Plastic membrane electrodes for the potentiometric determination of codeine in pharmaceutical preparations

Four PVC membrane electrode systems responsive to codeinium cation are described. These electrodes are based on the use of the ion-association complexes of the codeinium cation with tetraphenylborate and reineckate counter-anions as ion-exchange sites in a PVC matrix plasticized with dioctylphthalate and dibutylsebacate. The performance characteristics of these electrodes reveal fast, stable and near-Nernstian responses for codeine down to concentrations of 3.5–7.0 × 10^–5 M. Over the pH range 2.5–7, the electrodes are satisfactory for manual and flow injection determination of codeine in various pharmaceutical preparations. There is negligible interference from a number of inorganic and organic cations and some common drug excipients. In the direct determination of 30 g/ml -1.0 mg/ml codeine, the average recovery is 100.6% and the mean standard deviation is ± 0.8%. The results compare favorably with those obtained by the British Pharmacopoeia method.     

Direct potentiometry and potentiotitrimetry of warfarin and ibuprofen in pharmaceutical preparations using PVC ferroin-based membrane sensors

Sensitive and fast-responding potentiometric sensors are described for the determination of warfarin and ibuprofen. They consist of PVC matrix membranes containing the drag-ferroin ion-association complexes as electroactive materials and dioctylphthalate as a solvent mediator. Linear dynamic response range between 1 × 10^–2 and 2 × 10^–5 M with Nernstian slopes of 59–60 mV/decade concentration and a detection limit of 0.8–1.3 g/ml are obtained. A wide range of organic anions and drag excipients do not interfere. Titration of the drugs with a standard ferroin solution using either a drag-ferroin or ferroin-TPB PVC sensor in conjunction with an Ag-AgCl reference electrode displaysS-shaped titration curves with sharp potential breaks at stoichiometric 12 (ferroin:drug) reaction. Differential titration curves with well-defined peaks at the equivalence points are obtained using drug-ferroin/ferroin-TPB PVC membrane sensors. Direct potentiometry and potentiotitrimetry of warfarin and ibuprofen in various pharmaceutical preparations are presented and compared. Several advantages over the pharmacopoeial methods and other techniques in current use are offered by the proposed technique.     

Effect of Plasticizer on the Performance of the Surfactant-Selective Electrode Based on a Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Membrane with no Added Ion-Exchanger

The effect of different plasticizers in the sensing membrane on the performance of a surfactant ISE based on a PVC membrane with no added ion-exchanger was investigated. o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE), o-nitrophenyl decyl ether (NPDE), o-nitrophenyl dodecyl ether (NPDOE) and o-nitrophenyl tetradecyl ether (NPTE) were used as plasticizers. Electrodes based on NPDE, NPDOE and NPTE produced better results than NPOE-plasticized PVC membrane electrodes in terms of low detection limits. Electrodes based on NPDE, NPDOE and NPTE displayed a Nernstian slope in the concentration range of 10^–6 to 10^–2M. NPOE-plasticized PVC membrane electrodes displayed a Nernstian slope in the concentration range of 10^–5 to 10^–2M. The three electrodes other than the NPOE-plasticized PVC membrane electrode showed a similar performance to that of the NPOE-plasticized PVC membrane electrode concerning low detection limits and slope sensitivity. The four electrodes examined in this study are excellently selective for the dodecyltrimethylammonium ion over inorganic anions, but interference from other cationic surfactants such as tetradecyltrimethylammonium ions is significant. With respect to slope sensitivity, selectivity, response time and pH effect, the four electrodes showed a similar performance.     

All-Solid-State PVC Membrane Ag+-Selective Electrodes Based on Diaza-18-Crown-6 Compounds

Two diaza-crown ether compounds were synthesized and evaluated as Ag⁺-selective carriers in polyvinylchloride (PVC) membrane electrodes of solid-state type. The all-solid-state PVC membrane electrode based on N,N-Dibenzyl-dibenzo-diaza-18-crown-6 exhibited a super-Nernstian response (75±10mV per decade) over the concentration range of 1×10^–1 to 7×10^–6M of Ag⁺ ion and a detection limit of 3×10^–6M, at a wide range of pH (pH 4–7). The response time of the electrode was fast (less than 10s), and it can be used for three months without any significant deviation in potential. The proposed all-solid-state PVC membrane electrodes revealed high selectivity toward Ag⁺ ion with respect to alkali, alkaline earth, heavy and transition metal ions. A flow-through cell of all-solid-state PVC membrane Ag⁺-selective electrode based on N,N-Dibenzyl-dibenzo-diaza-18-crown-6 has also been prepared and applied for flow-injection analysis of Ag⁺ ion in solution.     

Novel Nitrite Membrane Sensor Based on Cobalt(II) Salophen for Selective Monitoring of Nitrite Ions in Biological Samples

A novel PVC-based membrane sensor based on the Co(II)-salophen complex (CSC) is described. The electrode revealed a Nernstian response over a wide nitrite ion concentration range (1.0×10^–6–1.0×10^–1M). The detection limit of the sensor is 8.0×10^–7M. The best performance was obtained with a membrane composition of 33% PVC, 61% ortho-nitrophenyloctyl ether, 3% cobalt(II)-salophen, and 3% hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide. The potentiometric response of the sensor is independent of the pH of solution in the pH range 4.5–11.9. The electrode exhibits a very fast response time and good selectivity over a variety of common inorganic and organic anions, including fluoride, bromide, iodide, sulfite, nitrate, thiocyanate, thriiodide and perchlorate. The selectivity behavior of the proposed sensor shows substantial improvements compared to the previously reported electrodes for nitrite ion. The membrane sensor can be used for at least 2 months without any divergence in potential. The electrode was successfully applied to the monitoring of nitrite ion in water, sausage, flour, wheat, cheese and milk.     

Cholinesterase sensors based on screen-printed electrodes for detection of organophosphorus and carbamic pesticides

Cholinesterase sensors based on screen-printed electrodes modified with polyaniline, 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), and Prussian blue have been developed and tested for detection of anticholinesterase pesticides in aqueous solution and in spiked grape juice. The influence of enzyme source and detection mode on biosensor performance was explored. It was shown that modification of the electrodes results in significant improvement of their analytical characteristics for pesticide determination. Thus, the slopes of the calibration curves obtained with modified electrodes were increased twofold and the detection limits of the pesticides were reduced by factors of 1.6 to 1.8 in comparison with the use of unmodified transducers. The biosensors developed make it possible to detect down to 2×10^–8 mol L^–1 chloropyrifos-methyl, 5×10^–8 mol L^–1 coumaphos, and 8×10^–9 mol L^–1 carbofuran in aqueous solution and grape juice. The optimal conditions for grape juice pretreatment were determined to diminish interference from the sample matrix.Abbreviations ChE Cholinesterase - TCNQ 7,7,8,8-Tetracyanoquinodimethane - ChO Choline oxidase - AChE Acetylcholinesterase - BChE Butyrylcholinesterase - BSA Bovine serum albumin - 2-PAM 2-Pyridine aldoxime methiodide     

Potentiometric Membrane Sensors for the Selective Determination of Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) in Some Pharmaceutical Formulations

The construction and general performance characteristics of two novel potentiometric PVC membrane sensors responsive to the pyridoxine hydrochloride known as vitamin B₆ (VB₆) are described. These sensors are based on the use of the ion-association complexes of the pyridoxine cation with molybdophosphate and tungstophosphate counter anions as ion pairs in a plasticized PVC matrix. The electrodes show a stable, near-Nernstian response for 6 × 10^–5–1 × 10^–2 M VB₆ at 25°C over the pH range 2–4 with a cationic slope of 54.0 ± 0.5 and 54.5 ± 0.4 mV per concentration decade for pyridoxine–molybdophosphate and pyridoxine–tungstophosphate, respectively. The two electrodes have the same lower detection limit (4 × 10^–5 M), and the response times are 45–60 and 30–45 s in the same order for both. Selectivity coefficients for VB₆ relative to a number of interfering substances were investigated. There is negligible interference from many cations, some vitamins, and pharmaceutical excipients. The determination of VB₆ in some pharmaceutical preparations using the proposed electrodes gave an average recovery of 98.0 and 99.0% of the nominal value and a mean standard deviation of 1.1 and 0.9% (n = 3) for pyridoxine–molybdophosphate and pyridoxine–tungstophosphate electrodes, respectively. The results compare favorably with data obtained by the British pharmacopoeia method.     

Reproterol plastic membrane ion-selective electrodes based on its individual and mixed ion-exchangers with phosphotungstic and/or phosphomolybdic acids

Reproterol hydrochloride (RpCl), selective PVC membranes based on ion associates of reproterolium-phosphotungstate (Rp-PTA); reproterolium-phospho-molybdate (Rp-PMA) or a mixture of both (Rp-PTA/PMA) were prepared. The electrodes displayed a linear response over the concentration range of 6.3×10⁻⁶–1.0×10⁻¹ mol dm⁻³ RpCl. The working pH ranges of the above electrodes were 2.5–9.0, 2.5–8.5 and 2.0–9.0 and their isothermal temperature coefficients were 0.00014, 0.00090 and 0.00103 V/°C, respectively. The electrodes showed good selectivity to the reproterolium ion with respect to many inorganic cations, sugars and amino acids. The standard additions and potentiometric titration methods were used to determine RpCl in pure solutions and in its pharmaceutical preparations with high accuracy and precision.     

Experimental design-based development and single laboratory validation of a capillary zone electrophoresis method for the determination of the artificial sweetener sucralose in food matrices

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method, optimised chemometrically, underwent a complete in-house validation protocol for the qualification and quantification of sucralose in various foodstuffs. Separation from matrix components was obtained in a dinitrobenzoic acid (3 mM)/sodium hydroxide (20 mM) background electrolyte with a pH of 12.1, a potential of 0.11 kV cm^–1 and a temperature of 22 °C. Detection was achieved at 238 nm by indirect UV. Screening, optimisation and robustness testing were all carried out with the aid of experimental design. Using standard addition calibration, the CZE method has been applied to still, carbonated and alcoholic beverages, yoghurts and hard-boiled candy. The method allows the detection of sucralose at >30 mg kg^–1, with a linearity range of 50–500 mg kg^–1, making it suitable for implementation of the recently amended Sweeteners for use in foodstuffs Directive (European Parliament and Council (2003) Off J L237:3–12), which set maximum usable doses of sucralose for many foodstuffs, most ranging from 200 mg kg^–1 to 450 mg kg^–1.     

Spectrophotometric determination of nitrite in environmental waters using column preconcentration on biphenyl

Column preconcentration methods have been established for the spectrophotometric determination of trace nitrite with sulfanilic acid (SA) orp-aminoacetophenone (AAP) as the diazotizable aromatic amine andN, N-dimethylaniline (DMA) or 1-aminonaphthalene (AN) as the coupling agent, using differention-pairs co-precipitated with biphenyl. Nitrite ion reacts with SA in the pH range 2.0–3.0 and AAP in the pH range 1.7–3.0 in HCl medium to form water-soluble colourless diazonium cations. These cations are subsequently coupled with DMA in the pH range 3.7–6.1 for the SA-DMA system and AN in the pH range 1.7–2.3 for the AAP-AN system to be retained on microcrystalline biphenyl packed in a column. The solid mass is dissolved out from the column with 5 ml of DMF and the absorbance is measured by a spectrophotometer at 420 nm for the SA-DMA system and at 517 nm for the AAP-AN system. The calibration was linear over the concentration ranges 0.3–6.0 g of nitrite in 5 ml of DMF solution (i.e., 0.02–0.40 g/ml in the sample solution) for the SA-DMA system and 0.5–7.0 g of nitrite in 5 ml of DMF solution (i.e., 0.03–0.47 g/ml in the sample solution) for the AAP-AN system. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity were respectively 2.63 × 10⁴lmol^–1cm^–1 and 1.75 × 10^–3 g cm^–2 for SA-DMA and 3.28 × 10⁴lmol^–1 cm^–1 and 1.40 × 10^–3 g cm^–2 for AAP-AN. The concentration factors were 4 and 16 for SA-DMA and AAP-AN, respectively. The detection limits were 0.0138 and 0.0175 g/ml NO₂ ^– for SA-DMA and AAP-AN, respectively. Seven replicate determinations of a solution containing 3.5 g of nitrite gave mean absorbances of 0.410 and 0.500 with relative standard deviations of 0.51 and 0.55% for SA-DMA and AAP-AN, respectively. Interference from various foreign ions has been studied and the methods have been applied to the determination of nitrite in environmental samples.     

Fabrication of Membrane Sensitive Electrodes for the Validated Electrochemical Quantification of Anti-Osteoporotic Drug Residues in Pharmaceutical Industrial Wastewater

Accurate and precise application of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) in the quantification of environmental pollutants is a strenuous task. In this work, the electrochemical response of alendronate sodium trihydrate (ALN) was evaluated by the fabrication of two sensitive and delicate membrane electrodes, viz. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and glassy carbon (GC) electrodes. A linear response was obtained at concentrations from 1 × 10⁻⁵ to 1 × 10⁻² M for both electrodes. A Nernstian slope of 29 mV/decade over a pH range of 8–11 for the PVC and GC membrane electrodes was obtained. All assay settings were carefully adjusted to obtain the best electrochemical response. The proposed technique was effectively applied for the quantification of ALN in pure form and wastewater samples, acquired from manufacturing industries. The proposed electrodes were effectively used for the determination of ALN in real wastewater samples without any prior treatment. The current findings guarantee the applicability of the fabricated ISEs for the environmental monitoring of ALN.     

Fourth-derivative spectrophotometric determination of neodymium in mixed rare earths with methyl thymol blue and cetylpyridinium chloride

A sensitive and selective method is described for the determination of neodymium in mixed rare earths using fourth-derivative spectrophotometry. The method is based on the absorption spectra of 4f electron transitions of the complex of neodymium with methyl thymol blue and cetylpyridinium chloride. The influence of various instrumental parameters and reaction conditions for maximum colour development are investigated. The calibration curve is linear over the range 0–3.5 g ml^–1 neodymium. The relative standard deviation for determination of 1.4 g ml^–1 neodymium (n = 7) is 1.6%. The detection limit (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) is 0.2 g ml^–1.     

Spectrophotometric determination of nitrogen dioxide in air

Summary A sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of nitrogen dioxide, after fixing it as nitrite in alkaline sodium arsenite solution, is described. The reaction is based on the diazo-coupling of p-nitroaniline with chromotrophic acid in acetate medium (pH 6±0.5). The azo dye formed has its absorption maximum at 515 nm, with a molar absorptivity of 3.7×10⁴ l mol^–1 cm^–1. Beer's law is obeyed over the range 0–20 g of nitrite. The relative standard deviation is 2.5% for ten determinations of 10 g of nitrite. The effect of interfering gases and ions on the determination is discussed. The method has been applied to the determination of residual nitrogen dioxide in a laboratory fume cupboard and the results are compared with those obtained by the widely used sulphanilamide — NEDA method. Down to 0.5 g of nitrite can be determined.     

Determination of urinary bromine by pixe

The method of thin film PIXE was applied to the analysis of a total of 117 urine specimens from urinary stone sufferers and controls. The overall range of Br levels was between 2 and 18 g cm^–3. Mean values obtained over a period of three days ranged from 6.8 to 9.2 g cm^–3. No significant differences between the Br distributions in the two groups over the collection period were observed.     

Polarographic and spectrophotometric determination of isocarboxazid and tranylcypromine sulphate through treatment with nitrous acid

Two methods are described for the determination of two widely prescribed antidepressants, namely isocarboxazid and tranylcypromine sulphate as the pure drugs and in dosage forms. Both methods involve prior treatment with nitrous acid. In the Spectrophotometric method, the two derivatives obey Beer's law over the concentration range 1–20 g/ml. The derivatives are polarographically reducible withE _1/2 values of –0.84 and –0.73 V for isocarboxazid and tranylcypromine sulphate, respectively. The calibration plots are linear over the range 4.3 × 10^–5–3.0 × 10^–4 and 1.1 × 10^–5–1.65 × 10^–4 mol/1 for isocarboxazid and tranylcypromine sulphate, respectively. The results obtained for assays for the two drugs compare satisfactorily with those given by the official methods.     

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.     

Dissociation constants of the ampholyte glycine in 50 mass % methanol-water from 5 to 55°C,with related thermodynamic quantities

The two thermodynamic dissociation constants of glycine at 11 temperatures from 5 to 55°C in 50 mass % methanol-water mixed solvent have been determined from precise emf measurements with hydrogen-silver bromide electrodes in cells without liquid junction. The first acidic dissociation constant (K ₁)for the process HG⁺H⁺+G^± is expressed as a function ofT(^oK) by the equation pK ₁ = 2043.5/T – 9.6504 + 0.019308T. At 25°C, pK ₁is 2.961 in the mixed solvent, as compared with 2.350 in water, with H°=1497 cal-mole^–1, G°=4038 cal-mole^–1, S°=–8.52 cal-°K^–1-mole^–1, and C _p ^o =–53 cal-°K^–1-mole^–1. The second acidic dissociation constant (K ₂)for the process G^±H⁺+G^– over the temperature range studied is given by the equation pK ₂ = 3627.1/T – 7.2371 + 0.015587T. At 25°C, pK ₂is 9.578 in MeOH–H₂O as compared with 9.780 in water, whereas H° is 10,257 cal-mole^–1, G° is 13,063 cal-mole^–1, S° is –9.41 cal-°K^–1-mole^–1, and C _p ^o is –43 cal-°K^–1-mole^–1. The protonated glycine becomes weaker in 50 mass % methanol-water, whereas the second dissociation process becomes stronger despite the lower dielectric constant of the mixed solvent (=56.3 at 25°C).     

Electrochemical studies and square-wave voltammetric determination of fenofibrate in pharmaceutical formulations

The electrochemical reduction of fenofibrate at a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, square-wave voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. Different buffer solutions were used over a wide pH range (3.0–10.0). The best definition of the analytical signals was found in borate buffer (pH 9.0)–tetrabutylammonium iodide mixture containing 12.5% (v/v) methanol at –1.2 V (versus Ag/AgCl). According to cyclic voltammetric studies, the reduction was irreversible and diffusion controlled. The diffusion coefficient was 2.38×10^–6 cm² s^–1 as determined by chronoamperometry. Under optimized conditions of square-wave voltammetry, a linear relationship was obtained between 0.146–4.96 g mL^–1 of fenofibrate with a limit of detection of 0.025 g mL^–1. Validation parameters such as sensitivity, accuracy, precision, and recovery were evaluated. The proposed method was applied to the determination of fenofibrate in pharmaceutical formulations. The results were compared with those obtained by a published high-performance liquid chromatography method. No difference was found statistically.     

Determination of 6-amino-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxepan-5-ol by postcolumn derivatization witho-phthalaldehyde/2-mercapto-ethanol after ion-pair chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is discribed for the determination of 6-amino-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxepan-5-ol using Spherisorb ODS II stationary phase and mobile phase 30:70 (v/v) methanol: aqueous 1-octane sulfonic acid. Detection was fluorimetric following postcolumn derivatization with o-phthaladehyde/2-mercaptoethanol. The procedure was applied to the analysis of aqueous solutions and microcrystalline suspensions in liquid paraffin, prepared for investigation of the toxicological profile. The method was validated for selectivity, linearity of detector response, repeatability, limit of detection and quantitation. The HPLC method was selective. The instrumental limit of detection was 0.5 ng per injection (0.05 g mL^–1). The method detection limits were 0.5 g mL^–1 aqueous solution and 5 g mL^–1 liquid paraffin suspension, the quantitation limit 0.05 mg mL^–1 aqueous solution and 1.0 mg mL^–1 liquid paraffin. Linearity was within 0.94–47.1 g mL^–1. Intra-assay accuracy accounted for 99–100% in the range 0.05–226 mg mL^–1 aqueous solution, intra-assay precision for 2% (C.V.). For microcrystalline liquid paraffin suspensions with 1 and 250 mg mL^–1 99 and 109% was found for intra-assay accuracy. Intra-assay precision was 5% (C.V.). Reliable results over a wide concentration range can be obtained. The procedure is considered valid for determination of the analyte in aqueous solution or microcrystalline paraffin oil suspensions.     

Spectrofluorimetric flow-injection determination of cerium in carbon and low alloy steels

Cerium can be determined spectrofluorimetrically (_em 350 nm, _ex 260 nm) based on the relatively intense native fluorescence of the cerium(III) aquo-ion. The main potential interference in the analysis of steel from iron(III), cerium(IV) and chromium(VI) are removed by use of a carrier solution containing 2.5% w/v hydroxylammonium chloride. The slight residual interference from iron(II) can be corrected by a matrix matching factor linearly related to the amount of iron present. The calibration graphs are linear over the range 0–7 g ml^–1 based on 250 l injection volumes. The sampling rate was 30 h^–1. The relative standard deviation was 2.0% (n=5) at 3 g ml^–1 cerium. The system has been applied to the determination of cerium in carbon or low alloy steels.