N-nitrosamines and differential pulse polarography

Differential pulse polarography is a versatile and sensitive technique which yields both qualitative and quantitative information about N-nitrosamines. The ability of the technique to carry out determinations in-situ permits the study of anchimeric, metabolic, and mechanistic properties in addition to phenomena such as kinetics and transnitrosation.     

Preconcentration of bismuth(III) and copper(II) by solid-phase extraction and subsequent determination by differential pulse polarography

A differential pulse polarographic method is proposed for the trace determination of bismuth and copper from large volumes of aqueous samples after adsorption of their 1-(2-thiazolylazo)-2-naphthol complexes onto microcrystalline naphthalene in the pH ranges of 7.2-9.0 and 4.0-7.8, respectively. Bismuth and copper are desorbed from microcrystalline naphthalene with 9 mL 1M HCl. Well-defined peaks are obtained at Ep = -0.09 and -0.20 V versus a saturated calomel electrode, in an HCl-isoquinoline medium as the supporting electrolyte, for bismuth and copper, respectively. Bismuth is reduced reversibly with a 3-electron change, whereas copper is reduced irreversibly under these conditions. The detection limits are 55 ng/mL for bismuth and 91 ng/mL for copper. Linearity is maintained in the concentration ranges of 0.18-13.5 and 0.30-17.3 microg/mL for bismuth and copper, respectively, with corresponding correlation coefficients of 0.9996 and 0.9885. The relative standard deviations are 1.0% for bismuth at 2.0 microg/mL and 1.4% for copper at 5.0 microg/mL. Various parameters were optimized to develop conditions for the determination of these metal ions in various samples.     

Fast-scan differential pulse polarography at a dropping mercury electrode

A fast-scan modification of differential pulse polarography (d.p.p.) is described, in which a dropping mercury electrode with a drop lifetime of 50 s is polarized by 100-ms pulses with a 100-ms interval between pulses; sampling and treatment of the current data are the same as in d.p.p. The method can be used to determine amalgam-forming metals at concentrations above 1 × 10^-8 mol l^-1 with good reproducibility. The technique permits a ten-fold decrease in the measuring time compared to conventional d.p.p. The method can be used for direct polarographic determinations and also advantageously replaces d.p.p. in anodic stripping.     

Effects of surfactants in differential pulse polarography

Differential pulse polarograms of surfactants exhibit tensammetric peaks at the adsorption and desorption potentials of the surfactant. In the potential range where adsorption occurs the base current is depressed. The heights of the tensammetric peaks are nonlinear functions of the bulk concentration of the surfactant. Differential pulse polarograms of reducible substances are greatly affected by the presence of surfactants, the effect being similar to that observed in a.c. polarography. Surfactants with the same charge as the depolarizer act as electrochemical masking agents, whereas peak currents may be enhanced by oppositely charged surfactants.     

Determination of arsenite and arsenate by differential pulse polarography

Summary Arsenate was determined by differential pulse polarography in acidic solutions in the presence of polyhydroxy compounds. The best medium was found to be 2.0 M aqueous HClO₄ containing 4.5 g d-mannitol in 50 ml solution. The peak heights measured at –0.55 V gave linear calibration curves in the concentration range 20 g/l to 160 mg/l As. Arsenite was similarly determined with mannitol at –0.34 V or without mannitol at –0.42 V. When arsenite and arsenate were present in solution, the simultaneous determination of these compounds in the presence of mannitol was generally not possible because the peak heights at –0.34 V and –0.55 V were influenced by arsenite as well as arsenate. In these cases arsenite was determined at –0.42V in the absence of mannitol. After oxidation of arsenite to arsenate by chlorine water and addition of mannitol, total inorganic arsenic was determined as arsenate at –0.55 V. The arsenate concentration in the sample was found as the difference between the concentrations of total inorganic arsenic and arsenite. The detection limit for arsenite and arsenate was found to be approximately 10 g/l As. This method was successfully used to determine arsenite and arsenate in a synthetic river water sample and some arsenic-containing drinking water samples.

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Bestimmung von Arsenit und Arsenat durch Differential-Pulspolarographie

Zusammenfassung Arsenat wurde durch Differential-Pulspolarographie in saurer Lösung in Gegenwart von Polyhydroxyverbindungen bestimmt. Das günstigste Medium war 2,0 M wäßrige HClO₄ mit 4,5 g d-Mannit in 50 ml. Die bei –0,55V gemessenen Peakhöhen ergaben eine lineare Eichkurve für den Bereich von 20 g/l bis 160 mg/l As. Arsenit wurde auf ähnliche Weise mit Mannit bei –0,34 V oder ohne Mannit bei –0,42 V bestimmt. Bei Anwesenheit von Arsenit + Arsenat in Lösung war eine Simultanbestimmung in Gegenwart von Mannit im allgemeinen nicht möglich, weil die Peakhöhen bei –0,34 V und –0,55 V sowohl von Arsenit als auch von Arsenat beeinflußt werden. In diesen Fällen wurde Arsenit ohne Mannit bei –0,42 V bestimmt. Nach Oxidation zu Arsenat mit Chlorwasser und Zugabe von Mannit wurde dann das Gesamtarsen als Arsenat bei –0,55 V bestimmt; der Arsenatgehalt in der Probe ergab sich aus der Differenz. Die Nachweisgrenze für Arsenit und Arsenat lag bei etwa 10 g/l As. Das Verfahren wurde mit gutem Erfolg für eine synthetische Flußwasserprobe sowie einige Trinkwasserproben angewendet.

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On leave from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, India     

Determination of bacitracin by differential pulse polarography.

Differential pulse polarograms of pharmaceutical-grade bacitracin exhibit a well-defined double wave at the dropping mercury electrode over the entire pH range 1–8. The current is diffusion-controlled and proportional to the concentration as well as to the biological activity of the sample. The concentration of bacitracin and of zinc—bacitracin can be determined by pulse polarography with a standard deviation less than 2%. The biologically inactive oxidation product (bacitracin F) is reduced at less negative potentials and can easily be determined in the presence of the biologically active components of bacitracin.     

Aqueous sulfur species determination using differential pulse polarography

Sulfur species play pivotal roles in biogeochemistry; however, quantification remains difficult because such species are transitory. Our objective was to determine the utility of using differential pulse polarography (DPP) to characterize soluble sulfur species of potential interest in agriculture and environmental quality. Polarographic responses for sulfide, disulfide, pentasulfide, sulfite, thiosulfate, tetrathionate, pentathionate, cysteine, and glutathione were determined. Sulfur in the compounds was categorized as cysteine-S, thiosulfate-S, nonpurgeable or purgeable sulfide-S, or sulfite based on characteristic polarographic responses for each respective category. Nonpurgeable sulfide-S, cysteine-S, and thiosulfate-S were polarographically separated using a pH 8.0 phosphate buffer. Nitrate/bicarbonate (pH 10.0) and acetate (pH 5.0) buffers were used to determine purgeable sulfide-S and sulfite, respectively. Sulfur in water extracts from cysteine-amended soils was quantified using the developed DPP method. Cysteine-, thiosulfate-, and sulfide-S were measured from these extracts without interferences during a 16-d incubation period. The developed DPP method provides qualitative and quantitative information concerning sulfur species in aqueous solutions and is potentially applicable to soil and sediment extracts.     

Speciation of Pu ions by differential pulse polarography

By means of differential pulse polarography, Pu ions of different oxidation states have been investigated in 1M Na₂CO₃ solution. Redox reactions of Pu/III/, Pu/IV/, Pu/V/ and Pu/VI/, which are mostly of irreversible nature, have been observed within the potential range of the dropping mercury electrode /DME/, from 0 to –1.5 V, against a Ag/AgCl/NaCl (3M) reference electrode. Based on the peak potential observed for each reaction, the stability of a given oxidation state in the solution could be ascertained. The redox potential of the Pu/IV/–Pu/III/ pair, which was found to be –1.0 V, indicated that the Pu/IV/ carbonate complex was of high stability. The detection sensitivity of the Pu/IV/ ion was found to be 1×10^–6M.     

Estimation of cephalosporin antibiotics by differential pulse polarography

Differential pulse polarographic (DPP) method of determination of cephalosporins has been developed based on the electrochemistry of the azomethine group in the drugs in universal buffers of pH 2.0-12.0. Quantitative measurements were successful in the concentration range of 1.0 x 10(-5) M-2.5 x 10(-8) M, the lower concentration representing the detection limit by DPP. The described procedure has been applied for the determination of these drugs individually in pharmaceutical formulations and urine samples as well as for simultaneous determination in a single run.     

Direct determination of pentachlorophenol by differential pulse polarography

Differential pulse polarography at the dropping mercury electrode and differential pulse voltammetry at the carbon paste electrode are used for direct determinations of pentachlorophenol at concentrations down to 0.27 ppm. PCP is electrochemically reduced in phosphate buffers of pH 8 to produce a concentration-dependent current peak at —0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The procedure requires only 15 min. Cyclic voltammetry at the hanging mercury drop electrode is used to evaluate the electrochemical reaction and to establish the reversibility of the PCP electrode reaction.     

High-performance pulse and differential pulse polarography: Part I. Theoretical considerations

A theoretical approach is given for complete elimination of the charging current caused by drop growth in modified normal and differential pulse polarography (n.p.p. and d.p.p.). Maximum sensitivity can be obtained in modified n.p.p., but the resolution of waves is better in modified d.p.p. or can be increased in differential modified n.p.p. The best overall performance can be achieved with modified d.p.p., considering sensitivity and wave resolution together. Preliminary results for the determination of chloramphenicol are described.     

Electrochemical investigation of palladium complexes with organic sulphides and their use in extraction differential pulse polarography

Dialkyl-, amino-, keto- and ketoaminosulphide complexes of palladium(II) are shown to undergo one- or two-step reduction in a mixed acetonitrile-toluene solvent containing Bu(4)NClO(4) at 0.1 M concentration. The half-wave potentials of the complexes show a certain dependence on the ligand structure, a positive shift of the potentials being caused by an increase in the pi-acceptor ability of the ligands. The limiting currents are proportional to the concentration of the complex, according to the Ilkovic equation. Fast-scan differential pulse polarography was applied to the determination of palladium(II) in the organic phase after extraction of its complex with dihexylsulphide.     

Indirect amplification method for determining formaldehyde and chloralhydrate by differential pulse polarography

An indirect differential pulse polarographic method for the determination of formaldehyde and chloralhydrate is described; it is based on the oxidation of the alkaline sample solutions of formaldehyde and chloralhydrate with a chloroform solution of iodine and removal of its excess. The resulting iodide is oxidized with bromine water and measured polarographically as iodate (at pH 9.3) with sixfold amplification.     

Determination of sunset yellow and tartrazine by differential pulse polarography

A study has been made of the polarographic (DC and DPP) behaviour of the food dyes Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine in acid and alkaline media and in the absence and presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone. Methods are proposed for the determination of both dyes by DPP over a concentration range of 0.1-10 ppm. The methods have been applied to their determination in soft drinks.     

Determination of crotonaldehyde in ethanol by differential pulse polarography

The extraction constant of gold bisdiethyldithiocarbamate chloride has been determined (log K' = 81.5± 0.7) by studying the competition from palladium in the extraction of gold with an excess of copper diethyldithiocarbamate in chloroform. Gold bisdiethyldithiocarbamate chloride is an ion pair which can dissociate: a dissociation constant of this compound has been determined by studying the influence of chloride concentration on the extraction of gold with the same reagent. In sulphuric acid medium, the low extraction ratio of gold observed cannot be attributed to extraction of gold bisdiethyldithiocarbamate sulphate as dependence on sulphate concentration has not been obtained. A program for the computation of this type of stability constant from extraction data for mixtures of cations and ligands is given.     

Simulation of differential pulse polarography of irreversible EC mechanism

A reversible electrode reaction that is followed by totally irreversible chemical reaction is investigated theoretically. The influence of chemical reaction on two components of the net response of differential pulse polarogram is analyzed. It is demonstrated that this EC mechanism depends on two kinetic parameters and that their critical values can be used for the measurement of the rate constant of chemical reaction.     

Determination of platinum in urine by differential pulse polarography

A method has been developed for determination of platinum in urine, after administration of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II). The diethyldithiocarbamate complex of the platinum(II) is formed and extracted into chloroform, then mineralized with aqua regia. After removal of nitric acid the platinum is complexed with ethylenediamine. This chelate yields a catalytic current at a dropping mercury electrode, which is measurable by differential pulse polarography. The detection limit is ~10 ng ml . The calibration graph is linear over the range 20-800 ng ml .     

Determination of microamounts of neptunium by differential pulse polarography

Neptunium is produced in significant amounts in the “light-water” reactors and must be controlled at different steps of fuel reprocessing. For this purpose, we have developed a method of differential pulse polarography. A tight cell containing 10 ml solution is set up in a Faraday cage. Adjustment to the tetravalent state, Np(IV), is carried out electrochemically on a mercury layer and the Np(IV) concentration is determined by differential pulse polarography, using a dropping mercury electrode. In 0.5M sulfuric acid medium, the redox potential of the reversible couple Np(IV)/Np(III) is-0.3V/SCE. Concentrations as low as 5·10⁻⁷M neptunium can be measured and detection at the 2·10⁻⁷ M level is still possible. (0.5μg in the polarographic cell). Precision is about 2% in the 10⁻⁵M and 10% in the 10⁻⁶M range. The method has been applied to aqueous and organic (TBP_dodecane) solutions. Neptunium can be determined without separation in the presence of plutonium or uranium at M/Np ratios of 10³ and 5·10⁴, respectively. In the presence of fission products a separation is needed.