Analytical Chemistry Insights最新文献

A new chemosensor has been used to monitor atmospheric nitrogen oxides [NO + NO2] at parts per billion (ppb) level. It is based on the catalytic reaction of nitrogen oxides with rhodamine B hydrazide (RBH) to produce a colored compound through the hydrolysis of the amide bond of the molecule. A simple colorimeter has been used to monitor atmospheric nitrogen dioxide at ppb level. The air samples were purged through a sampling cuvette containing RBH solution using peristaltic pump. The proposed method has been successfully applied to monitor the ambient nitrogen dioxide levels at traffic junction points within the city limits and the results obtained are compared with the standard Griess-Ilosvay method.

Preliminary development of a fiber optic bilirubin sensor is described, where an unclad sensing portion is used to provide evanescent wave interaction of the transmitted light with the chemical environment. By using a wavelength corresponding to a bilirubin absorption peak, the Beer-Lambert Law can be used to relate the concentration of bilirubin surrounding the sensing portion to the amount of absorbed light. Initial testing in vitro suggests that the sensor response is consistent with the results of bulk absorption measurements as well as the Beer-Lambert Law. In addition, it is found that conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin have different peak absorption wavelengths, so that two optical frequencies may potentially be used to measure both types of bilirubin. Future development of this device could provide a means of real-time, point-of-care monitoring of intravenous bilirubin in critical care neonates with hyperbilirubinemia.

A stripping method for the determination of xanthine in the presence of hypoxanthine at the submicromolar concentration levels is described. The method is based on controlled adsorptive accumulation at the thin-film mercury electrode followed by a fast linear scan voltammetric measurement of the surface species. Optimum experimental conditions were found to be the use of 1.0 × 10(-3) mol L(-1) NaOH solution as supporting electrolyte, an accumulation potential of 0.00 V for xanthine and -0.50 V for hypoxanthine-copper, and a linear scan rate of 200 mV second(-1). The response of xanthine is linear over the concentration ranges of 20-140 ppb. For an accumulation time of 30 minutes, the detection limit was found to be 36 ppt (2.3 × 10(-10) mol L(-1)). Adequate conditions for measuring the xanthine in the presence of hypoxanthine, copper and other metals, uric acid, and other nitrogenated bases were also investigated. The utility of the method is demonstrated by the presence of xanthine associated with hypoxanthine, uric acid, nitrogenated bases, ATP, and ssDNA.

Aqueous alkaline degradation was performed for oseltamivir phosphate (OP) and valacyclovir hydrochloride (VA). Isocratic stability indicating the use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was presented for each drug in the presence of its degradation product. The separations were performed using the Nucleosil ODS column and a mobile phase consisting of phosphate buffer (pH = 7), acetonitrile, and methanol 50:25:25 (v/v/v) for OP. For VA separation, a Nucleosil CN column using phosphate buffer (pH = 7) and methanol 85:15 (v/v) was used as a mobile phase. Ultraviolet detection at 210 nm and 254 nm was used for OP and VA, respectively. The method showed high sensitivity concerning linearity, accuracy, and precision over the range 1-250 μg mL(-1) for both drugs. The proposed method was used to determine the drug in its pharmaceutical formulation and to investigate the degradation kinetics of each drug's alkaline-stressed samples. The reactions were found to follow a first-order reaction. The activation energy could also be estimated. International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines were adopted for method validation.

The recently approved angiotensin II receptor blocker, azilsartan medoxomil (AZL), was determined spectrophotometrically and spectrofluorimetrically in its combination with chlorthalidone (CLT) in their combined dosage form. The UV-spectrophotometric technique depends on simultaneous measurement of the first derivative spectra for AZL and CLT at 286 and 257 nm, respectively, in methanol. The spectrofluorimetric technique depends on measurement of the fourth derivative of the synchronous spectra intensities of AZL in presence of CLT at 298 nm in methanol. The effects of different solvents on spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric responses were studied. For, the spectrofluorimetric study, the effect of pH and micelle-assisted fluorescence enhancement were also studied. Linearity, accuracy, and precision were found to be satisfactory over the concentration ranges of 8-50 μg mL(-1) and 2-20 μg mL(-1) for AZL and CLT, respectively, in the spectrophotometric method as well as 0.01-0.08 μg mL(-1) for AZL in the spectrofluorimetric method. The methods were successfully applied for the determination of the studied drugs in their co-formulated tablets. The developed methods are inexpensive and simple for the quality control and routine analysis of the cited drugs in bulk and in pharmaceuticals.

A rapid, simple, and specific method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) with mass spectrometry detection has been developed for quantitative analysis of ofloxacin in human aqueous humor using tobramycin as internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 Shield column (150 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) eluted with 95:5 water: acetonitrile (v/v) containing 0.1% formic acid and a flow rate of 0.3 mL/minute. The total analysis time was three minutes with ofloxacin eluting at 1.67 ± 0.03 minutes. The linearity of the method ranged from 0.1 to 8 μg/mL with r2 = 0.998. The method was validated according to FDA guidelines with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, specificity, and stability. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.03 and 0.10 μg/mL, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to the analysis of samples that have been obtained from patients.

It is always desirable to achieve maximum sample clean-up, extraction, and pre-concentration with the minimum possible organic solvent. The miniaturization of sample preparation devices was successfully demonstrated by packing 10 mg of 11 electrospun polymer nanofibers into pipette tip micro column and mini disc cartridges for efficient pre-concentration of 1-hydroxypyrene in urine samples. 1-hydroxypyrene is an extensively studied biomarker of the largest class of chemical carcinogens. Excretory 1-hydroxypyrene was monitored with HPLC/fluorescence detector. Important parameters influencing the percentage recovery such as fiber diameter, fiber packing amount, eluent, fiber packing format, eluent volume, surface area, porosity, and breakthrough parameters were thoroughly studied and optimized. Under optimized condition, there was a near perfect linearity of response in the range of 1-1000 μg/L with a coefficient of determination (r (2)) between 0.9992 and 0.9999 and precision (% RSD) ≤7.64% (n = 6) for all the analysis (10, 25, and 50 μg/L). The Limit of detection (LOD) was between 0.022 and 0.15 μg/L. When compared to the batch studies, both disc packed nanofiber sorbents and pipette tip packed sorbents exhibited evident dominance based on their efficiencies. The experimental results showed comparable absolute recoveries for the mini disc packed fibers (84% for Nylon 6) and micro columns (80% for Nylon 6), although the disc displayed slightly higher recoveries possibly due to the exposure of the analyte to a larger reacting surface. The results also showed highly comparative extraction efficiencies between the nanofibers and conventional C-18 SPE sorbent. Nevertheless, miniaturized SPE devices simplified sample preparation, reducing back pressure, time of the analysis with acceptable reliability, selectivity, detection levels, and environmental friendliness, hence promoting green chemistry.

A gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of buprenorphine (BUP) and norbuprenorphine (NBUP) in brain and plasma samples from mice was developed and validated. Analytes were extracted from the brain or plasma by solid phase extraction and quantified within 20 minutes. Calibration was achieved by linear regression with a 1/x weighting factor and d4-buprenorphine internal standard. All products were linear from 1 to 2000 ng/mL with a correlation of determination >0.99. Assay accuracy and precision of back-calculated standards were within ±10%. The lower limit of quantification for both BUP and NBUP from the brain and plasma was 1 ng/mL. This sensitive and specific method can be used for the investigation of BUP mechanism of action and clinical profile.

Being secondary amines, both salbutamol (SLB) and terbutaline (TRB) react by Maillard reaction (MR) with lactose, which is added as an inactive ingredient in tablets. The Amadori rearrangement products were synthesized, isolated, and characterized by mass spectrometry. In addition, a simple, selective, and precise reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) method was developed and validated for the determination of SLB and TRB in tablets, each in the presence of its MR impurity. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Symmetry(®) Waters C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) using a mobile phase consisting of 0.5% aqueous phosphoric acid to acetonitrile (90:10, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.7 mL minute(-1). Quantitation was achieved using UV detection at 230 nm. Linearity, accuracy, and precision were found to be acceptable for the determination of SLB and TRB in the concentration range of 0.2-60 and 0.5-80 μg mL(-1), respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of SLB and TRB in bulk and in their tablets.