Lindane Adsorption-Desorption on Chitin in Sea Water

Abstract

The adsorption and desorption processes by solid materials are important in determining the movement and fate of pesticide compounds in aquatic systems. Chitin is one of the constituents of natural organic matter and may serve as a model organic phase for studying the pesticide adsorption-desorption in marine systems. The lindane adsorption-desorption to chitin has been studied as a function of chitin concentration (2.5 gl^?1 to 12.5 gl^?1), temperature (5 to 45°C), pH (1.5 to 8) and salinity (15‰ to 36‰). Both, Freundlich and linear isotherms for the adsorption and desorption processes were used to represent the experimental data. Two-site Langmuir isotherm can describe well the measured sorption isotherm. The adsorbent-concentration effect and the adsorption-desorption hysteresis show the existence of different classes of site with different accessibility. Thus, the adsorption-desorption reaction of lindane is the result of more than a single mechanism. An increase in temperature (ΔH = ?4.0 ± 0.7 Kcal mol^?1) and a decrease in salinity resulted in both lower lindane adsorption and in a more reversible process. An increase of pH resulted in lower adsorption partition coefficients.     

Determination of chlorite at very low levels by using differential pulse polarography

A method is reported for the determination of μgl^?1 levels of chlorite by using differential pulse polarography. The electrochemical reduction of chlorite was studied between pH 3.7 and 14 and in an ionic strength range of 0.05–3.0 M. The optimum conditions are pH 4.1–4.4 and an ionic strength of 0.45 M. The current under these conditions is diffusion-controlled and is a linear function of chlorite concentration ranging from 2.77×10^?7 to 2.80×10^?4 M (19 μgl^?1 to 19 mg l^?1). The imprecision is better than ±1.0% and ±3.4% at concentrations of 2.87×10^?5 M and 1.74×10^?6M, respectively, with a detection limit of 1×10^?7 M (7μgl^?1). An interference study and the application of this method for determining chlorite in drinking water are reported.     

Determination of Nitrilotriacetic Acid in Waters and Waste Waters by Gas-Liquid Chromatography,Differential Pulse Polarography and a Colorimetric Method

Abstract

A comparison of gas-liquid chromatography, differential-pulse polarography and a colorimetric method for the determination of nitrilotriacetic acid in settled sewage, sewage effluent, potable water, soil extracted water and deionised water has been undertaken. Differential-pulse polarography has also been applied to the determination of nitrilotriacetic acid in saline samples. By statistical analysis of replicate determinations, accuracy and precision have been evaluated, and calibration linearity assessed. Interferences were observed for sewage samples when analysed by all three methods. Precision was generally higher for differential-pulse polarography down to 100 μgl^?1, although only gas-liquid chromatography is applicable to concentrations below 25μgl^?1 in non-saline samples. The colorimetric method was not applicable to concentrations below 500 μgl^?1 of nitrilotriacetic acid.     

Determination of total tin in silicate rocks by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A method is described for the determination of total tin in silicate rocks utilizing a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer with a stabilized-temperature platform furnace and Zeeman-effect background correction. The sample is decomposed by lithium metaborate fusion (3 + 1) in graphite crucibles with the melt being dissolved in 7.5% hydrochloric acid. Tin extractions (4 + 1 or 8 + 1) are executed on portions of the acid solutions using a 4% solution of trioctylphosphine oxide in methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK). Ascorbic acid is added as a reducing agent prior to extraction. A solution of diammonium hydrogenphosphate and magnesium nitrate is used as a matrix modifier in the graphite furnace determination. The limit of detection is > 10 pg, equivalent to > 1 μg l^?1 of tin in the MIBK solution or 0.2–0.3 μg g^?1 in the rock. The concentration range is linear between 2.5 and 500 μg l^?1 tin in solution. The precision, measured as relative standard deviation, is < 20% at the 2.5 μg l^?1 level and < 7% at the 10–30 μg l^?1 level of tin. Excellent agreement with recommended literature values was found when the method was applied to the international silicate rock standards BCR-1, PCC-1, GSP-1, AGV-1, STM-1, JGb-1 and Mica-Fe. Application was made to the determination of tin in geological core samples with total tin concentrations of the order of 1 μg g^?1 or less.     

Initial applications of phospholipid-coated mercury electrodes to the determination of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and other organic micropollutants in aqueous systems

Mercury electrodes coated with di-oleoyl lecithin are described for the determination of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other micropollutants in aqueous solutions. The coated electrodes give a characteristic response in the capacitance/voltage curve to three-, four- and five- ring PAHs. The extent of the negative potential shift in the reversible capacitance peaks (and thus sensitivity) is related to the number of aromatic rings and substituents on the PAH. The capacitance/voltage curves were recorded by phase-sensitive a.c. voltammetry. The response is quantitatively related to the concentration of PAH in solution. Detection limits are about 0.4 μg l^?1 and the reproducibility (RSD) for separate samples is 7%. Intercalibration of the method with fluorescence spectrophotometry of pyrene-spiked sea-water samples, showed recoveries of 80%. The analytical system is useful for sea water and tap water. Bovine serum albumin (1 mg l^?1) enhances the sensitivity to pyrene. The monolayer is sensitive to oil-contaminated waters ( > 40 μg l^?1). The capacitance peaks respond selectively to other groups of compounds and to individual compounds within a group. The monolayer appears highly sensitive to the solution behaviour of PAHs because only soluble unbound PAHs penetrate the monolayer. Humic acid added to the solution decreases the response to PAH presumably by binding a fraction of PAH in the solution.     

An efficient flow-injection system with on-line ion-exchange preconcentration for the determination of trace amounts of heavy metals by atomic absorption spectrometry

A flow-injection system with on-line ion-exchange preconcentration on dual columns is described for the determination of trace amounts of heavy metals at μg l^?1 and sub-μg l^?1 levels by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The degree of preconcentration ranges from 50- to 105-fold for different elements at a sampling frequency of 60 s h^?1. The detection limits for Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd are 0.07, 0.03, 0.5, and 0.05 μg l^?1, respectively. Relative standard deviations were 1.2–3.2% at μg l^?1 levels. The behaviour of the different chelating exchangers used was studied with respect to their preconcentration characteristics, with special emphasis on interferences encountered in the analysis of sea water.     

Stripping Potentiometry of Lead,Cadmium and Copper at a Nafion Coated Glassy Carbon Electrode with Encapsulated Mercury Acetate

Abstract

The stripping potentiometric determination of lead, cadmium and copper with mercury film glassy-carbon electrodes coated with a Nafion membrane was investigated. The mercury film was plated using either mercury(II) acetate encapsulated within the Nafion membrane or a mercury(II) solution. Dissolved dioxygen was used as the stripping agent. The electrodes showed promising properties, particularly robustness and response repeatability. A linear dependence of the stripping time on concentration was found in the μg l^?1 concentration range (s.d. of intercept ≤ 0.3 μg l^?1, r.s.d. of slope ≤ 1%, for both lead and cadmium).     

The determination of gold by anodic stripping voltammetry

A method is described for the routine determination of gold as its chloride or cyanide complex by anodic stripping voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode coupled to a microprocessor-controlled voltammeter. The preferred supporting electrolyte is 0.1 M HCl/0.32 M HNO₃, with plating at ?200 mV or ?1200 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl). The stripping peak potentials range from 830 to 1150 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) depending on concentration and plating time. Precision (percent relative standard deviation) is better than 5 % for a range of concentrations between 5 μg l^?1 and 1000 μg l^?1. The detection limit is about 5 μg l^?1 for a 5-min plating period. Interferences from Cu, Hg, Ag and other electroactive species are overcome by preliminary extraction with diethyl ether.     

Comparison of the acute toxicity of tributyltin and copper to veliger larvae of Nassarius reticulatus (L.)

The ban on the use of tributyltin (TBT) is promoting an increasing use of copper as an active biocide in antifouling paints, with consequent rising levels of this metal in the environment. This study assesses the acute toxicity of copper and tributyltin to the larvae of the mollusc gastropod Nassarius reticulatus. Recently hatched veligers were exposed to nominal TBT‐Sn concentrations of 0.9, 1.4, 1.9, 2.8, 3.8, 4.7 and 5.6 µg l^?1 and nominal copper concentrations of 9.4, 23.4, 46.9, 70.3, 93.8, 117.2, 140.6 and 164.1 µg l^?1 for up to 96 h, under static conditions (17 ± 1 °C and 33 ± 1 psu). The percentage of larval mortality was determined for each organometal/metal concentration and exposure time (1, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h). Both TBT and copper had a highly significant effect on larvae survival (p < 0.001) for all times of exposure, except for the first hour in the particular case of TBT. The lowest observed effect concentration for TBT‐Sn decreased over time from 3.8 µg l^?1 at 24 h to 1.9 µg l^?1 at 96 h, whereas for copper it remained constant over time (46.9 µg l^?1). The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) for TBT‐Sn decreased from 4.87 µg l^?1 at 24 h to 1.78 µg l^?1 at 96 h, and the LC₅₀ for copper decreased from 83.08 µg l^?1 at 24 h to 58.84 µg l^?1 at 96 h. TBT is far more toxic to N. reticulatus larvae than copper. However, owing to the higher copper environmental concentrations, the risk factors of the two biocides may approach each other. This stresses the need to find adequate substitutes for organotin biocides in future antifouling paints. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preconcentration and Spectrophotometric Determination of Chromium (VI) and Total Chromium in Drinking Water by the Sorption of Chromium Diphenylcarbazone with Surfactant Coated Alumina

Abstract

A simple and inexpensive method for determining chromium (VI) in drinking water by spectrophotometry after preconcentration with sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) coated alumina column is described. Chromium(VI) is reacted with diphenylcarbazide (DPC) and the Cr-DPC complex is quantitatively adsorbed onto a SDS coated alumina column from 800 ml of sample solution. The complex is then eluted with a 8 ml mixture of methanol, acetone and hydrochloric acid and determined by spectrophotometry. Total chromium can be determined after oxidation of chromium (III) to chromium (VI) by KMnO₄. The relative standard deviation (10 replicate analyses) at the 10 μg l^?1 of chromium (VI) and 10 μg l^?1 of total chromium were 3.5% and 3.4% and corresponding limits of detection (based on 3 σ) were 0.040 μg l^?1 and 0.033 μg l^?1, respectively.     

A method of determining and removing sulphide to allow the determination of sulphate,phosphate, nitrite and ammonia by conventional methods in small volumes of anoxic waters

Mercury(II) chloride is used to precipitate free sulphide from <10-ml samples of anoxic water. The sulphide-free supernatant solution can be used for estimation of sulphide by measuring the concentration of unreacted mercury(II) ion and for determinations of sulphate, inorganic phosphate, ammonia and nitrite by spectrophotometric methods which normally cannot be used because of sulphide interference. Concentrations that can be determined lie within the ranges: sulphide 0.5–180 000 μg S l^?1, sulphate 0.024–2.77 g S l^?1, ammonia 1–70 000 μg N l^?1, nitrite 1–3000 μg N l^?1, inorganic phosphate 1–4000 μg P l^?1. Interstitial waters from estuarine sediments, tidal flats, mangrove swamps, and an anoxic estuarine basin were examined.     

Matrix modification for the direct determination of cadmium in urine by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Matrix modification with ammonium nitrate, ammonium dihydrogen-phosphate and Triton X-100 proved suitable. Optimization of the graphite furnace parameters allowed cadmium to be quantified at 800°C. The response was 0.1 μgl^-1 for 1% absorption, and the relative standard deviation for consecutive determinations of a urine containing 1.5 μg Cd l^-1 was 4%. Urinary cadmium levels of 0.4–1.8 μg l^-1 were found in five occupationally unexposed persons.     

RAPID STOMATAL RESPONSE TO RED LIGHT IN Zea mays

Gas exchange techniques were employed to study responses of stomatal conductance to pulses of red and blue light in the grass, Zea mays. Zea mays exhibited conductance increases following brief (< 1 min) pulses of either red or blue light, in contrast to other species (e.g. Commelina communis; Assmann, 1988, Plant Physiol. 87 , 226–231) that exhibit consistent conductance responses only to pulses of blue light. Red light pulses of 450 μmol m^?2s^?1 for x min or 225 μmol m^?2s^?1 for 2x min were used to probe the fluence dependence of the red light response. The red light-stimulated conductance increase was constant for a given fluence, and increased with increasing total fluence. The conductance response to red light was larger in field grown plants (maximum growth irradiance ? 1600 μmol m-²s^?l) than in plants raised in growth chambers (maximum growth irradiance ? 150 μmol m^?2s^?1).     

Rapid determination of copper,nickel, lead and cadmium in small samples of estuarine and coastal waters by liquid/liquid extraction and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A rapid liquid/liquid extraction of 1.25-ml samples is used with graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of dissolved trace metals in saline waters. The metals are chelated with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate and extracted into 1,1,1-trichloroethane; 20–40 μl of extract is injected into the furnace. Sample manipulation and overall time are greatly decreased compared to other similar large-scale extraction methods; all the chemical steps are done in the sample cups of an auto-sampler for graphite-furnace a.a.s. Detection limits (Cu 0.3 μg l^?1, Cd 0.02 μg l^?1, Pb 0.7 μg l^?1, Ni 0.5 μg l^?1 are low enough for applications in routine monitoring of filterable trace metal concentrations in coastal and estuarine waters to check for compliance with Environmental Quality Standards that apply in the European Community.     

Flow Injection Determination of Hydrogen Peroxide Using a Carbon Paste Electrode Modified with a Manganese Dioxide Film

Abstract

A manganese dioxide film modified carbon paste electrode was developed for use as an amperometric sensor for the determination of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in ammoniacal aqueous solutions. The electrode showed a stable response towards H₂O₂ after electrochemical activation. Effects of flow rate, operating potential, concentration, injection volume and interferences were investigated. A linear response towards H₂O₂ from 5 μg.l^?1 to 450 mg.l^?1 and a detection limit (3 signal-to-noise ratio) of 4.7 μg.l^?1 was found. The method was employed for the determination of H₂O₂ in rain water samples.     

Cathodic Stripping Voltammetric Study Of DL-N-Acetylhomocysteine Thiolactone (Citiolone)

Abstract

The behaviour of DL-N-acetylhomocysteine thiolactone (citiolone) at a hanging mercury drop electrode is studied by cathodic stripping voltammetry (c.s.v.) as an example for determination of thiolactones. Voltammetric response is only obtained at pH> 9.3, when the cyclic structure of thiolactone is open. A spectrometric study is made in order to ascertain this behaviour. Under the recommended conditions and at pH> 9.3, the sulfur containing group can form mercury complexes and citiolone can be determined from the stripping peak that appears at about -0.470 V within the concentration range 3.5 10^?7- 1 10^?9 mol l^?1. Calibration functions are reported and detection limits calculated. The interference of several organic compounds is reported.     

Stripping voltammetry of aluminum based on adsorptive accumulation of its solochrome violet RS complex at the static mercury drop electrode

A very sensitive electrochemical stripping procedure for aluminum is reported. Accumulation is achieved by controlled adsorption of the aluminum/solochrome violet RS complex on the static mercury drop electrode. Optimal experimental parameters include an accumulation potential of ?0.45 V, solochrome violet RS concentration of 1 × 10^?6 M, and a linear-scan stripping mode. The detection limit is 0.15 μg l^?1, the response is linear over the 0–30 μg l^?1 concentration range, and the relative standard deviation (at the 10 μg l^?1 level) is 2%. Most cations do not interfere in the determination of aluminum. The interference of iron(III) is eliminated by addition of ascorbic acid. Results are reported for snow samples.     

Flow-injection technique for the determination of low levels of phosphorus in natural waters

An inexpensive flow-injection instrument for determining low concentrations of dissolved reactive phosphorus in natural waters is reported. The unique feature is the use of an inexpensive detector consisting of a flow cell and a simple photometer that incorporates a super-bright light-emitting diode as the source and a photodiode as the detector. The tin(II) chloride-molybdate method was optimized using a modified simplex optimization method. Silicate interference up to 5 mg Si l^?1 was removed by addition of 0.10% (w/v) tartaric acid. Using the tartaric acid-modified optimized reagents, a detection limit of 0.6 μg P l^?1 was achieved. The method was linear over the range 0–100 μg P l^?1 with an excellent precision (r.s.d. 2.9% at 2.0 and 0.5% at 50 μg P l^?1). An in-line pre-concentration anion-exchange column was used to obtain an even lower detection limit of 0.1 μg P l^?1 and applied to the analysis of real samples.     

The determination of hydrogen chloride in ambient air with diffusion/denuder tubes

A manual method for the determination of hydrogen chloride in air, based on diffusion/denuder tube separation from particulate chloride aerosol is described. When air is drawn through a tube coated with a selective absorbent (sodium fluoride), separation is achieved because gaseous hydrogen chloride diffuses much more rapidly to the tube walls than particulate chloride aerosol, which passes through virtually unabsorbed. After the sampling period (the length of which depends on the concentration of gaseous hydrogen chloride expected), the sorbed hydrogen chloride is washed from the tube and measured with a highly sensitive chloride ion-selective electrode with a mercury (I) chloride membrane. The method is examined theoretically and experimentally. The experimentally derived absorption efficiencies of the diffusion/denuder tubes were > 90% and the standard deviation of the method was 0.023 μg m^?3 for hydrogen chloride concentrations of 0.16–0.55 μg m^?3. Interference from particulate chloride salts was negligible; this was confirmed by tests with artificially generated aerosol particles from an aerosol generator. The diffusion/denuder tubes have high capacity; level as high as 330 μg m^?3 hydrogen chloride can be sampled for 60 min without affecting performance. A detection limit of (50/t) μg m^?3 can be achieved, where t is the sampling rime (min); e.g., 1μg m^?3 hydrogen chloride can be detected with a sampling period of 50 min.     

Enzymatic Determination of Ammonia in Lake Water Using a Semi-Automatic Analyser

Abstract

An enzymatic method was developed for the determination of ammonia concentrations in lake water. Lake water samples containing ammonia were mixed with a glutamate dehydrogenase (GIDH), reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and 2-oxoglutarate. The decrease in the absorbance intensity caused by the disappearance of NADPH by this reaction was measured at 340 nm. There was a linear relationship (r = 0.9997) between peak height and ammonia concentration over the range 0–29 μM. The detection limit was 0.29 μM for a sample volume of 250 μl. Interference of amino acids and urea at concentrations of 50 mg l^?1 was negligible. Good agreement was found between the enzymatic method and indophenol blue colorimetry.