Determination of SCN- in urine and saliva of smokers and non-smokers by SCN(-)-selective polymeric membrane containing a nickel(II)-azamacrocycle complex coated on a graphite electrode.

The construction, performance characteristics, and application of a novel polymeric membrane coated on a graphite electrode with unique selectivity towards SCN- are reported. The electrode was prepared by incorporating Ni(II)-2,2,4,9,9,11-hexamethyltetraazacyclotetradecanediene perchlorate into a plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) membrane. The influences of membrane composition, pH and foreign ions were investigated. The electrode displays a near Nernstian slope (-57.8 mV decade-1) over a wide concentration range of 1 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-1) M of SCN- ion. The electrode has a detection limit of 4.8 x 10(-8) M (2.8 ng/cm3) SCN- and shows response times of about 15 s and 120 s for low to high and high to low concentration sequences, respectively. The proposed sensor shows high selectivity towards SCN- over several common organic and inorganic anions. The electrode revealed a great enhancement in selectivity coefficients and detection limit for SCN-, in comparison with the previously reported electrodes. It was successfully applied to the direct determination of SCN- in milk and biological samples, and as an indicator electrode in titration of Ag+ ions with thiocyanate.     

A 9,10-anthraquinone derivative having two propenyl arms as a neutral ionophore for highly selective and sensitive membrane sensors for copper(II) ion.

New polymeric membrane (PME) and coated graphite (CGE) copper(II)-selective electrodes based on 1-hydroxy-2-(prop-2'-enyl)-4-(prop-2'-enyloxy)-9,10-anthraquinone were prepared. The electrodes reveal linear emf-pCu2+ responses over wide concentration ranges (1.0 x 10(-5)-1.0 x 10(-1) M with a slope of 27.3 mV decade-1 for PME and 8.0 x 10(-8)-5.0 x 10(-2) M with a slope of 29.1 mV decade-1 for CGE) and very low limits of detection (8.0 x 10(-6) M for PME and 5.0 x 10(-8) M for CGE). The potentiometric response is independent of the pH of the test solution in the pH range 3.0-6.0. The proposed electrodes possess very good selectivities over a wide variety of other cations, including alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions, the selectivity coefficients for the CGE being much improved over those for the PME. The electrodes were used as indicator electrodes in the potentiometric titration of Cu2+ and in the recovery of copper ions from wastewater.     

Novel membrane potentiometric sulfate ion sensor based on zinc-phthalocyanine for the quick determination of trace amounts of sulfate.

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) based membranes of zinc-phthalocyanine (ZPC) with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) as a cation excluder, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and benzyl acetate (BA) as plasticizing solvent mediators were prepared and investigated as a SO4(2-) selective electrode. The best performance was observed with a membrane having a composition of ZPC-PVC-HTAB-BA in a ratio of 5%:32%:3%:60%, which works well over a wide concentration range (1.0 x 10(-2) - 1.0 x 10(-6) M) with a Nemstian slope of -29.2 mV per decade of activity, between the pH values of 2.0 to 7.0. This sensor shows a very fast response time of 10 s, and can be used over a period of 2 months with good reproducibility. The proposed sensor displays excellent selectivity for SO4(2-) over a large number of common inorganic anions. The sensor has been successfully applied for the direct and indirect determination of sulfate and zinc in zinc sulfate tablets, respectively. It was also used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of sulfate ions with barium ions.     

Copper(II)-selective membrane electrodes based on some recently synthesized mixed aza-thioether crowns containing a 1,10-phenanthroline sub-unit

Three different mixed aza-thioether crowns containing a 1,10-phenanthroline sub-unit were investigated to characterize their abilities as copper(II) ion carriers in PVC-membrane electrodes. The electrode based on L1 exhibited a Nernstian response for Cu²⁺ ions over a wide concentration range (2×10⁻¹ to 1×10⁻⁵ M) with a limit of detection of 8.0×10⁻⁶ M (0.5 p.p.m.). The response time of sensor is 15 s, and the membrane can be used for more than 3 months without observing any deviation. The electrode revealed comparatively good selectivities with respect to many alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions, and could be used in a pH range of 2.5–5.5. It was applied to the direct determination and potentiometric titration of the copper(II) ion.     

The Syntheses and Characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Controlled Release of Bromhexine

Imprinted polymers are now being increasingly considered for active biomedical uses such as drug delivery. In this work, the use of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in designing new drug delivery devices was studied. Imprinted polymers were prepared from methacrylic acid (functional monomer), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (cross-linker), and bromhexine (as a drug template) using bulk polymerization method. The influence of the template/functional monomer proportion and pH on the achievement of MIPs with pore cavities with a high enough affinity for the drug was investigated. The polymeric devices were further characterized by FT-IR, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and binding experiments. The imprinted polymers showed a higher affinity for bromhexine and a slower release rate than the non-imprinted polymers. The controlled release of bromhexine from the prepared imprinted polymers was investigated through in vitro dissolution tests by measuring absorbance at λ _max of 310 nm by HPLC-UV. The dissolution media employed were hydrochloric acid at the pH level of 3.0 and phosphate buffers, at pH levels of 6.0 and 8.0, maintained at 37.0 and 25.0 ± 0.5 °C. Results from the analyses showed the ability of MIP polymers to control the release of bromhexine In all cases The imprinted polymers showed a higher affinity for bromhexine and a slower release rate than the non-imprinted polymers. At the pH level of 3.0 and at the temperature of 25 °C, slower release of bromhexine imprinted polymer occurred.     

Separation,pre-concentration and determination of trace amounts of lead(II) ions in environmental samples using two functionalised nanoporous silica gels containing a dipyridyl sub-unit

In this study, two functionalised nanoporous silica gels containing dipyridyl sub-unit (SiL1 and SiL2) as selective solid-phase extraction materials for separation, pre-concentration and determination of trace levels of Pb(II) ions by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was investigated. The experimental parameters including pH, amounts and type of sorbent, sample volume, eluent type and interfering ions on the recovery of the target analytes were investigated, and the optimal experimental conditions were established. Under the optimised operating conditions with the SiL2 as sorbent, an enrichment factor of 300 was obtained. The detection limit based on three times standard deviations of the blanks was 150 ng L^–1. The proposed method was applied to the determination of lead in natural and wastewater samples with satisfactory results (recoveries greater than 96.5%, RSDs lower than 5.0%).     

Dispersive solid phase extraction of metronidazole and clarithromycin from human plasma using a β-cyclodextrin grafted polyethylene polymer composite

In this work, for the first time, a polymeric composite based on β-cyclodextrin grafted with polyethylene has been prepared through ball milling and used as an efficient sorbent for dispersive solid phase extraction of metronidazole and clarithromycin from plasma samples. The prepared sorbent was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. In the extraction process, after precipitating the proteins, the sorbent was added into the sample solution, and the mixture was vortexed to facilitate and speed up the sorption of the analytes onto the sorbent surface. After centrifuging, the sorbent particles were contacted with methanol to elute the analytes under the vortexing process. After this step, an aliquot of the eluate was taken and injected into high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector for quantitative analysis. Under the optimum extraction conditions, the extraction recoveries for metronidazole and clarithromycin were 76 and 83%, respectively. The limits of detection were 2.6 and 2.2 ng/ml for metronidazole and clarithromycin, respectively. The repeatability of the offered approach, expressed as relative standard deviation, was equal to or less than 4.7%. Finally, the method was successfully applied to plasma samples of the patients treated with metronidazole and clarithromycin.