Flow-injection chemiluminescence determination of formaldehyde in water

A modification of the Trautz-Schorigin reaction into a flow-injection analysis configuration is described. Different approaches were used at the optimization of chemiluminescence determination of formaldehyde in water based on the reaction of formaldehyde, gallic acid and hydrogen peroxide in an alkaline solution. Detection system with a 218 μl chemiluminescence cell was optimized by both a one-variable-at-a-time method, and a modified simplex method. A calibration graph is linear in the concentration range 4 × 10⁻⁸ to 1 × 10⁻⁵ M HCHO. The detection limit of formaldehyde for a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 is 4 × 10⁻⁸ M. The relative standard deviations for 15 repeated measurements of 1 × 10⁻⁶ and 5 × 10⁻⁶ mol l⁻¹ HCHO are 4.32 and 3.33%, respectively. The analysis time is 1.5 min. The method was applied to the determination of formaldehyde in urban rainwater. A comparison of results found by proposed method with those obtained by fluorimetric reference method provided a good agreement.     

11-Molybdobismuthophosphate—A new reagent for the determination of ascorbic acid in batch and sequential injection systems

The guanidinium salt of the new heteropolymolybdate 11-molybdobismuthophosphate Gua₆PBiMo₁₁O₄₀ (11-MBP) was synthesized, characterized and used as a reagent for batch spectrophotometric (SP) and sequential injection determination of ascorbic acid (AsA). When compared to other Keggin's heteropolyanions, the reduction of 11-MBP with AsA is both fast and maximal within a pH range of 1.6-2.0. The stoichiometry of the reaction was determined using molar ratio and continuous variation methods and was shown to be 1:1. The molar absorptivity of the reduced form of 11-MBP was 6.0 × 10³ L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 720 nm. The reaction is also specific for AsA. Only cysteine, hydroquinone and hydroxyacids were found to interfere with the reaction, while no interference was observed with the common reducing agents, including reducing sugars, catecholamines, nitrite, sulfite and iron(II) ions. Batch SP and sequential injection analysis (SIA) systems were developed for the determination of AsA, with calibration ranges of the SP methods at 2 × 10⁻⁶-8 × 10⁻⁵ M for a 10 mm cell and 5 × 10⁻⁷-3 × 10⁻⁵ M for a 50 mm cell and a limit of detection at 3 × 10⁻⁷ M. The linear range of the SIA method was 6 × 10⁻⁶-5 × 10⁻⁴ M, with a detection limit of 2 × 10⁻⁶ M and a sample throughput of 15 h⁻¹. The proposed methods were successfully used for the determination of AsA in both pharmaceuticals and fruit juices, and the results were consistent with those provided by the 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol method.     

A sensitive flow analysis system for the fluorimetric determination of low levels of formaldehyde in alcoholic beverages

A sensitive FIA method was developed for the selective determination of formaldehyde in alcoholic beverages. This method is based on the reaction of Fluoral-P (4-amine-3-pentene-2-one) with formaldehyde, leading to the formation of 3,5-diacetyl-1,4-dihydrolutidine (DDL), which fluoresces at λ_ex = 410 nm and λ_em = 510 nm. The analytical parameters were optimized by the response surface method using the Box-Behnken design. The proposed flow injection system allowed for the determination of up to 3.33 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ of formaldehyde with R.S.D. < 2.5% and a detection limit of 3.1 ng mL⁻¹. The method was successfully applied to determine formaldehyde in alcoholic beverages, without requiring any sample pretreatment, and the results agreed with the reference at a 95% confidence level by paired t-test. In the optimized condition, the FIA system proved able to analyze up to 60 samples/h.     

Continuous chemiluminescence determination of formaldehyde in air based on Trautz-Schorigin reaction

A new continuous method for the determination of formaldehyde in air is described. A cylindrical wet effluent diffusion denuder is used for the collection of formaldehyde from air into a thin film of absorption liquid (distilled-deionized water). Formaldehyde in the denuder concentrate is on-line detected employing a chemiluminescence flow method based on a reaction of formaldehyde and gallic acid with hydrogen peroxide in an alkaline solution. The collection efficiency of formaldehyde is quantitative at the air flow rate of 0.5 L min⁻¹ (absorption liquid flow rate of 336 μL min⁻¹). The limit of detection (S/N = 3) is 0.60 μg m⁻³ HCHO (0.49 ppb). The calibration graph is linear up to 300 μg m⁻³ HCHO (244 ppb). The relative standard deviations of chemiluminescence method for 1 × 10⁻⁶ and 5 × 10⁻⁶ M HCHO are 2.87% and 1.49%, respectively. Acetaldehyde interferes negligible, other compounds do not interfere. The method was employed for formaldehyde measurement in ambient air. The comparison measurement illustrates the good agreement of results obtained by proposed method with those obtained by reference fluorimetric method.     

Time measurement-visual analysis of l-cysteine using the autocatalytic sodium sulfite/hydrogen peroxide reaction system and its application to length detection-flow analysis

Trace amounts of l-cysteine can function as a trigger, i.e., reaction initiator, in the autocatalytic sodium sulfite/hydrogen peroxide reaction system. Rapidly changing of pH after induction time is visually confirmed by color changing of bromothymol blue in this autocatalytic reaction. Based on this finding, μg L⁻¹ levels of l-cysteine were measured over time using the autocatalytic reaction system. The determination range using the above method was 5.0 × 10⁻⁸-2.5 × 10⁻⁶ M, the detection limit (3σ) was 1.8 × 10⁻⁸ M (1.94 μg L⁻¹), and the relative standard deviation was 2.41% at an l-cysteine concentration of 5 × 10⁻⁷ M (n = 5). This method was also applied to length detection-flow injection analysis. The determination range for the flow injection analysis was 2.0 × 10⁻⁷-1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M. The detection limit (3σ) was 1.4 × 10⁻⁷ M (17.0 μg L⁻¹), and the relative standard deviation was 0.91% at an initial l-cysteine concentration of 10⁻⁶ M (n = 5).     

Indirect determination of cyanide ion and hydrogen cyanide by adsorptive stripping voltammetry at a mercury electrode

An indirect voltammetric method is described for determination of cyanide ions and hydrogen cyanide, using the effect of cyanide on cathodic adsorptive stripping peak height of Cu-adenine. The method is based on competitive Cu complex formation reaction between adenine at the electrode surface and CN⁻ ions in solution. Under the optimum experimental conditions (pH=6.42 Britton-Robinson buffer, 1×10⁻⁴ M copper and 8×10⁻⁷ M adenine), the linear decrease of the peak current of Cu-adenine was observed, when the cyanide concentration was increased from 5×10⁻⁸ to 8×10⁻⁷ M. The detection limit was obtained as 1×10⁻⁸ M for 60 s accumulation time. The relative standard deviations for six measurements were 4 and 2% for the cyanide concentrations of 5×10⁻⁸ and 2×10⁻⁷ M, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of cyanide in various industrial waste waters such as electroplating waste water and also for determination of hydrogen cyanide in air samples.     

Simultaneous capillary electrophoretic determination of Sc(III) and Y(III) based on the complex-formation with a lacunary Keggin-type [PW11O39] complex

Trace amounts of Sc(III) and Y(III) can react with [PW₁₁O₃₉]⁷⁻ to form the ternary Keggin-type complexes: [P(Sc^IIIW₁₁)O₄₀]⁶⁻ and [P(Y^IIIW₁₁)O₄₀]⁶⁻ having high molar absorptivities in the UV region. Since the rate of the complex-formation was very rapid and the kinetically stable ternary anions migrated in the capillary with different electrophoretic mobilities, the complex-formation reaction was applied to the simultaneous CE determination of Sc(III) and Y(III) with direct UV detection at 250 nm. For both Sc(III) and Y(III), the pre-column method provided linear calibration curves in the range of 2 × 10⁻⁷ to 1 × 10⁻⁵ M; the respective detection limits were 1 × 10⁻⁷ M (the signal-to-noise ratio = 3). The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of Sc(III) and Y(III) in river water.     

Determination of levodopa by capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection

A rapid and simple method using capillary electrophoresis (CE) with chemiluminescence (CL) detection was developed for the determination of levodopa. This method was based on enhance effect of levodopa on the CL reaction between luminol and potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) (K₃[Fe(CN)₆]) in alkaline aqueous solution. CL detection employed a lab-built reaction flow cell and a photon counter. The optimized conditions for the CL detection were 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M luminol added to the CE running buffer and 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ M K₃[Fe(CN)₆] in 0.6 M NaOH solution introduced postcolumn. Under the optimal conditions, a linear range from 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 2.5 × 10⁻⁶ M (r = 9991), and a detection limit of 2.0 × 10⁻⁸ M (signal/noise = 3) for levodopa were achieved. The precision (R.S.D.) on peak area (at 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ M of levodopa, n = 11) was 4.1%. The applicability of the method for the analysis of pharmaceutical and human plasma samples was examined.     

Flow injection-chemiluminescence determination of sulfadiazine in compound naristillae

A simple, sensitive and selective flow injection-chemiluminescence method for the determination of sulfadiazine in compound naristillae has been investigated. It is based upon the chemilimunescence reaction of sulfadiazine, formaldehyde and potassium permanganate in polyphosphate acid medium. The optimum conditions for the chemiluminescence emission were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range for the determination of sulfadiazine was 8.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L with a detection limit of 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L calculated as proposed by IUPAC and a relative standard deviation of 2.53% for 11 solutions of 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L sulfadiazine on the same day. It was also found that the coexisting ephedrine hydrochloride did not interfere with this determination. This led to the successful application of the proposed method for the direct and selective determination of sulfadiazine in compound naristillae.     

Optimization of the separation of malachite green in water by capillary electrophoresis Raman spectroscopy (CE-RS) based on the stacking and sweeping modes

A capillary electrophoresis Raman spectroscopy (CE-RS) method based on the stacking and sweeping modes are described. A non-fluorescent compound (malachite green, MG; crystal violet, CV) and a doubled Nd:YAG laser (532 nm, 300 mW) were selected as the model compound and light source, respectively. In order to carry out a quantitative and analysis of MG, a monochromator was used to collect the specific Raman line at 1616 cm⁻¹ (the N-φ and C-C stretching, corresponding to 582 nm when the wavelength of the exciting source is 532 nm). The limit of detection (LOD) for MG was 1.6 × 10⁻⁵ and 1.1 × 10⁻⁵ M, respectively, based on the CZE and MEKC modes. This could be improved to 3.4 × 10⁻⁷ and 5.3 × 10⁻⁹ M, respectively, when the stacking and sweeping modes were applied. The method was also extended to the determination of MG in an actual sample.     

Determination of 6-mercaptopurine based on the fluorescence enhancement of Au nanoparticles

A novel method for the determination of 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) has been developed based on fluorescence enhancement of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). The fluorescent AuNPs with mean diameter of ∼15 nm were synthesized in aqueous solution, exhibiting the stable maximum emission at 367 nm, under the excitation at wavelength of 264 nm. The AuNPs self-assembly with 6MP were characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption, fluorescence and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The results revealed that the surface attachment through versatile binding sites of S10, N3, N9 and N7 atoms in 6MP produced the interparticle coupling and formed aggregates of AuNPs. As a result, the fluorescence emission enhancement was significantly observed upon AuNPs self-assembly with 6MP. The fluorimetric determination under optimal conditions indicated that 6MP could be quantified in good linearity range of 6.35 × 10⁻⁸ to 3.05 × 10⁻⁷ M, with a low detection limit of 4.82 × 10⁻¹⁰ M. The relative standard deviation (n = 11) was 1.8% at 2.54 × 10⁻⁸ M 6MP concentration level. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of 6MP in spiked human urine. The probable fluorescence enhancement mechanism was also discussed there.     

Monitoring of vitamin C species in aqueous solution by flow injection analysis coupled with an on-line separation with reversed-phase column

Two vitamin C species of ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid in aqueous solution were monitored by flow injection analysis. Ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid were resolved by a reversed-phase column, and dehydroascorbic acid was reduced to ascorbic acid by an on-line post-column reaction with dithiothreitol. Both natural and reduced ascorbic acids were photometrically detected at 260 nm, and the two vitamin C species were simultaneously determined. The determination range was from 0 to 8 × 10⁻⁵ M with a limit of detection of 1.7 × 10⁻⁶ M. The proposed method was applied to the conversion monitoring of ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid in weakly acidic to weakly alkaline aqueous solutions, as well as to the determination of the vitamin C in some beverage samples.     

Quantum dot-enhanced chemiluminescence detection for simultaneous determination of dopamine and epinephrine by capillary electrophoresis

A sensitive method based on quantum dot (QD)-enhanced capillary electrophoresis-chemiluminescence (CE-CL) detection was developed for simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA) and epinephrine (E). In this work, CdTe QD was added into the running buffer of CE to catalyze the post-column CL reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide, achieving higher CL emission. Negative peaks were produced due to the inhibitory effects on CL emission from DA and E eluted from the electrophoretic capillary. The decrease in CL intensity was proportional to the concentration of DA and E in the range of 8.0 × 10⁻⁸-5.0 × 10⁻⁶ M and 4.0 × 10⁻⁸-5.0 × 10⁻⁶ M, respectively. Detection limits for DA and E were 2.3 × 10⁻⁸ M and 9.3 × 10⁻⁹ M, respectively. Using this method, the levels of DA and E in human urine from healthy donors were determined.     

Potentiometric stripping analysis of methyl and ethyl parathion employing carbon nanoparticles and halloysite nanoclay modified carbon paste electrode

Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) and halloysite nanoclay (HNC) modified carbon paste electrode (HNC–CNP–CPE) was developed for the determination of methyl parathion (MP) and ethyl parathion (EP). The electrochemical behavior of these molecules was investigated employing cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronocoulometry (CC), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA). After optimization of analytical conditions employing this electrode at pH 5.0 in acetate buffer (0.1 M), the peak currents were found to vary linearly with its concentration in the range of 1.55 × 10⁻⁹ to 3.67 × 10⁻⁶ M and 1.21 × 10⁻⁹ to 4.92 × 10⁻⁶ M for MP and EP, respectively. The detection limits (S/N = 3) of 4.70 × 10⁻¹⁰ M and 3.67 × 10⁻¹⁰ M were obtained for MP and EP, respectively, using PSA. The prepared modified electrode showed several advantages such as simple preparation method, high sensitivity, very low detection limits and excellent reproducibility. The proposed method was employed for the determination of MP and EP in fruits, vegetables, water and soil samples.     

Analysis of parabens in cosmetics by low pressure liquid chromatography with monolithic column and chemiluminescent detection

This paper presents an application of chromatographic separation based on an ultra-short monolithic column and chemiluminescent detection in an FIA type instrument manifold for the determination of four paraben mixtures: methylparaben (MP), ethylparaben (EP), propylparaben (PP) and butylparaben (BP). The separation is achieved in 150 s using two consecutive carriers: first 12% ACN:water that changes 75 s after injection to 27% ACN:water. The detection is based on the oxidation of the hydrolysis product of parabens, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, with Ce(IV) in the presence of Rhodamine 6G which evokes chemiluminescence of sufficient intensity to enable a sensitive determination of these species. After optimization of the variables involved, the analytical method is characterized, displaying the following values for concentration ranges, detection limits and precision, as relative standard deviation at low concentration (0.15 mg l⁻¹)—MP: from 9.9 × 10⁻⁷ to 3.3 × 10⁻⁴ M; 1.9 × 10⁻⁸; 5.6%; EP: from 9.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 3.3 × 10⁻⁴ M; 2.8 × 10⁻⁸; 3.5%; PP: from 8.3 × 10⁻⁷ to 9.9 × 10⁻⁵ M; 2.3 × 10⁻⁸; 4.2%; and BP: from 7.7 × 10⁻⁷ to 9.9 × 10⁻⁵ M; 4.2 × 10⁻⁸ M; 6.2%. The method was applied and validated satisfactorily for the determination of these parabens in cosmetic samples, comparing the results against a liquid chromatography reference method.     

Flow injection spectrophotometric method for chloride determination in natural waters using Hg(SCN)(2) immobilized in epoxy resin

A flow injection (FI) spectrophotometric method was proposed for the determination of chloride ion in natural waters. The determination of chloride was carried out by reaction with Hg(SCN)₂ immobilized in an epoxy resin bead in a solid-phase reactor (SPR) and the thiocyanate ions released were determined spectrophotometrically at 480 nm after complexing reaction with Fe(III). The analytical curve for chloride was linear in the concentration range from 5.6 × 10⁻⁵ to 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.4 × 10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) was 2.2% for a solution containing 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ (n = 10). The simple manifold allows a routine analytical frequency of 100 determinations per hour. The main advantage of the developed method is the 400% reduction of the Hg waste solution generated when compared to conventional methods for chloride determination based on the same spectrophotometric reaction.     

Kinetic spectrophotometric determination of Tween 80

A novel kinetic spectrophotometic method for the determination of Tween 80 based on its interaction with 5(p-dimethylaminobenzylidene)rhodanine (PDR) in alkaline media is reported. The effect of variable on the rate of interaction of Tween 80 and PDR was investigated in order to establish the optimum conditions. The interaction was monitored spectrophotometically and change in absorbance (ΔA) of PDR at 464 nm at times of 30 and 270 s was used as an analytical parameter. Tween 80 can be measured in the range of 2.5×10⁻⁵ to 1.25×10⁻³ M with detection limit of 1.5×10⁻⁵ M. The relative standard deviation for eight replicate determinations of 2×10⁻⁴ and 1×10⁻³ M of Tween 80 solution was 4.08 and 3.88%, respectively. This method was used to determine Tween 80 in biscuit and multivitamin syrup.     

Direct determination of trace aluminum with quercetin by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography

The determination of trace levels of aluminum by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with spectrophotometric detection using quercetin, a bioactive substance as a pre-column reagent, is developed in this paper. The Al-quercetin chelate was separated on a reversed-phase ODS column with a mobile phase consisting of 70% water (pH 1.0 with perchloric acid) and 30% methanol, and detected at its maximum of 415 nm. The response was linear over the 1.0×10⁻⁷ to 8.0×10⁻⁵ M concentration range with a detection limit of 5.0×10⁻⁸ M and a relative standard deviation of 1.0% at the 5×10⁻⁶ M level. The analysis was free from common ions except iron, which could be successfully screened by 1,10-phenanthroline. This method has been employed to the determination of Al in environmental and biological samples. Moreover, direct speciation of labile monomeric Al, the toxic form of Al, in natural water by the present technique was explored. The coordination ratio of Al complex with quercetin was also elucidated by HPLC combined with molar ratio method. Only a 1:1 complex was formed. Because quercetin exists in body, a preliminary thinking of in vivo determination of Al is provided in this study.     

Synthesis and analytical application of a novel tetradentate N(2)O(2) Schiff base as a chromogenic reagent for determination of nickel in some natural food samples

A novel sensitive chromogenic reagent, N,N′-bis(3-methylsalicylidene)-ortho-phenylene diamine (MSOPD), has been synthesized and used in the spectrophotometric determination of nickel. At pH 8, MSOPD can react with nickel ion at room temperature to form a 1:1 complex. The apparent molar absorptivity is 9.5 × 10⁴ l mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 430 nm. Beer's low is obeyed over the range 0-1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M of nickel with a detection limit of 1.36 × 10⁻⁸ M. The relative standard deviation for measurement of 3.41 × 10⁻⁶ M nickel is 1.3% (n = 10). The method has successfully been applied to determination of trace amounts of nickel in some natural food samples.     

Spectrophotometric determination of trace ionic and non-ionic surfactants based on a collection on a membrane filter as the ion associate of the surfactant with Erythrosine B

The spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace surfactants with Erythrosine B (EB) based on the aqueous reaction and the collection on a membrane filter by filtration was studied. Cationic surfactants (CS⁺), such as a quaternary ammonium ion, and polyoxyethylene non-ionic surfactants (NS) in the presence of potassium ion, containing a long-chain alkyl group associate with EB buffered at pH 5.5. CS⁺ associates with anionic surfactants (AS⁻). For the determination of CS⁺, four methods were employed: the collection of the ion associate of CS⁺ with EB on a mixed cellulose ester (MCE) or PTFE membrane filter, the collection of the ion associate of CS⁺ with AS⁻ on a PTFE membrane filter followed by the ion exchange of AS⁻ with EB, and the first collection of CS⁺ followed by the second collection of EB on a PTFE membrane filter. For the determination of AS⁻, the collection of the ion associate of AS⁻ with CS⁺ on a PTFE membrane filter followed by the ion exchange of AS⁻ with EB was done. For the determination of NS, the ion associate of NS with EB was collected on a MCE membrane filter. The MCE membrane filter with the analyte was dissolved in methyl cellosolve. The analyte on the PTFE membrane filter was eluted with ethanol. The CS⁺ up to 5×10⁻⁷ M can be determined by the absorbance at 542 nm of the methyl cellosolve solution or the absorbance at 535 nm of the ethanol solution. The AS⁻ up to 5×10⁻⁷ M can be determined by the absorbance at 536 nm of the ethanol solution. The NS up to 2.53×10⁻⁶ M can be determined by the absorbance at 537 nm of the methyl cellosolve solution. This is the sensitive method for the determination of 10⁻⁸ to 10⁻⁷ M order of ionic surfactants and 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻⁶ M order of NS without toxic organic solvents.