Ultraviolet assisted liquid spray dielectric barrier discharge plasma-induced vapor generation for sensitive determination of arsenic by atomic fluorescence spectrometry

In this study, a novel sensitive method for As determination by atomic fluorescence spectrometry was developed based on UV-assisted liquid spray dielectric barrier discharge (UV-LSDBD) plasma-induced vapor generation. It was found that prior-UV irradiation greatly facilitates As vapor generation in LSDBD likely because of the increased generation of active substances and the formation of As intermediates with UV irradiation. The experimental conditions affecting the UV and LSDBD processes (such as formic acid concentration, irradiation time, the flow rates of sample, argon and hydrogen) were optimized in detail. Under the optimum conditions, As signal measured by LSDBD can be enhanced by about 16 times with UV irradiation. Furthermore, UV-LSDBD also offers much better tolerance to coexisting ions. The limit of detection was calculated to be 0.13 μg L^-1 for As, and the relative standard deviation of the repeated measurements was 3.2% (n = 7). The accuracy and effectiveness of this new method were further verified by the analysis of simulated natural water reference sample and real water samples. In this work, UV irradiation was utilized for the first time as an enhancement strategy for PIVG, which opens a new approach for developing green and efficient vapor generation methods.

Detection of gases and organic vapors by cellulose-based sensors

The growing interest in the development of cost-effective, straightforward, and rapid analytical systems has found cellulose-based materials, including cellulose derivatives, cellulose-based gels, nanocellulosic materials, and the corresponding (nano)cellulose-based composites, to be valuable platforms for sensor development. The present work presents recent advances in the development of cellulose-based sensors for the determination of volatile analytes and derivatives of analytical relevance. In particular, strategies described in the literature for the fabrication and modification of cellulose-based substrates with responsive materials are summarized. In addition, selected contributions reported in the field of paper-based volatile sensors are discussed, with a particular emphasis on quick response (QR) code paper-based platforms, intelligent films for food freshness monitoring, and sensor arrays for volatile discrimination purposes. Furthermore, analytical strategies devised for the determination of ionic species by in situ generation of volatile derivatives in both paper-based analytical devices (PADs) and microfluidic PADs will also be described.

Quantitative vapor delivery for improved canine threshold testing

The canine olfactory system is a highly efficient and intricate tool often exploited by humans for detection for its many attributes, including impressive sensitivity to trace analyte vapors. Canine detectors are often touted as having lower limits of detection, or olfactory detection threshold (ODT), than other field-relevant detection technologies; however, previous attempts to quantify canine ODTs have resulted in reported estimates spanning multiple orders of magnitude, even for the same analyte. A major contributor to these discrepancies is the vapor delivery method used for testing, where losses due to adsorption and dilution are often unaccounted for, and the presence of unattended compounds in the vapor stream due to carryover may go unnoticed. In this research, a trace vapor generator (TV-Gen) was used to deliver quantitatively accurate amounts of vapor reproducibly over time for canine testing. Analyte losses due to adsorption to surfaces in the flow path, dilution in the sniff port at the outlet, and analyte carryover were considered. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling was used to visualize analyte vapor spread throughout the port. CFD simulations revealed the need for a diffuser to encourage the diffusion of the analyte throughout the port. As a result, the modified vapor generator provides analyte air as a diffuse flow that is evenly distributed through the custom sampling orifice, as opposed to a narrow stream of air at the chosen concentration which exits directly into the environment. Laboratory validations were carried out for three analytes, amyl acetate, 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), and methyl benzoate. A linear response across more than two orders of magnitude vapor concentration range was achieved for all analytes. These efforts will be applied in further research utilizing this TV-Gen vapor delivery system for canine ODT testing, eliminating many quantitative changes seen previously. Graphical abstract.

Optimization of a novel setup for an on-line study of elemental mercury adsorption by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry

BACKGROUND

The objective of this work was developing a simple and stable time-based on-line setup for assessing the potential of mercury (Hg) vapor adsorption of the commercial sorbents used in air sampling and control operation followed by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS).

METHODS

A special designed separation chamber was used where reduction of the injected Hg (II) solution took place. Purge gas passes through this chamber resulting to a prompt release of mercury vapor, purging into the adsorbent that regulated at the desired adsorption temperature. After sorbent saturation, in order to study the adsorption parameters of sorbents (activated carbon and bone char) such as breakthrough time (BTT), and adsorptive capacity, mercury gas stream was passed through the sorbents, directly transport to the CVAAS.

RESULTS

Preliminary experiments concerning the reductant solution showed that SnCl2 offers higher stability than NaBH4. Around the loading range 0.125-2.5 ml min⁻¹ of 100 µg l⁻¹ Hg(II) solution, a linear calibration curve with the equation peak area=0.134; loading flow=-0.017 and a correlation coefficient r=0.996 was obtained, and the detection limit was improved up to c(L)=1 µg l⁻¹. The relative standard deviation of five measurements of lowest flow loading of Hg (II) was RSD=2.8%. The significant differences were observed in the breakthrough time and mercury adsorptive capacity between activated carbon and bone char (P=0.010).

CONCLUSION

This novel setup is suitable for an on-line study of elemental mercury adsorption, determination of breakthrough time and adsorption capacity, and because of its stable performance during all experiments; it can be applied to the time based studies.