Preconcentration of trace lead via formation of the bis(2,2-bipyridyl) complex and its adsorption on oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

A solid phase extraction method is presented for the preconcentration of trace lead ions on oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (ox-MWCNTs). In the first step, the cationic Pb(II) complex of 2,2-bipyridyl is formed which, in a second step, is adsorbed on ox-MWCNTs mainly due to electrostatic and van der Waals interactions. The Pb(II) ions were then eluted with dilute nitric acid and quantified by FAAS. The effects of pH value, mass of sorbent, concentration of 2,2-bipyridyl, stirring time, of type, concentration and volume of eluent, of eluent flow rate and sample volume were examined. Most other ions do not affect the recovery of Pb(II). The limits of detection are 240 and 60 ng L^?1 for sample volumes of 100 and 400 mL, respectively. The recovery and relative standard deviation are >95 % and 2.4 %, respectively. Other figures of merit include a preconcentration factor of 160 and a maximum adsorption capacity of 165 mg g^?1. The method was successfully applied to the determination of Pb(II) in spiked tap water samples. The accuracy of the method was verified by correctly analyzing a certified reference material (NCS ZC85006; lead in tomatoes).

Naked magnetite nanoparticles for both clean-up and solid-phase extraction-trace determination of mercury

A new solid-phase extraction method was developed for trace determination of Hg(II) by using a small amount of naked magnetite nanoparticles as an adsorbent. The magnetite nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The adsorbed Hg(II)-dithizone complex was eluted with 1.0 mL aliquot of an acidic 1-propanol solution prior to electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. A huge positive effect was found on the mercury adsorption by ionic strength. Under optimized condition, a linear calibration curve was obtained for mercury in the range of 0.2–50 ng mL^?1 with relative standard deviation in the range of 0.5–2.0%. The limit of detection and enrichment factor were 0.01 ng mL^?1 and 98.3, respectively. The effects of coexisting ions were studied extensively, and a new clean-up procedure was used to remove the matrix effects by using a simple sample pretreatment step using a little amount of magnetite nanoparticles. The method was successfully applied to the determination of Hg(II) in different water and human urine samples and a commercial sodium nitrate.     

Determination of Atovaquone in Human Plasma by LC-MS-MS and Its Application to a Bioequivalence Study

A sensitive and selective method for the determination of atovaquone in human plasma was developed and validated. The procedure employed the use of an internal standard (chlorothalidone) and a solvent extraction step. Detection was by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry with multiple reaction monitoring. The method showed a linear range from 50 to 2,000 ng mL^?1. The extraction recovery was determined to be 84.91 ± 6.42% (SD), the intra- and inter-day assay accuracy (relative error) was within 7.57% and precision (RSD) was below 6.06%. The method was successfully employed to analyze plasma samples and evaluate the pharmacokinetics of atovaquone in human volunteers.     

Synthesis and application of a natural-based nanocomposite with carbon nanotubes for sensitive voltammetric determination of lead (II) ions

ABSTRACT

A modified carbon paste electrode has been developed for the determination of Pb(ΙΙ) ions based on Fe₃O₄/eggshell magnetic nanocomposite. The structure and morphology of Fe₃O₄/eggshell were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The prepared nanocomposite was also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The electrochemical procedure was based on the accumulation and determination of Pb(ΙΙ) ions at the surface of the modified carbon paste electrode with Fe₃O₄/eggshell nanocomposites and carbon nanotubes by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). Various experimental parameters involved in the preconcentration of Pb(ΙΙ) ions and voltammetric stripping step were studied. Under the optimum conditions, the voltammetric peak current of Pb(ΙΙ) occurs at a potential about ?0.5 V. Also, the voltammetric peak current increased linearly with Pb(ΙΙ) concentration in the range of 0.5–200 ng mL^?1 and a detection limit of 0.15 ng mL^?1 was obtained for Pb(ΙΙ). The selectivity of the proposed electrode for Pb(ΙΙ) ions in the presence of some cations was also examined. The practical application of the proposed modified electrode was evaluated by the determination of Pb(ΙΙ) ions in human hair and water samples. The results were satisfactory for the spiked samples.     

A modified lead–matrix separation procedure shown for lead isotope analysis in Trojan silver artefacts as an example

A modified Pb–matrix separation procedure using NH₄HCO₃ solution as eluent has been developed and validated for determination of Pb isotope amount ratios by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The procedure is based on chromatographic separation using the Pb·Spec resin and an in-house-prepared NH₄HCO₃ solution serving as eluent. The advantages of this eluent are low Pb blanks (<40 pg?mL^?1) and the property that NH₄HCO₃ can be easily removed by use of a heating step (>60 °C). Pb recovery is >95 % for water samples. For archaeological silver samples, however, the Pb recovery is reduced to approximately 50 %, but causes no bias in the determination of Pb isotope amount ratios. The validated procedure was used to determine lead isotope amount ratios in Trojan silver artefacts with expanded uncertainties (k?=?2) <0.09 %.     

Solid phase extraction of Pb(II) and Cd(II) as 2,9 dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline chelates on activated carbon cloth in environmental samples and their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A solid-phase extraction procedure for Pb(II) and Cd(II) as 2,9 dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline complexes on activated carbon cloth (ACC) has been established. In the determination step, flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was used. The optimum conditions for pH, type and volume of eluent, volume of sample solution, flow rates of eluent, sample solution and matrix effect were determined. For quantitative recovery of the analyte ions, refereed optimum values are as follows: amount of ACC, 0.4 g; pH, 6.0 and eluent, 10 mL 3 M HNO₃. To test the accuracy of the method, a certified reference material (CRM) analysis and add-recovery methods were performed. The developed method was applied for the determination of the analyte elements in water and vegetable samples.     

Analysis of Bile Acids Profile in Human Serum by Ultrafiltration Clean-up and LC-MS/MS

Bile acids (BAs) are useful biomarkers for the diagnosis of many diseases. The pathologies related to bile acid synthesis are often expressed in the first years of life and may lead to serious liver injury. Here we present a sensitive and rapid method for the analysis of the main 14 bile acids in human serum by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The chromatographic separation is performed using a core–shell column which provides improved separation, highly desirable considering the small structural differences among the analytes. All isomeric BAs of interest were resolved in less than 9 min. Sample pretreatment consisted in ultrafiltration of serum after addition of methanol by means of centrifugal filter devices. The calculated LOQs ranged between 2 and 5 ng mL⁻¹ with linearity of the calibration curves in the 5–5,000 ng mL⁻¹ range for all the BAs. The extraction recoveries for all the analytes were higher than 80 %. Intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variation were all below 15 %. The method proposed has been validated and has been applied for the analysis of serum of pediatric patients. This simple procedure allowed minimal consumption of serum sample (about 100 μL) and a rapid assay, easily implementable in routine analysis.

     

A pipette tip multiwalled-carbon nanotube solid-phase extraction of lead in water and hair samples: application of the statistical Taguchi method to optimise the experimental variables

A pipette tip multiwalled-carbon nanotube solid-phase extraction (PT-MWCNTs-SPE) coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was developed for extraction and determination of lead in hair samples. In this study, PT-MWCNTs-SPE cartridge, assembled by packing MWCNTs as a sorbent into a 100-μL pipette tip. Taguchi’s method (L9 orthogonal array (OA)) as a statistical design of experiments was employed to optimise the factors and experiments that affected on the recovery of Pb(II). Under the optimum conditions, four parameters such as pH (P), volume of ligand (AL), sorbent amount (SA) and eluent concentrations of HNO₃ (EC) were chosen as important affecting parameters. The limit of detection (LOD) of this method was 0.86 µg L^?1 with relative standard deviations (RSD) ≤3% for Pb(II). Afterwards, the accuracy of proposed method was evaluated by TMDA 53.3 fortified water and NCS ZC 81002b human hair certified reference materials. The procedure was applied to lead contents of water and hair samples.     

Optimization and Validation of RP-LC/UV–VIS Detection Method for Simultaneous Determination of Fat-Soluble Anti-Oxidant Vitamins, all-trans-Retinol and α-Tocopherol in Human Serum: Effect of Experimental Parameters

A versatile isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatographic/ultraviolet–visible detection method for simultaneous determination of all-trans-retinol and α-tocopherol in human serum was developed and validated after optimization of various chromatographic conditions and other experimental parameters. Analytes were separated on a Kromasil 100 RP₁₈ (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) analytical column protected by a Perkin Elmer RP₁₈ (30 × 4.6 mm, 10 μm) guard cartridge. The mobile phase, methanol–water (96:04 v/v) was pumped at a flow rate of 2.2 mL min^?1 and the column eluents were monitored at the wavelength of 292 nm using retinyl acetate (1.0 μg mL^?1) as the internal standard for both analytes. Sample preparation was based on protein precipitation and stabilization with 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methylphenol/ethanol and a two step extraction process using n-hexane followed by dichloromethane as extraction solvents. Sample size was kept 20 μL and separation of analytes was achieved in less than 7 min. The present method demonstrated acceptable values for specificity/selectivity, linearity within the expected concentration range, recovery, precision, sensitivity, stability of solutions, robustness, and system suitability specifications and tests. The method was used for monitoring all-trans-retinol and α-tocopherol concentrations in human serum samples and could also be applied to other sample matrices such as brain slices and cosmetic products if attention is paid to the extraction procedure.     

Ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for determination of trace amounts of iron in water, rock and human blood serum samples

A green and sensitive dispersive liquid-phase microextraction procedure based on room-temperature ionic liquid (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) for preconcentration and determination of total iron in real samples prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. 2-Mercaptopyridine-N-oxide (pyrithione) and ethanol were used as complexing agent and dispersive solvent in the proposed method, respectively. The factors influencing the extraction were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the enhancement factor of 15 was obtained from only 11.35 mL of aqueous phase. The linear dynamic range and the detection limit were 10.0–700 and 2.4 μg L^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for ten replicate measurements of 500 μg L^?1 of iron is 3.1 %. The developed method has been successfully applied for the determination of iron in water samples, human blood serum and rock certified reference material with high efficiency.     

Solid-phase extraction based on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) sorbents combined with bio-coacervation extraction for the determination of atrazine from water samples followed by HPLC analysis

In this study, combined technique of solid-phase extraction based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes with bio-coacervation extraction (SPE-MWCNT-BCAE) has been developed as a new sample preparation method for the determination of atrazine from water samples. The proposed method involves two steps: analyte enrichment on the solid sorbent and subsequently elution of the analyte by an appropriate solvent. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as the sorbent. They have high specific surface area, nano-scale structure and high diffusion rate. The second step is based on the use of bioaggregates for analyte re-enrichment, which consists of biosurfactants and ionic liquid. This method follows the principles of green chemistry. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the enrichment factor was 176. The linear dynamic range (LDR) and limit of detection (LOD) were 2–100 µg L^?1 and 0.66 µg L^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for six replicate measurements was 3.8%. The method was applied to the determination of ultratrace levels of atrazine in environmental water samples with satisfactory results.     

Development of molecularly imprinted-solid phase extraction combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for selective extraction and preconcentration of triazine herbicides from aqueous samples

In this study, a sensitive and developed method based on the use of molecularly imprinted-solid phase extraction along with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction has been reported for selective extraction and pre-concentration of triazine pesticides from aqueous samples. Molecularly imprinted microspheres (template, atrazine) were synthesized using precipitation polymerization and used as sorbent in SPE procedure. A model solution containing the studied pesticides was slowly passed through the atrazine-MIP cartridge. The adsorbed analytes were eluted with methanol, mixed with carbon tetrachloride (as extraction solvent) and rapidly injected into deionized water. In this process, the analytes were extracted into fine droplets of carbon tetrachloride and the fine droplets were sedimented in bottom of the conical test tube by centrifugation. Finally, GC-FID was used for the separation and determination of analytes in the sedimented phase. Some important parameters affecting the performance of developed method were completely investigated. The linear ranges of calibration curves were wide and limits of detection and limits of quantification were between 0.2–7 and 0.5–20 ng mL^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviation obtained for six repeated experiments of atrazine (10 ng mL^?1) was 3.1 %. The relative recoveries obtained for the atrazine in the spiked samples were within in the range of 92–98 %.     

Development of a simple and fast ultrasound-assisted extraction method for trace element determination in tobacco samples using ICP-MS

The current study describes a simple and fast method for the determination of Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Pb in tobacco samples. Commercial cigarettes obtained from local market stores were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after ultrasound-assisted extraction in acidic medium, and the results were compared to those obtained following microwave-assisted digestion of the samples. The sonication time was evaluated from 0 to 60 min, and a 30 min extraction time was selected. The concentration of HNO₃ was also optimised at 0.7 mol L^?1. In order to verify the accuracy of the proposed method, a certified reference material was submitted to the same extraction protocol adopted for the samples, and good agreement with the certified values was obtained at a 95% confidence level, except for Co. The extraction of Pb was also semi-quantitative. A total of four tobacco samples were analysed, with concentrations ranging from 0.4 for Cr to 214.6 µg g^?1 for Mn. The proposed method was demonstrated to be fast, sensitive, precise and accurate for the determination of Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn an Ni and for the semi-quantitative analysis of Co and Pb in tobacco samples.     

Effective and High-Throughput Analytical Methodology for the Determination of Lead and Cadmium in Water Samples by Disposable Pipette Extraction Coupled with High-Resolution Continuum Source Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HR-CS GF AAS)

A new procedure for the preconcentration of trace amounts of free Pb and Cd by disposable pipette extraction (DPX) is proposed herein. Recycled cork is used as a biosorbent and the procedure is completely free of organic solvents. The cork was reduced to a powder and characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Several parameters that influence the preconcentration of Pb and Cd with DPX-cork, such as the sample pH, number of extraction cycles, biosorbent mass, and percentage of acid in the desorption step, were studied. The tolerance of DPX-cork with respect to 10 potential interfering ions was also evaluated. Coupled with the high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS GF AAS) technique, the sample preparation method allowed the analytical limits required for quality control (according to the permitted limits established by legislation) to be obtained. The limits of detection for the extraction of a 3.5-mL water sample were 200?ng L^?1 for Pb and 100?ng L^?1 for Cd. The relative standard deviations were around 7.5% for Pb and 8.0% for Cd. The optimized method was successfully applied to the determination of Cd and Pb in two certified reference materials (water and wastewater) and five water samples (collected from a mangrove, a creek, and the sea).     

Solid phase extraction of heavy metal ions based on a novel functionalized magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotube composite with the aid of experimental design methodology

We report that magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes functionalized with 8-aminoquinoline can be applied to the preconcentration of Cd(II), Pb(II) and Ni(II) ions. The parameters affecting preconcentration were optimized by a Box-Behnken design through response surface methodology. Three variables (extraction time, magnetic sorbent amount, and pH value) were selected as the main factors affecting sorption, and four variables (type, volume and concentration of the eluent; elution time) were selected for optimizing elution. Following sorption and elution, the ions were quantified by FAAS. The LODs are 0.09, 0.72, and 1.0 ng mL^?1 for Cd(II), Ni(II), and Pb(II) ions, respectively. The relative standard deviations are <5.1 % for five separate batch determinations at 30 ng mL^?1 level of Cd(II), Ni(II), and Pb(II) ions. The sorption capacities (in mg g^?1) of this new sorbent are 201 for Cd(II), 150 for Pb(II), and 172 Ni(II). The composite was successfully applied to the rapid extraction of trace quantities of heavy metal ions in fish, sediment, soil, and water samples.

Synthesis and application of a thermosensitive tri-block copolymer as an efficient sample treatment technique for preconcentration and ultra-trace detection of lead ions

We have designed and synthesized a thermosensitive tri-block copolymer for selective trace extraction of Pb(II) ions from biological and food samples. The polymer was characterized by Fourier transform IR and NMR spectroscopy, and by gel permeation chromatography. The critical aggregation concentration and lower critical solution temperature were determined via fluorescence and UV spectrophotometry, respectively. The effects of solution pH value, amount of copolymer, of the temperature on extraction and on phase separation, and of the matrix on the extraction of Pb(II) were optimized. Pb(II) ions were then quantified by FAAS. The use of this copolymer resulted in excellent figures of merit including a calibration plot extending from 0.5 to 160 μg L^?1 (with an R² of >0.99), a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 90 pg L^?1, an extraction efficiency of >98 %, and relative standard deviations of <4 % for eight separate extraction experiments.

Ultrasensitive direct determination of BTEX in polluted soils using a simple and novel pressure-controlled solid-phase microextraction setup

A pressure-controlled headspace solid-phase microextraction (PC-HS-SPME) setup was developed, by reconsidering the strengths and weaknesses points of the similar reported systems. The new setup was coupled with gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID) for direct analysis of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) in contaminated soils, without any sample preparation step. The important experimental factors, affecting the performance of the method, including volumes of extraction and vacuum vials, type of SPME fiber, extraction time and temperature, moisture content of the sample, and sonication time were studied and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, good linearity of the calibration curves (R² > 0.997) was obtained in the concentration range of 0.1–20,000 ng g^?1. The limits of detections were found to be 0.001–0.08 ng g^?1. The relative standard deviations, for six repetitive analyses of 100 ng g^?1 BTEX, were obtained to be 5.7–12.3%. The PC-HS-SPME–GC–FID procedure was successfully applied for the extraction and determination of BTEX in the polluted soil samples.     

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction for the Evaluation of Element Mobility in Bottom Sediment Collected at Mining and Smelting Pb–Zn Ores Area in Poland

The current BCR procedure for metal fractionation recommended by the Standard Measurement and Testing Programme requires rather time-consuming sample pretreatment. Ultrasonic energy seems to be an attractive alternative for leaching metal from solid samples into a liquid extractant phase. This study aims at optimizing ultrasonic extraction in order to replace the BCR method of leaching using acetic acid and to apply the procedure of assessing element mobility in bottom sediment rich in moderately soluble carbonate minerals. The application of ICP-MS allowed the determination of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Tl and Zn in extracts, in a wide range of concentration without any special treatment. Finally, 40’min extraction in an ultrasonic bath was proposed for evaluation of the mobile fraction of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn as an assessment of environmental risk. The recovery of the ultrasound-assisted extraction in comparison to the shake-filter method, as applied in the common BCR procedure, was slightly higher than 100% for As, Cr and Pb, reasonably high (about 70%) for Cd, Zn and Cd, but did not exceed 21% for Tl. Also, the mobility and extractability (relative mobility) of the studied elements from sediment collected over one year were compares. According to the results obtained after 40’min of ultrasound-assisted extraction it can be concluded that mobility did not change over one year for Cr, Cu, As, Cd, Ni and Tl, but noticeable differences for Zn and Pb were observed. The total content of all studied elements was almost the same in samples taken in the years 2003 and 2004, respectively.     

Evaluation of Two Techniques for Extraction of Cortisol from Human Saliva

The aim of the study was to compare two kinds of extraction of cortisol from human saliva. The first was made with dichloromethane and the second by solid-phase extraction. Saliva was sampled in the evening into plastic tubes then cortisol was extracted and analyzed by LC with detection at 240 nm. The limit of detection was 1 ng mL^?1 for extraction with dichloromethane and 3 ng mL^?1 for SPE extraction. Both methods of extraction were applied to the analysis of saliva samples without any interference peaks.     

Development of an analytical procedure for quantifying the underivatized neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-l-alanine in brain tissues

The cyanotoxin β-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) has received renewed attention as an environmental risk factor for sporadic cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (Nunn et al., Brain Res 410:375–379, 1987). The aim of the present study was to develop and to validate an analytical procedure that allows the quantification of native BMAA and of its natural isomer, 2,4 diaminobutyric acid (DAB), in brain tissues. An analytical procedure was previously reported by our group for the determination of underivatized BMAA in environmental samples. It included a step of sample clean-up by solid phase extraction (SPE) with a mixed-mode sorbent and the analyses were performed by LC/MS-MS using hydrophilic interaction chromatography and multiple reactions monitoring scan mode. As brain tissues have a higher lipid content, the crucial step of sample clean-up had been optimized by evaluating the efficiency of the addition of a liquid/liquid extraction step prior to the SPE procedure or alternatively, of washing steps to the SPE extraction procedure. The efficiency was checked by visualizing the complexity of the resulting chromatograms in LC/MS and their performance by using spiked brain samples. The optimized analytical procedure, including a washing step with cyclohexane to the SPE with a recovery yield close to 100 %, was validated using the total error approach and allowed the quantification of BMAA in a concentration level ranging from 20 to 1,500 ng/g in brain samples. Finally, the feasibility of implementation of this procedure was verified in human brain samples from two patients who died of ALS.