An initial-rate potentiometric method for the determination of uric acid using a fluoride ion-selective electrode

The principle of a general potentiometric method based on Emerson-Trinder reaction for the assay of various hydrogen peroxide generating systems is reported. Emerson-Trinder reaction, habitually employed as a spectrophotometric indicator reaction, is exploited in this method as a potentiometric indicator reaction. This method is based on the detection of F⁻ ions, liberated from the oxidation of a fluorophenol compound used as hydrogen-donor in Emerson-Trinder reaction, by a fluoride ion-selective electrode. The ability and usefulness of this method are illustrated by an initial-rate potentiometric determination of uric acid in aqueous and human serum samples, for which, initial-rate reaction progress curves, linear calibration curve, within-day precisions, upper and lower detection limits, and also its analytical recovery were reported.     

Amylose-iodine complex formation without KI: Evidence for absence of iodide ions within the complex

Amylose-iodine (AI) complex has been synthesized in aqueous solution without added KI. Complex formation (with solid iodine in amylose solution) is maximized at approximately 35°C and decreases beyond that temperature. Ion-selective electrode (ISE) measurements of an aqueous solution of iodine and AI complex indicate that there is no change in the I⁻ ion concentration when the complex forms. This suggests that I⁻ ions (including I, I, and others) cannot be involved in forming the AI complex. The present work also reports a new and simple method for providing both the iodine-binding capacity (IBC) of amylose and the dissociation mechanism for the AI complex. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2711–2717, 1999     

Ion imprinted polymer based ion-selective electrode for the trace determination of dysprosium(III) ions

Ion-selective electrode (ISE) was designed by dispersing the dysprosium(III) IIP particles in 2-nitrophenyloctyl ether plasticizer and then embedded in polyvinyl chloride matrix. The ISE shows a Nernstian response for dysprosium(III) over a wide concentration range (8.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻¹ M) with a slope of 21.7 mV per decade. The limit of detection was 2 × 10⁻⁶ M. This sensor has a very fast response time (∼10 s) and offers high selectivity compared to conventional chemical sensors towards dysprosium(III) with respect to several alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal ions as the selectivity is 10-100-fold better. The sensor was used for determination of dysprosium(III) ions by potentiometric (EDTA) titration and has been successfully demonstrated for the determination of fluoride in mouth wash solution.     

A novel chemically modified carbon paste electrode based on a new mercury(II) complex for selective potentiometric determination of bromide ion

A new modified carbon paste electrode based on a recently synthesized mercury (II) complex of a pyridine containing proton transfer compound as a suitable carrier for Br⁻ ion is described. The electrode has a linear dynamic range between 3.00×10⁻² and 1.0×10⁻⁵ M with a near-Nernastian slope of 61.0±0.9 mV per decade and a detection limit of 4.0×10⁻⁶ M (0.32 ppm). The potentiometric response is independent of the pH of the solution in the pH range 4.0–8.3. The electrode possesses the advantages of low resistance, fast response and good over a variety of other anions. It was applied as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of bromide ions and for the recovery of Br⁻ from tap water.     

Flow injection potentiometry by a new coated graphite ion-selective electrode for the determination of Pb(2+)

A new graphite coated electrode for the determination of Pb²⁺ based on a recently synthesized ionophore 1-hydroxy-2-{2-[2-(2-hydroxy-ethoxy)-ethoxy]-ethoxy methyl}-anthracene-9,10-dione (L) has been developed. The electrode was used in flow injection potentiometry by a home-made flow cell. Under both the batch and flow conditions, the electrode revealed a near Nernstian response over a wide lead ion concentration range (10⁻⁶ to 10⁻¹ M) and very low limit of detection. In flow injection potentiometry, excellent reproducibility (RSD%=0.49%), very high sampling rate (170 injections h⁻¹) and stable baseline was observed in the presence of 10⁻³ M KCl as ionic strength adjuster. The electrode showed high sensitivity and good selectivity for Pb²⁺ over a wide variety of alkali, alkali earth and transition metal ions and the electrode can be used for at least 3 months without any considerable change in potential response. The proposed sensor was successfully applied to the direct determination of lead in real samples and also used for the titrimetric determination of phosphate ions by both batch and flow injection potentiometry.     

Chemical equilibrium model for the thermodynamic properties of mixed aqueous micellar systems: Application to thermodynamic functions of transfer

Mixed micelles can be formed in water between various pairs of hydrophobic solutes such as surfactants, alcohols and hydrocarbons. These systems can often be studied through the thermodynamic functions of transfer of one of the solutes, usually kept near infinite dilution, from water to an aqueous solution of the other solute. When mixed micelles are formed, these functions change significantly, and often go through extrema, in the region where the binary system micellizes or undergoes some microphase transition.Three main effects are responsible for the observed trends: pair-wise interactions between both solutes in the monomeric form, a distribution of the reference solute between the aqueous and micellar phases and a shift in the monomer-micelle equilibrium in the vicinity of the reference solute. Simple equations can be derived for these three effects which can account for the sign and magnitude of the observed trends using parameters which are derived for the most part from the two binary systems.     

Improving the robustness of a partial least squares (PLS) model based on pure component selectivity analysis and range optimization: case study for the analysis of an etching solution containing hydrogen peroxide

Pure component selectivity analysis (PCSA) was successfully utilized to enhance the robustness of a partial least squares (PLS) model by examining the selectivity of a given component to other components. The samples used in this study were composed of NH₄OH, H₂O₂ and H₂O, a popular etchant solution in the electronic industry. Corresponding near-infrared (NIR) spectra (9000-7500 cm⁻¹) were used to build PLS models. The selective determination of H₂O₂ without influences from NH₄OH and H₂O was a key issue since its molecular structure is similar to that of H₂O and NH₄OH also has a hydroxyl functional group. The best spectral ranges for the determination of NH₄OH and H₂O₂ were found with the use of moving window PLS (MW-PLS) and corresponding selectivity was examined by pure component selectivity analysis. The PLS calibration for NH₄OH was free from interferences from the other components due to the presence of its unique NH absorption bands. Since the spectral variation from H₂O₂ was broadly overlapping and much less distinct than that from NH₄OH, the selectivity and prediction performance for the H₂O₂ calibration were sensitively varied depending on the spectral ranges and number of factors used. PCSA, based on the comparison between regression vectors from PLS and the net analyte signal (NAS), was an effective method to prevent over-fitting of the H₂O₂ calibration. A robust H₂O₂ calibration model with minimal interferences from other components was developed. PCSA should be included as a standard method in PLS calibrations where prediction error only is the usual measure of performance.     

Application of counter-current chromatography as a new pretreatment method for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water

Counter‐current chromatography (CCC) was investigated as a new sample pretreatment method for the determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water environmental samples. The experiment was performed with a non‐aqueous binary two‐phase solvent system composed of n‐heptane and acetonitrile. The CCC column was first filled with the upper stationary phase, and then a large volume of water sample was pumped into the column while the CCC column was rotated at 1600 rpm. Finally, the trace amounts of PAHs extracted and enriched in the stationary phase were eluted out by the lower mobile phase and determined by gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC‐FID) or gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The enrichment and cleanup of PAHs can be fulfilled online by this method with high recoveries (84.1–103.2%) and good reproducibility (RSDs: 4.9–12.2%) for 16 EPA PAHs under the optimized CCC pretreatment conditions. This method has been successfully applied to determine PAHs in lake water where 8 PAHs were detected in the concentration of 40.9–89.9 ng/L. The present method is extremely suitable for the preparation of large volume of environmental water sample for the determination of trace amounts of organic pollutants including PAHs as studied in this paper.     

Chemometrically assisted optimization and validation of a new HPLC method for the determination of paliperidone in pharmaceuticals

Paliperidone is an antipsychotic drug, which is used for the acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia. In this study, a new method was developed for the determination of Paliperidone in its extended-release tablets. Face-centered central composite design was applied for optimization of the method. Factors were decided as acetonitrile content, pH of the mobile phase and buffer concentration through preliminary studies. Optimal flow rate (1?mL/min), column temperature (35°C) and internal standard (Bupropion) were also determined during preliminary studies. Retention factors and tailing factors of Paliperidone and Bupropion were selected as responses. Derringer’s desirability function was applied for simultaneously optimization of these four responses. Optimal conditions were predicted as phosphate buffer (pH:3, 23?mM): acetonitrile (76:24, v:v). Developed method was validated in terms of linearity, detection and quantification limits, accuracy, precision, specificity and robustness. Method was found linear in the concentration range of 0.125-100?µg/mL. Mean equation of the calibration curve was y?=?0.0807 x - 0.0102 (R²?=?0.9999). Accuracy and precision of the method was evaluated with recovery values (98-102%) and relative standard deviation values (<2%), respectively. All other parameters were found acceptable. The method was successfully applied for the determination of Paliperidone in its extended-release tablets.     

Establishment and application of a new method for the determination of kinetic parameters by plug-plug kinetic capillary electrophoresis (ppKCE)

A novel plug-plug kinetic capillary electrophoresis method was established, which can be used to si-multaneously determine the kinetic parameters kon and koff in interaction systems. The method is comparatively simple and some restrictions in conventional ppKCE methods can be effectively avoided. The requirements for resolution and detection sensitivity in this method are much lower than those of conventional ppKCE. The successful determination of the kinetic parameters and the binding constant Kb between citalopram and BSA showed availability of this method. The results were confirmed by us-ing the time ratio method. The application field of kinetic capillary electrophoresis can be expanded with this new method.     

A multidimensional high performance liquid chromatography method coupled with amperometric detection using a boron-doped diamond electrode for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in bovine milk

The development and validation of a multidimensional HPLC method using an on-line clean-up column coupled with amperometric detection employing a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) in bovine milk are presented. Aliquots of pre-prepared skim-milk samples were directly injected into a RAM octyl-BSA column in order to remove proteins that otherwise would interfere with milk analysis. After exclusion of the milk proteins, SMX and TMP were transferred to the analytical column (an octyl column) and the separation of the compounds from one another and from other endogenous milk components was achieved. SMX and TMP were detected amperometrically at 1.25 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3.0 mol L⁻¹ KCl). Results with good linearity in the concentration ranges 50-800 and 25-400 μg L⁻¹ for SMX and TMP, respectively, were obtained and no fouling of the BDD electrode was observed within the experimental period of several hours. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were less than 10% for both drugs and the obtained LOD values for SMX and TMP were 25.0 and 15.0 μg L⁻¹, respectively.     

Ion-exchange and permselectivity properties of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) coatings on glassy carbon: application in the modification of mercury film electrodes for the direct voltammetric analysis of trace metals in estuarine waters

The present work describes the optimisation and characterization of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)-coated thin mercury film electrodes (PSS-TMFE) for the direct analysis of trace metals in estuarine waters by square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SW-ASV). The morphology, thickness and ion exchange ability of the poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) coatings onto glassy carbon were evaluated and these features particularly favoured the incorporation of cationic species, such as dopamine or lead cation. For the case of the heavy metal cations, a simple, sensitive and very reproducible methodology for their SW-ASV analysis could be developed. In fact, with the PSS-TMFE, a significant increase in the sensitivity of the ASV determination of lead was obtained compared both to the uncoated TMFE (ca. 82%) as well as to Nafion-coated electrodes of similar thickness (ca. 43-49%). Furthermore, the permselectivity of the poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) coatings, based both on electrostatic interaction and molecular size, leads to an improved anti-fouling ability against surfactant species. The analytical usefulness of the poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)-coated thin mercury film electrodes is demonstrated by application to the direct ASV determination of trace heavy metals at the low nanomolar level, in estuarine waters with moderate contents of dissolved organic matter, where the uncoated TMFE failed due to fouling.     

Effects of different alkali metal ions on the cationization of poly(ethylene glycol)s in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: a new selectivity parameter

The cationization of poly(ethylene glycol)s, PEG 4000 and PEG 6000, under matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization conditions was studied by using different concentration ratios of the sodium ion, as the reference ion, and another alkali metal ion (Li(+), K(+), Rb(+), Cs(+)). A linear correlation was found between the intensity ratio of the sodiated PEGs and PEGs cationized with alkali metal ions versus the initial concentration ratio of sodium and alkali metal ions. The slopes of these straight lines are proposed as a novel selectivity ratio for the ionization process. The intensity distribution of the cationized PEGs was also investigated. It was found that the cationized oligomers follow Poisson statistics. The M(n) and M(w) values were also evaluated. An explanation for the observed effects is given.     

Ionic liquids/H2O systems for the reaction of epoxides with NaN3: a new protocol for the synthesis of 2-azidoalcohols

Oxiranes undergo ring opening rapidly with sodium azide in a [bmim]BF₄/H₂O or [bmim]PF₆/H₂O (2:1) solvent system, under mild and neutral reaction conditions to afford the corresponding 2-azidoalcohols in high to quantitative yields. The remarkable features of this procedure are improved yields, enhanced reaction rates, high regioselectivity and ease of recyclability of ionic liquids (ILs). The recovered ionic liquid can be reused for four to five times but with gradual decrease in activity.     

SOLVERSTAT: a new utility for multipurpose analysis. An application to the investigation of dioxygenated Co(II) complex formation in dimethylsulfoxide solution

A new utility for multipurpose analysis, SOLVERSTAT, taking advantage of the versatility of spreadsheets is here described. By means of this tool advanced statistical tests have introduced in Microsoft Excel Solver thus allowing regression diagnostic and discrimination between different models. The utility is here applied to the determination, by UV-Vis spectroscopy, of the stability constant for the uptake of molecular dioxygen by the 1:2 complex of Co(II) with N,N′-dimethylethylenediamine (dmen) in the aprotic solvent dimethylsulfoxide (dmso) at 298 K and in a medium adjusted to 0.1 mol dm⁻³ with Et₄NClO₄. The reliability of the model and parameters obtained are discussed and the results compared with those obtained by Dynafit, a different software package, and by independent voltammetric measurements. The validity of SOLVERSTAT has been also examined applying it to the discrimination between different models already discussed in the literature.     

Selective and sensitive extraction spectrophotometric method for the determination of vanadium (V) as a mixed ligand complex withN-phenyl benzohydroxamic acid and 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol in non-aqueous media

A selective, sensitive and direct method for the spectrophotometric determination of vanadium in steels is developed in which vanadium is extracted withN-phenyl benzohydroxamic acid (PBHA) into chloroform from 5M hydrochloric acid medium followed by colour development by addition of 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR) inN,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF). The vanadium(V)-PBHA-PAR mixed ligand complex shows maximum absorbance at 560 nm with a molar absorptivity 3.6 × 10⁴ l mol^–1 cm^–1 and obeys Beer's law up to 2.0 g/ml of vanadium. The composition of the mixed ligand complex is determined by Job's method of continuous variations which revealed a 1 1 1 ratio for V(V) PBHA PAR. This method can be directly applied for the determination of vanadium in steels, while in the case of titanium base alloys, after separation of titanium matrix it gives good results even at 50–200 g of vanadium per gram level.     

Development and validation of a LC method for the separation and determination of the anticancer‐active FeIII(4‐methoxy‐salophene) using the new second‐generation monolith

LC method with the newly introduced second‐generation monolithic silica RP‐18e column has been developed for the separation of Fe^III(salophene) and four methoxy‐substituted Fe^III(salophene) complexes. The method has been validated for the quantitation of Fe^III(4‐OMe‐salophene), a highly active anticancer substance in vitro, bound to serum albumin. Our routinely used high‐resolution continuum‐source atomic absorption spectroscopy method based on the determination of the central iron atom was unsuitable in this case because serum originally contains significant amounts of iron as revealed by a blank sample of serum albumin. The developed LC method depends on detecting the whole complex rather than the bound iron. Two morphologically different first‐ and second‐generation HPLC monolithic columns have been compared for this purpose. The newly introduced second‐generation monolithic silica column Chromolith® HighResolution RP‐18e column (100 × 4.6 mm, Merck) separated the mixture successful within 13 min. A mobile phase consisting of 25 mM phosphate buffer pH 3/methanol (60:40, v/v) was used at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The dynamic linear working range of the calibration curve for Fe^III(4‐OMe‐salophene) was found to be between 1 and 200 μg/mL. Detection and quantitation limits were 0.3 and 1 μg/mL, respectively.     

An improved high-performance liquid chromatographic method with a solid-phase extraction for the determination of piperacillin and tazobactam: application to pharmacokinetic study of different dosage in Chinese healthy volunteers

An improved HPLC method was developed for the determination of piperacillin and tazobactam in human plasma and pharmacokinetic study in Chinese healthy volunteers. Piperacillin and tazobactam in human plasma were extracted by solid-phase extraction and separated on a C(18) column and detected at 220 nm. The mobile phase for piepracillin consisted of 0.01 mol/L sodium dihydrogen phosphate (pH = 4.65) and acetonitrile (71:29, v/v), and that for tazobactam was 0.05 mol/L sodium dihydrogen phosphate (pH = 4.45) and methanol (90:10, v/v). The method was linear in the range 0.25-320.00 microg/mL for piperacillin (r(2) = 0.995) and 0.25-64.00 microg/mL for tazobactam (r(2) = 0.994). The lower limit of quantification of both compounds was 0.25 microg/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions of piperacillin and tazobactam at three concentrations were all less than 9.2% and accuracies were within the range 97.0-108.0%. The method was used to investigate the pharmacokinetics of piperacillin and tazobactam in 12 volunteers who were intravenously given a dosage of 1.25, 2.50 and 3.75 g in three periods. The results showed that piperacillin sodium-tazobactom sodium (4:1) for injection in Chinese people fits linear dynamics, and the administred dosage can be adjusted with therapeutic effect.     

QCMS2 as a new method for providing insight into peptide fragmentation: The influence of the side‐chain and inter–side‐chain interactions

The identification of peptides and proteins from tandem mass spectra is a difficult task and multiple tools have been developed to aid this identification. We present a new method called quantum chemical mass spectrometry for materials science (QCMS²), which is based on quantum chemical calculations of bond orders, reaction, and transition‐state energies at the DFT/B3LYP/6‐311+G* level of theory. The method was used to describe the fragmentation pathways of five X‐His‐Ser tripeptides with X = Asn, Asp, Glu, Ser, and Trp, thereby focusing on the influence of the side chain and inter–side‐chain interactions on the fragmentation. The main features in the mass spectra of the five tripeptides were correctly reproduced, and a number of fragments were assigned to fragmentations involving the side chain and the influence of inter–side‐chain interactions. Product ion spectra were recorded to evaluate the capabilities and limitations of QCMS² and a number of conventional tools.