Precolumn derivatization with glyoxal as a new approach to the highly sensitive HPLC-UV determination of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine

A procedure has been developed for the determination of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) based on precolumn derivatization with glyoxal and determination of the produced derivative, mono-1,1-dimethylhydrazone of glyoxal, by reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) with UV detection at 305 nm. It has been demonstrated that the reaction of UDMH with an excess of glyoxal in solution quantitatively yields one stable product within 20 min at 25°C at pH 3.5. To increase the sensitivity of UDMH determination it has been proposed to perform solid-phase extraction preconcentration of the derivative from a 25-mL sample portion on cartridges containing Strata SDB-L polymer adsorbent. The analytical range of UDMH determination in water is 0.5–10000 μg/L or 0.01–20 μg/L using preconcentration. The relative standard deviations of UDMH determination (n = 3) do not exceed 0.12 and 0.25 without and with preconcentration, respectively. The accuracy of UDMH determination is confirmed by the analysis of spiked samples and by RP-HPLC determination with preliminary derivatization with 4-nitrobenzaldehyde as independent method.     

Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Quantification of 1,1-Dimethylhydrazine Transformation Products in Aqueous Solutions: Accelerated Water Sample Preparation

The use of highly toxic rocket fuel based on 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) in many types of carrier rockets poses a threat to environment and human health associated with an ingress of UDMH into wastewater and natural reservoirs and its transformation with the formation of numerous toxic nitrogen-containing products. Their GC-MS quantification in aqueous samples requires matrix change and is challenging due to high polarity of analytes. To overcome this problem, accelerated water sample preparation (AWASP) based on the complete removal of water with anhydrous sodium sulfate and transferring analytes into dichloromethane was used. Twenty-nine UDMH transformation products including both the acyclic and heterocyclic compounds of various classes were chosen as target analytes. AWASP ensured attaining near quantitative extraction of 23 compounds with sample preparation procedure duration of no more than 5 min. Combination of AWASP with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and using pyridine-d₅ as an internal standard allowed for developing the rapid, simple, and low-cost method for simultaneous quantification of UDMH transformation products with detection limits of 1–5 μg L⁻¹ and linear concentration range covering 4 orders of magnitude. The method has been validated and successfully tested in the analysis of aqueous solutions of rocket fuel subjected to oxidation with atmospheric oxygen, as well as pyrolytic gasification in supercritical water modelling wastewater from carrier rockets launch sites.     

Electrochemical sensor for predicting transformer overload by phenol measurement

Transformer overload is a significant problem to the power transmission industry, with severe safety and cost implications. Overload may be predicted by measuring phenol levels in the transformer-insulating oil, arising from the thermolytic degradation of phenol-formaldehyde resins. The development of two polyphenol oxidase (PPO) sensors, based on monitoring the enzymatic consumption of oxygen using an oxygen electrode, or reduction of enzymatically generated o-quinone at a screen-printed electrode (SPE), for the measurement of phenol in transformer oil is reported. Ex-service oils were prepared either by extraction into aqueous electrolyte-buffer, or by direct dilution in propan-2-ol, the latter method being more amenable to simple at-line operation. The oxygen electrode, with a sensitivity of 2.87 nA μg⁻¹ ml⁻¹, RSD of 7.0-19.9% and accuracy of ±8.3% versus the industry standard International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) method, proved superior to the SPE (sensitivity: 3.02 nA μg⁻¹ ml⁻¹; RSD: 8.9-18.3%; accuracy: ±7.9%) and was considerably more accurate at low phenol concentrations. However, the SPE approach is more amenable to field-based usage for reasons of device simplicity. The method has potential as a rapid and simple screening tool for the at-site monitoring of phenol in transformer oils, thereby reducing incidences of transformer failure.     

CE Determination of Four Major Constituents in Sang-Xing Decoction

The paper describes a method for the determination of 1-methyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole (MT) in soils contaminated due to space activities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. MT is the main transformation product of the primary rocket fuel, 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH). The analytical procedure is based on gas chromatography in combination with mass-spectrometric detection. The detection limit of the method was determined to be 0.005 mg kg⁻¹. A series of authentic samples from the fall regions of the burned out first stages of UDMH fueled rockets has been analyzed disclosing MT concentrations in the range of 0.020 to 100 mg kg⁻¹.     

Application of the localized surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles for the determination of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine in water: Toward green analytical chemistry

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is an optical phenomena generated by light when it interacts with conductive nanoparticles that are smaller than the incident wavelength. In this work, we proposed a simple, fast, and green method for spectrophotometric determination of unsymmetrical 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) based on LSPR property of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). An LSPR band is produced via reduction of Au³⁺ ions in solution by UDMH as active reducing agent in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride as a capping agent. Some important parameters in the formation of LSPR including Au(III) concentration, pH, concentration of stabilizer, and reaction time were studied and optimized. Under optimum conditions, the LSPR intensity displays linear response with the increasing UDMH concentration in the range from 0.5–10 μg/mL at 550 nm with a detection limit of 0.2 μg/mL. Also, the relative standard deviation for ten replicate determination of 5.0 μg/mL of UDMH was 3%. Usage of AuNPs as new nontoxic reagent instead of hazardous reagents in the spectrophotometric determination of UDMH is a step toward green analytical chemistry. The proposed method was successfully applied for determination of UDMH in water and wastewater samples.     

A sensitive chromatographic determination of hydrazines by naphthalene-2,3-dialdehyde derivatization

A new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the sensitive simultaneous determination of hydrazine (Hy), monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) based upon the derivatization of hydrazines with naphthalene-2,3-dialdehyde and the separation of the derivatives on Zorbax Eclipse AAA column in a single chromatographic run under acidic conditions (pH 2.4) was developed. Hydrazine and monomethylhydrazine derivatives were found to be strongly fluorescent at λ_ex?=?273?nm, λ_em?=?500?nm. It was shown that UDMH derivative can be detected as non-fluorescent hydrazone at 290?nm by UV-detection. Limits of detection were 0.05?µg?·?L^?1 for Hy and MMH, and 1?µg?·?L^?1 for UDMH for the injection volume of 100?µL. The method was validated for water sample analysis. It proved to be selective, accurate and precise with the supplementary advantage of the simple and rapid sample preparation.     

Ion chromatography as a tool for the investigation of unsymmetrical hydrazine degradation in soils

A new procedure for the determination of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) in soil samples was developed. This involves the distillation of UDMH from an alkaline suspension of soil and ion chromatographic analysis of the distillate. The separation was performed on a silica cation-exchanger column with ammonium acetate buffer solution as mobile phase and amperometric detection at +1.2?V. Hydrazine (Hy) and methylhydrazine (MH), which are decomposition products of UDMH, can be determined simultaneously. The limits of detection in aqueous solutions were 0.2, 0.5 and 1?µg?L^?1 for Hy, MH and UDMH, respectively. The developed technique was used for investigating the behaviour of UDMH in spills of rocket fuels on soils. It was found that the addition of 4?kg?m^?2 UDMH resulted in a 0.02% residue one year after the soil treatment. The vertical migration of UDMH in soil was less than 50?cm.     

Renewable sol-gel carbon ceramic electrodes modified with a Ru-complex for the amperometric detection of l-cysteine and glutathione

A renewable three-dimensional chemically modified carbon ceramic electrode containing Ru [(tpy)(bpy)Cl] PF₆ was constructed by sol-gel technique. It exhibits an excellent electro-catalytic activity for oxidation of l-cysteine and glutathione at pH range 2-8. Cyclic voltammetry was employed to characterize the electrochemical behavior of the chemically modified electrode. The electrocatalytic behavior is further exploited as a sensitive detection scheme for l-cysteine and glutathione by hydrodynamic amperometry. Optimum pH value for detection is 2 for both l-cysteine and glutathione. The catalytic rate constants for l-cysteine and glutathione were determined, which were about 2.1×10³ and 2.5×10³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. Under the optimized condition the calibration curves are linear in the concentration range 5-685 and 5-700 μM for l-cysteine and glutathione determination, respectively. The detection limit (S/N=3) and sensitivity is 1 μM, 5 nA/μM for l-cysteine and 1 μM, 7.8 nA/μM for glutathione. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for the amperogram's currents with five injections of l-cysteine or glutathione at concentration range of linear calibration is <1.5%. The advantages of this amperometric detector are: high sensitivity, good catalytic effect, short response time (t<3 s), remarkable long-term stability, simplicity of preparation and reproducibility of surface fouling (RSD for six successive polishing is 3.31%). This sensor can be used as a chromatographic detector for analysis of l-cysteine and glutathione.     

Determination of furanic aldehydes in sugarcane bagasse by high‐performance liquid chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection using a modified electrode with nickel nanoparticles

A glassy carbon electrode chemically modified with nickel nanoparticles coupled with reversed‐phase chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection was used for the quantitative analysis of furanic aldehydes in a real sample of sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate. Chromatographic separation was carried out in isocratic conditions (acetonitrile/water, 1:9) with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, a detection potential of – 50 mV vs. Pd, and the process was completed within 4 min. The analytical curves presented limits of detection of 4.0 × 10^?7 mol/L and 4.3 × 10^?7 mol/L, limits of quantification of 1.3 × 10^?6 and 1.4 × 10^?6 mol/L, amperometric sensitivities of 2.2 × 10⁶ nA mol/L and 2.7 × 10⁶ nA mol/L for furfural and 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural, respectively. The values obtained in this sample by the standard addition method were 1.54 ± 0.02 g/kg for 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural and 11.5 ± 0.2 g/kg for furfural. The results demonstrate that this new proposed method can be used for the quick detection of furanic aldehydes without the interference of other electroactive species, besides having other remarkable merits that include excellent peak resolution, analytical repeatability, sensitivity, and accuracy.     

Electrophysical properties of In2O3-and WO3-based gas-sensitive semiconducting films as sensors for unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine in air

Some n-type semiconductor metal oxide sensors based on WO₃ and In₂O₃ were studied in detecting unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) vapors. The sensors are highly sensitive to the presence of UDMH vapors in air at concentrations equal to or lower than the MPC. They have short response and relaxation times in detecting UDMH vapors in air. It was found that, when ammonia was present in air in concentrations comparable to those of UDMH, it did not affect the electrophysical properties of the semiconductor sensors.     

Studies on an ionic compound (3-ATz)+ (NTO)–: crystal structure, specific heat capacity, thermal behaviors and thermal safety

A new ionic compound (3-ATz)⁺ (NTO)^?C was synthesized by the reaction of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-ATz) with 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) in ethanol. The single crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction measurement were obtained by crystallization at room temperature. The crystal is monoclinic, space group p _2(1)/c with crystal parameters of a?=?0.6519(2)?nm, b?=?1.9075(7)?nm, c?=?0.6766(2)?nm, ???=?94.236(4)°, R ₁?=?0.0305 and wR ₂?=?0.0789. The thermal behaviors were studied, and the apparent activation energy and pre-exponential constant of the exothermic decomposition stage were obtained by Kissinger??s method and Ozawa??s method. The self-accelerating decomposition temperature is 505.40?K, and the critical temperature of the thermal explosion is obtained as 524.90?K. The specific heat capacity was determined with Micro-DSC method and the theoretical calculation method, and the standard molar specific heat capacity is 221.31?J?mol^?1?K^?1 at 298.15?K. The Gibbs free energy of activation, enthalpy of activation, and entropy of activation are 151.55?kJ?mol^?1, 214.52?kJ?mol^?1 and 122.44?J?mol^?1?K^?1. The adiabatic time-to-explosion of the compound was estimated to be a certain value between 5.0 and 5.2?s, and the detonation velocity (D) and pressure (P) were also estimated using the nitrogen equivalent equation according to the experimental density.     

Chemically modified reticulated vitreous carbon electrode with immobilized enzyme as a detector in flow-injection determination of glucose

The construction and response of a chemically modified electrode in which glucose oxidase (E.C. 1.1.3.4) is covalently attached to the surface of reticulated vitreous carbon is reported. Hydrogen peroxide produced by the oxidation of glucose is consumed at the electrode suface, which is held at + 0.9 V vs. a saturated calomel reference electrode. The hydrodynamic and electrochemical properties of the reticulated vitreous carbon electrode substrate make the electrode attractive for use in flow systems. The current varies nonlinearly with glucose concentration throughout most of the range examined (10^?1?10^?4 M). At concentrations of 2.5–10 mM, response is approximately linear with concentration, with a sensitivity of about 400 nA mM^?1. Relative standard deviation for five sample at 10 mM^?1 is less than 2%.     

Estimation of free acidity in some hydrolysable metal ions present in reprocessing streams by fiber optic aided spectrophotometry

A fiber optic aided spectrophotometric technique has been developed for the determination of free acidity in nuclear fuel reprocessing streams. In this method, nitric acid forms yellow colour complex with chrome azurol s. The system obeys Lambert–Beer’s law at 542 nm in the range of acidity 4–14 M. The molar absorption coefficient (ε) and Sandell’s sensitivity (S) of complex are 5.23 × 10³ L.mol^?1.cm^?1 and 1.91 × 10^?4 µg/cm² respectively. Relative standard deviation is less than 1 % and correlation coefficient is 0.999. Results of the present method are in good agreement with those obtained by the standard procedure.     

A simple and selective flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of copper(II) by using acetylsalicylhydroxamic acid

A new simple, and rapid flow-injection spectrophotometric method is developed for the determination of trace amounts of Cu(II) by using a new chromogenic reagent acetylsalicylhydroxamic acid (AcSHA). The method is based on the formation of colored Cu(II)-(AcSHA)₂ complex. The optimum conditions for the chromogenic reaction of Cu(II) with AcSHA is studied and the colored (green) complex is selectively monitored at λ_max 700 nm. With the reagent carrier solvent (dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and acetate buffer, pH 4.2) flow-rate of 1 ml min⁻¹, a detection limit (2S) of 1 μg l⁻¹ Cu(II) was obtained at a sampling rate of 80 sample h⁻¹. The calibration graph was linear in the Cu(II) concentration range 5-120 μg l⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (n=10) was 0.64% for a sample containing 60 μg l⁻¹ Cu(II). The detailed study of various interferences confirmed the high selectivity of the developed method. The method was successfully applied to determine trace amounts of copper(II) in river and seawater samples. The accuracy of the method was demonstrated by the analysis of standard reference materials C12X3500 and C14XHS 50.     

Electrochemical Sensing of NADH and Glutamate Based on Meldola Blue in 1,2‐Diaminobenzene and 3,4‐Ethylenedioxythiophene Polymer Films

The redox mediator Meldola blue (MB) was entrapped into two polymers, poly‐1,2‐diaminobenzene (p‐DAB) and poly‐3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (p‐EDOT) by potential cycling and films were applied to NADH oxidation with subsequent glutamate detection using immobilized glutamate dehydrogenase. Both polymer films were tested for electrocatalysis of NADH using amperometry at E_app=0.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl and similar response characteristics were obtained with sensitivity values of 6.1 nA μM^?1, linear range up to 0.5 mM (R²=0.9972) and LOD of 50 μM. Subsequent amperometric determination of glutamate resulted in sensitivity 0.7 nA μM^?1, linearity 0–100 μM and detection limit of 2 μM glutamate.     

Application of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectrometry to the determination of sodium percarbonate in washing powder detergent

In this paper, a novel and precise analytical procedure has been developed for quantitative determination of sodium percarbonate (SPC) in washing powder. The method is based on the partial least squares (PLS) treatment of data obtained by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectrometry in wavenumber region of 1435-1342 cm⁻¹. The statistical parameters such as R², RSD, SEC and SECV have been evaluated, and number of factors, number of scan and the resolution have been optimized. In this method R² and RSD for five independent analyses of a 0.552 g per 100 g solution of SPC, SEC for 10 standard samples and SECV for five validation samples were 0.998, 1.011, 0.002 and 0.039 respectively.Results obtained for six different commercial washing powders compared well with those obtained with a standard method.     

Flow injection spectrophotometric determination of europium using chlortetracycline

A flow injection (FI) spectrophotometric determination of europium (III) is described, based on the complexation between europium (III), and chlortetracycline (CTC) in a Tris-buffer pH 8.0 medium. The resulting yellow-coloured complex is measured at its absorption maximum of 400 nm after 100 μl of sample or standard solution containing europium (III) are injected into the merged streams of CTC and Tris-buffer solutions. Optimum conditions for determining μg amounts of europium (III) are achieved by univariate method. Various types of reactors are also investigated. It is shown that the use of a single bead string reactor gives rise to the enhancement of peak height. A linear calibration curve over the range of 0.10-0.60 μg ml⁻¹ europium (III) is established with the regression equation (n=6) Y=34.93X+0.01 and the correlation coefficient of 0.9994 is obtained. A detection limit (3σ) of 0.01 μg ml⁻¹ of europium (III) and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of 4.32% for determining 1.0 μg ml⁻¹ of europium (III) (n=7) are obtained. The recommended method has been applied to the quantitation of europium (III) in spiked water and stream sediment samples with average recoveries of 99.9 and 97.5%, respectively. The sampling rate is found to be 85 h⁻¹.     

Electrochemical characteristics of H2O2 microarray electrodes as base elements of biosensors

Summary The electrochemical characteristics were examined of band- and square-type MAEs (microarray electrodes) with 10, 20 and 30 m band width and side length prepared by using standard planar processing in K₃Fe(CN)₆ solution. Among them, S1–5 square-type MAE with 10 m side length and 9.0×10^–3 mm² in the total area exhibits the largest current density and the shortest response time. The H₂O₂ calibration curve obtained at the S1–5 shows linearity from 0.1 to 5.0 mmol/l, a mean slope of 550 nA/mmol/l with a CV (variation coefficient) of 16.1%. A glucose sensor based on the S1–5 was prepared and its sensitivity was 21 nA/mmol/l, ten-fold greater than that of a single ME (microelectrode) reported lately.     

The low-temperature quartz resonator method for determination of the enthalpy of sublimation

A low-temperature quartz resonator method for determining the enthalpy of sublimation has been described. A quartz crystal cooled to the temperature of liquid nitrogen becomes a sensitive microbalance. The method permits the value of ΔH_sub to be obtained within 4–5 h and is especially useful in measuring ΔH_sub values of substances with low saturated vapour pressures. The following values of ΔH_sub were received for standard substances: benzoic acid, ΔH_sub = (90.8±0.6) kJ mol^?1 at 293–319 K: naphthalene, ΔH_sub = (72.3±0.8) kJ mol^?1at 293–331 K.     

Sensitive Differential Pulse Polarographic Determination of Molybdenum Using The New Catalytic System Mo(VI)‐Phenantroline‐Chlorate

It was found that in acidic chloride media the complex of Mo(VI) with 1,10‐phenantroline induces catalytic reduction of KClO₃. This catalytic effect can be utilized for sensitive differential pulse polarographic determination of Mo(VI) with a low detection limit of 2.9×10^?11 M (2.8 ng/L). The optimal Mo(VI) response was obtained at pH 2.8, in the presence of (6–12)×10^?5 M 1,10‐phenantroline and 2×10^?2 M KClO₃. The sensitivity was 1.73 nA/nM and the catalytic response was linear up to 7.5×10^?7 M Mo (VI). The interferences from inorganic ions and surface‐active substances were investigated. The results of the determination of Mo(VI) in CRM water sample showed good reproducibility (R.S.D. for standard solution is below 1.2% and for water samples is 8.9%) and accuracy of the elaborated catalytic polarographic method.