Enhanced flow-injection–chemiluminometric determination of sulphonamides by on-line photochemical reaction

Investigation of novel nanomaterial for the removal of toxic substances from contaminated water

Ligand-functionalized nanomaterials exhibit great potential for the removal of hazardous substances from the environment and industrial wastewater. In this work, a composite nanosphere material was fabricated using mesoporous silica and organic ligand, and employed for the efficient detection and subsequent removal of toxic sulfanilamide (SNA) from waste samples. The organic ligand 2-naphthol was successfully conjugated onto the mesoporous nanospheres, which then captured SNA under suitable conditions. A naked-eye color change was observed even when a trace amount of SNA interacted with the material, which is the most promising advantage of the fabricated material. A low limit of detection and quantification limit were also determined, and the new nanosphere material revealed the ultra-trace detection performance of 0.27 μg L⁻¹ of SNA in aqueous media. The effect of solution pH, competing ions, color optimization and initial concentration of SNA on the nanosphere material was investigated under the optimum conditions. The nanosphere material exhibited rapid adsorption properties, and its maximum adsorption capability approached 79.20 mg g⁻¹. Several compounds were examined as common interfering substances including vanillin, glucose, lactose, starch and sucrose, which did not adversely interfere in both the detection and adsorption systems using the proposed nanosphere material. The data emphasized that the proposed material is highly suitable for the capture of SNA from contaminated water based on its selectivity, sensitivity, cost-effectiveness and eco-friendly approach. The results also indicate that this nanosphere material will attract attention from researchers for the efficient and selective capture of the toxic SNA.

Preparation of novel nanosphere material for efficient capture of toxic substances. The nanosphere material was systematically investigated for the capture of a toxic substance. The material displayed high sensitivity with high adsorption efficiency.

Simultaneous determination of sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim in powder mixtures by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared and multivariate calibration

A partial least-squares calibration (PLS) procedure in combination with infrared spectroscopy has been developed for simultaneous determination of sulphamethoxazole (SMZ) and trimethoprim (TMP) in raw material powder mixtures used for manufacturing commercial pharmaceutical products. Multivariate calibration modeling procedures, interval partial least squares (iPLS) and synergy partial least squares (siPLS), were applied to select a spectral range that provided the lowest prediction error in comparison to the full-spectrum model. The experimental matrix was constructed using 49 synthetic samples and 15 commercial samples. The considered concentration ranges were 400-900 mg g(-1) SMZ and 80-240 mg g(-1) TMP. Spectral data were recorded between 650 and 4000 cm(-1) with a 4 cm(-1) resolution by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy coupled with attenuated total reflectance (ATR-FTIR) accessory. The proposed procedure was compared with conventional procedure by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using 15 commercial samples containing SMZ and TMP. The results showed that PLS regression model combined to ATR-FTIR is a relatively simple, rapid and accurate procedure that could be applied to the simultaneous determination of SMZ and TMP in routine quality control of powder mixtures. A root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 13.18 mg g(-1) for SMZ and 6.03 mg g(-1) for TMP was obtained after selection of better intervals by siPLS. Using the proposed procedure it is possible to analyze each sample in less than 3 min considering two replicates (excluding the grinding step). Accuracy was checked by comparison to HPLC method and agreement better than 98.8% was achieved.

Recent applications of flow-injection and sequential-injection analysis techniques to chemiluminescence determination of pharmaceuticals

A review is presented on the state of the art of the chemiluminescence analysis of pharmaceuticals by the two most relevant automated controlled-flow methodologies--flow-injection analysis (FIA) and sequential-injection analysis (SIA). The current chemiluminometric applications of FIA and SIA in pharmaceutical analysis are discussed with special emphasis on the analytical figures of merit and sample matrix characteristics. The review involving 211 references and covering papers published between 2001 and 2006 is divided into several sections according to the fundamental types of chemiluminescence systems employed.

Acidic potassium permanganate as a chemiluminescence reagent—A review

A critical and comprehensive review of acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence is presented. This includes discussion on reaction conditions, the influence of enhancers such as polyphosphates, formaldehyde and sulfite, the relationship between analyte structure and chemiluminescence intensity, and the application of this chemistry to determine a wide variety of compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, biomolecules, antioxidants, illicit drugs, pesticides and pollutants. Previous proposals for the nature of the emitting species are re-evaluated in light of recent evidence.

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.

Online phototransformation-flow injection chemiluminescence determination of triclosan

A highly selective and sensitive chemiluminescence method for the determination of triclosan is proposed. The method is based on the phototransformation of triclosan to a light-emitting precursor in the presence of fluorescein in alkaline medium and the chemiluminescence reaction is then triggered by strong base or oxidants such as N-bromosuccinimide. Based on this reaction an online phototransformation-flow injection manifold was developed, in which the photoreactor comprises a 150-cm-long x 0.8-mm-i.d. piece of PTFE tubing coiled around a 25-W fluorescent lamp, and the phototransformed products were then injected into a carrier stream of borate buffer. After mixing with the oxidant stream the produced light was detected by a photomultiplier. A wide calibration range from 8.0 x 10(-8) to 1.0 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) was obtained under the optimized conditions, and the detection limit was as low as 5.0 x 10(-8) mol L(-1). The whole process of analysis, including the online phototransformation and subsequent chemiluminescence detection, could be completed in 6 min. Most of the foreign substances tested showed high tolerance levels, and the proposed method was directly applied to the determination of triclosan in toothpaste samples without any pre-separation procedure. Figure Schematic representation of the phototransformation of triclosan and subsequent chemiluminescence reaction.

New method for the photo-chemiluminometric determination of benzoylurea insecticides based on acetonitrile chemiluminescence

The viability of tandem photochemical reaction-chemiluminescence detection has been studied for the determination of five benzoylurea insecticides, namely, diflubenzuron, triflumuron, hexaflumuron, lufenuron and flufenoxuron. The 'on-line' photochemical reaction of benzoylurea pesticides provides an enhanced chemiluminescence response of the pesticides during their oxidation by potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) and sodium hydroxide, whose signal increases with the percentage of acetonitrile in the reaction medium. The determination was performed using a photoreactor consisting of a PFA (perfluoroalkoxy) tube reactor coil (5 mx1.6-mm O.D. and 0.8-mm I.D.) and an 8-W xenon lamp. As the yield of the photoderivatization process and the chemiluminescent signals depend on the percentage of acetonitrile, the chromatographic column (a Gemini C18, Phenomenex 150 mmx4.6 mm, 5-microm particle size) was chosen with the aim of using high percentages of this organic solvent in the mobile phase. Previous studies showed that the rate of the chemiluminescent reaction was very fast. Therefore, a modification was carried out in the detector in order to mix the analytes and reactants as near as possible to the measure cell. The optimised method was validated with respect to linearity, precision, limits of detection and quantification accuracy. Under the optimised conditions, linear working range extends three orders of magnitude with the relative standard deviation of intra-day precision below 10% and detection limits between 0.012 and 0.18 microg mL-1, according to the compound. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of benzoylureas in cucumber with good results.

Photo-induced chemiluminometric determination of Karbutilate in a continuous-flow Multicommutation assembly

The present paper deals with the chemiluminescent determination of the herbicide Karbutilate on the basis of its previous photodegradation by using a low-pressure Hg lamp as UV source in a continuous-flow multicommutation assembly (a solenoid valves set). The pesticide solution was segmented by a solenoid valve and sequentially alternated with segments of the 0.001 mol l(-1) of NaOH solution, the suitable media for the formation of photo-fragments; then it passes through the photo-reactor and was lead to the flow-cell after being divided in small segments which were sequentially alternated with the oxidizing system; 2 x 10(-5) mol l(-1) of potassium permanganate in 0.2% pyrophosphoric acid. The studied calibration range, from 0.1 microg l(-1) to 65 mg l(-1), resulted in a linear behaviour over the range 20 microg l(-1)-20 mg l(-1) and fitting the linear equation: I=(1180+/-30)C+(15+/-5) with the correlation coefficient 0.9998. The limit of detection was 10 microg l(-1) and the sample throughput 17 h(-1). After testing the influence of a large series of potential interfering species, the method was applied to water and human urine samples.

Photoinduced chemiluminescence of pharmaceuticals

A screening test for the forward development of chemiluminescence systems able to determine pharmaceutical compounds is reported. The test is based on the on-line photodegradation of the drugs by using a photoreactor consisting of 697 cmx0.5 mm PTFE tubing helically coiled around an 8 W low-pressure mercury lamp. Photodegraded pharmaceuticals are detected by direct chemiluminescence of the resulting photofragments and their subsequent reaction with potassium permanganate in sulphuric acid medium as oxidant. The screening comprised 97 compounds with different molecular structures and relevant members of the most important families of pharmaceuticals are tested (amino acids, carboxylic acids, nitrocompounds, phenyl-alkyl and aromatic amines, sulphonic acid amides, polycarbocyclics, monocyclic N-containing heterocyclics, bicyclic N-containing heterocyclics, tricyclic N-containing heterocyclics, N-S containing heterocyclics...). Due to the relevant influence of the medium for the photodegradation a wide range of pH's and buffer solutions were studied. The proposed strategy (photoinduced chemiluminescence, Ph-CL) allows the development of systems for the determination of many pharmaceuticals which do not present "native" chemiluminescence (e.g. chloramphenicol, dextromethorpham, riboflavin, ephedrine, piperazinamide, chlotrimazole, theophylline...). Moreover, Ph-CL allows to increase the sensitivity of chemiluminescence procedures based on direct chemiluminescence detection (e.g. sulphonamides, thiazides, nicontinamide, nortryptiline, levamisole, phenylbarbituric acid...).

Determination of nine pyrethroid insecticides by high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column photoderivatization and detection based on acetonitrile chemiluminescence

An HPLC method was developed to determine pyrethroids, including fenpropathrin, beta-cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, fenvalerate, permethrin, acrinathrin, tau-fluvalinate, and bifenthrin, by coupling HPLC, post-column irradiation with UV light and chemiluminescence detection of the resulting photoproducts. It is based on the observation that photolyzed pyrethroids take part in a chemiluminescent reaction in presence of K3Fe(CN)6 and NaOH, whose signal increases with the percentage of acetonitrile in the reaction medium. As the yield of the photoderivatization process and the chemiluminescent signals depend on the percentage of acetonitrile, the chromatographic column (a Gemini C18, Phenomenex 150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm particle size) was chosen with the aim of using high percentages of this organic solvent in the mobile phase. Previous studies showed that the rate of the chemiluminescent reaction was very fast. Therefore, a modification was carried out in the detector in order to mix the analytes and reactives as near as possible to the measure cell. The optimised method was validated with respect to linearity, precision, limits of detection and quantification accuracy. Under the optimised conditions, linear working range extends three orders of magnitude with the relative standard deviation on intra-day precision below 10% and detection limits between 0.013 and 0.049 microg mL(-1), according to the compound. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of pyrethroids in tomato with good results.

High performance liquid chromatography post-column chemiluminescence determination of sulfonamide residues in milk at low concentration levels using bis[4-nitro-2-(3,6,9-trioxadecyloxycarbonyl)phenyl] oxalate as chemiluminescent reagent

The determination of seven sulfonamides by means of HPLC with chemiluminescence detection is proposed for the first time. The analytes are derivatized with fluorescamine, separated and subsequently they participate in the post-column chemiluminescence (CL) peroxyoxalate system using imidazole as a catalyst. Among the different peroxyoxalates tested, bis[4-nitro-2-(3,6,9-trioxadecyloxycarbonyl)phenyl] oxalate provides higher sensitivities and stabilities, avoiding precipitation problems. A rigorous optimization of the significant variables by means of experimental designs has been developed in order to reconcile the chromatographic conditions with the CL reaction. The method provides detection limits in the low microgl(-1) range and has been satisfactorily applied to the analysis of spiked raw milk samples.

FI-chemiluminometric study of thiazides by on-line photochemical reaction

The present manuscript deals with a simple and sensitive flow-injection method for the chemiluminescent determination of thiazides. The method is based on the on-line photodegradation and chemiluminescent determination of the resulting photo-fragments. The on-line photodegradation is performed in basic medium by using a photoreactor consisting of a 550cm long x 0.8mm ID piece of PTFE tubing helically coiled around an 8W low-pressure mercury lamp. The determination of the photo-irradiated thiazides is performed by a chemiluminescent oxidative reaction with Ce(IV) in sulphuric acid medium. A heterogeneous group of thiazides (indapamide, metolazone, hydroflumethiazide, chlorthalidone and bendroflumethiazide) has been studied. Hydrochlorothiazide was selected as a test substance. The "on-line" photochemical reaction approach allows the sensitive chemiluminescent determination of thiazides which do not present native chemiluminescence in the absence of sensitizers such as Rhodamine 6G. Linear calibration graphs were typically over the range 0.5-12 microgml(-1) (indapamide, metolazone, hydroflumethiazide and chlorthalidone); and over the range 0.5-5 microgml(-1) (hydrochlorothiazide). Limits of detection ranged between 0.005 microgml(-1) (hydrochlorothiazide) and 0.06 microgml(-1) (bendroflumethiazide). The relative standard deviation for the test substance was 2.0% for 2 microgl(-1) of the drug (n = 11) and the throughput was 65 h(-1) in all cases. The assessment of the photodegradation step on the molecular structure of thiazides was established by recording UV and fluorimetric spectra. The viability of the on-line photoinduced fluorescent determination of hydroflumethiazide and bendroflumethiazide was confirmed. The method was also applied to the determination of hydrochlorothiazide in commercially available formulation.