Use of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant for the determination of copper and chromium in gasoline emulsions by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

In this work, the use of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant for the preparation of oil-in-water emulsions for the determination of Cu and Cr in gasoline by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) was evaluated. The surfactant amount was tested in the range of 25 to 300 mg, added to 2 ml of gasoline, and completed to 10 mL with 0.1% (v/v) nitric acid solution. 150 mg of surfactant was found optimum, and a sonication time of 10 min sufficient to form an oil-in-water emulsion that was stable for several hours. The ET AAS temperature program was established based on pyrolysis and atomization curves. The pyrolysis temperatures were set at 700 and 1300 °C for Cu and Cr, respectively and the selected atomization temperatures were 2400 and 2500 °C. The time and temperature of the drying stage and the atomization time were experimentally tested to provide optimum conditions. The limits of detection were found to be 5 μg L^− 1 and 1.5 μg L^− 1 for Cu and Cr, respectively in the original gasoline samples. The relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 4 to 9% in oil-in-water emulsions spiked with 5 μg L^− 1 and 15 μg L^− 1 of each metal, respectively. Recoveries varied from 90 to 98%. The accuracy of the proposed method was tested by an alternate procedure using complete evaporation of the gasoline sample. The method was adequate for the determination of Cu and Cr in gasoline samples collected from different gas stations in Salvador, BA, Brazil.     

An ab initio study of the geometries and rotational barriers of 1-, 2-, and 5-phenylimidazole

The torsional barrier was calculated in the 3-21G basis set for 1-, 2-, and 5-phenylimidazole. Full geometry optimization was carried out at inter-ring torsional angles of 0°, 30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, 150°, 180°, and additional intermediate angles. All torsional potential energies were found to be symmetric with respect to the 90° conformation. The 2-phenylimidazole torsional energy exhibits a minimum at 0° (and 180°) and a maximum at 90° with a barrier height of 5.83 kcal/mol relative to the 0° conformation. The minima in the 1- and 5-phenylimidazole torsional potential energies correspond to non-planar conformations, resulting in a double-well potential with maxima at 0° (180°) and 90°. The 1-phenylimidazole minima are located at 46.5 and 133.5°; the 5-phenylimidazole minima, at 35.3 and 144.7°. In the 0° (180°) and 90° conformations, 1-phenylimidazole exhibits torsional barriers of 1.84 and 0.75 kcal/mol, respectively, relative to the energy of the 46.5° conformation. For 5-phenylimidazole, these barriers are 0.94 and 1.89 kcal/mol, relative to the energy of the 35.3° conformation. The energy of 5-phenylimidazole in the 35.3° conformation corresponds to a relative tautomeric energy difference of 1.80 kcal/mol compared to the 0° conformer of the 4-phenylimidazole tautomer.     

Quantitative leak test for microholes and microtears in whole gloves and glove pieces

The current leak tests for gloves are qualitative. The developed quantitative leak test uses vacuum pressure to draw measured volumes of water to detect microholes/tears in whole gloves and glove pieces. A modified plastic vacuum desiccator interfaced with a Frazier air permeability tester allowed exposure of disposable unsupported/unlined/powderless Kimtech Blue nitrile to 50 mL of water for glove pieces or to 600 mL within a whole glove at vacua of 8–9 in. (20–23 cm) and 11–12 in. (28–30 cm) water gauge, respectively. Punctures of known dimensions were made before testing in specific glove areas using 21-, 22-, 26-, 30-, and 33-gauge needles (outer/inner diameters in micrometres of 873/514, 794/413, 635/311, 476/127, 318/159 and 238/133, respectively). The length of the punctures varied from 0.13 ± 0.01 to 0.80 ± 0.11 mm. Flow rates of water through the holes/tears ranged from 2.5 ± 0.4 to 106 ± 7 mL/min for glove pieces. For whole gloves, the ranges were from 31 ± 9 to 543 ± 110 mL/min in the palm area; and 0.23 ± 0.06 to 82 ± 18 mL/min in the finger/fingertip area. The method quantified tear lengths as short as 0.13 ± 0.01 mm.     

Determination of diclofenac in pharmaceutical preparations by diffuse reflectance photometry

A quantitative analytical method for the determination of diclofenac in pharmaceutical preparations by diffuse reflectance in the visible region of the spectrum is presented. The color reaction is done directly in the measuring cell immediately after mixing, using small volumes of the analyte solution, of the reagent and of the buffer solutions. All reflectance measurements were carried out in a home made reflectometer equipped with a red LED as light source and a LDR as detector. The calibration curves were constructed from 1.0 to 18 mg mL⁻¹ (about 3.0 × 10⁻³ to 5.5 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹) of sodium diclofenac or of potassium diclofenac in the analytical solution, with typical correlation coefficients equal to 0.999. The detection limit was estimated to be about 0.7 mg mL⁻¹ (2 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹). The method was applied to determine diclofenac in solid and liquid pharmaceutical preparations. The R.S.D. varied from 2% to 4% depending of the sample. The results were compared with those obtained with the HPLC procedure recommended by the United States Pharmacopoeia using the statistical Student's t-test procedure.     

Development and critical comparison of greener flow procedures for nitrite determination in natural waters

Two greener procedures for flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of nitrite in natural waters were developed and critically compared. Replacement of toxic reagents, waste minimization and treatment were exploited to attend the standards of clean chemistry. The flow system was designed with solenoid micro-pumps in order to minimize reagent consumption and waste generation. The first procedure is based on the Griess diazo-coupling reaction with sulfanilamide and N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine (NED) yielding an azo dye, followed by photodegradation of the low amount of waste generated based on the photo-Fenton reaction. The second procedure is based on the formation of iodine from nitrite and iodide in acid medium in order to avoid the use of toxic reagents. For Griess method, linear response was achieved up to 1.0 mg L^− 1, described by the equation A = − 0.007 + 0.460C (mg L^− 1), r = 0.999. The detection limit was estimated as 8 μg L^− 1 at the 99.7% confidence level and the coefficient of variation was 0.8% (n = 20). The sampling rate was estimated as 108 determinations per hour. The consumption of the most toxic reagent (NED) is reduced 55-fold and 20-fold in comparison to batch method and flow injection with continuous reagent addition, respectively. A colorless residue was obtained by in-line photodegradation with reduction of 87% of the total organic carbon content. The results obtained for natural water samples were in agreement with those achieved by the reference method at the 95% confidence level. For the nitrite–iodide method, linear response was observed up to 2.0 mg L^− 1, described by the equation A = − 0.024 + 0.148C (mg L^− 1), r = 0.999. The detection limit was estimated as 25 μg L^− 1 at the 99.7% confidence level and the coefficient of variation was 0.6% (n = 20). The sampling rate was estimated as 44 determinations per hour. Despite avoiding the use of toxic reagents, the nitrite–iodide method presented worst performance in terms of selectivity and sensitivity.     

Thermal stability of solid and aqueous solutions of humic acid

The effects of temperature on the stability of a soil humic acid were studied in the present work. Solid samples of Gohy-573 humic acid (HA) and dissolved ones in aqueous solution (pH 6.0, 0.1 mol L⁻¹ NaClO₄) were investigated in order to understand the impact of temperature on the chemical properties of the material. The methods applied to solid samples in the present investigation were thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), temperature-programmed desorption coupled with mass spectrometry (TPD-MS), and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transformed spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTS). Humic acid samples were studied in the 25-800 °C range, with focus on thermal/chemical processes up to 250 °C. The reversibility of the changes observed was investigated by cyclic changes to specified temperature ranges (40-110 °C). All measurements were conducted under inert-gas atmosphere in order to avoid samples combustion at increased temperatures. Aqueous solutions were analyzed by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy after storage at temperatures up to 95 °C, and storage times up to 1 week. For temperatures below 100 °C experiments on solid and aqueous samples have shown results which were consistent to each other. The amount of water desorbed is temperature dependent and up to 70 °C this process was totally reversible. Above 70 °C an irreversible loss of water was also observed, which according to UV-vis spectroscopy corresponds to water produced by condensation leading to more condensed polyaromatic structures. The water released up to 110 °C was about 7 wt% of the total mass of the dried humic acid, where less than 50% corresponded to reversibly adsorbed water. At higher temperatures (>110 °C), gradual decomposition resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide (110-240 °C), and carbon monoxide (140-240 °C) takes place. Hence, thermal treatment of Gohy-573 humic acid above 70 °C results in irreversible structural changes, that could affect chemical properties (e.g., complex formation) of the material.     

Efficient synthesis of new azo-sulfonamide derivatives and investigation of their molecular docking and cytotoxicity results

The present study focused on the synthesis, introduction and investigation of the biological effects of sulfonamide-derived products as new azo-sulfonamides (samples 1–6). In this transformation, the amine sulfonamide is first converted to the corresponding diazonium salt, which is then attacked by a nucleophilic carbon of the aromatic ring in the playing medium. All products were obtained with reasonable yields and high purity. The structure of synthesized derivatives was determined using various analytical tools including FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and XRD spectroscopy, and the synthesized products were purified and identified. Biological properties of newly synthesized azo-compounds similar to SSZAD were also investigated. These compounds were tested in terms of biological effectiveness. The results of biochemical assays show that: the products have significant biological properties. MTT toxicity of compounds in breast cancer cells (MCF-7) for compounds 1–6 according to IC₅₀ compare to Vinblastine is Vin > 5 > 4 > 6 > 2 > 3 > 1. The biochemical results obtained were analyzed by molecular docking interaction studies and showed strong hydrogen bonding with the target receptor. The docking calculation has been invoked to reveal the type of interactions that synthesized compounds can establish with the residues forming the active sites of the target proteins, 1FDW the three higher scores molecules appears to be (6 > 1 > 2), 3FC2 (the three highest binding affinities are in the order of 1 > 3 > 6), and 5GWK (three highest binding affinities are 1 > 3 > 6). The results indicate the effective interaction of all products with the targets. The molecular dynamics simulation has been invoked to study the presence of a stable system of the interacting protein–ligand.     

LC–MS analysis of low molecular weight organic acids derived from root exudation

A sensitive method for quantification of citric, fumaric, malic, malonic, oxalic, trans aconitic, and succinic acid in soil- and root-related samples is presented. The method is based on a novel, fast, and simple esterification procedure and subsequent analysis via liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Derivatization comprises in situ generation of HCl, which catalyzes the Fischer esterification with benzyl alcohol. As a key advance, the esterification with the aromate allows reversed-phase separation and improves electrospray ionization efficiency. The method provided procedural detection limits of 1 nM for citric, 47 nM for fumaric, 10 nM for malic, 10 nM for malonic, 16 nM for oxalic, 15 nM for succinic, and 2 nM for aconitic acid utilizing 500 μL of liquid sample. The working range was 3 nM to 10 μM for citric acid, 158 nM to 10 μM for fumaric acid, 34 nM to 10 μM for malic acid, 33 nM to 10 μM for malonic acid, 53 nM to 10 μM for oxalic acid, 48 nM to 10 μM for succinic acid, and 6 nM to 10 μM for aconitic acid. Quantification of the analytes in soil-related samples was performed via external calibration of the entire procedure utilizing ¹³C-labeled oxalic and citric acid as internal standards. The robustness of the method was tested with soil extracts and samples from hydroponic experiments. The latter concerned the regulation of phosphorus solubilization via plant root exudation of citric, malic, and oxalic acid.     

An optical redox chemical sensor for determination of iodide

A novel optical sensor based on a redox reaction for the determination of iodide has been developed. The optode membrane is constructed by immobilization of methyltrioctylammonium chloride on triacetylcellulose polymer. The exchange of chloride as counter ion with iodate in the membrane changes the color to yellow, when it is placed in acidic solution of iodide. The sensor can readily be regenerated by 0.1 mol L⁻¹ NaOH in less than 15 s. The optode has a linear range of 3.94 × 10⁻⁶ to 5.51 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ of iodide ions with a limit of detection 7.44 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation for eight replicate measurements of 3.94 × 10⁻⁶ and 1.57 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ of iodide was 2.83 and 1.38%, respectively. The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of iodide in tablet, powdered milk and urine samples.     

An effective cross-linking of polymer layer on monodisperse, poly(maleic anhydride-styrene)-modified colloidal silica particles and properties of the composite

Summary  The cross-linkings of the surface polymer layer on mono disperse, poly(maleic anhydride-styrene)-modified silica particles by the reaction with diisocyanate were studied. The extent of cross-linking was estimated by the weight decrease by immersing the particles in the buffer solution of pH 2.0, 4.0 and 9.0 at a room temperature for 24 h. The reaction of the polymer-modified silica with 1,6-diisocyanatohexane afforded relatively stable composite particles which lost less than 5 wt% of the polymer in aqueous solution in the pH range 2.0–9.0. The diisocyanate was a preferable cross-linker to 2,4-diisocyanatotoluene in terms of stability in acidic or basic aqueous solution. The flexibility of the cross-linker molecule possibly plays an important role in the cross-linking reaction. The carboxyl and amino groups were formed by treating the cross-linked composite particles with diluted HCl solution; 5–6 and 0.5–1.1 μmol g^-1, respectively. The cross-linked composite particles exhibited the characteristic property of ζ-potential, −44 to −47 mV and −102 to −107 mV in a neutral aqueous solution and ethanol, respectively. Received: 26 May 1997 Accepted: 4 August 1997     

Determination of mercury in airborne particulate matter collected on glass fiber filters using high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and direct solid sampling

A study has been undertaken to assess the capability of high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of mercury in airborne particulate matter (APM) collected on glass fiber filters using direct solid sampling. The main Hg absorption line at 253.652 nm was used for all determinations. The certified reference material NIST SRM 1648 (Urban Particulate Matter) was used to check the accuracy of the method, and good agreement was obtained between published and determined values. The characteristic mass was 22 pg Hg. The limit of detection (3σ), based on ten atomizations of an unexposed filter, was 40 ng g^− 1, corresponding to 0.12 ng m^− 3 in the air for a typical air volume of 1440 m³ collected within 24 h. The limit of quantification was 150 ng g⁻¹, equivalent to 0.41 ng m⁻³ in the air. The repeatability of measurements was better than 17% RSD (n = 5). Mercury concentrations found in filter samples loaded with APM collected in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were between < 40 ng g⁻¹ and 381 ± 24 ng g⁻¹. These values correspond to a mercury concentration in the air between < 0.12 ng m⁻³ and 1.47 ± 0.09 ng m⁻³. The proposed procedure was found to be simple, fast and reliable, and suitable as a screening procedure for the determination of mercury in APM samples.     

Theoretical studies on the structures and vibrational spectra of Ni, Pd, and Pt phthalocyanines

Electronic structure calculations and spectroscopic assignments for metallophthalocyanines NiPc, PdPc and PtPc are performed on optimized geometries at B3LYP/LANL2DZ level. The order of the sizes of the central hole is computed to be PdPc > PtPc > NiPc, with the hole size of PdPc close to that of PtPc. The Mulliken charges of the central M vary in the order of PtPc > NiPc > PdPc, and the HOMO-LUMO gaps are in the order of NiPc < PdPc < PtPc, in agreement with the experimental result. The simulated IR spectra for the three derivatives are compared with the experimental absorption spectra, and very good consistency has been obtained. The simulated medium intensity bands associated with the metal-ligand vibrations which appear as singlet bands at 880, 877 and 883 cm⁻¹, respectively, exhibit the order of PtPc > NiPc > PdPc, which is the same order as experiment. Furthermore, the metal-ligand vibrational bands for Raman spectra shift in the order NiPc > PtPc > PdPc. The strongest Raman lines predicted at 1562, 1532 and 1534 cm⁻¹ for NiPc, PdPc and PtPc are very sensitive to the metal ion.     

Voltammetric determination of Imatinib (Gleevec) and its main metabolite using square-wave and adsorptive stripping square-wave techniques in urine samples

The voltammetric behaviour of Imatinib (STI 571) and its main metabolite (N-demethylated piperazine derivative) were studied by square-wave techniques, resulting in to two methods for their determination in aqueous and urine samples at pH 2. The application of the square-wave (SW) without the adsorptive accumulation and voltammetric stripping (AdSV) exhibit a peak at a reduction potential of −0.70 V for an accumulation potential of −0.45 V. The sensitivity was higher for the stripping technique because a signal four times higher than that provided by the square-wave method without the previous accumulation was obtained. Due to the fact that Imatinib and its metabolite show the same voltammetric reduction process, some experiments were performed in order to compare the voltammetric response of Imatinib and its main metabolite in a similar ratio than that of the therapeutic concentration. The calibration curve for Imatinib in urine was linear in the range from 1.9 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.9 × 10⁻⁶ M in stripping mode with an accumulation time (t_acc) of 10 s. The relative standard deviations obtained for concentration levels of Imatinib as low as 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ M for square-wave was 2.17% (n = 9) and for stripping square-wave was 2.65% (n = 9) in the same day. The limits of detection for square-wave and stripping square-wave were 5.55 × 10⁻⁹ and 5.19 × 10⁻⁹ M, respectively. Thus, the presented method are straightforward, rapid and sensitive and has been applied to the determination of Imatinib and its main metabolite altogether in urine samples from real patients.     

RF-aerogels catalysed by ammonium carbonate

The application of ammonium carbonate (AC) as catalyst for the preparation of RF-aerogels leads to organic aerogels without metallic impurities in contrast to conventional catalysts like sodium carbonate. To synthesize the AC catalyzed RF aerogels we varied the catalyst and formaldehyde concentration in wide ranges. The nanostructure varies accordingly over an order of magnitude. The particle sizes in the dry aerogel network, determined by scanning electron microscopy, are in the range of 0.15–4 μm. The aerogel densities are in the range of 370–420 kg m⁻³. The specific surface measured by nitrogen adsorption (BET) varies from 0.5 to 13 m² g⁻¹ which equals a specific surface area from 0.7 to 20 μm⁻¹. Thermogravimetry is employed to study the drying process, annealing reactions and decomposition of the aerogel into a carbon aerogel.     

Characterization of atmospheric aerosols using Synchroton radiation total reflection X-ray fluorescence and Fe K-edge total reflection X-ray fluorescence-X-ray absorption near-edge structure

In this study a new procedure using Synchrotron total reflection X-ray fluorescence (SR-TXRF) to characterize elemental amounts in atmospheric aerosols down to particle sizes of 0.015 um is presented. The procedure was thoroughly evaluated regarding bounce off effects and blank values. Additionally the potential of total reflection X-ray fluorescence–X-ray absorption near edge structure (SR-TXRF-XANES) for speciation of FeII/III down to amounts of 34 pg in aerosols which were collected for 1 h is shown. The aerosols were collected in the city of Hamburg with a low pressure Berner impactor on Si carriers covered with silicone over time periods of 60 and 20 min each. The particles were collected in four and ten size fractions of 10.0–8.0 μm, 8.0–2.0 μm, 2.0–0.13 μm 0.13–0.015 μm (aerodynamic particle size) and 15–30 nm, 30–60 nm, 60–130 nm, 130–250 nm, 250–500 nm, 0.5–1 μm, 1–2 μm, 2–4 μm, 4–8 μm, 8–16 μm. Prior to the sampling “bounce off” effects on Silicone and Vaseline coated Si carriers were studied with total reflection X-ray fluorescence. According to the results silicone coated carriers were chosen for the analysis. Additionally, blank levels originating from the sampling device and the calibration procedure were studied. Blank levels of Fe corresponded to 1–10% of Fe in the aerosol samples. Blank levels stemming from the internal standard were found to be negligible.     

Low‐level Laser (Light) Therapy Increases Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and ATP Synthesis in C2C12 Myotubes with a Peak Response at 3–6 h

Low‐level laser (light) therapy has been used before exercise to increase muscle performance in both experimental animals and in humans. However, uncertainty exists concerning the optimum time to apply the light before exercise. The mechanism of action is thought to be stimulation of mitochondrial respiration in muscles, and to increase adenosine triphosphate (ATP) needed to perform exercise. The goal of this study was to investigate the time course of the increases in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ATP in myotubes formed from C2C12 mouse muscle cells and exposed to light‐emitting diode therapy (LEDT). LEDT employed a cluster of LEDs with 20 red (630 ± 10 nm, 25 mW) and 20 near‐infrared (850 ± 10 nm, 50 mW) delivering 28 mW cm² for 90 s (2.5 J cm²) with analysis at 5 min, 3 h, 6 h and 24 h post‐LEDT. LEDT‐6 h had the highest MMP, followed by LEDT‐3 h, LEDT‐24 h, LEDT‐5 min and Control with significant differences. The same order (6 h > 3 h > 24 h > 5 min > Control) was found for ATP with significant differences. A good correlation was found (r = 0.89) between MMP and ATP. These data suggest an optimum time window of 3–6 h for LEDT stimulate muscle cells.     

DFT and TD-DFT studies on symmetrical squaraine dyes for nanocrystalline solar cells

Abstract  

The ground-state geometries, electronic structures, and electronic absorption spectra of symmetrical squaraine dyes SQ1–SQ4 were investigated using density functional theory and time-dependent DFT at the B3LYP level. The calculated geometries indicate that strong conjugation effects occur in the dyes. The highest occupied molecular orbital energy levels were calculated to be −4.95, −5.22, −5.09, and −5.06 eV, and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energies were −2.72, −3.05, −2.80, and −2.80 eV for SQ1–SQ4, respectively. Taking the conduction band energy of TiO₂ into account, these data reveal the sensitized mechanism: the interfacial electron transfer between the semiconductor TiO₂ electrode and the dye sensitizers SQ1–SQ4 are electron-injection processes from excited dyes to the semiconductor conduction band. The intense calculated absorption bands are assigned to π → π* transitions, which exhibit appreciable blue-shift compared with the experimental absorption maxima due to the inherent approximations in the TD-DFT.     

Synthesis and characterization of some Schiff-base-containing polyimides

The diamine, 4-aminophenyloxy-N-4-[(4-amiophenyloxy)benzylidene]aniline, was prepared via the nucleophilic substitution reaction and was polymerized with different dianhydrides either by one-step solution polymerization reaction or two-step procedure. The latter includes ring-opening polyaddition to give poly(amic acid), followed by cyclodehydration to polyimides. The inherent viscosity ranges from 0.61–0.79 dl/g. Some of the polymers were soluble in most of the organic solvents such as DMSO, DMF, DMAc, NMP, and m-cresol even at room temperature. The degradation temperature of the resultant polymers falls in the ranges from 240–500 °C in nitrogen with only 10% weight loss. Specific heat capacity at 200 °C ranges from 1.0929–2.6275 J g⁻¹ k⁻¹. The temperature at which the maximum degradation of the polymer occurs ranges from 600–630 °C. The glass transition temperature (Tg) values of the polyimides ranged from 185 to 272 °C. The activation energy and enthalpy of the polyimides ranged from 47.5–55.0 kJ/mole and 45.7–53.0 kJ/mole and the moisture absorption in the range of 0.23–0.72%.     

Development of a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the determination of ursolic acid in rat plasma and tissue: application to the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study

A fast and sensitive liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of ursolic acid (UA) in rat plasma and tissues. Glycyrrhetinic acid was used as the internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was performed on a 3.5 μm Zorbax SB-C18 column (30 mm × 2.1 mm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and aqueous 10 mM ammonium acetate using gradient elution. Quantification was performed by selected ion monitoring with (m/z)⁻ 455 for UA and (m/z)⁻ 469 for the IS. The method was validated in the concentration range of 2.5 − 1470 ng mL⁻¹ for plasma samples and 20 − 11760 ng g⁻¹ for tissue homogenates. The intra- and inter-day assay of precision in plasma and tissues ranged from 1.6% to 7.1% and 3.7% to 9.0%, respectively, and the intra- and inter-day assay accuracy was 84.2 − 106.9% and 82.1 − 108.1%, respectively. Recoveries in plasma and tissues ranged from 83.2% to 106.2%. The limits of detections were 0.5 ng mL⁻¹ or 4.0 ng g⁻¹. The recoveries for all samples were >90%, except for liver, which indicated that ursolic acid may metabolize in liver. The main pharmacokinetic parameters obtained were T _max = 0.42 ± 0.11 h, C _max = 1.10 ± 0.31 μg mL⁻¹, AUC = 1.45 ± 0.21 μg h mL⁻¹ and K _a = 5.64 ± 1.89 h⁻¹. The concentrations of UA in rat lung, spleen, liver, heart, and cerebellum were studied for the first time. This method is validated and could be applicable to the investigation of the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of UA in rats.     

Flow injection chemiluminescence determination of nitrofurazone in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids based on oxidation by singlet oxygen generated in N-bromosuccinimide-hydrogen peroxide reaction

A simple flow injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) method was proposed for the determination of nitrofurazone. Strong CL signal was generated during the reaction of nitrofurazone with H₂O₂ and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in alkaline condition. The CL signal was proportional to the nitrofurazone concentration in the range 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ g mL⁻¹. The detection limit was 2 × 10⁻⁸ g mL⁻¹ nitrofurazone and the relative standard deviation was less than 4% (6.0 × 10⁻⁶ g mL⁻¹ nitrofurazone, n = 11). The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of nitrofurazone in compound furacillin nasal drops, human plasma and urine samples. The CL reaction mechanism was also discussed briefly. Singlet oxygen generated in the reaction between H₂O₂ and NBS was suggested to be participated in the CL reaction.