Mário H. Gonzalez

Effect of acid concentration on closed-vessel microwave-assisted digestion of plant materials ☆

Abstract The efficiency of microwave-assisted acid digestion of plants using different concentrations of nitric acid (2.0, 3.0, 5.0, 7.0 and 14 mol l−1) with hydrogen peroxide (30% v/v) was evaluated by measuring the residual carbon content (RCC) using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) with axial viewing. Certified reference materials were used for evaluating the accuracy attained when 2 mol l−1 HNO3 was employed for digestion. Under all experimental conditions RCC values were always lower than 13% w/v, and even the highest concentration did not cause any interference with element recovery. It seems that the high pressure reached for closed-vessel operation improved the oxidative action of nitric acid due to consequent temperature increase, even when this reagent was not used at high concentrations. According to acid–base titration data, residual acid in the digestates varied from 1.2 to 4.0 mol l−1, depending on the acid concentration initially added. It can be concluded that for plant materials, microwave-assisted acid digestion can be carried out under mild conditions, which implies that digestates do not need extensive dilution before introduction by pneumatic nebulization to ICP-OES. An additional advantage is the lower amount of residue generated when working with less concentrated acid solutions.

Coconut coir as biosorbent for Cr(VI) removal from laboratory wastewater

A high cost-effective treatment of sulphochromic waste is proposed employing a raw coconut coir as biosorbent for Cr(VI) removal. The ideal pH and sorption kinetic, sorption capacities, and sorption sites were the studied biosorbent parameters. After testing five different isotherm models with standard solutions, Redlich-Peterson and Toth best fitted the experimental data, obtaining a theoretical Cr(VI) sorption capacity (SC) of 6.3 mg g(-1). Acid-base potentiometric titration indicated around of 73% of sorption sites were from phenolic compounds, probably lignin. Differences between sorption sites in the coconut coir before and after Cr adsorption identified from Fourier transform infrared spectra suggested a modification of sorption sites after sulphochromic waste treatment, indicating that the sorption mechanism involves organic matter oxidation and chromium uptake. For sulphocromic waste treatment, the SC was improved to 26.8+/-0.2 mg g(-1), and no adsorbed Cr(VI) was reduced, remaining only Cr(III) in the final solution. The adsorbed material was calcinated to obtain Cr(2)O(3,) with a reduction of more than 60% of the original mass.

Microwave-assisted digestion procedures for biological samples with diluted nitric acid: identification of reaction products.

Microwave-assisted sample preparation using diluted nitric acid solutions is an alternative procedure for digesting organic samples. The efficiency of this procedure depends on the chemical properties of the samples and in this work it was evaluated by the determination of crude protein amount, fat and original carbon. Soybeans grains, bovine blood, bovine muscle and bovine viscera were digested in a cavity-microwave oven using oxidant mixtures in different acid concentrations. The digestion efficiency was evaluated based on the determination of residual carbon content and element recoveries using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). In order to determine the main residual organic compounds, the digests were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR). Subsequently, studies concerning separation of nitrobenzoic acid isomers were performed by ion pair reversed phase liquid chromatography using a C18 stationary phase, water:acetonitrile:methanol (75:20:5, v/v/v)+0.05% (v/v) TFA as mobile phase and ultraviolet detection at 254 nm. Sample preparation based on diluted acids proved to be feasible and a recommendable alternative for organic sample digestion, reducing both the reagent volumes and the variability of the residues as a result of the process of decomposition. It was shown that biological matrices containing amino acids, proteins and lipids in their composition produced nitrobenzoic acid isomers and other organic compounds after cleavage of chemical bonds.

Determinação de arsênio em amostras da cadeia produtiva de frangos de corte por espectrometria de absorção atômica com forno de grafite

-1 nitric acid solution plus concentrated hydrogen peroxide. The concentration range of total As determined in chicken production-related samples varied from 1.30 to 29.8 mg kg -1 of As. The detection and quantification limits reached were 0.055 and 0.182 mg kg -1 , respectively (n = 15).

In situ digestion for the determination of Ca in beverages by tungsten coil atomic emission spectrometry

Tungsten coil atomic emission spectrometry (WCAES) is employed for the determination of calcium in juice, mineral and coconut water samples. A sample aliquot of 20 μL is placed directly on the coil and a constant-voltage power source is used to dry and atomize the sample, as well as to promote Ca atomic emission. Analytical signals are resolved and detected using a Czerny-Turner spectrometer and a charge coupled device detector. Some experimental parameters such as coil position related to the spectrometer entrance slit and integration time are critically evaluated. A heating program with relatively constant drying temperatures is used in all measurements. An in situ digestion procedure is used to partially decompose organic matrices and improve WCAES precision and accuracy. By adding an oxidizing mixture to the sample and including a digestion step in the heating cycle, no statistical difference was observed between WCAES and ICP OES results for Ca in juice and coconut water samples. Mineral water samples were simply diluted with 1% vv(-1) HNO(3) before analysis and no significant interference was observed for concomitants such as Na and K. Despite severe positive interference caused by Mg, good agreement was obtained between WCAES and ICP OES results for Ca in several mineral water samples. Limits of detection and quantification obtained were 0.02 and 0.07 mg L(-1), respectively. The method precision, calculated as the relative standard deviation for 10 consecutive measurements of a 2.5 mg L(-1) Ca solution, is 3.8%.

Determination of Manganese in Sludge, Alloy, and Soil by Tungsten Coil Atomic Emission Spectrometry

A tungsten coil atomic emission spectrometer (WCAES) was developed and evaluated for the determination of manganese in industrial sludge, alloy, and soil. The system employed a coil extracted from a 150 watts/15 volts commercial slide projector light bulb and a simple power supply that provided a constant current to the coil. The analytical signals were resolved and detected using a Czerny-Turner spectrometer and a charge coupled device. Three manganese emission lines were detected simultaneously. Using different emission lines, limits of detection for manganese varied from 0.54 to 0.65 milligram per liter, and relative standard deviations for manganese at 5 milligrams per liter varied from 5.9 to 8.5 percent (n = 10). Summation of the Mn signals improved the detection limit to 0.17 milligram per liter and decreased the relative standard deviation to 1.7 percent. Spectral interferences were observed in the presence of Al, Ca, K, and Na. The accuracy was determined using two certified reference materials, and the results obtained by WCAES were in agreement with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry at the 95 percent confidence level.

Evaluation of Tungsten Coil Atomic Emission Spectrometry for the Direct Determination of Al in Tea Infusions and Iced Tea

This work describes the determination of aluminum in tea infusions and iced tea by tungsten coil atomic emission spectrometry (WCAES). The instrumentation is simple, inexpensive, and potentially portable. It uses a tungsten filament extracted from 150xa0W, 15xa0V commercially available slide projector light bulbs as electrothermal atomizer. A simple power supply that provides a constant potential is used to heat the coil. Tea infusions were directly analyzed by application of an optimized heating program. In order to avoid matrix interferences, the iced tea samples were diluted with an oxidizing mixture composed of hydrogen peroxide and nitric acid and also analyzed by a tailored heating program. Aluminum was quantified in all samples, and the results were in agreement with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry at a 95xa0% confidence level. The limit of detection and the relative standard deviation for a solution containing 2.5xa0mgxa0L−1 Al (nu2009=u200910) were determined, and the values were 0.09xa0mgxa0L−1 and 5.1xa0%, respectively.

Construção de espectrômetro de emissão atômica com atomização eletrotérmica em filamento de tungstênio (WCAES)

It is here discussed the development of a low cost analytical instrument with capacity for metals determination using atomic emission measurements in an electrothermal atomization system with a tungsten coil atomizer. The main goal was to show a new frontier for using this atomizer and to demonstrate that the simple instrumental arrangement here proposed has potential for portability and for solving analytical tasks related to metals determination. Atomic emission of calcium was selected for the adjustment of instrumental parameters and to evaluate the main characteristics of the lab-built instrument. Cobalt was determined in medicines and one alloy to demonstrate its feasibility.

Pressurized System and Microwave-Assisted Extraction for Rapid Analysis of Fiber in Animal Feedstuffs

Abstract A pressurized system under microwave radiation and filter bags to contain the samples was proposed as an alternative to Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) determination in animal feed. After optimization by a 23 factorial design, the procedure was applied to nine forage and cereal bran with different amounts of starch (supplied by proficiency testing at various nutrition laboratories). Recoveries from 93 to 110% (0.7 to 7.4 RSD) were obtained. The proposed system allows the NDF simultaneous extraction from 18 samples, increasing the samples throughput from 6 or 40 day−1 to approximately 280 day−1, with low consumption of energy and reagents, producing low amounts of residue.