A colloidal suspension of nanostructured poly(N-butyl benzimidazole)-graphene sheets with high oxidase yield for analytical glucose and choline detections

A colloidal suspension of nanostructured poly(N-butyl benzimidazole)-graphene sheets (PBBIns-Gs) was used to modify a gold electrode to form a three-dimensional PBBIns-Gs/Au electrode that was sensitive to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the presence of acetic acid (AcOH). The positively charged nanostructured poly(N-butyl benzimidazole) (PBBIns) separated the graphene sheets (Gs) and kept them suspended in an aqueous solution. Additionally, graphene sheets (Gs) formed “diaphragms” that intercalated Gs, which separated PBBIns to prevent tight packing and enhanced the surface area. The PBBIns-Gs/Au electrode exhibited superior sensitivity toward H₂O₂ relative to the PBBIns-modified Au (PBBIns/Au) electrode. Furthermore, a high yield of glucose oxidase (GOD) on the PBBIns-Gs of 52.3 mg GOD per 1 mg PBBIns-Gs was obtained from the electrostatic attraction between the positively charged PBBIns-Gs and negatively charged GOD. The non-destructive immobilization of GOD on the surface of the PBBIns-Gs (GOD-PBBIns-Gs) retained 91.5% and 39.2% of bioactivity, respectively, relative to free GOD for the colloidal suspension of the GOD-PBBIns-Gs and its modified Au (GOD-PBBIns-Gs/Au) electrode. Based on advantages including a negative working potential, high sensitivity toward H₂O₂, and non-destructive immobilization, the proposed glucose biosensor based on an GOD-PBBIns-Gs/Au electrode exhibited a fast response time (5.6 s), broad detection range (10 μM to 10 mM), high sensitivity (143.5 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻²) and selectivity, and excellent stability. Finally, a choline biosensor was developed by dipping a PBBIns-Gs/Au electrode into a choline oxidase (ChOx) solution for enzyme loading. The choline biosensor had a linear range of 0.1 μM to 0.83 mM, sensitivity of 494.9 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻², and detection limit of 0.02 μM. The results of glucose and choline measurement indicate that the PBBIns-Gs/Au electrode provides a useful platform for the development of oxidase-based biosensors.     

New microdialysis-electrochemical device for simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid in rat striatum

A new device combining microdialysis with electrochemical microsensor was developed. It can be applied to monitor the biomolecules in the brain for biological and pharmaceutical research. In this paper, the device was applied to simultaneously determine ascorbic acid (AA) and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) in rat striatum. The microsensor used for the device was poly (sulphosalicylic acid) microsensor, which exhibited a good electrocatalytic effect on oxidization of AA and 5-HIAA. The oxidation currents measured by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were linear for AA in the range of 0.02-1.0 mmol l⁻¹, and for 5-HIAA from 0.5 to 10.0 μmol l⁻¹ (r=0.9998 and 0.9991, respectively). The detection limits were calculated to be 0.01 mmol l⁻¹ for AA and 0.25 μmol l⁻¹for 5-HIAA (S/N=3). Studies also showed that co-existing substances in biological fluids did not interfere with AA and 5-HIAA determination when using this microsensor. Since, the substances in the microdialysate are easily oxidized by air, the microdialysate in this device was under the protection of N₂. It was found that the concentrations of AA and 5-HIAA in rat striatum were 215±5 and 6.21±0.61 μmol l⁻¹ (mean±S.E.M., n=7), respectively with this device under the protection of N₂. In addition, the effect of the nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), on 5-HIAA in the rat striatum was investigated. It was found that a high concentration of SNP (1.0 mmol l⁻¹) resulted in a 34% increase in 5-HIAA level.     

Application of thin-shielded mercury microelectrodes in anodic stripping voltammetry

The performance in anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) of hemispherical mercury microelectrodes, fabricated by electrodeposition of liquid mercury on the surface of Pt microdisks which were surrounded by a rather thick or thin insulating shield, was compared. The Pt microdisks were produced by sealing a wire of 25 μm diameter into a glass capillary, and by coating the cylindrical length of the Pt wire with a cathodic electrophoretic paint. The ratio of the overall tip radius b, to the basal radius of the electrode a, so-called RG = b/a, was equal to 110 ± 10 and 1.52 ± 0.01 for the thick- and thin-shielded microdisk, respectively. The mercury microelectrodes were characterized by cyclic voltammetry at 1 mV s⁻¹, in 1 mM Ru(NH₃)₆³⁺ aqueous solution. The steady-state voltammogram recorded with the thin-shielded mercury microelectrode displayed less hysteresis, while the steady-state current was about 30% higher than that of the thicker one. This was a consequence of the additional flux due to diffusion from behind the plane of the electrode. The flux enhancement, which was operative at the thin-shielded mercury microelectrode during the deposition step in the ASV experiments, allowed recording stripping peaks for Cd and Pb, which resulted about 32% larger than those recorded at the thicker shielded mercury microelectrode, under same experimental conditions.The usefulness of the thin-shielded mercury microelectrode for ASV measurements in real samples was verified by determining the content of heavy metal ions released in the pore water (pH 4.5) of a soil slurry.     

Amperometric choline biosensors prepared by layer-by-layer deposition of choline oxidase on the Prussian blue-modified platinum electrode

An amperometric choline biosensor was developed by immobilizing choline oxidase (ChOx) in a layer-by-layer (LBL) multilayer film on a platinum (Pt) electrode modified with Prussian blue (PB). 6-O-Ethoxytrimethylammoniochitosan chloride (EACC) was used to prepare the ChOx LBL films. The choline biosensor was used at 0.0 V versus Ag/AgCl to detect choline and exhibited good characteristics such as relative low detection limit (5 × 10⁻⁷ M), short response time (within 10 s), high sensitivity (88.6 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻²) and a good selectivity. The results were explained based on the ultrathin nature of the LBL films and the low operating potential that could be due to the efficient catalytic reduction of H₂O₂ by PB. In addition, the effects of pH, temperature and applied potential on the amperometric response of choline biosensor were evaluated. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant was found to be (0.083 ± 0.001) ×10⁻³ M. The biosensor showed excellent long-term storage stability, which originates from a strong adsorption of ChOx in the EACC multilayer film. When the present choline biosensor was applied to the analysis of phosphatidylcholine in serum samples, the measurement values agreed satisfactorily with those by a hospital method.     

A novel biamperometric biosensor for urinary oxalate determination using flow-injection analysis

A biosensor for determination of oxalate concentration in urine has been developed by immobilisation of oxalate oxidase and peroxidase on the surface of an interdigitated gold electrode. Enzyme immobilisation was performed using BSA and glutaraldehyde. Biamperometric measurements were made in flow conditions both in aqueous oxalate solutions (tested concentration range between 50 μM and 10 mM) and in real urine samples (tested measuring range between 5 and 100 μM). Optimal working conditions were examined for flow-injection analysis, and good correlation was achieved between added oxalate quantity and the one measured by biosensor in urine matrix (R² = 0.9983). The influence of some interferences (ascorbic acid, uric acid, paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid) was also studied using biamperometric measurement mode.     

Homogeneous chemiluminescent assays for free choline in human plasma and whole blood

Choline was oxidized in the presence of choline oxidase and the hydrogen peroxide generated was detected using a chemiluminescent acridinium-9-carboxamide. The dose response for choline (0-150 μM) was established in buffer and was validated for the quantification of choline in human plasma and whole blood. This homogeneous assay was performed in a 96-well microplate format and required minimal sample volume (4 μL) and short analysis time (<5 s per well). The new assay(s) correlated well (R > 0.98, plasma; R > 0.97, whole blood) with LC-MS/MS.     

Flow injection determination of choline in milk hydrolysates by an immobilized enzyme reactor coupled to a selective hydrogen peroxide amperometric sensor

A choline oxidase (ChO) immobilized enzyme reactor (IMER) prepared by glutaraldehyde coupling of the enzyme on aminopropyl modified controlled pore glass beads is described. The ChO-IMER was coupled, in a flow injection configuration system, to an interference free hydrogen peroxide amperometric sensor based on a Pt surface modified by an overoxidized polypyrrole film. The resulting analytical device responds selectively to choline and displays a sensitivity of 46.9 ± 0.2 μC mM⁻¹ and a limit of detection, calculated at a signal-to-noise ratio equal to 3, of 7 μM. Sensitivity remains constant for about 20 days and then starts to slowly deteriorate and after 2 months a 70% of the initial sensitivity was still retained. The application to choline determination in milk hydrolysates is demonstrated. Short- and long-term drift observed in the analytical response can be corrected by a bracketing technique.     

Microchip capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detector for precolumn enzymatic analysis of glucose, creatinine, uric acid and ascorbic acid in urine and serum

An integrated multiple-enzymatic assay was performed on a (microchip capillary electrophoresis) μCE-EC chip capable of precise intake of sample or reagents in nanoliters. Incorporating multiple-enzyme assay into the μCE chip is relatively new—rendering simultaneous analysis of creatinine and uric acid a snap.Added to the list of merits in this study are the enhanced sensitivity down to 1 μM and a broader spectrum of analytes—inclusive of glucose for the long-time sufferers of diabetes. The performance was orchestrated to attain the claimed level: employing the end-channel electrode mode to tame the noises and the precolumn enzymatic reaction to stabilize the baseline. The 10 μm embedded Pt electrode, deposited at the end of the 30 μm wide separation channel, benefited chip fabrication besides noise reduction. The optimized conditions were 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.5), +1.5 kV separation voltage and +1.0 V detection potential (versus Ag/AgCl). The migration time was repeatable within the deviation of 0.5% R.S.D. (n=7), but the peak currents ranged from 1.5 to 2.2% R.S.D. The detection limits (S/N=3) ranged from 0.71 μM for ascorbic acid to 10 μM for glucose. The calibration curve was linear from 10 to 800 μM (R²>0.995). Glucose, creatinine, uric acid and ascorbic acid as model analytes, in pure form or in serum and urine samples, were tested to verify its feasibility.     

Amperometric microsensor for direct probing of ascorbic acid in human gastric juice

This article reports on a novel microsensor for amperometric measurement of ascorbic acid (AA) under acidic conditions (pH 2) based on a carbon fiber microelectrode (CFME) modified with nickel oxide and ruthenium hexacyanoferrate (NiO-RuHCF). This sensing layer was deposited electrochemically in a two-step procedure involving an initial galvanostatic NiO deposition followed by a potentiodynamic RuHCF deposition from solutions containing the precursor salts. Several important parameters were examined to characterize and optimize the NiO-RuHCF sensing layer with respect to its current response to AA by using cyclic voltammetry, and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy methods. With the NiO-RuHCF coated CFME, the AA oxidation potential under acidic conditions was shifted to a less positive value for about 0.2 V (E_p of ca. 0.23 V vs. Ag/AgCl) as compared to a bare CFME, which greatly improves the electrochemical selectivity. Using the hydrodynamic amperometry mode, the current vs. AA concentration in 0.01 M HCl, at a selected operating potential of 0.30 V, was found to be linear over a wide range of 10-1610 μM (n = 22, r = 0.999) with a calculated limit of detection of 1.0 μM. The measurement repeatability was satisfactory with a relative standard deviation (r.s.d.) ranging from 4% to 5% (n = 6), depending on the AA concentration, and with a sensor-to-sensor reproducibility (r.s.d.) of 6.9% at 100 μM AA. The long-term reproducibility, using the same microsensor for 112 consecutive measurements of 20 μM AA over 11 h of periodic probing sets over 4 days, was 16.1% r.s.d., thus showing very good stability at low AA levels and suitability for use over a prolonged period of time. Moreover, using the proposed microsensor, additionally coated with a protective cellulose acetate membrane, the calibration plot obtained in the extremely complex matrix of real undiluted gastric juice was linear from 10 to 520 μM (n = 14, r = 0.998). These results demonstrated the unique featuring of the proposed NiO-RuHCF microsensor under acidic conditions with enhanced sensitivity and stability and proved its promising potentiality for direct amperometric probing of AA at physiological levels in real gastric juice environments.     

Liquid-phase microextraction and fibre-optics-based cuvetteless CCD-array micro-spectrophotometry for trace analysis

Liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) has been investigated for trace analysis in the present work in conjunction with fibre-optic-based micro-spectrophotometry which accommodates sample volume of 1 μL placed between the two ends of optical fibres. Methods have been evolved for the determination of (i) 1-100 μM and 0.5-20 μM of thiols by single drop microextraction (SDME) and LPME in 25 μL of the organic solvent, respectively, involving their reaction with the Ellman reagent and ion pair microextraction of thiolate ion formed; (ii) 70 μg to 7 mg L⁻¹ of chlorine/chlorine dioxide by headspace in-drop reaction with alternative reagents, viz., mixed phenylhydrazine-4-sulphonic acid and N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, o-dianisidine, o-tolidine, and N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine; (iii) 0.2-4 mg L⁻¹ of ammonia by reaction with 2,4-dinitro-1-fluorobenzene to give 2,4-dinitroaniline which was diazotized and coupled with 1-naphthylamine, the resulting dye was subjected to preconcentration by solid-phase extraction and LPME; and (iv) 25-750 μg L⁻¹ of iodide/total iodine by oxidation of iodide by 2-iodosobenzoate, microextraction of iodine in organic solvent, and re-extraction into aqueous starch-iodide reagent drop held in the organic phase. LPME using 25-30 μL of organic solvent was found to produce more sensitive results than SDME. The cuvetteless spectrophotometry as used in combination with sample handling techniques produced limits of detection of analytes which were better than obtained by previously reported spectrophotometry.     

Analysis of salicylic acid based on the fluorescence enhancement of the As(III)-salicylic acid system

A new, simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of salicylic acid (λ_ex = 315 nm, λ_em = 408 nm) using As(III) as a sensitizing reagent has been investigated by measuring the increase of fluorescence intensity of salicylic acid due to the complexation of As(III)-salicylic acid in presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) 10⁻³ M. Under optimum conditions, a significant relationship was obtained between the fluorescence intensity and salicylic acid concentration. A linear calibration curve was obtained in the range 13.8-13812 μg l⁻¹ with product-moment correlation coefficient (R) 0.99985 and detection limit 4.2 μg l⁻¹. The R.S.D. is 2.35% (n = 5).The method was applied successfully to the determination of salicylic acid in human serum.     

The application of conducting polymer nanoparticle electrodes to the sensing of ascorbic acid

An ascorbic acid sensor was fabricated via the drop-casting of dodecylbenzene sulphonic acid (DBSA)-doped polyaniline nanoparticles onto a screen-printed carbon-paste electrode. The modified electrode was characterised with respect to the numbers of drop cast layers, optimum potential and operating pH. The sensor was found to be optimal at neutral pH and at 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Under these conditions, the sensor showed good selectivity and sensitivity in that it did not respond to a range of common interferents such as dopamine, acetaminophen, uric acid and citric acid, but was capable of the detection of ascorbic acid at a sensitivity of 0.76 μA mM⁻¹ or 10.75 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻² across a range from 0.5 to 8 mM (r² = 0.996, n = 6), and a limit of detection of 8.3 μM (S/N = 3). The sensor was compared to a range of other conducting polymer-based ascorbate sensors and found to be comparable or superior in terms of analytical performance.     

Continuous photometric method for the screening of human urines for phenothiazines

A fully automated urinary screening system for five phenothiazines has been developed. The method is based on the oxidation of phenothiazines in acid medium to colourless sulphoxides via orange or purple coloured intermediates, which are continuously monitored at 520 nm. Two innovations have been implemented versus the conventional method; first, sulphuric acid (ideal reaction medium) has been changed by nitric acid (less corrosive, and compatible with pumping tubes) and second, problems associated with the instability of phenothiazonium radical cation are eliminated as the measurements are carried out simultaneously to the formation of the coloured products in the flow system. The configuration adopted permits selective retention of phenothiazines on a LiChrolut^®-EN sorbent column before their oxidation with hexacyanoferrate(III) ions in acid medium. The proposed method allows phenothiazines determination within the interval 3-50 μM (1-20 μg ml⁻¹), with a throughput of 12 h⁻¹; an average relative S.D. of 4% (n=11) was obtained for phenothiazine concentration of 5 μM. Finally, a comprehensive study of 50 real urine samples (phenothiazines free) obtained from different individuals provided 6% of false positives and 0% false negatives for chlorpromazine concentrations of 1.5 and 3 μM, respectively.     

A new electrochemiluminescent detection system equipped with an electrically controlled heating cylindrical microelectrode

A new electrochemiluminescent (ECL) detection system equipped with an electrically controlled heating cylindrical microelectrode (HME) was developed in this paper. The cylindrical microelectrode made of platinum wire (25 μm in diameter, 6 mm in long) was used as the working electrode of the ECL detection system, the temperature of the electrode could be controlled electrically. The Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-ECL and Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-C₂O₄²⁻-ECL systems were used to evaluate this ECL detection system. The detection limit for oxalate was found to be 3.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L when T_e (temperature of the HME) was 22 °C, and found to be 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L at 80 °C, which indicates that the detection limit can be improved greatly at higher T_e, based on which, it is possible to establish a more sensitive method for measurement of ECL by using a heated microelectrode.     

Visual and surface plasmon resonance sensor for zirconium based on zirconium-induced aggregation of adenosine triphosphate-stabilized gold nanoparticles

Owing to its high affinity with phosphate, Zr(IV) can induce the aggregation of adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP)-stabilized AuNPs, leading to the change of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption spectra and color of ATP-stabilized AuNP solutions. Based on these phenomena, visual and SPR sensors for Zr(IV) have been developed for the first time. The A_660 nm/A_518 nm values of ATP-stabilized AuNPs in SPR absorption spectra increase linearly with the concentrations of Zr(IV) from 0.5 μM to 100 μM (r = 0.9971) with a detection limit of 95 nM. A visual Zr(IV) detection is achieved with a detection limit of 30 μM. The sensor shows excellent selectivity against other metal ions, such as Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Cd²⁺, and Pb²⁺. The recoveries for the detection of 5 μM, 10 μM, 25 μM and 75 μM Zr(IV) in lake water samples are 96.0%, 97.0%, 95.6% and 102.4%, respectively. The recoveries of the proposed SPR method are comparable with those of ICP-OES method.     

Fabrication and characterisation of high performance polypyrrole modified microarray sensor for ascorbic acid determination

In this study, gold microelectrode array (Au/MEA) with electrode of 12 μm diameter was fabricated by photolithography technique. Subsequently, polypyrrole (Ppy) modified gold microarrays sensor (Ppy/Au/MEA) was prepared by cyclic voltammetry technique. The deposition potential range and number of cycles were optimised in order to get optimum thickness of Ppy film. Scanning Electron Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope investigations reveal that Ppy coating formed at 3 cycles is porous with thickness of 1.5 μm which exhibiting high catalytic current for ascorbic acid (AA) in square wave technique (SWV). In contrast to earlier sensors designs, these Ppy/Au/MEA sensors exhibits lower detection limit (LOD) of 10 nm towards AA at physiological conditions. It also exhibits enhanced sensitivity (2.5 mA cm⁻² mM⁻¹) and long range of linear detection limit from 10 nm to 2.8 mM. In the same way, polypyrrole modified macro Au (Ppy/Au/MA) biosensor was also fabricated and its electro catalytic property towards AA was compared with that of Ppy/Au/MEA. The Ppy/Au/MA exhibits sensitivity of only 0.27 mA cm⁻² mM⁻¹, LOD of 5 μM and linear range of 10 μM to 2.2 mM. Hence, our investigations indicate that the Ppy/Au/MEA could serve as highly sensitive sensor for AA than any of the earlier designs. So, the Ppy/Au/MEA electrode was utilised for determination AA in a wide variety of real samples.     

A comparison of solid-phase microextraction and stir bar sorptive extraction coupled to liquid chromatography for the rapid analysis of resveratrol isomers in wines, musts and fruit juices

A comparison of direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (DI-SPME) and stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) coupled to liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection for the rapid analysis of resveratrol isomers is described. For DI-SPME, a polar Carbowax-template resin (CW/TPR) 50 μm fiber was the most efficient and optimum extraction conditions were 40 °C and an extraction time of 30 min, stirring in the presence of 5% (m/v) sodium chloride and 0.07 M acetate/acetic acid buffer (pH 6). Desorption was carried out using the static mode for 10 min. Linearity was obtained in the 5-150 and 2-150 ng mL⁻¹ ranges for trans- and cis-resveratrol, with detection limits of 2 and 0.5 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. When using SBSE, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) twister provided best extraction by means of a derivatization reaction in the presence of acetic anhydride and potassium carbonate. The same time and temperature were used for the extraction step in the presence of 2.5% (m/v) sodium chloride, and liquid desorption was performed with 150 μL of a 50/50 (v/v) acetonitrile/1% (v/v) acetic acid solution in a desorption time of 15 min. Linearity was now between 0.5 and 50 ng mL⁻¹ for trans-resveratrol with a detection limit of 0.1 ng mL⁻¹, while cis-resveratrol could not be extracted. The proposed methods were successfully applied to determining the resveratrol isomer content of wine, must and fruit juices.     

Simultaneous measurement of proline and related compounds in oak leaves by high-performance ligand-exchange chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for environmental stress studies

A mass spectrometer was coupled to high-performance ligand-exchange liquid chromatography (HPLEC) for simultaneous analysis of stress associated solutes such as proline, hydroxyproline, methylproline, glycine betaine and trigonelline extracted from leaves of drought stressed oaks and an internal standard namely N-acetylproline. Methanol/chloroform/water extracts were analyzed using an Aminex HPX-87C column and specifically quantified by the positive ion mode of an electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in single ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The recovery of N-acetyl proline added to oak leaf extracts ranged from 85.2 to 122.1% for an intra-day study. Standard calibration curves showed good linearity in the measured range from 0.3125 to 10 μmol L⁻¹ with the lowest correlation coefficient of 0.99961 for trigonelline. The advantages of this alternative procedure, compared to previously published methods using fluorescence or amperometric detections, are the simultaneous and direct detection of osmoprotectants in a single chromatographic run, a minimal sample preparation, a good specificity and reduced limits of quantification, ranging from 0.1 to 0.6 μmol L⁻¹. Fifty-six days of water deficit exposure resulted in increased foliar free proline levels (2.4-fold, P < 0.001, 155 μmol g⁻¹ FW) and glycine betaine contents (2.5-fold, P < 0.05, 175 μmol g⁻¹ FW) of drought stressed oak compared to control.     

Facilitated transport of Am(III) through a flat-sheet supported liquid membrane (FSSLM) containing tetra(2-ethyl hexyl) diglycolamide (TEHDGA) as carrier

Facilitated transport of Am(III) in nitric acid medium using tetra(2-ethyl hexyl) diglycolamide (TEHDGA) in n-dodecane as carrier was studied. It was aimed at finding out the physico-chemical model for the transport of Am(III) using TEHDGA/n-dodecane as carrier under various experimental parameters like feed acidity, carrier concentration, varying strippant, varying membrane pore size, etc. The feed acidity and carrier concentrations were varied from 1 M to 6 M HNO₃ and 0.1 M to 0.3 M TEHDGA/n-dodecane, respectively. The transport of Am(III) increased with increase in feed acidity and carrier concentration reaching maximum at 3 M HNO₃ and 0.2 M TEHDGA/n-dodecane, respectively. Several stripping agents were tested and 0.1 M HNO₃ was found to be the most suitable stripping agent for this system. Almost quantitative transport of Am(III) was observed at about 180 min with feed acidity of 3 M HNO₃, 0.1 M HNO₃ as strippant and 0.2 M TEHDGA/n-dodecane as carrier. The pore size of the membrane support was varied from 0.20 μm to 5 μm and the permeation coefficient increased with increase in pore size up to 0.45 μm (2.43 × 10⁻³ cm/s), and then decreased with further increase in pore size. The plot between permeation coefficient vs. (membrane thickness)⁻¹ was linear which showed that the Am(III) transport was membrane diffusion limited. The membrane diffusion coefficient calculated from the graph was found to be 1.27 × 10⁻⁶ cm²/s and its theoretical value was 1.22 × 10⁻⁶ cm²/s. The stability of the carrier against leaching out of the membrane support as well as the integrity of membrane support was studied over a period of 30 days and was found to be satisfactory within the studied time period.     

The use of a gold disc microelectrode for the determination of copper in human sweat

A novel approach of using a gold disc microelectrode to analyze sweat samples for copper ions by anodic square wave stripping voltammetry (SW stripping voltammetry) is described. Sweat was collected from the lower back of four subjects after physical exercise and the sample volume required for the determinations was 100 μL. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration plot was linear over the range 1-100 μmol L⁻¹ Cu(II) with a limit of detection of 0.25 μmol L⁻¹. The precision was evaluated by carrying out five replicate measurements in a 1 μmol L⁻¹ Cu(II) solution and the standard deviation was found to be 1.5%. Measurements were performed by inserting the microelectrode into sweat drops and Cu(II) concentrations in the analyzed samples ranged from 0.9 to 28 μmol L⁻¹. Values obtained by the proposed voltammetric method agreed well with those found using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS).