Optically specific detection of D- and L-lactic acids by a flow-injection dual biosensor system with on-line microdialysis sampling.

A flow-injection dual biosensor system with microdialysis sampling is proposed for the simultaneous determination of D-lactic and L-lactic acids. The dialysate from the microdialysis tube is delivered to a sample loop of the six-way autoinjector and then automatically injected into the flow-injection line with a dual enzyme electrode arranged in perpendicular to the flow direction. The dual enzyme electrode is constructed by hybridizing a poly(1,2-diaminobenzene) film into two sensing parts which respond selectively to D-lactic and L-lactic acids, respectively, without any cross-reactivity. The proposed flow-injection analysis method can be successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of D,L-lactic acids in alcoholic beverages.     

Determination of glucose in wine and fruit juice based on a fibre-optic glucose biosensor and flow-injection analysis

A flow-injection system for the determination of glucose in various samples using a glucose biosensor based on an oxygen optrode with immobilized glucose oxidase (GOD) is described. The consumption of oxygen was determined via dynamic quenching of the fluorescence of an indicator by molecular oxygen. GOD was adsorbed on a sheet of carbon black and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. Carbon black was used as an optical isolation to protect the optrode from interference from ambient light and sample fluorescence. The system is linear for 0.1–500 mM glucose, with an r.s.d. of 2% at 100 mM (5 measurements). The application of the system to glucose in wine and fruit juice is demonstrated. It was possible to analyse up to 60 samples per hour. The enzyme optrode was stable for more than 400 h in continuous use and was easily maintained.     

Determination of molybdenum in steels by flow-injection spectrophometry

A flow-injection procedure is proposed for the determination of molybdenum in steels based on the thiocyanate method. Effects of iron(III), acidity, reagent concentration and interfering species were investigated by using flow-injection systems with the merging zones approach which reduced drastically the number of standard solutions to be prepared. Full details of system design are given. The procedure can be applied to several types of steel samples of industrial relevance. After dissolution of the steels in aqua regia, molybdenum can be determined in the range 0.10–4.00% (w/w) at a rate of up to 270 samples per hour with relative standard deviations less than 2%. The results agree with those obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry with the standard addition method and by plasma atomic emission spectrometry, and with certified values of standard reference samples.     

Enzymatic flow-injection determination of urea in blood serum using potentiometric gas sensor with internal nonactin based ISE

Ion-selective electrode with cellulose triacetate membrane containing nonactin is employed for the potentiometric detection of ammonia produced in biocatalytic reaction in flow-injection system with enzyme reactor. The elimination of interferences occurring in the presence of alkali metal ions was achieved by covering a nonactin membrane with outer hydrophobic gas permeable membrane. The obtained flow-injection response to ammonia indicates a possibility of ammonia determination down to 10 microM ammonia. In the flow-injection system for urea determination 200 microl of 10-fold diluted blood serum sample was injected into carrier stream of distilled water merged with TRIS buffer, passed through the urease flow-through reactor and then after merging with NaOH stream delivered to the detector. It was found in several series of natural blood serum samples, that the correction for endogenous ammonia in such a determination is not indispensable.     

Determination of Urinary Glucose by a Flow Injection Analysis Amperometric Biosensor and Ion-Exchange Chromatography

A practical biosensor system has been developed for the determination of urinary glucose using a flow-injection analysis (FIA) amperometric detector and ion-exchange chromatography. Glucose oxidase was immobilized onto porous aminopropyl glass beads via glutaraldehyde activation to form an immobilized enzyme column. On the basis of its negative charge at pH 5.5, endogenous urate in urine samples was effectively retained by an upstream anion-exchange resin column. The biosensor system possessed a sensitivity of 160 ±2.4 RU μM^-1 (RU or relative unit is defined as 2.86 μV at the detection output) for glucose with a minimum detection level of 10 μM. When applied for the determination of urinary glucose, the result obtained compared very well with that of the widely accepted hexokinase assay. The immobilized glucose oxidase could be reused for more than 1000 repeated analyses without losing its original activity. The reuse of the acetate anion-exchange column before replacement would be about 25–30 analyses. Acetaminophen and ascorbic acid were also effectively adsorbed by the acetate anion exchanger. The introduction of this type of anion exchanger thus greatly improved the selectivity of the FIA biosensor system and fostered its applicability for the determination of glucose in urine samples.     

Fluorometric determination of urea in alcoholic beverages by using an acid urease column-FIA system

An acid urease column was applied to a fluorometric flow-injection analysis (FIA) system as a recognition element for determination of urea in rice wines.

The acid urease has specific properties of showing its catalytic activity in low pH range and tolerance to ethanol in comparison to those of a urease from jack-beans. The enzymes were covalently immobilized onto porous glass beads with controlled pore size and then, packed into a small polymer column. The flow-type of the biosensing system was assembled with a sample injection valve, the immobilized enzyme column, and a flow-through quartz cell attached to a fluorescent spectrophotometer. Citrate buffer (50 mM, pH 5.0) as the carrier solution was continuously pumped through the system. Sample solutions were introduced into the system via a rotary injection valve. A standard urea solution was measured through monitoring variations in fluorescent intensity attributable to fluorescent isoindole derivatives formed by coupling with ammonia molecules released in the enzymatic hydrolysis of urea and orthophthalaldehyde reagents. The fluorescent intensity was measured under the conditions of λ_ex = 415 nm and λ_em = 485 nm. A wide, linear relationship was obtained between the concentration of urea (1.0–100 μM) and the variation in fluorescent intensity. The monitoring did not suffer from ethanol and various amino acids contained in rice wines. Real samples pretreated with ion exchange resins for removal of endogenous ammonia were introduced into the FIA system and urea in the samples was determined. These results were compared with those obtained with use of an F-kit method. The proposed FIA system should present sensitive, selective and convenient analysis of urea in alcoholic beverages.     

Flow-injection analysis for l-glutamate using immobilized l-glutamate oxidase: comparison of an enzyme reactor and enzyme electrode

An enzyme electrode and enzyme based on immobilized l-glutamate oxidase are used for the determination of l-glutamate in a flow-injection system. The hydrogen peroxide produced is monitored amperometrically. The enzyme reactor system surpasses the enzyme electrode system with regard to sensitivity and analytical speed. For both systems, the peak current is linearly related to the l-glutamate concentration in the range 5 × 10^?6-1 × 10^?3 M. l-Glutamate in seasoning can be determined very selectively with < 0.7% r.s.d.     

Automatic extraction-spectrophotometric method for the determination of ambroxol in pharmaceutical preparations

The spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of ambroxol was carried out by liquid-liquid extraction using Bromothymol Blue with a flow-injection system. The determination of ambroxol in the range 8 x 10(-6)-4 x 10(-4) M was possible with a sampling frequency of 40 samples h(-1). The method was satisfactorily applied to the determination of ambroxol in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Rapid determination of microorganisms using a flow-injection system

An automated method for the rapid determination of microorganisms using a flow-injection system is presented. Electrochemical measurement of a mediator reduced by microbial metabolism allowed the determination of fungi and bacteria in a few minutes. The lowest detection limit was 5 × 10⁶ colony-forming units (cfu) ml^?1 for Escherichia coli. Correlation between the flow-injection method and standard microbiological methods was excellent (r = 0.997, n = 4 for Beauveria bassiana; r = 0.997, n = 7 for E. coli). The flow-injection system was applied to the on-line control of an E. coli cultivation.     

Exchangeable immobilized enzyme reactor for enzyme inhibition tests in flow-injection analysis using a magnetic device. Determination of pesticides in drinking water

A flow-injection system for rapid automated enzyme inhibition testing is described. Exchange of inactivated enzyme immobilized on magnetic particles was performed with magnetic devices which could be electrically switched off to release all bound material. The flow resistance of the reactor was excellent. Inhibition of immobilized acetylcholinesterase was used to determine pesticides in drinking water. Concentrations of 0.5 μg l^?1 of the pesticides carbofuran and malaoxon were detected. A complete cycle of analysis, including calibration, took 20 min.     

Phosphorescence detection in flowing systems: selective determination of aluminium by flow-injection liquid room-temperature phosphorimetry

The concept of the micelle stabilized liquid room-temperature phosphorescence (MS-LRTP) was applied to the determination of a metal (aluminium) in a flowing system. A three-line flow-injection manifold was developed and various parameters were optimized. A linear calibration graph was obtained for 0–4 μg ml^?1 aluminium. The limit of detection was 50 ng ml^?1 and the relative standard deviations for 0.1 and 1.0 μg ml^?1 aluminium were 2.7 and 1.3% respectively. The proposed procedure is fairly selective. More than 20 common ions studied did not interfere with the determination of aluminium or could be masked by appropriate reagents. The flow-injection method proposed was applied without any preliminary separation to the determination of aluminium in simulated synthetic samples in water and in clinical samples of particular importance in the control of aluminium toxicity in renal failure patients.     

Use of graph theory for evaluating the selectivity of flow-injection analysis based on displacement reactions: Determination of alkaline-earth metals in water-ammonia media

A theory was developed for quantitatively evaluating the selectivity in the determination of metals by the flow-injection technique with spectrophotometric detection. The theory was applied to flow-injection analysis based on the ability of alkaline-earth metals to displace copper(II) ions in the Cu(II)-EDTA-4-(2′-pyridylazo)resorcinol system in water-ammonia solutions. The feasibility of the theory was demonstrated. It was shown how the theory could be used for the selection of justified conditions in the determination of Ca, Sr, and Ba and for the evaluation of the selectivity of the determination. Practical examples of the determination of Ca confirm the usefulness of the approach developed.     

Potentiometric determination of dialysate urea nitrogen

An enzymatically modified ammonium ion-selective electrode has been applied for the determination of urea in spent dialysate. The biosensor has been used in a simple flow-injection analysis (FIA) system. The system enables one to perform over 25 dialysate urea nitrogen (DUN) determinations per hour. The interferences from other components of posthemodialysis fluid were eliminated by simultaneous measurements with non-modified enzymatically ion-selective electrode. It is possible to use both the sensors in a simplified differential potentiometric system. The results of DUN determination using the biosensor/FIA system and a conventional method of urea determination were comparable. The presented analytical system can potentially find wider biomedical application in the monitoring of hemodialysis progress.     

Catalytic flow-injection determination of reactive iron in non-acidified water samples.

A flow-injection determination method was proposed for the speciation of reactive species of iron in non-acidified water samples. Iron was determined by the spectrophotometric monitoring of the iron-catalyzed oxidation of o-phenylenediamine with hydrogen peroxide. The reactive iron was characterized as Fe3+ and Fe(III)Li(3-in), where i = 1 or 2 for a unidentate ligand and i = 1 for a bidentate ligand (L(n-)) from the chemical equilibria of hydroxo, oxalato and fluoro Fe(III) complexes. A useful parameter was also proposed to check the reliability of the determination when suffering the adsorption of iron on the inner wall of a PTFE tube of a flow-injection system. Under the optimized FIA condition and by measuring the peak height, a linear calibration curve of iron was obtained up to 0.1 mg L(-1) with a detection limit of 0.1 microg L(-1). The proposed method was successfully applied to the speciation of reactive and unreactive iron in tap- and river-water samples.     

Enzyme-linked flow-injection immunoassay using immobilized secondary antibodies

A fast, non-equilibrium enzyme-linked flow-injection immunoassay (FIIA) system using an immobilized secondary-antibody reactor is described. The assay method is based on the competition between the enzyme-labeled antigen and analyte (unlabeled antigen) for a limited amount of soluble primary-antibody binding sites. This mixture is then introduced via flow-injection into the secondaryantibody reactor. The reactor bound enzyme activity, as measured by flowing an appropriate substrate solution through the reactor, is inversely proportional to the concentration of free analyte in the sample. By using non-equilibrium conditions, a single assay takes a total time of 13 min or less including regeneration of the reactor. To illustrate the application of this system, theophylline and insulin were chosen as model hapten and macromolecule analytes, respectively. Preliminary studies suggest that the new FIIA system is suitable for determining theophylline in serum with acceptable accuracy and precision.     

Potentiometric flow-injection system for determination of alkaline phosphatase in human serum

A flow-injection system for detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in human serum samples has been developed. As a specific and inexpensive ALP substrate for this kinetic assay monofluorophosphate (MFP) was applied. For detection of fluoride ions, generated in the course of the biocatalytic hydrolysis of MFP, conventional fluoride ion-selective electrode based on LaF₃-crystalline membrane was applied. After optimization the system allows analysis of human serum with high selectivity and relatively short time of analysis (5–6 samples h⁻¹). Volume of serum required for analysis is 0.05 mL. The system is useful for determination of the enzyme activity in human serum samples at physiological and pathological levels as well as for detection of isoenzymatic forms of ALP.     

Indirect Flow-Injection Analysis of Ascorbic Acid by Photochemical Reduction of Methylene Blue

Abstract

Ascorbic acid was determined indirectly by spectrophotometry at 666 nm based on the photochemical reduction of methylene blue using flow-injection analysis. The carrier stream was 12.7 μgml^?1 methylene blue in phthalate-HCl buffer solution at pH 3.2. The reactor was irradiated with a 500-Watt halogen lamp to facilitate the development of the photochemical reaction. The system allows determination of ascorbic acid in the range 0.18–6.12 μgml^?1 with relative standard deviations of 2.09 and 0.31% for 1.97 and 4.92 μgml^?1 samples, respectively, and a sampling frequency of 50–55 h^?1. The proposed method was applied successfully to the determination of ascorbic acid in vitamin C tablets.     

Indirect atomic absorption spectrometric determination of citric acid by continuous precipitation

A continuous precipitation and filtration flow system for the separation of citric acid by precipitation with lead and indirect flame atomic absorption spectrometry is proposed. The precipitate is formed by injecting the lead solution into a carrier containing the sample and is subsequently retained on a filter. By using this reversed precipitation flow-injection configuration, citric acid was determined in the range 2–40 μg mL^–1, with a relative standard deviation of 2.9% at a sampling frequency of 60 samples h^–1. This method has been applied to the determination of citric acid in fruit juices, carbonated soft drinks and sweets.     

Spectrophotometric bioanalytical flow-injection system for control of hemodialysis treatment

A spectrophotometric flow-injection analysis (FIA) system for monitoring clinical hemodialysis is demonstrated. The role of a dialysate urea detector incorporated in this bioanalytical system is played by an optical flow-through biosensor based on Prussian Blue film with chemically linked urease forming a monomolecular layer of the enzyme. This pH-enzyme optode-FIA system is useful for the selective determination of post-dialysate urea in the range of concentration corresponding to its level in real clinical samples (2-16 mmol l(-1)). This bioanalytical system allows the analysis of about 15 samples of spent dialysate per hour. The operational and storage stabilities of the applied biosensor are longer than 2 weeks and 2 months, respectively. Clinical evaluation of the bioanalytical system was performed.     

Flow-injection stopped-flow kinetic spectrophotometric determination of drugs, based on micellar-catalysed reaction with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene

A flow-injection stopped-flow kinetic spectrophotometric method for the determination of hydrazines, hydrazides, amines and amino-acids, based on the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide catalysed reaction with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene is described. With the proposed method dihydralazine, isoniazid, levodopa and aspartame can be determined at concentrations of 0.1-6 x 10(-4)M. The calibration ranges can be varied by adjusting the pH and surfactant concentration. The determination of amphetamine, cysteine, s-carboxymethylcysteine, cephalexin, tobramycin and gentamicin is also feasible. The method has been applied to the determination of levodopa, isoniazid and aspartame in commercial pharmaceutical formulations. The determination of isoniazid in formulations containing the highly coloured antibiotic rifamycin, and of aspartame in coloured beverages was also accomplished. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by reference methods and the throughput was 40 measurements per hour with 0.4-3.9% RSD.