scholarly journals Rapid Drop-Volume Electrochemical Detection of the “Date Rape” Drug Flunitrazepam in Spirits Using a Screen-Printed Sensor in a Dry-Reagent Format

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 5192
Author(s):  
Frixos Papadopoulos ◽  
Konstantinos Diamanteas ◽  
Anastasios Economou ◽  
Christos Kokkinos

Flunitrazepam is an extremely potent benzodiazepine sedative which is associated with “drug-facilitated sexual assault” when administered within an alcoholic drink. This work describes a simple electrochemical method for on-site rapid detection of flunitrazepam in untreated spirits (whiskey, vodka and gin) using a single-use screen-printed sensor (featuring graphite working and auxiliary electrodes and an Ag/AgCl reference electrode) in a dry reagent format. Analysis was performed by placing a drop of sample on the sensor, which was previously coated with dry KCl, and recording selected reduction/oxidation peaks of the target compound in a cyclic voltammetry scan. The limit of quantification of flunitrazepam was at the sub-mg L−1 range. The between-sensor % relative standard deviation of the analytically useful reduction peak in a solution containing 11.4 mg L−1 flunitrazepam was 9.8% (n = 5). Quantification was performed using calibration curves constructed from pooled samples spiked with flunitrazepam with relative errors <15%. The main advantages of the methodology are that it involves no sample pretreatment (such as deoxygenation, extraction or reagent(s) addition) and requires only drop-sized volumes of the sample, thus facilitating rapid on-site screening using portable equipment.

Author(s):  
Azrilawani Ahmad ◽  
Nur Anis Zafirah Zainordin ◽  
Nur Amira Jaafar

A preliminary assessment of a simple and rapid electrochemical method was carried out to analyse imidacloprid (IMI) in water samples using cyclic voltammetry (CV) based on modified screen-printed gold electrode (SPGE). Self-assembled monolayer (SAM) was optimized using 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA) with several parameters such as scan rates, type of supporting electrolyte, and pH of the supporting electrolyte. The modified SPGE showed high suppressed current against the potential due to the formation of a monolayer on the electrode surface. Surface morphology of the electrode was analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) confirming that 11-MUA was present on the modified SPGE. The water samples were collected from GM Peladang, Kuala Terengganu and two locations at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. Method detection limit was expressed as limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for modified SPGE which were calculated at 3.784 and 12.613 mg/L in water samples, respectively. This study showed that the reduction peak current observed on the modified electrode was lower compared with oxidation peak current. Hence, gold is unsuitable for IMI detection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadereh Rahbar ◽  
Fatemeh Ahmadi ◽  
Zahra Ramezani ◽  
Masoumeh Nourani

Background: Sample preparation is one of the most challenging phases in pharmaceutical analysis, especially in biological matrices, affecting the whole analytical methodology. Objective: In this study, a new Ca(II)/Cu(II)/alginate/CuO nanoparticles hydrogel fiber (CCACHF) was synthesized through a simple, green procedure and applied for fiber micro solid phase extraction (FMSPE) of diazepam (DIZ) and oxazepam (OXZ) as model drugs prior to high-performance liquid chromatography-UV detection (HPLC-UV). Methods: Composition and morphology of the prepared fiber were characterized and the effect of main parameters on the fiber fabrication and extraction efficiency have been studied and optimized. Results: In optimal conditions, calibration curves were linear ranging between 0.1–500 µg L−1 with regression coefficients of 0.9938 and 0.9968. Limit of detection (LOD) (S/N=3) and limit of quantification (LOQ) (S/N=10) of the technique for DIZ and OXZ were 0.03 to 0.1 µg L−1. Within-day and between-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) for DIZ and OXZ were 6.0–12.5% and 3.3–9.4%, respectively. Conclusion: The fabricated adsorbent has been substantially employed to extraction of selected benzo-diazepines (BZDs) from human serum real specimens and the obtained recoveries were also satisfactory (82.1-109.7%).


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-446
Author(s):  
Vallerie A. Muckoya ◽  
Philiswa N. Nomngongo ◽  
Jane C. Ngila

Background: Parabens are synthetic esters used extensively as preservatives and/or bactericides in personal care personal products. Objective: Development and validation of a novel robust chemometric assisted analytical technique with superior analytical performances for the determination of ethylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben, using simulated wastewater matrix. Methods: An automated Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) method coupled with liquid chromatographymass spectrometry was applied in this study. A gradient elution programme comprising of 0.1% formic acid in deionised water (A) and 0.1% formic acid in Methanol (B) was employed on a 100 x 2.1 mm, 3.0 μm a particle size biphenyl column. Two-level (2k) full factorial design coupled with response surface methodology was used for optimisation and investigation of SPE experimental variables that had the most significant outcome of the analytical response. Results: According to the analysis of variance (ANOVA), sample pH and eluent volume were statistically the most significant parameters. The method developed was validated for accuracy, precision, Limits of Detection (LOD) and Limit of Quantification (LOQ) and linearity. The LOD and LOQ established under those optimised conditions varied between 0.04-0.12 μgL−1 and 0.14-0.40 μgL−1 respectively. The use of matrix-matched external calibration provided extraction recoveries between 78-128% with relative standard deviations at 2-11% for two spike levels (10 and 100 μgL-1) in three different water matrices (simulated wastewater, influent and effluent water). Conclusion: The newly developed method was applied successfully to the analyses of parabens in wastewater samples at different sampling points of a wastewater treatment plant, revealing concentrations of up to 3 μgL−1.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-348
Author(s):  
Surinya Traipop ◽  
Suchada Chuanuwatanakul ◽  
Orawon Chailapakul ◽  
Eakkasit Punrat

Background: Recently, Derris scandens, a Thai herbal medicine with anti-inflammatory activity, is widely used as beverage and supplementary food. When the traditional medicine is a choice for health therapy, the simple and reliable equipment is required to control the suitable consuming amount of the active component. Objective: To develop the electrochemical sensor for genistein determination in Derris scandens with high sensitivity and rapid operation. Methods: An in-house screen-printed electrochemical sensor consisting of a three-electrode system was developed for genistein determination. A silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) reference electrode, a carbon counter electrode and a carbon working electrode were prepared on a 0.3-mm-thick plastic substrate by the screen-printing technique using conductive ink. The dimensions of each sensor were 2.5×1.0 cm. Only 50 µL of sample solution was required on this device for the determination of genistein concentration by rapid response square wave voltammetry. Results: The oxidation peak of genistein appeared with good response in acidic media at a peak potential of 0.6 V. Moreover, the signal was enhanced by modifying the conductive carbon ink with cobalt( II) phthalocyanine. Under the optimized conditions, the linear range was found to be 2.5-150 µM and the detection limit was 1.5 µM. Moreover, the small volume extraction was successfully developed without any further pre-concentration. This proposed method was applied to determine genistein in Derris scandens with satisfying results. Conclusion: The proposed method is promising as an alternative method for genistein determination with facile and fast analysis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-435
Author(s):  
Ahmed F.A. Youssef ◽  
Yousry M. Issa ◽  
Kareem M. Nabil

Background: Simeprevir is one of the recently discovered drugs for treating hepatitis C which is one of the major diseases across the globe. Objective: The present study involves the development of a new and unique High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method using fluorescence detection for the determination of simeprevir (SIM) in human plasma. Methods: Two methods of extractions were tested, protein precipitation using acetonitrile and liquidliquid extraction. A 25 mM dipotassium hydrogen orthophosphate (pH 7.0)/ACN (50/50; v/v), was used as mobile phase and C18 reversed phase column as the stationary phase. The chromatographic conditions were optimized and the concentration of simeprevir was determined by using the fluorescence detector. Cyclobenzaprine was used as an internal standard. Results: Recovery of the assay method based on protein precipitation was up to 100%. Intra-day and inter-day accuracies range from 92.30 to 107.80%, with Relative Standard Deviation (RSD) range 1.65-8.02%. The present method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study where SIM was administered as a single dose of 150 mg SIM/capsule (Olysio®) to healthy individuals. Conclusion: This method exhibits high sensitivity with a low limit of quantification 10 ng mL-1, good selectivity using fluorescence detection, wide linear application range 10-3000 ng mL-1, good recovery and highly precise and validation results. The developed method can be applied in routine analysis for real samples.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 962-973
Author(s):  
Saira Arif ◽  
Sadia Ata

AbstractA rapid and specific method was developed for simultaneous quantification of hydrocortisone 21 acetate (HCA), dexamethasone (DEX), and fluocinolone acetonide (FCA) in whitening cream formulations using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The effect of the composition of the mobile phase, analysis temperature, and detection wavelength was investigated to optimize the separation of studied components. The analytes were finally well separated using ACE Excel 2, C18 AR column having 150 mm length, 3 mm internal diameter, and 2 µm particle size at 35°C using methanol with 1% formic acid and double-distilled deionized water in the ratio of 60:40 (v/v), respectively, as the mobile phase in isocratic mode. Ten microliters of sample were injected with a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), and robustness were determined to validate the method as per International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. All the analytes were simultaneously separated within 8 min, and observed retention times of HCA, DEX, and FCA were 4.5, 5.5, and 6.9 min, respectively. The proposed method showed good linearity with the correlation coefficient, R2 = 0.999 over the range of 1–150 µg/mL for all standards. The linear regression equations were y = 12.7x + 118.7 (r = 0.999) for HCA, y = 12.9x + 106.8 (r = 0.999) for DEX, and y = 12.9x + 96.8 (r = 0.999) for FCA. The LOD was 0.25, 0.20, and 0.08 µg/mL for HCA, FCA, and DEX and LOQ was 2.06, 1.83, and 1.55 µg/mL for HCA, FCA, and DEX, respectively. The recovery values of HCA, DEX, and FCA ranged from 100.7–101.3, 102.0–102.6, and 100.2–102.0%, respectively, and the relative standard deviation for precision (intra- and interday) was less than 2, which indicated repeatability and reproducibility. The novelty of the method was described by forced degradation experimentation of all analytes in the combined form under acidic, basic, oxidative, and thermal stress. The proposed method was found to be simple, rapid, and reliable for the simultaneous determination of HCA, DEX, and FCA in cosmetics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Indhu Priya Mabbu ◽  
G. Sumathi ◽  
N. Devanna

Abstract Background The aim of the present method is to develop and validate a specific, sensitive, precise, and accurate liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for the estimation of the phenyl vinyl sulfone in the eletriptan hydrobromide. The effective separation of the phenyl vinyl sulfone was achieved by the Symmetry C18 (50 × 4.6 mm, 3.5 μm) column and a mobile phase composition of 0.1%v/v ammonia buffer to methanol (5:95 v/v), using 0.45 ml/min flow rate and 20 μl of injection volume, with methanol used as diluent. The phenyl vinyl sulfone was monitored on atomic pressure chemical ionization mode mass spectrometer with positive polarity mode. Results The retention time of phenyl vinyl sulfone was found at 2.13 min. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were observed at 1.43 ppm and 4.77 ppm concentration respectively; the linear range was found in the concentration ranges from 4.77 to 27.00 ppm with regression coefficient of 0.9990 and accuracy in the range of 97.50–102.10%. The percentage relative standard deviation (% RSD) for six replicates said to be injections were less than 10%. Conclusion The proposed method was validated successfully as per ICH guidelines. Hence, this is employed for the determination of phenyl vinyl sulfone in the eletriptan hydrobromide.


2021 ◽  
pp. 106237
Author(s):  
Jiwon Ryu ◽  
Ramalingam Manivannan ◽  
Young-A Son

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenlong Guo ◽  
YiFei Su ◽  
Kexin Li ◽  
MengYi Tang ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
...  

AbstractThe development of detecting residual level of abamectin B1 in apples is of great importance to public health. Herein, we synthesized a octopus-like azobenzene fluorescent probe 1,3,5-tris (5′-[(E)-(p-phenoxyazo) diazenyl)] benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid) benzene (TPB) for preliminary detection of abamectin B1 in apples. The TPB molecule has been characterized by ultraviolet–visible absorption spectrometry, 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance, fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) and fluorescent spectra. A proper determination condition was optimized, with limit of detection and limit of quantification of 1.3 µg L−1 and 4.4 μg L−1, respectively. The mechanism of this probe to identify abamectin B1 was illustrated in terms of undergoing aromatic nucleophilic substitution, by comparing fluorescence changes, FT-IR and ESI-MS. Furthermore, a facile quantitative detection of the residual abamectin B1 in apples was achieved. Good reproducibility was present based on relative standard deviation of 2.2%. Six carboxyl recognition sites, three azo groups and unique fluorescence signal towards abamectin B1 of this fluorescent probe demonstrated reasonable sensitivity, specificity and selectivity. The results indicate that the octopus-like azobenzene fluorescent probe can be expected to be reliable for evaluating abamectin B1 in agricultural foods.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1837
Author(s):  
Harischandra Naik Rathod ◽  
Bheemanna Mallappa ◽  
Pallavi Malenahalli Sidramappa ◽  
Chandra Sekhara Reddy Vennapusa ◽  
Pavankumar Kamin ◽  
...  

A quick, sensitive, and reproducible analytical method for the determination of 77 multiclass pesticides and their metabolites in Capsicum and tomato by gas and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was standardized and validated. The limit of detection of 0.19 to 10.91 and limit of quantification of 0.63 to 36.34 µg·kg−1 for Capsicum and 0.10 to 9.55 µg·kg−1 (LOD) and 0.35 to 33.43 µg·kg−1 (LOQ) for tomato. The method involves extraction of sample with acetonitrile, purification by dispersive solid phase extraction using primary secondary amine and graphitized carbon black. The recoveries of all pesticides were in the range of 75 to 110% with a relative standard deviation of less than 20%. Similarly, the method precision was evaluated interms of repeatability (RSDr) and reproducibility (RSDwR) by spiking of mixed pesticides standards at 100 µg·kg−1 recorded anRSD of less than 20%. The matrix effect was acceptable and no significant variation was observed in both the matrices except for few pesticides. The estimated measurement uncertainty found acceptable for all the pesticides. This method found suitable for analysis of vegetable samples drawn from market and farm gates.


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