Chemical, electrochemical, and structural stability of low-density self-assembled monolayers

The stability of low-density self-assembled monolayers of mercaptohexadecanoic acid on gold is studied under a variety of storage conditions--air at room temperature, argon at room temperature and 4 degrees C, and ethanol at room temperature. The structural monotony of the low-density monolayers was assessed by monitoring the alkyl chains of LDSAMs by grazing-angle Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a function of time. Independently of the storage conditions, both symmetric and asymmetric methylene stretches at 2923 and 2852 cm-1 decreased after 4 weeks to 2919 and 2849 cm-1, respectively. These data suggest an increased ordering of the alkyl chains that is distinctly different from that of conventional high-density monolayers of mercaptohexadecanoic acid included as a reference in this study. As a further extension of this observation, the electrochemical barrier properties of the low-density monolayers were assessed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and did not change significantly for any of the storage conditions over a period of 4 weeks. Moreover, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to assess the chemical changes in the low-density monolayers over time. The chemical composition was essentially unaltered for all storage conditions. Specifically, oxidation of the sulfur headgroup, a common cause of monolayer degradation, was excluded for all test conditions on the basis of XPS analysis. This study confirms excellent storage stability for low-density monolayers under commonly used storage conditions and bridges an important technological gap between these systems and conventional high-density systems.     

Preconcentration and x-ray spectrometric determination of arsenic(III/V) and chromium(III/VI) in water

The speciation of chromium and arsenic in their two common oxidation states is determined by the use of selective preconcentration and energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry. Chromium(VI) and arsenic(III) are recovered by precipitation with dibenzyldithiocarbamate and filtration. Chromium(III) and arsenic(V) are determined in the filtrate by coprecipitation with hydrated iron(III) oxide. The chromium and arsenic content of each precipitate is determined by use of x-ray spectrometry.     

Radiochemical determination of traces of arsenic(III) and antimony(III)

Very simple and rapid radiochemical procedures for the determination of traces of arsenic(III) (up to 0.1 μg) and antimony(III) (up to 0.01 μg) have been developed. The method is based on the isotope exchange between labelled metal diethyldithiocarbamate in carbon tetrachloride and an aqueous sample containing the metal to be determined. The selectivity of the method is rather high; in the presence of thiourea most common metals do not interfere with the determination.     

Differential pulse voltammetric determination of arsenic(III,V) and antimony (III,V) in glasses

Summary Analytical methods based on differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) have been described for the determination of total As, As(III), As(V), total Sb and Sb(III) as trace to minor constituents in complex glasses. For total As, the sample is decomposed with HF-H₂SO₄-KMnO₄. The As(V) is chemically reduced to As (III) by hypophosphite and a DPV scan is carried out at the dropping mercury electrode from –0.2 to –0.7 Vvs. SCE (E _p –0.41V). As(V) is determined by decomposing the sample in HF-H₂SO₄ and volatilizing the As(III) as AsF₃. The chemical reduction of As(V) and the DPV scan are then applied. If the glass can be decomposed with cold HF, the As(III) present in the glass can be determined by applying the DPV scan after cold sample-dissolution. For Sb(III), the sample is decomposed with HF-H₂SO₄, diluted, and adjusted to 1M in HCl. A DPV scan is conducted from –0.03 to –0.5 V (E _p –0.15 V). Sb(V) is not reduced in the 1M HCl supporting electrolyte. Total Sb is determined by using an aliquot of the sample solution adjusted to 6M in HCl. The DPV sweep is carried out from –0.5 to –0.1 V [E _p for Sb(V) and Sb(III) is –0.30 V]. The methods have been applied to a wide range of glass compositions and the results compared with values obtained by spectrophotometry and coulometric titration.

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Bestimmung von Arsen(III, V) und Antimon(III, V) in Gläsern mit Hilfe der Differential-Puls-Voltammetrie

Zusammenfassung Analytische Methoden auf der Grundlage der Differential-Puls-Voltammetrie (DPV) für die Bestimmung des gesamten Arsens, As(III), As(V), des gesamten Antimons und Sb(III) als Spuren in komplexen Gläsern wurden beschrieben. Zwecks Bestimmung des Gesamt-As wird die Probe mit Flußsäure +Schwefelsäure + Permanganat aufgeschlossen. As(V) wird mit Hypophosphit reduziert und die DPV wird an einer Quecksilber-Tropfelektrode zwischen –0,2 und –0,7V gegen eine ges. Kalomelelektrode (E _p =–0,41V) durchgeführt. Zur Bestimmung von As(V) wird die Probe mit HF-H₂SO₄ unter Verflüchtigung des As(III) als AsF₃ aufgeschlossen. Dann erfolgt die Reduktion des As(V) und die DPV. Wenn sich das Glas mit kalter HF lösen läßt, wird anwesendes As(III) mittels DPV in dieser Lösung bestimmt. Zur Bestimmung des Sb(III) wird die Probe mit HF-H₂SO₄ zersetzt, verdünnt und bis zur 1-Molarität mit HCl versetzt. Dann wird mit DPV zwischen –0,03 und –0,5V gemessen (E _p =–0,15V). Sb(V) wird in 1M salzsaurer Lösung nicht reduziert. Das Gesamt-Sb wird in einem Aliquot der Probelösung bestimmt, das dazu mit HCl bis zur 6fachen Molarität versetzt wird. Der DPV-Bereich wird von –0,5 bis –0,1 V ausgenützt (E _p f:ur Sb(V) und Sb(III) ist –0,30 V). Das Verfahren wurde für Gläser verschiedenster Zusammensetzung angewendet. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit den Resultaten der Spektrophotometrie und der coulometrischen Titration verglichen.

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Presented at the 8th International Microchemical Symposium, Graz, August 25–30, 1980.     

A rapid and sensitive electrochemical sensor for hydroxyl free radicals based on self-assembled monolayers of carboxyl functionalized graphene

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this work, carboxyl-functionalized graphene (CFG) was immobilized on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) based on covalent...     

Calibrationless flow-through stripping coulometric determination of arsenic (III) and total arsenic in contaminated water samples after microwave assisted reduction of arsenic(V)

A simple and rapid procedure for the calibrationless determination of trace concentrations of As(III) and total As in contaminated water samples is presented. Arsenic is preconcentrated as As(III) in a flow-through cell with a gold plated porous electrode and is then stripped anodically by a constant current. The stripping chronopotentiogram is registered and evaluated. The As concentration is calculated directly from the combined Faraday's laws. The total As content was determined after converting all As species to As(III) by microwave-assisted reduction with hydrazine hydrochloride in a closed vessel. The detection limit was found to be 0.15 microg/L and the linear response range was 0.5 to 10,000 microg/L. Tap water, surface water, and waste water samples were analyzed.     

Calibrationless flow-through stripping coulometric determination of arsenic(III) and total arsenic in contaminated water samples after microwave assisted reduction of arsenic(V)

A simple and rapid procedure for the calibrationless determination of trace concentrations of As(III) and total As in contaminated water samples is presented. Arsenic is preconcentrated as As(III) in a flow-through cell with a gold plated porous electrode and is then stripped anodically by a constant current. The stripping chronopotentiogram is registered and evaluated. The As concentration is calculated directly from the combined Faraday’s laws. The total As content was determined after converting all As species to As(III) by microwave-assisted reduction with hydrazine hydrochloride in a closed vessel. The detection limit was found to be 0.15 μg/L and the linear response range was 0.5 to 10 000 μg/L. Tap water, surface water, and waste water samples were analyzed. Received: 14 July 1999 / Revised: 21 September 1999 / Accepted: 24 September 1999     

Differential determination of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V), and antimony(III) and antimony(V) by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrophotometry,and its application to the determination of these species in sea water

A method is described for the differential determination of As(III) and As(V). and Sb(III) and Sb(V) by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrophotometry with hydrogen-nitrogen flame using sodium borohydride solution as a reductant. For the determination of As(III) and Sb(III), most of the elements, other than Ag⁺, Cu²⁺, Sn²⁺, Se⁴⁺ and Te⁴⁺, do not interfere in an at least 30,000 fold excess with respect to As(III) or Sb(III). This method was applied to the determination of these species in sea water and it was found that a sample size of only 100 ml is enough to determine them with a precision of 1.5–2.5%. Analytical results for surface sea water of Hiroshima Bay were 0.72 μgl^?1, 0.27 μgl^?1 and 0.22 μgl^?1 for As(total), As(III) and Sb(total), respectively, but Sb(III) was not detected in the present sample. The effect of acidification on storage was also examined.     

Mesoporous silica-based electrochemical sensor for sensitive determination of environmental hormone bisphenol A

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an emerging contaminant with severe toxic effects such as disrupting endocrine system or causing cancer, therefore, developing sensitive and selective sensor for BPA is very important and interesting. Herein, MCM-41, a kind of mesoporous silica, was synthesized and then used to prepare an electrochemical sensor for BPA. For better comparison, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon, silica gel and graphite were also employed to prepare electrochemical sensor for BPA. The electrochemical behaviors of BPA at different electrochemical sensors were investigated. Compared with other sensors, the MCM-41 sensor greatly enhances the response signal of BPA due to the large active surface area and high accumulation efficiency. The effects of pH value, accumulation time and sensor composition were examined. The linear range is from 2.2 × 10⁻⁷ to 8.8 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, and the limit of detection is evaluated to be 3.8 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. Finally, the MCM-41 sensor was successfully employed to determine BPA in water samples.     

A highly sensitive assay for spectrofluorimetric determination of reduced glutathione using organic nano-probes

In this study, the new nanometer-sized fluorescent particles (1-pyrenemethylamine nanoparticles) have been prepared by reprecipitation method under ultrasonic radiation. These nanoparticles have the potential to overcome problems encountered by organic small molecules by combining the advantages of high photobleaching threshold, high quantum yield, long fluorescence lifetime, good chemical stability, and wide excitation spectral properties. These nanoparticles will be able to be directly used as fluorescent nanoparticles probe without modification. A new fluorimetric method for the determination of reduced glutathione (GSH) has been developed with these nanoparticles. Under optimal conditions, the organic nanoparticles reacted with GSH and o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) to give a highly fluorescent derivative in Na2CO3-HCl buffer (pH=9.0). The fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths of fluorescent derivative were located at 345 and 400 nm, respectively. The relative fluorescence intensity (RF) was linear in the range of the GSH concentration from 8.0x10(-7) to 1.1x10(-4)moll(-1). Limit of detection of 7.1x10(-8)moll(-1) was achieved for the reduced glutathione. The method was validated and applied to the analysis of three synthetic samples containing reduced glutathione.     

Fluorescent nanoparticle adhesion assay: a novel method for surface pKa determination of self-assembled monolayers on silicon surfaces

Since the computer industry enables us to generate smaller and smaller structures, silicon surface chemistry is becoming increasingly important for (bio-)analytical and biological applications. For controlling the binding of charged biomacromolecules such as DNA and proteins on modified silicon surfaces, the surface pK(a) is an important factor. Here we present a fluorescent nanoparticle adhesion assay as a novel method to determine the surface pK(a) of silicon surfaces modified with weak acids or bases. This method is based upon electrostatic interactions between the modified silicon surface and fluorescent nanoparticles with an opposite charge. Silicon slides were modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and were further derivatized with succinic anhydride. Layer thickness of these surfaces was determined by ellipsometry. After incubating the surfaces with an amine-reactive fluorescent dye, fluorescence microscopy revealed that the silicon surfaces were successfully modified with amine- and carboxyl-groups. Two surface pK(a) values were found for APTES surfaces by the fluorescent nanoparticle adhesion assay. The first surface pK(a) (6.55 ± 0.73) was comparable with the surface pK(a) obtained by contact angle titration (7.3 ± 0.8), and the second surface pK(a) (9.94 ± 0.19) was only found by using the fluorescent nanoparticle adhesion assay. The surface pK(a) of the carboxyl-modified surface by the fluorescent nanoparticle adhesion assay (4.37 ± 0.59) did not significantly differ from that found by contact angle titration (5.7 ± 1.4). In conclusion, we have developed a novel method to determine the surface pK(a) of modified silicon surfaces: the fluorescent nanoparticle adhesion assay. This method may provide a useful tool for designing pH-dependent electrostatic protein and particle binding/release and to design surfaces with a pH-dependent surface charge for (bio-)analytical lab-on-a-chip devices or drug delivery purposes.     

Catalysis of the arsenic(III)-potassium bromate reaction-I: titrimetric determination of arsenic(III) in the presence of osmium tetroxide

The range of acid concentration available for the titration of arsenic(III) with bromate is considerably extended by the use of osmium tetroxide as catalyst in preference to the use of hydrochloric acid or hydrochloric acid-potassium bromide media. The acid concentration range over which reaction is stoichiometric has been established by potentiometric titration.     

Newly selective electrochemical sensors for trace-level determination of Al(III) ions in drainage water,spiked tap water and pharmaceutical preparation samples

In this work, two newly sensitive and selective Al(III)-modified carbon paste electrodes (MCPEs) were developed based on diphenylcarbazone (DPC) modifier mixed with tricresyl phosphate plasticizer and either graphite powder (electrode I) or graphite powder mixed with graphene (electrode II). The potentiometric performance characteristics of the two electrodes were scrutinized and discussed. The proposed sensors showed a high electrochemical response in the linear concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ with a good Nernstian slopes of 20.12 ± 0.30 mV decade⁻¹ and 20.63 ± 0.66 mV decade⁻¹ and limits of detection of 9.0 × 10⁻⁷ and 8.5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ for electrode (I) and electrode (II), respectively. Both electrodes showed a fast response time and reasonable thermal stability. The potentiometric response of the DPC-based electrodes was independent on the pH of the tested solutions in ranges of 2.5–5 and 2.5–5.5 for electrode (I) and electrode (II), respectively. The two electrodes can be also used in partially non-aqueous medium containing up to 20% (v/v) acetone or methanol with no significant changes in the working concentration ranges or the slopes. The proposed electrodes showed fairly good discriminating ability toward Al(III) ions in comparison with many other metal ions. The electrodes were applied successfully for Al(III) ions determination in drainage water, spiked tap water and pharmaceutical preparation samples. Furthermore, the electrode surfaces were characterized using energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) as surface characterization techniques and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) technique to confirm the interaction between Al(III) and DPC.

     

Molecular dynamic simulations of self-assembled alkylthiolate monolayers on an Au(III) surface

Molecular dynamics simulations incorporating explicit gold atoms in the simulations have been carried out for alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers chemisorbed on the Au(III) surface. The structural properties of the monolayer are evaluated for two force fields: one in which the Au--S--C bond is fixed (FF I), and the other in which it is flexible (FF II). The influence of these force fields on the structural properties of HS(CH2)14CH3 on the structured Au surface is compared at different temperatures. FF I yields greater tilt angles and a smaller film thickness when compared with FF II. Both of the force fields predict that the tilt angles do not follow a monotonic decrease with temperature but show minima around 200 K. Simulations carried out at different chain lengths at 300 K reveal that FF II predicts a greater film thickness than FF I; however, the difference is within 1 A.     

Selective electrochemical recognition of ions in solution and at self-assembled monolayers

Quinone-functionalized calix[4]arenes having carboxylic acid groups or thiol groups were prepared and their spontaneous adsorption on silver and gold surfaces, respectively, was studied. Since the cavity-like structure of calixarenes was immobilized on the noble metal electrodes, they exhibited a selective affinity towards specific hard metal ions in aqueous media. Voltammetric and spectroscopic studies showed the well-ordered deposition of organic receptors and entrapment of metal ions. It also was found that the repeated capture and removal of metal ions reversibly with chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was possible. This is the first example, to our knowledge, of voltammetric detection of hard metal ions in aqueous media using a chemically modified electrode with redox-active macrocyclic receptors.     

Optimization of a GFAAS method for determination of total inorganic arsenic in drinking water

The new 10 μg l⁻¹ arsenic standard in drinking water has been a spur to the search for reliable routine analytical methods with a limit of detection at the μg l⁻¹ level. These methods also need to be easy to handle due to the routine analyses that are required in drinking water monitoring. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) meets these requirements, but the limit of detection is generally too high except for methods using a pre-concentration or separation step. The use of a high-intensity boosted discharge hollow-cathode lamp decreases the baseline noise level and therefore allows a lower limit of detection. The temperature program, chemical matrix modifier and thermal stabilizer additives were optimized for total inorganic arsenic determination with GFAAS, without preliminary treatment. The optimal furnace program was validated with a proprietary software. The limit of detection was 0.26 μg As l⁻¹ for a sample volume of 16 μl corresponding to 4.2 pg As. This attractive technique is rapid as 20 samples can be analysed per hour. This method was validated with arsenic reference solutions. Its applicability was verified with artificial and natural groundwaters. Recoveries from 91 to 105% with relative standard deviation <5% can be easily achieved. The effect of interfering anions and cations commonly found in groundwater was studied. Only phosphates and silicates (respectively at 4 and 20 mg l⁻¹) lead to significant interferences in the determination of total inorganic arsenic at 4 μg l⁻¹.     

Speciation of arsenic(V) and arsenic(III) by cathodic stripping voltammetry in fresh water samples

A voltammetric stripping procedure is described for the determination of arsenic(V) in a mannitol-sulphuric acid medium. The arsenic is coprecipitated with copper and selenium and reduced to arsine at the hanging mercury drop electrode. Using an accumulation time of 240 s, the detection limit is 0.52 μg L^–1, the determination limit is 0.9 μg L^–1. The method has been applied to the determination of arsenic in water samples. By varying the composition of the supporting electrolyte it is possible to differentiate between arsenic(III) and arsenic(V). As both oxidation states have different toxicological characteristics, the ability to discriminate between both is an distinct advantage of the proposed method. Received: 25 October 1996 / Revised: 7 February 1997 / Accepted: 12 February 1997     

Shape-persistent linear, kinked, and cyclic oligo(phenylene-ethynylene-butadiynylene)s: self-assembled monolayers

Shape-persistent rigid phenylene-ethynylene-butadiynylenes form lamellar self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) at the HOPG/TCB interface, which were studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) with submolecular resolution. Substitution of the terminating acetylene functions with polar cyanopropyldimethylsilyl groups leads to 2D phase separation and defined rod-rod interactions, which determine the packing distances between the rigid rods. The results stimulated the connection of rigid rods via septiarylene clamp units. They covalently link two rigid rod units and define the intramolecular rod-rod distance that matches the alkoxy substituent chain lengths. The systems can be described as half-ring structures of two rigid rods connected via a rotatable joint unit. These acetylene-terminated half-ring structures were also oligomerized under Cu and Pd catalysis to yield defined acyclic and cyclic oligomers. Detailed STM studies decoded the molecular origin of the surface patterning of such systems. The dodecyloxy side chains are adsorbed along the HOPG main axes and, together with the alkoxy backbone angle, determine the adsorption direction of the adlayers.