Ligand exchange spectrophotometric method for the determination of mole ratio in metal complexes

Novel paper-based potentiometric combined sensors using coumarin derivatives modified with vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles for the selective determination of trace levels of lead ions

Novel miniaturized Pb(II) paper-based potentiometric sensors are described using coumarin derivatives I and II as electroactive ionophores and nano vanadium pentoxide as a solid contact material for the sensitive and selective monitoring of trace lead ions. Density functional theory (DFT) confirms optimum geometries, electronic properties, and charge transfer behaviors of 1:2 Pb(II): coumarin complexes. The sensors are prepared by using two strips of 20 × 5 mm filter paper with two circular orifices. One orifice is coated with vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanoparticles in colloidal conductive carbon as a solid-contact, covered by a PVC membrane containing coumarin ionophore to act as a sensing probe. The other orifice is treated with Ag/AgCl in a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) film, to act as a reference electrode. Sensors with ionophores (I) and (II) exhibit Nernstian slopes of 27.7 ± 0.2 and 30.2 ± 0.2 mV/decade over the linear concentration range 4.5 × 10-7 to 6.2 × 10-3 M and 8.5 × 10-8 to 6.2 × 10-3 M, with detection limits of 1.3 × 10-7 M (26.9 ppb) and 2.1 × 10-8 M (4.4 ppb), respectively. The sensors are satisfactorily used for accurate determination of lead ions in drinking water, lead-acid battery wastewater, and electronic waste leachates. The results compare favourably well with data obtained by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry.

Redox-Based Colorimetric Sensor for the Selective Determination of Ascorbic Acid in Fixed-Dose Combination Tablets

BACKGROUND

Ascorbic acid (ASC; vitamin C) is a weak chromophore, so its presence cannot be determined directly by spectrophotometry.

OBJECTIVE

This work aims to develop and validate a simple and ecofriendly analytical method for the determination of ASC concentration based on the reaction of ASC with the metal complex, ferric salicylate.

METHODS

The visible absorbance of ferric salicylate was found to be inversely proportional to the concentration of ASC. The possible mechanism of the reaction between ASC and ferric salicylate was investigated: ferric salicylate was found to be reduced by ASC under the applied experimental conditions. Different parameters that may affect the reaction were also investigated: ferric salicylate concentration, pH, ionic strength, and the time of reaction. The optimum concentration of ferric salicylate was found to be 1000 µM and the optimum pH was 5.5. The developed method was validated according to International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines.

RESULTS

The linearity range of the developed method was 5-70 µg/mL and the correlation coefficient was 0.9994. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.38 µg/mL and 1.16 µg/mL, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of ASC concentration in commercial Ruta-C60® tablets. The mean recovery ± standard deviation was found to be 101.10 ± 0.70%. The results were statistically compared to those obtained by a reported HPLC method. Good agreement was observed.

CONCLUSION

The developed method is simple, fast, cost-effective, and suitable for routine pharmaceutical analysis of ASC.

HIGHLIGHTS

The developed method is more sensitive than the other spectrophotometric methods reported for determination of ASC.

Determination of Monosodium Glutamate in Noodles Using a Simple Spectrofluorometric Method based on an Emission Turn-on Approach

A simple, fast, and ecofriendly spectrofluorometric method was developed and validated for determination of mono sodium glutamate (MSG). The method depended on the reaction between MSG and iron (III) salicylate based on ligand exchange mechanism. Addition of MSG turned-on the fluorescent response of iron (III) salicylate at λ_em 411 nm. Reaction conditions including reagent concentration, pH, and time were optimized. The method was validated regarding the ICH guidelines. The method determined MSG within the linearity range of 25-250 µM with a coefficient of determination of 0.9967 and a calculated limit of detection of 1.73 µM. Furthermore, the developed method was successfully applied for the determination of MSG in food preparation (instant noodles). The results were compared to those obtained by a published HPLC method using t-test and F-test at 95% confidence interval; no statistically significant difference was found. Based on the analytical Eco-scale and the green analytical procedure index (GAPI), the developed method was assessed to be greener than the published HPLC method. The developed method offered advantages over other spectrophotometric reported methods and was convenient for routine determination of MSG in foodstuffs.

Gemifloxacin-transition metal complexes as therapeutic candidates: antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-enzymatic, and docking studies of newly synthesized complexes

In the era of acquired microbial resistance (AMR), resulting in the ineffectiveness of antibiotics is of keen interest for researchers in current scenarios. Ten novel metal complexes of gemifloxacin have been synthesized by reacting it with essential and trace elements in a 2:1 ratio predetermined conducto-metrically. As these metals are either present in the body or co-administered as metallic supplements can alter the level of antibiotics. Therefore, Metal complexes of Gemifloxacin, an important member of the fluoroquinolone family, were synthesized. The possible coordination of gemifloxacin with these metals has been proposed by the electronic and elemental data obtained through molar conductance, elemental analysis, and spectroscopic techniques like ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), infrared (IR), and proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) studies. In the light of these studies, the monoanionic bidentate ligand behavior of gemifloxacin in complexation with metals has been revealed. For in-vitro microbial studies, these newly synthesized complexes were tested against eleven different bacteria including Gram + ve and Gram -ve organisms, and one fungal strain. The results were compared with the parent drug by applying ANOVA through SPSS software version 22. Therefore, it has been found that among all synthesized metal complexes, the G-M01 complex exhibits increased activity against B. subtilis, P. mirabilis, E. coli, K. pneumonia, and C. freundii. Complex G-M02, G-M03, G-M04, and G-M10 show more pronounced activity than Gemifloxacin against S. aureus and M. luteus. Moreover, the binding orientations of the synthesized metal complexes into the binding site of the urease enzyme revealed that all the docked metal complexes oriented away from the Ni bi-center, and the inactivation of urease is due to their interaction with entrance flap residues.

A highly sensitive switch-on spectrofluorometric method for determination of ascorbic acid using a selective eco-friendly approach

Ascorbic acid has recently been extensively used due to its role in the management of COVID-19 infections by stimulating the immune system and triggering phagocytosis of the corona virus. The currently used spectrofluorometric methods for determination of ascorbic acid require using derivatizing agents or fluorescent probes and suffer from a number of limitations, including slow reaction rates, low yield, limited sensitivity, long reaction times and high temperatures. In this work, we present a highly sensitive spectrofluorometric method for determination of ascorbic acid by switching-on the fluorescence of salicylate in presence of iron (III) due to a reduction of the cation to iron (II). The addition of ascorbic acid resulted in a corresponding enhancement in the fluorescence intensity of iron (III)-salicylate complex at emission wavelength = 411 nm. The method was found linear in the range of 1-8 µg/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9997. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.035 µg/mL and 0.106 µg/mL, respectively. The developed method was applied for the determination of ascorbic acid in the commercially available dosage form; Ruta C60® tablets. The obtained results were compared with those obtained by a reported liquid chromatographic method at 95% confidence interval, no statistically significant differences were found between the developed and the reported methods. Yet, the developed spectrofluorometric method was found markedly greener than the reference method, based on the analytical Eco-scale and the green analytical procedure index. This work presents a simple, rapid and sensitive method that can possibly be applied for determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceuticals, biological fluids and food samples.

Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction as an alternative sample preparation technique for biomedical analysis

Liquid-liquid extraction is a widely used technique of sample preparation in biomedical analysis. In spite of the high pre-concentration capacities of liquid-liquid extraction, it suffers from a number of limitations including time and effort consumption, large organic solvent utilization, and poor performance in highly polar analytes. Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction is an alternative sample preparation technique that overcomes some drawbacks of conventional liquid-liquid extraction, and allows employing greener organic solvents in sample treatment. In homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction, a homogeneous phase is formed between the aqueous sample and the water-miscible extractant, followed by chemically or physically induced phase separation. To form the homogeneous phase, aqueous samples are mixed with water-miscible organic solvents, water-immiscible solvents/cosolvents, surfactants, or smart polymers. Then, phase separation is induced chemically (adding salt, sugar, or buffer) or physically (changing temperature or pH). This mode is rapid, sustainable, and cost-effective in comparison with other sample preparation techniques. Moreover, homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction is more suitable for the extraction of delicate macromolecules such as enzymes, hormones, and proteins and it is more compatible with liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, which is a vital technique in metabolomics and proteomics. In this review, the principle, types, applications, automation, and technical aspects of homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction are discussed.

Ligand exchange method for determination of mole ratios of relatively weak metal complexes: a comparative study

Ligand exchange method is introduced as an alternative to Job's and mole ratio methods for studying the stoichiometry of relatively weak metal complexes in solutions. The method involves adding varying amounts of a ligand (L) to an excess constant amount of a colored complex (MX) with appropriate stability and molar absorptivity. The absorbance of each solution is measured at the λ_max of the initial complex, MX, and plotted against the concentration of the studied ligand, L. If the newly formed complex ML does not absorb at the λ_max of the initial complex, then attenuation of the absorbance of the initial complex on adding varying quantities of the investigational ligand gives an inverse calibration line that intersects with the calibration curve of initial complex at a given point. If a line parallel to the ordinate is drawn from this point to the x-axis, the ratio of the two parts of the x-axis to the left and to the right (α/β) gives the metal to ligand molar ratio in the complex formed, ML. The new method has been applied to the study of the composition of iron (III) complexes with three bisphosphonate drugs: alendronate, etidronate, and ibandronate. The mole ratio was found to be 1:1 with the three investigated bisphosphonates and results were further confirmed by Job's and mole ratio methods. The ligand exchange method is simpler, quicker, easier to perform and more accurate than Job's and mole ratio methods for studying weak and relatively weak complexes.

Spectrophotometric determination of Cu(II) in soil and vegetable samples collected from Abraha Atsbeha, Tigray, Ethiopia using heterocyclic thiosemicarbazone

Two selective and sensitive reagents, 2-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (2-APT) and 3-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (3-APT) were used for the spectrophotometric determination of Cu(II). Both reagents gave yellowish Cu(II) complex at a pH range of 8.0-10.0. Beer's law was obeyed for Cu(II)-2-APT and Cu(II)-3-APT in the concentration range of 0.16-1.3 and 0.44-1.05 µg/mL, respectively. The molar absorptivity and of Cu(II)-2-APT and Cu(II)-3-APT were 2.14 × 10(4) at 370 nm, and 6.7 × 10(3) L/mol cm at 350 nm, respectively, while the Sandell's sensitivity were 0.009 and 0.029 µg/cm(2) in that order. The correlation coefficient of the standard curves of Cu(II)-2-APT and Cu(II)-3-APT were 0.999 and 0.998, respectively. The detection limit of the Cu(II)-2-APT and Cu(II)-3-APT methods were 0.053 and 0.147 µg/mL, respectively. The results demonstrated that the procedure is precise (relative standard deviation <2 %, n = 10). The method was tested for Cu(II) determination in soil and vegetable samples. Comparisons of the results with those obtained using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer for Cu(II) determination also tested the validity of the method using paired sample t test at the 0.05 level showing a good agreement between them.

Recovery of Au(III) ions by Au(III)-imprinted hydrogel

A new Au(III)-imprinted hydrogel (Au(III)-Imp) was prepared by the photopolymerisation of 4- acryloylmorpholine (AcM), 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (cross-linking monomer, PEG-DA) in the presence of gold ions. In addition, non-imprinted hydrogel (N-Imp) was similarly prepared without Au(III) ions The Au(III)-Imp hydrogel was characterised by several techniques. To achieve the optimal conditions, effect of pH, time, and initial metal ion concentrations were investigated using a batch system. The pre-concentration factor for Au(III) ions was found to be at least 100. The analytical parameters of the method were determined and the method was also successfully applied to computer circuit board scrap samples. The reusability of the Au(III)-Imp hydrogel was also determined.

Flow injection determination of carboxylate, phosphate, and sulfhydryl compounds using metal exchange complexation

The determination of carboxylate, phosphorous, and sulfhydryl compounds has been studied using flow injection by measuring the decrease in absorbance of the Fe(III)-salicylate complex due to preferential ligand interaction with ferric ion. Targeted compounds include polycarboxylates such as sodium citrate, sodium oxalate, and EDTA, anionic phosphorous compounds such as sodium monofluoroorthophosphate, sodium trimetaphosphate, and sodium hexametaphosphate, and sulfhydryl compounds such as cysteine, glutathione, and captopril. Initial flow injection optimization has focused on citrate based on its ability to replace salicylate ion in the Fe(III)-salicylate complex causing a decrease in absorbance at 525 nm proportional to the citrate concentration. Two flow injection analysis methods are developed. In the first method, offline reaction flow injection, sodium citrate dissolved in 100 μmol L(-1) Fe-salicylate is injected in a carrier solution of 100 μmol L(-1) Fe-salicylate. The decrease in peak area is linear over a range of 1.36-109 μmol L(-1) using a flow rate of 1 mL min(-1) and an injection volume of 100 μL. The effect of pH on the Fe-salicylate complex absorbance is studied from 1 to 3.5; pH 3 shows both a high and stable complex absorbance in the visible range which provided important potential selectivity over UV detection. The limit of detection is found to be less than 57 nmol L(-1) depending on the Fe(III)-salicylate concentration used. The second method is reverse flow injection using the sample as a flowing stream in which 3 mmol L(-1) Fe(III)-salicylate is injected and the decrease in the response with increased sample concentration was monitored. The commercially available pharmaceutical product (Citroma)(®) is used to assess the accuracy and precision of the two proposed methods as compared to a reference method.