Kinetic-spectrophotometric determination of ascorbic acid by inhibition of the hydrochloric acid-bromate reaction

A new analytical method was developed for the determination of ascorbic acid in fruit juice and pharmaceuticals. The method is based on its inhibition effect on the reaction between hydrochloric acid and bromate. The decolourisation of Methyl Orange by the reaction products was used to monitor the reaction spectrophotometrically at 510 nm. The linearity range of the calibration graph depends on bromate concentration. The variable affecting the rate of the reaction was investigated. The method is simple, rapid, relatively sensitive and precise. The limit of detection is 7.6 x 10(-6) M and calibration rang is 8 x 10(-6)-1.2 x 10(-3) M ascorbic acid. The relative standard deviation of seven replication determinations of 8 x 10(-6) and 2 x 10(-5) M ascorbic acid was 2.8 and 1.7%, respectively. The influence of potential interfering substance was studied. The method was successfully applied for the determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceuticals.     

Polargraphic adsorptive waves of alkaline-earth metal complexes with thymolphthalexone

Sensitive derivative polarographic adsorption waves have been observed for alkaline-earth metal-TP complexes in 0.15M potassium hydroxide containing 3 x 10(-5)M thymolphthalexone (TP). The limit of detection for calcium, strontium and barium was 7.5 x 10(-7)M and for magnesium 4.0 x 10(-6)M. The proposed method has been used successfully for determining trace amounts of calcium in natural waters and hair samples. The composition of the complex has been shown to be 1:1 alkaline-earth metal:TP and various experiments have confirmed that the wave is an adsorption wave. The reaction mechanism has been studied by a number of methods.     

Flow injection chemiluminescence determination of hydrazine by oxidation with chlorinated isocyanurates

A rapid and sensitive flow injection chemiluminescence (CL) method is described for the determination of hydrazine based on the CL generated during its reaction with either sodium dichloroisocyanurate (SDCC) or trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) in alkaline medium. The emission intensity is greatly enhanced if dichlorofluorescein (DCF) as sensitizer is present in the reaction medium. The presence of citrate prevents the precipitation of some cations in the reaction medium and also causes an enhancement in emission intensity. The effect of analytical and flow injection variables on these CL systems and determination of hydrazine are discussed. The optimum parameters for the determination of hydrazine were studied and were found to be the following: SDCC and TCCA both 1x10(-3) M; NaOH, 2x10(-1) M; DCF, 5x10(-6) M; citrate, 1x10(-3) M and flow rate, 3.8 ml min(-1). The optimized method yielded 3sigma detection limits of 2x10(-7) and 3x10(-7) M for hydrazine with SDCC and TCCA oxidants, respectively. The method is simple, fast, sensitive, and precise and was applied to the determination of hydrazine in water samples.     

Spectrophotometric determination of bismuth and EDTA by means of the reaction of bismuth with pyrocatechol violet in the presence of septonex

The reaction of bismuth(III) with Pyrocatechol Violet in the presence of the cationic surfactant Septonex was studied and the optimal conditions for its analytical use were found (lambda = 612 nm, pH = 3.1, C(PV) = 4 x 10(-5)M, C(Sept), = 5 x 10(-4)M). The Lambert-Beer law is obeyed over the bismuth range 0.1-7.5 mug/ml. Decomposition of the Bi-PV-Septonex complex was utilized for indirect determination of ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid at concentrations of 0.3-7.4 mug/ml.     

Catalytic effect of some inorganic ligands on a ligand substitution reaction involving mercury(II) and its application as a differential kinetic method of analysis

To design a sensitive and selective kinetic method for determining a catalyst, the kinetics of the ligand substitution reaction between the mercury(II)-4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol complex and 1,2-cyclohexanediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid together with the catalytic effect of some inorganic ligands on this reaction were studied. The rate constant for a catalyzed reaction path was found to be linearly correlated with the electron donor constant of the catalyst. From this correlation, the difference in reactivity between sulfite or thiosulfate and sulfate was established. Under the selected conditions, sulfite up to 1.5 x 10(-6) M and thiosulfate up to 7 x 10(-7) M could be determined with detection limits of 3 x 10(-8) and 2 x 10(-8) M in the presence of 10 000 and 25 000-fold molar amounts of sulfate, respectively. The tolerance level in the determination of 1 x 10(-6) M of sulfite and 4 x 10(-7) M of thiosulfate was studied for 15 inorganic anions and 44 metal ions.     

Capillary electrophoretic determination of Ga(III) based on the formation of a heteropolyoxomolybdate complex

A novel capillary electrophoretic (CE) method was developed for the determination of Ga(III). The so-called Anderson-type [GaMo6O24H6]3- complex was readily formed by the reaction of Mo(VI) with Ga(III) in 0.050 M monochloroacetate buffer (pH 2.0) and the precolumn complex-formation reaction was applied to the CE determination of Ga(III) with direct UV detection at 240 nm. The peak area was linearly dependent on the concentration of Ga(III) in the range of 5.0 x 10(-7)-5.0 x 10(-5) M. Owing to the high molar absorptivity of the Anderson anion, a detection limit of 2.0 x 10(-7) M (signal-to-noise ratio=3) was achieved. The advantage of the present method is that the presence of large excesses of Al(III) and In(III) does not cause interference.     

Investigations on adsorption potentiometry-part VIII. Determination of ultratrace copper in food by derivative adsorption chronopotentiometry

An electroanalytical method, based on derivative chronopotentiometry of the copper complex with 4-[(4-diethylamino-2-hydroxyphenyl) azo]-5-hydroxy-naphthalene-2,7-disulphonic acid (Beryllon III) accumulated on the surface of a hanging mercury drop electrode, for determining trace copper in food has been developed. The dependence of the peak height of reduction of the copper complex on the preconcentration time and preconcentration potential are discussed. Optimum experimental conditions include 0.01 M HOAc, 0.01M NaOAc, 1.0 x 10(-6) Beryllon III and a preconcentration potential of 0.10 V (vs. SCE). Under these conditions the detection limit and the linear range are 4 x 10(-11)M and 6 x 10(-11) -4 x 10(-7)M, respectively. The method was applied to samples of digested rice.     

Catalytic kinetic determination of ultratrace amounts of nitrite with detection by linear scan voltammetry at a DME

Nitrite has a very strong catalytic effect on the bromate oxidation of Methyl Orange in dilute sulphuric acid medium. The oxidation product of methyl orange exhibits a well derivative voltammetric wave at -0.41 V vs. SCE in sodium hydroxide medium. The linear scan voltammetric behaviour for the product at a DME has been studied, and it was selected as indicator component for the indicator reaction. Based on these studies, a novel and highly sensitive and selective catalytic reaction-voltammetric method for nitrite is proposed. A detection limit of 2 x 10(-9)M and calibration graph from 4 x 10(-7) to 4 x 10(-7)M nitrite are obtained. Nitrite in water samples was determined by this method, with satisfactory results.     

A new spectrofluorometric method for the determination of ascorbic acid based on its activating effect on a hemoglobin-catalyzed reaction.

A spectrofluorometric method for the determination of ascorbic acid (AA) based on its activation on the hemoglobin-catalyzed reaction was proposed. The fluorescence intensity of the product was measured under the optimal experimental conditions, i.e. 4.0 x 10(-6) M H2O2, 6.0 x 10(-5) M p-cresol, 1.2 M NH3-NH4Cl (pH 10.4) and 2.0 x 10(-7) M hemoglobin. The order of additions of the reagents was also studied. The activation of AA was found to be associated with a high ammonia concentration. The linear range of the method was 9.0 x 10(-10)-3.6 x 10(-8) M of AA. The detection limit was calculated to be 3.0 x 10(-10) M. The relative standard deviation of this method is 1.6% at 7.0 x 10(-9) M for 11 determinations.     

Direct determination of uric acid in serum by a fluorometric-enzymatic method based on uricase

The present paper describes a method for the fluorometric determination of uric acid in blood serum by its reaction with uricase (UOx). The procedure is based on the changes in fluorescence that take place during the enzymatic reaction of UOx with uric acid when the solution is excited at 287 nm and the emission is measured at 330 nm. A mathematical model which relates the analytical signal to the analyte concentration was developed and the model also served to obtain some of the thermodynamic constants of the system (the Michaelis constant and the turnover number). The optimum reaction conditions and its analytical characteristics were studied, linear response range (3x10(-5)-6x10(-4) M) and reproducibility (4%, n=7). The method was applied to the determination of uric acid in three blood serum samples. The results were compared with those obtained by a commercial clinical analyzer and no systematic errors were observed.     

Potentiometric determination of bromate using an Fe(III)-Fe(II) potential buffer by circulatory flow-injection analysis.

A method for the potentiometric determination of bromate by circulatory flow injection analysis (CFIA) is described. The procedure involves the use of an Fe(III)-Fe(II) potential buffer solution, which is recycled via a reservoir. The analytical method is based on a linear relationship between the concentration of bromate and a very transient potential change in the electrode potential due to the generation of intermediate bromine during the reaction of bromate with the Fe(III)-Fe(II) potential buffer solution, which also contains NaBr, (NH4)6Mo7O24 and H2SO4. An aliquot (5 microl) of a bromate sample solution was injected into the stream of the potential buffer solution, 100 ml of which was circulated at a flow rate of 1 ml/min; the potential buffer solution stream was then returned to the reservoir after passing through a flow-through redox electrode detector. A potential change due to the reaction of the injected sample with the potential buffer in a reaction coil was measured with the detector in the form of a peak signal. The effects of the bromide, sulfuric acid and Fe(III)-Fe(II) concentrations in the potential buffer, and length of the reaction coil on the peak heights were examined in order to optimize the proposed CFIA method. The analytical sensitivities to bromate were 5.6 mV/microM for 1 x 10(-2) M and 30.9 mV/microM for 1 x 10(-3) M in the concentration of Fe(III)-Fe(II) in a potential buffer solution containing 0.35 M NaBr, 0.2% (NH4)6Mo7O24 and 1 M H2SO4. The detection limit of bromate obtained by a 1 x 10(-3) M Fe(III)-Fe(II) potential buffer solution was 0.02 microM (2.5 ppb). The numbers of repetitive determinations in which the relative sensitivities within 5% were regarded as being tolerated were ca. 4000 and 2000 for the use of only 100 ml of 1 x 10(-2) M and 1 x 10(-3) M Fe(III)-Fe(II) potential buffer solution, respectively.     

Determination of acetic acid in aqueous samples, by water-phase derivatisation, solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography

The direct derivatisation of acetic acid with n-hexyl chloroformate and with benzyl bromide in water was evaluated. With n-hexyl chloroformate, acetic acid did not give the n-hexyl acetate derivative, but the reaction of acetic acid with benzyl bromide in aqueous solution resulted in the formation of benzyl acetate. The derivatisation of acetic acid with benzyl bromide and the headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of benzyl acetate were optimised. Under optimum conditions, the limit of detection for acetic acid was 260 nM, and the relative standard deviation of the overall procedure at 1.10(-4) M acetic acid was 15.6% (n = 10). A linear response was obtained in the 1 x 10(-4) to 5 x 10(-6) M concentration range (R2 = 0.993, n = 6). Although Carbowax-divinylbenzene (CW-DVB)-coated fibres exhibited a higher extraction capacity for benzyl acetate, polyacrylate (PA) was selected, because its mechanical stability was better than that of CW-DVB fibres. Moreover, the relative standard deviation of the SPME was better with PA (1.5%, n = 10 at 1 x 10(-5) M) than with CW-DVB-coated fibres (8.0%, n = 10 at 1 x 10(-5) M). Thus, a new analytical method for the quantitative determination of micromolar concentrations of acetic acid in the aqueous phase was developed. This method is based on water-phase derivatisation with benzyl bromide, headspace SPME with PA fibres and GC-FID. It was observed experimentally that benzyl alcohol formed by hydrolysis of the reagent affected the fibre-gas phase partitioning of benzyl acetate.     

Voltammetric behavior of zaleplon and its differential pulse polarographic determination in capsules

In this work both the electrochemical behavior and the analysis of the hypnotic pyrazolopyrimidine derivative zaleplon were studied. Zaleplon in ethanol-0.1M Britton Robinson buffer solution (30-70) showed 2 irreversible, well-defined cathodic responses in the pH range of 2-12 using differential pulse polarography (DPP), tast polarography, and cyclic voltammetry. From chronocoulometric studies, it was possible to conclude that one electron was transferred in each reduction peak or wave. For analytical purposes, the DPP technique working at pH 4.5 for peak I was selected, which exhibited adequate repeatability, reproducibility, and selectivity. The recovery was 99.97 +/- 1.52%, and the detection and quantitation limits were 5.13 x 10(-7)M and 1.11 x 10(-6)M, respectively. The DPP method was applied successfully to the individual assay of capsules in order to verify the content uniformity of zaleplon. Treatment of the sample is not required because the excipients do not interfere, the method is not time consuming, and it is less expensive than column liquid chromatography.     

Chemiluminescence determination of nitrate with photochemical activation in a flow injection system

A chemiluminescence flow injection system is described for the determination of nitrate, involving use of a laboratory-built flow-through photochemical reactor. Optimum analytical conditions were established. The linear range for nitrate is 7 x 10(-8)-1 x 10(-4)M. The sampling frequency is 60 samples per hour. The relative standard deviation for 1 x 10(-7), 1 x 10(-6) and 1 x 10(-5)M nitrate is 0.97, 0.84 and 0.76%, respectively. The method has been applied to the determination of nitrate in natural water samples, and recoveries of 96-103% have been attained.     

Determination of ruthenium and osmium in each other's presence in chloride solutions by direct and third-order derivative spectrophotometry

Ruthenium and osmium (up to 20 mug Ru(Os) ml(-1)) can be determined in chloride solutions directly after absorption of RuO(4) and OsO(4) in hydrochloric acid. In 9 M HCl, RuO(4) and OsO(4) are quantitatively converted into RuCl(6)(2-) (lambda(max) = 480.0 nm, epsilon = 4.8 x 10(3) l mol(-1) cm(-1)) and OsCl(6)(2-) (lambda(max) = 334.8 nm, epsilon = 8.4 x 10(3) l mol(-1) cm(-1)) respectively. Osmium does not interfere with the determination of ruthenium in the form of the RuCl(6)(2-) complex by direct spectrophotometry. The absorbance of the obtained solution at lambda(max) = 480.0 nm corresponds only to the concentration of ruthenium. A derivative spectrophotometric method using numerical calculation of absorption spectra of the RuCl(6)(2-) and OsCl(6)(2-) complexes has been developed for the determination of osmium in a mixture with ruthenium. The interfering effect of ruthenium on the determination of osmium can be eliminated by measuring the value of a third-order derivative spectrum of the OsCl(6)(2-) complex at 350.0 nm ("zero-crossing point" of ruthenium). Simple and rapid determination of ruthenium and osmium in a calibration standard solution of the noble metals (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt and Au) for plasma spectroscopy using the proposed methods has been achieved.     

Determination of enterostatin in human cerebrospinal fluid by capillary electrophoresis with laser induced fluorescence detection

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method with laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection is described for quantification of enterostatin (Val-Pro-Asp-Pro-Arg), a pentapeptide involved in appetite regulation and insulin secretion. Enterostatin and two other pentapeptides belonging to the enterostatin family (i.e. Ala-Pro-Gly-Pro-Arg and Val-Pro-Gly-Pro-Arg) were well separated from each other. The peptides were fluorescently tagged with naphthalene-2,3- dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) and separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) in the presence of methanol as an organic modifier. Coupled with LIF detection, the method had a detection limit of 4.8 x 10(-6) M for enterostatin. The relative standard deviation was to be 4.0% from five determinations of enterostatin at 37.2 microM in a human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample. Twenty-three human CSF samples were analyzed. The level of enterostatin ranged from 24 microM to 51 microM with a mean (+/- SEM) value of 41.7 +/- 2.0 microM.     

Determination of attapulgite and nifuroxazide in pharmaceutical formulations by sequential digital derivative spectrophotometry

A new method for the sequential determination of attapulgite and nifuroxazide in pharmaceutical formulations by first- and second-derivative spectrophotometry, respectively, has been developed. In order to obtain the optimal conditions for nifuroxazide stability, studies of solvent, light, and temperature effects were performed. The results show that a previous hydrolysis of 2 h in 1.0 x 10(-1)M NaOH solution is necessary in order to obtain stable compounds for analytical purposes. Subsequently, the first- and second-derivative spectra were evaluated directly in the same samples. The sequential determination of the drugs can be performed using the zero-crossing method; the attapulgite determination was carried out using the first derivative at 278.0 nm and the nifuroxazide determination, using the second derivative at 282.0 nm. The determination ranges were 5.7 x 10(-6)-1.0 x 10(-4) and 3.7 x 10(-8) -1.2 x 10(-4)M for attapulgite and nifuroxazide, respectively. Repeatability (relative standard deviation) values of 1.2 and 3.0% were observed for attapulgite and nifuroxazide, respectively. The ingredients commonly found in commercial pharmaceutical formulations do not interfere. The proposed method was applied to the determination of these drugs in tablets. Further, infrared spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry studies were carried out in order to obtain knowledge of the decomposition products of nifuroxazide.     

Potentiometric flow injection determination of amylase activity by using hexacyanoferrate(III)-hexacyanoferrate(II) potential buffer

A highly sensitive potentiometric flow injection determination of amylase activity was carried out, utilizing a redox reaction of hexacyanoferrate(III) in alkaline media with reducing sugar as product of the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction of starch with amylase. The analytical method is based on the potential change detection of a flow-through type redox electrode detector due to the composition change of a [Fe(CN)(6)](3-)-[Fe(CN)(6)](4-) potential buffer solution, which is caused by the redox reaction with the product of the enzymatic reaction. A linear relationship exists between the potential change (peak height) and the activity of amylase. Amylase of a wide activity range from 2.5x10(-2) to 1.2x10(-4) U ml(-1) can be determined by the changing the concentrations of the [Fe(CN)(6)](3-)-[Fe(CN)(6)](4-) potential buffer from 10(-3) to 10(-5) M. The lower detection limit of amylase activity is 6.0x10(-5) U ml(-1). The sampling rate and relative standard deviation are 15 h(-1) and 0.9% (n=5) for 3.8x10(-3) U ml(-1) of amylase. The present method was successfully applied to determine amylase activity in real samples (commercial digestive medicines) with an accuracy of 4% compared with analytical results obtained using the present method with those achieved using the conventional titration method.     

Electrochemical adsorptive behavior of some fluoroquinolones at carbon paste electrode.

Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry were used to explore the adsorption behavior of three antibacterial agents at a carbon paste electrode. The drugs were accumulated on a carbon paste electrode, and a well-defined oxidation peak was obtained in acetate buffer (pH 5.0). The adsorptive stripping response was evaluated as a function of some variables such as the scan rate, pH and accumulation time. A simple, precise, inexpensive and sensitive voltammetric method has been developed for the determination of the cited drugs (Lomefloxacin (LFX), Sparfloxacin hydrochloride (SFX), and Gatifloxacin (GFX)). A linear calibration was obtained from 2 x 10(-7) M to 4 x 10(-5) M for LFX, 2 x 10(-7) M to 6 x 10(-5) M for SFX, and GFX. The limits of detection (LOD) were 4.2 x 10(-7), 7 x 10(-7) and 6.6 x 10(-7) M, while the limits of quantification (LOQ) were 1.4 x 10(-6), 2.3 x 10(-6) and 2.2 x 10(-6) M for LFX, SFX, and GFX, respectively. The R. S. D. of five measurements at the 1 x 10(-6) M level were 0.4, 0.5 and 0.3 for LFX, SFX and GFX, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of LFX, SFX and GFX in dilute urine samples and dosage forms, and compared with the HPLC method.     

Optical detection of phenolic compounds based on the surface plasmon resonance band of Au nanoparticles

An indirect colorimetric method is presented for detection of trace amounts of hydroquinone (1), catechol (2) and pyrogallol (3). The reduction of AuCl4(-) to Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) by these phenolic compounds in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) produced very intense surface plasmon resonance peak of Au-NPs. The plasmon absorbance of Au-NPs allows the quantitative colorimetric detection of the phenolic compounds. The calibration curves derived from the changes in absorbance at lambda = 568 nm were linear with concentration of hydroquinone, catechol and pyrogallol in the range of 7.0 x 10(-7) to 1.0 x 10(-4)M, 6.0 x 10(-6) to 2.0 x 10(-4)M and 6.0 x 10(-7) to 1.0 x 10(-4)M, respectively. The detection limits were 5.3 x 10(-7), 2.5 x 10(-6) and 3.2 x 10(-7)M for the hydroquinone, catechol and pyrogallol, respectively. The method was applied satisfactorily to the determination of phenolic compounds in water samples and pharmaceutical formulations.