200 years of practical electroanalytical chemistry: past, present and future directions illustrated by reference to the on-line, on-stream and off-line determination of trace metals in zinc plant electrolyte by voltammetric and potentiometric techniques

The millennium being celebrated this year coincides with the 200th anniversary of the birth of practical electrochemistry made possible via Volta’s publication of the battery in the year 1800. The analytical chemists at the beginning of the 19th century were very quick to take advantage of this newly reported device and the first qualitative electrochemical determination of copper rapidly followed this pioneering discovery. In the last 200 years, electrochemical analysis, in its various forms, has been undertaken routinely in countless laboratories all over the world. However, in view of the long and distinguished history of the discipline, and some limitations that have been identified at the time of the celebration of the millennium, electrochemical analysis is regarded in some quarters as being a mature and conservative discipline whose importance in the future, when faced with severe competition from newly emerging alternative analytical techniques, is somewhat unclear. In this paper, an overview of past and present developments in electroanalytical chemistry and the possible future status of the technique is presented. In particular, emphasis is given to describing applications relevant to the also very mature field of electrowinning of zinc from plant electrolyte. This overview encompasses the author’s 25 years’ experience in developing polarographic, stripping voltammetric, adsorptive stripping voltammetric and ion-selective electrode (ISE) methods of analysis in on-line, on-stream and off-line modes for the determination of elements such as Cd, Pb, Ge, Sb (oxidation states (III) and (V)), Co, Ni, Zn, Fe, (oxidation states (II) and (III)), Tl, As (total) and Cu in zinc plant electrolyte. Developments that may contribute to an important future for analytical voltammetry are also considered as are limitations that could inhibit the extent of practical use of these electroanalytical techniques in the 21st century.     

The inequivalence of apparent polarographic and potentiometric stability constants for cadmium(II) bromide and iodide systems

Investigations of the “classical” cadmium(II) bromide and iodide complex ion systems show conclusively that in the presence of moderately strong anion-induced adsorption, apparent polarographic stability constants are larger than those determined by other methods such as potentiometry. Such systems can exhibit seemingly normal d.c. polarographic behaviour, but adsorption is readily detected by a.c. methods. The authors therefore strongly recommend that in systems in which adsorption is detected, polarography should not be used to determine stability constants. Theoretical approaches to explain the observed phenomena are discussed and it is concluded that apparently differing approaches that have appeared in the literature are in fact equivalent.     

Theoretical and experimental evaluation of screen-printed tubular carbon ink disposable sensor well electrodes by dc and Fourier transformed ac voltammetry

Mass-produced, screen-printed, carbon-ink-based microtubular band (well) electrodes, suitable for routine sensing applications, have been fabricated and evaluated with respect to their theoretical and analytical performance. Microscopic examination of the electrode surface reveals they are inherently rough and could easily suffer from high and variable resistance, capacitance and area, unless care is taken to minimise these problems. Simulation models have been applied to analyse cyclic voltammetric responses obtained at the well electrodes. Results of these theoretical calculations further demonstrate the care needed with electrode design and resistance in carbon ink electrodes. Substantial differences in voltammetry when wells are produced by mechanically punching or laser drilling are considered. The application of multi- and single-frequency Fourier Transform ac voltammetry, previously applied to planar carbon ink disc electrodes for quality control purposes, is now demonstrated with respect to the microtubular band electrode geometry. Theoretical and practical limitations are discussed, as is the analytical application to the reversible redox couple in the presence of oxygen in aqueous solution. Dedicated to Keith on his 80th birthday, a good friend and colleague.     

Measurement of the viscosity-density product using multiple reflections of ultrasonic shear horizontal waves

We have developed an on-line computer-controlled sensor, based on ultrasound reflection measurements, to determine the product of the viscosity and density of a liquid or slurry for Newtonian fluids and the shear impedance of the liquid for non-Newtonian fluids. A 14 MHz shear wave transducer is bonded to one side of a 45-90 degrees fused silica wedge and the base is in contract with the liquid. Twenty-eight echoes were observed due to the multiple reflections of an ultrasonic shear horizontal (SH) wave within the wedge. The fast Fourier transform of each echo was obtained for a liquid and for water, which serves as the calibration fluid, and the reflection coefficient at the solid-liquid interface was obtained. Data were obtained for 11 sugar water solutions ranging in concentration from 10% to 66% by weight. The viscosity values are shown to be in good agreement with those obtained independently using a laboratory viscometer. The data acquisition time is 14s and this can be reduced by judicious selection of the echoes for determining the reflection coefficient. The measurement of the density results in a determination of the viscosity for Newtonian fluids or the shear wave velocity for non-Newtonian fluids. The sensor can be deployed for process control in a pipeline, with the base of the wedge as part of the pipeline wall, or immersed in a tank.     

A bis(heptafulvenyl)-dicyanoethylene thermoswitch with two sites for ring closure

Suitably functionalized vinylheptafulvenes (VHFs) act as thermoswitches undergoing ring closure to the corresponding dihydroazulenes (DHAs). Here we present the synthesis of a new such thermoswitch incorporating two heptafulvene rings on a dicyanoethylene unit. The synthetic protocol explores both the tropylium species as an electrophile and as a leaving group in the generation of the heptafulvene units. The thermally induced ring closure was enhanced as a result of two accessible sites for the reaction to occur.     

Computational prediction of metabolism: sites, products, SAR, P450 enzyme dynamics, and mechanisms

Metabolism of xenobiotics remains a central challenge for the discovery and development of drugs, cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and agrochemicals. Metabolic transformations are frequently related to the incidence of toxic effects that may result from the emergence of reactive species, the systemic accumulation of metabolites, or by induction of metabolic pathways. Experimental investigation of the metabolism of small organic molecules is particularly resource demanding; hence, computational methods are of considerable interest to complement experimental approaches. This review provides a broad overview of structure- and ligand-based computational methods for the prediction of xenobiotic metabolism. Current computational approaches to address xenobiotic metabolism are discussed from three major perspectives: (i) prediction of sites of metabolism (SOMs), (ii) elucidation of potential metabolites and their chemical structures, and (iii) prediction of direct and indirect effects of xenobiotics on metabolizing enzymes, where the focus is on the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily of enzymes, the cardinal xenobiotics metabolizing enzymes. For each of these domains, a variety of approaches and their applications are systematically reviewed, including expert systems, data mining approaches, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs), and machine learning-based methods, pharmacophore-based algorithms, shape-focused techniques, molecular interaction fields (MIFs), reactivity-focused techniques, protein-ligand docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and combinations of methods. Predictive metabolism is a developing area, and there is still enormous potential for improvement. However, it is clear that the combination of rapidly increasing amounts of available ligand- and structure-related experimental data (in particular, quantitative data) with novel and diverse simulation and modeling approaches is accelerating the development of effective tools for prediction of in vivo metabolism, which is reflected by the diverse and comprehensive data sources and methods for metabolism prediction reviewed here. This review attempts to survey the range and scope of computational methods applied to metabolism prediction and also to compare and contrast their applicability and performance.     

Theoretical analysis of the two-electron transfer reaction and experimental studies with surface-confined cytochrome c peroxidase using large-amplitude Fourier transformed AC voltammetry

A detailed analysis of the cooperative two-electron transfer of surface-confined cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP) in contact with pH 6.0 phosphate buffer solution has been undertaken. This investigation is prompted by the prospect of achieving a richer understanding of this biologically important system via the employment of kinetically sensitive, but background devoid, higher harmonic components available in the large-amplitude Fourier transform ac voltammetric method. Data obtained from the conventional dc cyclic voltammetric method are also provided for comparison. Theoretical considerations based on both ac and dc approaches are presented for cases where reversible or quasi-reversible cooperative two-electron transfer involves variation in the separation of their reversible potentials, including potential inversion (as described previously for solution phase studies), and reversibility of the electrode processes. Comparison is also made with respect to the case of a simultaneous two-electron transfer process that is unlikely to occur in the physiological situation. Theoretical analysis confirms that the ac higher harmonic components provide greater sensitivity to the various mechanistic nuances that can arise in two-electron surface-confined processes. Experimentally, the ac perturbation with amplitude and frequency of 200 mV and 3.88 Hz, respectively, was employed to detect the electron transfer when CcP is confined to the surface of a graphite electrode. Simulations based on cooperative two-electron transfer with the employment of reversible potentials of 0.745 ± 0.010 V, heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants of between 3 and 10 s(-1) and charge transfer coefficients of 0.5 for both processes fitted experimental data for the fifth to eighth ac harmonics. Imperfections in theory-experiment comparison are consistent with kinetic and thermodynamic dispersion and other nonidealities not included in the theory used to model the voltammetry of surface-confined CcP.     

The low-pressure focal plane detector of the MAGNEX spectrometer

The focal plane detector of the MAGNEX large acceptance magnetic spectrometer is presented. It is based on a large low-pressure gas-filled tracker followed by a wall of silicon detectors to stop the particles. It has been designed for the stringent requirements from the ion optics and the foreseen use with heavy ions. The performances of the device are demonstrated using 4MeV/u oxygen beams. The results of the tests are described and discussed in view of the application of the particle identification and trajectory reconstruction techniques to recover the kinematic properties of the reaction products. They demonstrate the suitability of such detector in a wide range of experiments where low-energy thresholds, large-accepted solid angle, precise momentum measurement and good particle identification are needed.     

Enhanced photocurrent production from thin films of Ru(II) metallopolymer/Dawson polyoxotungstate adducts under visible irradiation

Thin films of polyoxometalates that are sensitized with a Ru(II) metallopolymer generate significant photocurrents in the presence of benzyl alcohol and visible light. Significantly, the photocurrent generated by the tungstate based adduct, α-[P(2)W(18)O(62)](6-), is approximately seven fold larger than that found for the Dawson polyoxomolybdate α-[S(2)Mo(18)O(62)](4-).