Determination of bromide ions in seawater using flow system with chemiluminescence detection

A simple flow-based procedure with chemiluminescence (CL) detection is proposed for bromide ion determination in seawater. The procedure was based on the oxidation of bromide to bromine by chloramine-T followed by the reaction of bromine with luminol resulting in CL emission. Since no significant reaction within chloramine-T and luminol was observed, the detection was carried out without bromine extraction from the oxidant medium. The proposed flow system had a sampling rate of 40 determinations per hour, reagents consumption of 100 μg luminol and 60 μg chloramine-T per determination, a limit of detection of 0.5 mg l⁻¹ bromide ions, a linear concentration range (r = 0.999 and n = 7) between 0 and 100 mg l⁻¹, and a coefficient of variance better than 2.5% (for 10 measurements of a 10 mg l⁻¹ Br⁻ solution) were achieved. The analytical system was applied for the determination of bromide in seawater and estuarine-water samples, obtaining an analyte recovery ranging from 94 to 102% and comparing the results with a reference spectrophotometric method no significant difference was observed in 95% confidence level.     

A pre-concentration procedure using coprecipitation for determination of lead and iron in several samples using flame atomic absorption spectrometry

The present paper proposes a pre-concentration procedure for determination of lead and iron in several samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. In it, lead(II) and iron(III) ions are coprecipitated using the violuric acid-copper(II) system as collector. Afterwards, the precipitate is dissolved with 1 M HNO₃ solution and the metal ions are determined. The optimization step was performed using factorial design involving the variables: pH, violuric acid mass (VA) and copper concentration (Cu).Using the optimized experimental conditions, the proposed procedure allows the determination these metals with detection limits of 0.18 μg L⁻¹ for iron and 0.16 μg L⁻¹ for lead. The effects of foreign ions on the pre-concentration procedure were also evaluated and the results demonstrated that this method could be applied for determination of iron and lead in several real samples. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of seawater, urine, mineral water, soil and physiological solution samples. The concentrations of lead and iron achieved in these samples agree well with others data reported in the literature.     

Development of method for the speciation of inorganic iron in wine samples

In this paper, we proposed a procedure for the determination of iron(II) and total iron in wine samples employing molecular absorption spectrophotometry. The ligand used is 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)-phenol (Br-PADAP) and the chromogenic reaction in absence or presence of ascorbic acid (reducing agent) allows the determination of iron(II) or total iron, respectively. The optimization step was performed using a multivariate technique (Box Behnken design) involving the factors pH, acid ascorbic concentration and reaction time.The method allows the determination of iron(II) and iron(III) in wine samples, with limits of detection and quantification 0.22 and 0.72 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The precision expressed as relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) was 1.43 and 0.56% (both, n = 11) for content of iron(II) in wine samples of 1.68 and 4.65 mg L⁻¹, and 1.66 and 0.87% (both, n = 11) for content of total iron in wine samples of 1.72 and 5.48 mg L⁻¹.This method was applied for determination of iron(II) and total iron in six different wine samples. In these, the iron(II) content varied from 0.76 to 4.65 mg L⁻¹ and from 1.01 to 5.48 mg L⁻¹ for total iron. The results obtained in the determination of total iron by Br-PADAP method were compared with those that were performed after complete acid digestion in open system and determination of total iron employing FAAS. The method of regression linear was used for comparison of these results and demonstrated that there is no significant difference between the results obtained with these two procedures.     

An improved flow system for chloride determination in natural waters exploiting solid-phase reactor and long pathlength spectrophotometry

A single and sensitive spectrophotometric method for chloride ions determination based on a commuted flow system with a 100 cm optical path flow cell and a solid-phase reactor containing immobilized silver chloranilate was proposed. This procedure exploited the AgCl formation in the solid-phase reactor leading the chloranilate ions, monitored spectrophotometrically at 530 nm. The analytical signals were 75-fold higher and the sensitivity was 12-fold than that achieved with a 1 cm flow cell, allowed a chloride determination in the 0.5-100 mg l⁻¹ range. The R.S.D. was 1.1% (n = 20) with a sample throughput of 80 h⁻¹ and a waste generated of ca. 100 ng of chloranilate ions per determination. Four samples of natural waters from São Carlos and Araraquara cities were evaluated using the proposed method. Results agreed with the obtained by a reference method at the 95% confidence level.     

A downsized flow set up based on multicommutation for the sequential photometric determination of iron(II)/iron(III) and nitrite/nitrate in surface water

In this work, a downsized flow set up designed based on multicommutation concept for photometric determination of iron(II)/iron(III) and nitrite/nitrate is surface water is described. The flow system network comprised a set of three-way solenoid valves, reaction coil and a double-channel flow cell, which were nested in order to obtain a compact and small-size instrument. To accomplish the downsizing requirement light source (LED) and radiation detection (phototransistor) were coupled to the flow cell. In order to demonstrated the effectiveness of the system, the photometer methods based on Griess reaction and 1-10-phenantroline for nitrite and iron(II) determination, respectively, were selected. Under computer control the set up provided facilities to handle four reagent solutions employing a single pumping channel, thus permitting also the determination of nitrate and iron(III) after its reduction to nitrite and to iron(II), respectively. The overall system performance was demonstrated working several days running standard solution, no significant variation of base line, linear response range and slop (less than 1%) were observed. The usefulness of the downsized system was ascertained by analyzing a set of surface water. Aiming to access the accuracy sample were also analyzed employing reference procedures and no significant difference at 95% confidence level were observed for the four analytes. Other profitable features such as analytical throughput of 40 determination per hour; relative standard deviation of 1%; linear response range between 50 and 300 μg l⁻¹ for nitrite and nitrate, 0.5-6.0 mg l⁻¹ iron(II) and iron(III); low reagent consumption 75 μg for nitrate/nitrite and 0.6 mg for iron(II)/iron(III) per determination; and 2.4 ml waste generation per determination were also achieved.     

Determination of platinum and palladium in road dust after their separation on immobilized fungus by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A flow solid phase extraction procedure based on biosorption of Pt(IV) and Pd(II) on Aspergillus sp. immobilized on cellulose resin Cellex-T was proposed for the separation and preconcentration of Pt and Pd before their determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The analytical conditions including sample pH, eluent type, flow rates of sample and eluent solutions were examined. The analytes were selectively retained on the biosorbent in acidic medium (pH 1) and subsequently eluted from the column with 1 mL of thiourea solution (0.25 mol L^− 1 thiourea in 0.3 mol L^− 1 HCl). The reproducibility of the procedure was below 5%. The limit of detection of the method was 0.020 ng mL^− 1 for Pt and 0.012 ng mL^− 1 for Pd. The method validation was performed by analysis of certified reference materials BCR-723 (tunnel dust) and SARM-76 (platinum ore). The developed separation procedure was applied to the determination of Pt and Pd in road dust samples by ETAAS.The applied biosorbent is characterized by high sorption capacity: 0.47 mg g^− 1 for Pt and 1.24 mg g^− 1 for Pd.     

Flow injection spectrophotometric method for chloride determination in natural waters using Hg(SCN)(2) immobilized in epoxy resin

A flow injection (FI) spectrophotometric method was proposed for the determination of chloride ion in natural waters. The determination of chloride was carried out by reaction with Hg(SCN)₂ immobilized in an epoxy resin bead in a solid-phase reactor (SPR) and the thiocyanate ions released were determined spectrophotometrically at 480 nm after complexing reaction with Fe(III). The analytical curve for chloride was linear in the concentration range from 5.6 × 10⁻⁵ to 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.4 × 10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) was 2.2% for a solution containing 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ (n = 10). The simple manifold allows a routine analytical frequency of 100 determinations per hour. The main advantage of the developed method is the 400% reduction of the Hg waste solution generated when compared to conventional methods for chloride determination based on the same spectrophotometric reaction.     

Application of silica gel organofunctionalized with 3(1-imidazolyl)propyl in an on-line preconcentration system for the determination of copper by FAAS

This study presents a new procedure for the determination of trace levels of copper(II) in an aqueous matrix, through flow injection (FI) on-line preconcentration with a minicolumn packed with silica gel modified with 3(1-imidazolyl)propyl groups. After the preconcentration stage, the analyte was eluted with a HNO₃ solution and determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The measurements of the analytical signals were carried out as peak area and peak height with the objective of evaluating the most appropriate absorption measurement for the proposed method. Four procedures to calculate the experimental enrichment factor (EF) were also studied. For a preconcentration time of 90 s the enrichment factors found in this study varied between 19.5-25.8 and 36.2-42.2 for peak area and peak height, respectively. The precision of the proposed method was calculated for a solution containing 20 μg l⁻¹ of Cu(II), when 11.2 ml of solution was preconcentrated (n=7), and their respective relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) values were 1.2 and 1.4% for peak area and peak height, respectively. The detection limits obtained were 0.4 and 0.2 μg l⁻¹ of Cu(II) for peak area and peak height, respectively, with a preconcentration time of 90 s. The on-line preconcentration system accuracy was evaluated through a recovery test on the aqueous samples and analysis of a certified material.     

Sequential injection lab-on-valve simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of copper and iron

A sequential injection (SI) method in a lab-on-valve (LOV) format for simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of copper and iron has been devised. The detection chemistry is based on the complex formation of 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-[N-n-propyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)amino]aniline (5-Br-PSAA) with copper(II) and/or iron(II) at pH 4.6. Copper(II) reacts with 5-Br-PSAA to form the complex which has an absorption maximum at 580 nm but iron(III) does not react. In the presence of a reducing agent only iron(II)-5-Br-PSAA complex is formed and detected at 558 nm. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the determinable ranges are 0.1-2 mg l⁻¹ for copper and 0.1-5 mg l⁻¹ for iron, respectively, with a sampling rate of 18 h⁻¹. The limits of detection are 50 μg l⁻¹ for copper and 25 μg l⁻¹ for iron. The relative standard deviations (n = 15) are 2% for 0.5 mg l⁻¹ copper and 1.8% for 0.5 mg l⁻¹ iron when determined in standard solutions. The recoveries range between 96 and 105% when determining 0.25-2 mg l⁻¹ of copper and 0.2-5 mg l⁻¹ of iron in artificial mixtures at copper/iron ratios of 1:10 to 5:1. The proposed SI-LOV method is successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of copper and iron in multi-element standard solution and in industrial wastewater samples.     

Flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of methyldopa in pharmaceutical formulations

A flow-injection spectrophotometric procedure is proposed for methyldopa determination in pharmaceutical preparations. The determination is based on formation of a yellow product (measured at 410 nm) after complexation of methyldopa with molybdate. Under optimal conditions, Beer's law is obeyed in a concentration range of 50-200 mg l⁻¹ methyldopa. Typical correlation between absorbance and analyte concentration was 0.9999. Usual excipients used as additives in pharmaceuticals do not interfere with the proposed method. The analytical frequency was 210 h⁻¹ and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) was ≤2% for sample solution containing 150 mg l⁻¹ methyldopa (n = 11). The analytical results obtained in commercial formulations by applying the proposed FIA method were in good agreement with labeled values and those obtained by the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia procedure at 95% confidence level.     

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

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

Characterization of a carbon paste electrode modified with tripolyphosphate-modified kaolinite clay for the detection of lead

We report about the use of carbon paste electrode modified with kaolinite for analytical detection of trace lead(II) in domestic water by differential pulse voltammetry. Kaolinite clay was modified with tripolyphosphate (TPP) by impregnation method. The results show that TPP in kaolinite clay plays an important role in the accumulation process of Pb(II) on the modified electrode surface. The electroanalytical procedure for determination of Pb(II) comprised two steps: chemical accumulation of the analyte under open-circuit conditions, followed by electrochemical detection of the pre-concentrated species using differential pulse voltammetry. The analytical performance of this system has been explored by studying the effects of preconcentration time, carbon paste composition, pH, supporting electrolyte concentration, as well as interferences due to other ions. The calculated detection limit based on the variability of a blank solution (3s_b criterion) for 10 measurements was 8.4 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹, and the sensitivity determined from the slope of the calibration graph was 0.910 mol L⁻¹. The reproducibility (RSD) for five replicate measurements at 1.0 mg L⁻¹ lead level was 1.6%. The results indicate that this electrode is sensitive and effective for the determination of Pb²⁺.     

Solid phase preconcentration of iron as methylthymol blue complex on naphthalene-tetraoctylammonium bromide adsorbent with subsequent flame atomic absorption determination

A sensitive and selective preconcentration method for the determination of trace amounts of iron by atomic absorption spectrometry has been developed. Iron forms a complex with methylthymol blue at pH=3. This complex is retained by naphthalene tetraoctylammonium bromide adsorbent in a column with a height of about 2 cm. The adsorbed metal complex is then eluted from the column with nitric acid and its iron content is determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The effect of different variables such as pH, reagent concentration, flow rate and interfering ions on the recovery of the analyte was investigated. The calibration graph was linear in the range 25-350 ng ml⁻¹ of iron in the initial solution with r=0.9994. The limit of detection based on 3S_b criterion was 12 ng ml⁻¹ and the relative standard deviation for eight replicate measurements of 150 and 300 ng ml⁻¹ of iron was 3.1 and 1.8%, respectively. This procedure was successfully applied to the determination of iron in tap and sewage water samples.     

Flow injection spectrophotometric determination of formaldehyde based on its condensation with hydroxylamine and subsequent redox reaction with iron(III)-ferrozine complex

A flow injection (FI) spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of low concentration of formaldehyde (HCHO) in liquid media. It is based on the condensation of HCHO with hydroxylamine sulfate, followed by the reduction reaction of iron(III)-ferrozine complex with the residual hydroxylamine to form a purple iron(II)-ferrozine complex (λ_max = 562 nm). In the first reaction, hydroxylamine decreases proportionally to the concentration of HCHO, and therefore the produced purple iron(II)-ferrozine complex decreases with increasing HCHO (a negative FI peak is obtained). The detection limit (S/N = 3) was 1.6 μg L⁻¹. The method can be applied to the determination of HCHO in industrial wastewater.     

Downscaling a multicommuted flow injection analysis system for the photometric determination of iodate in table salt

In this work a downscaled multicommuted flow injection analysis setup for photometric determination is described. The setup consists of a flow system module and a LED based photometer, with a total internal volume of about 170 μL. The system was tested by developing an analytical procedure for the photometric determination of iodate in table salt using N,N-diethyl-henylenediamine (DPD) as the chromogenic reagent. Accuracy was accessed by applying the paired t-test between results obtained using the proposed procedure and a reference method, and no significant difference at the 95% confidence level was observed. Other profitable features, such as a low reagent consumption of 7.3 μg DPD per determination; a linear response ranging from 0.1 up to 3.0 m IO₃⁻, a relative standard deviation of 0.9% (n = 11) for samples containing 0.5 m IO₃⁻, a detection limit of 17 μg L⁻¹ IO₃⁻, a sampling throughput of 117 determination per hour, and a waste generation 600 μL per determination, were also achieved.     

Determination of copper,iron, nickel and zinc in ethanol fuel by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence after pre-concentration on chromatography paper

This paper presents an alternative analytical method employing energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) to determine copper, iron, nickel and zinc ions in ethanol fuel samples after a pre-concentration procedure. Our pre-concentration strategy utilizes analyte retention on cation exchange chromatography paper, a convenient substrate for direct EDXRF measurements. The repeatability, expressed in terms of RSD of standard solutions containing 0.25 μg mL⁻¹ of Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn, and calculated from fifteen consecutive measurements, was 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, and 2.7%, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD), defined as the analyte concentration that gives a response equivalent to three times the standard deviation of the blank (n = 10), were found to be 13, 15, 15 and 12 μg L⁻¹ for Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn, respectively. The proposed method was applied to Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn determination in hydrated ethanol fuel samples collected from different gas stations.     

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer disposable sensor for copper(II)

A disposable sensor has been developed for the measurement of copper(II) concentration in aqueous solution based on a change in the fluorescence of porphyrazine 2,7,12,17-tetra-tert-butyl-5,10,15,20-tetraaza-21H,23H-porphine (TP). The sensor was constructed by spin-coating a polyester support with a PVC solution containing TP, a plasticizer, the chelating agent Zincon and the ion-pairing benzetonium chloride. The measurement principle is based on the radiationless resonance energy transfer (RET) from TP immobilized in membrane, and acting as fluorescence donor, to Zincon acting as an acceptor induced by copper(II). The absorption spectrum of the Zincon-Cu(II) complex presents adequate overlapping with the emission spectrum of TP, producing a useful analytical signal by the RET process.The disposable sensor responds to copper(II) irreversibly over a dynamic range from 0.039 to 14 μmol L⁻¹ (2.5-890 μg L⁻¹) with a sensor-to-sensor reproducibility (relative standard deviation RSD) of 1.9%, as log aCu2+, at the medium level of the range and a response time of 10 min. The performance of the optical disposable sensor was tested for the analysis of copper in different types of natural waters (river, well, spring and swimming pool), validating results against a reference procedure.     

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

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

Determination of various alcohols based on a new immobilized enzyme fluorescence capillary analysis

A novel method for the determination of ethanol in tequila based on the immobilized enzyme fluorescence capillary analysis (IE-EFCA) has been proposed. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was immobilized in inner surface of a capillary and an immobilized enzyme capillary bioreactor (IE-ECBR) was formed. After nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) as an oxidizer is mixed with alcohol sample solution, it was sucked into the IE-ECBR. The fluorescence intensity of the mixed solution in the IE-ECBR was detected at λ_ex = 350 nm and λ_em = 459 nm. The experimental conditions are as follows: The reaction time is 20 min; temperature is 40 °C; the concentrations of phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.5) and NAD⁺ are 0.1 mol L⁻¹ and 5 mmol L⁻¹, respectively; immobilization concentration of ADH is 10 U L⁻¹. The determination range of ethanol is 2.0-15.0 g L⁻¹ (F = 10.44C + 6.6002, r > 0.9958); its detection limit is 1.11 g L⁻¹; and relative standard deviation is 1.9%. IE-EFCA method is applicable for the determination of the samples containing alcohol in medicine, industry and environment.     

Speciation of dissolved Fe(II) and Fe(III) in environmental water samples by micro-column packed with N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine loaded on microcrystalline naphthalene and determination by electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry

A novel solid phase extraction technique for the speciation of trace dissolved Fe(II) and Fe(III) in environmental water samples was developed by coupling micro-column packed with N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine (BPHA) loaded on microcrystalline naphthalene to electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ETV-ICP-OES). Various influencing factors on the separation and preconcentration of Fe(II) and Fe(III), such as the acidity of the aqueous solution, sample flow rate and volume, have been investigated systematically, and the optimized operation conditions were established. At pH 3.0 Fe(III) could be selectively retained by micro-column (20 mm × 1.4 mm, i.d.) packed with BPHA immobilized on microcrystalline naphthalene, and Fe(II) passed through the micro-column. Both Fe(II) and Fe(III) could be adsorbed by the micro-column at pH 6.5. Thus, the total Fe could be determined without the need for preoxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III). The retained Fe(III) or the Fe(II) and Fe(III) was subsequently eluted by 0.1 ml of 1 mol l⁻¹ HCl. The adsorption capacity of the solid phase adsorption material was found to be 45.0 mg g⁻¹ for Fe(III) at pH 3.0 and 65.3 mg g⁻¹ for Fe(II) at pH 6.5, respectively. The detection limit (3σ) of 0.053 μg l⁻¹ was obtained with a practical enrichment factor of 156 at a sample volume of 17 ml. The relative standard deviations of 4.2% and 4.6% (C_Fe(III) = C_Fe(II) = 10 μg l⁻¹, n = 7) for Fe(III) and total iron were found, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of trace Fe(II) and Fe(III) in environmental water samples (East Lake water, local tap water and mineral water). In order to validate the method, the developed method was applied to the determination of total iron in certified materials of NIES NO.10-b rice flour and GBW07605 tea leaves, and the results obtained were in good agreement with the certified values.