Determination of operationally defined fractions of aluminium in reference materials and acid attacked environmental samples

The aim of the presented work is to evaluate the selectivity of the operationally defined procedures for the aluminium fractionation in the reference materials and the environmental samples affected by the mining activity. The combination of the sequential optimized BCR (European Commission Community Bureau of Reference) three-step, the single (H₂O, CaCl₂, Na₂S₂O₄, NH₄F, (NH₄)₂C₂O₄, HCl, NTA, EDTA, DTPA) and the solid phase chelating ion-exchange extraction procedures was performed for the aluminium fractionation in the samples. The amount of the reactive Al determined by the solid phase extraction on the chelating resin Iontosorb Salicyl is the most important operationally defined fraction of aluminium from the aspect of its negative effects on the environment. The available Al concentrations obtained from the different operationally defined fractionation methods were compared. The flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used for the aluminium quantification. The X-ray diffraction analyse of the samples was performed for the mineral composition determination.The precision, the repeatability and the accuracy for the all steps of the optimized BCR sequential extraction procedure were checked on six reference materials (SRM 2710, RSS SO-2, RSS SO-4, CRM SA-B, SRM RTH 912, CRM 025-050). The precision and the repeatability were very good with the R.S.D. values ≤11%. The fraction specific accuracy was excellent. The new indicative fractional Al values in the used reference materials are published.     

Free aluminium extraction from various reference materials and acid soils with relation to plant availability

The single extractions with 15 extractants (agents) (H₂O, KCl, NH₄Cl, NH₄F, CaCl₂, BaCl₂, CuCl₂, LaCl₃, Na₂S₂O₄, (NH₄)₂C₂O₄, Na₄P₂O₇, NTA, EDTA, DTPA, HCl), the optimised BCR (Community Bureau of Reference) three-step sequential extraction procedure (SEP) and the solid phase extraction (SPE) by the chelating ion-exchanger Iontosorb Salicyl (cellulose resin containing covalently bound salicylic acid functional groups) were used for the partitioning of Al in very acid soil samples taken from an area influenced by acid mine solutions. The precision, accuracy and repeatibility for all steps of the optimised BCR SEP were checked on the various reference materials (CRM 483 sewage sludge amended soil, CRM BCR 701 freshwater sediment, SRM 2710 and SRM 2711 Montana soils). Also the new indicative values of the optimised BCR SEP fractional Al concentrations were obtained for these reference materials. The aluminium amounts obtained by the used extraction procedures were valuated and discussed from the aspect of the Al concentration in the plants (grass) growing on the same studied soils. The aluminium toxicity indexes (ATI) calculated for the studied soils, the BaCl₂ and acetic acid soil extracts and the grass stems and roots were used for the assessment of the Al toxicity to the plants. The ATI value was defined as the ratio of the nutrient cations (Ca, Mg, K, Na) concentration sum to the Al concentration. The flame atomic absorption spectrometry (LOQ = 0.2 mg l⁻¹) and the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (LOQ = 0.03 mg l⁻¹) were used for the aluminium quantification.     

Experimental design approach for the solid-phase extraction of residual aluminium coagulants in treated waters

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) of trace elements before their analysis has become a conventional pretreatment step of analytes because of their frequent low concentrations in numerous samples. Additionally, interfering compounds often accompagny analytes of interest, thus requiring a clean-up step. The preconcentration step and/or matrix removal can be efficiently improved by chemometric approaches allowing obtention of reliable results. Single variable approach is often used but is time and cost consuming, and may be the source of mistakes; multivariable approach allows to overcome these problems and increases the probability of global optimum finding.In order to obtain a set of experimental conditions for the selective extraction of Al(III) in water samples, onto a modified organic support (salicylic acid grafted on XAD-4), a multicriteria approach (response surface methodology) has been applied. The extraction method was optimized by the aid of a factorial design and a uniform shell Doehlert design for six variables: sample percolation flow rate, trace metal amount, sample volume, concentration and volume of HCl used for elution of aluminium. Results demonstrate the synergic effects of four factors and allow us to define working ranges for each parameter tested. The designed SPE procedure was then sucessfully applied to synthetic and real samples, issued from a potable water treatment unit.     

Influence of Mobile Phase Gradients on the Retention and Separation of Peptides from a Cytochrome-c Digest by Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography

Eight new carbon adsorbents derived from polyimide copolymer of 4,4'-bis (maleimododiphenyl)methane and divinylbenzene (BM-DVB) were prepared using a variety of methods. The influence of carbonization, steam or phosphoric acid activation on chemical structure and texture of the carbons has been studied. Adsorption-desorption properties of the carbons were estimated based on recovery determinations for, phenol, its chlorinated derivatives and naphthalene from aqueous solution. The results showed that the best adsorption-desorption properties have polymer-based carbons obtained by high temperature steam activation.Revised: 13 February 2006 and 3 April 2006     

Synthesis and application of a highly efficient tetraester calix[4]arene based resin for the removal of Pb from aqueous environment

The present study describes the Pb²⁺ sorption potential of newly synthesized tetraester calix[4]arene (TC4) based resin from aqueous media. The TC4 resin was synthesized through diazotization reaction of TC4 with Amberlite XAD-4 in the presence of sodium nitrite in acidic medium. The TC4 resin was characterized by using different analytical techniques such as FT-IR, elemental analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Pb²⁺ removal ability of the resin from the aqueous environment has been evaluated by both batch adsorption as well as column studies. The experiments have been conducted involving the determination of effect of pH, adsorbate concentration, adsorbent dosage, contact time and temperature. Moreover, on the basis of kinetic studies, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetics were calculated. The thermodynamic parameters of lead adsorption were also calculated. Equation isotherms such as Langmuir (L), Freundlich (F), and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) were successfully used to model the experimental data. From the D-R isotherm parameters, it was considered that the uptake of Pb²⁺ by TC4 resin is ion exchange mechanism. From the results it has been found that the TC4 resin is a versatile adsorbent for the removal of Pb²⁺ from the aqueous environment. The study also confers its impact on human health, reinstate of polluted sites and other fields of material science.     

2-(4-羧基苯偶氮)苯并噻唑固相萃取分光光度法测定铂的研究

根据新试剂2-(4-羧基苯偶氮)苯并噻唑(CPABT)与铂的显色反应及C8固相萃取小柱对显色络合物的固相萃取,建立了一种测定痕量铂的新方法,在pH为3.8~5.5的乙酸-乙酸钠缓冲介质中,在Tween-80存在下,铂与CPABT发生反应形成1∶1的稳定络合物,该络合物可用C8固相萃取小柱富集,小柱上富集的络合物用二甲基甲酰胺洗脱后用分光光度法测定,在富集后的测定液中,络合物最大吸收波长为508 nm,摩尔吸光系数ε=2.29×105L.mol-1.cm-1,Pt4 量在0.1~1.2μg/mL内符合比尔定律,方法已用于测定催化剂中的铂。     

Solid phase extraction of zinc(II) using a PVC-based polymer inclusion membrane with di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) as the carrier

A polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) is reported consisting of 45% (m/m) di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) immobilized in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) for use as a solid phase absorbent for selectively extracting Zn(II) from aqueous solutions in the presence of Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Fe(II). Interference from Fe(III) in the sample is eliminated by precipitation with orthophosphate prior to the extraction of Zn(II). Studies using a dual compartment transport cell have shown that the Zn(II) flux (2.58 × 10⁻⁶ mol m⁻² s⁻¹) is comparable to that observed for supported liquid membranes. The stoichiometry of the extracted complex is shown to be ZnR₂·HR, where R is the D2EHPA anion.     

Study on the Solid Phase Extraction of Hg(II)‐ABR Chelate with C18 Disks and its Application to the Determination of Mercury in Tobacco and Tobacco Additives

A highly sensitive, selective and rapid method for the determination of mercury based on the rapid reaction of mercury(II) with 5‐(p‐aminobenzylidene)‐rhodanine (ABR) and the solid phase extraction of the colored chelate with C₁₈ disks has been developed. In the presence of pH = 3.5 sodium acetate‐acetic acid buffer solution and Emulsifier‐OP medium, ABR reacts with mercury(II) to form a red chelate of a molar ratio 1:2 (mercury to ABR). This chelate was enriched by the solid phase extraction with C₁₈ disks and eluted the retained chelate from the disks with dimethyl formamide (DMF). The enrichment factor of 50 was achieved. In the DMF medium, the molar absorptivity of the chelate is 1.16 × 10⁵ L.mol^?1.cm^?1 at 540 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0.01?3 μg/mL in the measured solution. The relative standard deviation for eleven replicated samples of 0.01 μg/mL level is 1.83%. This method was applied to the determination of mercury in tobacco and tobacco additives with good results.     

Synthesis of poly(propylene imine) dendrimers via homogeneous reduction process using lithium aluminium hydride: Bioconjugation with folic acid and doxorubicin release kinetics

The heterogeneous reduction process for synthesis of poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendrimer has been replaced by a novel and homogeneous process. Accordingly, to prepare half generations, acrylonitrile was added to amine groups via Michael addition reaction. Then, nitrile groups were reduced via homogeneous hydrogenation using lithium aluminium hydride to synthesize fifth‐generation PPI dendrimers with ethylenediamine core. Also, peripheral primary amine groups were conjugated with folic acid (FA). Fourier transform infrared and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies and gel permeation chromatograph y were used to prove the synthesis of the various structures. Finally fifth‐generation and FA‐conjugated fifth‐generation PPI dendrimers were loaded with doxorubicin and exposed to environments with different pH values to examine the release properties of the structures. Also, drug release kinetics was investigated by fitting experimental data with various release models. The synthesized dendritic structures showed Higuchi model release behaviour due to better solubility of drug in release media with respect to dendrimer cavities.     

Solid‐phase extraction using bis(indolyl)methane‐modified silica reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes for the simultaneous determination of flavonoids and aromatic organic acid preservatives

A novel bis(indolyl)methane‐modified silica reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes sorbent for solid‐phase extraction was designed and synthesized by chemical immobilization of nitro‐substituted 3,3′‐bis(indolyl)methane on silica modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis, the extraction properties of the sorbent were evaluated for flavonoids and aromatic organic acid compounds. Under optimum conditions, the sorbent can simultaneously extract five flavonoids and two aromatic organic acid preservatives in aqueous solutions in a single‐step solid‐phase extraction procedure. Wide linear ranges were obtained with correlation coefficients (R²) ranging from 0.9843 to 0.9976, and the limits of detection were in the range of 0.5–5 μg/L for the compounds tested. Compared with the silica modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes sorbent and the nitro‐substituted 3,3′‐bis(indolyl)methane‐modified silica sorbent, the developed sorbent exhibited higher extraction efficiency toward the selected analytes. The synergistic effect of nitro‐substituted 3,3′‐bis(indolyl)methane and multiwalled carbon nanotubes not only improved the surface‐to‐volume ratio but also enhanced multiple intermolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonds, π–π, and hydrophobic interactions, between the new sorbent and the selected analytes. The as‐established solid‐phase extraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of flavonoids and aromatic organic acid preservatives in grape juices with recoveries ranging from 83.9 to 112% for all the selected analytes.     

Sensitive determination of phenols in environmental water samples with SPE packed with bamboo carbon prior to HPLC

Bamboo carbon, an inexpensive, readily available material, has attracted great attention in recent years because of adsorptive properties. In this paper, the potential of bamboo carbon as a SPE adsorbent for the determination of phenols, was investigated. Phenols are important environmental contaminants that may adversely affect human health. Parameters influencing extraction efficiency, including type of eluent, eluent volume, amount of adsorbent, as well as sample pH, volume, and flow rate were investigated and optimized. The optimized results exhibited excellent linear relationships between peak area and phenol concentrations over the range of 2.0–100 ng/mL, with precision between 2.2–7.2%. The LODs were 0.06–0.4 ng/mL for the eight phenols tested. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the analysis of several real‐world environmental water samples. These results indicate that bamboo carbon may be used as a novel SPE adsorbent for the concentration and determination of phenols in real environmental water samples.     

固相萃取富集高效液相色谱法测定烟草及烟草添加剂中的重金属元素

报道用固相萃取富集,高效液相色谱法测定烟草及烟草添加剂中镍、铜、锡、铅、镉、汞的方法。样品用微波消化,消化液中的镍、铜、锡、铅、镉、汞用四-(对甲氧基苯基)-卟啉(T4MPP)柱前衍生．用C18固相萃取小柱萃取富集镍、铜、锡、铅、镉、汞的T4MPP络合物,然后用甲醇和四氢呋喃为流动相梯度洗脱,Waters Xterra^TMRP18色谱柱分离二极管阵列检测器检测。镍、铜、锡、铅、隔、汞的捡出限在2～4ng／L之间,方法相对标准偏差为1．8％～2．4％,加标回收率为96％～103％。     

The effect of glycolic acid monomer ratio on the emulsifying activity of PLGA in preparation of protein-loaded SLN

Our previous work demonstrated that lactic/glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA) was an efficient emulsifier for the primary w/o emulsion in the formulation of protein-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) by w/o/w double emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. In this work, the effect of PLGA composition on the emulsifying activity was studied with PLGA of different lactic/glycolic acid ratios (90/10, 75/25, 50/50). The results demonstrated that the glycolic acid monomer ratio significantly affected the emulsifying activity of PLGA. Increasing the glycolic acid monomer ratio from 10% to 50% decreased the minimum PLGA content needed to produce stable w/o emulsions. With same PLGA contents, increase of the glycolic acid monomer ratio increased the stable time of the w/o emulsion, yielded smaller and narrower-distributed SLN, and enhanced the encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity.     

多壁碳纳米管表面邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基)己酯印迹聚合物的制备及其在固相萃取中的应用

以苯基修饰的多壁碳纳米管为载体,邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基)己酯为模板分子,甲基丙烯酸为功能单体,乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂,在碳纳米管表面接枝一层塑化剂邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基)己酯印迹聚合层.采用红外光谱和扫描电镜对聚合物进行表征和分析.结果表明,在碳纳米管表面成功接枝一层20～30 nm厚的印迹聚合层.采用高效液相色谱研究该印迹聚合物的吸附性能,结果表明,碳纳米管分子印迹聚合物对邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基)己酯最大吸附量为69.1 μmol/g,达到吸附平衡时间约为60 min.选择性吸附实验表明,与其它结构类似物相比,该印迹复合材料对邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基)己酯有良好的识别能力.作为固相萃取材料装填于固相萃取柱中,该印迹聚合物能对芒果汁样品中塑化剂进行有效的分离和富集.     

Phenylboronic acid modified solid‐phase extraction column: Preparation,characterization, and application to the analysis of amino acids in sepia capsule by removing the maltose

Maltose, a common auxiliary material of pharmaceutical preparation, may disturb the analysis of total amino acids in sepia capsule by aldolization. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the maltose through a convenient method. In this work, a phenylboronic acid modified solid‐phase extraction column has been synthesized and used to remove the maltose. The materials were synthesized by one step “thiol‐ene” reaction and the parameters of the column such as absorption capacity, recovery, and absorption specificity have been investigated. The results showed the column (0.5 cm of length × 0.5 cm of inner diameter) can absorb 4.6 mg maltose with a linear absorption and absorption specificity. Then this technique was applied in the quantification of amino acids in sepia capsule. After the optimization of the method, four kinds of amino acids, which were the most abundant, were quantified by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The amounts of the four kinds of amino acids are 1.5～2 times more than that without the treatment of solid‐phase extraction column, which almost overcomes the influence of the maltose. All the results indicate that the phenylboronic acid modified solid‐phase extraction column can successfully help to accurately quantify the total amino acids in sepia capsule.     

Preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers based on magnetic nanoparticles for the selective extraction of protocatechuic acid from plant extracts

In this study, highly selective core–shell molecularly imprinted polymers on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles were prepared using protocatechuic acid as the template molecule. The resulting magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The binding performances of the prepared materials were evaluated by static and selective adsorption. The binding isotherms were obtained for protocatechuic acid and fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model and Freundlich isotherm model. Furthermore, the resulting materials were used as the solid‐phase extraction materials coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography for the selective extraction and detection of protocatechuic acid from the extracts of Homalomena occulta and Cynomorium songaricum with the recoveries in the range 86.3–102.2%.     

Approaches to the rational design of molecularly imprinted polymers

In our experience the efficient design of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIPs) for novel templates has proved difficult. Following commonly used imprinting protocols, MIPs designed against one template show both a lack of capacity and poor specificity for rebinding either the template or structurally similar analytes. Optimisation methods that involve changing one factor at a time can be laborious.A novel approach for the optimisation of MIPs using chemometrics is described. Sulfonamides, common drug residues in foodstuffs, were used as the model analytes with a methacrylic acid/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate MIP. To avoid the inaccuracies in measurement caused by template bleed a multi-analyte competition rebind assay was developed to select suitable sulfonamides to be used as the template for the MIP, and for the rebind analyte in the chemometric optimisation study. The rebinding efficiencies were monitored by HPLC. The template sulfonamide was selected as sulfamethazine (SMZ), and the rebind analyte as sulfadimethoxine (SDIM). The template:monomer:cross-linker (T:M:X) ratio of the SMZ block MIP was then optimised using a three-level full factorial design to predict a MIP with the highest rebind capacity. On synthesis this was 38.8% for SDIM in a solid phase extraction (SPE) application agreeing with the predication. The factorial design was further utilised to predict an optimum T:M:X ratio for the production of a class specific MIP, capable of binding a range of sulfonamides simultaneously. The predicted optimum T:M:X ratios of (1:10:55) and (1:10:10) were found to be different to commonly used ratios from the MIP literature.     

Facile synthesis of poly(ionic liquid)‐bonded magnetic nanospheres as a high‐performance sorbent for the pretreatment and determination of phenolic compounds in water samples

Poly(ionic liquid)‐bonded magnetic nanospheres were easily synthesized and applied to the pretreatment and determination of phenolic compounds in water samples, which have detrimental effects on water quality and the health of living beings. The high affinity of poly(ionic liquid)s toward the target compounds as well as the magnetic behavior of Fe₃O₄ were combined in this material to provide an efficient and simple magnetic solid‐phase extraction approach. The adsorption behavior of the poly(ionic liquid)‐bonded magnetic nanospheres was examined to optimize the synthesis. Different parameters affecting the magnetic solid‐phase extraction of phenolic compounds were assessed in terms of adsorption and recovery. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed method showed excellent detection sensitivity with limits of detection in the range of 0.3–0.8 ng/mL and precision in the range of 1.2–3.3%. This method was also applied successfully to the analysis of real water samples; good spiked recoveries over the range of 82.5–99.2% were obtained.     

Pulverized Banana Peel as an Economical Sorbent for the Preconcentration of Metals

A procedure for the determination of trace levels of Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using a column preconcentration system is described in which the metals were adsorbed on pulverized banana peel, an economically and environmentally acceptable sorbent. In the optimization procedure, five variables (sample pH, mass of biosorbent, type of eluent, sample flow rate, and volume) were optimized and the capacity of the biosorbent was established. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits of the method were 2.4, 27.0, 49.4, 31.1, 6.7, 29.6, and 46.2 µg L^?1 for Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb, respectively. The precision, expressed as relative standard deviation, was less than 4% based on twelve measurements. The recoveries were 81.1% (Cd), 91.4% (Co), 87.2% (Cr), 90.1% (Fe), 88.0% (Mn), 94.1% (Ni), and 93.2% (Pb) under the optimum conditions (pH; 9, sample flow rate; 3 mL min^?1, mass of biosorbent; 200 mg; eluent; 1 mol L^?1 nitric acid, preconcentration factor; 10). The sorption capacity of pulverized banana peel was 15.12, 28.85, 32.70, 30.44, 30.94, 28.97, and 8.21 µmol per gram of adsorbent for Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb, respectively.     

Post-column detection of benzenediols and 1,2,4-benzenetriol based on acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence

Based on the sensitizing effect of formic acid on the chemiluminescence (CL) reaction of polyhydroxylbenzenes with acidified potassium permanganate and the combination technique of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a sensitive, selective and simple post-column CL detection method for simultaneously determining catechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone and 1,2,4-benzenetriol is described. The optimal conditions for the CL detection and HPLC separation were carried out. The linear ranges were: 6.0 × 10⁻³-1.5 mg/L for hydroquinone, 8.0 × 10⁻³-1.5 mg/L for 1,2,4-benzenetriol, 1.0 × 10⁻²-2.0 mg/L for resorcinol and 1.0 × 10⁻²-2.5 mg/L for catechol, respectively. The detection limits are: 3.2 × 10⁻³ mg/L for hydroquinone, 3.9 × 10⁻³ mg/L for 1,2,4-benzenetriol, 4.7 × 10⁻³ mg/L for resorcinol and 5.2 × 10⁻³ mg/L for catechol, respectively. Combining with solid phase extraction, the proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of the polyhydroxylbenzenes in river water. The recoveries for three benzentriols were 92.1-95.4% and 82.0% for 1,2,4-benzenetriol, respectively.