Determination of ametryn in soils via microwave-assisted solvent extraction coupled to anodic stripping voltammetry with a gold ultramicroelectrode

An extraction-anodic adsorptive stripping voltammetric procedure using microwave-assisted solvent extraction and a gold ultramicroelectrode was developed for determining the pesticide ametryn in soil samples. The method is based on the use of acetonitrile as extraction solvent and on controlled adsorptive accumulation of the herbicide at the potential of 0.50 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in the presence of Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 3.3). Soil sample extracts were analysed directly after drying and redissolution with the supporting electrolyte but without other pre-treatment. The limit of detection obtained for a 10 s collection time was 0.021 g g^–1. Recovery experiments for the global procedure, at the 0.500 g g^–1 level, gave satisfactory mean and standard deviation results which were comparable to those obtained by HPLC with UV detection.     

Platinum concentration in silicone breast implant material and capsular tissue by ICP-MS

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine the concentration of platinum (Pt) in silicone breast implant gel (range, 0.26–48.90 g g^–1 Pt; n=15), elastomer (range, 3.05–28.78 g g^–1 Pt; n=7), double lumen (range, 5.79–125.27 g g^–1 Pt; n=7), foam (range, 5.79–8.36 g g^–1 Pt; n=2), and capsular tissue (range, 0.003–0.272 g g^–1 Pt; n=15). The results show that very high levels of Pt are present in the encasing elastomer, double lumen, and foam envelope materials. Silicone breast implants can be a source of significant Pt exposure for individuals with these implants.     

Determination of 6-amino-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxepan-5-ol by postcolumn derivatization witho-phthalaldehyde/2-mercapto-ethanol after ion-pair chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is discribed for the determination of 6-amino-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxepan-5-ol using Spherisorb ODS II stationary phase and mobile phase 30:70 (v/v) methanol: aqueous 1-octane sulfonic acid. Detection was fluorimetric following postcolumn derivatization with o-phthaladehyde/2-mercaptoethanol. The procedure was applied to the analysis of aqueous solutions and microcrystalline suspensions in liquid paraffin, prepared for investigation of the toxicological profile. The method was validated for selectivity, linearity of detector response, repeatability, limit of detection and quantitation. The HPLC method was selective. The instrumental limit of detection was 0.5 ng per injection (0.05 g mL^–1). The method detection limits were 0.5 g mL^–1 aqueous solution and 5 g mL^–1 liquid paraffin suspension, the quantitation limit 0.05 mg mL^–1 aqueous solution and 1.0 mg mL^–1 liquid paraffin. Linearity was within 0.94–47.1 g mL^–1. Intra-assay accuracy accounted for 99–100% in the range 0.05–226 mg mL^–1 aqueous solution, intra-assay precision for 2% (C.V.). For microcrystalline liquid paraffin suspensions with 1 and 250 mg mL^–1 99 and 109% was found for intra-assay accuracy. Intra-assay precision was 5% (C.V.). Reliable results over a wide concentration range can be obtained. The procedure is considered valid for determination of the analyte in aqueous solution or microcrystalline paraffin oil suspensions.     

Biosorption and retention of several actinide and fission-product elements by biomass fromMycobacterium phlei

The properties of mobile, 5% w/w cell suspensions ofMycobacterium phlei have been examined for their capacity to adsorb and retain uranyl(VI) and neptuny(V) cations from nitrate-buffered solutions at pH 1. Equilibrium conditions of sorption were attained after 3 hours for concentrations (C) in the range 0.015–18 mM cation and indicated a maximum specific adsorption capacity (Qe _max) of 182 mol/g dry biomass forC10 mM. NpO ₂ ⁺ generally showed higherQe values than UO ₂ ²⁺ at corresponding concentrations. Lixiviation tests with cation-loaded biomass in neutral and acidic media indicated that the extent of desorption did not vary extensively between pH 7 and pH 1 and did not exceed 3% for U and 1% for Np ions at pH 7 during 7-day periods of treatment. Analogous experiments with U-loaded biomass subjected to neutron activation prior to lixiviation enabled retention measurements for various fission-product isotopes produced in situ and showed that retention of²³⁹Np formed within the cellular matrix was >99% at pH 7 and 94% at pH 1.     

The removal of endotoxins from protein solutions using column packings with aminated poly (γ-methyl L-glutamate) spheres

Summary A method is described for the selective removal of endotoxins from various protein solutions using columns packed with aminated poly (-methyl L-glutamate) (PMLG-NH₂) spheres. The PMLG-NH₂ adsorbents showed a high adsorbing activity for endotoxins which had an ionic strength of =0.05–1.0 and pH 5.0–9.0. The endotoxin-adsorbing capacity per millitre of the wet adsorbent increased from 0.40 to 1.35 mg (E. coli O111: B4 LPS) at =0.2 and pH 7.0 while the aminogroup content of the adsorbent increased from 0.8 to 3.5 meq g^–1. The PMLG-NH₂-3.5 has an amino-group content of 3.5 meq g^–1. This column packing selectively adsorbed endotoxins, without loss of the protein, from a -globulin or cytochromec solution which contained endotoxins at =0.05 and pH 7.0. On the other hand, when bovine serum albumin (BSA) was present in solution with endotoxins, both the endotoxins and the BSA were adsorbed by the column. The BSA-adsorbing activity increased with increasing amino-group content of the adsorbent. However, this undesirable adsorption was suppressed with increasing ionic strength of the buffer. As a result, when the packing which had an amino-group content of 1.5 meg g^–1 was used in conditions of =0.2 and pH 7.0, the endotoxins were removed from a BSA-containing solution without affecting the recovery of the BSA.     

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometric determination of arsenic in mussel products

Summary A precise, accurate procedure is proposed for the determination of arsenic in mussel products by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Organic matter is destroyed by dry ashing. Experimental conditions for the determination of arsenic were selected and an interference study was carried out. The methodology developed has a detection limit of 0.1 g g^–1, a relative standard deviation of 3%, and a recovery percentage of 98±2%. The accuracy of the method was checked by analysis of a certified sample of NIST oyster tissue (certified 14.0±1.2 g g^–1; found 14.1±1.1 g g^–1). The proposed procedure was used to analyze real samples of mussel products.     

RP-HPLC Determination of Famotidine and its Potential Impurities in Pharmaceuticals

A simple, sensitive, and rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for determination of famotidine (FMT) and its impurities in pharmaceutical formulations. Separations were performed on a Supelcosil LC18 column with an isocratic mobile phase—13:87 (v/v) acetonitrile–0.1 M dihydrogen phosphate buffer containing 0.2% triethylamine (pH 3.0). The mobile phase flow rate was 1 mL min^–1 and the detection wavelength was 265 nm. Response was linearly dependent on concentration between 1 and 80 g mL^–1 (regression coefficient, R², from 0.9981 to 0.9999). RSD from determination of method repeatability (intraday) and reproducibility (interday) were <2% (n=6). Lowest detectable concentrations ranged from 0.08 to 0.14 g mL^–1. The proposed liquid chromatographic method can be satisfactorily used for routine quality control of famotidine in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Heavy metals in selected soils of the semi-arid region of Nigeria

Eight soil profiles developed on crystalline basement complex rocks in the semi-arid region of Nigeria were analyzed for total contents of cesium (Cs), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), hafnium (Hf), iron (Fe), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), scandium (Sc), thorium (Th), uranium (U) and ytterbium (Yb). The contents range from 50.3–95.4 Cs, 16.1–58.1 Cr, 0.6–9.0 Co, 9.0–34.8 g g^–1 Hf, 0.31–3.69% Fe, 17.2–60.7 La, 60.4–90.6 Lu, 2.6–12.6 Sc, 8.3–21.5 Th, 4.7–9.2 U and 3.6–92 g g^–1, Yb. Their corresponding means were 68.4, 35.1, 4.0, 19.9 g g^–1, 1.70%, 37.1, 79.4, 6.5, 14.7, 6.7 and 5.0 g g^–1. In general, total Cs, Co, Fe, La, U and Yb increased with further increase with depth. On the other hand, Lu, Sc and Th showed no distinct vertical distribution within the profiles. All eleven elements were correlated with the amounts of clay present in the soils, the correlation being stronger for Cs, Th, Yb, Cr and Lu.     

Spectrophotometric determination of microamounts of thorium with disodium salt of 2-(2-hydroxy-3,6-disulfo-1-naphthylazo)-benzenearsonic acid (Thorin) as a chromogenic reagent

A sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of microamounts of thorium using 0.05% thorin in a 3M perchloric acid solution as a chromogenic reagent and measuring the absorbance at 544 nm. The complex of thorium thus formed, is stable for more than two months with a constant absorbance of ±0.55%. Beer's law is obeyed from 0 to 25 g g^–1 of thorium in a solution with a molar absorptivity (544 nm) = 1.69×10⁴ M^–1 cm^–1 at 26±1 °C. Among the anions tested, only phosphate, acetate and cyanide at >200-fold excess of thorium interfere in the determination, whereas cations like Zn(II), Al(III), Na(I), Mg(II), and Ca(II) do not effect the absorbance. Thorium can be determined in the presence of oxalate, nitrate, tartrate, sulfate, thiosulfate, citrate, and ascorbate. The accuracy of the method has been checked by measuring the known concentration of thorium in the range of 100 g-5 mg g^–1 and found to be in the range of 7.7–0.9%. The method has been applied successfully to determine thorium at g g^–1 level in local ore samples with a precision of ±0.3%. The sensitivity of the method on Sandell's scale is 0.082±0.002 g g^–1 cm^–1.     

Sample introduction assisted by compressed air in flame furnace AAS: a simple and sensitive method for the determination of traces of toxic elements

The power of detection of flame AAS for the toxic elements Cd, Hg, Pb and Tl can be improved by 1–2 orders of magnitude by using flame furnace AAS. In flame-furnace AAS, liquid samples are introduced directly into a nickel tube located in the flame, in the simplest case through a ceramic thermospray capillary. Transportation of the samples is achieved by using compressed air only. Comparatively low detection limits are achieved by both beam injection flame furnace (BIFF-AAS) and thermospray flame furnace AAS (TS-FF-AAS). For TS-FF-AAS, a pressure of less than 20 kPa (<80 in. water) is required. The TS-FF-AAS technique is very simple, robust and cheap. The detection limits were 0.2–0.4 g L^–1 (Cd), 40–100 g L^–1 (Hg), 5–9 g L^–1 (Pb) and 4–14 g L^–1 (Tl), respectively, depending on the method, flow rate and sample volume used. Pb and Cd were found at concentrations of 0.1–2 and 0.005–0.3 g g^–1, respectively, in samples of various spices.Dedicated to the memory of Wilhelm Fresenius.     

Determination of pyrimethanil and kresoxim-methyl in soils by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) then gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring (GC–MS, SIM) has been developed for determination of trace amounts of the fungicides pyrimethanil and kresoxim-methyl in soil and humic materials. Both fungicides were extracted on to a fused-silica fibre coated with 85 m polyacrylate (PA). Response-surface methodology was used to optimise the experimental conditions. For soil samples the linear dynamic range of application was 0.004–1.000 g g^–1 for pyrimethanil and 0.013–1.000 g g^–1 for kresoxim-methyl. The detection limits were 0.001 g g^–1 and 0.004 g g^–1 for pyrimethanil and kresoxim-methyl, respectively. HP-SPME–GC–MS analysis was highly reproducible—relative standard deviations (RSD) were between 6.7 and 12.2%. The method was validated by analysis of spiked matrix samples and used to investigate the presence of pyrimethanil and kresoxim-methyl above the detection limits in soil and humic materials.     

Assessment of the essential element and heavy metal content of edible fish muscle

The aim of this work was to determine the concentrations of some essential and toxic elements in the muscle of ten species of commercial fish consumed in Portugal. We combined two different techniques for determination of the elements—energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was used to quantify K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Se, Rb, and Sr and flame atomic-absorption spectrometry for analysis of Cr, Ni, Cu, Cd, Hg, and Pb. The latter technique was used because of its higher sensitivity, because these elements were not detected by EDXRF. The results obtained show a similar pattern for the trace elements. K and Ca are present at the highest concentrations in all the samples studied, from 0.6–1.3% and from 0.04–0.08%, respectively, followed by Zn, Fe, Sr, Se, and Rb. Sr is present at higher concentrations than Rb in all the species studied except meagre. Concentrations of the elements in octopus do not follow this pattern—Fe is present at a higher concentration than Zn. Low concentrations of Cr (0.66–1.5 g g^–1), Ni (0.11–0.24 g g^–1), Cd (0.01–0.08 g g^–1), Hg (0.49–2.74 g g^–1), and Pb (0.02–0.06 g g^–1) were observed in all the samples analysed. The concentration of Hg was highest in Helicolenus dactylopterus—5.4 g g^–1 in one sample.     

Characterization of airborne particulates by laser microprobe mass analysis

Summary Laser microprobe mass analysis (LAMMA) was applied to characterize aerosol particles collected and separated from 16m to 0.06m by a low pressure cascade impactor. Positive ion LAMMA spectra showed characteristic molecular peaks such as PbCl⁺, a series of Si₂O⁺–Si₂O₄ ⁺ and NaAl₂Si₂O₂ ⁺–NaAl₂Si₂O₅ ⁺, and TiO⁺ in 0.06–0.12m, 0.5–1m and 4–8m fraction, respectively. In the negative ion LAMMA spectra, it was observed that the fragment peaks of sulfate ions were deficient above 2m and those of nitrate ions were deficient under 2m. LAMMA allows remarkable insights into the chemical nature of aerosol particles.

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Charakterisierung luftgetragener Teilchen durch Laser-Microprobe-Massenspektrometrie

Zusammenfassung Laser-Microprobe-Spektrometrie (LAMMS) wurde zur Analyse atmosphärischen Aerosols herangezogen, welches im Korngrößenbereich zwischen 16m und 0.06m mit einem Niederdruckkaskadenimpaktor fraktioniert gesammelt wurde. Positive LAMMS-Spektren zeigten charakteristische molekulare Peaks, wie etwa PbCl⁺, eine Serie von Si₂O⁺–Si₂O₄ ⁺ und NaAl₂Si₂O₂ ⁺–NaAl₂Si₂O₅ ⁺, sowie TiO⁺ in der 0,06–0,12-m,- 0,5–1–m- bzw. 4–8-m-Fraktion. In den negativen LAMMS-Spektren konnten über 2m keine Fragmentpeaks für Sulfationen, unter 2m. keine für Nitrationen beobachtet werden. LAMMS ermöglicht eine bemerkenswerte Einsicht in die chemische Natur von Aerosolteilchen.

     

Spectrophotometric determination of osmium using o-hydroxythiobenzhydrazide

Summary Osmium(VI) forms a violet complex witho-hydroxythiobenzhydrazide in the pH range 5.4–6.4. The complex is readily extractable in chloroform to give a violet solution which can be employed for the photometry of osmium. The extract shows maximal absorption at 540–550 nm and obeys Beer's law over the concentration range 1.44–14.40g Os ml^–1.g amounts of osmium can be determined witho-hydroxythiobenzhydrazide in the presence of considerable amounts of diverse ions commonly associated with the metal using EDTA as the masking agent. However, gold should be removed prior to the determination of osmium with the reagent. The molar extinction coefficient of the complex and the Sandell sensitivity are 1.18×10⁴ l mole^–1 cm^–1 and 0.016g cm^–2 respectively.

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Zusammenfassung Osmium(VI) bildet mit o-Hydroxythiobenzhydrazid zwischen pH 5,4 und 6,4 eine violette Komplexverbindung. Diese läßt sich mit Chloroform gut extrahieren. Die violette Lösung eignet sich für die photometrische Bestimmung des Osmiums, zeigt maximale Absorption bei 540–550 nm und entspricht zwischen 1,44 und 14,40g Os/ml dem Beerschen Gesetz. Mikrogrammengen Osmium können so neben erheblichen Mengen verschiedener anderer Begleitionen nach deren Maskierung mit ÄDTA bestimmt werden. Gold jedoch muß vorher entfernt werden. Der molare Extinktionskoeffizient beträgt 1,18×10⁴ l · Mol^–1 · cm^–1, die Empfindlichkeit nach Sandell 0,016g · cm^–2.

     

Application of l-cysteine-capped nano-ZnS as a fluorescence probe for the determination of proteins

Nanometer-sized l-cysteine-capped ZnS particles have been synthesized and used as a fluorescence probe to investigate the effect of proteins on fluorescent intensity. With =190 nm, maximum and constant synchronous fluorescence enhancement was produced at 267 nm and pH 5.12 in the presence of proteins. A highly sensitive synchronous fluorescence method for the rapid determination of proteins has been developed. Under optimum conditions, calibration graphs are linear over the range 0.03–8.0 g mL^–1 for bovine serum albumin (BSA), 0.01–6.0 g mL^–1 for human serum albumin (HSA), 0.05–8.0 g mL^–1 for -globulin (-G), and 0.04–4.0 g mL^–1 for ovalbumin, respectively. The relative standard deviations of seven replicate measurements were 1.75% for 1.0 g mL^–1 BSA, 1.90% for 1.0 g mL^–1 HSA, 1.65% for 1.0 g mL^–1 -G, and 2.32% for 1.0 g mL^–1 ovalbumin.     

Spectrophotometric determination of iridium(III) and osmium(VIII) with phenanthrenequinone monoxime after extraction into molten Naphthalene

Summary Conditions have been established for the extraction of iridium (III) and osmium(VIII) as their phenanthrenequinone monoximates into molten naphthalene. The naphthalene is allowed to solidify, separated by filtration, dried with filter paper and dissolved in chloroform. The absorbance is measured at 470 nm for iridium and 475 nm for osmium. Beer's law is obeyed in the concentration ranges 3.2–38.6g of iridium and 1.0–10.9g of osmium in 10 ml of chloroform. The molar absorptivities are 2.3×10⁴ and 8.8×10⁴l. mole^–1.cm^–1 for iridium and osmium respectively. The optimum pH range for the extraction is 4.6–7.4 for iridium and 6.8–10.5 tor osmium. Interferences have been studied in detail and the method successfully applied to various synthetic mixtures. The two metals can be determined sequentially (in the absence of interfering ions), osmium first.

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Spektrophotometrische Bestimmung von Ir(III) und O's(VIII) mit Phenanthrenchinonmonoxim nach Extraktion mit geschmolzenem Naphthalin

Zusammenfassung Die Extraktionsbedingungen für Ir(III) und Os(VIII) als Phenanthrenchinonmonoximate mit geschmolzenem Naphthalin wurden ermittelt. Man läßt das Naphthalin erstarren, filtriert es, trocknet es mit Filterpapier und löst es in Chloroform. Die Absorbanz wird bei 470 nm gemessen für Ir und bei 475 nm für Os. Das Beersche Gesetz gilt für Ir im Konzentrationsbereich 3,2–38,6g und für Os zwischen 1,0 und 10,9g/10 ml Chloroform. Die molare Absorption beträgt 2,3×10⁴ bzw. 8,8×10⁴l·mol^–1·cm^–1 für Ir bzw. Os. Das optimale pH-Gebiet für die Extraktion von Ir liegt bei 4,6–7,4, für Os bei 6,8–10,5. Störungen wurden im Detail untersucht und das Verfahren mit Erfolg für verschiedene Gemische angewendet. In Abwesenheit störender Ionen können Osmium und Iridium hintereinander bestimmt werden.

     

ET-AAS in the Analysis of high-purity mercury

ET-AAS is investigated for the analysis of high purity mercury. Two possibilities are proposed: ET-AAS determination of trace analytes in the presence of high mercury concentrations or after matrix separation by reduction. The ET-AAS analysis of high-purity mercury under optimal instrumental parameters permits fast and reproducible determination of 0.03 gg^–1 Al, Cd and Mn; 0.05 gg^–1 Cu, Co, Cr, Fe, Ni and Pb and 0.2 gg^–1 V. Preliminary mercury matrix reductive separation with ascorbic acid allows determination of 0.005 gg^–1 Cd, 0.02 gg^–1 Cu, Cr and Mn, 0.03 g g^–1 Co, Ni and Pb, 0.05 g g^–1 Al and Fe and 0.1 gg^–1 V, but the reproducibility is lower. The main advantage of the second procedure is that it avoids laboratory and instrument pollution with toxic mercury.     

Trace element analysis of some shaving powders commonly marketed in Nigeria using instrumental neutron activation analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) technique has been employed viak ₀ approximation method to determine elemental composition of five shaving powders commonly marketed in Nigeria. Fe displayed the highest concentrations in the range 1000–2000 g·g^–1. Na and Zn concentrations were established in the range 200–400 g·g^–1. Heavy elements like Ga, La, Cr, Co, Ag, Ce and Nd concentrations were noted in the lower range of 1–10 g·g^–1 Br, As, Sb, Sm, Eu, W, Cs, Tb, Yb, Hf, Ta, Th and U concentrations were established in even lower traces in the <1 g·g^–1 range. Results obtained for a certified reference material, CANMET BL-1 and CERT (in house) Kaolin standard compared favourably with the literature values thus establishing the results presented for the shaving powders.     

Determination of nitrogen in uranium and uranium-oxide by high-temperature gas-extraction

Summary The reducing fusion gas extraction method has been used for the determination of nitrogen in uranium metal and uranium dioxide reference materials at levels of about 10–15g·g^–1. It has been found that when extracting at temperatures above 2700° C the use of a platinum flux is no longer necessary. Pure nitrogen and nitrogen-helium mixtures were used for calibrating the detection unit in the range of 1.5–670 g. The calibration of the extraction was performed with metallic reference materials in the range of 8–331 g N₂ content.

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Bestimmung von Stickstoff in Uran und Uranoxid durch Hochtemperatur-Gasextraktion

Zusammenfassung Die Gasextraktion aus reduzierender Schmelze wurde zur Stickstoffbestimmung in Uranmetall- und Urandioxid-Referenzmaterialien bei Gehalten von 10–15 g·g^–1 angewendet. Bei Temperaturen über 2700° C ist kein Platinbad mehr erforderlich. Zur Eichung der Detektionseinheit im Bereich von 1,5–670 g wurden reiner Stickstoff oder Stickstoff-Helium-Mischungen benutzt. Zur Eichung der Extraktion wurden metallische Referenzmaterialien mit (8–331g) N₂ eingesetzt.

     

Determination of hexavalent chromium by using speciated isotope-dilution mass spectrometry after microwave speciated extraction of environmental and other solid materials

Precise and accurate determination of hexavalent chromium in different types of solid environmental sample is regarded as a technical challenge with significant potential error if historically accepted methods are used. Microwave-assisted alkaline extraction (0.5 mol L^–1 NaOH+0.28 mol L^–1 Na₂CO₃) followed by anion-exchange chromatographic separation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrophotometric detection has been shown to provide accurate and precise results. To obtain a better understanding of potential species conversion during and/or after extraction steps, speciated isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (SIDMS) (EPA Method 6800) metrology has been successfully applied as a diagnostic tool with the modified accompanying extraction version of EPA Method 3060A. In our study, aggregate materials distributed over a large area of a major western US state were found to contain a high concentration of total chromium (195±13 to 709±19 g g^–1) and significant amounts of Cr⁶⁺ (141±6 to 341±29 g g^–1) which are at least three orders of magnitude higher than the US EPA threshold limit (0.5 g g^–1). Sediment samples from a major western US state, studied independently, were found to contain less (1.77±0.34 g g^–1) or no Cr⁶⁺ in the presence of significant total chromium.