Direct determination of sulfite in food samples by a biosensor based on plant tissue homogenate

In the work described here, a biosensor was developed for the determination of sulfite in food. Malva vulgaris tissue homogenate containing sulfite oxidase enzyme was used as the biological material. M. vulgaris tissue homogenate was crosslinked with gelatin using glutaraldehyde and fixed on a pretreated Teflon membrane. Sulfite was enzymatically converted to sulfate in the presence of the dissolved oxygen, which was monitored amperometrically. Sulfite determination was carried out by standard curves, which were obtained by the measurement of consumed oxygen level related to sulfite concentration. Several operational parameters had been investigated: the amounts of plant tissue homogenate and gelatin, percentage of glutaraldehyde, optimum pH and temperature. Also, some characterization studies were done. There was linearity in the range between 0.2 and 1.8 mM at 35 °C and pH 7.5. The results of real sample analysis obtained with the biosensor agreed well with the enzymatic reference method using spectrophotometric detection.     

Syntheses of (±)-17α- and (±)-17β-hydroxytacamonine; determination of configuration at C-17

Both (±)-17α-hydroxytacamonine (3) and its 17β-isomer (4) were synthesized in two steps (one-pot) from aldehyde mixture 5/6 via the cyanohydrin reaction. NMR spectral characterization of isomer 3 revealed it to be unidentical with natural 17-hydroxytacamonine, whereas spectral data of isomer 4 were in agreement with those published for the natural isomer. The configuration at C-17 was confirmed by NOE difference spectroscopy.     

New liquid chromatographic-chemometric approach for the determination of sunset yellow and tartrazine in commercial preparation

A new liquid chromatographic (LC)-chemometric approach was developed for the determination of sunset yellow (SUN) and tartrazine (TAR) in commercial preparations. This approach uses LC and chemometric calibration methods, i.e., classical least-squares (CLS), principal component regression (PCR), and partial-least squares (PLS), simultaneously. The combined LC-chemometric approaches, denoted as LC-CLS, LC-PCR, and LC-PLS, are based on photodiode array (PDA) detection at multiple wavelengths. Optimum chromatographic separation of SUN and TAR with allura red as the internal standard (IS) was obtained by using a Waters Symmetry C18 column, 5 microm, 4.6 x 250 mm, and 0.2 M acetate buffer (pH 5)-acetonitrile-methano-bidistilled water (55 + 20 + 15 + 10, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.9 mL/min. The LC data sets consisting of the ratios of analyte peak areas to the IS peak area were obtained by using PDA detection at 5 wavelengths (465, 470, 475, 480, and 485 nm). LC-chemometric calibrations for SUN and TAR were separately constructed by using the relationship between the peak-area ratio and the training sets for each colorant. LC-chemometric approaches were tested for different synthetic mixtures containing SUN and TAR in the presence of the IS. These LC-chemometric calibrations were applied to a commercial preparation of the 2 colorants. The experimental results of the LC-chemometric approaches were compared with those obtained by a developed classical LC method using single-wavelength detection.     

Multicomponent quantitative resolution of binary mixtures by using continuous wavelet transform

Continuous 1-dimensional wavelet transform (WT) was applied to the quantitative analysis of a vitamin combination of thiamine hydrochloride (THI) and pyridoxine hydrochloride (PYR) with strongly overlapping signals. Absorbance data from the UV-Vis absorption spectrum of width 1150 were subjected to Gauss1 and Gauss2 WTs. Because of its flexibility, data processing, and its high signal amplitude, the continuous WT method is a powerful tool for analysis of multicomponent mixtures. By measuring the amplitude signals corresponding to the selected zero-crossing points of the transformed signal, we obtained the calibration curve. The validation of the calibration graphs was confirmed with different mixtures of THI and PYR at various concentration ratios. A brief explanation of the continuous wavelet method is given. MATLAB 6.5 software was used to perform the calculations. The results of our study were compared with those obtained by spectroscopic, chemometric, and liquid chromatographic methods, and good agreement was found.     

Aldehyde Intermediates in the Synthesis of Tacamine-Type Indole Alkaloids: Preparation of (±)-apotacamine

The synthesis of aldehyde intermediates suitable for the preparation of indole alkaloids of the tacamine ( 1 ) type is described. The four possible aldehydes 4–7 were prepared from methyl 5-ethylnicotinate ( 8 ) in a few simple steps using a base-catalyzed epimerization as the final step (Schemes 1 and 2). The key aldehyde 4 , which is an analogue of the important vincamine intermediate 3 (‘Oppolzer's aldehyde’), was finally converted into the indole alkaloid (±)-apotacamine ( 21 ).     

The Color Reaction of Mercury(II) with the New Reagent 2-Methylthiophenyldiazoaminoazobenzene and Its Application

A new and very sensitive and selective chromogenic reagent, 2-methylthiophenyldiazoaminoa-zobenzene (MTDAA), was synthesized and studied in detail for the determination of trace mercury(II) in water samples. The method is based on the color reaction between MTDAA and mercury(II). It was found that mercury(II) reacts with MTDAA in Na₂B₄O₇-NaOH buffer solution (pH = 10.0) to form 1 : 2 red complexes; these show maximum absorption at 520 nm. Beer’s law is obeyed in 0–15 µg of mercury(II) in 25 mL of solution. The apparent molar absorptivity of the complex is 1.33 × 10⁵ L/(mol cm); its limit of quantification, limit of detection, and relative standard deviation are 0.75 ng/mL, 0.27 ng/mL, and 1.0%, respectively, giving better sensitivity. The influence of the reaction variables and the effect of interfering ions are reported; most of the metal ions in water samples can be tolerated in considerable amounts. Only a few ions can interfere with the determination of trace mercury(II), but these can be eliminated by prior extraction. The proposed method is sensitive, simple, and rapid. It has been applied to the determination of trace mercury(II) in water samples with satisfactory results.__________From Zhurnal Analiticheskoi Khimii, Vol. 60, No. 7, 2005, pp. 703–706.Original English Text Copyright © 2005 by Guo, Din, Tian, Liu, Chang, Meng.The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Wet-Chemical Synthesis of TiO2/PVDF Membrane for Energy Applications

To satisfy the ever-increasing energy demands, it is of the utmost importance to develop electrochemical materials capable of producing and storing energy in a highly efficient manner. Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) has recently emerged as a promising choice in this field due to its non-toxicity, low cost, and eco-friendliness, in addition to its porosity, large surface area, good mechanical strength, and remarkable transport properties. Here, we present titanium dioxide nanoplates/polyvinylidene fluoride (TiO₂/PVDF) membranes prepared by a straightforward hydrothermal strategy and vacuum filtration process. The as-synthesized TiO₂/PVDF membrane was applied for energy storage applications. The fabricated TiO₂/PVDF membrane served as the negative electrode for supercapacitors (SCs). The electrochemical properties of a TiO₂/PVDF membrane were explored in an aqueous 6 M KOH electrolyte that exhibited good energy storage performance. Precisely, the TiO₂/PVDF membrane delivered a high specific capacitance of 283.74 F/g at 1 A/g and maintained capacitance retention of 91% after 8000 cycles. Thanks to the synergistic effect of TiO₂ and PVDF, the TiO₂/PVDF membrane provided superior electrochemical performance as an electrode for a supercapacitor. These superior properties will likely be used in next-generation energy storage technologies.     

A novel biosensor for specific determination of hydrogen peroxide: catalase enzyme electrode based on dissolved oxygen probe

A biosensor for the specific determination of hydrogen peroxide was developed using catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) in combination with a dissolved oxygen probe. Catalase was immobilized with gelatin by means of glutaraldehyde and fixed on a pretreated teflon membrane served as enzyme electrode. The electrode response was maximum when 50 mM phosphate buffer was used at pH 7.0 and at 35 degrees C. The biosensor response depends linearly on hydrogen peroxide concentration between 1.0x10(-5) and 3.0x10(-3) M with a response time of 30 s. The sensor is stable for >3 months so in this period >400 assays can be performed.     

Synthesis of Some Oil Spill Dispersants Based on Sorbitol Esters and Their Capability to Disperse Crude Oil on Seawater to Alleviate Its Accumulation and Environmental Impact

In this respect mono‐, di‐, and tri‐ sorbitol oleate esters [SMO, SDO, and STO] were prepared and then ethoxylated using ethylene oxide to obtain six sorbitol esters at different ethylene oxide content (e.o=5, 12, 15, 20, 35, and 45). They were tested as oil spill dispersants individually and in blends. From the obtained data, it was found that the blends are more effective than the corresponding individual surfactants. The maximum dispersion capability for the prepared surfactants was obtained at HLB range from 9 to 11 for the both individual surfactants and blends. The increase of total carbon number in the surfactant alkyl group leads to increase dispersion capability of the dispersant. The wide range of ethylene oxide content was used, but the maximum dispersion efficiency was obtained at ethylene oxide=20 in E(20)STO. Meanwhile, the dispersion capability increases when the interfacial tension decreases.     

The Surface and Thermodynamic Properties of Ethoxylated Sodium Monoalkyl Sulfosuccinate Surfactants

A series of ethoxylated sodium monooctyl sulfosuccinates [E(n)SMOSS] and ethoxylated sodium monolauryl sulfosuccinates [E(n)SMLSS] have different units of ethylene oxide (n = 9, 14, 23) were synthesized. The surface and thermodynamic properties of these surfactants have been compared with sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate surfactant (SDOSS) as a commonly used surfactant. The surface tension measurements at 25, 35, 45, and 55°C were used to determine of the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and surface active properties of these surfactants. The effect of the ethylene oxide (EO) unit and the alkyl chain length on the surface properties for the prepared surfactants was studied. The results show that the ethoxylated sodium monoalkyl sulfosuccinates generally have lower values of CMC than that of sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate. The values of surface active parameters indicate that the ethoxylated sodium monooctyl sulfosuccinates and ethoxylated sodium monolauryl sulfosuccinates surfactants have adsorption properties better than the sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate surfactant as a resulted presence of ethylene oxide in molecules of the prepared surfactants. The thermodynamic parameters show that the (EO) unites in the chemical structure of ethoxylated sodium monoalkyl sulfosuccinate surfactants improve their micellization and adsorption properties.