Electrochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide for Forensic Electrochemistry: Detection of Cocaine and its Adulterants Paracetamol,Caffeine and Levamisole

This communication shows the improved performance of electrochemically‐reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) modified electrodes for the square‐wave voltammetric detection of cocaine (COC) and its main adulterants paracetamol (PAR), caffeine (CAF) and levamisole (LEV). The four compounds can be identified in a single voltammetric scan on the ERGO‐modified electrode with adequate resolution of peaks and increase in current (at least 2‐fold) in comparison with the unmodified electrode. Moreover, electrode fouling typically verified during the oxidation of CAF and LEV is eliminated. CAF and PAR were determined in a real COC sample and satisfactory recovery values were obtained (103 and 85 %, respectively).     

A Comparative Study of Voltammetric vs Impedimetric Immunosensor for Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Detection at the Point-of-care

Here, a novel biosensing platform for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 usable both at voltammetric and impedimetric mode is reported. The platform was constructed on a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) screen-printed electrode (SPE) functionalized by methylene blue (MB), antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SP), a bioactive layer of chitosan (CS) and protein A (PrA). The voltammetric sensor showed superior performances both in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and spiked-saliva samples, with LOD values of 5.0±0.1 and 30±2.1 ng/mL, compared to 20±1.8 and 50±2.5 ng/mL for the impedimetric sensor. Moreover, the voltammetric immunosensor was tested in real saliva, showing promising results.     

Sensitive and Selective Voltammetric Determination of Ciprofloxacin Using Screen-printed Electrodes Modified with Carbon Black and Magnetic-molecularly Imprinted Polymer

This work reports the construction of screen-printed electrode (SPE) modified with carbon black (CB) and magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles coated with molecularly imprinted polymer (mag@MIP) based on an alternative low-cost approach. The proposed device was used for the sensitive and selective voltammetric determination of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. The results obtained from cyclic voltammetry pointed to the improvement of the SPE response toward the irreversible oxidation of ciprofloxacin after the modification of the electrode surface with CB-based film and the magnetic preconcentration of mag@MIP containing adsorbed ciprofloxacin molecules. Compared to the non-molecularly imprinted sensor (mag@NIP), the presence of cavities selective for ciprofloxacin recognition in the mag@MIP nanoparticles accounted for the improvement in analytical signal of the molecularly imprinted sensor. The application of differential pulse voltammetry for ciprofloxacin determination yielded a linear response in the concentration range of 0.5 to 7.0 μmol L⁻¹. The repeatability and interference tests results showed that the proposed electrochemical sensor has good measurement accuracy and selectivity. The proposed device was applied for the voltammetric determination of ciprofloxacin in river water and synthetic urine samples, where recovery rates close to 100 % were recorded for all the samples. The quantification data obtained from the application of the proposed voltammetric method were quite consistent with those of the HPLC reference method.     

Optimizing the extraction and analysis of DHEA sulfate, corticosteroids and androgens in urine: application to a study of the influence of corticosteroid intake on urinary steroid profiles

A method of detecting and quantifying dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) sulfate, corticosteroids, and androgens has been developed. All of the compounds were first extracted from urine using solid phase extraction (SPE), enzymatically hydrolyzed, and separated into three samples using a second SPE. A DHEA sulfate sample was acetylated and re-extracted using SPE for purification before analysis. Corticosteroid samples were oxidized and re-extracted using liquid/liquid extraction for analysis. Androgen samples were acetylated and re-extracted using SPE prior to analysis. The extraction and analysis methods were investigated and optimized. Analyses were performed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC/FID). The entire procedure was then applied to the study of urine profiles of healthy volunteers and patients treated with corticosteroids. The results showed that the quantities of androgens found in patient urines were lower than in those of healthy volunteers. In addition, other metabolites were detected in patient urines.     

Coupling of an indicator-free electrochemical DNA biosensor with polymerase chain reaction for the detection of DNA sequences related to the apolipoprotein E

This paper describes a disposable indicator-free electrochemical DNA biosensor applied to the detection of apolipoprotein E (apoE) sequences in PCR samples. In the indicator-free assays, the duplex formation was detected by measuring the electrochemical signal of the guanine base of nucleic acids. The biosensor format involved the immobilisation of an inosine-modified (guanine-free) probe onto a screen-printed electrode (SPE) transducer and the detection of the duplex formation in connection with the square-wave voltammetric measurement of the oxidation peak of the guanine of the target sequence.The indicator-free scheme has been characterised using 23-mer oligonucleotides as model: parameters affecting the hybridisation assay such as probe immobilisation conditions, hybridisation time, use of hybridisation accelerators were examined and optimised.The analysis of PCR samples (244 bp DNA fragments, obtained by amplification of DNA extracted from human blood) required a further optimisation of the experimental procedure. In particular, a lower steric hyndrance of the probe modified surface was essential to allow an efficient hybridisation of the target DNA fragment. Negative controls have been performed using the PCR blank and amplicons unrelated to the immobilised probe. A 10 min hybridisation time allowed a full characterisation of each sample.     

Automatic sample preparation of sulfonamide antibiotic residues in chicken breast muscle by using dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled with solid-phase extraction

In the work, a rapid, simple and high-throughput sample preparation method was developed for the determination of sulfonamide (SA) antibiotic residues in chicken breast muscle. The extraction and clean-up were online combined and up to 20 samples can be treated simultaneously in 6 min. The SAs were first extracted with acetonitrile under the action of microwave energy, and then the extract was directly introduced into the SPE column for on-line clean-up and concentration. Subsequently, the SAs eluted from the SPE column were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The precisions of extraction results of 20 samples were in the range of 4.9-7.4%. The limits of detection and quantification obtained were in the range of 2.4-3.6 ng/g and 8.6-11.3 ng/g for SAs, respectively. The recoveries of SAs obtained by analyzing chicken muscles at three fortified levels (10, 50 and 500 ng/g) were in the range of 82.6-93.2%. The results of the validation process prove that the proposed method is suitable for treating numbers of complex samples simultaneously in a short time.     

Fast Electrochemical Characterization of Historical Glasses Using Carbon Screen‐Printed Electrodes and Ultrasonic Assisted Sampling

A new method for lead oxide (PbO) analysis in glasses, using a carbon screen printed electrode (SPE) is proposed. A suspension of the powdered glass sample in nitric acid is prepared using an ultrasonic probe, 100 µL of slurry are deposited on the SPE and the voltammetric measurement is carried out. Structural information of PbO in the glass matrix is obtained by CV. Lead quantification is performed by DPV. In the best conditions a LOD of 2.30 wt% of PbO was obtained. The method has been applied with good results in the analysis of historical glasses samples.     

Electrochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide as Screen‐printed Electrode Modifier for Fenamiphos Determination

In this study, electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) was used for the preparation of a screen‐printed modified electrode and applied for the voltammetric determination of fenamiphos (FNP) in tomato samples. Graphene oxide (GO) used for sensor construction was prepared according to an improved Hummers method and characterized by XRD, TEM, and FTIR, which confirmed the nanomaterial obtention. The ERGO formation was carried out from the electrodeposition by cyclic voltammetry, at 50 mV s^?1 in the potential range of 0.0 to ?1.5 V, during 50 cycles. ERGO‐SPE was used in the evaluation of the voltammetric behavior of FNP. The ERGO‐SPE proposed presented excellent electrochemical performance towards FNP oxidation, promoting an enhance on the anodic peak current and a decrease of peak potential. Under optimized conditions, it was possible to construct an analytical curve, using square wave voltammetry, with a linear region of 0.25 to 25.0 μM, with calculated limits of detection and quantification of 0.067 and 0.22 μM. From this, it was possible to analyze FNP in fortified tomato samples at three concentration levels, which showed recoveries values varying between 82 and 102 %. The ERGO‐SPE device proved useful in determining FNP, where the effect of the electrodeposition of the GO promoted a significant increase in the employability of the printed electrode.     

Rapid Electrochemical Detection of Vanillin in Natural Vanilla

A commercially available and disposable multiwalled carbon nanotube screen‐printed electrode (CNT‐SPE) was employed to detect and determine vanillin compounds in natural vanilla. The voltammetric behaviour of vanillin at the CNT‐SPE is examined and shown to be a sensitive method for quantifying vanillin. Linear calibration for vanillin in the range of 2.5–750 μM was obtained with a detection limit of 1.03 μM and a quantification limit of 3.44 μM. The developed method comprises a simple sample preparation method and a sensitive electrochemical detection for the quantification of vanillin in vanilla pods and is an easy and simple procedure for manufacturers and consumers.     

High-throughput sample preparation and analysis using 96-well membrane solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of steroids in human urine

A 96-well solid-phase extraction (SPE) system is used to rapidly prepare human urine samples for high-throughput quantitative analysis of two steroids, equilenin and progesterone, by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using deuterated estrone as the internal standard. We define high-throughput here as analysis of 384 samples in a 24 h period. A total of 384 samples and standards were extracted by an individual in one day and subsequently analyzed within a 24 h period. The inter- and intratray accuracy and precision obtained over the course of these injections was within 8% coefficient of variation when analyzed by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry using positive ion detection. A semiautomated sample processing workstation was used to add internal standard and then process 96 samples at a time. The recovery of the analytes from the SPE was approximately 85%. The accuracy and precision obtained was comparable to that ordinarily obtained using manual sample preparation techniques.     

Square‐wave Voltammetric Determination of Propyphenazone,Paracetamol, and Caffeine: Comparative Study between Batch Injection Analysis and Conventional Electrochemical Systems

In this work, the performance of two methods for simultaneous determination of propyphenazone (PRO), paracetamol (PAR), and caffeine (CAF) were compared. One is based on the use of a conventional electrochemical cell (steady‐state condition) and the other on the use of a batch injection analysis (BIA) cell; both systems were associated with square‐wave voltammetric detection (SWV). Three well separated (▵E ≥ 0.25 V) oxidation peaks were obtained for PRO, PAR, and CAF using 0.1 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄ as electrolyte and a boron‐doped diamond (BDD) as working electrode. In addition, the electrochemical oxidation mechanism of PRO is being proposed for the first time. The average relative standard deviations of CB and BIA methods were 4.1 % and 3.1 %, respectively. The conventional system presented better limits of detection and the BIA system a significantly greater throughput (four times faster). Statistical comparison between the results obtained with both proposed methods and those obtained by chromatography was carried out and no significant differences were observed (95 % confidence level).     

Rapid determination of 95 pesticides in soybean oil using liquid-liquid extraction followed by centrifugation, freezing and dispersive solid phase extraction as cleanup steps and gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection

A multi-residue method using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) followed by centrifugation, freezing and dispersive solid phase extraction (dispersive SPE) as clean up steps and gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection has been developed for the determination of trace levels of 95 pesticides in soybean oil. LLE has been optimized to extract these pesticide residues from soybean oil by studying the effect of different partitions between (i) acetonitrile (MeCN) saturated with petroleum ether and a soybean oil solution dissolved in petroleum ether saturated with MeCN, (ii) partition between MeCN and a soybean oil solution dissolved in petroleum ether saturated with MeCN, (iii) partition between MeCN and a soybean oil solution dissolved in petroleum ether, (iv) partition between MeCN saturated with n-hexane and a soybean oil solution dissolved in n-hexane saturated with MeCN, (v) partition between MeCN and a soybean oil solution, (vi) partition between MeCN and a soybean oil solution dissolved in n-hexane and (vii) partition between MeCN and a soybean oil solution dissolved in mixture of acetone and n-hexane (3:2) to the highest recovery yield of pesticides and the lowest co-extract fat residue in the final extract. Experiments were carried out in order to study the efficiency of using centrifugation and freezing steps as well as the used of primary secondary amine (PSA), florisil, graphite carbon black (GCB) and C18 for dispersive SPE on clean up stages to minimize the co-extract fat. The recoveries obtained ranged from 80 to 114% and the relative standard deviation (RSDs) from 2 to 14% for spiking levels of 0.040, 0.080 and 0.160 mg kg^− 1. The limits of quantification (LOQs) of almost all compounds were below the maximum residue limits (MRLs) established by the Korean legislations for soybean oil.     

Combination of dispersive solid‐phase extraction and salting‐out homogeneous liquid–liquid extraction for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in cereal grains

A new analytical method for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in cereal samples was developed by combining dispersive SPE (d‐SPE) and salting‐out homogeneous liquid–liquid extraction (SHLLE). The pesticides were first extracted from cereal grains with acetonitrile, followed by d‐SPE cleanup. A 2 mL aliquot of the extract was then added to a centrifuge tube containing 9.2 mL water and 3.3 g NaCl for SHLLE. Analysis of the extract was carried out by gas chromatography coupled with flame photometric detection. The d‐SPE procedure effectively provides the necessary cleanup of the extract while SHLLE is used as an efficient concentration technique. Experimental parameters influencing the extraction efficiency including amounts of added water and salt were investigated. Recovery studies were carried out at three fortification levels, yielding recoveries in the range of 57.7–98.1% with the RSD from 3.7 to 10.9%. The reported limits of determination obtained from this study were 1 μg/kg, which is better than the conventional methods. In the analysis of 40 wheat and corn samples taken from Beijing suburbs, only two wheat samples have chlorpyrifos residue over the limits of determination.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of fosthiazate residues in environmental samples and application of the method to a fosthiazate field dissipation study

A method was developed and validated for the determination of residues of the organophosphorus nematicide fosthiazate in soil and water by using reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV detection. Good recoveries (>85%) of fosthiazate residues were obtained from water samples (drinking water, groundwater, and liquid chromatography water) after passage of 0.5-2 L water through solid-phase extraction (SPE) C-18 cartridges and subsequent elution with ethyl acetate. Residues in soil were extracted with methanol-water (75 + 25, v/v) on a wrist-action shaker, and the extract was cleaned up on C-18 SPE cartridges before analysis. The method was validated by analysis of a range of soils with different physicochemical characteristics; recoveries exceeded 87% at fortification levels ranging from 0.02 to 5.0 mg/kg. The precision values obtained for the method, expressed as repeatability and reproducibility, were satisfactory (<11%). Fosthiazate detection limits were 0.025 microg/L and 0.005 mg/kg for water and soil samples, respectively. The decline in the levels of fosthiazate residues in soil was measured after application of fosthiazate to protected tomato cultivation. The dissipation of fosthiazate residues followed first-order kinetics with a calculated half-life of 21 days.     

Electrochemical Oxidation and Sensitive Determination of Acetaminophen in Pharmaceuticals at Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐Modified Screen‐Printed Electrodes

The current study reports electrocatalytic oxidation of acetaminophen at screen‐printed electrode (SPE) modified with electrogenerated poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film. Cyclic voltammetric studies show that the SPE/PEDOT electrode lowers overpotentials and improves electrochemical behavior of acetaminophen (ACAP) in aqueous buffer solutions, compared to the bare SPE. Excellent analytical features are achieved, including high sensitivity, low detection limit and satisfactory dynamic range, by cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and flow‐injection amperometry (FIA) under optimized conditions. The proposed methods obtain satisfactory results in detection of acetaminophen in two commercial tablets.     

GC-MS/MS法测定沉积物和生物样品中邻苯二甲酸酯

采用固相萃取(SPE)和QuEChERS技术结合气相色谱-串联质谱(GC-MS/MS)技术,建立了养殖海域沉积物和生物样品中16种邻苯二甲酸酯(PAEs)定量分析方法.沉积物样品以二氯甲烷为提取溶剂,经PSA-Silica固相萃取柱净化,生物样品以乙腈为提取溶剂,经150.0 mg N-丙基乙二胺(PSA)、150.0...     

气相色谱-串联质谱检测烟草中15种苯氧羧酸类除草剂残留

建立了气相色谱-串联质谱技术对烟草中15种苯氧羧酸类除草剂农药残留量的分析方法。样品采用乙腈提取、Carbon TPT固相萃取柱净化、三甲基硅烷化重氮甲烷衍生化,采用气相色谱-串联质谱对15种苯氧羧酸类除草剂进行测定,通过保留时间、选择离子及相对丰度定性,外标法定量。结果表明,15种苯氧羧酸类除草剂在20~1 000μg/L浓度范围内均呈良好线性关系,相关系数大于0.992,检出限为0.9~3.3μg/kg,定量下限为3.2~10.8μg/kg。在20,100,200μg/kg 3个加标水平下的平均回收率为71.5%~105.6%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为4.5%~14.9%。该方法简便、快速、灵敏,适用于烟草中15种苯氧羧酸类除草剂的同时检测。     

Tandem use of solid-phase extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of mononitrotoluenes in aquatic environment

Solid‐phase extraction (SPE) in tandem with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been developed for the determination of mononitrotoluenes (MNTs) in several aquatic samples using gas chromatography‐flame ionization (GC‐FID) detection system. In the hyphenated SPE‐DLLME, initially MNTs were extracted from a large volume of aqueous samples (100 mL) into a 500‐mg octadecyl silane (C₁₈) sorbent. After the elution of analytes from the sorbent with acetonitrile, the obtained solution was put under the DLLME procedure, so that the extra preconcentration factors could be achieved. The parameters influencing the extraction efficiency such as breakthrough volume, type and volume of the elution solvent (disperser solvent) and extracting solvent, as well as the salt addition, were studied and optimized. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.5–500 μg/L and the limit of detection for all analytes was found to be 0.2 μg/L. The relative standard deviations (for 0.75 μg/L of MNTs) without internal standard varied from 2.0 to 6.4% (n=5). The relative recoveries of the well, river and sea water samples, spiked at the concentration level of 0.75 μg/L of the analytes, were in the range of 85–118%.     

HPLC determination of pesticides in green bean samples after SPE clean-up

Summary A reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with an acetonitrile-methanol-water mobile phase gradient and photodiode-array detection (DAD) is described for simultaneous determination of 21 pesticides, frequently used in agriculture, of different types, namely organophosphorus, organochlorine,N-methylcarbamates, triazines and phenylureas in vegetable samples. The pesticides were extracted with acetone and then partitioned from the vegetable sample with dichloromethane. Sample clean-up was accomplished by solid-phase extraction (SPE) using both C₁₈ and florisil SPE columns. Average recoveries from green beans ranged from 70.0 to 110.1%. Detection limits of less than 0.1 mg kg^–1 were obtained.     

高效液相色谱法检测多种食品基体中残留的喹氧灵

建立了采用液相色谱检测大豆、花椰菜、樱桃、木耳、葡萄酒、茶叶、蜂蜜、猪肝、鸡肉、鳗鱼等多种食品基体中喹氧灵残留的方法。利用乙酸乙酯提取样品中残留的喹氧灵,用氨基固相萃取小柱净化;对于脂肪含量较高的样品,在进行固相萃取前采用凝胶渗透色谱净化技术去脂。方法的准确度与精密度较好,在添加浓度为0.010～5.0 mg/kg时,平均回收率及相对标准偏差分别为82%～96%及3.2%～11.8%;在0.050～50.0 mg/L范围内有良好的线性关系,检测限达0.010 mg/kg。该方法适用性广,能消除复杂基质带来的干扰,可用于各类食品中喹氧灵残留的分析。