Near-infrared fluorimetric determination of nucleic acids by shifting the ion-association equilibrium between heptamethylene cyanine and Alcian blue 8GX

A new method based on near-infrared (near-IR) fluorescence recovery, employing a two-reagent system which is composed of an anionic heptamethylene cyanine (HMC) and a polycationic phthalocyanine dye, Alcian blue 8GX, is presented for the determination of nucleic acids. With a maximum excitation wavelength at 766 nm and a maximum emission wavelength at 796 nm, the fluorescence recovery is linear with the concentration of nucleic acids added. Factors including the acidity of the medium, the reaction time, the optimal ratio of the two reagents, as well as the influence of foreign substance were all investigated. Meanwhile, the mechanism of fluorescence recovery was also studied. Under the optimal conditions, the linear ranges of the calibration curves were 10-250 ng ml⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) and 10-200 ng ml⁻¹ for yeast RNA. The detection limits were 6.8 ng ml⁻¹ for CT DNA and 6.3 ng ml⁻¹ for yeast RNA, respectively. The method has been applied to the analysis of practical samples and the recovery results were satisfactory.     

Sensitive fluorimetric method for the determination of aniline by using tetra-substituted amino aluminium phthalocyanine

This is the first report of the determination of aniline with tetra-substituted amino aluminium phthalocyanine (TAAlPc) by a fluorimetric method. In KBr-HCl solution, nitrite ion diazotizes TAAlPc, thus, the fluorescence of TAAlPc is dramatically quenched. However, there is less quenching in the presence of aniline and the recovery in fluorescence intensity is linear with the concentration of aniline. Based on this, a novel method has been developed for the determination of aniline in aqueous solutions. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration graph for aniline is from 5 to 300 ng ml⁻¹ with a 3σ limit of detection of 1.8 ng ml⁻¹. The relative standard deviation for nine replicate measurements of 100 ng ml⁻¹ aniline is 1.7%. The method was applied to the analysis of water samples with satisfactory results.     

Near-infrared fluorimetric determination of nucleic acids by shifting the ion-association equilibrium between tetracarboxy aluminum phthalocyanine and tetra-N-hexadecylpyridiniumyl porphyrin

A new method was developed for determination of micro amounts of nucleic acids based on near-infrared (near-IR) fluorescence recovery, employing a two-reagent system which is composed of an anionic tetracarboxy aluminum phthalocyanine (AlC₄Pc) and a cationic tetra-N-hexadecylpyridiniumyl porphyrin (TC₁₆PyP). The fluorescence of the AlC₄Pc, with the maximum emission wavelength at 701 nm, could be quenched by TC₁₆PyP at its proper concentration, but recovered by adding nucleic acids. Under optimal conditions, the recovered fluorescence is proportional to the concentration of nucleic acids. The calibration graphs are linear over the range of 1-200 ng mL⁻¹ for fish sperm DNA (FS DNA) and 2-400 ng mL⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA (CT DNA). The corresponding detection limits are 0.59 ng mL⁻¹ for FS DNA and 0.82 ng mL⁻¹ for CT DNA, respectively. Four synthetic and three real nucleic acid samples were determined with satisfactory results.     

Novel spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of sulfite with rhodamine B hydrazide in a micellar medium

A novel spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of sulfite using rhodamine B hydrazide as fluorogenic reagent in the presence of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80) surfactant micelles is described. The method is based on the mixture of sulfite with rhodamine B hydrazide, a colorless, non-fluorescent substance in Tween 80 surfactant micelles which gives rhodamine B-like fluorescence emission. The fluorescence intensity increase is linearly related to the concentration of sulfite in the range 5-800 ng ml⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.4 ng ml⁻¹ (3σ). The optimal conditions for the detection of sulfite are evaluated and the possible detection mechanism is also discussed. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of total sulfite in wines and compares well with the standard iodimetric method.     

Room-temperature luminescence optosensings based on immobilized active principles actives: Application to nafronyl and naproxen determination in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids

This paper presents two easy and selective methods for determining the active principles nafronyl (NFL) and naproxen (NAP), using a flow-through fluorescence optosensor based on the on-line immobilization on a nonionic-exchanger (Silica Gel, Davisil™ and Amberlite XAD 7, respectively) solid support. The determination was performed in 5×10⁻³ M HAc/NaAc buffer solution at pH 5 for NFL and 15×10⁻³ M glycine/HCl buffer solution at pH 2.5 for NAP at a working temperature of 20 °C. The fluorescence intensities were measured at λ_ex/em=294/336 nm and λ_ex/em=332/354 nm for NFL and NAP, respectively. The response time for these optosensors were practically instant, obtaining a linear concentration range between 0 and 700.0 ng ml⁻¹ with a detection limit of 20.8 ng ml⁻¹, an analytical sensitivity of 10.1 ng ml⁻¹ and a standard deviation of 1.27% at a 500 ng ml⁻¹ concentration level for NFL and a linear concentration range between 0 and 200.0 ng ml⁻¹ with the detection limit of 13.3 ng ml⁻¹, an analytical sensitivity of 6.0 ng ml⁻¹ and a standard deviation of 3.52% at a 100 ng ml⁻¹ concentration level for NAP. The proposed methods were satisfactorily applied to real samples (three commercial formulations and urine samples). The effects of the possible interferences were evaluated in all cases.     

Application of generalized artificial neural networks coupled with an orthogonal design to optimization of a system for the kinetic spectrophotometric determination of Hg(II)

A simple and sensitive kinetic method for the determination of traces of mercury (70-760 ng ml⁻¹) based on its inhibitory effect on the addition reaction between methyl green and sulfite ion is proposed. The reaction was monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the decrease in absorbance of methyl green at 596 nm between 2 and 4 min using a fixed time method. Artificial neural networks with back propagation algorithm coupled with an orthogonal array design were applied to the modeling of the proposed kinetic system and optimization of experimental conditions. An orthogonal design was utilized to design the experimental protocol, in which pH, concentration of sulfite, temperature, and concentration of methyl green were varied simultaneously. Optimum experimental conditions in term of sensitivity were generated by using ANNs. The rate of decrease in absorbance is inversely proportional to the concentration of Hg(II) over entire concentration range tested (100-550 ng ml⁻¹) with a detection limit of 45 ng ml⁻¹ and a relative standard deviation at 200-400 ng ml⁻¹ Hg(II) of 3.2% (n=5). A simple preconcentration step improved the limit of detection and linear dynamic range of the method to about 8 and 12-760 ng ml⁻¹, respectively, by about 10 times enrichment of mercury between 12 and 75 ng ml⁻¹. The method was based on enrichment of Hg(II) from dilute samples on an anionic ion exchanger fixed on a plastic strip and was applied to the determination of Hg(II) in environmental samples with satisfactory results.     

Hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of ultratraces of selenium and tellurium in cow milk

A sensitive procedure has been developed for selenium and tellurium determination in milk by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) after microwave-assisted sample digestion. The method provides sensitivity values of 1591 and 997 fluorescence units ng⁻¹ ml⁻¹ with detection limits of 0.005 and 0.015 ng ml⁻¹ for Se and Te, respectively. The application of the developed methodology to the analysis of cow milk samples of the Spanish market evidenced the presence of concentration ranges from 11.1 to 26.0 ng ml⁻¹ for Se, and from 1.04 to 9.7 ng ml⁻¹ for Te having found a good comparability with data obtained after dry-ashing of samples.     

Electrochemiluminescence assay for the detection of acridinium esters

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL)-based method for rapid and sensitive detection of acridinium ester in neutral solution was described. Strong ECL emission was observed when a positive voltage over 2.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl) was applied to the working electrode (Pt) immersed in the acridinium ester solution of 2.0 mol l⁻¹ KNO₃ (pH 7.0). The possible ECL mechanism was discussed. It was proposed that the ECL emission came out of N-methylacridone, the oxidization product of acridinium ester by the nascent oxygen generated on the surface of working electrode in the course of oxidization of water. Other influenced factors including the electrochemical parameters, the ECL reaction medium and pH value, were investigated in detail. Under the optimal conditions, ECL intensity has a linear relationship with the concentration of acridinium ester in the range of 0.24-96 ng ml⁻¹ (r=0.9999). The relative standard deviation for 24 ng ml⁻¹ acridinium ester was 4.6% (n=11). The limit of detection was 0.16 ng ml⁻¹.     

Highly sensitive spectrofluorimetric kinetic determination of ultratrace amounts of vanadium(V) based on the oxidation of 1,8-diaminonaphthalene by bromate

A highly sensitive catalytic quenching spectrofluorimetric method was described for the determination of V(V) based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation of 1,8-diaminonaphthalene by potassium bromate with Tiron as an activator in weakly acidic medium and the reaction mechanism was investigated. The reaction was followed spectrofluorimetrically by measuring the fluorescence intensity of 1,8-diaminonathphlene (DAN) (λ_ex=356 nm, λ_em=439 nm) at a fixed time of 5 min from initiation of the reaction. Under the optimum conditions, vanadium(V) can be determined in the range 0.05-50.0 ng ml⁻¹ with a S.D.=0.024 for 15 times measurements. The detection limit of the method was down to 0.0088 ng ml⁻¹ and the catalytic reaction activation energy was found to be 43.92 kJ mol⁻¹. The proposed method was tested for the determination of vanadium(V) in rice and natural water samples.     

Ferric nanoparticle-based resonance light scattering determination of DNA at nanogram levels

A novel assay of DNA has been proposed by using ferric nanoparticles as probes coupled with resonance light scattering (RLS) detection. At pH 7.40, the RLS intensity of ferric nanoparticles can be greatly enhanced by the aggregation of positively charged ferric nanoparticles through electrostatic interaction with negatively charged DNA. The enhanced intensity of RLS at 452 nm is proportional to the concentration of DNA in the range of 0.01-0.8 μg ml⁻¹ for calf thymus and salmon sperm DNA and in the range of 0.005-0.3 μg ml⁻¹ for E. coli K12 genomic DNA. Detection limits are 3.6 ng ml⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA, 4.4 ng ml⁻¹ for salmon sperm DNA, and 1.9 ng ml⁻¹ for E. coli K12 genomic DNA, respectively. Compared with the chromophores previously used in RLS assay, the ferric nanoparticles have offered several advantages in easy preparation, good photostability and high sensitivity without being modified or functionalized.     

Studies on the supramolecular interaction between napropamide and β-cyclodextrin by spectrofluorimetry and its analytical application

The supramolecular interaction between N,N-diethyl-2-(1-naphthalenyloxy)propanamide (napropamide) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) has been studied by spectrofluorimetry. The results showed that β-CD reacted with napropamide to form an inclusion complex with an association constant of 3.18×10³ l mol⁻¹. The composition of the complex was 1:1 (β-CD:napropamide). Based on the significant enhancement of fluorescence intensity of napropamide in inclusion complex, a spetrofluorimetric method with high sensitivity and selectivity was developed for the determination of napropamide in aqueous solution. Under the optimum conditions, the complex had excitation and emission maxima at 285 and 339 nm, respectively. The linear range of the method was 3.7-1500 ng ml⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.1 ng ml⁻¹. The proposed method was successfully used to determine napropamide in river water.     

Backscattering light detection of nucleic acids with tetraphenylporphyrin-Al(III)-nucleic acids at liquid/liquid interface

A backscattering light (BSL) detection assembly is constructed and applied to the determination of nucleic acids with high sensitivity and selectivity based on the measurements of BSL signals at water/tetrachloromethane (H₂O/CCl₄) interface. In aqueous medium of pH 3, the binary complex of of Al(III)-DNAs could be formed by the interaction of Al(III) with the phosphate group of DNAs, which then could interact with tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) in tetrachloromethane through liquid/liquid interaction, forming a ternary complex of TPP-Al(III)-DNAs at the interface. It was observed that greatly enhanced BSL signals occurred with maximum peak at 469 nm when the ternary complex of TPP-Al(III)-DNAs were absorbed to the liquid/liquid interface. The enhanced backscattering light intensity (I_BSL) is in proportion to the concentration of calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) and fish sperm DNA (fsDNA) in the range of 0.6-1200 ng ml⁻¹ and 1.1-1200 ng ml⁻¹, respectively. The limits of determination (3σ) are 60 pg ml⁻¹ and 110 pg ml⁻¹, correspondingly. Artificial samples with highly interference backgrounds were determined with the recovery ranging from 94.5 to 106.7%, and relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) less than 2.40%.     

Spectrofluorimetric study of the β-cyclodextrin-dapsone-linear alcohol supramolecular system and determination of dapsone

Dapsone (DDS) forms a 1:1 supramolecular complex with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) both in the absence and presence of linear alcohols. The apparent association constants (K_app) were measured using a steady-state fluorescence method. K_app decreases linearly with an increasing number of carbon atoms in the chain of the alcohol. We attribute this to a competition between dapsone and linear alcohol for the β-CD hydrophobic cavity as detailed analysis of K_app as a function of the concentration of alcohol suggests that the interactions in the β-CD-dapsone-linear alcohol system do not result in the formation of ternary supramolecular complex. Quenching the fluorescence of dapsone with NaI shows that the β-CD cavity acts as a shield against contact between dapsone and this aqueous phase quencher, while addition of alcohols inhibits this protective effect. This again suggests that alcohols occupy the space within the β-CD cavity with the result that dapsone molecules are forced to reside in the aqueous environment. Based on the significant enhancement of the fluorescence intensity of dapsone produced through complex formation, a spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of dapsone in bulk aqueous solution in the presence of β-CD is developed. The linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity and dapsone concentration was obtained in the range of 3.39 to 1.50×10³ ng ml⁻¹, with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9998. The detection limit was 1.02 ng ml⁻¹. There was no interference from the excipients normally used in tablet formulations. The application of the present method to the determination of dapsone in tablets and human plasma gave satisfactory results and was compared with the pharmacopoeia method.     

Analysis of trace levels of domoic acid in seawater and plankton by liquid chromatography without derivatization,using UV or mass spectrometry detection

Quantitation of trace levels of domoic acid (DA) in seawater samples usually requires labour-intensive protocols involving chemical derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (FMOC–LC–FLD). Procedures based on LC–MS have been published, but time-consuming and costly solid-phase extraction pre-concentration steps are required to achieve suitable detection limits. This paper describes an alternative, simple and inexpensive LC method with ultraviolet detection (LC–UVD) for the routine analysis of trace levels of DA in seawater without the use of sample pre-concentration or derivatization steps. Qualitative confirmation of DA identity in dubious samples can be achieved by mass spectrometry (LC–MS) using the same chromatographic conditions. Addition of an ion-pairing/acidifying agent (0.15% trifluoroacetic acid) to sample extracts and the use of a gradient elution permitted the direct analysis of large sample volumes (100 μl), resulting in both high selectivity and sensitivity (limit of detection = 42 pg ml⁻¹ by LC–UVD and 15 pg ml⁻¹ by LC–MS). Same-day precision varied between 0.4 and 5%, depending on the detection method and DA concentration. Mean recoveries of spiked DA in seawater by LC–UVD were 98.8% at 0.1–10 ng ml⁻¹ and 99.8% at 50–1000 ng ml⁻¹. LC–UVD exhibited strong correlation with FMOC–LC–FLD during inter-laboratory analysis of Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries cultures containing 60–2000 ng DA ml⁻¹ (r² > 0.99), but more variable results were obtained by LC–MS (r² = 0.85). This new technique was used to confirm the presence of trace DA levels in low-toxicity Pseudo-nitzschia spp. isolates (0.2–1.6 ng ml⁻¹) and in whole-water field samples (0.3–5.8 ng ml⁻¹), even in the absence of detectable Pseudo-nitzschia spp. cells in the water column.     

Determination of carbendazim, fuberidazole and thiabendazole by three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence and parallel factor analysis

We simultaneously determined carbendazim, fuberidazole and thiabendazole by excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence in combination with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Three-way deconvolution provided the pure analyte spectra from which we estimated the selectivity and sensitivity of the pesticides, and the relative concentration in the mixtures from which we established a linear calibration. Special attention was given calculating such figures of merit as precision, sensitivity and limit of detection (LOD), derived from the univariate calibration curve. The method, which had a relative precision of around 2-3% for the three pesticides, provided limits of detection of 20 ng ml⁻¹ for carbendazim, 4.7 ng ml⁻¹ for thiabendazole and 0.15 ng ml⁻¹ for fuberidazole. The accuracy of the method, evaluated through the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), was 27.5, 1.4, and 0.03 ng ml⁻¹, respectively, for each of the pesticides.     

Resonance Rayleigh scattering, frequency doubling scattering and second-order scattering spectra of the heparin-crystal violet system and their analytical application

In pH 6.0-11.2 Britton-Robinson buffer solution, binding of heparin with crystal violet (CV) can result in a significant enhancement of resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) and resonance non-linear scattering, such as frequency doubling scattering (FDS) and second-order scattering (SOS). Their maximum scattering wavelengths, λ_ex/λ_em, appear at 492 nm/492 nm for RRS, 984 nm/492 nm for FDS and 492 nm/984 nm for SOS, respectively. The optimum conditions of the reaction, the influencing factors and the relationship between the three scattering intensities and the concentration of heparin have been investigated. New methods for the determination of trace amounts of heparin based on the RRS, FDS and SOS methods have been developed. The methods exhibit high sensitivities, the detection limit for heparin is 2.9 ng ml⁻¹ for the RRS method, 3.5 ng ml⁻¹ for the FDS method and 3.3 ng ml⁻¹ for the SOS method. The methods have good selectivity and were applied to the determination of heparin in heparin sodium injection samples with satisfactory results.     

On-line separation, preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of gold in mineral sample by flow injection catalytic kinetic spectrofluorimetry

2-Pyridine carboxaldehyde furfuralhydrazone (PCFH) was newly synthesized and its ionization, IR and elemental analysis were established. An on-line separation and preconcentration system was developed for the flow injection (FI) catalytic kinetic spectrofluorimetric determination of trace amounts of gold. The method was based on the fluorescence enhancing reaction of PCFH with potassium bromate, which was catalysed by Au³⁺ in aqueous medium at pH 4.20 and 35 °C. A micro polyamide resin column was used to separate and collect gold from sample solution. Under these experimental conditions, the oxidized product of PCFH had excitation and emission maxima at 296 and 404 nm, respectively. The linear range of this method was 0.53-144 ng ml⁻¹ with the RSD of 1.6%. The detection limit was 0.16 ng ml⁻¹. A high analysis rate of 15 samples h⁻¹ was obtained. The proposed method had been applied successfully to the determination of gold in synthetic mixture and mineral sample with satisfactory results.     

Partial least squares multicomponent fluorimetric determination of fluoroquinolones in human urine samples

Ternary mixtures of fluoroquinolones, with a 7-piperazinyl substituted group have been simultaneously determined in human urine samples by application of a multivariate calibration partial least squares (PLS) model. The calibration set was designed with 15 urine samples containing different concentrations of the three fluoroquinolones and 16 blank urine samples. The concentration range for the fluoroquinolones were up to 25 ng ml⁻¹ for norfloxacin (NOR), 80 ng ml⁻¹ for ofloxacin (OFLO) and 300 ng ml⁻¹ for enoxacin (ENO). The method is based on the native fluorescence emission of these compounds in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) medium, at pH 4.0, when exciting at 277 nm. A selection of the emission wavelength range used for the analysis was made for each component. Intraday and interday precision values were determined. Figures of merit as selectivity, sensitivity, limit of detection (LOD) and analytical sensitivity were also calculated. Using the standard addition methodology, five urine samples from five different persons, fortified with three concentration levels of the fluoroquinolones, were analyzed. The limits of detection in urine were 10.0, 0.5 and 0.8 ng ml⁻¹ for ENO, NOR and OFLO, respectively.     

Direct spectrophotometric determination of calcium in clinical samples with carboxyazo-p-CH3

A highly sensitive and relatively interference-free spectrophotometric method for determination of calcium is described. The method is based on the reaction between calcium ions and carboxyazo-p-CH₃ in aqueous citrate medium of pH 7, to form a blue complex with maximum absorption at 716 nm. The calibration is linear up to 0.12 μg ml⁻¹ calcium with a repeatability (R.S.D.) of 1.0% at a concentration of 0.04 μg ml⁻¹ (n=5). The molar absorptivity of the complex and Sandell’s sensitivity are 3.5×10⁵ l mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹ and 0.11 ng cm⁻², its 10σ limit of quantification and the 3σ limit of detection were found to be 0.3 ng ml⁻¹ and 0.09 ng ml⁻¹ respectively. The influence of reaction variables and the effect of interfering ions are studied; no interference was observed in clinical samples. The proposed method has been applied directly to the determination of calcium in clinical samples without the need for pre-concentration, masking metal ions and digesting samples.     

Resonance Rayleigh scattering method for the recognition and determination of double-stranded DNA using amikacin

In weakly acidic buffer medium, the interaction of amikacin with calf thymus DNA, yeast RNA and denatured DNA has been investigated by using resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) technique. The result shows that calf thymus DNA is capable of enhancing the RRS intensity of the amikacin, while yeast RNA and denatured DNA have very little enhancement effect. Based on the characteristics, a sensitive assay for detecting double-stranded DNA in the presence of denatured DNA and yeast RNA has been developed. The enhancement of the RRS signal is directly proportional to the concentration of double-stranded DNA in the range 0.02-12.0 μg ml⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA and its detection limit (3σ) is 2.5 ng ml⁻¹. The method shows a wide linear range and high sensitivity, and almost no interference can be observed from RNA, denatured DNA, amino acid and most of the metal ions. The trace amounts of nucleic acid in synthetic samples and practical samples are determined with satisfactory results. Therefore, the proposed method is promising for as an effect means for recognition in vivo and determination in situ of double-stranded DNA.