Simultaneous determination of dysprosium and iron in urine by capillary zone electrophoresis coupled to cloud point extraction

Automated preconcentration strategies are needed when analyzing metals in real samples by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with UV detection. The on-line incorporation of cloud point extraction (CPE) to flow injection analysis (FIA) associated with CE for simultaneously determining dysprosium and iron at ppb levels in urine is presented and evaluated for the first time. The preconcentration step is mediated by micelles of the non-ionic surfactant polyethyleneglycol-mono-p-nonylphenylether (PONPE 7.5) with 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol. The micellar system containing the complex was loaded into the FIA manifold at a flow rate of 8 mlmin(-1), and the surfactant rich-phase was retained in a microcolumn packed with cotton, at pH 9.2. The surfactant-rich phase was eluted with 50 microl acetonitrile directly into the CE sample vial, allowing to reach an enrichment factor of 200-fold for a 10 ml sample urine. The type and composition of the background electrolytes (BGE) were investigated with respect to separation selectivity, reproducibility and stability. A BGE of 20mM sodium tetraborate buffer containing 13% acetonitrile, pH 9.0 was found to be optimal for the separation of metal chelates. Detection was performed at 585 nm. An enhancement factor of 200 was obtained for the preconcentration of 10 ml of sample solution. The detection limits for the preconcentration of 10 ml of urine were 0.20 microgl(-1) for Dy, and. 0.48 microgl(-1) for Fe. The calibration graphs using the preconcentration system were linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.9989 (Dy) and 0.9976 (Fe) at levels near the detection limits up to at least 500 microgl(-1). The method was successfully applied to the determination of dysprosium and iron in urine for monitoring the elimination of dysprosium-based pharmaceuticals.     

Optimisation of parameters for determination of rubidium in spent CAPD fluids by flame and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

An analytical procedure is reported for the determination of rubidium in spent continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) fluids by flame and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS, ETAAS). Samples of spent CAPD fluids were collected as 5 ml aliquots in polyethylene tubes and stored in a freezer at -20 degrees C. Before analysis, samples were equilibrated to room temperature and analysed within 8 h. A total of 2 mg ml(-1) of caesium was added to each sample and standard solution to overcome interferences from ionisation. An air-acetylene flame was applied in FAAS determinations. Analysis was performed against aqueous standards. The calibration graph was linear from 30.0 up to 5000 microg l(-1) Rb, while the limit of detection (3 s) was found to be 20.0 microg l(-1) rubidium. Good repeatability of measurement (RSD 1%) was obtained. Parameters were also optimised for determination of rubidium in spent CAPD fluids by ETAAS. Ten-fold diluted samples (3.5% nitric acid) were analysed applying standard addition calibration. The calibration graph was linear from 2.0 up to 30.0 microg l(-1) rubidium, while the limit of detection (3 s) was found to be 1.0 microg l(-1) rubidium (sample volume 10 microl). Good repeatability of measurement (RSD 5%) was obtained. The results of direct determination by FAAS and ETAAS were compared to those obtained after acid digestion of samples in Parr bombs. The accuracy of the procedure for direct determination was checked by spiking samples. In 73% of samples analysed, the differences between the results obtained by the two techniques, either for direct determinations of samples or for samples digested in a Parr bomb did not exceed +/-10%.     

A study of the determination of the hypertensive drug captopril by square wave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry

In this work, the determination of captopril (CPL) was studied by square wave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SWCAdSV) on a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). CPL was adsorptively preconcentrated on the mercury surface as a sparingly soluble mercury salt under stirring of the solution and then the accumulated species was reduced by a cathodic square wave voltammetric scan. The reduction current was related to the CPL concentration in the sample. The chemical and instrumental parameters affecting the response were investigated and optimized for the CPL determination. The calibration curve was linear from 0.5 to 180 microg l(-1) of CPL (depending on the preconcentration time), the limit of detection at a S/N ratio of 3 was 0.5 microg l(-1) with 300 s of preconcentration and the relative standard deviation was 3.2% at the 20 microg l(-1) level (with 120 s of preconcentration, n=8). The method was applied to the determination of CPL in two pharmaceutical formulations with recoveries of 97.9 and 98.8%. Finally, the potential for applying the proposed method to the determination of CPL in biological media is briefly discussed.     

Trace element determination of Argentine wines using ETAAS and USN-ICP-OES.

The objective of this work was to develop a method to determine the metal content in wine samples from the province of Mendoza in Argentina. Ten samples of white wine and 10 samples of red wine available in the supermarket were analyzed for the metals aluminium, cadmium, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead and zinc by electrothermal atomic spectrometry (ETAAS) and ultrasonic nebulization was coupled to inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (USN-ICP-OES). The aluminium, cadmium, calcium, copper, iron, lead, zinc, chromium concentrations were between 17.0-18.0 microg l(-1), 1.0-4.7microg l(-1), 10.0-15.0 mg l(-1), 23.0-28.0 microg l(-1), 480-790 microg l(-1), 50-90 microg l(-1), 24-130 microg l(-1), and <0.2-6.25 microg l(-1), respectively. The levels compare well with those reported for similar wines from some other parts of the world. A significant aspect in this paper is the samples mineralization step, which allowed the direct determination of the metals. Concerning to the Cd determination, a refluxing digestion system was used for the pretreatment of the samples.     

Assessment of trace aluminium content in parenteral solutions by combined cloud point preconcentration-flow injection inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A micelle-mediated phase separation without added chelating agents to preconcentrate trace levels of aluminium in parenteral solutions as a prior step to its determination by flow injection inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry has been developed. The enrichment step is based on the cloud point extraction of aluminium with the non-ionic surfactant polyethyleneglycolmono-p-nonylphenylether (PONPE 7.5). The chemical variables affecting the sensitivity of the extractive-spectrometric procedure were studied in detail. After optimization, a preconcentration factor of 200 and a %E higher than 99.9 were achieved. The detection limit (DL) value of aluminium for the preconcentration of 50 ml of parenteral solution was 0.25 microgl(-1). The calibration graph using the preconcentration system for aluminium was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.9997 at levels near the DLs up to at least 200 microgl(-1). The developed hyphenated assay, which thoroughly satisfies the typical requirements for pharmaceutical control processes, is appropriate to monitor the aluminium concentration in parenteral nutrition.     

Indirect polarographic and cathodic stripping voltammetric determination of cefaclor as an alkaline degradation product

Cefaclor is not reducible at a mercury electrode, but it can be determined polarographically and by cathodic stripping voltammetry as its initial alkaline degradation product which is obtained in high yield by hydrolysis of cefaclor in Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer pH 10 at 50 degrees C for 30 min (reduction peak at pH 10, -0.70 V). Differential pulse polarographic calibration graphs are linear up to at least 1 x 10(-4) mol/l(-1). Recoveries of 93% of the cefaclor (n = 3) were obtained from urine spiked with 38.6 microg/ml(-1) using this polarographic method with 1 ml urine made up to 10 ml with pH 10 buffer. Using cathodic stripping voltammetry and accumulating at a hanging mercury drop electrode at - 0.2 V for 30 s, linear calibration graphs were obtained from 0.35 to 40 microg/ml(-1) cefaclor in B-R buffer pH 10. A relative standard deviation of 4.2% (eta = 5) was obtained, and the limit of detection was calculated to be 2.9 ng/ml(-1). Direct determination of cefaclor in human urine (1 ml of urine was made up to 10 ml with pH 10 buffer) spiked to 0.39 microg/ml(-1) was made (recovery 98.6%).     

On-line preconcentration/determination of copper in parenteral solutions using activated carbon by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A method for the on-line preconcentration of copper using a minicolumn packed with activated carbon and its subsequent determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) coupled with flow injection (FI) was studied. In order to determinate the copper concentration present in parenteral solutions; it was retained on activated carbon (AC) at pH 9.5. A sensitivity enrichment factor of 30-fold was obtained with respect to the copper determination by ICP-OES without preconcentration. The detection limit for the preconcentration of 25 ml of sample was 0.1 microgl(-1). The precision for the ten replicate determinations at the 2.5 microgl(-1) Cu level was 3.0% relative standard deviation (R.S.D.), calculated with the peak heights. The calibration graph using the preconcentration method for cooper species was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996 at levels near the detection limits up to at least 200 microgl(-1). The method was successfully applied to the determination of copper in parenteral solutions.     

A flow-through optosensing device with fluorimetric transduction for rapid and sensitive determination of dipyridamole in pharmaceuticals and human plasma

A flow-through optosensor with fluorimetric transduction has been prepared for the sensitive and selective determination of dipyridamole in aqueous solutions and biological fluids. The method is based on a monochannel flow-injection analysis system using Sephadex QAE A-25 resin, placed into a Hellma 176-QS fluorimetric flow-through cell, as an active sorbing substrate. The native fluorescence of dipyridamole fixed on the solid sorbent is continuously monitored at wavelengths of 305 and 490 nm for excitation and emission, respectively. After obtaining the maximum fluorescence intensity, the eluent solution (KH(2)PO(4)/NaOH buffer solution, c(T)=0.05 mol l(-1), pH 6.0) is allowed to reach the flow cell, the analyte is removed, and the resin support is regenerated. When an NaOH (10(-4) mol l(-1))/NaCl (0.1 mol l(-1)) solution is used as carrier solution, at a flow-rate of 1.56 ml min(-1), the sensor responds linearly in the measuring range of 10-500 microg l(-1) with a detection limit of 0.94 microg l(-1) and a throughput of 22 samples per hour (300 microl of sample volume). The relative standard deviation for ten independent determinations (200 microg l(-1)) is less than 0.82%. The method was satisfactorily applied to the determination of dipyridamole in pharmaceutical preparations and human plasma.     

Selective determination of pyridoxine in the presence of hydrosoluble vitamins using a continuous-flow solid phase sensing device with UV detection

A very simple, inexpensive and highly selective flow injection UV spectrophotometric method for the determination of vitamin B(6) is presented. The native absorbance of the analyte is continuously monitored at 290 nm when it is transiently retained on Sephadex SP C-25 cation exchanger gel beads placed in the detection area of a flow cell. The preconcentration on the active solid phase provides by itself a high increase in sensitivity compared with the same procedure carried out without a solid support. The analytical response is linear in the concentration ranges 1-10 and 2-20 microg ml(-1) using 600 and 1250 microl of sample, respectively. The R.S.D. (%) are 0.65 (600 microl) and 0.84 (1250 microl) and the detection limits 0.08 and 0.02 microg ml(-1), respectively. The procedure was successfully applied to the determination of vitamin B(6) in pharmaceuticals containing (among other active principles) hydrosoluble vitamins in much higher concentrations than that tolerated by the method if performed in aqueous solution. Nevertheless they were tolerated using the proposed sensor due to the selective retention of the analyte.     

Sensitive kinetic spectrophotometric determination of captopril and ethamsylate in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids

A highly sensitive kinetic spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of captopril (CPL) and ethamsylate (ESL) in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids. The method is based on a catalytic acceleration of the reaction between sodium azide and iodine in an aqueous solution. Concentration range of 0.1-1.5 microg ml(-1) for CPL and 0.3-3 microg ml(-1) for ESL was determined by measuring the decrease in the absorbance of iodine at 348 nm by a fixed time method. The decrease in absorbance after 5 min was markedly correlated to the concentration. The relative standard deviations obtained were 1.30 and 1.87 for CPL and ESL, respectively, in pure forms. Correlation coefficients were 0.9997 and 0.9999 for CPL and ESL, respectively. The detection limits were determined as (S/N = 3) were 20 ng ml(-1) for CPL and 50 ng ml(-1) for ESL. The proposed procedure was successively applied for the determination of both drugs in pharmaceutical preparations and in biological fluids.     

Determination of theophylline and ephedrine HCL in tablets by ratio-spectra derivative spectrophotometry and LC

Two methods are described for the determination of theophylline (THP) and ephedrine hydrochloride (EPH) in combined pharmaceutical tablet forms. The first method depends on the use of the first derivative of the ratio-spectra obtained by dividing the absorption spectrum of binary mixtures by a standard spectrum of one of the compounds. The first derivative amplitudes at 231.8 and 250.3 nm were selected for the assay of THP and EPH, respectively. Calibration graphs were established for 20-180 microg ml(-1) for THP and 10-50 microg ml(-1) for EPH. The second method is based on high-performance liquid chromatography on a reversed-phase column using a mobile phase of methanol-water (40+60,v/v) (pH 3) with detection at 217 nm. Linearity was obtained in the concentration range of 5-150 microg ml(-1) for THP and 15-75 microg ml(-1) for EPH. The detection limits for THP and EPH were 0.73 and 0.92 microg ml(-1) by ratio-spectra derivative spectrophotometry and 0.59 and 0.86 microg ml(-1) by HPLC, respectively. The proposed methods were successfully applied to the determination of these drugs in laboratory-prepared mixtures and in tablets. The relative standard deviations were found to be less than 1.5%, indicating reasonable repeatibility of both methods.     

Simultaneous determination of moexipril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide in tablets by derivative spectrophotometric and high-performance liquid chromatographic methods

Two new simple and selective assay methods have been presented for the binary mixtures of moexipril hydrochloride (MOEX) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in pharmaceutical formulations. The first method depends on second-derivative ultraviolet spectrophotometry with zero-crossing measurements at 215 and 234 nm for MOEX and HCTZ, respectively. The assay was linear over the concentration ranges 1.0-11.0 microg ml(-1) for MOEX and 0.5-9.0 microg ml(-1) for HCTZ. The determination limits for MOEX and HCTZ were found to be 1.0 and 0.5 microg ml(-1), respectively; while the detection limits were 0.2 microg ml(-1) for MOEX and 0.1 microg ml(-1) for HCTZ. The second method was based on isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatography by using a mobile phase acetonitrile-20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 4.0) (50:50, v/v). Lisinopril was used as an internal standard (IS) and the substances were detected at 212 nm. The linearity range for both drugs was 0.5-12.0 microg ml(-1). The determination and detection limits were found to be 0.100 and 0.010 microg ml(-1) for MOEX and 0.025 and 0.005 microg ml(-1) for HCTZ, respectively. The proposed methods were successfully applied to the determination of these drugs in synthetic mixtures and commercially available tablets with a high percentage recovery, good accuracy and precision.     

Development of a stacking-CZE method for the analysis of phenolic acids

Eight phenolic acids were analyzed by capillary zone electrophoresis. On-line analyte preconcentration was carried out by hydrodynamic injection of large volume of sample followed by removal of the bulk of the low conductivity sample matrix by polarity switching. The optimal electrolyte system consisted of 50mM sodium tetraborate of pH 9.0 (adjusted with 0.1 M phosphoric acid) containing 2% of alpha-cyclodextrin. The separations were carried out with a fused silica capillary (effective length 50 cm, i.d. 50 microm) and monitored at 200 nm. Under optimized preconcentration conditions (sample injection 99 s at 100 mbar and the polarity switching time 1.0 min) linear calibration ranges (0.1-2.0 microg/ml, R=0.9979-0.9995), favourable limits of detection (0.01-0.025 microg/ml) and good repeatability of the peak areas (R.S.D.: 2.76-5.69%, n=6) were achieved.     

Determination of cetirizine dihydrochloride, related impurities and preservatives in oral solution and tablet dosage forms using HPLC

An HPLC method was developed and validated for the determination of cetirizine dihydrochloride (CZ) as well as its related impurities in commercial oral solution and tablet formulations. Furthermore, two preservatives associated with the drug formulations, namely, propyl (PP) and butylparabens (BP) were successfully determined by this method. The chromatographic system used was equipped with a Hypersil BDS C18, 5 microm column (4.6 x 250 mm) and a detector set at 230 nm in conjunction with a mobile phase of 0.05 M dihydrogen phosphate:acetonitrile:methanol:tetrahydrofuran (12:5:2:1, v/v/v/v) at a pH of 5.5 and a flow rate of 1 ml min(-1). The calibration curves were linear within the target concentration ranges studied, namely, 2 x 10(2) - 8 x 10(2) microg ml(-1) and 1-4 microg ml(-1) for CZ, 20-100 microg ml(-1) for preservatives and 1-4 microg ml(-1) for CZ related impurities. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) for CZ were, respectively, 0.10 and 0.34 microg ml(-1) and for CZ related impurities were in the ranges of 0.08-0.26 microg ml(-1) and 0.28-0.86 microg ml(-1), respectively. The method proved to be specific, stability indicating, accurate, precise, robust and could be used as an alternative to the European pharmacopoeial method set for CZ and its related impurities.     

Simple spectrophotometric determination of acyclovir in bulk drug and formulations

A simple and cost effective spectrophotometric method is described for the determination of acyclovir in bulk drug and in formulations. The method is based on the formation of blue coloured chromogen when the drug reacts with Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) reagent in alkaline medium. The coloured species has an absorption maximum at 760 nm and obeys Beer's law in the concentration range 50-450 microg ml(-1). The absorbance was found to increase linearly with increasing concentration of acyclovir, which is corroborated by the calculated correlation coefficient value of 0.9998 (n = 9). The apparent molar absorptivity and Sandell sensitivity were 1.65 x 10(2) l mol(-1) cm(-1) and 1.36 microg cm(-2), respectively. The slope and intercept of the equation of the regression line are 6.87 x 10(-4) and 8.33 x 10(-3), respectively. The limit of detection was 5.68 microg ml(-1) and the limit of quantification was 18.95 microg ml(-1). The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of acyclovir in pharmaceutical formulations. The reliability of the assay method was established by parallel determination by standard-addition method, and by recovery studies. The results demonstrated and the procedure is at least as accurate, precise and reproducible (RSD < 2%) as the official method, while being simple and less time consuming. A statistical analysis indicated that there was no significant difference between the results obtained by the proposed procedure and those of the official method.     

Determination of dopamine by flow-injection analysis coupled with luminol-hexacyanoferrate(III) chemiluminescence detection

A novel flow-injection method (FIA) for the determination of dopamine based on the inhibition of the intensity of chemiluminescence (CL) from luminol-hexacyanoferrate(III) system in basic medium is described. The present method allows the determination of dopamine over the range 30-100 microg l(-1) and 400-3000 microg l(-1). The relative standard deviation is 2.32% for 70 microg l(-1) dopamine and 1.22% for 1500 microg l(-1) dopamine (n = 20). The detection limit is 5 microg l(-1) with the sampling rate of 135 samples h(-1). This method has been applied for the determination of dopamine in commercial pharmaceutical injection samples. The results obtained by this method agreed with those by the official method.     

Spectrofluorimetric and micelle-enhanced spectrofluorimetric methods for the determination of gemfibrozil in pharmaceutical preparations

A spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of antihyperlipoproteinemic gemfibrozil was developed based on its native fluorescence. This method allows the determination of 0.10-6 microg ml(-1) gemfibrozil in aqueous solution (without using any buffer solution) with excitation and emission wavelengths of 276 and 304 nm, respectively. Detection and quantification limits were 0.03 and 0.10 microg ml(-1), respectively. The fluorescence properties of gemfibrozil in micellar media were also studied. It was shown that in the presence of 0.4% Brij-35 surfactant (pH 4.0, acetic acid-acetate buffer) about 2.4-fold enhancement can be achieved in the fluorescence of this drug. Based on the obtained results, a micelle-enhanced fluorescence method was also developed that is more sensitive than aqueous fluorescence method and has lower detection limit (0.02 microg ml(-1)). Both methods were applied satisfactorily to the determination of gemfibrozil in a commercial pharmaceutical formulation.     

Spectrophotometric determination of clozapine based on its oxidation with bromate in a micellar medium

A simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of clozapine in its dosage forms. The method is based on the reaction of the drug with potassium bromate in a perchloric acid medium to produce an intense yellow colored species exhibiting a maximum absorption at 308 nm. Beer's law is obeyed for up to 12.0 microg ml(-1) with a correlation coefficient (n = 6) of 0.9998 and a detection limit (3S(b)) of 0.1 microg ml(-1). The molar absorptivity is 1.986 x 10(4) l mol(-1) cm(-1). The various experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the colored oxidation product were carefully studied and optimized. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of clozapine in its dosage forms. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained using the B.P. official method.     

Method development and validation for the simultaneous determination of cetirizine dihydrochloride, paracetamol, and phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride in tablets by capillary zone electrophoresis

A simple, selective, and cost effective capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method has been developed for the simultaneous separation and determination of cetirizine dihydrochloride (CTZ), paracetamol (PARA), and phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride (PPA) in tablets. A 10 mM sodium tetraborate background electrolyte (BGE) solution (pH 9.0) was found to be suitable for separation of all the analytes. An uncoated fused-silica capillary of a total length of 76 cm (effective length 64.5 cm) was used for separation. All the analytes were completely separated within 10 min at the applied voltage of 20 kV (current produced approximately 21 microA), and detection was performed at 195 nm with an UV detector. Ibuprofen was used as internal standard (I.S.) for the quantification of the drugs. Validation of the method was performed in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), and quantification (LOQ). The linearity of the calibration curves for CTZ, PARA, and PPA (tested range) were 2-50 microg ml(-1) (r(2)=0.9982), 10-1000 microg ml(-1) (r(2)=0.9978), and 10-100 microg ml(-1) (r(2)=0.9986), respectively. The proposed method has been applied for the determination of active ingredients in tablets, and the recovery was found to be > or =98.60% with the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) < or =1.56%. The LOQ of the CTZ, PARA, and PPA was found to be 2.0, 2.0, and 4.0 microg ml(-1), respectively. There were no interfering peaks due to the excipients present in the pharmaceutical tablets. Thus, the proposed method is simple and suitable for the simultaneous analysis of active ingredients in tablet dosage forms.     

Determination of trimebutine in pharmaceuticals by differential pulse voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode

The differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) determination of trimebutine (TMB) was achieved at a glassy carbon electrode in acetonitrile/0.1 M LiClO4. Trimebutine gave two irreversible, diffusion controlled peaks at 740 and 1318 mV versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode, respectively. The second oxidation peak was used to determine trimebutine concentrations in the range 1-50 microg ml(-1) with a detection limit (3sigmam) of 0.3 microg ml(-1). Precision of the method (RSD, n=6) within- and between-days obtained from six determinations at 5 microg ml(-1) was found to be 0.7 and 1.1%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the quantitation of TMB in granule dosage form (Debridat) and recoveries between 98.4 and 101% were obtained. Excipients did not interfere with the assay and the results agreed well with those determined by previously established HPLC method.