Automated stand-alone flow injection immunoanalysis system for the determination of cephalexin in milk

A fully automated stand-alone flow injection immunoanalysis (FIIA) device for the determination of cephalexin in milk is developed with a main focus on the investigation of the influence of the sample matrix. The system is based on principles of flow-through immunoassays and on sequential addition of the assay components to an immunoreactor. Protein G is immobilised on the surface of the immunoreactor serving as affinity matrix for the polyclonal anti-cephalexin antibodies. A cephalexin-alkaline phosphatase conjugate is mixed with the analyte-containing sample and binds in a competitve manner to the corresponding antibodies in the immunoreactor. After substrate addition enzymatically generated p-aminophenol is detected at a carbon electrode at +150 mV vs. Ag/AgCl. One assay cycle takes 16 min including regeneration of the immunoreactor. The large excess of protein G allows for more than 150 regenerations without significant loss of signal height. Due to the high specificity of the anti-cephalexin antibodies, other beta-lactam antibiotics like penicillin, amoxicillin and cloxacillin do not interfere in the measurements, even when added at 10 mg l-1. To deactivate alkaline phosphatase present in milk, samples are heat-treated for 3 min prior to measurements. Cephalexin recoveries from two milk samples are 90 and 110%. The detection limit in milk is 1 microgram l-1 (mean relative standard deviation of 3%), less than the maximum residue level of 4 micrograms per kg milk fixed for some beta-lactam antibiotics in the European Union. The device is suitable for fast quantitative data generation from consecutively measured samples and thus adds to analytical screening methods.     

A compact portable flow analysis system for the rapid determination of total phosphorus in estuarine and marine waters

The development and evaluation of a portable flow analysis system for the in situ determination of total phosphorus is described. The system has been designed with rapid underway monitoring in mind. The system employs an ultra-violet photo-reactor and thermal heating for peroxodisulfate digestion of total phosphorus to orthophosphate, followed by spectrophotometric detection with a multi-reflective flow cell and low-power light emitting diode using the molybdenum blue method. Reagents are stored under gas pressure and delivered using software controlled miniature solenoid valves. The fully automated system has a throughput of 115 measurements per hour, a detection limit of 1 μg P L⁻¹, and gives a linear response over the calibration range of 0-200 μg P L⁻¹ (r² = 0.9998), with a precision of 4.6% RSD at 100 μg P L⁻¹ (n = 10). Field validation of the instrument and method was performed in Port Philip and Western Port Bays in Victoria, SE Australia, where 2499 analyses were performed over a 25 h period, over a cruise path of 285 km. Good agreement was observed between determinations of samples taken manually and analysed in the laboratory and those measured in situ with the flow analysis system.     

A continuous flow system design for simultaneous determination of heavy metals in river water samples

A new design of a continuous flow system applied to the simultaneous determination of the concentration of zinc(II), cadmium(II), lead(II), copper(II), nickel(II), cobalt(II) and chromium(VI) in river water is described. A flow cell made in the laboratory, which has been patented, based on a 'wall-jet' configuration with a three-electrode system is described. Optimum conditions for the determination of the metal ions are reported. The detection limits and relative standard deviation values were 4.01x10(-9) M and 0.078 for Zn(II), 1.76x10(-10) M and 0.056 for Cd(II), 4.69x10(-10) M and 0.134 for Pb(II), 2.29x10(-10) M and 0.138 for Cu(II), 1.61x10(-9) M and 0.093 for Ni(II), 1.91x10(-9) M and 0.113 for Co(II), and 1.35x10(-9) M and 0.081 for Cr(VI). The procedure was applied to a sample of water from the Arlanzón river and the results were compared with inductively coupled mass plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS) as reference method. The final aim of this work is to design a flow system, which can be automated.     

A miniaturized FIA system for the determination of residual chlorine in environmental water samples.

The present study was aimed at developing a portable miniaturized FIA system with a two-electrode based amperometric detector for on-site monitoring of residual chlorine in environmental samples. The electrode potential control and current data collection were conducted with a home-designed potentiostat with a size of 150 x 100 x 40 mm and the weight of 350 g. It was confirmed that the amperometric response increased in proportion to the chlorine concentration up to 5 microg/ml, and the detection limit for chlorine was 0.05 microg/ml. Besides a drastic reduction in the size of the analytical system, such miniaturization achieved the advantages of increased speed, minimal mobile-phase consumption, and high sensitivity. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of residual chlorine in samples of pool water and tap water. The results were well agreed with those obtained by the N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD) photometric method.     

A continuous flow system combined with a sensing fluorimetric transductor for the determination of β-naphthol

A single automatic method for continuous flow determination of β-naphthol based on the enhancement of its native fluorescence once the analyte was transitorily retained on-line on a solid support (QAE A-25 resin) is reported. So, a flow-through optosensor was developed using a flow-injection analysis system with solid phase fluorimetric transduction. KCl (0.15 mol l⁻¹) at pH 12.0 was used as carrier solution. To obtain the optimum fluorescence signal the wavelengths chosen were 245 nm (excitation) and 420 nm (emission). The response of the sensor was directly proportional to the sample volume injected in the studied range 40-1500 μl. Approximately one higher order of magnitude is achieved in sensitivity when 1500 μl are used with respect to the use of 40 μl of sample. The sensor was calibrated for three different injection volumes: 40, 600 and 1500 μl, responding linearly in the measuring range of 2-60, 0.5-15 and 0.2-5 μg l⁻¹ with detection limits of 0.5, 0.09 and 0.05 μg l⁻¹, respectively. The relative standard deviation for ten independent determination is 0.6% (40 μl), 0.9% (600 μl) and 2.3% (1500 μl). A recovery study was performed onto three different spiked water samples at concentration levels from 1 to 2.5 μg l⁻¹ and the recovery percentage from the experimental data ranged between 101±2 and 105±5.     

A catalytic method for the determination of trace osmium in continuous flow and flow injection systems

A procedure has been developed for the determining osmium using a catalytic indicator reaction of arsenic(III) oxidation with potassium bromate and neutral red in continuous flow and flow injection systems. The possibilities of the flow systems have been compared on an example of the proposed reaction, and the regularities of this reaction conducted in different flow systems have been revealed. Recommendations on the choice of the optimal variant of the flow system are given. The accuracy of the procedure has been confirmed by the results of determining osmium in a State Reference Sample.     

An improved analytical method for the determination of urea nitrogen isotopomers in biological samples utilizing continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry

Over the past few years numerous dual inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) applications have been adapted to continuous flow systems which allow the automation of sample admission and a higher throughput. The isotopomer analysis of urea nitrogen by IRMS requires the offline conversion of urea into nitrogen gas before analysis. The oxidation of urea with LiOBr results in the monomolecular degradation of urea, which preserves the identity of the parent urea molecule, and has to be conducted under vacuum to prevent contamination with atmospheric nitrogen. We have developed an offline system of urea degradation utilizing disposable Exetainers, in which atmospheric nitrogen is displaced by helium. Recovery of urea nitrogen was linear within the range of the standards tested (0 to 420 microg nitrogen) and standard curves for 15N15N-urea standards showed high coefficients of determination (R2 > 0.9998). A small portion of urea degrades in a non-monomolecular fashion and has been shown to depend on the concentration of urea in the sample. Long-term storage of prepared samples showed a decline in 15N15N enrichment, suggesting air contamination. However, samples were stable for 24 h, which allows for the analysis of large sample batches. Interest in urea metabolism, particularly in ruminant species, has increased recently due to the environmental implications of urea and nitrogen excretion by farm animals. This novel analytical method will allow for accurate measurements and the rapid throughput needed in order to support these field studies.     

A flow injection chemiluminescence system for the determination of isoniazid

A chemiluminescence (CL) flow system is described for the determination of isoniazid based on its enhancement on the chemiluminescence (CL) emission produced upon mixing a hexacyanoferrate(III) solution with an alkaline luminol solution. The system responds linearly to isoniazid concentration in the range 0–1 mg/L with a detection limit (3σ) of 0.03 μg/L, relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.2% for 0.1 mg/L isoniazid (n = 11). The system has been successfully applied to the determination of isoniazid in pharmaceutical preparations.     

A windowless flow cell-based miniaturized fluorescence detector for capillary flow systems

A miniaturized fluorescence detector utilizing a three-dimensional windowless flow cell has been constructed and evaluated. The inlet and outlet liquid channels are collinear and are located in the same plane as the excitation paths, while the optical fiber used to collect the emission light is perpendicular to this plane. The straightforward arrangement of the flow path minimizes band dispersion and eliminates bubble formation or accumulation inside the cell. The use of high-brightness light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the excitation source and a miniaturized metal package photomultiplier tube (PMT) results in a compact and sensitive fluorescence detector. The detection limit obtained from the system for fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) in flow injection mode is 2.6 nmol/L. The analysis of riboflavin and FITC by packed capillary liquid chromatography is demonstrated.      

A flow injection chemiluminescence system for the determination of isoniazid

A chemiluminescence (CL) flow system is described for the determination of isoniazid based on its enhancement on the chemiluminescence (CL) emission produced upon mixing a hexacyanoferrate(III) solution with an alkaline luminol solution. The system responds linearly to isoniazid concentration in the range 0-1 mg/L with a detection limit (3sigma) of 0.03 microg/L, relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.2% for 0.1 mg/L isoniazid (n = 11). The system has been successfully applied to the determination of isoniazid in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Indirect determination of cyclamate by an on-line continuous precipitation-dissolution flow system

A continuous-flow procedure is proposed for the indirect determination of sodium cyclamate by an atomic absorption spectrometric method in artificial sweeteners mixtures and soft drinks. Sulfamic group is oxidized to sulfate and it is continuously precipited with lead ion in a flow manifold. The lead sulfate formed is retained on a filter, washed with diluted ethanol and dissolved in ammonium acetate for on-line atomic absorption determination of lead, the amount of which in the precipitate is proportional to that of cyclamate in the sample. The proposed method allows the determination of sodium cyclamate in the range 1–90 μg ml⁻¹ with a relative standard deviation of 3.1% at a rate of ca. 35 samples per h. The 3σ detection limit is 0.25 μg ml⁻¹. The method is very selective, no compounds normally found in the analysed samples and other artificial sweeteners had any effect on the determination of cyclamate.     

Rapid, miniaturized procedure for the stopped-flow determination of glucose based on flow injection analysis

Summary An improved stopped-flow flow injection procedure combined with the batch technique has been developed and applied to the determination of glucose. In this procedure a detector is inserted in the middle of the sample loop of a 6-way injection valve in the carrier. Therefore, an additional apparatus or function is not needed except a usual 6-way injection valve. Analytical parameters for the determination of glucose were investigated and glucose in serum samples was determined with fairly good success (relative standard deviation 2.17%).

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Rasches, miniaturisiertes Stopped-Flow-Verfahren zur Glucosebestimmung mit Hilfe der Fließinjektions-Analyse

     

A compact flow injection analysis system for surface mapping of phosphate in marine waters

The design, construction and validation of a compact, portable flow injection analysis (FIA) instrument for underway analysis of phosphate in marine waters is described. This portable system employs gas pressure for reagent propulsion and computer controlled miniature solenoid valves for precise injection of multiple reagents into a flowing stream of filtered sample. A multi-reflection flow cell with a solid state LED photometer is used to detect filterable reactive phosphate (0.2 mum) as phosphomolybdenum blue. All the components are computer controlled using software developed using the Labviewtrade mark graphical programming language. The system has the capacity for sample throughput of up to 380 phosphate analyses per hour, but in the mode described here was operated at 225 analyses per hour. Under these conditions, the system exhibited a detection limit of 0.15 muM, reproducibility of 1.95 % RSD (n=9) and a linear response (r(2)=0.9992) when calibrated in the field with standards in the range 0.81-3.23 muM. The system was evaluated for the mapping of phosphate concentrations in Port Phillip Bay, south eastern Australia, and during the course of a 150 km cruise, 542 analyses were performed automatically. In general, good agreement was observed between analyses obtained using the portable FIA system and those obtained from manual sampling and laboratory analysis.     

Automatic miniaturized fluorometric flow system for chemical and toxicological control of glibenclamide

In this work, and for the first time, it was developed an automatic and fast screening miniaturized flow system for the toxicological control of glibenclamide in beverages, with application in forensic laboratory investigations, and also, for the chemical control of commercially available pharmaceutical formulations. The automatic system exploited the multipumping flow (MPFS) concept and allowed the implementation of a new glibenclamide determination method based on the fluorometric monitoring of the drug in acidic medium (λ_ex = 301 nm; λ_em = 404 nm), in the presence of an anionic surfactant (SDS), promoting an organized micellar medium to enhance the fluorometric measurements.The developed approach assured good recoveries in the analysis of five spiked alcoholic beverages. Additionally, a good agreement was verified when comparing the results obtained in the determination of glibenclamide in five commercial pharmaceutical formulations by the proposed method and by the pharmacopoeia reference procedure.     

Titrimetry in a continuous flow system III. Calcium determination in environmental samples

Ohne Zusammenfassung

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Group specific detection of polycyclic compounds in high-pressure liquid chromatography by selective fluorescence quenching

     

A catalytic multi-pumping flow system for the chemiluminometric determination of metformin

A multi-pumping flow system for the chemiluminometric determination of the hypoglycaemic drug metformin was implemented. The developed methodology was based on the metformin-induced inhibition (metformin acts as a Cu(II) scavenger) of the catalytic effect of Cu(II) ions on the chemiluminescent reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide. The flow manifold configuration was based on the utilisation of multiple solenoid-actuated micro-pumps that were simultaneously accountable for sample/reagent introduction and reaction zone formation/propulsion, thus resulting in a fully automated, simple and highly selective multi-pumping flow system. A versatile sample manipulation allowed the establishment of distinct sampling strategies with low reagent consumption. The characteristic pulsed flow ensured an effective sample/reagent mixing leading to a better and faster reaction zone homogenisation and thus improved analytical signals. Linear calibration plots were obtained for metformin hydrochloride concentrations ranging from 5 to 15 mg L^–1 with a relative standard deviation lower than 2.0% (n=5). Detection limit was 0.94 mg L^–1, and the sampling rate was about 95 determinations per hour. The developed methodology was applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical formulations and the obtained results were in agreement with those furnished by the reference method with relative percentage deviations of lower than 1.5%.     

A chemiluminescence flow injection system for nitrite ion determination

A chemiluminescence system is described for the determination of nitrite ion based on new designs for an ozone generator, liquid-gas separator and chemiluminescence reaction cell. The method is based on the gas-phase chemiluminescence reaction between ozone and nitric oxide, which is generated from the reduction of nitrite with iodide in sulfuric acid solution. The efficiency of the system was evaluated by investigation of the analytical performance characteristics of the system for nitrite determination in batch and flow injection procedures. Under optimal conditions, the chemiluminescence response of the system was linear against the nitrite concentration over the range 1 to 1 × 10⁴ ng ml^?1 in the batch procedure and 10 to 5 × 10³ ng ml^?1 in the flow injection procedure, with detection limits of 1 and 10 ng ml^?1, respectively. The method is highly selective and allows for the determination of nitrite in the presence of high concentrations of several cationic, anionic and nitrogen containing species. It has been successfully applied to the analysis of nitrite in natural water and soil extracts.