Carlos Eduardo R. de Paula

Extraction induced by emulsion breaking: a novel strategy for the trace metals determination in diesel oil samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

This present work reports a novel strategy for the extraction of metals (Cu, Fe, Ni and Pb) from diesel oil and their determination by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (ETAAS). The method is based on the formation of water-in-oil emulsions by vigorous mixing of the samples with a Triton X-114 solution containing HNO3 and posterior breaking of the emulsion by heating. After the emulsion breaking, three well separated phases were obtained: (i) the upper phase, which is an organic phase containing only the diesel oil, (ii) an acidic aqueous phase containing the extracted metals and (iii) the lower phase, which is a surfactant-rich phase. The metals were concentrated in the aqueous phase, as a result of their acidic extraction from diesel oil. Several parameters that could influence the extraction efficiency and the time required to break the emulsions were evaluated such as the concentration and nature of the surfactant (Triton X-100 and Triton X-114), the HNO3 concentration and the temperature. At best conditions, the emulsions were prepared by mixing 10 mL of diesel oil with 2 mL of a solution containing 7% w/v Triton X-114 and 10% v/v HNO3. Afterwards, the emulsions were broken by heating at 80 °C for 15 min and then, the aqueous phase was collected and the metals were determined by ETAAS using external calibration with aqueous standard solutions. The limits of detection for Cu, Fe, Ni and Pb were equal to 114, 183, 145 and 294 ng L−1 and the limits of quantification were 380, 609, 484 and 980 ng L−1, respectively. These limits were estimated for the original sample taking into account the preconcentration factor obtained due to the Extraction Induced by Emulsion Breaking (EIEB) application. The novel strategy was applied in the analysis of five samples of diesel oil and the obtained results fitted well with those obtained by the reference method. Also, a recovery test was performed by spiking the samples with known amounts of the metals in the form of organometallic standards and thus applying the proposed procedure. The recoveries were in the range of 85.2–109%.

Multivariate optimization of the determination of zinc in diesel oil employing a novel extraction strategy based on emulsion breaking.

This paper describes the extraction/pre-concentration of Zn from diesel oil and its determination by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS), proposed as a novel approach for these kinds of analyses and the multivariate optimization of the proposed procedure. The extraction of Zn is based on the emulsification of an aqueous solution containing Triton X-114 and HNO(3) with diesel oil samples followed by breaking of the emulsion by heating. The aqueous phase obtained after the emulsion breaking was collected and used for Zn quantification by FAAS. The methodology was optimized using a Doehlert design and the system variables were the concentrations of surfactant and HNO(3) in the solution employed in the emulsification and the temperature used in the emulsion breaking. The ratio between absorbance and the time required to break the emulsions was taken as response. Two sets of experiments, using different emulsifier agents, were run: the first one using Triton X-100 and the second one using Triton X-114. At optimized conditions, the emulsions were prepared by mixing 10 mL of diesel oil with 2 mL of a solution containing 5% w/v of Triton X-114 and 15% v/v of HNO(3) and broken by heating at 80 °C. The proposed analytical procedure was applied in the analysis of six real samples of diesel oil and a recovery test was carried out by spiking the samples with known amounts of Zn (25 and 50 μg L(-1)), added as organometallic oiled standard. Recovery percentages achieved in this test were between 92 and 109%.

Application of the extraction induced by emulsion breaking for the determination of Cu, Fe and Mn in used lubricating oils by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

A novel approach is proposed for the sample preparation of used lubricating oils to determine Cu, Fe and Mn by FAAS. The method is based on the extraction induced by emulsion breaking, in which the elements of interest are transferred to an aqueous phase before the measurement by FAAS. In the method, each sample of used lubricating oil was diluted with toluene (20% v/v) and the resulting solution was emulsified with a Triton X-114 solution containing HNO3. Further, the water-in-oil emulsion was broken by centrifugation for 30 min at 3500 rpm, originating a system with two well-separated phases: (i) the upper phase, containing the used lubricating oil diluted in toluene and (ii) the lower aqueous phase, containing the analytes that were extracted from oil. The lower phase was collected, diluted with water and the analytes were determined by FAAS. The optimization of the methodology was performed by studying the influence of different parameters that could affect the extraction efficiency such as the nature and concentration of the solvent used for sample dilution, the concentrations of HNO3 and Triton X-114 in the solution employed for emulsification and the operational conditions for extraction (extraction, centrifugation and sampling times). The limits of quantification for Cu, Fe and Mn were 2.9, 77 and 8.2 ng g(-1), respectively. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by comparison with the reference method based on the total digestion of the samples in a closed-vessel microwave oven. There were no statistical differences between the results obtained with the proposed method and the reference one, except for Fe in the cases where its concentration was higher than 80 µg g(-1).

Development of a focused ultrasound-assisted extraction method for the determination of trace concentrations of Cr and Mn in pharmaceutical formulations by ETAAS

This paper reports the development of a new method for the focused ultrasound extraction of Cr and Mn from pharmaceutical formulations and their determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The method was optimized by evaluating the influence of several variables such as the sonication power and time, concentration of HCl in the extractant solution and mass of sample employed in the extraction procedure. The curves of pyrolysis and atomization were constructed for both analytes in order to evaluate the effect of the matrix on the measurement of Cr and Mn. Quantitative extraction of both Cr and Mn was achieved when 25-150 mg of the sample were sonicated for 30 min at 50% power with 5 ml of a 1 moll(-1) HCl solution. The developed method was successfully applied in the determination of Cr and Mn in samples of pharmaceutical formulations containing different active principles such as ciprofloxacin, cephalexin, azithromycin, amlodipine and methionine. There was no statistical (95% confidence level, paired t-test) difference between the results obtained by the proposed method and the results obtained after total digestion of the samples.

Novel spectrophotometric method for the determination of azithromycin in pharmaceutical formulations based on its charge transfer reaction with quinalizarin

This paper proposes a new method for simple and fast spectrophotometric determination of azithromycin in pharmaceutical formulations. The method is based on the charge transfer reaction between the azithromycin and quinalizarin in methanol medium. In order to achieve maximum sensitivity the effect of some chemical variables such as the type of solvent, reagent concentration and reaction time were evaluated. The reaction was characterized in terms of stability of the product formed and its stoichiometry, and the apparent molar absorptivity and association constant were derived. Best conditions for the analytical determination of azithromycin were observed in methanol medium with a quinalizarin concentration of 50 mg L-1. At these conditions, the radical anion (absorbing specie) was formed in the medium immediately after mixing of the reagents and showed maximum absorption at 564 nm. The method presented a limit of detection of 0.35 mg L-1 and a limit of quantification of 1.2 mg L-1. It was successfully applied in the determination of azithromycin in three commercial pharmaceutical formulations of azithromycin and no matrix interferences were observed.

Development of an ultrasonic slurry sampling method for the determination of Cu and Mn in antibiotic tablets by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.

A new method is described for simple, efficient and rapid determination of Cu and Mn in tablets of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and cephalexin) by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) using slurry sampling. In order to optimize the procedure, several variables that could affect the performance of the method were investigated. In the best conditions, the tablets could be analyzed by introducing into the graphite tube 20 μl of a slurry prepared with approximately 90-100mg of the sample and 2 ml of a solution containing 5% m/v of Triton X-114 and 2.8 M of HNO(3). Before the introduction, the slurries were sonicated for 15 min at 40% of amplitude (130 W maximum power) with an ultrasonic probe. The developed method was applied in the determination of Cu and Mn in four samples, and the results were compared with those obtained by focused microwave acid digestion with aqua regia (1:3 mixture of HNO(3):HCl). There was no statistical difference between the obtained values at 95% confidence level when a paired Student t-test was applied.

Avaliação de diferentes métodos para a determinação de cobre em óleo mineral isolante por espectrometria de absorção atômica com forno de grafite

This aim of this work was to compare two methods for copper determination in insulating oils from power transformers by GFAAS. The first method was extraction induced by emulsion breaking, which determined the preconcentration of copper in an aqueous solution and exhibited a limit of quantification of 0.27 µg L-1. Also, a second method based on the direct introduction of samples into GFAAS in the form of detergent emulsions, prepared with Triton X-114 and HNO3, was investigated. In this case, the limit of quantification was 1.7 µg L-1. Seven samples of used oils were successfully analyzed by both methods.

Avaliação de métodos de extração para a determinação de cromo e níquel em formulações farmacêuticas e em matérias-primas usadas na fabricação de medicamentos à base de cefalexina e ciprofloxacino

This paper reports the evaluation of extraction strategies for the treatment of medicine samples to determine chromium and nickel by GFAAS. Different approaches for extraction were evaluated and the most efficient involved magnetic stirring. The metals were quantitatively extracted by stirring 0.20 g samples with 25 mL of 2.0 mol L-1 HCl solution for 60 min. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of Cr and Ni in tablets containing antibiotics and raw materials, with cephalexin and ciprofloxacin as active ingredients.

DETERMINAÇÃO ESPECTROFOTOMÉTRICA DE CEFALEXINA EM FORMULAÇÕES FARMACÊUTICAS EXPLORANDO A SUA REAÇÃO DE TRANSFERÊNCIA DE CARGA COM A QUINALIZARINA

This work proposes a new simple and fast spectrophotometric method for cephalexin determination in pharmaceutical formulations. The method is based on the charge transfer reaction between cephalexin and quinalizarin in dimethylsulfoxide medium. Several analytical parameters related to the system were optimized and the reaction was characterized in terms of stoichiometry. Also, association constant and apparent molar absorptivity of the product were determined. The method presented a limit of detection of 0.46 mg L-1 and a quantification limit of 1.5 mg L-1. It was successfully applied in the determination of cephalexin in two samples of commercial pharmaceutical formulations.