Determination of some trace elements in high-purity aluminium, zinc and commercial steel by AAS after preconcentration on amberlite XAD-1180 resin

The determination of trace metals, e.g. Bi, Cd, Pb, in high-purity aluminium, zinc and commercial steel by flame or graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry following their preconcentrations as iodo complexes on XAD-1180 resin by means of a short column system is described. The recoveries are quantitative (95%). The relative standard deviations varies between 6% and 10%. The relative errors are less than 8% in a concentration range of 1 × 10^–3 –4 × 10^–5%. Detection limits for flame AAS and GFAAS were in the ranges of 0.002–0.110 g/ml and 0.0003–0.004 g/ml or in the ranges of 0.08–4.40 g/g and 0.012–0.16 g/g with respect to the solid samples, respectively.     

Determination of pyrimethanil and kresoxim-methyl in soils by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) then gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring (GC–MS, SIM) has been developed for determination of trace amounts of the fungicides pyrimethanil and kresoxim-methyl in soil and humic materials. Both fungicides were extracted on to a fused-silica fibre coated with 85 m polyacrylate (PA). Response-surface methodology was used to optimise the experimental conditions. For soil samples the linear dynamic range of application was 0.004–1.000 g g^–1 for pyrimethanil and 0.013–1.000 g g^–1 for kresoxim-methyl. The detection limits were 0.001 g g^–1 and 0.004 g g^–1 for pyrimethanil and kresoxim-methyl, respectively. HP-SPME–GC–MS analysis was highly reproducible—relative standard deviations (RSD) were between 6.7 and 12.2%. The method was validated by analysis of spiked matrix samples and used to investigate the presence of pyrimethanil and kresoxim-methyl above the detection limits in soil and humic materials.     

Selective determination of neodymium and erbium in mixtures with other lanthanides by second-derivative spectrophotometry of complexes with benzoyl-indan-1,3-dione and cetylpyridinium chloride

The absorption spectra of 4f electron transitions of the neodymium and erbium complexes with benzoyl-indan-1,3-dione and cetylpyridinium chloride have been studied by conventional and derivative spectrophotometry. The second-derivative spectrum has been used to eliminate the interference of the other lanthanides, and to increase the sensitivity by a further factor of 4–6. Beer's Law is obeyed for 6–29 g/ml Nd and 7–33 g/ml Er. The relative standard deviations evaluated from 10 independent determinations of 5.0 g/ml Nd and Er were 1.1% (Nd) and 1.6% (Er). The detection limits obtained from the sensitivity of the calibration graphs and 3s _b, (standard deviation of the blank,n = 11) were 0.63 g/ml Nd and 0.61 g/ml Er. The quantification limits (10s _b) were 2.1 g/ml Nd and 2.0 g/ml Er. A method for the direct determination of neodymium and erbium in rare earth mixtures with good accuracy and selectivity is proposed.     

Multi-residue procedure for the analysis of pesticides in groundwater: Application to samples from the comunidad Valenciana,Spain

Summary A simple multi-residue procedure has been developed and applied to the analysis of pesticides in groundwater samples from the Comunidad Valenciana, a predominantly agricultural area on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. The procedure includes a liquid-liquid extraction, after addition of NaCl on the samples, and a subsequent analysis by capillary gas chromatography using a dual detection system with electron capture and nitrogen-phosphorous detectors. This allows the determination of more than 30 compounds (organophosphorous, organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticides) at the low ppb (g l^–1) levels. Detection limits obtained varied between 0.01 g l^–1 (lindane, fonofos) and 0.5 g l^–1 (cypermethrin). An additional injection of the sample extracts into a gas chromatograph equipped with a column of different polarity and electron capture detector is used for the confirmation of chromatographic peaks. The recommended procedure has been applied to 66 ground water samples. Pesticides, including organophosphorus and organochlorine compounds were detected in 31 of them, in levels ranging from 0.02 to 0.7 g l^–1.     

Simultaneous determination of copper,mercury and lead by first-order derivative spectrophotometry using dithizone as reagent

A first-order derivative spectrophotometric method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of copper, mercury and lead at g/L levels using dithizone as reagent. The procedure involves the simultaneous extraction of these elements by dithizone in chloroform from weakly alkaline solutions. Linear calibration curves were obtained in the ranges 0.5–10 (Cu), 1–10 (Hg) and 1–10 (Pb) g present in 40 ml of aqueous phase with detection limits of 5 g/L (Cu) and 20 g/L (Hg and Pb). The R.S.D.s for 100 g/L of copper, mercury and lead were 2.5, 2.6 and 3.1% respectively, for 5 determinations. The method is applicable for the determination of copper and lead in marine sediment samples with good precision and accuracy.     

A toxic reagent-free method for normal-phase matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatographic determination of aldrin,dieldrin, and DDTs in animal fats

A method for the determination of aldrin, dieldrin, DDT, DDE, and DDD contamination in animal fats (beef tallow, lard, and chicken fat) without using toxic reagents is developed, that uses high-performance liquid chromatography after the sample has been prepared by matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) with acidic alumina oxide. A reversed-phase C₁-silica column with a mobile phase of 50% (v/v) ethanol solution (in water) and a photo-diode array detector were used for the determination. Average recoveries of the target compounds (0.2–5.0 g g^–1) ranged from 84–98%, with coefficients of variation of <5%. The limits of quantitation were 0.16 g g^–1 for AD, 0.10 g g^–1 for DD, 0.06 g g^–1 for DDT, 0.07 g g^–1 for DDE, and 0.05 g g^–1 for DDD. No toxic reagents were used at all.     

Spurenbestimmung von organisch gebundenem Schwefel und Chlor in kleinen Probenmengen

Summary A rather simple device is described for mineralizing organic liquids for the determination of sulfur, chlorine, and other halogenides. The detection of the mineralization products of these elements, e.g. chloric acid or sulfuric acid, is done by ion chromatography with high-sensitive suppressor technique. For the determination in the g/g-range samples of 0.1 to 1 ml are required. Detection limits are lower than 1 g/g.     

Application of slurry nebulization to trace elemental analysis of some biological samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Summary The application of slurry nebulization/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to trace elemental analysis of biological samples has been investigated. Three standard samples of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were dispersed in 1% aqueous Triton X-100 solution by grinding with a planetary micronizing mill. The resulting slurries were nebulized into an ICP without any additional treatments. The 1% (m/v) slurry of the NIST bovine liver showed no significant influence on cone blockage and signal suppression/enhancement. Detection limit, precision and accuracy were discussed for the determination of 24 elements of interest in bovine liver, rice flour and pine needles. Detection limits ranged from 0.0001 g g^–1 for U to 0.52 g g^–1 for Zn at the effective integrating time of 10 s. For high mass elements, low blank values were obtained, yielding excellent limits (<0.01 g g^–1). Acceptable accuracy and precision were obtained for most of the elements in the NIST bovine liver and rice flour, even for the volatile elements, such as As, Se and Br. However, relatively poor accuracy was obtained for the analysis of pine needles.     

Simultaneous determination of cobalt,nickel and iron by multi-wavelength spectrophotometry

A method for the simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of cobalt, nickel and iron based on the formation of their complexes with 1,5-bis(di-2-pyridylmethylene) thiocarbonohydrazide is proposed. The absorption curves of these complexes overlap severely in the scanning range 390–510 nm. The analyte concentrations are calculated by a least squares fit of the pure spectra to the mixture spectra, which therefore makes the simultaneous determination of these metallic ions possible without tedious pretreatment. The detection limits afforded by the proposed method range from 0.05 g/ml for Fe and Ni to 0.1 g/ml for Co. Root-mean-squared errors of prediction of 0.085 g/ml for Co, 0.048 g/ml for Ni and 0.1172 g/ml for Fe were obtained using the wavelength range 400–510 nm and 0.147 g/ml for Co, 0.107 g/ml for Ni and 0.127 g/ml for Fe using the wavelength range 420–434 nm. The effect of interferences is studied and the proposed method is applied to analysis for the above elements in synthetic samples and real samples, such as biological materials and alloys.     

Fällungsanalyse im Mikrogrammbereich: Eine neue Methode

Zusammenfassung Eine neue Methode zur Durchführung gravimetrischer Bestimmungen im Mikrogrammbereich wurde beschrieben; diese beruht im wesentlichen darauf, daß der Niederschlag nicht mehr zusammen mit dem Filter, sondern nach Überführen mit einem geeigneten Lösungsmittel in einem separaten Wägegefäß gewogen wird.Die dazu nötigen Geräte und deren Herstellung wurden beschrieben. Nach dieser Methode wurden folgende Bestimmungen mit zufriedenstellender Richtigkeit durchgeführt: 2,5–25g Al, 5–50g Cu und 5–50g Zn mit Oxin, 2,5–25g Fe(III) und 2,5–25g Ti(IV) mit N-Benzoyl-phenylhydroxylamin, 5–50g Ni und 5–50g Cu mit Salicylaldoxim, 2,5–50g Co(II) und 2,5–50g Fe(III) mit -Nitroso--naphthol sowie 5–50g Chlorid als Silberchlorid.

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Precipitation analysis in the microgram-scale: A new method

Summary A new method for gravimetric determinations in the microgram-scale is described. This method is based on the fact that the precipitate is not weighed together with the filter but is transferred to a separate weighingvessel using a suitable solvent. The necessary simple devices and their use are described. The following determinations were carried out with satisfying accuracy: 2,5–25g Al, 5–50g Cu and 5–50g Zn with Oxine, 2,5–25g Fe and 2,5–25g Ti withN-benzoylphenylhydroxylamine, 5–50g Ni and 5–50g Cu with salicylaldoxime, 2,52–50g Co and 2,5–50g Fe with -nitroso--naphthol and 5–50g chloride as silver chloride.

     

High performance liquid chromatographic separation and UV determination of cobalt, copper iron and platinum in pharmaceutical preparations using bis(isovalerylacetone)ethylenediimine as complexing reagent

The reagent bis(isovalerylacetone)ethylenediimine(H₂IVA₂en) has been examined for HPLC separation and UV determination of cobalt, copper, iron and platinum using off-line precolumn derivatization and extraction in chloroform. The complexes of cobalt(II), cobalt(III), iron(II), iron(III) and the reagent have been subsequently separated on a Microsorb C-18 column. The complexes were eluted isocratically using ternary mixtures of methanol/water/acetonitrile. Detection was achieved by UV monitoring. Detection limits for Co(II), Co(III), Fe(II) and Fe(III) were 2.5–5.0 ng/injection, based on 0.5–1.0 g/ml with 5 l/injection. The concentration of cobalt(II) and cobalt(III) in aqueous solution have been determined. The presence of oxovanadium(IV), platinum(II), and nickel(II) did not affect the determinations. The HPLC method developed has been applied to the determination of cobalt, copper, iron and platinum in pharmaceutical preparations at the 30 g/g to 15 mg/g level and the obtained results were compared to those of atomic absorption spectrometry.     

Anwendung der Ringofenmethode zum Nachweis einiger Heteroelemente in organischen Verbindungen

Zusammenfassung Ein schnelles und einfaches Mikroverfahren zum Nachweis einiger Heteroatome organischer Verbindungen wurde entwickelt. Nach Aufschluß mit metallischem Kalium werden die entstehenden Ionen mit der Ringofenmethode getrennt und mit empfindlichen Reaktionen nachgewiesen. Nachweisgrenze: 0,5 bis 1g Stickstoff, 1 bis 2g Schwefel, 2 bis 3g Jod, 4 bis 5g Brom, 5 bis 10g Chlor in 0,5 bis 1 mg Einwaage.

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Summary A rapid and simple micromethod was developed for the detection of several hetero-elements in organic compounds. After breaking down the sample with metallic potassium, the resulting ions are separated by the ring oven method and detected by means of sensitive reagents. Detection limits: 0.5 to 1g nitrogen, 1 to 2g sulfur, 2 to 3g iodine, 4 to 5g bromine, 5 to 10g chlorine in samples weighing 0.5 to 1 mg.

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Résumé On a découvert un procédé à l'échelle micro, simple et rapide, pour rechercher certains hétéroéléments dans les composés organiques. Après mise en solution par le potassium métallique, on sépare les ions formés suivant la méthode du four annulaire et l'on effectue la recherche au moyen de réactions sensibles. Limite de dilution: 0,5 à 1g d'azote, 1 àg de soufre, 2 àg d'iode, 5 à 10g de chlore sur 0,5 à 1 mg de prise d'essai.

     

Simultaneous determination of neodymium and erbium in rare earth mixture with 5,7-dibromo-8-hydroxyquinoline and TX-100 by third-derivative spectrophotometry

The absorption spectra of 4f electron transitions of the complexes of neodymium and erbium with 5,7-dibromo-8-hydroxyquinoline in the presence of octylphenol poly(ethyleneglycol)ether have been studied by normal and third-derivative spectrophotometry. The proposed method is free of interference of other rare earths. The calibration graphs were linear up to 18 g/ml of neodymium and 21 g/ml of erbium (in the final solution). The derivative molar absorptivities are 395 l.mol^–1.cm^–1 for neodymium and 3421.mol^–1.cm^–1 for erbium. The corresponding values of Sandell's sensitivity were 0.36 and 0.49 g.cm^–1, respectively. The relative standard deviations evaluated from ten independent determinations of 2.5 g/ml of neodymium and erbium are 1.5 and 3.8% for neodymium and 1.8 and 4.1% for erbium in absence and presence of 70 g of lanthanum, respectively. The detection limits (signal to noise ratio=2) are 0.23 g/ml for neodymium and 0.30 g/ml for erbium. The method has been used for the determination of neodymium and erbium in mixed rare earths with satisfactory results.     

Determination of phthalate monoesters in human milk,consumer milk,and infant formula by tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS)

Daily exposure of humans to phthalates may be a health risk because animal experiments have shown these compounds can affect the differentiation and function of the reproductive system. Because milk is the main source of nutrition for infants, knowledge of phthalate levels is important for exposure and risk assessment. Here we describe the development and validation of a quantitative analytical procedure for determination of phthalate metabolites in human milk. The phthalate monoesters investigated were: monomethyl phthalate (mMP), monoethyl phthalate (mEP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (mBP), monobenzyl phthalate (mBzP), mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (mEHP), and monoisononyl phthalate (mNP). The method is based on liquid extraction with a mixture of ethyl acetate and cyclohexane (95:5) followed by two-step solid-phase extraction (SPE). Detection and quantification of the phthalate monoesters were accomplished by high-pressure liquid chromatography using a Betasil phenyl column (100 mm×2.1 mm×3 m) and triple tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS). Detection limits were in the range 0.01 to 0.5 g L^–1 and method variation was from 5 to 15%. Analysis of 36 milk samples showed that all these phthalates were present, albeit at different concentrations. Median values (g L^–1) obtained were 0.11 (mMP), 0.95 (mEP), 3.5 (mBP), 0.8 (mBzP), 9.5 (mEHP), and 101 (mNP). We also analysed seven samples of consumer milk and ten samples of infant formula. Only mBP and mEHP were detected in these samples, in the ranges 0.6–3.9 g L^–1 (mBP) and 5.6–9.9 g L^–1 (mEHP).     

Direct determination of arsenic in sea water by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry using D2 and Zeeman background correction

Arsenic in sea water was determined directly by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using palladium nitrate as chemical modifier, at an optimum concentration of 15 mg l^–1. Deuterium and Zeeman effect background correction were compared and gave detection limits of 0.6 and 0.8 g l^–1, respectively. Precisions between 8 and 2%, for both correctors, were obtained with an injection volume of 40 l. The accuracy obtained with different reference materials: CRM-403 (1.461 g kg^–1), NASS-4 (1.26 ±0.09 gl^–1) and IAEA/W-4 (24–31 g l^–1) was studied for large injection volumes for both background correction systems. Interferences by chloride, sodium, potassium, calcium and silicon were removed by Zeeman correction, whereas deuterium correction was much less effective and was insufficiently accurate for sea water samples.     

Spectrofluorimetric determination of nucleic acids as 8-hydroxyquinoline/ yttrium ternary complexes

The formation of nucleic acids/8-hydroxyquinoline/yttrium(III) ternary complexes and their fluorescent properties have been studied. The nucleic acids studied include native and thermally denatured calf thymus DNA, fish sperm DNA and yeast RNA. In the range of pH 7.6–8.5, controlled by NH₃-NH₄C1 buffer, ternary complexes are formed that fluoresce at different wavelengths with different nucleic acids. Based on the fluorescence reactions, sensitive spectrofluorimetric methods for nucleic acids are proposed. In optimal conditions, the calibration curves were linear in the range 0.5–4.0 gml^–1 for calf thymus DNA, 0.5–2.5 g ml^–1 for fish sperm DNA and 0.5–4.0 g ml^–1 for yeast RNA. The limits of determination (3 ) were 0.030 g ml^–1 for calf thymus DNA, 0.020 g ml^–1 for fish sperm DNA and 0.090 g ml^–1 for yeast RNA. Corresponding to the interferences of coexisting substances, six synthetic samples were constructed and the results of determination were satisfactory.     

Alternative spectrophotometric determination of niobium and tantalum with o-hydroxyhydroquinonephthalein in cationic surfactant micellar media

Summary The alternative and simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of niobium and tantalum was examined by using the colour development between o-hydroxyhydroquinonephthalein (Qnph) and niobium or tantalum in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (HTAC) in strong acidic media. Beer's law was obeyed up to 10.0 g of niobium and up to 18.0 g of tantalum in a final volume of 10.0 ml. The apparent molar absorption coefficients for niobium and tantalum were 2.18×10⁵ and 2.09×10⁵ l mol^–1 cm^–1 with Sandell's sensitivities of 0.00042 g/cm² niobium at 520 nm and 0.00085 g/cm² tantalum at 510 nm, respectively. The alternative assay of niobium and tantalum was possible by using two methods: Method A — masking method with oxalic acid, Method B — acid adjusting-method using 50% sulfuric acid. These methods were 2–6-times more sensitive than other methods.Application of xanthene derivatives in analytical chemistry. Part XC. Part LXXXIX see ref [1]     

The determination of atmospheric concentrations of the active ingredients of pesticide formulations by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary Methods of sampling atmospheres contaminated by pesticides in factory and agricultural environments, and subsequent analysis by HPLC, are discussed. Air sampling is carried out using porous polymer or filter collection media, usually a 100 dm³ air volume is suitable. Detection limits with ultra-violet detection are in the range 0.1 to 10 g m^–3.Presented at the 14th International Symposium on Chromatography London, September, 1982     

On-line trace enrichment — column liquid chromatography of polar pollutants in surface water using bifunctional membrane-based extraction-disk cartridges

Summary An on-line trace-enrichment system, using a bifunctional membrane extraction-disk cartridge, has been combined with a column liquid chromatography separation for the simultaneous determination of basic, neutral and acidic pollutants in surface water. The enrichment device consisted of a specially constructed holder containing both C-18 and cation-exchange disks. The holder can contain up to 25 disks of 0.5 mm thickness and 4.6 mm diameter. Before trace enrichment of 20 ml of surface water (pH 3.0), calcium ions were removed from the sample by means of an oxalic acid precipitation. Desorption of the cartridge was at elevated temperature using reversed-phase gradient elution; detection was performed with a diode-array UV absorbance detector. The detection limits for the test compounds in surface water are typically 0.5–2 g/l; the calibration graphs are linear from the lower limit of determination up to 50 g/l.