Hybrid Materials Based on Conducting Polymers for Nitrite Sensing: A Mini Review

Well-known as a hazardous compound, nitrite constitute a real threat to the public health. So, there is a pressing need to detect and quantify them in different matrix. Even though conventional analytical methods can be used to address this issue, electrochemistry allows a fast, sensitive, and efficient analysis. Conducting polymers continue to raise great interest among scientific communities due to their properties. Moreover, their combination with carbon nanomaterials, or metallic nanoparticles improves their properties, and provides great results. In this paper, we will focus on some revealing works devoted to the electrochemical detection of nitrite using this kind of materials.     

Electrochemical determination of traces lead ions using a new nanocomposite of polypyrrole/carbon nanofibers

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this paper, a new nanocomposite of polypyrrole (PPy) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs)-modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) has been reported for the...     

Determination of mercury(II) by invertase enzyme inhibition coupled with batch injection analysis

The determination of mercury(II) ions at the trace level by inhibition of the invertase enzyme-catalysed hydrolysis of sucrose into glucose and fructose coupled to electrochemical batch injection analysis was investigated using two approaches. In the first, the glucose produced was detected by injection of 100 microliters samples into the batch injection cell containing a platinum electrode modified by immobilised glucose oxidase. In the second, the glucose and fructose present in injected samples were oxidised directly at a copper-modified glassy carbon electrode. The experimental parameters were optimised and the degree of enzyme inhibition by mercury(II) ions under both conditions was measured. Mercury concentrations in the ng ml-1 range were determined by these two techniques with low sample and reagent consumption. Comparison is made between the two methods and perspectives as a screening test for field application are indicated.     

Characterizations of classical orthogonal polynomials on quadratic lattices

This paper is devoted to characterizations of classical orthogonal polynomials on quadratic lattices by using a matrix approach. In this form we recover the Hahn, Geronimus, Tricomi and Bochner type characterizations of classical orthogonal polynomials on quadratic lattices. Moreover a new matrix characterization of classical ortho-gonal polynomials in quadratic lattices is presented. From the Bochner type characterization we derive the three-term recurrence relation coefficients for these polynomials.     

Insight and performance of LC-DFT vs DFT in the NMR shielding and chemical shift calculations: Case of CHClCH?CF3

Fifteen density functional theory (DFT) methods and fifteen long-range corrected density functional theory (LC-DFT) methods were used in the present work to assess nuclear magnetic resonance parameters such as nuclear shielding constant (NSC), nuclear chemical shift (NCS), and nuclear anisotropic shielding constant (NAS). These different methods were associated with the full basis set 6-311++G(3df,3pd). The gauge-independent atomic orbital was used for the calculation of nuclear shielding tensors of the nuclei contained in the stereoisomers cis- and trans-CHClCHCF₃. Thus, the effects of LC are clearly observed for heavy nuclei (¹³C, ¹⁹F, ³⁵Cl). The results of NSC, NCS, and NAS from DFT are better described than LC-DFT with regard to the KT3 method. Moreover, the results from the LC-DFT are better described than the standard DFT with regard to CCSD(T). Based on the latter method used as the benchmark, the NSCs of nuclei are well fitted by the competitive functionals LC-TPSSTPSS and LC-PKZBPKZB. In the particular case of the trans-isomer, mPWPKZB was found to be the best method. For the NCSs, the more accurate methods include the latter two LC functionals and the non-LC functionals TPSSTPSS and mPWPKZB. The accuracy of NAS depends strongly on the nuclei. Thus, CAM-B3LYP describes it well for ¹⁹F and LC-PKZBPKZB for ³⁵Cl. The rest of nuclei are well fitted by all the methods except ¹³C₁ and ¹³C₂, which are better reproduced by the LC-DFT except the LC-PKZBPKZB, LC-TPSSTPSS, and CAM-B3LYP functionals.     

Energy decay of solutions of a degenerate Kirchhoff equation with a weak nonlinear dissipation

In this paper we study decay properties of the solutions to the degenerate Kirchhoff equation with a weak nonlinear dissipative term.     

pHh-dependent permselectivity of the fibrinogen-modified carbon paste electrode

The modification of carbon paste matrices with fibrinogen is reported. The effect of the pH of the solution on the CV peak currents of positively or negatively charged redox analytes was examined at the fibrinogen-modified carbon paste electrode. In the presence of the coating, pH-dependent selectivity in electrochemical detection of charged species was demonstrated depending on the sign of the supported charge. Above the isoelectric pH attributed to the immobilized protein (5.5), the current response of anionic redox probes [Fe(CN)/Fe(CN)] was impeded while the response was almost totally restored below this pH. Opposite trends were observed with the Ru(NH₃)/Ru(NH₃) cationic redox analytes.     

Screening of Fish Tissue for Methyl Mercury Using the Enzyme Invertase in a Solvent Interface

This paper describes a simple and rapid screening system for the extraction and determination of methyl mercury in tissue samples from fish. A novel clean-up procedure based on the use of two immiscible phases, an organic one containing methyl mercury and an aqueous one containing invertase, was developed. Methyl mercury was selectively extracted from the organic into the aqueous phase by its irreversible reaction with thiol groups of invertase, and the resulting inhibition of enzymatic activity served as a measure of methyl mercury concentration. Enzyme activity was measured with a spectrophotometric method using 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid as a reagent. After parameter optimisation including pH, substrate concentration, and enzyme reaction time, it was possible to determine methyl mercury in the ppb range with this technique. Concentrations as low as 10ppb of methyl mercury in the extract, corresponding to 0.2ppm of methyl mercury in fish, were detected. The proposed procedure was successfully demonstrated as a simple screening method for methyl mercury in fish samples.     

Determination of traces of copper by anodic stripping voltammetry at a rotating carbon paste disk electrode modified with poly(1,8-diaminonaphtalene)

In the present work, carbon paste electrodes (CPE) modified with conducting polymers 1,8-diaminonaphtalene (DAN) was developed for the voltammetric determination of Cu(II). The modified electrode exhibited a significantly increased sensitivity and selectivity for Cu²⁺ compared with a bare carbon paste electrode. Copper(II) was preconcentrated at open circuit on the modified electrode. The measurements were carried out using a rotating disk electrode (RDE) as working electrode. The experimental parameters for the determination of Cu(II) were optimized. The Cu(II) ions were chemically deposited onto the surface of poly DAN-CPE in an acidic medium. Under the optimum conditions, a linear calibration graph was obtained in the concentration range of 0.1 to 250 ppb with a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. The relative standard deviation for 6 successive determinations was 4.7%. A study of interfering substances was also performed, and the method was applied to the direct determination of copper in real samples like tap water and orange juice samples. The article is published in the original.