Microdetermination of dissolved oxygen in water by a rapid spectrophotometric method

A spectrophotometric method utilizing the dye indigo carmine has been applied to the analysis of dissolved oxygen in water samples. Oxygen concentration has been determined by the decrease in absorbance at 410 mμ of reduced indigo carmine solutions oxidized by dissolved oxygen. A simple modification of the sample compartment of a Bausch and Lomb Spectronic 20 or 340 spectrophotometer allows rapid and accurate measurements to be made within 3 min. Dissolved oxygen in the ranges of 0 to 10% and 0 to 100% saturation can be analyzed without many of the interferences inherent in the standard Winkler method.     

A highly accurate method for determination of dissolved oxygen: Gravimetric Winkler method

A high-accuracy Winkler titration method has been developed for determination of dissolved oxygen concentration. Careful analysis of uncertainty sources relevant to the Winkler method was carried out and the method was optimized for minimizing all uncertainty sources as far as practical. The most important improvements were: gravimetric measurement of all solutions, pre-titration to minimize the effect of iodine volatilization, accurate amperometric end point detection and careful accounting for dissolved oxygen in the reagents. As a result, the developed method is possibly the most accurate method of determination of dissolved oxygen available. Depending on measurement conditions and on the dissolved oxygen concentration the combined standard uncertainties of the method are in the range of 0.012–0.018 mg dm⁻³ corresponding to the k = 2 expanded uncertainty in the range of 0.023–0.035 mg dm⁻³ (0.27–0.38%, relative). This development enables more accurate calibration of electrochemical and optical dissolved oxygen sensors for routine analysis than has been possible before.     

A flow system for calibration of dissolved oxygen sensors

Well-defined oxygen standard solutions were obtained by the electrolysis of water in a coulometric oxygen generator. The generator was integrated into a flow system that includes the degassing of the carrier electrolyte, the generation of dissolved oxygen and the temperature control of the carrier electrolyte. The current efficiency of oxygen generation was found to be 100% by the Winkler titration method. Calibrations of a home made laboratory sensor and a WTW CellOx dissolved oxygen sensor have been made in a concentration range of 0.02 to 8 mg/L at temperatures from 5°C to 30°C. The calibration of the WTW sensor on water vapour saturated air was compared with the electrochemical calibration method. Both methods gave reliable results provided that the temperature equilibration between the sensor and the ambient air was successful. Received: 24 March 1997 / Revised: 15 May 1997 / Accepted: 15 May 1997     

A multisyringe flow injection Winkler-based spectrophotometric analyzer for in-line monitoring of dissolved oxygen in seawater

An integrated analyzer based on the multisyringe flow injection analysis approach is proposed for the automated determination of dissolved oxygen in seawater. The entire Winkler method including precipitation of manganese(II) hydroxide, fixation of dissolved oxygen, dissolution of the oxidized manganese hydroxide precipitate, and generation of iodine and tri-iodide ion are in-line effected within the flow network. Spectrophotometric quantification of iodine and tri-iodide at the isosbestic wavelength of 466 nm renders enhanced method reliability. The calibration function is linear up to 19 mg L⁻¹ dissolved oxygen and an injection frequency of 17 per hour is achieved. The multisyringe system features a highly satisfying signal stability with repeatabilities of 2.2% RSD that make it suitable for continuous determination of dissolved oxygen in seawater. Compared to the manual starch-end-point titrimetric Winkler method and early reported automated systems, concentrations and consumption of reagents and sample are reduced up to hundredfold. The versatility of the multisyringe assembly was exploited in the implementation of an ancillary automatic batch-wise Winkler titrator using a single syringe of the module for accurate titration of the released iodine/tri-iodide with thiosulfate.     

Use of flow injection analysis based on iodometry for automation of dissolved oxygen (Winkler method) and chemical oxygen demand (dichromate method) determinations

Summary Two analytical methods for water analysis were miniaturized and partly automated by the flow injection analytical approach. In the standard Winkler method for dissolved oxygen determination, the final step, the titration of liberated iodine with Na₂S₂O₃, was replaced by amperometric detection in a flowing stream. The concentration of dissolved oxygen was determined by the standard addition method using KIO₃ as a standard reagent. The dichromate method for chemical oxygen demand determinations was also miniaturized. Oxidation of organic substances by K₂Cr₂O₇ in H₂SO₄ (1+1) medium was carried out under standard conditions and the excess of dichromate ions was determined electrochemically via measurement of released I₂ after addition of KI in a continuous stream. The chemical oxygen demand of a sample was calculated on the basis of the current without standard addition.

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Anwendung der iodometrischen Fließinjektionsanalyse zur Automation der Bestimmung von gelöstem Sauerstoff (Winkler-Methode) und chemischem Sauerstoffbedarf (Dichromat-Methode)

     

Removal of dissolved oxygen from water: A comparison of four common techniques

Four common techniques for the removal of dissolved oxygen from water have been examined: boiling at 1 atm, boiling under reduced pressure, purging with N(2) and sonication under reduced pressure. After treatment, the residual oxygen in solution was analysed by the Winkler method. Nitrogen purging for 20-40 min at flow rate of 25 mL/s was found to be the most effective oxygen removal method. Boiling at 1 atm was found to be the least effective. None of the techniques evaluated here lead to complete removal of oxygen. The concentration of residual dissolved oxygen after purging for 20-40 minutes with nitrogen is 0.2-0.4 ppm.     

Concentration of hydrogen nanobubbles in electrolyzed water

The hydrogen concentration of solutions supersaturated with hydrogen comprising dissolved hydrogen and hydrogen bubbles obtained through water electrolysis was studied. The rate of decrease in concentration of hydrogen nanobubble diameter below 600 nm and dissolved hydrogen with elapsed time after electrolysis was seemed to be independent of ionic strength and ion type and storage temperature. The concentration of hydrogen nanobubbles (mol dm(-3)) in electrolyzed water decreases with ionic strength, while the total hydrogen concentration remains roughly constant. The hydrogen nanobubble concentration increases in accordance with the nature of ions existing in solution in the following order I- < Br- < Cl- and K+ < Li+ < Na+. It is shown that the ratio of hydrogen nanobubble concentration to total hydrogen concentration of hydrogen in a catholyte strongly depends on the ratio in the supersaturated hydrogen solution near the electrode surface.     

Effects of pH and ionic strength on the stability of nanobubbles in aqueous solutions of alpha-cyclodextrin

Formation of stable nanobubbles in aqueous solutions of water-soluble organic molecules is a spontaneous process. Using a combination of laser light scattering (LLS) and zeta-potential measurements, we investigated the effects of salt concentration and pH on their stability in alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) aqueous solutions. Our results reveal that the nanobubbles are unstable in solution with a higher ionic strength, just like colloidal particles in an aqueous dispersion, but become more stable in alkaline solutions. The zeta-potential measurement shows that the nanobubbles are negatively charged with an electric double layer, presumably due to adsorption of negative OH- ions at the gas/water interface. It is this double layer that plays a critical dual role in the formation of stable nanobubbles in aqueous solutions of water-soluble organic molecules, namely, it not only provides a repulsive force to prevent interbubble aggregation and coalescence but also reduces the surface tension at the gas/water interface to decrease the internal pressure inside each bubble.     

Effect of Impurities on Results of Redoxometric Determination of Molecular Oxygen in Natural and Waste Water by Winkler Method

The possibility of determining dissolved oxygen in natural and waste water by the potentiometric variant of the Winkler method, with samples prepared using the Ross procedure and blank sample technique employed, was studied.     

Novel Approach to Two-Component Analysis Based on the Generalized Calibration Strategy

The generalized calibration strategy (GCS), developed and previously applied to chemical analysis, has been adapted to two-component (2C) analysis. According to the 2C-GCS procedure, a set of 10 calibration solutions containing a sample and standards of two analytes in well-defined composition was diluted. The measurements performed at a given dilution stage allow the concentration of both analytes in a sample to be evaluated with six apparent concentrations calculated with various mathematical approaches. As a result, the method allows the detection, examination, and elimination of nonlinear and interference effects with multiplicative and additive characteristics. To perform 2C-GCS automatically and effectively, a dedicated flow sequential injection system was designed to be fully controlled by a computer. Caffeine and paracetamol were determined in synthetic and pharmaceutical samples using this calibration approach. The analytes were determined with good precision and accuracy with low consumption of sample and standard solutions. On the basis of this experimental model, the influence of effects and tendencies in the examined analytical system was detected and evaluated.     

Scanning of silicon wafers in contact with aqueous CTAB solutions below the CMC

Hydrophilic silicon wafers are studied against aqueous solutions of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) at concentrations between 0.05 mM up to 1 mM (CMC). AFM studies show that nanobubbles are formed at concentrations up to 0.4 mM. From 0.5 mM upward, no bubbles could be detected. This is interpreted as the formation of hydrophobic domains of surfactant aggregates, becoming hydrophilic at about 0.5 mM. The high contact angle of the nanobubbles (140-150° through water) indicates that the nanobubbles are located on the surfactant domains. A combined imaging and colloidal probe AFM study serves to highlight the surfactant patches adsorbed at the surface via nanobubbles. The nanobubbles have a diameter between 30 and 60 nm (after tip deconvolution), depending on the surfactant concentration. This corresponds to a Laplace pressure of about 30 atm. The presence of the nanobubbles is correlated with force measurements between a silica probe and a silicon wafer surface. The study is a contribution to the better understanding of the short-range attraction between hydrophilic surfaces exposed to a surfactant solution.     

Polarographic determination of hydroxylamines: application to analysis of photographic processing solutions

Procedures for the determination of hydroxylamine and N,N-diethylhydroxyIamine (DEHA), based on anodic polarographic waves, are described. The importance of using a strongly alkaline supporting electrolyte and of complete removal of dissolved oxygen is illustrated. With rapid alternating current (a.c.) polarography, 3 × 10^-6 M hydroxylamine and 4 × 10^-5 M DEHA can be detected. Detection limits with the differential pulse technique are approximately tenfold lower. In a practical application, rapid a.c. polarography is shown to be suitable for the direct determination of hydroxylamine and DEHA in photographic processing solutions. The only pretreatment of samples is dilution with a strongly alkaline supporting electrolyte. Possible interferences from other constituents of the processing solutions are avoided by using the standard addition method.     

钴-二氮菲一硫脲体系的极谱催化波

In 8*10^-^7M phenanthroline-0.02M thiourea medium (ethanolamine buffer, pH =8.3), by using Na2SO3 to remove dissolved oxygen, cobalt ion can produce a sensitive catalytic wave with a peak shape on dc polarography. Ep=1.62V (vs. S.C.E.), detection limit is 1 X 10^-^1^0M. There is a linear dependence of peak height on cobalt concentration over a range of 2 X 10^-^1^0 - 4 X 10^-^8 M. Common ions which are not more than 1000-fold of Co^2^+ do not interfere the determination of cobalt, except Ni^2^+ and As^3^+ which are permitted to only 125 and 300-fold respectively. Good results are obtained in determining traces of cobalt in various samples by this method.     

The distribution of dissolved thallium in the different water masses of the western sector of the Ross Sea (Antarctica) during the austral summer

Vertical profiles for total dissolved thallium were obtained at five sites in the western sector of the Ross Sea (Southern Ocean), Antarctica. Thallium is estimated to have a natural mean seawater concentration between 50 and 65 pmol L^{− 1} with higher values in the North Pacific (65 ± 5 pmol L^{− 1}) and lower in the Bay of Biscay and Irish Sea (49 ± 3 pmol L^{− 1}). Our samples show a concentration varying from 22 to 55 pmol L^{− 1} with a mean value of 46 pmol L^{− 1}, depending on depth, dissolved oxygen, salinity and local topographic characteristics. The analyses were performed using an ICP-SFMS that has enabled us to obtain reliable Tl concentration measurements with a relative standard deviation of better than 2.5% and a detection limit, calculated as three times the standard deviation of the “blank signal” of 0.69 pmol L^{− 1} (1.60 pmol L^{− 1}, obtained analysing four blank solutions (n = 5) prepared with the same water and acid used for the dilution/acidification steps). Thallium appears to have a nearly conservative distribution in seawater as highlighted also from the comparison with the profiles of two seawater conservative elements: molybdenum and uranium; however it also highlights the presence of a reactive component of thallium, which is more influenced by the presence of particulate matter, oxygen content and fluorescence.     

Titrimetric determination of dissolved oxygen in waste water

Winkler's procedure for the determination of dissolved oxygen has been modified to cope with substantial amounts of oxidizing or reducing substances in the samples. The manganese(III) is treated with an excess of hydroquinone, the unconsumed part of which is then titrated with standard ceric sulphate solution. A blank determination is also carried out, in which the order of addition of reagents is reversed so that the solution is always acidic, to allow for the interfering substances present. Results obtained by using this modified procedure on clean samples are in good agreement with results obtained by the usual Winkler method.     

Statistical Comparison of Multiple Methods for the Determination of Dissolved Oxygen Levels in Natural Waters

The following experiment reinforces students working knowledge of statistics by utilizing the t test to compare the results of two independent methods for the determination of dissolved oxygen (DO). In this experiment students utilize a dissolved oxygen probe to determine the levels of DO in natural waters at two sampling locations while obtaining samples of water from the laboratory for analysis using the classic Winkler titration. The importance of using proper sampling methods and techniques to obtain representative samkples is a large focus of the prelaboratory discussion and is continually stressed during fieldwork. After analyzing the water samples by the DO mete and the Winkler titration, students pool the class data and are asked to determine if the two methods for dissolved oxygen agree at each sampling location. The students are then asked to determine if the DO levels at the different sampling locations are statistically different or not. The students are asked to consider why their results agree or differ from the theoretical value they calculate using Henrys law.     

Direct determination of sulfite in food samples by a biosensor based on plant tissue homogenate

In the work described here, a biosensor was developed for the determination of sulfite in food. Malva vulgaris tissue homogenate containing sulfite oxidase enzyme was used as the biological material. M. vulgaris tissue homogenate was crosslinked with gelatin using glutaraldehyde and fixed on a pretreated Teflon membrane. Sulfite was enzymatically converted to sulfate in the presence of the dissolved oxygen, which was monitored amperometrically. Sulfite determination was carried out by standard curves, which were obtained by the measurement of consumed oxygen level related to sulfite concentration. Several operational parameters had been investigated: the amounts of plant tissue homogenate and gelatin, percentage of glutaraldehyde, optimum pH and temperature. Also, some characterization studies were done. There was linearity in the range between 0.2 and 1.8 mM at 35 °C and pH 7.5. The results of real sample analysis obtained with the biosensor agreed well with the enzymatic reference method using spectrophotometric detection.     

Nanobubble clusters of dissolved gas in aqueous solutions of electrolyte. I. Experimental proof

Results of experiments with dynamic light scattering, phase microscopy, and polarimetric scatterometry allow us to claim that long-living gas nanobubbles and the clusters composed of such nanobubbles are generated spontaneously in an aqueous solution of salt, saturated with dissolved gas (say, atmospheric air). The characteristic sizes of both nanobubbles and their clusters are found by solving the inverse problem of optical wave scattering in ionic solutions. These experimental results develop our earlier study reported by Bunkin et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 130, 134308 (2009)] and can be treated as evidence for the special role of ions in the generation and stabilization of gas nanobubbles.     

Application of parallel gradient high performance liquid chromatography with ultra-violet, evaporative light scattering and electrospray mass spectrometric detection for the quantitative quality control of the compound file to support pharmaceutical discovery

The success of drug discovery assays, using plate-based technologies, relies heavily on the quality of the substrates being tested. Sample purity, identity and concentration must be assured for a screening hit to be validated. Most major pharmaceutical companies maintain large liquid screening files with often in excess of one million stock solutions, typically dissolved in DMSO. However, due to the inherent inaccuracies of high-throughput gravimetric analysis and automated dilution, stock solution concentrations can vary significantly from the assumed nominal value. Here, we present a rapid and effective method for measuring purity, identity and concentration of these stock solutions using four high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns with parallel ultraviolet spectrophotometry (UV), electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) with a throughput of 1 min per sample.     

Determination of lead and cadmium in ceramicware leach solutions by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy: method development and interlaboratory trial.

This method was developed to improve sensitivity and eliminate time consuming, evaporative pre-concentration in AOAC Method 973.82 and American Society for Testing and Materials method C738 for testing foodware. The method was developed using leach solutions obtained by leaching 9 differently decorated ceramic vessels with 4% acetic acid for 24 h at room temperature. Lead and cadmium concentrations in leach solutions were 0.005-17,600 and 0.0004-0.500 microg/mL, respectively. Concentrations were determined using peak area, phosphate chemical modifier (8.3 microg PO4(-3)), and a standard curve for quantitation. Optimized pre-atomization and atomization temperatures were 1,300 and 1,800 degrees C, respectively, for Pb and 1,100 and 1,700 degrees C, respectively, for Cd. Characteristic masses (mo) were 10 and 0.4 pg for Pb and Cd, respectively. Precision of repeated analyses of calibration solutions was < or =3% relative standard deviation. Precision of duplicate leach solution analyses on different days was 0-9% relative difference. Recovery from fortified leach solutions was 96-106%. Results obtained by this method agreed 92-110% with those of confirmatory analyses. Results of certified reference material solutions agreed 94-100% with certificate values. Pb and Cd limits of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.005 and 0.0005 microg/mL, respectively. Results from 3 trial laboratories for 4 leach solutions containing Pb and Cd concentrations of 0.017-1.47 and <0.0005-0.0864 microg/mL, respectively, agreed 89-102% with results of the author. Two attributes of this method were noteworthy: (1) Background absorbance due to organic matter was entirely absent from atomization profiles, making the use of short pre-atomization hold times (2 s) possible. (2) Instrument precision was excellent and only one determination per solution was needed. Acceptance criteria for quality control measurements and a practical procedure for estimating the method LOQ during routine regulatory analyses are described.