Potentiometric quantification of saccharin by using a selective membrane formed by pyrrole electropolymerization

HPTLC screening of saccharin in beverages by densitometry quantification and SERS confirmation

As a widely used artificially synthesized sweetener, saccharin faced numerous disputes associated with food safety. Therefore, its fast analysis in food is of crucial importance. In this study, an analytical method for the fast and reliable screening of saccharin in various beverages was established and validated, by combining HPTLC with densitometry and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The diluted sample liquid was directly sprayed and separated on a silica gel plate using a mixture of ethyl acetate and acetic acid in the ratio of 9 : 1 (v/v) as the mobile phase. The separation realized full isolation of the analyte from background noises. Then, a densitometry analysis in the absorption-reflection mode (working wavelength 230 nm) was optimized to obtain quantitative data, showing a good linearity in the range of 40-200 ng per band (R 2 = 0.9988). The limits of detection and quantification were determined to be 6 and 20 ng per band, respectively, which were equal to 6 and 20 mg kg-1. The quantitative results also displayed satisfactory accuracy and precision, with a spike-recovery rate within 87.75-98.14% (RSD <5.13%). As a cost-efficient tool for confirmation, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy was employed to profile the molecular fingerprint of the analyte eluted from the plate layer. Under optimized conditions (785 nm laser as the excitation light and silver nanoparticle loaded glass fiber paper as the active substrate), the elution of the saccharin band exhibited stable and sensitive surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy signals. This study demonstrated that HPTLC could be a versatile platform for food analysis, with outstanding simplicity and cost-efficiency.

Potentiometric determination of pantoprazole using an ion-selective sensor based on polypyrrole doped films

The present work reports for the first time the use of polypyrrole (PPy) doped film for development of a potentiometric disposable sensor for determination of pantoprazole (PTZ), a drug used for ulcer treatment. Selective potentiometric response has been found by using a membrane of PPy doped with PTZ anions prepared under galvanostatic conditions at graphite pencil electrode (GPEM/PPy-PTZ) surface. Potentiometric response has been influenced for conditions adopted in polymerization and measurement step. After optimization of experimental (e.g. pH and time of conditioning) and instrumental parameters (e.g. current density and electrical charge) a linear analytical curve from 1.0 × 10(-5) to 1.1 × 10(-2) mol L(-1) with a slope of calibration of the 57.6 mV dec(-1) and limit of detection (LOD) of 6.9 × 10(-6) mol L(-1) was obtained. The determination of the PTZ content in pharmaceutical samples using the proposed methodology and official method recommended by Brazilian Pharmacopeia are in agreement at the 95% confidence level and within an acceptable range of error.

Filmes de polipirrol aplicados no desenvolvimento de eletrodos descartáveis seletivos a íons fluoreto

O presente manuscrito descreve o desenvolvimento de um sensor descartável sensível e seletivo baseado em filmes de polipirrol dopados (PPy) para determinação íons fluoreto. Os íons fluoretos foram incorporados na matriz PPy durante a polimerização eletroquímica realizada em condições galvanostáticas em um eletrodo compósito etileno vinil acetato e negro de fumo. Parâmetros experimentais envolvidos na preparação de película PPy tais como densidade de corrente elétrica, carga elétrica, o pH e a concentração de eletrólito foram otimizados de forma a maximizar a resposta potenciométrica. A resposta do sensor para íons de flúor foi linear no intervalo de concentração de 1,00 × 10- 5 a 1,08 × 10- 2 mol L- 1, com uma inclinação de ~ 40 mV / pF e foi estável suficiente para várias determinações. O método foi aplicado com sucesso na determinação de íons fluoreto em amostras comerciais farmacêuticas. Os resultados demonstraram que o sensor proposto pode ser utilizado como uma alternativa interessante aos métodos analíticos tradicionais para determinação de íons fluoreto.