Efficacy of glutaraldehyde disinfectant against Cryptosporidium parvum in the presence of various organic soils

The opportunistic protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum is highly resistant to disinfectants, including those specifically used for processing reused medical equipment in hospitals. C. parvum oocysts were dried onto glass and steel grooved penicylinders and challenged with 2.5% glutaraldehyde solution in the presence of 3 types of soil with exposures at 10 min, 90 min, and 10 h. The influence of organic soils on disinfection was measured with 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 10% FBS, and 5 mg mucin/mL. An in vitro excystation procedure and cell culture infection assay were used to determine survivability of oocysts after the germicide challenge. In the presence of organic soil, all oocysts removed from carriers excysted and infected cell monolayers after all germicide contact times. However, excystation was observed only from oocysts that received no protection from organic soil after 10 h exposure. In these samples, no infection was observed in the cell monolayers. The results of this research demonstrate the importance of thorough cleaning of medical equipment before disinfection.     

Improvement of a monitoring tape for nitrogen dioxide in air

A porous cellulose tape containing a silica gel that was previously impregnated with a processing solution containing p-toluenesulfonic acid, sulfanilic acid, N-1-naphthyl ethylene diamine dihydrochloride, ethylene glycol and methanol has been developed to provide a highly sensitive detection of nitrogen dioxide in air. When the sample including nitrogen dioxide was passed through the tape, the color of tape changed to red, and the degree of color change could be recorded by measuring the intensity of reflecting light (555 nm). The calibration graph was linear up to approximately 0.10 ppm. The detection limit was 0.5 ppb for nitrogen dioxide with a sampling time of 8 min and a flow rate of 60 ml min(-1). No interferences were observed from ammonia (40 ppm), sulfur dioxide (51 ppm), carbon dioxide (21%), ozone (0.75 ppm), hydrogen sulfide (27 ppm) or nitrogen monoxide (99 ppm).     

Studies on Oxidants' Generation in a Foaming Column with a Needle to Dielectric Covered Plate Electrode

The generation of oxidative products in the newly investigated foaming system was improved by a discharge between a high voltage multineedle electrode and a dielectric covered plate electrode. A uniformity of the discharge was observed. The presence of alumina dielectric seems to be responsible of the homogenous spatial distribution of the discharge. The absolute power and energy of the discharge was determined. Besides, in larger gap space the foam quality was improved.This way of oxidant's generation, which might be prospective for the treatment of exhaust gas and wastewater, has not been investigated by the other researchers' groups as yet. During the laboratory test 875 ppm of gaseous ozone, 0.5 mg/l of dissolved ozone and 62 mg/l of hydrogen peroxide was obtained at 14 kV of applied voltage and 5 l/min of oxygen gas flow in the present configuration used for the discharge generation. The average yield of gaseous ozone production ranged 55 gO₃/kWh.     

Miniaturized measurement system for ammonia in air

The development of a miniaturized ammonia sensor made using microsystem technology is described. Gas is sampled in a sampler comprising two opposite channels separated by a gas permeable, water repellent polypropylene membrane. Subsequently, the acid sample solution is pumped into a selector where an alkaline solution is added to ionize all sampled ambient acid gasses, resulting in an enhanced selectivity. In the selector, the ammonia can diffuse through a second membrane into a purified water stream where an electrolyte conductivity sensor quantifies the resulting ammonium concentration. The realized system is shown to be selective enough not to be influenced by normal ambient carbon dioxide concentrations. Experiments with a gas flow of 3 ml/min, containing ammonia concentrations ranging from 9.8 to 0.3 ppm in a nitrogen carrier flow, into a 15 μl/min sample solution flow and finally into a 5 μl/min purified water stream have been carried out and show that the system is sensitive to ammonia concentration below 1 ppm.     

Enumeration of Cryptosporidium spp. in water with US EPA method 1622, USA

The occurrence of Cryptosporidium parvum or other pathogenic Cryptosporidium species in water must be known in order to assess risk and determine the treatment needed to reduce Cryptosporidium oocysts to acceptable levels in finished drinking water. Because Cryptosporidium oocyst occurrence may be sparse, methods must concentrate a large volume of water and correctly identify oocysts in the concentrate. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Information Collection Rule (ICR) protozoan method gives low and variable recoveries of Cryptosporidium oocysts, making risk assessment difficult. Therefore, a method giving better oocyst recovery and more consistent results was needed. Method 1622 was developed with existing materials and procedures, and improvements were made in filtration, cleanup, and detection. Absolute porosity filters were used, with cleanup by immunomagnetic separation and detection by direct fluorescent antibody stain with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining for additional cell structures. Both the level and consistency of oocyst recovery were improved compared to recovery with the ICR method.     

Rapid Determination of HAAs Formation Potential of the Reaction of Humic Acid with Chlorine or Chlorine Dioxide

On the basis of gas chromatography(GC) coupled with a short capillary column and an electron capture detector(ECD), a simple and rapid method for the determination of five haloacetic acids(HAAs) in drinking water was developed by the optimization of derivation conditions and the modification of gas chromatographic program. HAAs formation potential(HAAFP) of the reaction of humic acid with chlorine was determined via this method. The major advantages of the method are the simplicity of chromatographic temperature program and the short run time of GC. Dichloroacetic acid(DCAA) and Trichloroacetic acid(TCAA), which were detected in the determination of HAAFP, were rapidly formed in the first 72 h of the reaction of humic acid with chlorine. HAAFP of the reaction of humic acid with chlorine increased with the increase in the concentrations of humic acid and chlorine. The average HAAFP of the reaction of humic acid with chlorine was 39.9 μg/mg TOC under the experimental conditions. When the concentration of humic acid was 4 mg/L, the concentration of HAAs, which were produced in the reaction of humic acid with chorine, may exceed MCL of 60 μg/L HAAs as the water quality standards for urban water supply of China and the first stage of US EPA disinfection/disinfection by-products(D/DBP) rule; when the concentration of humic acid was 2 mg/L, the concentration of HAAs may exceed MCL of 30 μg/L HAAs for the second stage of US EPA D/DBP rule. When humic acid was reacted with chlorine dioxide, only DCAA was detected with a maximum concentration of 3.3 μg/L at a humic acid content of 6 mg/L. It was demonstrated that the substitution of chlorine dioxide for chorine may entirely or partly control the formation of HAAs and effectively reduce the health risk associated with disinfected drinking water.     

A Miniaturized Carbon Black‐based Electrochemical Sensor for Chlorine Dioxide Detection in Swimming Pool Water

The recent trend of using sustainable disinfectants in water treatment sector boosted the employment of chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) as green disinfectant. Indeed, this disinfectant is characterised by several attractive features such as the working capability in a wide range of pH and the absence of harmful by‐products. These characteristics confer to chlorine dioxide a prominent position between the disinfectants, thus analytical tools for on‐site detection are needed to customize the water treatment. Herein, we described the development of an innovative and cost‐effective carbon black modified screen‐printed electrode for amperometric quantification of chlorine dioxide in standard solution and in swimming pool water. The carbon black as working electrode nanomodifier allowed for the detection of chlorine dioxide at low applied potential, with linear range of 0.05–20 ppm, and a detection limit of 0.01 ppm. The matrix effect evaluation as well as the recovery study demonstrated the capability of this sensor for a cost‐effective detection of chlorine dioxide in swimming pool water, paving the way for the use of miniaturised electrochemical sensors in water treatment field.     

High resolution spectrophotometry for identification of chlorine dioxide in concentrated chlorine solutions

Electrolyzed salt brine generators hold great promise for water disinfection in small communities and remote locations. Electrolysis cell liquors have been reported to contain chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone. High resolution spectrophotometry was used to observe the presence (or absence) of a unique spectral absorbance pattern present in solutions containing 1-2 mg/l chlorine dioxide.     

Continuous flow determination of nitrite with membrane separation/chemiluminescence detection

A method for the determination of nitrite in water utilizing a membrane separation process and a chemiluminescence detector, with the addition of air-stripping and air-carrier, is proposed. The microporous poly(tetrafluoroethylene) tube was used as separator to transfer nitric oxide (reduced by iodine in acidic media) into a gas phase. Air-stripping was used to enhance the separation. Chemiluminescence signals produced from the reaction of nitric oxide with ozone were linearly proportional to the concentration of nitrite from 10 ppb (micrograms as N/L) to 5 ppm (mg N/L). The relative standard deviation (n = 5) was 0.7% at 0.1 ppm. The time elapse from starting the sample flow until the signal reached a stable level was 1.5 min.     

Development and validation of LC–QTOF–MS/MS method for the identification and determination of low levels of a genotoxic impurity, 4,6-dichloro-5-nitro-2-(propylthio)pyrimidine in ticagrelor API

The foremost objective of the present study was to develop and validate a new LC–QTOF–MS/MS method for the identification and quantitative determination of 4,6-dichloro-5-nitro-2-(propylthio)pyrimidine (DPP) genotoxic impurity through the derivatization process in ticagrelor active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Owing to the low response of DPP at the specification level, DPP was converted to 4,6-dibenzylamino-5-nitro-2-(propylthio)pyrimidine (DPP derivative) by addition of benzyl amine, then analyzed using mass spectrometry with a time-of-flight analyzer, and good separation was accomplished under the experimental conditions described. The effective separation of DPP derivative was achieved using an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ reverse-phase column (100 × 4.6 mm × 1.7 μm) with an isocratic program with mobile phase A as 0.1% formic acid in milli Q water and mobile phase B as acetonitrile in the ratio of 20:80 v/v. The flow rate was maintained as 0.4 ml/min, the injection volume was 2 μl, the autosampler temperature was 5°C, the column oven temperature was ambient and the run time was 6.0 min. The diluent used was 0.2% benzyl amine in water and acetonitrile in the ratio of 30:70 v/v. The retention time of the DPP derivative was 2.87 min. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.03 and 0.08 ppm, respectively. The DPP derivative was linear from 1.68 to 12.78 ppm with R² of 0.9958. Thus, the developed method is valid for the identification and quantitative determination of DPP derivative in ticagrelor API.     

Microcoulometric determination of total inorganic and organic sulfur in trace amounts in waters

Sulfur and its compounds are converted to sulfur dioxide which is titrated microcoulometrically. Complete volatilization of inorganic sulfur is effected by adding a little phosphoric acid to the samples; metals are thus converted to their stable phosphate salts. The limit of detection is about 0.1 ppm based on a 25-μl sample. An analysis requires 4–5 min. The only interference arises from > 100 ppm halogen contents.     

Development of a monitoring tape for phosgene in air

A porous cellulose tape impregnated with a processing solution that includes 4-p-nitroben-zylpyridine, N-benzylaniline and methanol is a highly sensitive means of detecting phosgene and maintains stable sensitivity for at least three months in air in a desiccator. When the sample including phosgene was passed through the tape, the color of tape changed to red. The degree of color change was proportional to the concentration of phosgene at a constant sampling time and flow rate. The degree of color change could be recorded by measuring the intensity of reflecting light (555 nm). The detection limit was 6 ppb for phosgene with a sampling time of 60 sec and a flow rate of 400 ml/min. Reproducibility tests showed that the relative standard deviation of response (n = 10) was 2.6% for 0.2 ppm phosgene. No interference was observed from ethanol (1 vol.%), trichloroethylene (1 vol.%), acetone (1 vol.%), carbon dioxide (4.9 vol.%), carbon monoxide (100 ppm), nitrogen dioxide (100 ppm), sulfur dioxide (50 ppm), hydrogen chloride gas (5 ppm), chlorine (3 ppm), acetic acid gas (24 ppm), ammonia (40 ppm), or benzyl chloride (20 ppm).     

Ion Chromatography for Rapid and Sensitive Determination of Total Chlorine in Water

In this article, we report a new method that involves adsorption, oxygen bomb combustion, and ion chromatography for the preconcentration and determination of adsorbable organic halogen. This method can be divided into four steps, including: macroporous resin adsorption enrichment, optimization, oxygen bomb combustion, and ion chromatography determination. The project studies the macroporous resin adsorb organic halide pollutants and subsequent burn by an oxygen bomb combustion analyzer. The organic halogen in the aerobic environment combusts into hydrogen chloride. The water absorbing hydrogen chloride was then determined by ion chromatography. The influences of some adsorption and combustion parameters, such as the adsorption time, adsorption solution volume, solution pH, hexachlorobenzene acid concentration, combustion oxygen pressure, among others, on their respective adsorption efficiency were investigated. In the optimal condition, the adsorption time was 3.5 h; solution volume was 20 mL; pH was 4; combustion absorption time was 15 min; and the chloride calibration working range was from 1 ppm to 20 ppm (R ²  = 0.9998). Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of organic halogen in water samples. The recoveries of chlorine (at spiked concentrations of 10 ppm and 20 ppm into water) in real samples ranged from 92.2% to 101.0%. Intra-day precision (N = 3) in terms of peak area, expressed as relative standard deviation, was found to be within the range of 0.68%–1.97%.     

Determination of thiazolidine-4-carboxylates in urine by chloroformate derivatization and gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectrometry

The derivatization method of thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (TZCA) and methyl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (Me-TZCA) in urine with alcohol/chloroformate was achieved. TZCA and Me-TZCA were derivatized in one step in urine with ethyl chloroformate in 1 min at room temperature. The derivatives of TZCA and Me-TZCA had very good chromatographic properties and offered very sensitive response for gas chromatography-electron impact ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-EI-MS). On the basis of derivatization, the method for simultaneous determination of TZCA and Me-TZCA in human urine was developed. Deuterated Me-TZCA (Me-TZCA-d(4)) was synthesized as the internal standard (IS) for the analysis of urine samples. TZCA and Me-TZCA were derivatized and extracted from urine at pH 9.5 with toluene, and then the dried extract was dissolved with 100 microl ethyl acetate and injected in GC/MS system. The recoveries of TZCA and Me-TZCA were about 102 and 103%, respectively, at the concentration of 0.05 mg/l. The method detection limits (MDL) were 1.0 and 0.5 microg/l, respectively, for TZCA and Me-TZCA in 1 ml human urine. The coefficients of variation of TZCA and Me-TZCA were less than 6% at the concentrations of 0.05 and 0.2 mg/l, respectively. To assess the formation of TZCA during inhalation with formaldehyde (FA) (about 3.1 and 38.1 ppm FA in air), urine samples from rats were taken during 3 days after initiation of treatment. The mean amount of TZCA determined was 0.07 mg/l in control group and 0.18 mg/l during treatment with 3.1 ppm. The TZCA levels increased up to about 1.01 mg/l during treatment with 38.1 ppm. It is planned to study whether urinary TZCA can be used as an indicator in the biological monitoring of exposure to FA.     

The use of chlorophenol red for the selective determination of chlorine dioxide in drinking water

In recent years, the use of chlorine dioxide as an alternative disinfectant for drinking water has become increasingly attractive. As a result, an accurate method for the determination of mg l(-1) concentrations of chlorine dioxide is needed. Improvements to chlorophenol red (CPR) spectrophotometry result in a selective method for ClO(2) with few interferences. CPR selectively reacts with 0.1-1.9 mg l(-1) ClO(2) at pH 7, yielding a linear response (0.9994) with a limit of detection of 0.12 mg l(-1) ClO(2). Several species, ClO(2)(-), ClO(3)(-), NH(2)Cl, and free available chlorine (FAC), were studied as potential interferents using this method. There was found to be less than 2% interference due to 1.38 mg l(-1) ClO(2)(-), 9.87 mg l(-1) ClO(3)(-1), and 5.31 mg l(-1) NH(2)Cl. The interference from up to 1.19 mg l(-1) FAC was 3.7% and could be further reduced by the addition of oxalic acid, sodium cyclamate or thioacetamide.     

Simple and Simultaneous Determination of Free Chlorine, Free Bromine and Ozone in Water by LC

A simple liquid chromatographic method has been established for the simultaneous determination of free chlorine, free bromine, and ozone generated in electrical discharges. The method is based on the formation of organic derivatives, 4-halo-2,6-dimethylphenols with 2,6-dimethylphenol (2,6-DMP). The direct substitution reaction between halogens and 2,6-DMP was used for the determination of free chlorine, free bromine and ozone in water. For the determination of ozone, iodide was added 5 min after the addition of 2,6-DMP. The detection limits were about 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 μg L^?1 for hypochlorite, hypobromite and ozone, respectively. The method was very simple and reproducible enough to permit the simultaneous analysis of each disinfectant in surface water or sea water in the presence of the mixture of disinfectants.     

An optical waveguide acid vapor sensor

An optical waveguide sensor for the detection of acid vapors is described. The chemically sensitive reagent coating consists of bromothymol blue indicator suspended in a Nafion polymer film. The sensor uses a 562 nm LED source and a phototransistor detector. Response to hydrochloric acid and hydrogen sulphide vapours is both rapid and reversible, with an estimated detection limit for hydrogen sulphide of less than 15 ppm. The sensors exhibits generalized response to protonic acid vapours, but does not produce an indicator response to carbon dioxide, even at large concentrations (1100 mg/l.) in the presence of water vapor. The sensor exhibits a systematic interference from water vapor which may be corrected by a different approach, either using a reference sensor (Nafion/no indicator) or by monitoring sensor response at two wavelengths.     

Application of liquid chromatography to the simultaneous determination of acetylsalicylic acid, caffeine, codeine, paracetamol, pyridoxine, and thiamine in pharmaceutical preparations.

This paper describes a rapid reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method, with UV detection, for the simultaneous determination of acetylsalicylic acid, caffeine, codeine, paracetamol, pyridoxine, and thiamine in pharmaceutical preparations. A reversed-phase C18 Nucleosil column is used. The mobile phase consists of 2 successive eluants: water (5 min) and acetonitrile-water (75 + 25, v/v; 9 min), both adjusted to pH 2.1 with phosphoric acid. Before determination acetylsalicylic acid is completely converted to salicylic acid by alkaline hydrolysis. Salicylic acid, caffeine, paracetamol, pyridoxine, and thiamine are all detected at 285 nm, whereas codeine is detected at 240 nm. Calibration curves were linear for salicylic acid, caffeine, paracetamol, and pyridoxine in the range of 50-500 mg/L, and for codeine and thiamine in the range of 50-1000 mg/L. The method was applied to the analysis of 13 fortified commercial pharmaceutical preparations. Recoveries ranged from 92.6 to 105.5%, with relative standard deviations of 1.1-5.8%.     

顶空气相色谱法测定杏脯中二氧化硫

建立顶空气相色谱测定杏脯中二氧化硫残留的方法,探讨了气液体积比、加酸量、平衡温度和平衡时间对检测结果的影响。向450 mL顶空瓶内加入5 g样品、10 g石蜡、200 mL水及25 mL盐酸溶液,于75℃平衡20 min后放至室温,抽取0.5 mL顶空气体进行定性定量分析检测。该方法标准工作曲线线性相关系数r~2为0.992,检出限和定量限分别为0.1,1.0 mg/kg,测定结果的相对标准偏差为1.9%~3.2%(n=6),样品加标回收率为89.4%~94.3%。该法操作简便、快捷,灵敏度高,人为误差小,满足杏脯中二氧化硫残留的批量检测要求。     

Ozone generation on the lead dioxide electrodes in a sulfuric acid solution at potentials of 2 to 3 V

The electrochemical synthesis of ozone is studied on lead dioxide electrodes in sulfuric acid solutions. The two maximums of the current efficiency for ozone (CEO) observed at 2–3.5 V are largely due to the participation of various chemisorbed particles in the ozone synthesis. In the vicinity of the first CEO maximum at lead dioxide, ozone forms only in a discharge of water molecules with the participation of adsorbed oxygen-containing radicals. In the potential range of the second maximum, the adsorbed anion radicals, e.g., ·HSO₄ and ·SO₄, also take part in the reaction of ozone generation. At the electrode not subjected to anodic polarization, CEO is considerably higher than that on the preliminarily polarized electrode. On the basis of the experimental data, schemes for the ozone evolution at PbO₂ in sulfuric acid at 2 to 3 V are proposed.