Flow injection on-line hydrophobic sorbent extraction for flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cadmium in water samples

A flow injection system was developed for on-line sorbent extraction preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cadmium in natural water samples. The non-charged cadmium complex with diethyl-dithiophosphate (DDPA) was formed on-line in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ and retained on the hydrophobic poly-chlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) sorbent material. The adsorbed complex was eluted with isobutyl methylketone (IBMK) and injected directly into the nebulizer via a flow compensation unit. All major chemical and flow parameters affecting the complex formation adsorption and elution as well as interference were studied and optimized. By processing 2.4 mL of sample, the enhancement factor was 39 and the sampling frequency was 50 h⁻¹. For 30 s preconcentration time the detection limit was 0.3 μg L⁻¹ and the relative standard deviation at 5.0 μg L⁻¹ Cd concentration level was 2.9%. The calibration curve was linear in the range 0.8–40.0 μg L⁻¹. The accuracy of the method was estimated by analyzing a certified reference material NIST-CRM 1643d (Trace elements in water). Good recoveries were obtained for spiked natural-water and waste-water samples. Correspondence: Aristidis N. Anthemidis, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University, GR-Thessaloniki 54124, Greece     

Preconcentration of Cd(II) and Cu(II) by solid phase extraction on cyanopropyl modified silica columns using 1,10-phenanthroline as the complexing agent

We describe the solid-phase extraction for the preconcentration and determination of Cd(II) and Cu(II) aqueous samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The preconcentration of analytes is accomplished by retention of their chelates with 1,10-phenanthroline in aqueous solution on a solid phase containing cyanopropylsilane bonded to silica gel in a column. The preconcentration factor is 80 for the cadmium ions and 120 for the copper ions with relative standard deviations of between 0.5 and 1.5%. The limits of detection (defined as “3 s” where “s” is the standard deviation of the blank determination) are 0.18 and 0.073 μg L⁻¹ for Cd(II) and Cu(II), respectively, and the corresponding limits of quantification (6 s) are 0.36 and 0.15 μg L⁻¹, respectively. As a result, a simple method was created for simultaneous preconcentration and determination of the metals in reference material and in plant sample material. Correspondence: Bożena Puzio, Institute of Chemistry, Silesian University, 40-006 Katowice, Poland     

Determination of trace amounts of cadmium and copper by atomic absorption spectrometry after simultaneous extraction and preconcentration using a new water-soluble polyacrylic acid/alumina sorbent

An analytical method using alumina modified with water-soluble polyacrylic acid polymer for the simultaneous separation and preconcentration of trace Cu and Cd in a column system, and their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. The conditions for coating Al₂O₃ with polyacrylic acid were optimized, then the column was packed with 50 mg of this sorbent. Cd and Cu solution was passed through a glass column at pH 4.5, and elution was carried out with 5 mL of 0.05 M HCl at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. A sorption capacity of 10 mg Cu and 12 mg Cd was obtained for 1 g sorbent. The detection limit was calculated as 4.5 μg L⁻¹ for Cu and 1.54 μg L⁻¹ for Cd in the final solution. Enrichment factors of 300 for Cd and 400 for Cu were obtained.     

Cloud point extraction procedure for flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of lead(II) in sediment and water samples

The conditions for cloud point extraction of lead(II) from aqueous solutions were investigated and optimized. The procedure is based on the separation of Pb(II) – brillant cresyl blue (BCB) complexes into the micellar media by adding the surfactant Triton X-114. After phase separation, the surfactant-rich phase was dissolved with 1 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ in ethanol and diluted with 1 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ solution before lead was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Optimization of the pH, ligand and surfactant quantities, incubation time, temperature, viscosity, sample volume, and interfering ions was performed. The effects of the matrix ions were also examined. The detection limits for three times the standard deviations of the blank for lead were 7.5 μg L⁻¹ for water samples and 0.33 μg g⁻¹ for sediment samples. The validity of cloud point extraction was checked by employing certified reference samples of Lake Sediment IAEA-SL-1 and Sewage Sludge BCR-CRM 144R. The procedure was applied to natural waters and sediment samples with satisfactory results (recoveries >95%, relative standard deviations <6.4%).     

Selective Determination of Trace Mercury (II) after Preconcentration with 4-(2-Pyridylazo)-Resorcinol-Modified Nanometer-Sized SiO2 Particles from Sample Solutions

A rapid, selective method that utilize 4-(2-Pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR)-modified nanometer SiO₂ (nanometer SiO₂–PAR) as a new solid-phase extractant for preconcentration of trace mercury (II) has been developed. The adsorption property of nanometer SiO₂–PAR for metal ions was studied by selectively extracting different metal ions from aqueous solutions. The results revealed an excellent affinity of the nanometer SiO₂–PAR for mercury (II) in presence of interfering metal ions at pH 4. The main parameters of solid-phase extraction such as shaking time, elution and sample dilution effect were studied. The extractant shows rapid kinetic sorption, and the adsorption equilibrium of mercury (II) on nanometer SiO₂–PAR was achieved in less than 2 min. The adsorbed mercury (II) was easily eluted by 4 mL of 6 mol L⁻¹ HCl. The maximum preconcentration factor was 50. The maximum static adsorption capacity was 276 μmol g⁻¹ at pH 4. The detection limit (3σ) was 0.43 μg L⁻¹ for cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS), and the relative standard deviation of the eight replicate determinations was 2.4% for the determination of 2.0 μg of Hg(II) in 100 mL water sample. The method was applied to the determination of trace mercury (II) in sample solutions with satisfactory results.     

A Pre-Concentration Procedure Using Cloud Point Extraction for the Determination of Manganese in Saline Effluents of a Petroleum Refinery by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

This paper describes the development of a cloud point extraction procedure for the determination of manganese in saline effluents by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The optimization step was performed using the Doehlert matrix involving the following variables: buffer concentration, pH and centrifugation time. The validation process was assessed as: parameters of the analytical curve, precision, effect of other ions in the proposed procedure, robustness test and accuracy. The proposed procedure allows the determination of manganese with a detection limit (3δ/S) of 0.60 μg L⁻¹, and a precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.2 (n = 8) and 1.5% (n = 8) for a manganese concentration of 1 and 5 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The pre-concentration factor obtained was 84. The recovery achieved for the determination of manganese in the presence of several other metal ions demonstrated that this procedure could be satisfactorily applied to the analysis of environmental samples. The accuracy was confirmed by the analysis of CRM trace elements in water (NIST 1643d). This procedure was applied to the determination of manganese in saline effluents of a petroleum refinery. For three analyzed samples the manganese content varied between 44.9 and 67.9 μg L⁻¹.     

Microdialysis sampling and chemiluminescence detection for in vivo and real-time study of the lead metabolism in rabbit blood

The chemiluminescence (CL) system K₂MnO₄-luminol is shown to be useful for the determination of lead(II). The method is based on the catalytic effect of Pb(II) on the CL reaction. The linear range was 3 × 10⁻³–9 × 10⁻¹ mg L⁻¹ (r = 0.9971) and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for 5 × 10⁻² mg L⁻¹ Pb(II) measurement was 0.7% (n = 11). The detection limit was 3 × 10⁻⁴ mg L⁻¹ (3σ) Pb(II). Based on this, an in vivo, on-line, real-time analytical system for monitoring the metabolism of free lead(II) in rabbit blood was developed. A microdialysis probe, implanted in the vein of a rabbit, was perfused with perfusate at a flow rate of 5 μL min⁻¹. The concentration of free lead(II) in the dialysate was determined on-line with a flow-injection CL system. This system included microdialysis sampling, on-line separation and chemiluminescence detection. The concentration-time curve of lead(II) was in accordance with the one-compartmental open model, T_1/2 (elimination half-life), T_max (peak time) and C_max (peak concentration) were 37.77 min, 85.20 min and 0.137 mg L⁻¹, respectively.     

Van Gogh’s Painting Grounds: Quantitative Determination of Bulking Agents (Extenders) Using SEM/EDX

A pre-concentration procedure using cloud point extraction is presented for the determination of uranium in natural water using molecular absorption spectrometry. The ligand used was 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)-phenol (Br-PADAP) and the micellar phase was obtained using the non-ionic surfactant octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114) and centrifugation. Interferences were eliminated using a masking solution containing trans-1,2-cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid (CDTA), sodium fluoride and sulphosalicylic acid. The optimization step was performed using a two-level factorial design and a Doehlert matrix, involving the factors pH, centrifugation time and buffer concentration. The method allows the determination of uranium in water samples with a detection limit of 0.15 μg L⁻¹, a quantification limit of 0.50 μg L⁻¹ and a precision expressed as relative standard deviation of 1.8 and 2.3% for uranium concentrations of 5 and 10 μg L⁻¹, respectively (n = 8). The accuracy was confirmed by analysis of two certified samples of natural water. This method was applied to the determination of uranium in superficial water samples collected at a uranium mine in Brazil. For five samples analyzed, the concentration of uranium varied between 1.1 and 18.1 μg L⁻¹. Tests of addition/recovery were performed for all these samples, and the results varying between 98 and 105% also proved that this procedure is not affected by the matrix and can be applied satisfactorily to the determination of uranium in water samples.     

Studies on the Efficiency of Hydrogen Selenide Generation with Different Acid Media by Continuous Flow Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

The efficiency of hydrogen selenide generation by HCl, HBr, H₂SO₄, HClO₄ and HNO₃ was studied with varying NaBH₄ concentrations by continuous flow hydride generation AAS. HBr showed higher efficiency (≈20%) than the conventionally used HCl. The optimum concentration of reagents were 5 M HBr, with 0.5% NaBH₄ and 6 M HCl with 1% NaBH₄. The efficiency followed the order HBr>HCl>HClO₄>H₂SO₄>HNO₃. The sensitivity and detection limits were 0.16 μg L⁻¹ and 0.15 μg L⁻¹ with HBr, and, 0.19 μg L⁻¹ and 0.17 μg L⁻¹ with HCl. The calibration graphs were linear in the range of 2–25 μg L⁻¹ for both the acids. Se⁶⁺ was reduced to Se⁴⁺ in 1 M HCl with the addition of solid KBr (4% final solution) with 60 minutes heating at 70 °C and compared to the commonly used 6 M HCl with 15 minutes boiling. Pre-reduction with KBr showed signal enhancement by 5 to 10% in the range 2–25 μg L⁻¹ of Se⁴⁺. The application of the method to SRM 1640 demonstrated that results were in good agreement with the certified values. Groundwater samples from a suburban area were analyzed and reported.     

Fluorometric determination of DNA using nano-SiO2 particles as an effective dispersant and stabilizer for acridine orange

A sensitive fluorometric method for the determination of ctDNA (calf thymus DNA) is presented. It has good selectivity and sensitivity and uses nano-SiO₂ particles as an effective dispersant and stabilizer for acridine orange (AO). Compared to resonance light scattering (RLS) and the conventional method that uses organic dyes as fluorescence probe, the new method is more tolerant towards coexisting foreign substances and also more stable. With 20 mg nano-SiO₂ particles, 10 μmol L⁻¹ AO, at pH 8.01 and an ionic strength of 0.02 mol L⁻¹, the interaction of AO with nano-SiO₂ and ctDNA results in fluorescent signal enhancement. The extent of enhancement was in good proportion to the concentration of ctDNA at excitation/emission wavelengths of 490/523 nm, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over 0.66–55.60 μg mL⁻¹. The determination limit (3σ) was 15 μg mL⁻¹. The method was applied to the determination of ctDNA in synthetic samples with satisfactory results.     

Highly selective determination of palladium(II) after preconcentration using Pd(II)-imprinted functionalized silica gel sorbent prepared by a surface imprinting technique

A novel Pd(II)-imprinted amino-functionalized silica gel sorbent was prepared with the help of a surface-imprinting technique for the preconcentration and separation of Pd(II) prior to its determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Compared to the traditional solid sorbents and non-imprinted polymer particles, the ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) had a higher adsorption capacity and selectivity for Pd(II). The maximum static adsorption capacity of the imprinted and non-imprinted sorbent for Pd(II) was 26.71 mg g⁻¹ and 10.13 mg g⁻¹, respectively. The relative selectivity factor (α_r) of Pd(II)/Zn(II), Pd(II)/Au(III), Pd(II)/Ru(III), Pd(II)/Rh(III), Pd(II)/Pt(IV), Pd(II)/Ir(III), Pd(II)/Fe(III) and Pd(II)/Zn(II) is 39.0, 60.2, 92.0, 85.0, 50.0, 58.0 and 45.0, respectively. The detection limit (3σ) of the method is 0.36 μg L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation was 3.2% for eight replicate determinations of 10 μg of Pd²⁺ in 200 mL water sample. The method was validated by analyzing a standard reference material, and the results obtained were in good agreement with the standard values. The method was also applied to the determination of trace palladium in geological samples with satisfactory results.     

Application of multivariate techniques for optimization of direct method for determination of lead in naphtha and petroleum condensate by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A direct method is proposed for the determination of lead in naphtha and petroleum condensate by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) using palladium as a permanent modifier. The procedure includes the dilution of 3 mL of sample (naphtha or petroleum condensate) to a final volume of 10 mL with xylene, and direct injection of 30 μL of this solution into the graphite furnace. The optimization of the instrumental conditions was performed using multivariate techniques. Firstly, a 2³ full factorial design was performed for preliminary evaluation of the factors: pyrolysis time, pyrolysis temperature and atomization temperature. This experiment showed that in the studied levels only the factors pyrolysis time and atomization temperature were significant. Then, a 3² full factorial design was performed for the determination of the critical conditions of these variables. The method allows the determination of lead using the standard calibration technique with a calibration curve from 2.6 to 30 μg L⁻¹ (correlation coefficient higher than 0.998). A limit of detection (3σ) of 0.8 μg L⁻¹ and a characteristic mass of 35 pg were obtained in the presence of palladium as modifier. The precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.5 and 0.8% for lead concentrations of 3.0 and 30 μg L⁻¹ (n = 10). Recovery studies demonstrate that lead can be determined in naphtha and petroleum condensate using calibration with organic standard solutions. This method was applied for the determination of lead in three petroleum condensate and two naphtha samples. The concentrations found for the petroleum condensate was between 2.7 and 5.7 μg L⁻¹, while the naphtha samples did not contain any detectable lead.     

On-Line Preconcentration and Determination of Cadmium, Cobalt and Nickel in Food Samples by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry Using a New Functionalized Resin

A new chelating sorbent has been developed using Amberlite XAD-2 resin anchored with pyrocatechol through the –CH₂– group. This sorbent, characterised by elemental analysis and infrared (IR) spectra, was used as a packing material for a minicolumn in an on-line preconcentration system for cadmium, cobalt and nickel determination. Metal ions were sorbed in the minicolumn, from which it could be eluted directly to the nebulizer-burner system of the flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS). Metals can be eluted from the minicolumn with 0.50 mol L⁻¹ HCl or HNO₃. The enrichment factors were 22 (Cd), 23 (Co) and 25 (Ni), for 60 s preconcentration time, and 44 (Cd), 40 (Co) and 48 (Ni), if 180 s preconcentration time was used. Under the optimum conditions, the procedure allowed the determination of cadmium, cobalt and nickel with detection limits of 0.27, 0.59 and 1.29 μg L⁻¹, respectively, when preconcentration periods of 180 s were used. The accuracy of the procedure was sufficient and evaluated by analysing certified reference materials. The method was applied to the analysis of food samples (black tea and rice flour).     

Determination of Cd(II) and Cd-metallothioneins in biological extracts using baker’s yeast and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

The use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a sorbent material to separate Cd(II) and Cd-metallothionein complex (Cd-MT) has been explored. Solid–liquid phase extractions were carried out in batch mode and the main parameters of the process (pH, temperature, time of incubation, amount of biomass and analyte) were evaluated. Under optimized conditions, the yeast quantitatively retain (94 ± 5%) the Cd(II) while 97 ± 2% of the Cd-MT remain in the supernatant. On base of the findings of this study, a simple method is proposed to determine Cd(II) and Cd-MT in cytosols extracted from mouse kidney and crab hepatopancreas. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was used to quantify the analytes in solid and liquid phase. Determination of Cd in the solid phase was carried out by introducing a slurry of the yeast (0.0625 g/10 mL) directly to the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. Mixed standards solutions, which also have been submitted to the extraction procedure, were used to quantify the analytes in the samples. Thus, matrix effects due to nebulization of the slurry were overcame. Limits of detection (3σ) for Cd(II) and Cd-MT were 1.5 and 1.2 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Relative standard deviations of signals were 4.2% for measurements in the slurry of solid phase and 2.1% for measurements in the liquid phase. Recoveries of the analytes in cytosol samples were between 76 and 114%. The concentrations of Cd(II) (2.4 ± 0.5 μg L⁻¹) and Cd-MT (3.0 ± 0.5 μg L⁻¹) found by using the proposed approach were close to those found by tangential-flow ultrafiltration technique (2.6 ± 0.7 μg L⁻¹ for Cd(II) and 3.7 ± 1.7 μg L⁻¹ for Cd-MT).     

Chemiluminescence method for the determination of mitoxantrone by the enhancement of the tris-(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthrolinedisulfonic acid)ruthenium(II)–cerium(IV) system

2,5-Dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMTD) self-assembled monolayer on gold electrode was prepared and investigated by electrochemical measurement. The DMTD/Au electrode exhibited a significantly increased sensitivity and selectivity for Pb(II) in acetate buffer (pH 5.5) at a potential of −1.0 V (vs Ag/AgCl) for 4 min by anodic stripping voltammetry. The influence of various experimental parameters on the voltammetric response was studied. Under the optimized working conditions, the dependence of the stripping peak current response on concentration of Pb(II) was linear in the range of 1–45 μmol L⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.9988, and the detection limit was 0.10 μmol L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation of the results was 3.4% for six successive determinations of a 20 μmol L⁻¹ Pb(II) solution. A study of interfering substances was also performed. The method was applied to the determination of Pb(II) in water samples with satisfactory results. Correspondence: Hong Qun Luo, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, 400715 Chongqing, China     

Comparison of the cold vapor generation using NaBH4 and SnCl2 as reducing agents and atomic emission spectrometry for the determination of Hg with a microstrip microwave induced argon plasma exiting from the wafer

A 2.45 GHz low power microwave microstrip plasma (MSP) exiting the wafer and operated with Ar at atmospheric pressure was used for the optical emission spectrometric determination of Hg with the aid of a miniaturized optical fiber spectrometer with a CCD detector and the cold vapor (CV) generation technique using NaBH₄ and SnCl₂ as reductants. The experimental conditions were optimized with respect to the relative intensity of the Hg I 253.6 nm line and its signal-to-background intensity ratio (SBR). So as to understand the results of the optimization experiments, the excitation temperatures as measured from Ar I lines (T _exc) and the electron number densities (n _e) for the Ar MSP loaded with Hg vapors were determined and found to be in the range from 5500 to 6300 K and from 1.4 to 2.0 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻³, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limit for Hg of the CV-MSP-OES using SnCl₂ as the reducing agent was found to be much lower (0.11 ng mL⁻¹) than in the case where NaBH₄ was used (9 ng mL⁻¹). The linearity range was found to be up to 1 μg mL⁻¹ while the precision was of the order of 0.7–5%. The procedure with SnCl₂ as reductant was used for the determination of Hg at a concentration of 0.2 μg mL⁻¹ in synthetic water samples containing 1 to 4% (m/v) of NaCl with an accuracy of 3% as well as in a solution of the domestic sludge standard reference material (NIST SRM 2781) with a certified concentration for Hg of 3.64 ± 0.25 μg g⁻¹ for which 3.55 ± 0.41 μg g⁻¹ was found. Correspondence: J. A. C. Broekaert, Institut für Anorganische und Angewandte Chemie, Universit?t Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany     

Study of Solid Phase Extraction Prior to Spectrophotometric Determination of Platinum with N-(3,5-Dimethylphenyl)-N′-(4-Aminobenzenesulfonate)-Thiourea

A highly sensitive, selective and rapid method for the determination of platinum based on the rapid reaction of platinum(IV) with N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)-N′-(4-aminobenzenesulfonate)-thiourea (DMMPT) and the solid phase extraction of the Pt(IV)-DMMPT complex with C₁₈ membrane disks was developed. In the presence of pH = 3.8 buffer solution and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB) medium, DMMPT reacts with platinum to form a violet complex of a molar ratio of 1:3 (platinum to DMMPT). This complex was enriched by solid phase extraction with C₁₈ membrane disks, and an enrichment factor of 200 was obtained. The molar absorptivity of the complex is 9.51 × 10⁴ L · mol⁻¹ · cm⁻¹ at 755 nm, and Beer’s law is obeyed in the range of 0.01–3.0 μg mL⁻¹ in the measured solution. The relative standard deviation for eleven replicate samples of 0.01 μg mL⁻¹ level is 1.79%. The detection limit reaches 0.02 μg L⁻¹ in the original samples. This method was applied to the determination of platinum in water and soil samples. The relative standard deviations are 2.9–3.4%. The recoveries are 94–105%. The values of determination obtained agree with those of the ICP-MS method. The results are satisfactory.     

Coprecipitation of lead and cadmium using copper(II) mercaptobenzothiazole prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination

A coprecipitation method using a combination of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) as a chelating reagent and copper as the coprecipitate carrier is described for the determination of trace lead and cadmium by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The coprecipitation conditions, such as the effect of pH, the amount of carrier element and reagent, standing time, sample volume and matrix effects were examined in detail. It was found that lead and cadmium are coprecipitated quantitatively (≥95%) with Cu(II)-MBT at pH 9 and that the relative standard deviations (n = 7) were ≤1.6%. When using the enrichment factors of 150-fold for lead and cadmium, the detection limits (3s/b) obtained are 1.08 for lead and 0.04 μg L⁻¹ for cadmium. The method was validated with spiked sea water, stream water, well water, and vegetable samples.     

HPLC determination of cefotaxime and cephalexine residues in milk and cephalexine in veterinary formulation

An HPLC method was developed and validated for the determination of the cephalosporins cefotaxime and cephalexine in skimmed bovine milk. The analytical column, Kromasil C₁₈ (250 mm × 4.0 mm, 5 μm) was operated at ambient temperature. Mobile phase consisted of CH₃OH-acetate buffer (pH = 4.0) and it was delivered isocratically at a flow rate of 1.0 mL · min⁻¹. Total analysis time was less than 5 min. Caffeine was used as internal standard (5 ng · μL⁻¹). UV detection was performed at 265 nm. Method validation was performed by means of intra-day (n = 5) and inter-day accuracy and precision (n = 8), sensitivity and linearity. Limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.1 and 0.3 ng · μL⁻¹, respectively. The method was applied to the analysis of a veterinary drug (CEPOREX) containing cephalexine. The results were quite accurate with the relative error varying from −8.0 to −3.5%. Solid-phase extraction was applied to remove all matrix interference from milk samples. High extraction recoveries (average 84–121%) were achieved by using Abselut NEXUS cartridges with acetonitrile as eluent and a rinsing step with water and n-butanol. A pre-concentration step was necessary in a 1/10 level to reach the EU MRL concentration level (100 μg · kg⁻¹). RSD values were less than 7% for both cephalosporins. Correspondence: Ioannis N. Papadoyannis, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece     

A novel kinetic determination of nitrite based on the perphenazine-bromate redox reaction

An extremely sensitive and selective kinetic method was developed for the determination of trace levels of nitrite based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation of perphenazine (PPZ) with bromate in a phosphoric acid medium. The reaction rate was monitored spectrophotometrically by tracing the formation of the red-colored oxidized product of PPZ at 525 nm within 30 sec of mixing. The optimum reaction conditions were 4.0 μmol L⁻¹ PPZ, 0.4 mol L⁻¹ H₃PO₄ and 30 mmol L⁻¹ bromate at 25 °C. Using the recommended procedure, nitrite could be determined with a linear calibration graph up to 4.50 ng mL⁻¹ and a detection limit of 0.07 ng mL⁻¹. The method was conveniently applied to the determination of nitrite in samples of rain, polluted well and formulated waste waters. Moreover, the published kinetic spectrophotometric methods for nitrite determination are reviewed.