Flow-injection determination of sulphonamides with fluorimetric or photochemical-fluorimetric detection

Spectroscopic investigation of π-acceptors in the determination and photoinduced degradation of Sulfacetamide

The presence of expired and unused Sulfacetamide (SA) drug in water led to a global need for the development of effective advanced method for the quantitative analysis and for minimizing its occurrence in the nature. To find new effective photochemical decomposition method close to that obtained by the well-known Fenton reaction, the photodegradation of SA was investigated in presence of dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) and/or other common additives at two different wavelengths (365 and 256 nm). The role of DDQ in the degradation process of SA was evaluated in comparison to the other investigated π-acceptor systems (Chloranilic acid (CHL) and Picric acid (PA)). While the photodegradation process of SA was hardly to proceed in the absence of a catalyst and/or additive, addition of DDQ and NaNO₂ to the solution of SA induced decomposition of about 94% of SA within 25 min upon the exposure to light source at 256 nm. On the other hand, SA was quantitatively analyzed by recording the absorbance of its charge transfer (CT) products with DDQ, CHL and PA at a certain wavelength. CHL is preferred with concentrated samples of SA, while PA is recommended for diluted samples of SA. SA → DDQ has a widely range of stability over the pH range of 4.5-12.0. While SA → CHL is stable only in the acidic medium (pH = 4.8-5.6), SA → PA is steady in the basic medium (pH = 7.5-11.0). The nature of the DDQ CT complex was investigated in the solid state. The electronic structures of the complexes were studied by calculating the time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) spectra.

Flow-through optosensor combined with photochemically induced fluorescence for simultaneous determination of binary mixtures of sulfonamides in pharmaceuticals, milk and urine

A sensitive and selective flow-through optosensor implemented with photochemically induced fluorescence (PIF) is proposed for the simultaneous determination of mixtures sulfamethoxazole/sulfanilamide and sulfathiazole/sulfanilamide. The resolution was accomplished by placing in the flow system a minicolumn filled with an appropriate solid support. Whereas one of the sulfonamides is not retained in the minicolumn and is determined by measuring its native fluorescence on the solid surface of the sensing microbeads in the detection area, the other one is retained and, after its elution, it is photochemically converted into a strongly fluorescent photoproduct which is transitorily retained on the sensing support in the flow cell and monitored. Linear calibration graphs were obtained over a concentration range of 2-3 orders of magnitude. The detection limits for the determination of sulfamethoxazole, sulfanilamide and sulfathiazole are 8.1, 2.9 and 5.7 ng mL(-1), respectively. The method was applied to pharmaceuticals, milk and human urine. The recovery of sulfamethoxazole from pharmaceuticals was 102.5% indicating no interference from trimethoprim which is not photochemically active. The recoveries for urine and milk samples fortified with sulfonamides at levels between 0.1 and 0.7 microgmL(-1) agreed within 95.0-107.5% of spiked levels.

Determination of sub-ppb reserpine by an optosensing device based on photochemically induced fluorescence

A flow injection-solid-phase spectroscopy (FI-SPS) system implemented with photochemically induced fluorescence (PIF) is described for the rapid and very sensitive determination of reserpine in biological fluids and pharmaceutical formulations. An intensively fluorescent photoproduct is in-line generated, retained on C18 silica gel in the detection area and monitored at 394/489 nm (lambdaex/lambdaem). After the establishment of the appropriate working variables, the system is calibrated at two different injection volumes, 100 and 800 microL, achieving detection limits of 0.33 and 0.05 ng mL(-1), respectively. The RSD for reserpine at 2 ng mL(-1) (800 microL) was 1.5% (n=10). The sampling rates were 46 and 43 h(-1) for each injection volume, respectively. The potential interference of some common species coexisting with reserpine in the analysed samples was also studied. The procedure was successfully applied to commercial formulations, urine and serum without any previous treatment of samples. Recoveries ranged from 94.9 to 100.2%.

Determination of sulphathiazole and sulphanilamide by photochemically induced fluorescence and first-derivative fluorescence

This manuscript reports the usefulness of the determination of sulphathiazole (ST) using photochemically induced fluorescence (RTPF) and RTPF coupling with first derivative (D1-RTPF), and the determination of sulphanilamide (SAN) by meaning first derivative of the emission spectrum. By irradiating 5 min, with intense UV radiation, sulphathiazole, in ethanol:water 20:80 (v/v) solutions at pH 4.5-5.0, show fluorescence emission at 342 nm (lambdaex=251 nm). Under these conditions, a linear relation, fluorescence intensity-ST concentration, was found between 0.23 and 3.00 microg mL(-1) of ST. The method was applied for determining ST in a pharmaceutical drug. ST was also determined in honey by using the D1-RTPF signal, applying the standard addition method, and measuring at 324.8 nm. Under the same experimental conditions of pH and solvent, a fluorimetric method for determining SAN in presence of ST is proposed. Calibration graphs for SAN determination were established using the amplitude of the first derivative of the emission spectrum measured at 324.4 nm, as the analytical signal. This method has been applied to determining SAN in a pharmaceutical formulation.

Determination of sulfamethazine and trimethoprim in liquid feed premixes by HPLC and diode array detection, with an analysis of the uncertainty of the analytical results

Sulfamethazine (SMZ) and trimethoprim (TMP) are antibacterials used in veterinary practice. This paper describes a method for their determination in veterinary liquid feed premixes that is based on liquid chromatography with diode array detection. Gradient elution with methanol and ammonium acetate achieved excellent separation of the two analytes within 15 min without any interference from the matrix. Absorbance of the column effluent was monitored at 264 nm for SMZ and at 230 nm for TMP. Detailed analyses of the uncertainties of determinations afford estimated expanded uncertainties of, respectively, 0.2 and 0.1 w/v % for typical SMZ and TMP concentrations of 10.7 and 2.1 w/v %, respectively. At the lower end of the calibrated range of the method, the dominant source of uncertainty is the preparation of standards and the construction of the calibration line.

Analysis of sulfamethazine in the presence of sulfamerazine or sulfadiazine by first-derivative photochemically induced fluorescence

A first-derivative photochemically-induced fluorescence method is proposed for the determination of sulfamethazine (SMTZ) in the presence of sulfamerazine (SMRZ) or sulfadiazine (SDZ). Linear calibration plots were obtained for SMTZ in SMTZ-SMRZ or SMTZ-SDZ binary mixtures with correlation coefficients larger than 0.999. For SMTZ the lower limits of detection were 7-13 ppb. Recoveries of 91-114% were obtained in the analysis of SMTZ in pharmaceutical formulations.

Determination of sulphanilamide in milk by first-derivative and second-derivative spectrofluorimetry

First-derivative and second-derivative spectrofluorimetric methods have been developed for the analysis of sulphanilamide (SAN) in milk, using an ethanol-water (60:40, v/v) medium. Linear calibration plots were obtained over a concentration range of 30-120 ppb, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.997. Relative standard deviations were within the range 1.6-3.6%. Limits of detection were 0.7-2.7 ppb. Recoveries of 90-102% were obtained. The derivative fluorescence methods are simple, rapid and sensitive and there is no interference from fluorescent impurities in the determination of low levels of SAN in milk.