 M HNO3 in methanol prior to its analysis by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the proposed method, such as sample pH, complexing agent concentration, surfactant concentration, temperature, and incubation time, were optimized. LOD values based on three times the SD of the blank (3Sb) were 0.38, 0.48, 1.33, and 1.85 microg/L for cadmium(II), copper(II), lead(II), and iron(III) ions, respectively. The precision (RSD) of the method was in the 1.86-3.06% range (n=7). Validation of the procedure was carried out by analysis of National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material (NIST-SRM) 1568a Rice Flour and GBW 07605 Tea. The method was applied to water and canned food samples for determination of metal ions.     

Ion paired chromatography of iron (II,III), nickel (II) and copper (II) as their 4,7-Diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline chelates

A reversed phase ion-paired chromatographic method that can be used to determine trace amounts of iron (II,III), nickel (II) and copper (II) was developed and applied to the determination of iron (II) and iron (III) levels in natural water. The separation of these metal ions as their 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (bathophenanthroline) chelates on an Inertsil ODS column was investigated by using acetonitrile-water (80/20, v/v) containing 0.06 M perchloric acid as mobile phase and diode array spectrophotometric detection at 250-650 nm. Chromatographic parameters such as composition of mobile phase and concentration of perchloric acid in mobile phase were optimized. The calibration graphs of iron (II), nickel (II) and copper (II) ions were linear (r > 0.991) in the concentration range 0-0.5, 0-2.0 and 0-4.0 mug ml(-1), respectively. The detection limit of iron (II), nickel (II) and copper (II) were 2.67, 5.42 and 18.2 ng ml(-1) with relative standard deviation (n = 5) of 3.11, 5.81 and 7.16% at a concentration level of 10 ng ml(-1) for iron (II) and nickel (II) and 25 ng ml(-1) for copper (II), respectively. The proposed method was applied to the determination of iron(II) and iron(III) in tap water and sea water samples without any interference from other common metal ions.     

On-line pervaporation-capillary electrophoresis for the determination of volatile acidity and free sulfur dioxide in wines

Pervaporation has been coupled on-line to capillary electrophoresis (CE) by a simple interface consisting of a modified CE vial. The approach allows volatile analytes to be removed and injected into the capillary meanwhile the sample matrix remains in the pervaporator. By this approach volatile acidity and free sulfur dioxide have been simultaneously determined in wines. The detection limits (LODs) are 1.25 and 5.00 microg/mL, the quantification limits 4.12 and 16.50 microg/mL, and the linear dynamic ranges between LOD and 50 microg/mL and between 0.1 and 0.9 g/L for free sulfur dioxide and volatile acidity, respectively. The repeatability and within laboratory reproducibility, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), are 1.61% and 3.00% for free sulfur, and 3.35% and 4.58% for volatile acidity, respectively. The optimal pervaporation time and the time necessary for the individual separation-detection of the target analytes are 6 and 5 min, respectively. The analysis frequency is 7 h(-1) and the sample amount necessary is less than 7 mL. The proposed method and official methods for the analytes were applied to 32 wine samples. A two-tailed t-test was used to compare the methods, which yielded similar results. The errors, expressed as RSD for the two parameters, ranged between 1.3 and 4.1%.     

Capillary isoelectric focusing of proteins utilizing poly(vinylpyrrolidone)- and plexiglas-coated columns

Fused-silica capillaries chemically derivatized with silane/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) or dynamically modified with plexiglas [poly(methyl methacrylate)] were prepared and evaluated with regard to column stability and separation performance for capillary isoelectric focusing of standard proteins. The PVP coating showed the better stability and was good for at least 100 runs while the plexiglas coating started to deteriorate after about 30 runs. The time spent for the plexiglas coating is about 40 minutes while the PVP coating requires two days. The migration time reproducibility was better with the PVP capillary (RSD 0.7-1.6%, n = 5) compared to the plexiglas-coated column (RSD 1.2-2.9%, n = 5) while peak area and height varied over a similar interval (RSD 2-28.1% area; 0.9-22.7% height, n = 5). The two most consistent proteins in this evaluation, viz. myoglobin A and carbonic anhydrase II, showed linear dynamic ranges between 5-150 and 5-50 microg/mL, and limits of detections at 2 and 1 microg/mL, respectively, employing UV detection at 280 nm.     

Pneumatic flow injection analysis-tandem spectrometer system for iron speciation.

A pneumatic flow injection-tandem spectrometer system, without a delivery pump was used for the speciation of iron. In this system, the suction force of a pneumatic nebulizer of a flame absorption spectrometer was used for solution delivery through the manifold. The Fe(III) and total Fe concentrations were determined using thiocyanate ion in a UV-Vis spectrometer and a FAAS, respectively. The Fe(II) was determined by the difference. The calibration curves were linear up to 18 microg mL(-1) and 25 microg mL(-1) with detection limits of 0.09 microg mL(-1) and 0.07 microg mL(-1) for Fe(III) and Fe(II), respectively. The mid-range precision and accuracy were <2.5% and +/-3% for the two species, respectively, at a sampling rate of 120 h(-1). This system was applied for the determination of Fe(III) and Fe(II) in industrial water, natural water and spiked samples.     

Flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of trace amounts of nickel after extraction and preconcentration onto natural modified analcime zeolite loaded with 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol

Nickel is a moderately toxic element compared with other transition metals. However, inhalation of nickel and its compounds leads to serious problems, including cancer of the respiratory system and a skin disorder, nickel-eczema. Thus, attention has focused on the toxicity of nickel at low concentrations, and the development of reliable, analytical approaches for the determination of trace amounts of nickel is needed. This paper describes a simple, rapid, and sensitive flame atomic absorption spectrometric method for the determination of trace amounts of nickel in various samples after adsorption of its 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol complex on a modified Analcime column in the pH range of 7.5-10.5. The retained analyte on the Analcime is recovered with 5.0 mL 2 M nitric acid and determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The detection limit is 20 ng/mL, and the calibration curve is linear for analyte concentrations in the range of 0.1-8 microg/mL final solution, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9993. Eight replicate determinations of nickel at 2 microg/mL in the final solution gave an absorbance of 0.1222, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of +/-1.2%. The interference of a large number of anions and cations was studied, and the proposed method was used for the determination of nickel in various standard reference samples. The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated by analyzing standard reference samples, and the results were satisfactory (recoveries of >96%; RSD of <3.5%).     

Column preconcentration and FAAS determination of copper,iron, nickel and zinc using 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol-tetraphenylborate-naphthalene adsorbent

A solid co-precipitated material obtained from an ion-pair of 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Br-PADAP) and tetraphenylborate (TPB), and microcrystals of naphthalene has been tried as an adsorbent for the column preconcentration of copper(I), iron(II), nickel(II) and Zn(II). The retention of the metal ions was found to be maximum and constant in the pH range 3.0-8.0 for Cu, 3.8-7.5 for Fe, 4.5-7.5 for Ni and 8.5-11.0 for Zn. The elements were determined by FAAS after dissolving the metal along with the adsorbent in an organic solvent (10 mL of DMF). The characteristic concentration for 1% absorption was found to be 0.0332, 0.0536, 0.0537 and 0.0142 (aqueous medium 0.0512, 0.0638, 0.1294 and 0.0216) microg mL(-1) for Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn, respectively. The calibration plot was linear in the range 1.5-20.0, 2.0-38.0, 2.5-25.0 and 0.5-15.0 micro g in the final 10 mL of DMF solution for Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn, respectively. Various parameters such as pH, volume of buffer, amount of adsorbent, flow rate, preconcentration factor and effect of diverse salts and cations were studied. The optimised conditions were utilized for the determination of Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn in various water, beverage and human hair samples.