AGNES: A technique for determining the concentration of free metal ions. The case of Zn(II) in coastal Mediterranean seawater

Absence of Gradients and Nernstian Equilibrium Stripping (AGNES) is a recently suggested electroanalytical technique designed for the determination of the free concentration of heavy metals (such as Zn, Cd or Pb) which is here developed and applied to seawater samples. A key improvement for the implementation of AGNES with complex matrices is the development of a new blank, called the shifted blank (presented in this work for the first time), which can be applied to the same sample where the measurement is intended. The careful selection of the required parameters for the determination of the free Zn concentration (or activity) at the nanomolar level is described in detail. The methodology has been validated with a synthetic solution containing Zn and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and then applied, as a first case, to two coastal seawater samples taken close to Barcelona and Tarragona (Catalonia, North-Eastern Spain) finding values in the range of 1-3 nM, representing around 25% of total Zn. This technique can, in the near future, be crucial in helping to elucidate the role of the free zinc(II) concentration in natural waters.     

Direct determination of free metal concentration by implementing stripping chronopotentiometry as the second stage of AGNES

The electroanalytical technique Absence of Gradients and Nernstian Equilibrium Stripping (AGNES) has been extended by applying stripping chronopotentiometry (SCP) as the re-oxidation stage in the determination of the free concentration of Zn(2+), Cd(2+) and Pb(2+). This new approach, called AGNES-SCP, has been implemented with screen-printed electrodes (SPE) and the standard Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode (HMDE). Clear advantages of this variant have been shown: (i) the easy resolution of the peaks of different metals present in mixtures and (ii) the sparing of blanks. A rigorous computation of the faradaic charge along the SCP stage takes into account the contribution of other oxidants, which can be efficiently measured at the end of the deposition stage of AGNES. The free Cd concentration determined in an oxalate solution at pH 6 with an HMDE as the working electrode agreed well with values obtained with a Cd Ion Selective Electrode. The free metal concentration measured using an SPE for the system Cd and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) at pH = 4.8 also conformed well with Visual MINTEQ results.     

Pendimethalin determination in natural water, baby food and river sediment samples using electroanalytical methods

This work describes the electroanalytical determination of pendimethalin herbicide levels in natural waters, river sediment and baby food samples, based on the electro-reduction of herbicide on the hanging mercury drop electrode using square wave voltammetry (SWV). A number of experimental and voltammetric conditions were evaluated and the best responses were achieved in Britton-Robinson buffer solutions at pH 8.0, using a frequency of 500 s^− 1, a scan increment of 10 mV and a square wave amplitude of 50 mV. Under these conditions, the pendimethalin is reduced in an irreversible process, with two reduction peaks at − 0.60 V and − 0.71 V, using a Ag/AgCl reference system. Analytical curves were constructed and the detection limit values were calculated to be 7.79 μg L^− 1 and 4.88 μg L^− 1, for peak 1 and peak 2, respectively. The precision and accuracy were determinate as a function of experimental repeatability and reproducibility, which showed standard relative deviation values that were lower than 2% for both voltammetric peaks. The applicability of the proposed methodology was evaluated in natural water, river sediments and baby food samples. The calculated recovery efficiencies demonstrate that the proposed methodology is suitable for determining any contamination by pendimethalin in these samples. Additionally, adsorption isotherms were used to evaluate information about the behavior of pendimethalin in river sediment samples.     

A new method for the determination of complexing agents in river water using HPLC

 An HPLC-method is described for the rapid and sensitive determination of NTA, EDTA and DTPA in surface and ground water at the sub-μg/L level. The analytes are enriched on anion-exchange cartridges, eluted with formic acid and analyzed on RP 8 columns within 6 min. Recoveries for EDTA and NTA were 110% resp. 94% at an interlaboratory test. They are significantly lowered when higher amounts of sulfate are present in the sample. Reproducibility and comparability with other methods are investigated. The new technique is faster than the well known GC-analysis. Received: 11 March 1996/Revised: 10 June 1996/Accepted: 21 June 1996     

A new method for the determination of complexing agents in river water using HPLC

 An HPLC-method is described for the rapid and sensitive determination of NTA, EDTA and DTPA in surface and ground water at the sub-μg/L level. The analytes are enriched on anion-exchange cartridges, eluted with formic acid and analyzed on RP 8 columns within 6 min. Recoveries for EDTA and NTA were 110% resp. 94% at an interlaboratory test. They are significantly lowered when higher amounts of sulfate are present in the sample. Reproducibility and comparability with other methods are investigated. The new technique is faster than the well known GC-analysis. Received: 11 March 1996/Revised: 10 June 1996/Accepted: 21 June 1996     

Absence of Gradients and Nernstian Equilibrium Stripping (AGNES) for the determination of [Zn] in estuarine waters

Zinc (Zn) has been classified as a “Specific Pollutant” under Annex VIII of the EU Water Framework Directive by two thirds of the EU member states. As a result, the UK Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) for Transitional and Coastal (TrAC) Waters has been reduced from 612 nM to 121 nM total dissolved Zn. It is widely accepted that the free metal ion ([Zn²⁺]) is the most bioavailable fraction, but there are few techniques available to determine its concentration in these waters. In this work, Absence of Gradients and Nernstian Equilibrium Stripping (AGNES) has been applied, for the first time, to determine [Zn²⁺] in estuarine waters. The AGNES method had a mean RSD of ±18%, a (deposition time dependent) limit of detection of 0.73 nM and a [Zn²⁺] recovery of 112 ± 19% from a certified reference material (BCR-505; Estuarine Water). AGNES results for 13 estuarine samples (salinity 0.1–31.9) compared well (P = 0.02) with Competitive Ligand Exchange Cathodic Stripping Voltammetry (CLE-AdCSV) except for one sample. AGNES requires minimal sample manipulation, is unaffected by adsorption of interfering species at the electrode surface and allows direct determination of free zinc ion concentrations. Therefore AGNES results can be used in conjunction with ecotoxicological studies and speciation modelling to set and test compliance with water quality standards.     

Application of cloud point extraction technique to preconcentration and spectrophotometric determination of free chlorine in water samples

A rapid, selective, and sensitive cloud point extraction process using mixed micelle of a nonionic surfactant Triton X-114 and an anionic surfactant, SDS, to extract chlorine from aqueous solution was investigated. The method is based on the color reaction of chlorine with N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD) in phosphate buffer media and cloud point extraction of the produced dye. Various factors and extraction and reaction conditions such as surfactant concentration and reagent concentration were studied and the analytical characteristics of the method (e.g. limit of detection, linear range, preconcentration, and improvement factors) were obtained. Linearity was obeyed in the range of 3.0–450 ng/mL of chlorine and the detection limit of the method was 1.0 ng/mL. The interference effects of some cations and anions were also tested. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of free chlorine in drinking, river, well and pool swimming water samples.     

A rapid method for the determination of radiostrontium in river water

A rapid analytical method, applicable for the selective separation and determination of⁹⁰Sr and⁸⁹Sr in river water, is described. Strontium is extracted from the water sample at pH 10.5 by TTA/TOPO in cyclohexane in the presence of Tiron as masking agent for interfering ß-emitters. Radiostrontium is measured by liquid scintillation after back-extraction into 1N nitric acid. The distribution coefficient of strontium is over 400 and the separation factors from other radionuclides are higher than 5.0×10³.     

A voltammetric method for diuron determination in river water

A sensitive, simple, fast, and inexpensive method for determining diuron in water using square wave voltammetry and a glassy carbon electrode is presented. This method was developed to evaluate diuron contamination in river waters close to sugarcane cultivation, located in the metropolitan region of João Pessoa, in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. An analytical curve with a linear response ranging from 38.5–115.0 nmol L⁻¹ (r² = 0.993), a LOD equal 0.2 nmol L⁻¹, and recovery rates from 88.0 to 108.0 %. The proposed method does not require any previous chemical treatment of the sample, thus contributing to green analytical chemistry.     

On the determination of the free concentration of ligands

Working with a sufficient excess of any of the protonated forms of a ligand is shown to guarantee the validity of the determination of its free concentration when calculated by disregarding complexing effect. This result significantly extends the possibilities of studying the stability constants of co-ordination systems.     

Concentration technique for determination of air pollutants at sub-micro level. A new technique for concentration of carbon monoxide.

The advantages, scope and limitations of a step-wise technique for concentrating permanent gases, particularly carbon monoxide, up to 2000 times before gas chromatographic, spectrophotometric or mass spectrometric determination are described. Determination of less than 0.01 ppm of carbon monoxide has been carried out with an error of +/-10% by using this pre-concentration technique, followed by gas chromatography, with catalytic conversion of the carbon monoxide into methane before flame ionisation detection. The system used without pre-concentration could not detect less than 1 ppm of carbon monoxide.     

AGNES at vibrated gold microwire electrode for the direct quantification of free copper concentrations

The free metal ion concentration and the dynamic features of the metal species are recognized as key to predict metal bioavailability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. Quantification of the former is, however, still challenging. In this paper, it is shown for the first time that the concentration of free copper (Cu²⁺) can be quantified by applying AGNES (Absence of Gradients and Nernstian equilibrium stripping) at a solid gold electrode. It was found that: i) the amount of deposited Cu follows a Nernstian relationship with the applied deposition potential, and ii) the stripping signal is linearly related with the free metal ion concentration. The performance of AGNES at the vibrating gold microwire electrode (VGME) was assessed for two labile systems: Cu-malonic acid and Cu-iminodiacetic acid at ionic strength 0.01 M and a range of pH values from 4.0 to 6.0. The free Cu concentrations and conditional stability constants obtained by AGNES were in good agreement with stripping scanned voltammetry and thermodynamic theoretical predictions obtained by Visual MinteQ. This work highlights the suitability of gold electrodes for the quantification of free metal ion concentrations by AGNES. It also strongly suggests that other solid electrodes may be well appropriate for such task. This new application of AGNES is a first step towards a range of applications for a number of metals in speciation, toxicological and environmental studies for the direct determination of the key parameter that is the free metal ion concentration.     

Application of membrane filters for spectrophotometric determination of cationic surfactants in river water and sediment.

Cationic surfactant (CS+) in urban river water and sediment was extracted and determined spectrophotometrically with 2 membrane filters. The CS+ in the water samples, mostly in the form of an ion associate with the coexisting anionic surfactant (AS), was collected on a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane filter and eluted with methanol. Bromphenol blue (BPB), hydrochloric acid, and water were added to the methanol solution successively, and the mixed solution was filtered through a mixed cellulose ester membrane filter. The CS+-BPB- ion associate, formed by a counter ion exchange, was collected on the filter and dissolved into N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) together with the mixed cellulose ester membrane filter. After addition of 2 drops of triethanolamine, the absorbance of the DMF solution was measured. The CS+ in sediment samples was extracted with methanol by ultrasonic irradiation; the methanol solution was then passed through a PTFE membrane filter and evaporated to dryness. The CS+ was redissolved in a small amount of methanol. For water samples, recoveries and relative standard deviations for 0.30 microM benzyldimethyl-tetradecylammonium ion, a standard material, were > or =93 and < or =5%, with a detection limit of 0.02 microM. Concentrations of CS+ in sediments were much higher than those in water samples, indicating that CS+ is adsorbed on the surface of the sediment.     

Single-drop microextraction technique for the determination of antibiotics in environmental water

Growing concerns related to antibiotic residues in environmental water have encouraged the development of rapid, sensitive, and accurate analytical methods. Single-drop microextraction has been recognized as an efficient approach for the isolation and preconcentration of several analytes from a complex sample matrix. Thus, single-drop microextraction techniques are cost-effective and less harmful to the environment, subscribing to green analytical chemistry principles. Herein, an overview and the current advances in single-drop microextraction for the determination of antibiotics in environmental water are presented were included. In particular, two main approaches used to perform single-drop microextraction (direct immersion-single-drop microextraction and headspace-single-drop microextraction) are reviewed. Furthermore, the impressive analytical features and future perspectives of single-drop microextraction are discussed in this review.     

Rapid determination of actinides and Sr in river water

Nuclear accidents occurred in latest years highlighted the difficulty to achieve, in a short time, the quantification of alpha and beta emitters. Indeed, most of the existing methods, though displaying excellent performances, can be very long, taking up to several weeks for some radioisotopes, such as ⁹⁰Sr.     

Simultaneous determination of concentration,diffusion coefficient and number of electrons for electroactive species by combining suitable electroanalytical measurements

The electroanalytical method described for the simultaneous determination of concentration, the number of electrons involved in the redox process and diffusion coefficient is based on evaluation of the ratios between the currents recorded for the analyte and for an easily standardized reference species dissolved in the same medium. Three different electroanalytical techniques are used in which the currents exhibit, for two techniques at least, different dependences on both the diffusion coefficient and electron number. The approach is applicable to diffusion-controlled processes, regardless of the degree of reversibility involved. Reliability tests with electroactive organic compounds dissolved in dimethyl sulphoxide show that both accuracy and precision are within 10% depending on the chosen combination of techniques.     

Diffusive gradients in thin films technique for uranium measurements in river water

The diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) was used for uranium measurements in water. DGT devices with Dowex resin binding phase (Dow DGT) were tested in synthetic river water, which gave 84% response to total uranium concentration. The devices were also deployed in natural river water and compared to devices with other types of binding phases, Chelex 100 resin beads imbedded in polyacrylamide hydrogel (Chelex DGT) and DE 81 anion exchange membrane (DE DGT), deployed in the same location at the same time. The measurement by Dow DGT was the lowest among the different types of the DGT devices, 45% of total uranium, while measurement by DE DGT was the highest, 98% of total uranium. The results achieved by the three types of DGT devices were explained by three DGT working mechanisms, equilibrium between complexes of resin/uranyl carbonates and complexes of resin/competitive ligands in water, effective reduction of uranyl carbonate concentration by the binding phase and dissociation of UO₂(CO₃)₂²⁻ and UO₂(CO₃)₃⁴⁻ within the diffusive layer in a DGT device. It is hoped that by deploying the DGT devices with different binding phases in natural waters, additional information on uranium speciation could be obtained.     

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of linear alkylbenzenesulphonates in river water at ppb levels by precolumn concentration.

A high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of linear alkylbenzenesulphonates (LASs) in river waters has been developed. The ppb levels of LASs can be determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection after on-line anion-exchange concentration and successive injection. LASs were quantitatively concentrated on the anion-exchange precolumn and easily cleaned up from river water matrix, because of its specific affinity, for the anion-exchange resin. A weak non-polar reversed-phase column was useful for the determination of LASs. The relationships between concentration and summation of peak areas were linear from 10 to 200 ppb for total LAS concentrated from 5 ml of standard solutions. Overall recovery for total LAS was found to be 99%. Total LAS in the Tama River waters was determined to be around 100 ppb by the proposed method.     

Flow injection method for the determination of silver concentration in drinking water for spacecrafts

A flow injection method has been developed for determination of silver. The method is based on a reduction reaction with sodium borohydride which leads to the formation of a colloidal species which is monitored at a wavelength of 390 nm.The reaction variables flow rate, sodium borohydride concentration and pH, which affect sensitivity, were investigated and their effects were established using a two-levels, three-factor experimental design. Further optimization of manifold variables (reaction coil and injection volume) allowed us to determine silver in the range 0.050-5.0 mg L⁻¹ with a minimum detectable concentration of 0.050 mg L⁻¹. Silver is added, as biocide, to drinking water for spacecrafts. The chemical species of silver, present in this kind of sample, were characterized by a procedure based on the selective retention of Ag⁺ onto a 2.2.2. cryptand based substrate followed by determination of the non-bound and bound (after elution) Ag⁺ by the FIA method. The method optimized was applied to a drinking water sample provided for the launch with the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) module Jule Verne to the International Space Station (March 9, 2008).