Green analytical chemistry in sample preparation for determination of trace organic pollutants

The principles of green chemistry are applied to not only chemical engineering and synthesis, but also increasingly analytical chemistry. We describe environment-friendly analytical techniques applied to isolate and to enrich trace organic pollutants from solid and aqueous samples. Amounts of organic solvents used in analytical laboratories are reduced by applying solventless extraction, extraction using other types of solvent, assisted solvent extraction and miniaturized analytical systems.     

Determination of sulphhydryl compounds in physiological fluids by liquid chromatography with polarographic detection

Summary A polarographic detector with a horizontal, fast dropping mercury electrode has been applied for the determination of thiols in physiological fluids. To establish suitable detection conditions first some basic studies on the polarographic behaviour of penicillamine, glutathione and cysteine were performed. This type of detection shows a high selectivity and reasonably low detection limits for sulphhydryl compounds. Detection limits of 6×10^–7 mol l^–1 for penicillamine and cysteine and 8×10^–7 mol l^–1 for glutathione were found. A good linearity has been observed over a concentration range of three orders. The detector has successfully been applied to the determination of penicillamine in urine and serum samples.

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Bestimmung von Sulfhydrylverbindungen in physiologischen Flüssigkeiten durch Flüssigkeits-Chromatographie mit polarographischer Detektion

Zusammenfassung Ein polarographischer Detektor mit horizontaler, schnell tropfender Quecksilberelektrode wurde zur Bestimmung von Thiolen in physiologischen Flüssigkeiten angewendet. Zur Feststellung geeigneter Bedingungen wurden zunächst grundlegende Untersuchungen zum polarographischen Verhalten von Penicillamin, Glutathion und Cystein durchgeführt. Das Verfahren bietet hohe Selektivität und niedrige Nachweisgrenzen (6 · 10^–7 mol/l für Penicillamin und Cystein, 8 · 10^–7 mol/l für Glutathion). Linearität besteht über drei Größenordnungen. Der Detektor wurde mit gutem Erfolg für die Penicillaminbestimmung in Harn und Serum verwendet.

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. H. Weisz on occasion of his 60th birthday

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On leave from the Technical University of Gdansk     

Plastic Versus Glass Support for an Immunoassay on Metal-Coated Surfaces in Optically Dense Samples Utilizing Directional Surface Plasmon-Coupled Emission

We compared plastic (polycarbonate) and high-quality glass support materials for gold-coated slides, when performing a model immunoassay against rabbit IgG using fluorescently labeled (AlexaFluor-647) anti-rabbit IgG, and detecting surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) signals. Both, glass and plastic slides were simultaneously coated with a 48-nm layer of gold and protected with a 10-nm layer of silica. The maximum SPCE signal of AlexaFluor-647 was only two- to three-fold smaller on plastic slides than on glass slides. A small difference in the SPCE angles on glass (θ _F = 55°) and plastic (θ _F = 52.5°) slides was observed and can be explained with a slightly smaller refractive index of the plastic. We have not found any difference in the angle distribution (sharpness of the fluorescence signal at optimal SPCE angle) for the plastic slide compared to the glass slide. The kinetics of binding was monitored on the plastic slide as well as on the glass slide. Optically dense samples, a 4% red blood cell suspension and a 15% hemoglobin solution, are causing a reduction in the immunoassay SPCE signal by approximately 15% and three times, respectively, and the percentage of the reduction is the same for plastic and for glass slides. We believe that plastic substrates can be readily used in any SPCE assay, with only marginally lower total signal compared to high-quality glass slides.     

Molecular and crystal structure ofβ-isosparteine monoperchlorate

The crystal structure; determined by X rays, and the¹³C-NMR spectra of-isosparteine perchlorate are presented. The quinolizidine moieties are present in acis ring-juncture; all piperidine rings are in a chair conformation. The two nitrogen atoms are linked by a hydrogen bond of 2.704(5) Å. The proton at N(16) is also involved in a weak hydrogen bond with the O(2) of the perchlorate anion. The two quinolizidine moieties-protonated and unprotonated-differ only slightly in conformation; the protonation caused small but significant changes in the length of the bonds about the nitrogen atoms. The title compound was obtained by chemical transformations of 17-oxosparteine and protonation with an equimolar amount of HClO₄ in methanol.¹³C-NMR spectra in DMSO-²H₆ revealed the presence of the symmetricalcis-cis bis-quinolizidine structure of the salt in solution.     

Sensitive spectrophotometric determination of vanadium with 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethyl-aminophenol (5-Br-PADAP)

A new sensitive and highly selective method is described for the spectrophotometric determination of microgram amounts of vanadium(V). First, vanadium is isolated by extraction withN-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine (BPHA) in chloroform from about 4M hydrochloric acid medium. Then, chloroform is evaporated and the residue mineralized with mixture of cone. perchloric and nitric acid. Finally, a colour reaction of vanadium(V) separated with 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Br-PADAP) in an acetate buffer (pH 4.5) gives a molar absorptivity of 5.48×10⁴l·mol^–1·cm^–1 at 585 nm. The proposed method was applied for the determination of traces of vanadium in aluminium samples. The results obtained show a good precision and accuracy of the method.     

Solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatographic determination of volatile monoaromatic hydrocarbons in soil

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, three isomers of xylene, and cumene have been isolated and enriched from soil samples by a combination of water extraction at room and elevated temperature and headspace-solid-phase microextraction before their gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) determination. The conditions used for all stages of sample preparation and chromatographic analysis were optimized. Analytes sampled on a polydimethylsiloxane-coated solid-phase microextraction fiber were thermally desorbed in the split/splitless injector of a gas chromatograph (GC) coupled with a mass spectrometer (MS). The desorption temperature was optimized. The GC separation was performed in a capillary column. Detection limits were found to be of the order of ca. 1 ng g(-1). Relative recoveries of the analytes from soils were found to be highly dependent on soil organic-matter content and on compound identity; they ranged from ca 92 to 96% for sandy soil (extraction at room temperature) and from ca 27 to 55% for peaty soil (extraction at elevated temperature). A few real-world soil samples were analyzed; the individual monoaromatic hydrocarbon content ranged from below detection limits to 6.4 ng g(-1) for benzene and 8.1 for the total of p- + m-xylene.     

Fluorescence polarization studies of B-phycoerythrin oriented in polymer film

Polarized steady-state fluorescence and fluorescence excitation spectra as well as time-resolved fluorescence for B-phycoerythrin (B-PE) from red algae, Porphyridium cruentum, embedded in polyvinyl stretched films were measured. The lifetimes of polarized fluorescence were analyzed using exponential components and fractal models. The interactions between various chromophores of the pigment-protein complexes investigated were discussed. The anisotropy of fluorescence excitation spectra differs from the anisotropy of absorption spectra and depends on the wavelength of observation. This shows that differently oriented chromophores take part in various paths of excitation energy transfer (ET) or change their excitation into heat with various efficiencies (or both). Also, analysis of time-resolved fluorescence measured in various spectral regions gives different polarized components of emission. Fractal analysis of lifetimes, done under supposition of the Foerster resonance ET mechanism, suggests different arrangements of energy donors and acceptors for molecules absorbing in different spectral regions. It shows that several fractions of differently oriented "forms" of chromophores exhibiting different spectral properties occur in B-PE complexes. Small changes in the orientation of the chromophores can be followed by modification of the path of excitation energy migration. Based on the results obtained a new reorientational mechanism of the State 1 --> State 2 transition was proposed: Even small conformational modifications of biliproteins, which could be caused in vivo by the change in the conditions of preillumination of bacteria, are able to modify the path of excitation ET. Such a reorientation may be responsible for the change in the partition of biliprotein excitation energy between photosystem II (PSII) and PSI (State 1 --> State 2 transition). The proposed mechanism needs further verification by the investigation of whole bacteria cells.     

Synthesis of 2′-Deoxyisoinosine and Related 2′-Deoxyribonucleosides

Various 2-substituted purine and pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine 2′-deoxyribonucleosides with methylthio ( 13a ), chloro ( 13b ), methoxy ( 9b ), and oxo ( 2, 3 ) substituents at C(2) are prepared. They are obtained either via stereoselective nucleobase-anion glycosylation or by base transformation. A three-step synthesis of the unknown 2′-deoxyisoinosine ( 2 ) from 2′-deoxyguanosine ( 15 ) is described. Compound 2 as well as its 7-deazapurine derivative 3 exhibit strong fluorescence.     

Cation-exchange separation and colorimetric determination of some elements in trace analysis of platinum-rhodium (10%) alloys

Summary A method of separation and colorimetric determination of trace amounts (10^–4–10^–5%) of Cu, Al, Fe, Bi, Pb, Mn, Cd, Zn, Co, and M in platinum-rhodium (10%) alloys has been developed. The elements to be determined are retained on a column containing the strongly acidic cation-exchanger Amberlite IR-120, from dilute hydrochloric acid medium (p_H 1–1.5), while platinum and rhodium pass through in the form of anionic chloride complexes. The individual metals are eluted and concentrated and then separated by extraction and carrier precipitation. The metals are determined by means of sensitive colorimetrie methods with dithizone (Cu, Bi, Pb, Cd, Zn), eriochromecyanine R (Al), 2-nitroso-1-naphthol (Co),-furildioxime (Ni), 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (Mn), and thiocyanate (Fe). The error of the determination does not exceed 15%.

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Zusammenfassung Eine Trennungs- und Bestimmungsmethode für Spuren (10^–4 bis 10^–5%) von Cu, Al, Fe, Bi, Pb, Mn, Cd, Zn, Co und Ni in PIatm-Rhodium-(10%)-Legierungen wurde ausgearbeitet.Die angeführten Elemente werden mit Amberlit IR-120 aus der verd. salzsauren Lösung (p_H 1 bis 1,5) von Platin und Rhodium getrennt, die als Anionchloridkomplexe im Eluat bleiben. Die einzelnen Metalle werden nach Elution aus ihrer Lösung durch Extraktion bzw. Mitfällung getrennt und kolorimetrisch mit Dithizon (Cu, Bi, Pb, Cd, Zn), Eriochromcyanin R (Al), 2-Nitroso-1-naphthol (Co),-Furildioxim (Ni), 1-(2-Pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (Mn) und Rhodanid (Fo) bestimmt. Der Fehler beträgt weniger als 15%,