Quantitative determination of hexavalent chromium in aqueous solutions by UV-Vis spectrophotometer

In the last decade, different methods have been developed for the determination of chromium(VI) concentration in water. These methods use high cost equipment or they require a long preparation time. Because of their drawbacks, this paper describes an on-line, rapid and sensitive procedure for the determination of Cr(VI) concentrations in aqueous solutions via pH and absorption measurements. Only four Cr(VI) species are considered. The effects of pH and of total amount of chromium on the Cr(VI) speciation are investigated. The molar absorptivities of four chromium species at 371 nm are determined by minimising an objective function. The knowledge of these molar absorptivities and the measurements of pH and absorption at 371 nm lead to a rapid determination of total Cr(VI) concentration. The reliability and applicability of the method were confirmed using synthetic water samples.      

Preliminary results of a quick,simple method of detecting antimony in water samples

Preliminary results of development of a direct and fast method of determination of antimony in samples of tap water using GFAAS are presented. The found levels of antimony were lower than permitted for human consumption. A mixture of Pd and Mg(NO₃)₂ (concentrations in the injected solution: 8.6 μg mL⁻¹ and 5.8 μg mL⁻¹ respectively) was used as the chemical modifier. The pyrolysis and atomization temperatures were 1000 and 1700°C, respectively and the mean analytical recovery 98.2%.      

Palladium-catalyzed amination of quinaldine-5-triflate

Palladium-catalyzed amination reactions of quinoline triflate and the effect of a Pd catalyst, its ligands, solvents, bases, and temperature were studied. This method facilitated an easier pathway for the preparation of aminoquinoline derivatives as potential precursors of new serotoninerg agents.      

Review of analytical methods for the determination of chlorine dioxide

The present study reviews more than twenty years (1985-present) of published research on the development and application of analytical procedures for the determination of chlorine dioxide, a widely used disinfectant and bleaching agent. The review covers a variety of techniques including batch and automated spectrophotometry and fluorimetry, electroanalysis and chromatography. The analytical figures of merit to the methods are presented, while critical discussion regarding their advantages and disadvantages is addressed.      

Cloud point extraction-preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of low levels of zinc in water and blood serum samples

A simple, sensitive and selective flotation method is described for the preconcentration and atomic absorption spectrometric determination of zinc ion in water and blood samples. At a solution pH of 5.2, 4-(2-pyridylazo-resorcinol) and Triton X-114 were used as hydrophobic ligand and non-ionic surfactant, respectively. The chemical variables affecting the preconcentration process were optimized. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the selective preconcentration and determination of as low zinc concentration as 6.5 μg L⁻¹ can be made. The proposed method was successfully applied to the preconcentration and low-level determination of zinc in different water and blood serum samples.      

Ion-pair chromatographic monitoring of photographic effluents

Ion-pair chromatographic technique was developed for the rapid and simple determination of the main contaminants (bromide, iodide, sulphite, thiosulphate, thiocyanate, iron(III)-EDTA chelate, free EDTA, hydroquinone and phenidone) in spent photographic solutions. Free EDTA was converted into stable Ni(II)-EDTA chelate prior to analysis. The optimal mobile phase conditions were established by varying the concentrations of tetrabutylammonium (TBA) phosphate and acetonitrile, pH and ionic strength. Separation of five inorganic anions, two metal chelates and two neutral compounds was accomplished in about 30 min using a mobile phase containing 7.5 mmol/L TBA-phosphate, 10 mmol/L NaCl (pH 6.5) and 20% (v/v) acetonitrile. The detection limits (UV detection at 210 nm) ranged from 0.4 μmol/L for phenidone to 8 μmol/L for sulphite with a linearity of 2–2.5 orders of magnitude. The method was applied to the rapid monitoring of spent photographic solutions before and after decomposition. The recovery tests established for two samples were within the range 95–103%.      

On the determination of lead in wine by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The parameters of analytical procedures developed for direct ETAAS determination of Pb in wine are discussed. Atomic absorption spectrometers based on transversal and longitudinal Zeeman effect, wall and integrated platform atomization with two main approaches: (i) measurements in the presence of modifier and (ii) measurements without using any modifier are compared. The optimal temperature programs are defined according to the pre-treatment and atomization curves constructed in the presence of different types of wines. For all investigated instrumental systems, 1:1 dilution of wine sample with 0.2 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ is recommended. Matrix interferences observed, call for standard addition calibration method for Pb quantification in wines. The detection limit (3σ) achieved for wine diluted in the ratio of 1:1 varied from 0.8 to 1.9 μg L⁻¹ depending on the instrument used. The relative standard deviation for the concentration range of 10 to 80 μg L⁻¹ Pb in wine is typically between 4–8%. The accuracy of the analytical procedures recommended was confirmed by comparing the results obtained with those found for wine samples previously digested with HNO₃-H₂O₂ mixture, by added/found method and by parallel analysis using different instruments. A total of 66 wine samples from different regions of Macedonia were analyzed.      

Aminophosphine complex as a catalyst precursor in Suzuki coupling reactions

A palladium complex with an aminophosphine ligand has been prepared and investigated as a catalyst precursor in Suzuki coupling reactions in toluene. Nanoparticles composed of elemental palladium have been isolated from the reaction media and analyzed using transmission electroscopic microscope (TEM), which shows the essential catalysts palladium nanoparticles to have a size of ca. 3.0 nm. dedicate to the 60th birthday of Prof. Dr. Yuan Kou     

Determination of active components in Chinese medicinal preparations by capillary electrophoresis

The determination of paeoniforin, paeonol, and censenoside Rg₁ in traditional Chinese medicinal preparations, Tze Po San Pien pills and Liuwen Dihuang pills has been investigated by micellar electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis with borate buffer (20 mM), sodium dodecylsulfate (30 mM) and acetonitrile (20%) as background electrolytes (pH 9.30), 20 kV applied voltage and 203 nm UV detection. The effects of SDS concentration, borate, buffer pH, and organic modifier on electrophoretic behavior and separation are discussed. Regression equations revealed linear relationships between the peak-area of each component and the content with the correlation coefficients from 0.9982 to 0.9999. In addition, the levels of the active compounds in two kinds of traditional Chinese medicinal preparations were easily determined with the recoveries from 93.1% to 108.2%.      

Alkylation of ambident indole anion in ionic liquids

Alkylation of indole salts in different ionic liquids is reported. Ionic liquids increase the alkylation reaction rate of ambident indole anion and reduce the effects of counter ions and/or additives, the alkylation reaction rates being independent of the presence of small amounts of protic solvents or water.      

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and liquid chromatographic determination of pentachlorophenol in water

A simple and sensitive dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method for extraction and preconcentration of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in water samples is presented. After adjusting the sample pH to 3, extraction was performed in the presence of 1% W/V sodium chloride by injecting 1 mL acetone as disperser solvent containing 15 μL tetrachloroethylene as extraction solvent. The proposed DLLME method was followed by HPLC-DAD for determination of PCP. It has good linearity (0.994) with wide linear dynamic range (0.1–1000 μg L⁻¹) and low detection limit (0.03 μg L⁻¹), which makes it suitable for determination of PCP in water samples.      

Voltammetric determination of Rutin at Screen-Printed carbon disposable electrodes

Rutin is a flavonoid commonly employed for many therapeutic purposes. Although the electroactive phenolic groups of rutin might be oxidized at low applied potential, the adsorption of oxidized species changes the electrode surface. As a consequence, the repeatability and reproducibility of the method decreases, which limits electroanalytical applications. This paper describes the use of disposable screen-printed electrodes as an alternative to improve the electrochemical quantification of rutin in commercial and standard samples. The electrochemical behavior was consistent to what is observed using other carbon electrodes: an adsorption-involved step and a pH-dependent oxidation process. The replacement of the electrodes between the analyses ensured rapid analysis, good intermediate precision and repeatability. The proposed method was successfully applied to rutin determination in pharmaceutical samples of capsules, with the limit of quantification being 0.30 μM.      

Electrospinning of the hydrophilic poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and its copolymers with 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate

The goal was to electrospin 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate — based biocompatible polymers and prepare submicron fibres (nanofibers) for biomedicinal applications. Syntheses of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA) and its copolymer with 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate (EOEMA), and their characterization by viscometry and molecular weight are described. Their relation to electrospinning is discussed. Electrospinning of HEMA homopolymer from water-ethanol is successful for molecular weights 6.31 × 10⁵ and 1.80 × 10⁶ g/mol. Electrospinning of HEMA/EOEMA copolymers is feasible from ethanol.      

Sub-millivolt amplitude potential oscillations observed in the noise of hydrogen evolution on Ag and Cu microelectrodes

A strange effect was observed while using the method of quasi-simultaneous determination of electrochemical voltage noise and impedance to obtain information on the kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction on Ag and Cu microelectrodes. Beyond a certain polarizing current density we found microvolt-amplitude potential oscillations on both electrodes with a frequency in the 5 Hz–5 kHz range. The oscillations were observed in every single experiment with Ag and Cu, while no oscillatory behavior was observed during the control experiments with the Pt microelectrode. The presence of the oscillations indicates that the mechanism of hydrogen evolution is more complex compared to the original assumption.      

Esterification of palmitic acid with epichlorohydrin on anion exchange resin catalyst

The esterification reaction of palmitic acid with epichlorohydrin catalyzed by an anionic macroporous resin was studied. Purolite A-500 resin proved to be a very effective catalyst in the synthesis of 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl palmitate. The effects of certain parameters such as speed of agitation, catalyst particle size, catalyst loading, temperature, initial molar ratio between reactants on the rate of reaction were studied. It was found that the overall rate is intrinsically kinetically controlled. The structure of synthesized ester was confirmed by FTIR and ¹H NMR analyses.      

Aflatoxin species: their health effects and determination methods in different foodstuffs

Carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of aflatoxin species are known in literature. Their intake over a long time period might be health-dangerous for human even at trace levels. It is well known that different foodstuffs can be contaminated by aflatoxin species through growing and storage. Due to the serious health effects, sensitive determination of aflatoxin species in any matrices related with the human being is very crucial at trace levels. In literature, there are sensitive techniques to analyze the different samples for the contents of their aflatoxin species. Each technique has some advantages and disadvantages over the other techniques. This review aims to summarize the different health effects of aflatoxin species, development of analytical techniques and applications of developed techniques in a variety of matrices.      

ZnO-beta zeolite mediated simple and efficient method for the one-pot synthesis of quinoxaline derivatives at room temperature

A rapid and an efficient one-pot method for the synthesis of quinoxalines catalysed by ZnO-beta zeolite at room temperature is described. This environmentally benign method provides several advantages over methods that are currently employed such as a simple work-up, mild reaction conditions, good to excellent yields, and a process to recover and reuse the catalyst for several cycles with consistent activity.      

Differential pulse voltammetric determination of dopamine with the coexistence of ascorbic acid on boron-doped diamond surface

Electrochemical determination of dopamine (DA) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) was achieved on boron-doped diamond (BDD) film electrode by differential pulse voltammetry. The experimental results indicated that the oxidative peaks of DA and AA could be separated completely on anodically-treated (BDD) electrode without further modification, although these two peaks can not be separated on glassy carbon electrode. The peak separation of DA and AA was developed to be 0.44 V. High sensitivity was obtained to determine DA selectively with the coexisting of a large excess of AA in acidic media by DPV. The detection limit of DA was achieved to be 1.1 × 10^-6 M in the presence of AA with the concentration of 200 times more than DA. This technique was also applied to the determination of DA in real samples.      

Meldola’s Blue — doped titania sol-gel sensor for NADH determination

Titania layers obtained by a sol-gel technique doped with redox mediator, Meldola’s Blue, were employed for construction of a new NADH senor. Optimization of preparation process as well as experimental conditions affecting the response of the sensor were examined. Under optimal conditions NADH could be determined in the wide linear range from 90 to 2300 μM with detection limit 12 μM and a high sensitivity 12.5 nA μM⁻¹. The usefulness of developed sensor was preliminarily checked in determination of NADH forming during enzymatic oxidation of ethanol catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH).