A reductant colorimetric method for the rapid detection of certain cephalosporins via the production of gold and silver nanoparticles

Carbocyanine-Based Fluorescent and Colorimetric Sensor Array for the Discrimination of Medicinal Compounds

Array-based optical sensing is an efficient technique for the determination and discrimination of small organic molecules. This study is aimed at the development of a simple and rapid strategy for obtaining an optical response from a wide range of low-molecular-weight organic compounds. We have suggested a colorimetric and fluorimetric sensing platform based on the combination of two response mechanisms using carbocyanine dyes: aggregation and oxidation. In the first one, the analyte forms ternary aggregates with an oppositely charged surfactant wherein the dye is solubilized in the hydrophobic domains of the surfactant accompanied with fluorescent enhancement. The second mechanism is based on the effect of the analyte on the catalytic reaction rate of dye oxidation with H2O2 in the presence of a metal ion (Cu2+, Pd2+), which entails fluorescence waning and color change. The reaction mixture in a 96-well plate is photographed in visible light (colorimetry) and the near-IR region under red light excitation (fluorimetry). In this proof-of-concept study, we demonstrated the feasibility of discrimination of nine medicinal compounds using principal component analysis: four cephalosporins (ceftriaxone, cefazolin, ceftazidime, cefotaxime), three phenothiazines (promethazine, promazine, chlorpromazine), and two penicillins (benzylpenicillin, ampicillin) in an aqueous solution and in the presence of turkey meat extract. The suggested platform allows simple and rapid recognition of analytes of various nature without using spectral equipment, except for a photo camera.

A novel fluorescent labeling reagent, 2-(9-acridone)-ethyl chloroformate, and its application to the analysis of free amino acids in honey samples by HPLC with fluorescence detection and identification with online ESI-MS

In this study, a novel fluorescent labeling reagent 2-(9-acridone)-ethyl chloroformate (AEC-Cl) was designed, synthesized and applied for the determination of free amino acids by high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). The free amino acids were rapidly and efficiently labeled by AEC-Cl in the presence of basic catalyst (pH 9.0) within 5 min at room temperature (25 °C). The derivatives exhibited excellent stability and fluorescence properties, with maximum excitation and emission wavelengths at 268 nm and 438 nm, respectively. Derivatives of 22 kinds of natural amino acids were completely separated by gradient elution on a Hypersil ODS C18 column. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration curves exhibited excellent linear responses, with correlation coefficients of R² > 0.9994. The detection and quantification limits were in the range of 0.61-2.67 μg kg^-1 and 2.07-8.35 μg kg^-1, respectively. Therefore, AEC-Cl was successfully applied for the detection of trace levels of free amino acids in honey samples. Graphical abstract A novel fluorescent labeling reagent was applied for the determination of free amino acids in honey by high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector.

Optical sensors based on silver nanoparticles for determination of pharmaceuticals: An overview of advances in the last decade

This review focuses on optical nanosensors based on silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and demonstrates their applications in the determination of pharmaceutical compounds in the last decade. Such optical sensors have received high attention in the analytical field owing to their low cost and simplicity since they do not require any complex or expensive instrumentation. This article reviews Ag NP-based optical methods for the determination of pharmaceutical compounds from 2010 to 2020. The reported optical methods are classified into four types: spectrophotometry, spectrofluorimetry, scattering and chemiluminescence. Ag NPs play different roles in the different sensing platforms used by these methods, the details of which are carefully explained in this review. Moreover, the relevant analytical parameters of the developed methods are categorized by role and tabulated. It is hoped that this review will stimulate further research in this field with similar nanostructures.