A study of HPLC separation and spectrophotometric and voltammetric detection of 4′-substituted derivatives of 3-carboxy-4-hydroxy-6-acetylaminoazobenzene

 Optimised conditions have been found for the separation of 3-carboxy-4-hydroxy-6-acetylaminoazo-benzene derivatives substituted in the position 4′ (4′-R-CHAAB, where R=–H, –CH₃, –OCH₃, –Cl, –COCH₃, –NO₂ and –NHCOCH₃) using reversed phase HPLC with a C18 chemically bonded stationary phase. Suitable mobile phases are mixtures of 0.01 mol/L NaH₂PO₄ at pH 4 with methanol (1+1), 0.01 mol/L NaH₂PO₄ at pH 2 with acetonitrile (1+1) or 1% aqueous acetic acid with methanol (4+6). UV photometry is the most universal detection technique and yields limits of detection around 10^-6 mol/L. Direct anodic voltammetry on a glassy carbon fibre array detector yields lower limits of detection for –COCH₃ derivatives and higher limits of detection for –NO₂ and –NHCOCH₃ derivatives. When the analytes are chemically reduced using zinc powder in acetic acid, the voltammetric detection has limits of detection one order of magnitude lower than those obtained UV photometrically. Received: 27 June 1996/Revised: 25 October 1996/Accepted: 3 November 1996     

Coordination Germanium(IV) Compounds with Nitrosubstituted Benzoylhydrazones of Salicylaldehyde

New germanium(IV) complexes with N-[X-benzoyl]hydrazones of salicylaldehyde (X-H₂L, where X = 2-, 3-, and 4-NO₂; H₂L = C₆H₄–CO–NH–NCH–C₆H₄OH) with the compositions [Ge(2-NO₂–L)₂], [Ge(3-NO₂–L)₂], and [Ge(4-NO₂–L)₂] were synthesized. The data of IR, UV, and ¹H, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy showed that the complexes had an octahedral structure and ligand coordination through the nitrogen atom of the azomethine group and two oxygen atoms of the doubly deprotonated form of the ligand. The thermal stability of the complexes was studied. The specific features of the mass spectrometric behavior of the substances in the gas phase under electron impact were considered.     

Comparison study between indirect photometric and direct conductivity detection for anion exchange chromatography using naphthalenesulfonate derivatives as mobile phases

Summary Indirect photometric and unsuppressed direct conductivity detection modes are examined using naphthalene mono-, di-, and tri-sulfonate as mobile phases for the separation of several anions such as F^–, Cl^–, NO₂ ^–, Br^–, NO₃ ^–, SO₄=,I^–, and SCN^– using a commercial anion exchange column. With all three mobile phases, conductivity detection shows better sensitivities and detection limits than indirect photometry. Conductivity detection is 5 to 16 times more sensitive than indirect photometry for all analytes. Detection limits achieved using these mobile phases are, for example, 0.04 ng and 0.1 ng for chloride ion with conductivity and indirect photometry, respectively. Both detection modes give wide linear ranges extending from at least 100 ppm to the detection limit of each anion which is generally about 0.02 ppm. Sulfur oxide anions such as dithionate and tetrathionate are separated using flow programming with naphthalenetrisulfonate as the mobile phase in less than 20 minutes. With both detection modes, desired chromatographic performance of these three eluents is achieved without pH adjustment of the mobile phase.     

Flow-injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric study of the automated on-line pre-reduction of arsenate, methylarsonate and dimethylarsinate and high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of their -cysteine complexes

An automated on-line pre-reduction of arsenate, monomethylarsonate (MMA) and dimethylarsinate (DMA) using flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HGAAS) is feasible. The kinetics of pre-reduction and complexation depend strongly on the concentration of -cysteine and on the temperature in the following increasing order: inorganic As(V)<DMA<MMA. Arsenate is pre-reduced/complexed within less than 50 s at 70–100°C compared to 1 h at room temperature, while MMA and DMA require 1.5–2 min at 70–100°C and up to 1–2 h at room temperature. The characteristic masses and concentrations for 100 μl injections are 0.01 ng and 0.1 μg l⁻¹ in integrated absorbance and 0.2 ng and 2 μg l⁻¹ in peak height measurements, and the limits of detection are ca. 0.5 ng and 5 μg l⁻¹, respectively. In a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–HGAAS system, the -cysteine complexes of inorganic As(III), MMA and DMA are best separated within 7 min by HPLC on a strongly acidic cation exchange column such as Spherisorb S SCX 120×4 mm (5 μm) with a mobile phase containing 12 mmol l⁻¹ phosphate buffer (KH₂PO₄/H₃PO₄)–2.5 mmol l⁻¹ -cysteine, pH 3.3–3.5. Upon dilution to -cysteine levels below 10 mmol l⁻¹, which are compatible with HPLC separations, the DMA–cysteine complex is unstable on storage. No baseline separations are possible with anion exchange and reverse phase C₁₈ HPLC columns. The limits of detection with 50 μl injections in peak area mode are ca. 0.5 ng and 10 μg l⁻¹, respectively.     

Spectroscopic and voltammetric studies of Pefloxacin bound to calf thymus double-stranded DNA

Spectral and electrochemical studies have been carried out on the interaction of pefloxacin with calf thymus double-stranded dsDNA. The voltammetric behavior of pefloxacin was investigated at glassy carbon, carbon paste and dsDNA-modified carbon paste electrodes using cyclic voltammetry. Pefloxacin was oxidized, yielding one irreversible oxidation peak. The modification of the carbon paste surface with dsDNA allowed an accumulation process to take place for pefloxacin such that higher sensitivity was achieved compared with the bare surface. The response was characterized with respect to ionic strength, accumulation time, pefloxacin concentration, and other variables. The stripping differential pulse voltammetric response showed a linear calibration curve in the range 1.0×10^–7–1.0×10^–5 mol l^–1 with a detection limit of 5.0×10^–8 mol l^–1 at the dsDNA modified electrode. The method was applied to the direct determination of pefloxacin in diluted urine samples.     

Study of the complexation chemistry and speciation of thallium for on-line preconcentration with immobilised quinolin-8-ol

The effects of various buffering reagents and pH conditions were investigated by flame atomic absorption spectrometry to optimise complexation of T1³⁺ with quinolin-8-ol (8-Q), immobilised on controlled-pore glass beads in a 5-cm column. As Tl³⁺ is a softer acid than the other trivalent cations of the Group III elements, the effects of the buffers are different from those observed previously for Al³⁺, Ga³⁺ and In³⁺. A mixed buffer of 0.1 mol l^–1 acetate and 0.1 mol l^–1 ammonium chloride at pH 10 proved most successful, although 0.1 mol l^–1 maleate was also satisfactory over a pH range of 4–10. As thallium normally exists as Tl⁺ in solution, an oxidation method was developed to convert the ions to Tl³⁺, which is more efficiently complexed by 8-Q. Addition of 1–10 l of bromine per 100 ml of sample was sufficient to oxidise Tl⁺ without heating. Excess bromine was removed by addition of phenol. With a flow-rate of 6 ml min^–1, the detection limit of Tl³⁺ is 3 ng ml^–1, for a 3-miri preconcentration time. The enrichment factor under these conditions is 55 and the characteristic concentration is 2 ng ml^–1. The major ions in sea water did not interfere with Tl³⁺ preconcentration and the tolerable limits of Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺ and Al³⁺ are high enough to permit analysis of river and sea waters. The method was applied successfully to the determination of thallium in potassium-enriched table salt. It was also shown that the concentrations of Tl⁺ and Tl³⁺ in a solution can be derived using the described procedure, allowing speciation of inorganic thallium.     

Multiresidue analysis of phenylurea herbicides in environmental waters by capillary electrophoresis using electrochemical detection

A rapid multiresidue method has been developed for the analysis of seven phenylurea herbicides in the presence of two s-triazines in environmental waters. A simple end-column electrochemical detector was used in combination with a commercially-available capillary electrophoresis instrument with UV detection. The determination of phenylurea pesticides using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with electrochemical detection represents the first such determination that has been reported. In both detection systems, linear ranges were obtained for the seven phenylurea herbicides at concentrations lower than 2.0×10^–5 mol l^–1, in 0.020 mol l^–1 phosphoric acid at pH 7.0 and containing 0.020 mol l^–1 of sodium dodecylsulfate, in order to obtain selectivity in the additional separation by a micellar distribution process. Under these conditions a detection limit lower than 5.0×10^–6 mol l^–1 (0.25 pmol of pesticide) was achieved for most of them. The pesticides were resolved in less than 30 min.     

Voltammetric study of the interaction of lomefloxacin (LMF)–Mg(II) complex with DNA and its analytical application

The voltammetric behavior of the LMF-Mg(II) complex with DNA at a mercury electrode is reported for the first time. In NH₃–NH₄Cl buffer (pH=9.10), the adsorption phenomena of the LMF–Mg(II) complex were observed by linear sweep voltammetry. The mechanism of the electrode reaction was found to be a reduction of LMF in the complex, and the composition of the LMF–Mg(II) complex is 2:1. In the presence of calf thymus DNA (ctDNA), the peak current of LMF–Mg(II) complex decreased considerably, and a new well-defined adsorptive reduction peak appeared at −1.63 V (vs. SCE). The electrochemical kinetic parameters and the binding number of LMF–Mg(II) with ctDNA were also obtained. Moreover, the new peak currents of LMF–Mg(II)–DNA system increased linearly correlated to the concentration of DNA in the 4.00×10⁻⁷–2.60×10⁻⁶ g ml⁻¹ range when the concentrations of LMF–Mg(II) complex was fixed at 5.00×10⁻⁶ mol l⁻¹, with the detection limits of 2.33×10⁻⁷ g ml⁻¹. An electrostatic interaction was suggested by electrochemical method.     

Separation and determination of l-tyrosine and its metabolites by capillary zone electrophoresis with a wall-jet amperometric detection

A method of capillary electrophoresis with wall-jet amperometric detection (AD) has been developed for separation and determination of l-tyrosine (Tyr) and its metabolites, such as Tyramine (TA), p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic (pHPP), homogentisic acid (HGA) and some dipeptides containing Tyr, such as Tyr-Gly-Gly (YGG), Tyr-Arg (YR) and Tyr-d-Arg (Y-d-R). A carbon disk electrode was used as the working electrode and the optimal detection potential was 1.00 V (versus Ag/AgCl). At 18 kV of applied voltage, the seven compounds were completely separated within 20 min in 110 × 10⁻³ mol/L Na₂HPO₄–NaH₂PO₄ buffer (pH 7.10) containing 3 × 10⁻³ mol/L β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). Good linear relationship was obtained for all analytes and the detection limits of seven analytes were in the range of 0.95–4.25 ng/mL. The proposed method has been applied to examine the metabolic process of l-tyrosine in rabbit's urine.     

Studies on the voltammetric behaviour of a 2-mercaptoimidazole containing carbon paste electrode: determination of traces of silver

The voltammetric behaviour of a 2-mercaptoimidazole (2-MI) containing carbon paste electrode was studied. When mixed to carbon paste as an electrode modifier, 2-MI can be reduced at negative potentials (–1 V vs. SCE), but it does not give a response in the potential range where Ag(0) is oxidized to Ag(I). Silver could be accumulated from 0.1 mol l^–1 acetate buffer onto a 2-MI modified carbon paste electrode without a potential applied; after medium exchange, it was reduced at –1 V vs. SCE in 0.1 mol l^–1 acetate buffer solution and determined by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. With suitable preconcentration times, the detection limit was 0.1 g l^–1; a linear relation between current and concentration was found to exist within a range of 0.5 to 1000 g l^–1. In the presence of EDTA, common metal ions have no or only little effect on the voltammetric determination of silver.     

Simultaneous determination of uric acid, xanthine and hypoxanthine with an electrochemically pretreated carbon paste electrode

A simple method is presented for the simultaneous differential pulse voltammetric determination of uric acid, xanthine and hypoxanthine. It is based on the improved current responses of the three analytes at carbon paste electrodes polarized in a dilute alkaline medium (0.002 mol/l NaOH, 0.1 mol/l NaClO₄) at 1.3 V vs. SCE for a short time. Compared with the methods reported in the literature, this procedure has a much wider linear range (2 to 3 orders of magnitude in concentration), lower detection limits (5 to 10 g l^–1) and less interference by ascorbic acid. The electrochemical responses were found to be dependent on the pre-anodization potential and the time imposed on the electrodes as well as on the alkalinity of the supporting electrolyte. The proposed procedure was used to determine uric acid, xanthine and hypoxanthine in human urine without any preliminary treatment.     

Determination of medecamycin by adsorptive stripping voltammetry with an activated electrode

The adsorptive and electrochemical behaviors of medecamycin were investigated on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) pretreated by anodic oxidation at +1.8 V for 5 min in 0.025 mol l^–1 NH₃-NH₄Cl (pH 8.6) solution. An adsorptive stripping voltammetric method for the determination of medecamycin at the pretreated glassy carbon electrode has been developed. Medecamycin was accumulated in NH₃-NH₄Cl buffer (pH 9.0) at a potential of –0.7 V (vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE)) for a certain time, and then determined by second-order differential anodic stripping voltammetry. The second-order differential anodic stripping peak current at +0.72 V was proportional to the concentration of medecamycin in the range 2.0 g ml^–1 to 50.0 g ml^–1. The detection limit (three times the signal-to-noise) was 1.0 g ml^–1 and the relative standard deviation of the results was 3.28% for eight successive determinations of 10.0 g ml^–1 medecamycin. This method has been applied to the direct determination of medecamycin in commercial tablets and spiked urine samples with satisfactory results.     

Determination of nanomolar levels of guanine by differential-pulse adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry of its copper(II) complex

Guanine is determined at the 5.0×10^–10 –2.0×10^–7 mol/l level by differential-pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry at a hanging mercury drop electrode using the reduction peak of its copper (II) complex at –0.21 V vs. Ag-AgCl electrode. The optimum analytical conditions were found to be Britton-Robinson buffer solution (pH 4.8), an accumulation potential of 0.0 V and an accumulation time of 3 min. Under these conditions, the detection limit is 5.0×10^–10 mol/l and the relative standard deviation 2.6% for 1.0×10^–7 mol/l guanine. The method is compared with the previous voltammetric methods. The presence of some purine derivatives does not interfere.     

The double K+/Ca2+ sensor based on laser scanned silicon transducer (LSST) for multi-component analysis

In the present work a double ion sensor based on a laser scanned semiconductor transducer (LSST) for the simultaneous determination of K⁺- and Ca²⁺-ions in solutions has been developed. Specially elaborated ion-sensitive membrane compositions based on valinomycin and calcium ionophore calcium bis[4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenyl] phosphate (t-HDOPP-Ca) were deposited as separate layers on a silanized surface of the Si/SiO₂/Si₃N₄-transducer. The proposed multi-sensor exhibits theoretical sensitivities and the detection limits of the sensor were found to be 2×10⁻⁶ mol l⁻¹ for K⁺ and 5×10⁻⁶ mol l⁻¹ for Ca²⁺. The elaborated double sensor is proposed for the first time as a prototype of a new type of multi-sensor systems for chemical analysis.     

Determination of sulfur contents of SO3, S2O3 and S based on the electrocatalytic interaction with homogeneous mediator tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)Ru(II)

A sensitive voltammetric method has been developed for the determination of total or single species of sulfur anions containing sulfide, sulfite and thiosulfate. The method is based on the catalytic effect of tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)Ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₂^+ 2) as a homogeneous mediator on the oxidation of those anions at the surface of a glassy carbon electrode. A reversible redox couple of Ru(II)/Ru(III) were observed as a solute in aqueous solution. Cyclic voltammetry study showed that the catalytic current of the system depends on the concentration of the anions. Optimum pH values for voltammetric determination of sulfite, thiosulfate and sulfide has been found to be 5.6, 10.0 and 10.0, respectively. Under the optimized conditions the calibration curves have been obtained linear in the concentration ranges of 0.8–500.0, 0.4–1000.0 and 0.5–5000.0 µmol L^− 1 of SO₃²⁻, S₂O₃²⁻ and S²⁻, respectively. The detection limits have been calculated to be 0.40, 0.17 and 0.33 µmol L^− 1 for SO₃²⁻, S₂O₃²⁻ and S²⁻, respectively. The diffusion coefficients of sulfite and thiosulfate have been estimated using chronoamperometry. The chronoamperometric method also has been used to determine the catalytic rate constant for catalytic reaction of the Ru(bpy)₂^+ 2 with sulfite and thiosulfate. Finally the proposed method has been used for the determination of total sulfur contents in real samples of water and wastewater. Moreover the sulfite content in sugar and sulfur dioxide in air has been determined with satisfactory results.     

Determination of V(V), Nb(V) and Ta(V) as their 2-(5-nitro-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol complexes by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography

A method for the reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation and determination of V(V), Nb(V) and Ta(V) as 2-(5-nitro-2-pyridylazo)-5 diethylaminophenol (5-NO₂-PADAP) complexes is reported. The metal complexes were eluted in 9 min with a mobile phase of methanol-water (54 : 46, v/v) containing 10 mmol L^–1 acetate buffer (pH 3.0) on an ODS column. The detection limits for V, Nb and Ta were 0.09, 0.13 and 1.41 ng mL^–1, respectively, with S/N=3. The analysis of a reference sample of a mineral is discussed. The results corresponded to the certified values, and recoveries of 98.3–101.4% have been obtained.     

Separation of inorganic anions by reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography with direct UV detection

In this paper, a separation method of the inorganic anions including I^–, NO ₂ ^– , NO ₃ ^– , IO ₃ ^– and SCN^– on the reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography with direct UV detection has been developed, and the limits of detection of these inorganic anions were determined. The effects of the organic modifier volume fraction and concentration of the ion-pair reagent on the retention of inorganic anions were discussed.     

Silver nanoparticle assemblies supported on glassy-carbon electrodes for the electro-analytical detection of hydrogen peroxide

Electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide using an edge-plane pyrolytic-graphite electrode (EPPG), a glassy carbon (GC) electrode, and a silver nanoparticle-modified GC electrode is reported. It is shown, in phosphate buffer (0.05 mol L^–1, pH 7.4), that hydrogen peroxide cannot be detected directly on either the EPPG or GC electrodes. However, reduction can be facilitated by modification of the glassy-carbon surface with nanosized silver assemblies. The optimum conditions for modification of the GC electrode with silver nanoparticles were found to be deposition for 1 min at –0.5 V vs. Ag from 5 mmol L^–1 AgNO₃/0.1 mol L^–1 TBAP/MeCN, followed by stripping for 2 min at +0.5 V vs. Ag in the same solution. A wave, due to the reduction of hydrogen peroxide on the silver nanoparticles is observed at –0.68 V vs. SCE. The limit of detection for this modified nanosilver electrode was 2.0×10^–6 mol L^–1 for hydrogen peroxide in phosphate buffer (0.05 mol L^–1, pH 7.4) with a sensitivity which is five times higher than that observed at a silver macro-electrode. Also observed is a shoulder on the voltammetric wave corresponding to the reduction of oxygen, which is produced by silver-catalysed chemical decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen then oxygen reduction at the surface of the glassy-carbon electrode.     

Electroanalytical and chromatographic determination of pentachlorophenol and related molecules in a contaminated soil: a real case example

Electroanalytical and chromatographic methodologies have been applied for the determination of pentachlorophenol (PCP) and some of its derivatives in real soil samples contaminated by industrial discharge. The analytes were extracted with hexane from soil samples collected at different points of the site and mixed to produce a representative sample. Square wave voltammetry (SWV) experiments were carried out on either a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode or a gold ultramicroelectrode (Au-UME) in an analyte composed by the Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer at pH 5.5 with the direct addition of proper amounts of the extract. The voltammetric responses revealed an irreversible anodic peak at approximately 0.80 V vs. Ag/AgCl with a peak current showing a linear dependence on PCP concentration. This linear relationship yielded a detection limit (DL) of 2×10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹ (or 5.5 μg l⁻¹) for the BDD electrode and 6.9×10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹ (18.4 μg l⁻¹) for the Au-UME, while the independently measured HPLC detection limit was 1.1×10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹ (3.0 μg l⁻¹). The application of electroanalytical and chromatographic methodologies in the analysis of soil extracts revealed, besides the PCP responses, signals for some related molecules such as o-tetrachlorobenzoquinone (o-chloranil), hexachlorobenzene and tetrachlorophenol. Recovering experiments for PCP showed a concentration of 27.5 mg kg⁻¹ for the electroanalytical determinations and 26.8 mg kg⁻¹ for the HPLC analysis, values exceedingly high if considering that the maximum residue limit established for natural waters by the Brazilian Environmental Agency is 10 μg l⁻¹.     

Determination of IO 3 − by flow injection analysis with 5-Br-PADAP and SCN−

This paper reports that a red-violet triatomic ion association is formed by protonated 2-(5-bromo-2-pridylazo)-5-diethylamino-o-phenol, IO ₃ ^– and SCN^– in 1.2 mol/l H₂SO₄. A rapid spectrophotometric flow-injection method has been developed for the determination of IO ₃ ^– based on the association reaction. Various parameters were optimized. The method is applied to kelp solution and satisfactory results were obtained. The limit of detection for IO ₃ ^– is 6.0 × 10^–7 mol/l with a sample throughput rate of 84 h^–1.