Polarographic determination of pilocarpine using the catalysed pre-wave of nickel(II)

On the basis of a detailed study of the pilocarpine-induced nickel(II) pre-wave using various polarographic techniques, an electrode process mechanism is proposed in which the formation of a catalytic complex between aquo-nickel(II) and veronalate-nickel(II) on the one hand and unprotonated pilocarpine adsorbed on the electrode surface on the other is followed by the reduction of nickel(II) in the complex and the release of the catalytic ligand. The pre-peak recorded by differential-pulse polarography in the system 1 × 10^?3 M Ni(II)-1 × 10^?2 M sodium veronal, nitric acid (pH 8.5) (with ionic strength maintained at 0.2 with sodium nitrate) can be used for quantitative determination of pilocarpine at concentrations in the range 2.5 × 10^?7-8 × 10^?6 M.     

Sample preparation improvement in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons determination in olive oils by gel permeation chromatography and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

The determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in olive oil samples has been improved in order to obtain a fast methodology with a low limit of detection through the combination of liquid-liquid extraction with acetonitrile and preparative gel permeation chromatography (GPC) prior to the injection of purified extracts into a C18 column. Acetonitrile-water was used as the mobile phase with a gradient from 50 to 95%, w/w, acetonitrile in 30 min. The oven temperature was maintained at 15 degrees C, and fluorometric detection was made at a fixed excitation wavelength of 264 nm and variable, optimal emission wavelength for each analyte ranging from 352 nm for 11-H-benzo(b)fluorene to 500 nm for indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene. Recovery for all the compounds studied varied from 75 to 111%, and limit of detection values from 0.05 ng/g for benzo(k)fluoranthene to 0.48 ng/g for indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, corresponding to 0.09 ng/g benzo(a)pyrene. Results were compared with those obtained by liquid-liquid extraction followed by a cleanup on silica and a direct GPC treatment of oil samples diluted in dichloromethane, 2 other methodologies that are appropriate for quantifying PAHs in olive oils. However, the proposed method improves the determination limits, reduces the time of analysis, and provides a highly stable baseline for sample chromatograms.     

Nutritional parameters of commercially available milk samples by FTIR and chemometric techniques

A chemometric study on the prediction of the main nutritional aspects of milk has been carried out by using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) attenuated total reflectance (ATR) measurements of commercially available milk samples of different types. Whole, semi and skimmed milks, enriched or not with calcium, vitamins or modified by alteration of lipid or sugar composition were considered. After evaluating different strategies for data acquisition and ATR cleaning between samples, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was carried out for classification of samples in order to choose the calibration set. The prediction capabilities of partial least squares (PLS) data treatment were evaluated in order to obtain information about total fat, total protein, total carbohydrates (CH), calories and calcium. On using the mean square error of cross-validation and prediction as control variables, a critical evaluation were made about the calibration set to be used, the spectral range to be considered and the data treatment (PLS-1 or PLS-2) to be performed. By selecting a calibration set of 33 samples the properties of 48 samples were predicted with relative precision of triplicates of 0.062, 0.040 and 0.039% w/v for total fat, protein and carbohydrates, and 0.66 kcal/100 ml for calories, and 2.1 mg of Ca/100 ml. The mean difference (d_x−y) between predicted and actual values and standard deviation of mean differences (s_x−y), were of 0.06 (0.38), 0.03 (0.18) and −0.15 (0.41), being s_x−y values between brackets, for total fat, proteins and carbohydrates, 0.06 (3.8) kcal/100 ml for calories and −4.5 (9) mg/100 ml for calcium.The sensitivity and selectivity of the methodology developed were evaluated on terms of the net analyte signal. Selectivity factors ranging from 2 to 7.6% have been calculated for the five parameters considered.     

Simple and rapid micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatographic method for simultaneous determination of four antiepileptics in human serum

A very rapid and simple MEKC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of four antiepileptic drugs, ethosuximide (Etho), primidone (Pri), phenytoin (Pht) and carbamazepine (Cbz) in human serum. Sample analysis required only 100 microL of human serum which only needed to be centrifuged, decanted and combined with the running buffer [5.3 mM Na(2)HPO(4)/3.2 mM borax buffer (pH 9.5) containing 55 mM SDS and 3.5% (v/v) acetone]. The analysis was performed in only 10 min into fused-silica capillaries (57 cm total length with 50 microm i.d. and 50 cm to the detector) using the MEKC methodology with diode-array detection at 220 nm. The calibration graphs were established for ethoximide, primidone, phenytoin and carbamazepine between 0 and 20 mg/L. Recoveries were between 85 and 87%. The simplicity of the proposed methodology makes it suitable for routine clinical use, especially for epileptic patients on polytherapy.     

Electronic structure and properties of isoreticular metal-organic frameworks: the case of M-IRMOF1 (M = Zn, Cd, Be, Mg, and Ca)

We investigate the possibility of tailoring the electronic properties of isoreticular metal-organic materials by replacing the metal atom in the metal-organic cluster and by doping. The electronic structure of M-IRMOF1, where IRMOF1 stands for isoreticular metal-organic framework 1 and M = Be, Mg, Ca, Zn, and Cd, was examined using density-functional theory. The results show that these materials have similar band gaps (ca. 3.5 eV) and a conduction band that is split into two bands, the lower of which has a width that varies with metal substitution. This variation prompted us to investigate whether doping with Al or Li could be used to tailor the electronic properties of the Zn-IRMOF1 and Be-IRMOF1 materials. It is shown that replacing one metal atom with Al can effectively be used to create IRMOFs with different metallic properties. On the other hand, adding Li produces structural changes that render this approach less suitable.     

Human serum albumin-mediated stereodifferentiation in the triplet state behavior of (S)- and (R)-carprofen

A remarkable stereodifferentiation has been observed in the interaction between the excited triplet state of carprofen (CP) and human serum albumin (HSA). Time-resolved measurements using laser flash photolysis reveal the presence of two components with different lifetimes in triplet decay. This is explained by complexation of CP to the two possible HSA binding sites. The shorter-lived components are ascribed to the CP/HSA complexes in site I, where stereodifferentiation is more important (tauR/tauS ca. 4). This is correlated with formation of a dehalogenated photoproduct upon steady-state photolysis.     

A fluorimetric study of pindolol and its complexes with cyclodextrins

Spectrofluorimetric characteristics of pindolol have been investigated with the aim of using this technique for analytical determinations. Other monosubstituted indole derivatives, 4-methoxy and 5-methoxyindole, have been also studied for comparative purposes. Corrected excitation and emission wavelengths in different solvents are reported and the effect of solvent on the Stokes shifts of these compounds has been analysed using the Lippert equation. In addition, the Stokes shift of pindolol has been determined in dioxan-water solvent mixtures and the presence of specific solvent effects is discussed. The fluorescence of pindolol is pH dependent, the quantum yields determined in water are lower than those in other solvents. With respect to the sensitivity, it has been found that the detection limits in aqueous solutions are improved in the presence of beta and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin. Finally, a fluorimetric analysis of the interaction between pindolol and different cyclodextrins has been carried out in order to determine the apparent stability constants of the complexes and the thermodynamic parameters associated to complexation.     

Fluorimetric determination of aflatoxins by flow-injection analysis

Summary A fast and inexpensive fluorimetric method for the determination of total aflatoxins (B₁, B₂, G₁, and G₂) in food of use in screening numerous samples suspectedly containing these substances is proposed. The sensitivity of the method (determination range between 0.5 and 200.0 ng ml^–1) allows these analytes to be detected at concentrations well below legal limits; hence, separation-detection techniques such as HPLC need only be used with samples in which these compounds are found to occur. The method has been applied to maize, peanut and tapioca samples, obtaining average recoveries of 100.9 with deviations of ±5% with respect to 100% recovery.

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Fluorometrische Bestimmung von Aflatoxinen durch Fließinjektionsanalyse

     

Stabilization of cobalt(II) chloro-complexes with the butanediammonium cation

Summary Cobalt(II) chlorocomplexes with empirical formulae (bnH₂)₂CoCl₆·2H₂O (1) and (bnH₂)₂CoCl₆ (2), where bnH ₂ ²⁺ represents the diprotonated species of putrescine (1,4-butanediamine), were prepared.The visible spectra in the solid state and measurement of the magnetic moments permit the assignation of an octahedral geometry for cobalt in (1) and a tetrahedral geometry for (2).     

Parametrization of a force field for studying some beta-lactams

A molecular mechanics force field for studying some beta-lactams was developed from ab initio and experimental data. The optimized parameters allowed accurate calculation of the geometries of both the compounds on which the parametrization was based and others on which the validity of the predictions was checked. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.