A Simple and Rapid High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method with Fluorescence Detection for the Estimation of Amikacin in Plasma ‐ Application to Preclinical Pharmacokinetics

A simple and sensitive reversed‐phase liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of amikacin by derivatization. The method is based on the pre‐column derivatization of amikacin with 9‐fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC‐Cl). Isepamicin was used as the internal standard. The derivatization reaction proceeds in aqueous solution at room temperature with a borate buffer of pH 7.3. The formation of the corresponding derivative of amikacin is instantaneous and it is stable for more than 48 h. Detection was performed by fluorescence. Several factors influencing the derivatization reaction yields were studied and optimized. The system offered the following analytical parameters: limit of detection (LOD) of 90 ng mL^?1 (3σ), linear correlation coefficient of 0.9998 and linear range response from 0.45 to 21.60 μg‐mL^?1. The precision of the method was < 6%. As a preliminary application, the method has been successfully applied to the amikacin determination in parenteral pharmaceutical formulations.     

A Selective Film Based on Poly(3‐octylthiophene) Doped with Dihydroxyanthraquinone Sulfonate

A stable film of poly(3‐octylthiophene)–dihydroxyanthraquinone sulfonate has been synthesized electrochemically in non‐aqueous solution. The incorporation of dihydroxyanthraquinone sulfonate as an anionic complexing ligand into poly(3‐octylthiophene) film during electropolymerization was achieved and copper ions were accumulated by reduction on the electrode surface. The presence of dihydroxyanthraquinone sulfonate during the electrochemical polymerization of 3‐octylthiophene is shown to impact the sensitivity and the stability of the organic conducting film electrode response. The electroanalysis of copper(II) ions using conducting polymer electrode was achieved by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry with remarkable selectivity. The analytical performance was evaluated and linear calibration graphs were obtained in the concentration range of 50–400 ng mL^?1 copper(II) ion for 240 seconds accumulation time and the limit of detection was found to be 7.8 ng mL^?1. To check the selectivity of the proposed stripping voltammetric method for copper(II) ion, various metal ions as potential interferents were tested. The developed method was applied to copper(II) determination in certified reference material, NWRI‐TMDA‐61, trace elements in fortified water.     

Determination of Silver in Human Hair by Ionic Liquid‐based Cold‐induced Aggregation Microextraction as a Solvent Extraction Method

We report on the determination of silver ion in human hair sample using ionic liquid cold‐induced aggregation combined with spectrophotometric detection. Parameters governing the extraction efficiency (such as concentration of ligand, volume of ionic liquid, pH, temperature, extraction time) were optimized and resulted in enrichment factor of 44.4 for silver ion. The calibration curve was linear with correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.999, in the concentration range from 1.0 to 20 ng mL^?1. The relative standard deviation is 2.3% (for n = 10), the limit of detection is 0.262 ng mL^?1, and relative recoveries in real samples were more than 93%.     

Indirect Atomic Absorption Determination of Cocaine via Formation and Liquid‐liquid Extraction of the Iron(III)‐cocaine Complex

The principles of metal‐alkaloid ion‐pair formation and liquid‐liquid extraction are applied to the development of a sensitive and convenient atomic absorption spectrophotometery (AAS) method for the indirect determination of cocaine. In an aqueous medium of 5 M hydrochloric acid, cocaine is protonated and is associated with tetrachloro ferrate (III) anion prior to its extraction into 1,2‐dichloroethane. The critical experimental variables were identified and optimized. The method is simple and reproducible with a detection limit (DL) of 0.1 ng cm^?3 cocaine in water, a relative standard deviation of 0.07 (n = 12), and the calibration graph was linear up to 50 ng cm^?3 cocaine.     

Speciation Analysis of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) after Solid Phase Extraction Using Modified Magnetite Nanoparticles

A new solid phase extraction (SPE) method has been developed for the speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI). This method is based on the adsorption of Cr(VI) on modified alumina‐coated magnetite nanoparticles (ACMNPs). Total chromium in different samples was determined as Cr(VI) after oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) using H₂O₂. The chromium concentration has been determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometric (FAAS) technique and amount of Cr(III) was calculated by substracting the concentration of Cr(VI) from total chromium concentration. The effect of parameters such as pH, amount of adsorbent, contact time, sample volume, eluent type, H₂O₂ concentration and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) concentration as modifier on the quantitative recovery of Cr(VI) were investigated. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the preconcentration factor, detection limit, linear range and relative standard deviation (RSD) of Cr(VI) were 140 (for 350 mL of sample solution), 0.083 ng mL^?1, 0.1‐10.0 ng mL^?1 and 4.6% (for 5.0 ng mL^?1, n = 7), respectively. This method avoided the time‐consuming column‐passing process of loading large volume samples in traditional SPE through the rapid isolation of CTAB@ACMNPs with an adscititious magnet. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination and speciation of chromium in different water and wastewater samples and suitable recoveries were obtained.     

Catalytic Spectrophotometric Determination of Titanium(IV) Using Methylene Blue‐Ascorbic Acid Redox Reaction

A highly selective and sensitive catalytic method for the determination of trace amounts of titanium(IV) was developed. The method is based on the catalytic effect of titanium(IV) on the methylene blue‐ascorbic acid redox reaction. The reaction was followed spectrophotometrically by measuring the change in absorbance of methylene blue at 665 nm, 5 minutes after the initiation of the reaction. In this study experimental parameters were optimized and the effect of the presence of various cations and some anions on the determination of titanium(IV) was examined. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 3‐25 ng mL^?1 of titanium(IV). The relative standard deviation for the determination of 10 and 20 ng mL^?1 of titanium(IV) were 2.64% and 1.51%, respectively (n = 8). The detection limit calculated from three times of standard deviation of blank 3S_b was 0.6 ng mL^?1. The method was successfully applied to the determination of titanium(IV) in tap water and ore samples.     

Preconcentration procedure using vortex-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction for the fast determination of trace levels of thorium in water samples

A new simple and rapid vortex-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction method was applied for the determination of thorium in water samples. In this method, chloroform used as extraction solvent was directly injected into the water sample solution. The extraction solvent was dispersed into the aqueous phase under vigorously shaking with the vortex. After centrifuging, the fine droplets of extractant phase were settled to the bottom of the conical-bottom centrifuge tube. The effect of different experimental parameters on the performance of the method were studied and discussed. Under the optimum conditions, the detection limit for Th(IV) was 7.5 ng mL^?1. The precision of the method, evaluated as the relative standard deviation obtained by analyzing of 10 replicates, was 2.8 %. The practical applicability of the developed method was examined using natural water and monazite sand samples.     

Voltammetric Behavior of Testosterone on Bismuth Film Electrode: Highly Sensitive Determination in Pharmaceuticals and Human Urine by Square‐Wave Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

In this paper, an electrochemical application of bismuth‐film electrode (BiFE) fabricated via ex‐situ electrodeposition onto a glassy carbon electrode for testosterone determination was investigated in aqueous and aqueous/surfactant solutions. In cyclic voltammetry, the compound showed one irreversible and adsorption‐controlled reduction peak. The BiFE revealed good linear response in the examined concentration range of 1 to 45 nmol L^?1 testosterone in Britton? Robinson buffer, pH 5.0 containing 3 mmol L^?1 cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. The limit of detection was 0.3 nmol L^?1 (0.09 ng mL^?1). Finally, the BiFE was satisfactorily applied for quantitation of testosterone in both pharmaceutical (oil‐based ampoule) and biological (human urine) samples.     

Study on the Interaction between a Novel Ionic Liquid Probe and Anionic Surfactants Using Resonance Light Scattering Spectra and Its Analytical Application

The interaction between anionic surfactants (AS) and 1‐hexadecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bromide [C₁₆mim]Br was studied by using resonance light scattering (RLS) technique, UV‐Vis spectrophotometry and fluorometric methods. In Britton Robinson (BR) buffer (pH 6.0), [C₁₆mim]Br reacted with AS to form supermolecular complex which resulted in enhancement in RLS intensity. Their maximum RLS wavelengths were all at 390 nm. Some important interacting experimental variables, such as the solution acidity, [C₁₆mim]Br concentration, salt effect and addition order of the reagents, were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, quantitative determination ranges were 0.001–7 μg·mL^?1 for dodecyl sodium sulfate (SDS), 0.001–6 μg·mL^?1 for sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) and 0.005–7 μg·mL^?1 for sodium lauryl sulfonate (SLS), respectively, while the detection limits were 1.3 ng·mL^?1 for SDS, 1.0 ng·mL^?1 for SDBS and 5.1 ng·mL^?1 for SLS, respectively. Based on the ion‐association reaction, a highly sensitive, simple and rapid method has been established for the determination of AS.     

Adsorptive Cathodic Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Uranium(VI) in Presence of N‐Phenylanthranilic Acid

N‐Phenylanthranilic acid was used as a complexing agent for determination of uranium(VI) by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry. Under the optimal experimental conditions of the experimental parameters, the peak current was proportional to the concentration of U(VI) in the range 0.75–30 ng mL^?1 and the detection limit was 0.036 ng mL^?1. The influence of possible interferences was investigated. The method was applied for determination of uranium in waste water from uranium conversion facility and natural water samples. Application of the method for simultaneous determination of U(VI) and Cu(II) showed that these ions could be simultaneously determined in a single scan at relatively wide concentration range.     

Simultaneous Kinetic‐Potentiometric Determination of Hydrazine and Thiosemicarbazide by Partial Least Squares and Principle Component Regression Methods

Simultaneous determination of hydrazine (HZ) and thiosemicarbazide (TSC) by partial least squares (PLS) and principle component regression (PCR) was carried out based on kinetic data of novel potentiometry. The rate of chloride ion production in reaction of HZ and TSC with N‐chlorosuccinimide (NCS) was monitored by a chloride ion‐selective electrode. The experimental dada shows not only the good ability of ion‐selective electrodes (ISEs) as detectors for the direct determination of chloride ions but also for simultaneous kinetic‐potentiometric analysis using chemometrics methods. The methods are based on the difference observed in the production rate of chloride ions. The results show that simultaneous determination of HZ and TSC can be performed in their concentration ranges of 0.7‐20.0 and 0.5‐20.0 μg mL^?1, respectively. The total relative standard error for applying PLS and PCR methods to 9 synthetic samples in the concentration ranges of 0.8‐10 μg mL^?1 of TSC and 1.0‐12.0 μg mL^?1 of HZ was 4.62 and 4.98, respectively. The effects of certain foreign ions upon the reaction rate were determined for the assessment of the selectivity of the method. Both methods (PLS and PCR) were validated using a set of synthetic sample mixtures and then applied for simultaneous determination of HZ and TSC in water samples.     

Improved Multianalyte Determination of the Intense Sweeteners Aspartame and Acesulfame‐K with a Solid Sensing Zone Implemented in an FIA Scheme

Abstract

A multianalyte flow‐through sensor is proposed for the simultaneous determination of aspartame (AS) and acesulfame‐K (AK) in tabletop sweeteners. The procedure is based on the transient retention of AK in the ion exchanger Sephadex DEAE A‐25 placed in the flow‐through cell of a monochannel flow injection analysis (FIA) set‐up using pH 2.70 ortophosphoric acid/sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer 0.06 M as carrier. In these conditions AS is very weakly retained, which makes it possible to measure the intrinsic ultraviolet (UV) absorbance of first AS and then AK after desorption by the carrier itself. The applicable concentration range, the detection limit, and the relative standard deviation were the following: for AS, from 10 to 100 µg mL^?1; 5.65 µg mL^?1; 3.4% (at 50 µg mL^?1); and for AK, between 40 and 100 µg mL^?1; 11.9 µg mL^?1 and 1.61% (at 50 µg mL^?1). The method was applied and validated satisfactorily for the determination of AS and AK blends in tabletop sweeteners. The results were compared against an HPLC reference method.     

Selective extraction of catecholamines by packed fiber solid‐phase using composite nanofibers composing of polymeric crown ether with polystyrene

For the first time, electrospun composite nanofibers comprising polymeric crown ether with polystyrene (PCE‐PS) have been used for the selective extraction of catecholamines – dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) – prior to their analysis by high‐performance liquid chromatography–electrochemical detection. Using a minicartridge packed with PCE‐PS composite nanofibers, the target compounds were extracted effectively from urine samples to which diphenylborinic acid 2‐aminoethyl ester was added as a complexing reagent. The extracted catecholamines could be liberated from the fiber by the addition of acetic acid. A good linearity was observed for catecholamines in the range of 2.0–200 ng mL^?1 (NE, E and DA). The detection limits of catecholamines (signal‐to‐noise ratio = 3) were 0.5 ng mL^?1 (NE), 0.2 ng mL^?1 (E) and 0.2 ng mL^?1 (DA), respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the absolute recoveries of the above three catecholamines were 90.6% (NE), 88.5% (E) and 94.5% (DA). The repeatability of extraction performance was from 5.4 to 9.2% (expressed as relative standard deviation). Our results indicate that the proposed method could be used for the determination of NE, E and DA in urine. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐residue analysis of eight thioamphetamine designer drugs in human urine by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical procedure for the simultaneous determination in human urine of several thioamphetamine designer drugs (2C‐T and ALEPH series) is reported. The quantitative analysis was performed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and has been fully validated. The mass spectrometer was operated in positive‐ion, selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. In order to minimize interferences with matrix components and to preconcentrate target analytes, solid‐phase extraction was introduced in the method as a clean‐up step. The entire method was validated for selectivity, linearity, precision and accuracy. The method turned out to be specific, sensitive, and reliable for the analysis of amphetamine derivatives in urine samples. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 1 to 100 ng mL^?1 for all drugs with correlation coefficients that exceeded 0.996. The lower limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) ranged from 1.2 to 4.9 ng mL^?1 and from 3.2 to 9.6 ng mL^?1, respectively. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Highly Selective Adsorptive Cathodic Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Uranium in the Presence of Pyromellitic Acid

A very sensitive and selective adsorptive cathodic stripping procedure for trace measurement of uranium is presented. The method is based on adsorptive accumulation of the uranium‐pyromellitic acid (benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetracarboxylic acid) complex onto a hanging mercury drop electrode, followed by reduction of the adsorbed species by voltammetric scan using differential pulse modulation. Influences of effective parameters such as pH, concentration of pyromellitic acid, accumulation potential and accumulation time on the sensitivity were studied. The peak current was proportional to the concentration of U(IV) up to 40 ng mL^?1 with a limit of detection of 0.136 ng mL^?1 with an accumulation time of 120 s. The range of linearity enhanced to 71.4 ng mL^?1and the detection limit improved to 0.058 ng mL^?1with accumulation times of 60 s and 300 s respectively. The relative standard deviation for 10 replicate determination of 4.76 ng mL^?1 U(IV) was equal to 2.7%. The possible interference by major cations and anions are investigated. The method was applied to the determination of uranium in some analytical grade salts, seawater and in synthetic samples corresponding to some uranium alloys with satisfactory results.     

Extractive Spectrophotometric Methods for Determination of Clarithromycin in Pharmaceutical Formulations Using Bromothymol Blue and Cresol Red

Two simple and sensitive extractive spectrophotometric methods have been described for the analysis of clarithromycin in pure form and in pharmaceutical formulations. The methods involved formation of yellow colored chloroform extractable ion‐association complexes of clarithromycin with bromothymol blue (BTB) and cresol red (CR) in buffered aqueous solution at pH 4. The extracted complexes showed maximum absorbance at 410 and 415 nm for BTB and CR, respectively. Beer's law is obeyed in the concentration ranges 0.1–20 μg mL^?1 and 2.0–20 μg mL^?1 of clarithromycin with molar absorptivity of 2.01 × 10⁴ and 4.378 × 10³ for BTB and CR, respectively. The composition ratio of the ion‐association complex was clarithromycin: BTB and CR = 1:1 as established by Job's method. The methods have been applied to the determination of drug in commercial formulations. The results of analysis were validated statistically and through recovery studies.     

Investigation of the Reaction of Gold(III) with 2‐[2‐(4‐Dimethylamino‐Phenyl)‐Vinyl]‐1,3,3‐Trimethyl‐3H‐Indolium. Application for Determination of Gold

A new, simple, rapid, sensitive, efficient and low‐cost spectrophotometric procedure for the determination of gold was developed. The method is based on the reaction of [AuCl₄]^? with 2‐[2‐(4‐dimethylaminophenyl)‐vinyl]‐1,3,3‐trimethyl‐3H‐indolium reagent to form a colored ion associate extractable by various organic solvents. The molar absorptivity of the ion associates is in the range (5.7–9.2) × 10⁴ L mol^?1 cm^?1 depending on the extractant. Butyl acetate was chosen as the extractant. The optimum reaction conditions were established: pH 2–4, concentration of the dye reagent (0.8–1.5) × 10^?4 mol L^?1. The determination of gold is not hindered even by a 1000‐fold concentration of Ni and Co; a 500‐fold concentration of Pb and Zn; a 100‐fold concentration of Bi, Cu, Cd, Pt, Rh and Ru; or a 20‐fold concentration of Ag. The established method was applied to the determination of gold in model samples and enriched polymetallic ores.     

Determination of Silver by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry after Preconcentration on Naphthalene Modified with Dithizone

A solid‐phase extraction method for preconcentration of silver and consequent determination by atomic absorption spectrometry is described. The method is based on the adsorption of silver on naphthalene modified with dithizone in a column. The adsorbed silver is eluted from the column with a thiourea solution and determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The adsorption conditions including pH, reagent concentration, eluent volume, flow rate and interfering ions were investigated. The calibration graph was linear in the range 10–1000 ng mL^?1 of Ag in the initial solution with r = 0.9998. The limit of detection based on 3S_b was 3.9 ng mL^?1. The relative standard deviation for ten replicate measurements of 40 and 600 ng mL^?1 of Ag was 4.4% and 0.9%, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of silver in mineral, radiology film and wound dressing samples.     

Simultaneous Determination of Nickel and Cadmium by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

A sensitive and fast method for the simultaneous determination of trace amounts of nickel and cadmium in real samples has been described using differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DPASV) by adsorptive accumulation of the N,N′‐bis(salicylaldehydo)4‐carboxyphenylenediamine (BSCPDA)–complex on the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). As supporting electrolyte 0.02 mol L^?1 ammonia buffers containing ligand has been used. Optimal analytical conditions were found to be: BSCPDA concentration of 42 μM, pH 9.6 and adsorption potential at ?50 mV versus Ag/AgCl. With an accumulation time of 20 s, the peaks current are proportional to the concentration of nickel and cadmium over the 1–180, and 0.5–200 ng mL^?1 with detection limits of 0.06 and 0.03 ng mL^?1 respectively. The sensitivity of method for determination of nickel and cadmium were obtained 0.54 and 0.98 nA mL ng^?1, respectively. The procedure was applied to simultaneous determination of nickel and cadmium in some real and synthetic artificial samples with satisfactory results.     

Determination of three antidepressants in urine using simultaneous derivatization and temperature‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by gas chromatography–flame ionization detection

This paper presents a fast and simple method for the extraction, preconcentration and determination of fluvoxamine, nortriptyline and maprotiline in urine using simultaneous derivatization and temperature‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (TA‐DLLME) followed by gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC‐FID). An appropriate mixture of dimethylformamide (disperser solvent), 1,1,2,2‐tetrachloroethane (extraction solvent) and acetic anhydride (derivatization agent) was rapidly injected into the heated sample. Then the solution was cooled to room temperature and cloudy solution formed was centrifuged. Finally a portion of the sedimented phase was injected into the GC‐FID. The effect of several factors affecting the performance of the method, including the selection of suitable extraction and disperser solvents and their volumes, volume of derivatization agent, temperature, salt addition, pH and centrifugation time and speed were investigated and optimized. Figures of merit of the proposed method, such as linearity (r² > 0.993), enrichment factors (820–1070), limits of detection (2–4 ng mL^?1) and quantification (8–12 ng mL^?1), and relative standard deviations (3–6%) for both intraday and interday precisions (concentration = 50 ng mL^?1) were satisfactory for determination of the selected antidepressants. Finally the method was successfully applied to determine the target pharmaceuticals in urine. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.