Fluorimetric determination of fluoride in a flow assembly integrated on-line to an open/closed FIA system to remove interference by solid phase extraction

A simple flow injection fluorimetric method for fluoride determination is proposed. The method is based on the enhanced fluorescence of quercitin-Zr(IV) complex when fluoride ion is present in the sample. An open/closed FIA manifold with a mini-column of Dowex 50W X8 resin was used to remove the most important interference (aluminum). The two FIA assemblies were integrated on-line to automate the pretreatment of the water sample and fluoride determination. The calibration graph was linear over the range 0.1-3.0 mug ml(-1) of fluoride with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 and LOD 0.06 mug ml(-1). The relative standard deviation was 2.5% and the sample throughput was 52 h(-1) without pretreatment and 10 h(-1) with pretreatment of the sample. The method was applied to the determination of fluoride in water samples.     

Gradient flow titration for the determination of fluoride ion in natural waters

The determination of fluoride ions in water samples was accomplished by using a gradient flow titration. A standard commercial combined electrode is used in a cell configuration that combines the gradient chamber and the electrode in a single unit. The methodology developed gives results with a relative standard deviation of about 3%. The average recoveries after spiking natural samples with fluoride are in the range 100–102%. The method was used successful in determining the fluoride concentration in water samples.     

Reversed flow injection and sandwich sequential injection methods for the spectrophotometric determination of copper(II) with cuprizone

Two new flow methods, flow injection analysis (FIA) and sequential injection analysis (SIA), for the spectrophotometric determination of Cu(II) in water at trace levels have been developed and optimised. Both methods are based on the reaction with oxalic acid bis(cyclohexylidene hydrazide) (cuprizone) in alkaline media. The two procedures have been developed for the final aim to compare their performances and to offer new rapid heavy metals analysis tools, avoiding the use of extraction steps. A detailed study of the physico-chemical parameters affecting the systems performances has been carried out. The reversed FIA and sandwich SIA approaches offered the best sensitivity. In both cases, an extremely good linearity has been obtained within the range 0.06-4 μg ml⁻¹ (correlation coefficient r=0.9999), whereas the observed detection limits were 0.013 and 0.004 μg ml⁻¹, for FIA and SIA, respectively. Furthermore, due to the great similarity of the diffusion zones in the reaction slugs, our approach offers the opportunity to compare the two methods in analogous conditions. This SIA method, besides keeping its typical reagent saving features, offered analytical performances equivalent to those of FIA. To obtain these results, an original “stop-flow like” method was successfully employed in the SIA approach. Both methods were validated by analysis of real water samples, after copper addition, and certified reference samples of fortified and waste waters.     

Conductometric determination of ammonium by a multisyringe flow injection system applying gas diffusion

A multisyringe flow injection system (MSFIA) coupled to a gas-diffusion cell has been developed for the conductometric determination of ammonium in different water samples. Operation strategies, membrane, reagent concentrations, and flow rates have been studied to optimize the sensitivity of detection and to fit the required working range. The proposed MSFIA system has been compared with former FIA and SIA systems using gas diffusion. The system was applied to the determination of ammonium in water samples of different matrices in order to evaluate its performance. These samples were coastal waters, pond waters, and compost aqueous extracts. Good recoveries of 102?±?13% were obtained and no significant differences with the reference methods were found. The system can be used for a wide concentration range of ammonia, from 0.075 to 360?mg?L^?1, without sample dilution and with a precision better than 2% of RSD. The throughput of the method was 32 injections per hour.     

Flow injection analysis of fluoride in electroplating baths with potentiometric detection

A high dispersion FIA system with a fluoride selective and a double junction reference electrode in cascade arrangement was developed for the determination of the fluoride content in chromium electroplating baths. The analyses of seven synthetic baths prepared in the laboratory and two samples provided by the industry gave results with a mean recovery value of 100.5%, and a mean variation coefficient of 1.6%. These data were better than those obtained by the EDTA complexometric titration, the reference technique, with a mean recovery of 94.0% and a mean variation coefficient of 7.5%. The sampling rate for the FIA manifold was 20 samples per hour.     

Potentiometric determination of dialysate urea nitrogen

An enzymatically modified ammonium ion-selective electrode has been applied for the determination of urea in spent dialysate. The biosensor has been used in a simple flow-injection analysis (FIA) system. The system enables one to perform over 25 dialysate urea nitrogen (DUN) determinations per hour. The interferences from other components of posthemodialysis fluid were eliminated by simultaneous measurements with non-modified enzymatically ion-selective electrode. It is possible to use both the sensors in a simplified differential potentiometric system. The results of DUN determination using the biosensor/FIA system and a conventional method of urea determination were comparable. The presented analytical system can potentially find wider biomedical application in the monitoring of hemodialysis progress.     

Evaluation of different SIA sample-buffer configurations using a fluoride-selective membrane electrode as detector

The peak profiles of four different buffer-sample SIA configurations, e.g. buffer-sample; sample-buffer; buffer-sample-buffer and sample-buffer-sample with the last two in the sandwich mode were evaluated with a fluoride-selective membrane electrode as detector. The best response characteristics and peak shapes as well as recovery and precision values were obtained for the buffer-sample configuration. For low concentration levels, sandwich SIA configurations are more suitable, when optimum buffer and pH are used. The utilisation of a cheap electrolyte with a minimum consumption of buffer and a cheap, robust instrumentation made the SIA system suitable for on-line determination of fluoride.     

Multistep determination of enzyme activity by flow injection and sequential injection analysis. Assay of amyloglucosidase

A multi-point assay for determination of the activity of amyloglucosidase (AMG) by FIA and SIA is described. The assay is based on two consecutive reactions that are mutually incompatible. Both the FIA and SIA procedures allow these two reactions to be completely separated, whereby each of the processes can be individually optimized with respect to operational parameters. Special emphasis is placed on comparing the performance and applicability of the two procedures for this type of assay.     

Flow injection analysis of fluoride in electroplating baths with potentiometric detection

A high dispersion FIA system with a fluoride selective and a double junction reference electrode in cascade arrangement was developed for the determination of the fluoride content in chromium electroplating baths. The analyses of seven synthetic baths prepared in the laboratory and two samples provided by the industry gave results with a mean recovery value of 100.5%, and a mean variation coefficient of 1.6%. These data were better than those obtained by the EDTA complexometric titration, the reference technique, with a mean recovery of 94.0% and a mean variation coefficient of 7.5%. The sampling rate for the FIA manifold was 20 samples per hour. Received: 27 November 1997 / Revised: 24 February 1998 / Accepted: 1 March 1998     

Advancement of flow-based analysis with alternative chemical reactions and new devices for environmental and biological samples.

This review includes our researches and other methodologies related to flow-based techniques, such as flow injection analysis (FIA) and sequential injection analysis (SIA). The methods will demonstrate semi-and full automated FIA and SIA, including liquid-liquid and liquid-solid extraction. FIA using alternative chemical reactions in the aqueous solution was applied to the trace analysis of metals in biological and environmental samples. For durable liquid-liquid extraction, several phase separators were designed. Moreover, multi-channel FIA with newly designed flow cells and SIA with lab-on-valve devices have been used for the simultaneous and successive determination of metals and organic compounds. On-line solid phase extraction (SPE) has also been proposed for highly sensitive analysis of organic and inorganic compounds.     

Development of a tubular fluoride potentiometric detector for flow analysis: evaluation and analytical applications

In this work a construction procedure for tubular fluoride electrode to be used in flow systems is outlined. The electrode was constructed from a commercially available, LaF₃ single crystal. Principal advantages of the flow detector presented include simplicity of construction, robustness, durability, low cost and easy coupling into any point of a flow manifold.Evaluation of the intrinsic working characteristics of the potentiometric detector in a low dispersion manifold is presented with respect to analytical and dynamic parameters. The constructed detector has similar working characteristics to those of the conventional fluoride electrodes, namely the detection limit, lower limit of linear response and operational pH range.The analytical usefulness of the constructed device was assessed in a flow system developed for fluoride determination in toothpaste, tablet, collutory and water samples for which the reference procedures suggest the determination of fluoride ion with a conventional ion selective electrode.     

Flow injection system with gas diffusion for the sequential determination of total nitrogen and phosphorus in vegetables

 A flow injection system was developed for the sequential determination of total nitrogen and phosphorus in digests of vegetables using potentiometric and spectrophotometric detection systems, respectively. A tubular ammonium selective electrode with a sensor system composed of nonactin/monactin in tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate was used. The selectivity limitations of this electrode were overcome by the inclusion of a gas-diffusion unit in the system that separated ammonium from the rest of the sample matrix and allowed the determination of total nitrogen and phosphorus by the partition of the sample plug between two streams. The results obtained with the developed FIA system were in good agreement with those of the reference methods. Sampling rates from 40 to 60 samples per hour and relative standard deviations below 3.5% were achieved. Received: 17 October 1996/Revised: 21 November 1996/Accepted: 27 November 1996     

Flow injection system with gas diffusion for the sequential determination of total nitrogen and phosphorus in vegetables

 A flow injection system was developed for the sequential determination of total nitrogen and phosphorus in digests of vegetables using potentiometric and spectrophotometric detection systems, respectively. A tubular ammonium selective electrode with a sensor system composed of nonactin/monactin in tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate was used. The selectivity limitations of this electrode were overcome by the inclusion of a gas-diffusion unit in the system that separated ammonium from the rest of the sample matrix and allowed the determination of total nitrogen and phosphorus by the partition of the sample plug between two streams. The results obtained with the developed FIA system were in good agreement with those of the reference methods. Sampling rates from 40 to 60 samples per hour and relative standard deviations below 3.5% were achieved. Received: 17 October 1996/Revised: 21 November 1996/Accepted: 27 November 1996     

Enzymatic determination of choline in milk using a FIA system with potentiometric detection

The development of a FIA system for the determination of total choline content in several types of milk is described. The samples were submitted to hydrochloric acid digestion before injection into the system and passed through an enzymatic reactor containing choline oxidase immobilised on glass beads. This enzymatic reaction releases hydrogen peroxide which then reacts with a solution of iodide. The decrease in the concentration of iodide ion is quantified using an iodide ion selective tubular electrode based on a homogeneous crystalline membrane. Validation of the results obtained with this system was performed by comparison with results from a method described in the literature and applied to the determination of total choline in milks. The relative deviation was always < 5%. The repeatability of the method developed was assessed by calculation of the relative standard deviation (RSD) for 12 consecutive injections of one sample. The RSD obtained was < 0.6%.     

Potentiometric determination of iron using a fluoride ion-selective electrode-the application of the Apple II-ISE intelligent ion analyzer

A new method for determining iron is based on both nonlinear regression calibration plots and parabolic interpolation using a fluoride ion-selective electrode (ISE) and the Apple II-ISE intelligent ion Analyzer developed by ourselves. The experimental conditions for determining iron are discussed. The appropriate acidity of the experimental solution is pH 3, controlled by total ionic strength adjustment buffer (TISAB) that is composed of glycine (aminoacetic acid), nitric acid and sodium nitrate. The suitable total concentration of fluoride is equal to the highest concentration of iron in the standard series. Because the mathematical model of the method coincides with the experimental data the Apple II-ISE intelligent ion Analyzer can perform data acquisition and data processing, and the performance of fluoride electrode is excellent, the new method for determination of iron is fast and accurate. This method has been used successfully in the determination of iron in mineral samples.     

Use of a copper electrode in alkaline medium as an amperometric sensor for sulphite in a flow-through configuration

A flow injection analysis (FIA) method has been developed for the determination of sulphite in beverages. The method is based on the amperometric detection (0.60 V vs Ag/AgCl (sat. NaCl)) of the analyte at a copper surface in an alkaline medium (1 M NaOH solution) with a manifold that incorporates flow extraction of sulphite as SO2 through a PTFE membrane. Under optimal experimental conditions the peak current response increases linearly with sulphite concentration over the range from 1.0 to 5.0 mM. The repeatability of the electrode response in the FIA configuration was evaluated as 4% ( n =20), the limit of detection of the method was 0.04 mM (S/N =3) and the analytical frequency was 50 h(-1). Since ethanol is also electroactive and permeates through the PTFE membrane, a strategy involving in a first step measurements of only ethanol by manipulating the pH of the donor stream was employed for wine samples. Then, both ethanol and sulphite were measured at the copper electrode at 0.40 V vs Ag/AgCl (sat. NaCl) and the sulphite concentration was determined by difference. Results for 3 different beverage samples (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) showed excellent agreement with the ones obtained by using a recommended procedure for sulphite analysis.     

Flow injection analysis of high chloride levels in electroplating baths using on-line dialysis and potentiometric detection

A method for the flow injection analysis (FIA) of high concentrations of chloride in electroplating baths using potentiometric detection is proposed. The system includes a unit of dialysis to promote dilution of samples and a tubular electrode with an homogeneous crystalline membrane as detector. The system was optimized in order to analyse samples within a broad range of concentrations and at high levels of chloride, thereby making pretreatment of the samples unnecessary. It results in a simple manifold applicable over the 4.0×10^–2 and 3.0 mol L^–1 range with a throughput of about 30 samples/h. Seven different plating bath samples were analysed by the proposed method and the quality of the results compared with those obtained by the conventional procedure. Satisfactory agreement was observed.     

Application of flowing-stream techniques to water analysis Part II. General quality parameters and anionic compounds: halogenated, sulphur and metalloid species

In the first part of this review [Talanta 60 (2000) 867], flowing-stream methods (namely, segmented flow analysis (SFA), continuous-flow analysis (CFA), flow-injection analysis (FIA), sequential-injection analysis (SIA), multicommuted flow-injection analysis (MCFIA) and multisyringe flow-injection analysis (MSFIA)) were presented as powerful analytical tools for nutrient determination in water samples when coupled to photometric/fluorimetric detection, flow-through ion-selective electrodes or amperometric sensors.In the present paper, relevant flow methods applied to the monitoring of anionic species as well as to the determination of general parameters for water quality evaluation (such as pH, alkalinity, chemical and biochemical oxygen demand, conductivity and total ionic content) are reviewed, and their background, detection technique and noteworthy analytical features are detailed. Furthermore, other techniques, such as flow systems connected to hydride-generation atomic absorption spectrometry, should be highlighted as practical approaches for metalloid determination since a series of speciation schemes are demonstrated to be readily adaptable.