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

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

A flow-injection chemiluminescence method for the determination of some estrogens by enhancement of luminol-hydrogen peroxide-tetrasulfonated manganese phthalocyanine reaction

A novel flow-injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) method for the determination of estrogens is proposed, based upon its enhancing effect on the CL reaction of luminol with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by tetrasulfonated manganese phthalocyanine (MnTSPc) in alkaline solution. Under the selected experimental conditions, a linear relationship was obtained between the CL intensity and the concentration of estrone in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol/l, estradiol in the range of 9.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol/l and estriol in the range of 3.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol/l, respectively. The detection limits were 5.1 × 10⁻⁸ mol/l for estrone, 7.2 × 10⁻⁹ mol/l for estradiol and 6.5 × 10⁻⁸ mol/l for estriol with a relative standard deviation of 2.8% for 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/l estrone, 2.4% for 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/l estradiol, and 3.1% for 7.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/l estriol (n = 11). This method has been applied to the determination of estrogen in pharmaceutical injections and tap water with satisfactory results.     

Study on the co-luminescence effect of Tb-Gd-epinephrine system and its application to the sensitive determination of epinephrine at nanomol level

A new fluorimetric method for the determination of epinephrine is established by rare earth co-luminescence effect of Tb-Gd-E-Tris system. Under optimum conditions, a linear relationship has been obtained between the fluorescence intensity and the concentration of epinephrine in the range of 1.8 × 10⁻⁸ to 2.5 × 10⁻⁶ mol/l, and the detection limit is 4.5 × 10⁻⁹ mol/l (S/N = 3). The method is applied for the determination of epinephrine in injection and the recovery test in urine by standard addition method, and the results obtained are satisfactory. The mechanism of the co-luminescence in the system was also discussed.     

Pre-evaluation of metal ions as a catalyst on chemiluminometric sequential injection analysis with luminol-H2O2 system

Catalytic effect of metal ions on luminol chemiluminescence (CL) was investigated by sequential injection analysis (SIA). The SIA system was set up with two solenoid micropumps, an eight-port selection valve, and a photosensor module with a fountain-type chemiluminescence cell. The SIA system was controlled and the CL signals were collected by a LabVIEW program. Aqueous solutions of luminol, H₂O₂, and a sample solution containing metal ion were sequentially aspirated to the holding coil, and the zones were immediately propelled to the detection cell. After optimizing the parameters using 1 × 10⁻⁵ M Fe³⁺ solution, catalytic effect of some metal species was compared. Among 16 metal species examined, relatively strong CL responses were obtained with Fe³⁺, Fe²⁺, VO²⁺, VO₃⁻, MnO₄⁻, Co²⁺, and Cu²⁺. The limits of detection by the present SIA system were comparable to FIA systems. Permanganate ion showed the highest CL sensitivity among the metal species examined; the calibration graph for MnO₄⁻ was linear at the concentration level of 10⁻⁸ M and the limit of detection for MnO₄⁻ was 4.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ M (S/N = 3).     

Determination of citrate in tablets and of oxytetracycline in serum using europium (III) luminescence

A direct method for the determination of citrate and oxytetracycline in samples containing complex matrices like tablets or serum has been developed using the luminescence of the ternary complex formed with Eu(III) ions. The triplet-state energy level of oxytetracycline (OxTc), the excitation maximum (412 nm) and the luminescence lifetime of Eu-OxTc (58 μs) were determined. A 17-fold luminescence enhancement at 615 nm occurs upon addition of citrate within a short 5-min incubation time at neutral pH. This is accompanied by a threefold increase of the luminescence decay time. The optimal conditions for determination of OxTc are equal concentrations of Eu (III) and citrate (C = 1 · 10^− 4 mol L^− 1) and pH 7.2. For determination of citrate, the optimal concentrations of Eu(III) and OxTc are 1 : 0.5 (C_Eu = 1 · 10^− 4 mol L^− 1, C_OxTc = 5 · 10^− 5 mol L^− 1) at pH 7.2. The linear range for determination of OxTc in serum is 0.25-250 μg mL^− 1, and for citrate in tablets from 0.5 to 10.0 μg mL^− 1 (2.3 · 10^− 6- 4 · 10^− 5 mol L^− 1). The detection limit was 0.1 μg mL^− 1 for OxTc and 0.2 μg mL^− 1 (1 · 10^-6 mol L^− 1) for citrate, respectively. A comparison of the new method with other methods for determination of citrate is given.     

Study of uptake kinetics of vincristine for human erythrocytes by capillary zone electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was employed for the determination of vincristine using electrochemical detection with a carbon fiber microdisk bundle electrode at a constant potential of 1.0 V versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE). The optimum conditions of separation and detection are 1.7×10⁻² Na₂HPO₄− 3.2×10⁻³ mol/l NaH₂PO₄ (pH 7.5) for the buffer solution, 20 kV for the separation voltage. The limit of detection is 5.0×10⁻⁷ mol/l or 2.2 fmol (S/N=3) for the injection voltage of 5 kV and the injection time of 10 s. The recovery of the method is between 95 and 101% for the vincristine taken by human erythrocytes. The method was applied to investigate uptake and accumulation behavior of vincristine for human erythrocytes. The advantages of the method are the small sample volume of CZE and the high selectivity and sensitivity of electrochemical detection.     

Simple sequential injection analysis system for rapid determination of microalbuminuria

A simple, specific and sensitive sequential injection analysis (SIA) system based on non-immunoassay fluorescent detection has been developed for the determination of urinary albumin. The specific binding of the dye Albumin Blue 580 (AB 580) to albumin in urine generated high emission fluorescent signals. The excitation and emission wavelengths were set at 590 and 610 nm, respectively. The analytical range was obtained from 1 to 100 mg L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 0.3 mg L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The SIA system gave high precision with relative standard deviations (R.S.D.s) of 0.9% and 1.4% when evaluated with 15 and 100 mg L⁻¹ albumin (n = 15), respectively. The method exhibited good reproducibility, as assessed by performing four analytical curves on different days, and intra-run CVs (2.3-3.3%) and inter-run CVs (3.8%) were obtained. Rapid operation was achieved with a sample throughput of 37 h⁻¹. This method was successfully applied to the determination of urinary albumin, and the method was highly correlated with the immunoturbidimetric method (r² = 0.965; n = 72).     

Spectrophotometric determination of sulphate in automotive fuel ethanol by sequential injection analysis using dimethylsulphonazo(III) reaction

A sensitive SIA method was developed for sulphate determination in automotive fuel ethanol. This method was based on the reaction of sulphate with barium-dimethylsulphonazo(III) leading to a decrease on the magnitude of analytical signal monitored at 665 nm. Alcohol fuel samples were previously burned up to avoid matrix effects for sulphate determinations. Binary sampling and stop-flow strategies were used to increase the sensitivity of the method. The optimization of analytical parameter was performed by response surface method using Box-Behnker and central composite designs. The proposed sequential flow procedure permits to determine up to 10.0 mg SO₄²⁻ l⁻¹ with R.S.D. <2.5% and limit of detection of 0.27 mg l⁻¹. The method has been successfully applied for sulphate determination in automotive fuel alcohol and the results agreed with the reference volumetric method. In the optimized condition the SIA system carried out 27 samples per hour.     

A new electrochemiluminescent sensing system for glucose based on the electrochemiluminescent reaction of bis-[3,4,6-trichloro-2-(pentyloxycarbonyl)-phenyl] oxalate

In this paper, the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) behavior of bis-[3,4,6-trichloro-2-(pentyloxycarbonyl)-phenyl] oxalate (BTPPO) at glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in phosphate buffer solution in the presence of hydrogen peroxide has been investigated when linear sweep voltammetry was applied. The optimum chemical conditions and electrochemical parameters for this ECL system have been investigated in detail. Under the optimum conditions, it was found that the concentration of BTPPO was linear with the ECL intensity in the range of 3.0 × l0⁻⁶ to 3.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L, and the detection limit (S/N = 3) for BTPPO was 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L. The possible mechanism for ECL of BTPPO at the GCE in the presence of hydrogen peroxide was also discussed. Furthermore, based on the fact that glucose oxidase can react with glucose to produce hydrogen peroxide, a new ECL sensing system of BTPPO has been developed for detection of glucose. The enhanced ECL intensity has a linear relationship with the concentration of glucose in the range of 1.0 × l0⁻⁴ to 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol/L, and the detection limit for glucose is found to be 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L (S/N = 3).     

Enzymatic chemiluminescent assay of glucose by sequential-injection analysis with soluble enzyme and on-line sample dilution

This work reports a sequential-injection analysis (SIA) method for the enzymatic assay of glucose with soluble glucose oxidase (GOD) and on-line sample dilution with chemiluminescence (CL) detection. A zone of sample was aspirated in the holding coil of the SIA manifold and, if necessary, was diluted on-line by means of an auxiliary dilution conduit. Then, a zone of GOD was aspirated adjacent to the sample zone and a stopped-flow period was applied to allow the enzymatic reaction to proceed with production of hydrogen peroxide. Then, zones of a catalyst (Co(II) solution) and alkaline luminol were aspirated into the holding coil. Finally, the flow was reversed and the stacked zones were sent to a flow-cell located in front of a photomultiplier tube (PMT) that monitored the CL intensity. The linear dynamic range was 1 × 10⁻⁵-1 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ glucose, the coefficient of variation at 8 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ of glucose was s_r = 3.1% (n = 8), the limit of detection at the 3σ level was c_L = 1 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ and the sampling frequency was 28 h⁻¹. With on-line dilution by a factor of 1/200, the linear range could be extended up to 0.2 mol L⁻¹ glucose. The advantages of the proposed method are the simple manifold and instrumentation used, the scope for automated on-line dilution, the low consumption of sample and reagents and the elimination of enzyme immobilisation procedures. The method was applied to the analysis of commercial drinks and honey with percent relative errors in glucose determination in the range 100 ± 6.1%.     

Sequential injection methodology for carbon speciation in bathing waters

A sequential injection method (SIA) for carbon speciation in inland bathing waters was developed comprising, in a single manifold, the determination of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), free dissolved carbon dioxide (CO₂), total carbon (TC), dissolved organic carbon and alkalinity. The determination of DIC, CO₂ and TC was based on colour change of bromothymol blue (660 nm) after CO₂ diffusion through a hydrophobic membrane placed in a gas diffusion unit (GDU). For the DIC determination, an in-line acidification prior to the GDU was performed and, for the TC determination, an in-line UV photo-oxidation of the sample prior to GDU ensured the conversion of all carbon forms into CO₂. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was determined by subtracting the obtained DIC value from the TC obtained value. The determination of alkalinity was based on the spectrophotometric measurement of bromocresol green colour change (611 nm) after reaction with acetic acid. The developed SIA method enabled the determination of DIC (0.24–3.5 mg C L⁻¹), CO₂ (1.0–10 mg C L⁻¹), TC (0.50–4.0 mg C L⁻¹) and alkalinity (1.2–4.7 mg C L⁻¹ and 4.7–19 mg C L⁻¹) with limits of detection of: 9.5 μg C L⁻¹, 20 μg C L⁻¹, 0.21 mg C L⁻¹, 0.32 mg C L⁻¹, respectively. The SIA system was effectively applied to inland bathing waters and the results showed good agreement with reference procedures.     

Spectrophotometric flow-injection analysis of mercury(II) in pharmaceuticals with p-nitrobenzoxosulfamate

A new, simple and rapid spectrophotometric FI method for the accurate and precise determination of Hg(II) in pharmaceutical preparations has been developed. The method is based on the measuring the decrease of absorbance intensity of p-nitrobenzoxosulfamate (NBS) due to the complexation with Hg(II). The absorption peak of the NBS, which is decreased linearly by addition of Hg(II), occurs at 430 nm in 2×10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ HNO₃ as a carrier solution. Optimization of chemical and FI variables has been made. A micro column consisting of several packing materials applied instead of reaction coil was also investigated. A background level of Fe(III) maintained in reagent carrier solution with NBS was found useful for sensitivity and selectivity. Under the optimized conditions, the sampling rate was over 100 h⁻¹, the calibration curve obtained were linear over the range 1-10 μg ml⁻¹, the detection limit was lower than 0.2 μg ml⁻¹ for a 20 μl injection volume, and the precision [S_r=1% at 2 μg ml⁻¹ Hg(II) (n=10)] was found quite satisfactory. Application of the method to the analysis of Hg(II) in pharmaceutical preparations resulted a good agreement between the expected and found values.     

Sequential injection determination of orthophosphate as ion associate of 12-molybdophosphate with Astra Phloxine

A simple and fast reaction between 12-molybdophosphate heteropoly anion and the polymethine dye Astra Phloxine was used for the development of a new SIA method for the determination of orthophosphate. The suggested method has higher sensitivity and a broader calibration range than existing SIA methods. It can be used to detect phosphate in the range from 0.2 to 10 μmol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.1 μmol L⁻¹ and an acceptable throughput of 20 samples h⁻¹. The comparably low molybdate (5.6 mmol L⁻¹) and dye (0.1 mmol L⁻¹) concentrations led to an improvement in the stability of the base line. Inter-day reproducibility was better than 5%, while the intra-day RSD was in the range 0.8-3.5%. The method was used for the analysis of natural water samples and phosphorus-containing chemicals having a low content of orthophosphate.     

The development of sequential injection analysis coupled with lab-on-valve for copper determination

A sequential injection analysis (SIA) using lab-on-valve with air segmentation and spectrophotometric detection was designed for copper(II) determination. It is based on the reaction of copper(II) and 2-carboxy-2′-hydroxy-5′-sulfoformazyl benzene (Zincon) in a weak alkaline solution between the air zones. Beer's Law was obeyed over the range of 0.1-2.0 mg L⁻¹ copper(II) with a correlation coefficient 0.9985 and a slope of 0.2893 absorbance unit/mg L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation was 2.0% for a series of 10 measurements of 0.5 mg L⁻¹ copper(II) solution. The detection limit (3 S/N) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.05 and 0.17 mg L⁻¹ respectively. This method has been successfully applied to determination of copper(II) in wastewater with a sample throughput of 120 h⁻¹. The method is superior to the batchwise method in that it provides fully automation, rapidity, less reagents and sample consumption with little waste generation.     

A flow sampling strategy for the analysis of oil samples without pre-treatment in a sequential injection analysis system

The present work describes a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system adapted to direct analysis of oil samples. In this way, the flow system was designed by incorporation, in the SIA system, of an injection valve that was responsible for the sample insertion. With the developed sampling strategy the sample pre-treatment outside the flow system is avoided and also the problems associated with viscous samples in flow systems.The developed SIA system was applied to the determination of iron (Fe(III)) in edible oil samples and was based on the formation of a red complex (λ = 510 nm) between Fe(III) and thiocyanate in organic medium. A mixture of methanol:chloroform (85:15) was used as carrier solution and possible refractive index associated with the spectrophotometric detection was avoided by introduction of a mixing chamber in the flow system. The presented methodology produced 4.2 ml of effluent and consumed 150 μl of sample and 0.95 mg of thiocyanate per determination.Linear calibration plots were obtained for Fe(III) concentrations up to 25 mg l⁻¹ and the detection limit of the determination was 0.31 mg l⁻¹. The developed methodology exhibited a good precision, with an R.S.D. < 3.5% (n = 15) and a determination frequency of 20 determinations h⁻¹. The results of the analysis were evaluated by recovery studies (96.5-104.5%) and by the analysis of two AOCS reference samples.     

Flow injection-chemiluminescence determination of sulfadiazine in compound naristillae

A simple, sensitive and selective flow injection-chemiluminescence method for the determination of sulfadiazine in compound naristillae has been investigated. It is based upon the chemilimunescence reaction of sulfadiazine, formaldehyde and potassium permanganate in polyphosphate acid medium. The optimum conditions for the chemiluminescence emission were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range for the determination of sulfadiazine was 8.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L with a detection limit of 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L calculated as proposed by IUPAC and a relative standard deviation of 2.53% for 11 solutions of 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L sulfadiazine on the same day. It was also found that the coexisting ephedrine hydrochloride did not interfere with this determination. This led to the successful application of the proposed method for the direct and selective determination of sulfadiazine in compound naristillae.     

Sequential injection spectrophotometric determination of ritodrine hydrochloride using 4-aminoantipyrine

A sequential injection spectrophotometric determination of ritodrine hydrochloride is described. The method is based on the condensation of aminoantipyrine with phenols in the presence of an alkaline oxidizing agent to yield a pink coloured product the absorbance of which is monitored at 503 nm. Different sequential injection analysis (SIA) parameters including reagent concentrations have been optimised and used to obtain the analytical figures of merit. A linear concentration range of 3.1-123.5 μmol L⁻¹ and a detection limit (as 3σ-value) of 1.0 μmol L⁻¹ were obtained. The precision was 2.4 and 2.3% relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) at 6.2 and 15.4 μmol L⁻¹, respectively. This method is superior over previously reported ones in terms of linear range, short analysis time, high sample throughput, excellent reagent economy and minimum waste generation.     

Sequential injection chromatographic determination of ambroxol hydrochloride and doxycycline in pharmaceutical preparations

A new separation method based on a novel reversed-phase sequential injection chromatography (SIC) technique was used for simultaneous determination of ambroxol hydrochloride and doxycycline in pharmaceutical preparations in this contribution.The coupling of short monolith with SIA system results in an implementation of separation step to until no-separation low-pressure method.A Chromolith^® Flash RP-18e, 25-4.6 mm column (Merck, Germany) and a FIAlab^® 3000 system (USA) with a six-port selection valve and 5 ml syringe were used for sequential injection chromatographic separations in our study. The mobile phase used was acetonitrile-water (20:90, v/v), pH 2.5 adjusted with 98% phosphoric acid, flow rate 0.48 ml min⁻¹, UV detection was at 213 nm.The validation parameters have shown good results: linearity of determination for both compounds including internal standard (ethylparaben) >0.999; repeatability of determination (R.S.D.) in the range 0.5-5.4% at three different concentration levels, detection limits in the range 0.5-2.0 μg ml⁻¹, and recovery from the pharmaceutical preparation in the range 99.3-99.9%. The chromatographic resolution between peak compounds was >5.0 and analysis time was <9 min under the optimal conditions. The method was found to be applicable for routine analysis of the active compounds ambroxol hydrochloride and doxycycline in various pharmaceutical preparations.     

Antimony-film electrode for the determination of trace metals by sequential-injection analysis/anodic stripping voltammetry

The possibility of applying antimony-film modified glassy carbon electrode in sequential-injection analysis (SIA) was investigated with the objective of determining Pb(II) and Cd(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). The conditions of antimony-film deposition concerning composition of the plating/carrier solutions, concentrations of Sb(III) and hydrochloric acid, effects of different supporting electrolyte salts, and plating potential were optimized. It was found that the antimony-film deposition on glassy carbon substrate in a sample solution consisting of 750 μg L⁻¹ Sb(III), 0.5 mol L⁻¹ HCl at −1.5 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/3 mol L⁻¹ KCl) yielded a modified electrode suitable for the determination of Pb(II) and Cd(II) at the μg L⁻¹ level. The reproducibility of the analytical signals was characterized by a relative standard deviation lower than 2.8%, and the calculated values of detection limits were 1.2 μg L⁻¹ for Pb(II) and 1.4 μg L⁻¹ for Cd(II). The presence of KSCN in the sample solution offers the possibility of detecting ions with more negative oxidation potentials like Zn(II), Mn(II) or Cr(III). The developed SIA-ASV procedure was compared with the commonly used batch method, and its applicability was tested on a spiked tap water sample.     

On-line stripping voltammetry of trace metals at a flow-through bismuth-film electrode by means of a hybrid flow-injection/sequential-injection system

In this work, we describe an automated stripping analyzer operating on a hybrid flow-injection/sequential-injection (FIA/SIA) mode and utilizing a bismuth-film electrode (BiFE) as a flow-through sensor for on-line stripping voltammetry of trace metals. The instrument combines the advantages of FIA and SIA and is characterised by simplicity, low-cost, rapidity, versatility and low consumption of solutions. The proposed analytical flow methodology was applied to the determination of Cd(II) and Pb(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) and of Ni(II) and Co(II) by adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV). The steps of the rather complex experimental sequence (i.e. the bismuth-film formation, the analyte accumulation, the voltammetric stripping and the electrode cleaning/regeneration) were conducted on-line and the critical parameters related to the respective analytical procedures were investigated. In ASV, for a accumulation time of 180 s the limits of detection for Cd(II) and Pb(II) were 2 and 1 μg l⁻¹, respectively (S/N = 3) and the relative standard deviations were 5.3% and 4.7%, respectively (n = 8). In AdSV, for a total sample volume of 1000 μl, the limits of detection for Ni(II) and Co(II) were 1 μg l⁻¹ (S/N = 3) and the relative standard deviations were 5.5% and 6.2%, respectively (n = 8). The measurement frequency ranged between 15 and 20 stripping cycles h⁻¹. The results indicate that the BiFE is well suited as a flow-through detector for on-line stripping analysis and, by virtue of its low toxicity, can serve as a viable alternative to mercury-based flow-through electrodes.