Rapid screening of wines for total content of F-, Cl-, Br-, and S-organic compounds

A rapid direct method for determining the total content of heteroelement-containing organic compounds in dry white wine has been developed. The method involves the solvent extraction of these compounds, the removal of extractant outside the reactor, the oxidative conversion of the total concentrate of analytes at high temperature, and the analysis of the whole absorbate volume by ion chromatography. The detection limits for different elements ranged from 10^?6 to 10^?5 g/L for 1-mL wine samples and from 10^?7 to 10^?6 g/L for 10-mL wine samples. The possibility of identifying pesticides used in viniculture based on detecting the heteroelements present in the molecule is considered.     

Comparative analysis of volatile compounds of ‘fino’ sherry wine by rotatory and continuous liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase microextraction in conjunction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Different headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) methods have been selected and applied to the analysis of volatile compounds in ‘fino’ sherry wine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A method based on rotary and continuous liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) for analysis of these same compounds has been optimised. The best conditions to extract this type of compounds using SPME and LLE were determined and both methods were validated. Both methodologies show adequate detection and quantitation limits, and linear ranges for correctly analysing these compounds. The recoveries obtained were close to 100%, with good repeatability values. The analytical and procedural advantages and disadvantages of these two methods have been compared. In general, SPME presented higher sensitivities. Both analytical methods were used to analyse five samples of ‘fino’ sherry wine supplied by different producers. No significant differences were found between the techniques at a significance level of 5%. The regression coefficients (r²) for analysis using LLE and SPME exceeded 0.94 for all compounds. The LLE procedure is a method with high repeatability and has the possibility of simultaneous extraction of several samples (up to 12), however the SPME technique is a solvent-free method presenting major advantages, such as small sample volume and higher sensitivity and simplicity.     

Use of multiphoton ionization of molecules for the determination of neptunium traces in solution

The possibility of detecting trace amounts of neptunium atoms and molecular compounds by laser resonance ionization spectroscopy has been investigated in acetylene-air and acetylene-nitrous oxide flames. Experimentally evaluated atomization coefficients of neptunium in the process of thermal dissociation in flames (10^–4% for C₂H₂-air and 10^–2% for C₂H₂–N₂O) do not allow to use atomic ionization signal for determination of neptunium microamounts in solutions. High yield multiphoton ionization of NpO molecule has been realized in fuel rich C₂H₂–N₂O flame. This pehnomenon has been used for determination of trace quantities of Np in solution. The detection limit was 2·10^–9 g/ml.     

Novel naphthalene-based fluorescent chemosensors for Cu2+ and Fe3+ in aqueous media

Three novel compounds bearing 2,7-dihydroxylnaphthalene capable of detecting Cu²⁺ or Fe³⁺ have been synthesised based on photoinduced electron transfer. The ability of these compounds for complex transition metal ions has been studied, and complex stoichiometry for Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺ complex has been determined in the Tris–HCl (0.01 M DMSO/H₂O (v/v) 1:1, buffer, pH 7.4) solution system by fluorescence titration experiments. These chemosensors form a 1:1 complex with Cu²⁺ or Fe³⁺ and show a fluorescent quenching with a binding constant of (4.46 ± 0.29) × 10³ and (8.04 ± 0.26) × 10⁴, respectively.     

On‐line preconcentration strategy for the simultaneous quantification of three local anesthetics in human urine using CZE

The simultaneous determination of usually employed anesthetics (procaine, lidocaine, and bupivacaine) has been developed and validated using CE with ultraviolet detection at 212 nm. The separation of these three drugs has been achieved in less than 7 min, using a temperature of 25ºC and 25 kV, with a 150 mM citrate buffer (pH 2.5) as BGE. Field‐amplified sample injection (FASI) has been used for on‐line sample preconcentration. Ultrapure water and ACN 50/50 (v/v) mixture gave the greatest enhancement factor when it was employed as an injection solvent. Injection voltage and time were optimized, being 13 kV and 13 s, the optimum values, respectively. To avoid the possible irreproducibility associated with the electrokinetic injection, an internal standard such as tetracaine, was employed. The instrumental detection limits (LOD S/N = 3) for the compounds ranged between 2.6 and 7.0 μg L⁻¹ and the quantitation limits (LOQ S/N = 10) between 37.8 and 55.9 μg L⁻¹. The detection limits obtained in real human urine samples ranged between 55.2 and 83.6 μg L⁻¹ and the quantitation limits between 196.0 and 276.0 μg L⁻¹. The proposed method has demonstrated its applicability to the analysis of these local anesthetics in urine samples without any pretreatment, allowing the rapid determination of these target analytes.     

A Combined Approach Employing Soxhlet Extraction and Linear Gradient Elution Reversed-Phase HPLC for the Fingerprinting of Soil Organic Matter According to Hydrophobicity

This paper reports the results of a study carried out to evaluate the potentiality of combining selective solvent extraction and linear gradient elution reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) for characterizing soil organic matter on the basis of polarity of its constituting organic compounds. Such approach comprises the sequential extraction of soil organic matter with organic solvents of increasing polarity in a Soxhlet extractor and the subsequent separation of each extract by RP-HPLC. Accordingly, each soil sample has been subjected to cycles of sequential extraction with n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. Each sample extracted by one of the four solvents have been dried in a rotary evaporator device at 40°C and then dissolved again in the proper volume of extraction solvent to obtaining sample solutions of concentration ranging from 5.0 to 15 mg ml⁻¹. These sample solutions have been subjected to RP-HPLC separation using a Supelcosil LC-ABZ column that has been eluted by a linear acetonitrile gradient in water, having the same profile for all samples. The study has evidenced the possibility of producing highly repeatable chromatographic profiles, which are correlated to the polarity of organic solvents employed for extracting the organic matter in the Soxhlet extractor.

     

Direct insertion membrane probe for selective introduction of organic compounds into a mass spectrometer

A direct insertion membrane probe for the direct determination of organic compounds in aqueous samples has been designed and built. This device allows the transportation of analyte solution over a sheet membrane via which pervaporation transports compounds directly into the heated ion source of a mass spectrometer. This configuration, together with the possibility of temperature control at the solution/membrane interface, decreases response times (typically <10 s) and memory effects and gives very good sensitivity and low detection limits (down to 10 μg l^?1). Optimization of different parameters which affect the performance of the device is reported. High probe temperatures and high flow-rates are generally preferred, giving increased sensitivity. A knowledge of the sample matrix is essential in precise quantitative analysis, because matrix components can change permeation rates and ionization efficiencies. The usefulness of the device in bioreactor monitoring and in environmental analysis is demonstrated.     

Square wave adsorptive stripping voltametric determination of the mixture of nalidixic acid and its main metabolite (7-hydroxymethylnalidixic acid) by multivariate methods and artificial neural network

Nalidixic acid (NA) and its main metabolite, 7-hydroximethylnalidixic acid (OHNA), are quinolones antibacterial used as agents used for the treatment of urinary tract infection. For both compounds an adsorption process on a hanging mercury electrode (HMDE). On this basis, a square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SWadSV) method has been developed for the individual and simultaneous determination of NA and OHNA. The variables that affect to accumulation process, such as concentration of perchloric acid, accumulation potential and accumulation time have been optimised by using an experimental design (concretely a Box-Behnken design with three levels) together with the response surface methodology (RSM). Calibration curves were linear in the range (0-1.38) × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ for NA and (0-3.23) × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ for OHNA, in the optimized conditions, with detection limits of 9.48 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ and 8.06 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ for NA and OHNA, respectively. The method was applied to urine samples containing only one of the analytes with satisfactory recoveries. As the voltammetric signals of these compounds show a high overlapping, different chemometric methods, such as classical least squares (CLS), partial least squares (PLS), principal component regression (PCR) and artificial neural network (ANN) have been used for the resolution of the mixture. The analysis of these compounds in urine samples were carried out using the different chemometric tools and the best recoveries were obtained by using ANN. No pre-treatment of the sample was necessary.     

Combined liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry: An application of 252Cf fission fragment induced desorption mass spectrometry

A ²⁵²Cf fission fragment induced desorption mass spectrometer has been coupled on-line to a high-performance liquid chromatograph. The polar effluent (MeOH? H₂O) is introduced directly into a rough vacuum stage, where a thin sample of non-volatile compounds is collected in a vacuum-drying process (<1 cm³ min^?1). The interface which spans the difference in operating pressure between the collection site and the ion source consists basically of a sample changing disk. Twelve discrete samples are collected consecutively and analysed, typically one per minute. The system has been tested for the quantitative analysis of some antitumor drugs in serum using homologous compounds as internal standards.     

Anion Selectivity of Tetravalent Tin Compounds in Membranes Studied by 119Sn-, 13C- and 1H-NMR

The fundamental molecular aspects of trialkyltin compounds of the type R₃SnY have been investigated in view of their applicability as ion-selective components in solvent polymeric membranes. The interaction between these compounds and anions has been studied using ¹¹⁹Sn- and ¹³C-NMR. Neutral tetracoordinated trialkyltin compounds form a negatively charged pentacoordinated complex upon interaction with Cl-ions in homogeneous organic phases as well as in membranes in contact with aqueous solutions. Although in a homogeneous phase, the electronegative substituent Y determines the complex-formation constant, it has no influence on the potentiometric anion selectivity in liquid membranes containing trialkyltin carriers R₃SnY with different Y. The observed selectivity pattern is not given by the magnitude of the stability constants in a homogeneous phase but is dictated by the prevailing association-dissociation process leading to tetracoordinated compounds which change in constitution due to varying sample composition, The results obtained from equilibrium studies of tetravalent mono tin compounds with anions in both homogeneous phase and in two-phase systems confirm the earlier hypothesis that trialkyltin compounds incorporated in solvent polymeric membranes act as electrically neutral carriers for anions.     

An automatic sampling device for capillary zone electrophoresis

An automatic sampling device has been developed for capillary zone electrophoresis. The sample is introduced to the column electrokinetically by rapidly exchanging buffer for sample in a narrow channel drilled in a plexiglass block. The autosampler is capable, under computer control, of performing multiple sample injections from a large volume sample source (such as a reaction vessel) as the sample concentration changes, and thus presents the possibility of analyzing time-varying processes by CZE. Peak area reproducibility in electropherograms obtained after use of the sampler is less than 1% and efficiency is more than 2.2 × 10⁵ theoretical plates.     

Determination of Nifedipine by Differential Pulse Adsorptive Stripping Polarography

The optimum conditions for sample preparation and electrolysis in detecting the electrochemical peak of nifedipine reduction were found. A procedure for determining 10^–9 to 5 × 10^–7 M of this preparation by differential pulse stripping polarography at a stationary mercury electrode using accumulation for 5 min was proposed.     

Separation of elements by means of fractional sublimation of their \-diketonates in the vapours of \-diketones

A possibility to use exchange reaction of metal \-diketonates and the vapours of \-diketones for the separation of volatile \-diketonate complexes by the method of fractional sublimation has been studied. When a mixture of thenoyltrifluoroacetonates of⁹⁵Zr–⁹⁵Nb and Th–²³³Pa is treated with a carrier gas containing hexafluoroacetylacetone vapours, zirconium and thorium, unlike niobium and protactinium, form volatile hexafluoroacetyl-acetonates which sublimate quite completely at 115°C. Niobium and protactinium remain in the initial sample in the form of nonvolatile compounds.     

The electrocatalytic examination of cephalosporins at carbon paste electrode modified with CoSalophen

The electrocatalytic oxidation of cephalexin and cefazolin has been studied at a carbon paste electrode modified with cobalt salophen (CoSal) by cyclic voltammetry. The selectivity of the carbon paste modified with CoSal in detecting cephalexin and cefazolin was examined. To suggest the electrocatalytic mechanism for electro-oxidation of cefazolin, the electrochemical behavior of ceftriaxone was investigated which has a thiol group out of the beta lactam ring. The electrocatalytic oxidation of these antibiotics is shown to be irreversible at the CoSal modified electrode. Scan rate dependence of cefazolin, which is a sulfur-containing compound, has been examined. The results indicated that the electrocatalytic oxidation of the compounds is diffusion controlled. The responses of the modified electrode were compared with those of unmodified electrode and it has shown that the modified electrode has better sensitivity than unmodified electrode to the detection of cefazolin. The overall number of electrons contributed to the oxidation of cefazolin is obtained 1 by chronoamperometry; the number of electron involved in the rate-determining step was 1. The results of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using the modified electrode with high sensitivity were applied for the determination of cefazolin in human synthetic serum samples. The linear range was obtained from 1 × 10⁻⁵ to 1 × 10⁻³ M for DPV determination of cefazolin in buffered solutions (pH 3.0).     

A novel electrochemical method for the determination of trinitrophenol

In pH 5.5, 0.1 mol l⁻¹ HAc-NaAc buffer solution, trinitrophenol has been determined quantitatively with differential pulse voltammetry by detecting its reduction peak currents at the glassy carbon electrode. The detection sensitivity was enhanced significantly by the addition of the surfactant of cetyl pyridinium chloride, and the enhancement mechanism was also studied in detail. The linear calibration range was 8.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹, and the detection limit was established to be 1.9 × 10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹. This method has been applied to the determination of trinitrophenol in water sample, and the recovery was from 97.6 to 103.5%.     

Voltammetric determination of traces of silver in some metals after dissolution of the sample in mercury

The general possibility of analysing metals and alloys by dissolution of the sample in mercury and recording the anodic voltammogram is examined for the determination of silver in some metals. In order to obtain good separation of the silver peak from the anodic limit, acetonitrile is used in the supporting electrolyte. If the main component of the sample is more noble than mercury, analysis is simple and takes ? 20 min. Significant amounts of base metals in samples must be removed from the amalgam prior to the anodic stripping; optimum conditions for the removal are given. The detection limits found for the determination of silver in gold and lead and in indium amalgam are 4 × 10^?3, 4 × 10^?4 and 4 × 10^?6 % respectively. Dissolution of the lead button in mercury seems to be a successful alternative to the cupellation procedure. Silver in mercury does not form intermetallic compounds with gold.     

13C NMR spectra and structure of some coumarin derivatives

The results are given of a study of the¹³C NMR spectra of (?)-3(R)-decursinol, obtusifol, bergapten, isoimperatorin, and oxypeucedanin and its hydrate. The possibility has been shown of using the principle of additive contributions in the assignment of the signals of the carbon atoms in the compounds under investigation.     

Attempts for molecular depth profiling directly on a rat brain tissue section using fullerene and bismuth cluster ion beams

The capabilities of time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) have been recently greatly improved with the arrival in this field of polyatomic ion sources. This technique is now able to map at the micron scale intact organic molecules in a range of a thousand Daltons or more, at the surface of tissue samples. Nevertheless, this remains a surface analysis technique, and three-dimensional information on the molecular composition of the sample could not be obtained due to the damage undergone by the organic molecules during their irradiation. The situation changed slightly with the low damage and low penetration depth of the C₆₀ fullerene ion beams. Recent promising studies have shown the possibility of organic molecular depth profiling using this kind of beams onto model samples. This possibility has been tried out directly onto a rat brain tissue section, which is the most commonly used biological tissue model in TOF-SIMS imaging method developments. The tissue surface has been sputtered with a 10 keV energy fullerene ion beam, and surface analyses were done with a 25 keV Bi₃⁺ ion beam at regular time intervals. The total depth which was analysed was more than two microns, with total primary ion doses of more than 10¹⁶ ions cm⁻². Although not in contradiction with results previously published but with much lower doses, it is found that the molecular damage remains too large, thus making molecular imaging very difficult. In addition, most of the lipids, which are usually the main observable molecules in TOF-SIMS, are concentrated close to the sample surface in the first hundreds of nanometers.     

Observation of untoward 3Jcc correlations in 1,1‐ADEQUATE spectra of pyrimidine analogs: Avoiding potential interpretation pitfalls

Recently, it has been reported that large ⁿJ_CC correlations can sometimes be observed in 1,1‐ADEQUATE spectra with significant intensity, which opens the possibility of structural misassignment. In this work, we have focused on pyrimidine‐based compounds, which exhibit multiple bond correlations in the 1,1‐ADEQUATE experiment as a consequence of ³J_CC coupling constants greater than 10 Hz. Results are supported by both the experimental measurement of ³J_CC coupling constants in question using J‐modulated‐ADEQUATE and density functional theory calculations.     

QuEChERS method combined to liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry for the accurate and sensitive simultaneous determination of pyrrolizidine and tropane alkaloids in cereals and spices

Within the last decades, in the EU, there has been an increasing interest in toxic plant alkaloids as food contaminants, especially after the continuous and growing consumption of plant-based foods compared with food of animal origin. In this regard, the once neglected presence of these tropane alkaloids (TAs) and pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) has recently been reconsidered by the European Food Safety Authority, highlighting the lack of data and the need to develop risk assessment strategies. For this reason, the emphasis has been placed on detecting their occurrence in food through the development of accurate and sensitive analytical methods to achieve the determination of these compounds. The present study aims to elaborate and validate an analytical method based on QuEChERS sample preparation approach, exploiting the UHPLC coupled to the HRMS to simultaneously identify and quantify 21 PAs and two TAs in cereals and spices. For TAs, the obtained limit of detection (LOD) is 0.1 μg·kg⁻¹ and the limit of quantification (LOQ) is 0.4 μg·kg⁻¹, while for PAs, the LODs values ranging between 0.2 to 0.3 μg·kg⁻¹ and the LOQ, between 0.4 and 0.8 μg·kg⁻¹, ensuring compliance with the recently established European Regulations. Several commercial samples were analysed to further verify the applicability of this comprehensive analytical approach.