Length-of-stain indicator tubes for the determination of metals in water and solutions

 Indicator tubes have been proposed for the determination of heavy metals in solutions. Preparation procedures for indicator powders based on noncovalent modifications of reversed-phased silica gel sorbents by analytical reagents have been developed. The effects of pH of the sample, the capacity of the sorbent on the reagent, the flow rate, and the diameter of an indicator tube on the length of the colored zone have been studied. Procedures for the determination of Co(II), Fe(II, III), Cu(II), Cd, and the total content of heavy metals in water and solutions have been elaborated. The procedures have been used to analyze natural and waste waters, soil extracts, and industrial solutions. Received: 11 October 1995 / Revised: 7 June 1996 / Accepted: 12 July 1996     

In-line flow injection extraction-preconcentration through a passive hydrophilic membrane. Determination of total phenols in oil by flow-injection analysis

 An in-line flow injection extraction-preconcentration procedure for the determination of total phenols in oil is described. The reaction between phenolic compounds and 4-aminoantipyrine in the presence of K₂S₂O₈ as oxidizing reagent was used. The phenols were extracted and preconcentrated from a xylene solution by using a more selective passive hydrophilic Spectrapor membrane which also removed interferences. The phenols deprotonated after diffusion to the basic acceptor stream and the preconcentrated phenolate was injected into a carrier stream containing 4-aminoantipyrine as colour reagent. The carrier stream then merged with the oxidant stream, followed by detection at 500 nm. The system was suitable for the determination of total phenols in oil at a sampling rate of 12 samples per hour with an RSD of better than 1.3%. The detection limit was 0.09 mg/l for phenol, 0.18 mg/l for o-cresol and 0.02 mg/l for m-cresol. The results of the proposed system compared favourably with a standard manual 4-AAP method and a standard GC procedure. Received: 30 July 1996/Accepted: 25 August 1996     

Semi-automatic determination of tin in marine materials by continuous flow hydride generation inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

 A semi-automated continuous flow hydride generation system with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used for the determination of tin in marine materials. The effects of acids (H₂SO₄ and HCl) were studied. The analytical parameters were thoroughly investigated. Under optimized conditions, the detection limit is 0.4 ng/ml. Interferences from transition elements were investigated and seven masking reagents were tested. L-cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate (1%) was used to mask the interferences from foreign ions. Finally, the accuracy, checked with a marine standard reference material obtained from the National Research Council (NRC), was within the certified value. Received: 23 April 1996/Revised: 8 July 1996/Accepted: 15 July 1996     

Multi-pumping in flow analysis: concepts, instrumentation, potentialities

A novel strategy for the implementation of flow-based analytical procedures using several micropumps is proposed. The pumps are switched individually or in combination, in order to create a pulsed flowing stream through the analytical path, and are the only active devices acting simultaneously as liquid propelling units, sample insertion ports and commuting elements. Configuration and control of the flow system are then greatly simplified. The micropumps produce distinct stroke volumes at distinct pulse frequencies with high reproducibility ensuring the attainment of very stable flow rates. This leads to an enhanced versatility that enables the utilisation of different approaches for sample management including step-wise variable sample volume, binary sampling and merging zones without reconfiguration of the system hardware. In contrast to the typical flow systems, the proposed one is characterised by a pulsed flow ensuring a fast sample/reagent mixing that contributes to improve the reaction development—thus sensitivity—even in situations of limited dispersion. The basic features and the performance of the proposed strategy are evaluated in the spectrophotometric determination of Cr(VI) in natural waters with 1,5-diphenylcarbazide.     

Optimization of conditions for the determination of the organic matter content of waters by reagentless oxithermography and its application to the analysis of natural waters

To determine the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of water by oxithermography, we studied a high-temperature reactor with two inputs of the gas flow. Such a design allowed the creation of an internal circuit of the oxygen–inert gas (argon) binary flow in the reactor for the oxidation of organic substances and the determination of COD by the decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the binary mixture. The optimum operation parameters of the instrument, affecting the analytical characteristics of the method, were determined. The detection limit for a water sample of the volume 10 µL was 3.4 mg O/L. It was shown that the oxithermograph and the proposed procedure can be used for the determination of COD in drinking and natural waters of Bryansk oblast. The approach developed has an advantage, consisting in the reagentless rapid determination of the COD of waters without preliminary sample preparation.     

Trace enrichment and measurement of platinum by flow injection inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A flow injection system incorporating an alumina microcolumn has been coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for on-line preconcentration and determination of platinum (IV) in natural waters. Depending on the nature of the sample, a nominal preconcentration factor of up to 600 can be achieved by eluting with 50l of 2 mol/l NH₄OH. The limit of detection after a 5 min preconcentration time was 4 ngl^-1, with a relative standard deviation of 4% (100 ngl^-1 working solution). The proposed method was assessed for the determination of platinum (IV) in natural waters, motor car exhaust and some common analytical reagents.     

Trace enrichment and measurement of platinum by flow injection inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A flow injection system incorporating an alumina microcolumn has been coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for on-line preconcentration and determination of platinum (IV) in natural waters. Depending on the nature of the sample, a nominal preconcentration factor of up to 600 can be achieved by eluting with 50microl of 2 mol/l NH(4)OH. The limit of detection after a 5 min preconcentration time was 4 ngl(-1), with a relative standard deviation of 4% (100 ngl(-1) working solution). The proposed method was assessed for the determination of platinum (IV) in natural waters, motor car exhaust and some common analytical reagents.     

Determination of procaine hydrochloride by ion-pairing flow injection analysis with piezoelectric detection

A fast and simple method for the determination of procaine hydrochloride by ion-pairing flow injection analysis has been developed. It is based on the formation of an ion-pair with sodium dodecyl phenylsulphonate and piezoelectric detection. The calibration curve was linear between 0.02 and 2.00 mg/mL, with a detection limit of 0.01 mg/mL, a relative standard deviation of 0.3% (10 replicates) and a sampling frequency of 120/h. The proposed method has been satisfactorily applied to the determination of procaine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations. Received: 19 August 1996 / Revised: 6 November 1996 / Accepted: 12 December 1996     

Ultra-trace analysis of nitrite in food samples by flow injection with spectrophotometric detection

A flow injection system with spectrophotometric detection is proposed for the determination of low levels of nitrite based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation of gallocyanine by bromate in acidic media. Various analytical parameters such as acidity, reagent concentration, flow rate, sample size, time, temperature, and interfering species were studied. The calibration graph was linear for 0.020–0.500 μg/mL of nitrite. The method is successfully applied to food samples. Up to 30 ± 5 samples can be analyzed per hour. Received: 8 April 1998 / Revised: 3 June 1998 / Accepted: 31 July 1998     

Ultra-trace analysis of nitrite in food samples by flow injection with spectrophotometric detection

A flow injection system with spectrophotometric detection is proposed for the determination of low levels of nitrite based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation of gallocyanine by bromate in acidic media. Various analytical parameters such as acidity, reagent concentration, flow rate, sample size, time, temperature, and interfering species were studied. The calibration graph was linear for 0.020–0.500 μg/mL of nitrite. The method is successfully applied to food samples. Up to 30 ± 5 samples can be analyzed per hour. Received: 8 April 1998 / Revised: 3 June 1998 / Accepted: 31 July 1998     

Flow analysis preconcentration of Mg and Zn using emulsions for flame atomic absorption spectrometry

 A preconcentration method combining Water/ Oil/Water (W/O/W) emulsions with flow injection manifolds has been developed for determinations of Mg and Zn. The system consists of a mixing coil filled with Span 80 as a surfactant, palmitic acid or di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate as an extractant, kerosene as a solvent in the oil phase, and HCl in the inner aqueous phase to form W/O emulsions, an extraction coil for the sample solution to form W/O/W emulsions, a phase separator to waste the outer aqueous phase, a dry bath to demulsify W/O emulsions with 2-ethylhexanol, a phase separator to waste the oil phase, and an air pump to deliver the concentrated sample solution to the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. This method proved to be excellent regarding the reproducibility, the rapidity, and the small quantity of sample, compared with the W/O/W emulsions method without the flow injection manifolds. The signal of flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) after preconcentration of Mg by this method was 2.4 times as large as that before preconcentration. Also, this method suppressed some interferences. The system was applied to FAAS determinations of Mg and Zn in duralumin alloys and Zn in commercial reagents. Received: 20 March 1996/Revised: 13 July 1996/Accepted: 20 July 1996     

Microchemical determination of lodate and iodide in sea waters by flow injection analysis

A flow injection analysis method for iodate and iodide in sea water is described. The system involves spectrophotometric detection based on the catalytic, fading effect of either iodate or iodide on the indicator reaction of iron (III) thiocyanate and nitrite. With and without an anion-exchange column in the flow conduit, the system allows the determination of iodate and total iodine, respectively; iodide can be found by difference. Both iodate-iodine and total iodine can be determined in the range 0.75 to 150 g/1 on the sea water basis with analysis times of 20 min for iodate-iodine and 9 min for total iodine. The RSDs are within 1.3% for both iodate and iodide. Results are presented for the determination of iodate and iodide in sea waters and some brines associated with natural methane gas evolution.     

Gas-permeation continuous flow coulometric analysis: determination of sulphur dioxide

 A gas permeation system using two gaseous streams flowing on both sides of a membrane is developed. This gas permeation device and a coulometric detector are adapted for the continuous measurement of relatively high concentrations of sulphur dioxide. The interferences of other gases (NO₂, NO and CO₂) can be eliminated by using a scrubber behind the gas permeation device in the acceptor stream. The effects of the donor flow rates and gas pressure as well as the membrane thickness on the signal are discussed. The relative standard deviation is 1.3% (n=7) for 2.002×10^-3 mol/mol certified sulphur dioxide. Received: 19 July 1996/Revised: 22 October 1996/Accepted: 29 October 1996     

Colorimetric determination of iron in infant fortified formulas by sequential injection analysis

 A procedure is described for the colorimetric determination of iron in infant fortified formulas based on sequential injection analysis (SIA). Iron(III) complexation with thiocyanate is used as colour developing reaction. The system enables the determination of iron in the samples (after digestion by dry ashing and treatment with 0.2 mol/L nitric acid in the range of 0.50–20.0 mg/L, consuming 140 μL of the sample and 8 mg thiocyanate per determination. The reactor geometry and the adjustment of the ionic content of the calibration solutions is important for the accuracy of the results. A regression line according to the equation [Fe(III) (mg/L)]_SIA=−0.3(±0.4)+1.03(±0.04) [Fe(III) (mg/L)]_FAAS was obtained after comparative analysis of a set of 12 samples. The measurement rate was 34 s, thus allowing to analyze 100 samples per hour with a relative standard deviation lower than 2%. Received: 30 July 1996/Revised: 1 October 1996/Accepted: 4 October 1996     

A multicommuted flow system with solenoid micro-pumps for paraquat determination in natural waters

A flow system designed with solenoid micro-pumps is proposed for the determination of paraquat in natural waters. The procedure involves the reaction of paraquat with dehydroascorbic acid followed by spectrophotometric measurements. The proposed procedure minimizes the main drawbacks related to the standard chromatographic procedure and to flow analysis and manual methods with spectrophotometric detection based on the reaction with sodium dithionite, i.e. high solvent consumption and waste generation and low sampling rate for chromatography and high instability of the reagent in the spectrophotometric procedures. A home-made 10-cm optical-path flow cell was employed for improving sensitivity and detection limit. Linear response was observed for paraquat concentrations in the range 0.10–5.0 mg L⁻¹. The detection limit (99.7% confidence level), sampling rate and coefficient of variation (n = 10) were estimated as 22 μg L⁻¹, 63 measurements per hour and 1.0%, respectively. Results of determination of paraquat in natural water samples were in agreement with those achieved by the chromatographic reference procedure at the 95% confidence level.     

Rapid kinetic determination of silver (I), using in-cuvette mixing and computerized data acquisition

 The determination of silver(I) based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation of indigo carmine with hexacyanoferrate(III) is described. The reaction is monitored spectrophotometrically by means of a home-made rapid system with computer data acquisition. The decrease in absorbance of indigo carmine at 612 nm, pH 6 and at a fixed concentration of hexacyanoferrate(III) and indigo carmine is proportional to the concentration of Ag(I). The acquired data based on the initial rate and fixed time are processed. Up to 100.0 μg/ml of silver are determined. The limit of detection and average relative standard deviation are 0.13 μg/ml and 1.9%, respectively. The effect of foreign ions on the determination of silver is also discussed. The proposed method is applied to the determination of Ag(I) in expired photographic film. Received: 17 June 1996 / Revised: 26 July 1996 / Accepted: 2 August 1996     

Turbidimetric determination of sulphate in plant digests and natural waters by flow injection analysis with alternating streams

An improved flow injection system with alternating streams of reagents is described for the turbidimetric determination of sulphate. Samples are injected into an inert carrier stream which is mixed with barium chloride to form a barium sulphate suspension. The range of the method can be extended to low concentrations by continuously adding sulphate to the sample carrier stream. System performance is improved by automatic alternate pumping of the reagent stream and an alkaline EDTA solution at high flow rate. All operations are controlled by an electronically-operated proportional injector-commutator. Even after routine analysis of 3000 samples of natural waters and plant digests, baseline drift was not observed. The proposed method is suitable for 120 samples per hour with a relative standard deviation less than 1% for sulphate concentrations in the range 1–30 ppm (waters) or 5–200 ppm (plant digests). The results compare well with those obtained by standard manual procedures.     

Sequential flow analysis coupled with ACSV for on-line monitoring of cobalt in the marine environment

The development of a compact instrument for on-line measurement of trace metals in seawater is described. The system is based on adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (ACSV), and on the concept of sequential flow analysis, to perform on-line measurements with controlled perturbation of natural equilibria of the element. The design combines a low volume flow cell with a miniature solenoid pump and valves to achieve low power consumption. The flow segmentation is time-controlled and the detection step takes place in a well-defined part of the flow stream where reagent and sample occur mixed. The system was tested on the determination of cobalt in seawater but it is likely that the same technique can be used to determine other metals detectable by CSV. The determination range was 6–1050 pmol/L cobalt with a detection limit (3σ) of 6 pmol/L. The measurement rate was about 60 h^–1. Comparative measurements were carried out using continuous flow analysis. The apparatus was used continuously on board a ship to determine the distribution pattern of cobalt in surface waters off the coast of California.     

Spectrofluorimetric determination of aluminum in drinking waters by sequential injection analysis

A selective procedure for the determination of Al³⁺ in drinking and natural waters is proposed. The analytical procedure is based both on the complex formation between Al³⁺ and 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid (HQS) and on a fluorimetric detection of the complex. The reaction was carried out in presence of thioglycolic acid as a masking agent. This procedure has been adapted to a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system. Operative conditions both for batch and SIA procedures were investigated including reagent concentration, volumes, pH and wavelengths used for the fluorimetric detection. Batch procedure allows determination of Al³⁺ at ppb level (LOQ: 2.8 μg l⁻¹) within a working range of 2.2-300 μg l⁻¹. The SIA procedure was successfully employed for the determination of Al³⁺ in several commercial drinking and tap waters.     

A flow system for the spectrophotometric determination of lead in different types of waters using ion-exchange for pre-concentration and elimination of interferences

A flow system for the spectrophotometric determination of lead in natural and waste waters is proposed. The determination is based on the colorimetric reaction between malachite green and iodide, followed by the formation of a ternary complex between those reagents and lead cations. The developed flow system includes a lead pre-concentration step in a column packed with a cationic resin (Chelex 100) operating in a sequential injection mode. To improve the mixture of sample and reagents, a flow injection approach was adopted for the colorimetric determination. This way a hybrid flow system, involving both sequential and flow injection concepts was designed. Another feature of the proposed system is the efficient elimination of major interferent species, such as cadmium and copper. The elimination of cadmium interference is obtained by complexing Cd²⁺ with chloride and retaining the formed negatively charged complexes in an anionic resin, AG1 X-8. As for copper, with the presence of both ionic resins as well as the conditions for cadmium elimination, it no longer acts as an interferent. Different ranges of lead concentration (50-300 and 300-1000 μg l⁻¹) can be determined with minor changes in the controlling software, useful for application to both natural and waste waters. Therefore, a detection limit of 25 μg l⁻¹ was achieved. Repeatability was evaluated from 10 consecutive determinations being the results better than 4%. The recoveries of lead spikes added to the samples ranged from 93 to 102%. The sampling frequency was 17 and 24 determinations per hour, for 50-300 and 300-1000 μg l⁻¹ ranges, respectively.