The ways to the trace level analysis in infrared spectroscopy

The future of infrared (IR) spectroscopy as an analytical technique is assured due to its versatility and its numerous advantages; such as the possibility to obtain molecular specific information for virtually any sample in any state with no treatment or minimal sample preparation. However, spectroscopists are not satisfied with relegating IR spectroscopy just to major and minor component analysis and have been looking at analysis at the trace level too. This review is the recognition of the brilliant research performed during the past two decades and the advances achieved in this area, which have made possible the analysis of contaminants at parts per billion (ppb) levels by IR in differen…

Burned bones forensic investigations employing near infrared spectroscopy

The use of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was evaluated, by using chemometric tools, for the study of the environmental impact on burned bones. Spectra of internal and external parts of burned bones, together with sediment samples, were treated by Principal Component Analysis and cluster classification as exploratory techniques to select burned bone samples, less affected by environmental processes, to properly carry out forensic studies. Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis was used to build a model to classify bone samples based on their burning conditions, providing an efficient and accurate method to discern calcined and carbonized bone. Additionally, Partial Least Square regres…

Artificial neural network for quantitative determination of total protein in yogurt by infrared spectrometry

Abstract A method has been introduced for quantitative determination of protein content in yogurt samples based on the characteristic absorbance of protein in 1800–1500 cm− 1 spectral region by mid-FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics. Successive Projection Algorithm (SPA) wavelength selection procedure, coupled with feed forward Back-Propagation Artificial Neural Network (BP-ANN) model was the benefited chemometric technique. Relative Error of Prediction (REP) in BP-ANN and SPA-BP-ANN methods for training set was 7.25 and 3.70 respectively. Considering the complexity of the sample, the ANN model was found to be reliable, while the proposed method is rapid and simple, without any sample prepa…

Atmospheric compensation in Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of clinical samples.

A new method is proposed for the elimination of the spectral contribution of two atmospheric gases (CO2 and H2O) in Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of clinical samples. The algorithm is based on the measurement of reference spectra of H2O followed by an automatic calculation of the spectral contribution of the above-mentioned gases to the sample spectra. Then this contribution is compensated by spectral subtraction. Attenuated total reflectance FT-IR spectra of serum and urine samples in the presence of atmospheric gases were corrected and compared with spectra obtained with an N2 purge. Visual inspection of the spectra as well as calculated noise levels confirmed that the metho…

Optimization of transmission near infrared spectrometry procedures for quality control of pesticide formulations

The use of different response functions to be optimized in the frame of the use of near infrared spectrometry for quality control of active principles in agrochemical formulations has been evaluated. Both, simple functions, based on parameters like sensitivity, repeatability, accuracy, signal to noise ratio, limit of detection or sample throughput, and a complex function, considering all the aforementioned aspects, were employed in the development of a new method for Iprodione determination in agrochemicals. Optimization strategies were based on the previous screening of the most important instrumental factors like number of cumulated scans, nominal resolution, mirror velocity and zero fill…

On-line sample treatment and FT-IR determination of doxylamine succinate in pharmaceuticals

Abstract A low solvent consumption method for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) determination of doxylamine succinate in pharmaceuticals has been developed. The analyte was continuous and selectively extracted with a 13% (v/v) ethanol:chloroform solvent mixture, recirculating the solvent through the sample and monitoring the process by FT-IR. Doxylamine succinate was determined by on-line standard addition measuring the peak area in the regions 1730–1710 and 1485–1462 cm −1 corrected with a two-point baseline established between 2000 and 1800 cm −1 . This new method implies low volumes of chloroformic solvent mixture, only 2.6 mL per sample, in front of classical batch FT-IR m…

FTIR determination of Aspartame and Acesulfame-K in tabletop sweeteners.

Two different strategies for sweeteners determination in tabletop samples by Fourier transform middle-infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, an off-line and a fully mechanized extraction of Aspartame and Acesulfame-K with different mixtures of chloroform and methanol, have been developed. The off-line method involves the extraction of both active principles by sonication of samples with 25:75 v/v CHCl3/CH3OH and direct measurement of the peak height values at 1751 cm(-1), corrected using a baseline defined at 1850 cm(-1) for Aspartame, and measurement of the peak height at 1170 cm(-1) in the first-order derivative spectra, corrected by using a horizontal baseline established at 1850 cm(-1), for Aces…

An Infrared Method, with Reduced Solvent Consumption, for the Determination of Chlorsulfuron in Pesticide Formulations

A simple method has been developed for the determination of Chlorsulfuron in pesticide formulations by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Samples were diluted with CHCl3− , and the FTIR spectra of the samples and standards were obtained at a nominal resolution of 4 cm− 1 from 4000 to 900 cm− 1 with the accumulation of 25 scans. Chlorsulfuron determination was based on the measurement of peak area values from 1373 to 1363 cm− 1 which were corrected by use of a two points baseline defined from 1401 to 1302 cm− 1. The limit of detection achieved, which was of the order of 6 µg g− 1, was appropriate for the determination of Chlorsulfuron in commercially available formulations. FTIR results were…

An infrared spectroscopic tool for process monitoring: sugar contents during the production of a depilatory formulation.

Abstract A fast, reliable and economical methodology has been developed to control the production process of sugar-based depilatories. The method is based on the use of attenuated total reflectance—Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy in combination with multivariate data analysis. A very simple sample preparation process involving the dissolution of samples in water was applied. Employing a multivariate calibration model established from data of 15 well characterized samples, prediction errors equal or below 3.04 mg mL−1 for the quantitative determination of fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose and maltotriose were obtained. Results found in this preliminary study indicate a g…

The Concept of Green Analytical Chemistry

Three years ago, when we published our review paper on Green Analytical Chemistry [1] it was clear that, at this time, Green Chemistry was a well established paradigm well supported by more than 50 published books, an increasing number of research teams who influenced the scientific literature and involved the editions of special journals like

PLS-UV spectrophotometric method for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine in pharmaceutical formulations

A simple and fast analytical procedure is proposed for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine in pharmaceuticals by means the partial least square treatment of the spectrophotometric absorbance data between 216 and 300 nm, taken at 5 nm intervals. The method involves the use of 8 standard mixtures of the three compounds assayed, considered at two concentration levels, and the measurement of the absorbance of samples in a 20% (v/v) ethanol in water solution previously filtered. In the analysis of real and synthetic samples precise and accurate values were obtained by the aforementioned procedure, providing in all cases variation coefficients and accu…

Modelling of the ternary system H3PO4/H2O/TBP

Abstract A thermodynamic model is presented for the extraction of phosphoric acid from water by tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP), from aqueous solutions containing 0–6 mol/kg phosphoric acid. The activity coefficient of phosphoric acid was calculated from experimental data using Pitzer’s equation, and those of the components in the organic phase were calculated by Sergievskii–Danus’s relationship. The proposed model gives a satisfactory description of the distribution of phosphoric acid and water, in the considered concentration range, by taking into account the formation of the following species: TBP, TBP·H2O, H3PO4·TBP and (TBP)2·H3PO4·H2O.

Application of point-to-point matching algorithms for background correction in on-line liquid chromatography–Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (LC–FTIR)

A new background correction method for the on-line coupling of gradient liquid chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry has been developed. It is based on the use of a point-to-point matching algorithm that compares the absorption spectra of the sample data set with those of a previously recorded reference data set in order to select an appropriate reference spectrum. The spectral range used for the point-to-point comparison is selected with minimal user-interaction, thus facilitating considerably the application of the whole method. The background correction method has been successfully tested on a chromatographic separation of four nitrophenols running acetonitrile (0.08…

Flow Injection Fourier Transform Infrared Determination of Caffeine in Soft Drinks

A fully automated procedure has been developed for FT-IR determination of caffeine in soft drinks. Samples are first degasified by filtration and then directly injected into a flow manifold and passed through a 100 mg C18 SPE cartridge, conditioned with methanol and water. After the cartridge has been cleaned with water, the caffeine is eluted with CHCl3 and stabilized with ethanol. The flow injection (FI) recording is obtained by measuring the absorbance at 1658 cm-1 with a baseline established at 1800 cm-1. Area values for the FI recording obtained between 0.4 and 1.4 min after sample injection are interpolated in the calibration graph of a series of aqueous standards of caffeine, which w…

The role of green extraction techniques in Green Analytical Chemistry

Abstract Greening extraction techniques to improve the sensitivity and the selectivity of analytical methods is the sustainable alternative to classical sample-preparation procedures used in the past. In this update, we review the main strategies employed in the scientific literature to reduce deleterious side-effects of extraction techniques. We demonstrate that the evolution of sample-treatment procedures is focused on the simultaneous improvement of the main analytical features of the method and its practical aspects, including the economic case.

Quality control of Metamitron in agrochemicals using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the middle and near range

Abstract Two vibrational spectrometry-based methodologies were developed for Metamitron determination in pesticide formulations. Fourier transform-middle infrared (FT-MIR) procedure was based on the extraction of Metamitron by CHCl 3 and latter determination by peak area measurement between 1556 and 1533 cm −1 , corrected with a two points baseline established from 1572 to 1514 cm −1 . Fourier transform-near infrared (FT-NIR) determination was made after the extraction of Metamitron in acetonitrile and measuring the peak area between 6434 and 6394 cm −1 corrected using a two points baseline defined between 6555 and 6228 cm −1 . Repeatability, as relative standard deviation, of 5 independent…

Quantification of phenolic acids by partial least squares Fourier-transform infrared (PLS-FTIR) in extracts of medicinal plants.

Introduction Phenolic compounds are ubiquitous compounds found in all plants as their secondary metabolites. Phenols are becoming increasingly important particularly because of their beneficial effects on health. Objective To provide a faithful calibration model for the simultaneous determination and quantification of phenolic acids, as salicylic, vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic acids, eugenol and thymol in different extracts of medicinal plants, a comparative study was made between two methods of infrared measurements based on attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and transmission. Methods Characteristic absorbance peak heights of mid-infrared spectra of individual phenolic acids were measured for…

Determination of critical eluent composition for polyethylenglycols using on-line liquid chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry.

In this work, it has been extended to methanol:water mobile phases, the use of a background correction method for on-line LC-FTIR measurements named Univariate background correction based on the use of a reference spectra matrix (UBC-RSM) and absorbance ratios. It permits to overcome the problem related to spectral changes occurring during the gradient elution, which in the past limited the on-line coupling of LC and FTIR to isocratic elutions. The combined use of the aforementioned background correction technique in on-line isocratic and gradient LC-FTIR, and partial least squares (PLS) has been applied for the search of the critical conditions for polymers. Polyethylenglycol (PEG) has bee…

Chemometric extraction of analyte-specific chromatograms in on-line gradient LC-infrared spectrometry

This work exploits the possibilities offered by the recently developed multivariate method named Science-Based Calibration (SBC), for the extraction of ‘analyte-specific’ chromatograms in on-line gradient reversed phase LC-infrared spectrometry (IR) in the presence of a high spectral and chromatographic overlapping between the analyte of interest, co-eluting sample matrix constituents and the mobile phase components. The SBC method uses an experimentally measured single response spectrum of the analyte of interest and representative noise to calculate an optimum regression vector (bopt(1)). Then, the bopt(1) vector is used to predict the concentration of the analyte of interest in the spect…

Near infrared determination of Diuron in pesticide formulations

Abstract A simple, fast and environmentally friendly near infrared (NIR)-based methodology was developed for Diuron determination in pesticide formulations. This methodology was based on the pesticide extraction with acetonitrile and subsequent transmittance measurement determination by peak area measurement between 2021 and 2047 nm, corrected with a single point baseline established at 2071 nm. The repeatability, as relative standard deviation of five independent analysis of a 15.3 mg g −1 Diuron standard was 0.03% and the limit of detection 0.013 mg g −1 . The reagent consumption was clearly reduced in front of a chromatographic reference procedure from 39.1 ml acetonitrile per sample, re…

Evaluation of nutritional parameters in infant formulas and powdered milk by Raman spectroscopy

It has been made a critical evaluation of the application of near infrared Fourier transform-Raman spectroscopy for the simultaneous determination of the most important nutritional parameters such as energetic value, carbohydrate, protein and fat contents of infant formula and powdered milk samples based on the use of partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis. A highly heterogeneous population of 23 samples, covering a wide range of infant food formula and powdered milk, were obtained from the Spanish market. Raman spectra, obtained by excitation with a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm, show no disturbing fluorescence effects; therefore sample spectra can be recorded without any previous prepa…

Fourier-transform infrared determination of nicotine in tobacco samples by transmittance measurements after leaching with CHCl3

Abstract A new procedure is proposed for the FT-IR spectrometric determination of nicotine in tobacco. The method is based on the extraction of nicotine in CHCl 3 from tobacco samples, wetted with an aqueous solution of NH 3 (0.1 M), and the measurement of absorbance in the stopped-flow mode at 1316 cm −1 , using a spectral baseline correction established from 1334 to 1300 cm −1 . The procedure developed does not requires a complex sample preparation, and provides a limit of detection of 0.045 mg ml −1 nicotine, a sampling frequency of 3.3 h −1 and a coefficient of variation of 0.3% for five independent measurements of a tobacco sample with a nicotine content of 1.5% w/w. The accuracy of th…

Flow injection-FTIR determination of dithiocarbamate pesticides

A flow injection Fourier transform infrared spectrometric procedure has been developed for the determination the dithiocarbamate pesticides Ziram and Thiram in solid samples. All the operations involved, such as extraction, filtration and measurement, were integrated in the experimental set-up in order to avoid excessive manipulation of samples and standards. Ultrasonic assisted and mechanical extraction were evaluated for the solubilization of the analytes and, additionally, the effect of carrier flow rate, sample loop volume and the ratio between sample mass and volume of solvent employed were studied. Quantitative extractions with chloroform were obtained for both Ziram and Thiram, after…

On-line solvent recycling: a tool for the development of clean analytical chemistry in flow injection Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. Determination of ketoprofen

Abstract A flow injection strategy has been developed for the direct determination of ketoprofen in pharmaceuticals by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry also incorporating a distillation unit which allows the carbon tetrachloride employed to dissolve samples and standards and used as a carrier to be recovered on-line. The system developed permits a drastic reduction of reagent consumption and easy and fast sampling and cleaning of the measurement cell. For the quantification of ketoprofen in pharmaceuticals the carbonyl bands at 1712 and 1666 cm −1 were employed and the developed method provided a 3 σ limit of detection of 0.04 mg ml −1 , a dynamic range up to 10 mg ml −1 and typical …

Comparison of two vibrational procedures for the direct determination of mancozeb in agrochemicals.

The direct determination of mancozeb in agrochemicals has been made by diamond attenuated total reflectance (ATR) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the middle range (DATR-MIR) and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy in the near range (DR-NIR) methods using in both cases a previous identification of the samples using a dendrographic classification and an appropriate partial least squares (PLS) calibration established from a set of nine external standards and optimized for each type of sample. It was analyzed a heterogeneous population of 11 samples obtained from the Spanish market, containing different co-formulated products, such as fosetyl-Al, copper oxychl…

Nutritional parameters of commercially available milk samples by FTIR and chemometric techniques

Abstract A chemometric study on the prediction of the main nutritional aspects of milk has been carried out by using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) attenuated total reflectance (ATR) measurements of commercially available milk samples of different types. Whole, semi and skimmed milks, enriched or not with calcium, vitamins or modified by alteration of lipid or sugar composition were considered. After evaluating different strategies for data acquisition and ATR cleaning between samples, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was carried out for classification of samples in order to choose the calibration set. The prediction capabilities of partial least squares (PLS) data treatm…

Green strategies for decontamination of analytical wastes

Within the paradigm of green analytical chemistry, we discuss the different options for cleaning analytical wastes in the literature, paying special attention to on-line recycling of solvents, degradation of toxic compounds and trace-element passivation. The objective of this review is to present and to evaluate critically suitable methodologies that can be incorporated into analytical methods in order to reduce or to avoid the generation of toxic wastes, which could cumulate in the laboratory and have to be managed outside, so increasing the risks and the cost of analysis.

Testing of the region of Murcia soils by near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and chemometrics.

A partial least squares near infrared (PLS-NIR) method has been developed for the determination of several physicochemical parameters in soils from different locations of the Region of Murcia. The method was based on the proper chemometric treatment of diffuse reflectance spectra of soil samples. Reflectance spectra were scanned from samples stored in glass vials in the NIR region between 800 and 2600 nm, averaging 36 scans per spectrum at a resolution of 8 cm(-1). Models were built using reference data of 39 samples selected from a dendrogram obtained after hierarchical cluster analysis of NIR spectra of soils and prediction parameters were established from a validation set of 109 addition…

Fourier transform infrared analysis of paint solvents

Abstract The composition of solvent mixtures employed in the paint industry was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. A procedure based on the use of the ratio between the absorbance of characteristic bands of each component permits the ratio between two solvents in a binary mixture to be determined, independently of the thickness of the sample film. Typical mixtures of xylol with butan-1-ol and with butyl acetate (xylol=mixture of o-, m- and p-xylenes) were used as model systems to develop the proposed procedure and the accuracy was determined using synthetic formulations. Another possible application of the procedure is the characterization of azeotropic mixtures.

Partial least squares X-ray fluorescence determination of trace elements in sediments from the estuary of Nerbioi-Ibaizabal River.

The feasibility of partial least squares (PLS) regression modeling of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectra of estuarine sediments has been evaluated as a tool for rapid trace element content monitoring. Multivariate PLS calibration models were developed to predict the concentration of Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, V and Zn in sediments collected from different locations across the estuary of the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal River (Metropolitan Bilbao, Bay of Biscay, Basque Country). The study was carried out on a set of 116 sediment samples, previously lyophilized and sieved with a particle size lower than 63 microm. Sample reference data were obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass …

Recent developments in flow-analysis vibrational spectroscopy

Abstract This review deals with developments in the new century on the use of vibrational spectroscopy techniques for detection in flow-injection analysis (FIA) systems. To provide a picture of the evolution, highlights and future developments in this field, we revisited Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), in the mid-IR and near-IR ranges, and FT-Raman spectrometry applications using different approaches, from classical FIA to modern (sequential injection analysis (SIA) or multicommutation). We used the analytical abstracts database for 2000–06 for the literature search, but we based this review very much on the experience of our team in this field.

On-line vapor-phase generation combined with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

We present a critical review of on-line vapor-phase generation combined with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry for detection. We discuss different experimental approaches developed for generating the vapor phase based on different principles (e.g., thermal volatilization, acid-base, redox reaction and covalent hydride generation). Using examples of applications, we try to demonstrate the analytical potential of on-line vapor-phase generation in vibrational spectrometry in order to improve the selectivity and the sensitivity of the measurement step and to make environmentally-friendly procedures available for problem solving in the analytical laboratory. We pay special attention to int…

Preliminary results on direct quantitative determination of cocaine in impregnated materials by infrared spectroscopy

Abstract Partial least squares models were built for the direct determination of cocaine in seized impregnated smuggled materials. Measurements are based on the attenuated total reflectance middle infrared spectra (ATR-MIR) and diffuse reflectance spectra in the near range (DR-NIR) obtained directly from the surface of the impregnated materials. The aforementioned procedures offer fast, cheap and environmentally friendly green alternatives to the reference method based on the extraction of the drug and its quantification by gas chromatography. Additionally it has been verified that results found are statistically comparable with those obtained by the reference method with root mean square e…

Science based calibration for the extraction of 'analyte-specific' HPLC-DAD chromatograms in environmental analysis

Multivariate science based calibration (SBC) has been applied to the resolution of overlapped peaks in liquid chromatography with diode array detection (LC-DAD). Complex river water samples spiked with 11 pharmaceutical substances resulted in poorly resolved chromatograms containing additional peaks from interfering matrix compounds and a change in the background absorbance due to the mobile phase gradient. Applying the present multivariate approach it was possible to resolve all 11 analytes from overlapping peaks, obtaining linear calibration lines (R2 > 0.96). Recovery percentages on spiked samples ranged between 74.6 and 113.5%, which are quite satisfactory taking into account the low co…

Determination of fatty acids and lipid classes in salmon oil by near infrared spectroscopy

International audience; Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was evaluated as a rapid method for the determination of oleic, palmitic, linoleic and linolenic acids as well as omega-3, omega-6, and to predict polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids, together with triacylglycerides, diglycerides, free fatty acids and ergosterol in salmon oil. To do it, Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression models were applied to correlate NIR spectra with aforementioned fatty acids and lipid classes. Results obtained were validated in front of reference procedures based on high performance thin layer and gas chromatography. PLS-NIR has a good predictive capability with relative root mean squar…

Direct determination of minerals in human diets by infrared spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence

The use of near and mid infrared spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to determine the concentration of mineral elements in Spanish human diets was investigated. Thirty-five commercial baby foods, 6 children fast food menus and 13 university canteen menu samples were analysed by infrared and XRF spectroscopy and spectra evaluated by using reference data obtained by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Models for calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, sodium and zinc determination were built and validated. Spectra were pre-treated by using different pre-processing algorithms (multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variation, first derivate, ortho…

Direct determination of polymerised triacylglycerides in deep-frying vegetable oil by near infrared spectroscopy using Partial Least Squares regression

Abstract A green method for the determination of polymerised triacylglyceride (PTG) in deep-frying vegetable oils of different botanic origin has been developed employing near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. Four different types of oil were heated during several hours, with and without the addition of foodstuff. NIR transmission spectra were obtained directly from sample aliquots stored in glass vials, thus avoiding the consumption of solvents and minimising waste generation. Variables employed for building the PLS models were selected applying interval PLS (iPLS) as well as Uninformative Variable Elimination-PLS (UVE-PLS). A global PLS model using sp…

On-line gradient liquid chromatography–Fourier transform infrared spectrometry determination of sugars in beverages using chemometric background correction

Abstract An on-line gradient reversed phase liquid chromatography–Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (LC–FTIR) method was developed for the determination of fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose in beverages. Improved chromatographic resolution was obtained using a linear gradient from 75 to 55% (v/v) acetonitrile in water in 15 min. Changes in the background spectra were corrected employing “univariate background correction based on the use of a reference spectra matrix” (UBC-RSM) and using the ratio of absorbance (AR) at 2256 and 2253 cm −1 for the identification of the eluent spectra within the RSM. The method provided limits of detection in the order of 0.75 mg ml −1 . The precisi…

Quality Control of Agrochemical Formulations by Diffuse Reflectance near Infrared Spectrometry

A near infrared (NIR)-based methodology has been developed for the determination of 11 pesticides in commercially available formulations. This solvent free, fast and environmentally friendly method was based on the direct measurement of the diffuse reflectance spectra of solid samples, a hierarchical cluster classification and the use of multivariate calibration models to determine each considered active principle in agrochemicals. The proposed partial least squares (PLS) models used for quantification of each compound were built from specific calibration sets composed of nine spectra corresponding to triplicate measurements of a single well characterised commercial sample and two addition…

Determination at low ppm levels of dithiocarbamate residues in foodstuff by vapour phase-liquid phase microextraction-infrared spectroscopy

Abstract A methodology based on the vapour phase (VP) generation of carbon disulphide from non-volatile dithiocarbamate compounds has been developed for determination of pesticide residues in foodstuff at low ppm levels. The method involves a selective reaction combined with liquid phase microextraction (LPME) and transmission infrared measurements. The use of a home made transmission cell improved the detection limits (LOD) compared to the use of attenuated total reflectance measurements by a factor of approximately 80. Using the most appropriate experimental conditions for the CS2 generation and LPME preconcentration, the precision of the methodology, expressed as the relative standard de…

Determination of carbonates in waters by on-line vapor generation FTIR

Abstract An electrically heated gas-permeation unit (GPU) has been employed for the vapor-generation Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) determination of total carbonate in waters. The developed method is based on the simultaneous injection of 100 μ l sample and 100 μ l nitric acid in a two-channel manifold with a merging zone, which provides the generation of CO 2 through the GPU, heated at 90°C, from which CO 2 is swept by a stream of N 2 to a long-path infrared gas cell. Absorbance measurements were made in the range from 2500 to 2150 cm −1 and the corresponding flow injection recordings were obtained as a function of time. The areas of these peaks are interpolated in a calibration equatio…

Publishing in Green Analytical Chemistry

The use of near-infrared spectrometry in the olive oil industry.

The enormous possibilities offered by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for the (on/in/at-line) quality control process of olive fruits, pastes, and oils are summarized throughout this paper. Special attention has been paid to the combination of NIR and chemometric treatments for the on-line analysis of olive fruits and also for the quality parameters evaluation on olive oils and pastes which can enhance the production of a high quality olive oil and the selection of olive fruit with superior properties. The implementation of NIR sensors in olive mills with successful results has also been reviewed and the commercial olive fruit and oil analyzers highlighted.

Determination of nitrogen in hydrolyzed protein formulations by continuous vapour phase FTIR.

An on-line system with vapour generation (VG) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometric detection has been developed for the determination of free ammonium and organic nitrogen in agrochemical formulations containing hydrolyzed proteins. Commercial samples were digested, in batch mode, with sulphuric acid and the obtained solution was alkalinized on-line to transform the NH(4)(+) to NH(3) that was continuously monitored by FTIR. Free ammonium was determined in the same system after simple dilution of undigested samples with water. Different gas phase separators were assayed in order to introduce gaseous NH(3) into a home made IR gas cell of 10 cm pathlength, where the correspondin…

Comparative study of different approaches for the flow injection-fourier transform infrared determination of toluene in gasolines.

Abstract A single channel flow injection manifold has been employed to carry out the direct determination of toluene in gasolines by FT—IR without any sample pretreatment and by using different strategies. Toluene can be directly determined by measuring the absorbance at 728 cm −1 , using a base line established between 835 and 575 cm −1 ; and in this case a limit of detection of 0.01% (v/v) can be obtained with a dynamic range up to 2% (v/v). In some cases it could be convenient to determine toluene by derivative flow-injection FT—IR in order to avoid matrix interferences in the analysis of some types of gasolines. Carrying out the first order derivative FI—FT—IR measurements on the 728 cm…

Quality control Fourier transform infrared determination of diazepam in pharmaceuticals

A quality control procedure has been developed for the determination of diazepam in pharmaceuticals using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The method involves the off-line extraction of diazepam with chloroform by sonication and direct determination in the extracts through peak area measurement in the interval between 1672 and 1682 cm(-1) using a baseline correction defined between 1850 and 1524 cm(-1). For standardization it was used an external calibration line established from standard solutions of diazepam in chloroform. The method provides a limit of detection of 0.04 mg per tablet (n=5), a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of 0.5% for 5 independent measurements of a …

Seafood freshness determination through vapour phase Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Abstract A new vapour-phase manifold has been developed to determine trimethylamine (TMA) in fish and cephalopod samples by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Samples were treated off-line for 1 h with trichloroacetic acid (TCA), filtered and washed. The obtained extracts were aspirated and alkalinized with NaOH 2.0 M, in an on-line system. TMA was separated from the solution in a gas phase separator and then transported by means of a nitrogen carrier into a home made 10 cm pathlength IR gas cell, where the corresponding FT-IR spectra were acquired by accumulating 30 scans per spectrum with 2 cm−1 nominal resolution. The method was applied to the determination of TMA in natura…

FTIR TENTATIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF HUMIC ACIDS EXTRACTED FROM ORGANIC MATERIALS

Turkish humic acids, extracted from different materials, were characterized by their infrared spectra and by means of acidity measurements. The information obtained is of great interest to ascertain the nature and origin of humic acid samples.

Green Analytical Chemistry

Partial least squares attenuated total reflectance IR spectroscopy versus chromatography: the greener method

Method election is a complex task that must be done carefully in order to ensure the capability of analytical methodologies to provide appropriate data for problem solving. This is a real challenge in all fields, but especially with bioanalysis, which in many cases involves the need to do a large number of determinations in complex

Development of a simple and low cost device for vapour phase Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry determination of ethanol in mouthwashes

Abstract A new vapour phase manifold coupled with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was developed for ethanol determination in mouthwashes. Two microliters of samples were injected, without any previous pre-treatment into a reactor heated at 70 °C, and the vapour phase generated transported to the FTIR spectrometer using a carrier nitrogen flow of 6 ml min−1. FTIR spectra were continuously recorded, as a function of time, by accumulating two scans and employing 8 cm−1 nominal resolution. Analytical measurements for ethanol were made in the range from 1130 to 992 cm−1 with a baseline defined between 1158 and 957 cm−1. After ethanol measurement the carrier flow was increased to 3…

Towards minimization of chlorinated solvents consume in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy determination of Propamocarb in pesticide formulations.

Abstract A method has been developed for Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy determination of Propamocarb in emulsifiable pesticide concentrate formulations. Five microliter sample was directly injected without any pretreatment in a CHCl 3 stream at 2 mL min −1 into a closed system and the FTIR spectra of sample and standard solutions were obtained using a nominal resolution of 4 cm −1 from 4000 to 900 cm −1 spectral region and accumulating 2 scans per spectrum. Propamocarb determination was based on the measurement of flow injection analysis (FIA) recording height established from FTIR peak area measurements from 1713 to 1703 cm −1 corrected using a baseline defined at 2000 cm −…

Determination of sugars in depilatory formulations: a green analytical method employing infrared detection and partial least squares regression.

A green analytical method was developed for the analysis of sugar-based depilatories. Three independent partial least squares (PLS) regression models were built for the direct determination of glucose, fructose and maltose without any sample pretreatment based on their attenuated total reflectance - Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectra. The models showed adequate prediction capabilities with root-mean-square-errors of prediction ranging from 7.04 to 12.55 mg sugar g(-1) sample. As a reference procedure, gradient liquid chromatography with on-line infrared detection, employing background correction based on cubic smoothing splines, was used. The analysis revealed changes in the suga…

Clean method for the simultaneous determination of propyphenazone and caffeine in pharmaceuticals by flow injection Fourier transform infrared spectrometry.

A procedure is proposed for the simultaneous FTIR determination of propyphenazone (PFZ) and caffeine (CAF) in pharmaceuticals. The method involves the dissolution of the active principles in CHCl 3 , followed by filtration of sample solutions to remove the excipients. PFZ is then determined by absorbance measurements at 1595 cm - 1 , using a baseline established between 2000 and 890 cm - 1 , and CAF by using the first-derivative values at 1712 cm - 1 , using solutions of PFZ and CAF for external calibration. The method was applied in both the stopped-flow and flow-injection modes, providing precise and accurate results for the analysis of real samples. The incorporation of a distillation un…

Comparison of two partial least squares infrared spectrometric methods for the quality control of pediculosis lotions.

Two vibrational spectroscopy procedures have been developed and compared for the direct and simultaneous determination of piperonyl butoxide and tetramethrin, the active ingredients of alcoholic capillary lotions, for hair pediculosis diseases. Nine lotions, purchased from the Spanish market, were analyzed using both, attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and transmission FT-IR measurements, and based on the use of partial least squares (PLS) multivariate calibration. A reduced set of 15 matched standards (11 for calibration and 4 for validation) was employed using both measurement modes. The spectral wave number ranges between 1757 and 1712 cm(-1) was selected to determine tetramethrin by bot…

Determination of lecithin and soybean oil in dietary supplements using partial least squares-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Lecithin and soybean oil in dietary supplements were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry transmission measurements in dichloromethane in combination with a partial least squares (PLS) regression. Two different PLS models were developed, using 16 synthetic mixtures of analytes in dichloromethane, making measurements in the spectral range from 931.8 to 1252.3 cm(-1) for lecithin and from 911.4 to 1246.9 cm(-1) and 1695.3 to 1774.5 cm(-1) for soybean oil. Seven products from the Spanish market with lecithin concentrations between 21.1% and 99.1% and soybean oil concentrations between 0% and 37.2% were analyzed by the proposed method and the data was compared to a chromatograp…

Novel approach for the determination of azithromycin in pharmaceutical formulations by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in film-through transmission mode

Abstract This work reports the development of a new method for the determination of azithromycin in pharmaceutical formulations employing Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) technique. The measurements were performed using a novel approach based on a film-through transmission mode. Several variables that could influence the analytical performance of the method were evaluated (solvent, nominal resolution, number of scans, mode of measurement and spectral region selected for measurement). Acetonitrile was the best solvent for the determination of azithromycin, employing the absorption band of the C O group at 1729 cm− 1. The extraction of azithromycin from the formulations was made by mechanica…

Separation of motor oils, oily wastes and hydrocarbons from contaminated water by sorption on chrome shavings

In this paper, the ability of chrome shavings to remove motor oils, oily wastes and hydrocarbons from water has been studied. To determine amount of hydrocarbons sorbed on tanned wastes, a FT-NIR methodology was used and a multivariate calibration based on partial least squares (PLS) was employed for data treatment. The light density, porous tanned waste granules float on the surface of water and remove hydrocarbons and oil films. Wastes fibers from tannery industry have high sorption capacity. These tanned solid wastes are capable of absorbing many times their weight in oil or hydrocarbons (6.5-7.6g of oil and 6.3g of hydrocarbons per gram of chrome shavings). The removal efficiency of the…

Determination of biochemical parameters in human serum by near-infrared spectroscopy

NIR offers multiple advantages for serum analysis, permitting a fast and direct determination of several parameters simultaneously, with low sample handling and without the need for reagents during the measurement step. The aim of this paper was to provide an evaluation of this technique in a real world scale, for the simultaneous determination of several parameters and based on a considerable number of samples. Direct near infrared (NIR) absorbance measurements were used to determine the concentration of clinical parameters in human serum that are required in routine biochemical tests. Total protein, albumin, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL cholesterol), low-density lipopr…

Simultaneous determination of Folpet and Metalaxyl in pesticide formulations by flow injection Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometric methodology has been developed for the simultaneous determination of Folpet and Metalaxyl in pesticide formulations. The method involves the extraction of both active principles by sonication of the sample with CHCl3 and direct measurement of the absorbance using peak height values at 1798 cm −1 corrected with a baseline defined at 1810 cm −1 for Folpet, and peak area data established from 1677 to 1667 cm −1 corrected using a baseline from 1692 to 1628 cm −1 for Metalaxyl. Limits of detection (3 s) values of 17 and 16 gg −1 were found for Folpet and Metalaxyl, respectively, with results comparable with those found by liquid chromatography with…

Direct vapor generation Fourier transform infrared spectrometric determination of ethanol in blood

Abstract A new procedure is proposed for a direct determination of ethanol in plasma and whole blood. The method is based on the injection of a discrete sample volume of 10 μl into an electrically heated Pyrex glass reactor in which, at a temperature of 90 °C, the ethanol is volatilized and introduced by means of a N 2 carrier flow inside a long-path infrared gas cell and the corresponding flow analysis recording registered as a function of time. The measurement of the area of the flow injection recording, obtained from the absorbance of the transient signal in the range 1150−950 cm −1 , allows the direct quantification of ethanol upto 2 g l −1 , with a limit of detection of 0.020 g l −1 an…

Characterization of estuarine sediments by near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

It has been developed a partial least squares near infrared (PLS-NIR) method for the determination of estuarine sediment physicochemical parameters. The method was based on the chemometric treatment of first order derivative reflectance spectra obtained from samples previously lyophilized and sieved through a lower than 63 μm grid. Spectra were scanned from 833 to 2976 nm, averaging 36 scans per spectrum at a resolution of 8 cm-1, using chromatographic glass vials of 9.5 mm internal diameter as measurement cells. Models were built using reference data of 31 samples selected through the use of a hierarchical cluster analysis of NIR spectra of sediments obtained from the Ria de Arousa estuary…

Eucalyptol-based green extraction of brown alga Zonaria tournefortii

Abstract A green extraction method, based on the use of 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) as biosolvent, has been developed to prepare crude extracts from the brown alga Zonaria tournefortii characterized by chemical composition, particularly dominated by phenolic compounds derived from phloroglucinol. The main advantage of the developed technique are the recovery of eucalyptol, based on multistep liquid-liquid extraction with distilled water, followed by centrifugation and elimination of the aqueous phase, and the complete recycling of biosolvent by steam distillation. A comparative study between the proposed green extract and the conventional extract, prepared by solvent maceration using the mixtu…

Derivative Fourier transform infrared spectrometric determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages

Abstract A derivative Fourier transform infrared (FT-TR) spectrometric procedure was developed for the direct determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages, from beers to spirit samples. The method is based on first-order derivative FT-IR measurements between the peak at 1052 cm −1 and the valley at 1040 cm −1 , which are present in aqueous solutions and alcoholic beverages, by using a micro flow transmittance cell with ZnSe windows and a spacer of 0.029 mm. The method involves the accumulation of ten scans and provides accurate results in the determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages without requiring any previous chemical treatment of the sample or a previous separation or extract…

Essential oil counterfeit identification through middle infrared spectroscopy

Abstract Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) has been employed for a fast quality control of commercial essential oils from different plant species. 47 samples were obtained from Algerian and Spanish market and directly measured, without any previous treatment, by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), in the wavenumber region between 4000 and 550 cm−1. Pure essential oils were obtained by hydro- and steam-distillation extraction methods and their ATR spectra obtained. Results found evidenced the presence of solvents in some commercial formulations and permitted a rapid authentication of pure essential oils correctly extracted from those diluted. The propo…

Flow Injection Analysis– F ourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry ( FIA / FT ‐ IR )

The sections in this article are Advantages and Historical Perspective of the Use of FIA in FT-IR Direct Analysis of Samples by FIA/FT-IR FIA/FT-IR Determinations after Liquid Extraction FIA/FT-IR Determinations after Solid-Phase Extraction Enzymatic Analysis by FIA/FT-IR Vapor Generation FT-IR New Developments

Determination of lidocaine in urine at low ppm levels using dispersive microextraction and attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared measurements of dry films

Abstract IR spectra provide valuable information about biological systems and can be obtained with compactable and affordable instruments, but the lack of sensitivity of this technique hampers its use in the determination of drugs in clinical fluids. Taking lidocaine as a target molecule, in this paper we introduced a methodology for determining drugs in urine samples using infrared spectroscopy. The lack of sensitivity of the IR was compensated with the combination of an effective and straightforward dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and the measurement of the dry film of the organic extracts through attenuated total reflectance (ATR). The method developed improves the sensitivity b…

Univariate near infrared methods for determination of pesticides in agrochemicals

Abstract It has been developed a general strategy for the determination of pesticides in agrochemicals by Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy. The methodology is based on previous extraction of the active principles through sonication with acetonitrile and direct determination by transmission measurements, using glass vials as measurement cells and univariate calibration at selected wavenumbers as a function of the pesticide to be analyzed. Chlorsulfuron, metamitron, iprodione, pirimicarb, procymidone and tricyclazole were used as test molecules and data obtained by FT-NIR for 20 samples containing one of these active principles compare well with those found by reference l…

Partial least squares-near infrared determination of pesticides in commercial formulations

Abstract A solvent free, fast and environmentally friendly near infrared-based methodology (NIR) was developed for pesticide determination in commercially available formulations. This methodology was based on the direct measurement of the diffuse reflectance spectra of solid samples and a multivariate calibration model (partial least squares, PLS) to determine the active principle concentration in commercial formulations. The PLS calibration set was built on using the spiked samples by mixing different amounts of pesticide standards and powdered samples. Buprofezin, Diuron and Daminozide were used as test analytes. Concentration of Buprofezin in the samples was calculated employing a 4-fact…

Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier transform infrared analysis of the fermentation process of pineapple

Abstract A direct and reagent free procedure has been developed to monitor the fermentation process of pine apple nectar using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-transform mid-infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) and multivariate analysis. A classical 4 2 design for standards was employed for calibration using the information in the spectral range from 907 to 1531 cm −1 of the first order derivative spectra after mean centering of infrared data. The root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) of 0.040, 0.021, 0.063 and 0.074% w/w were obtained for glucose, fructose, saccharose and ethanol, respectively, and a mean relative validation error of 2.9, 2.1, 2.6 and 3.6% was achieved for glucose, fr…

Evaluation of infrared spectroscopy as a screening tool for serum analysis

Abstract The application of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy to the determination of clinical parameters in serum using partial least squares (PLS) has been evaluated as a point-of-care diagnostic tool. In this study the effect of using an increased size of the calibration set and the influence of the origin of samples and their interyear variation on the prediction capability of the method were considered. PLS-ATR-FT-IR provides a green, fast and cheap point-of-care tool for the determination of total protein. Albumin, glucose, urea, HDL, LDL and total cholesterol were predicted with relative errors between 15 and 32%. The analytical predicti…

Near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and neural networks for measuring nutritional parameters in chocolate samples.

Abstract A rapid and non-destructive method has been developed for the characterization of chocolate samples based on diffuse reflectance near-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and artificial neural networks (ANNs). This methodology provides a potentially useful alternative to time-consuming chemical methods of analysis. To assess its utility, 36 chocolate samples purchased from the Spanish market were analyzed for the determination of the main nutritional parameters like carbohydrates, fat, proteins, energetic value and cocoa content. Direct triplicate measurements of each sample were carried out by DRIFTS. Cluster hierarchical analysis was used for selecting calibration and…

Determination of total phenolic compounds in compost by infrared spectroscopy

Abstract Middle and near infrared (MIR and NIR) were applied to determine the total phenolic compounds (TPC) content in compost samples based on models built by using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variate and first derivative were employed as spectra pretreatment, and the number of latent variable were optimized by leave-one-out cross-validation. The performance of PLS-ATR-MIR and PLS-DR-NIR models was evaluated according to root mean square error of cross validation and prediction (RMSECV and RMSEP), the coefficient of determination for prediction ( R pred 2 ) and residual predictive deviation (RPD) being obtained for this la…

Determination of insolubles in diesel lubricating oil by FIA-visible spectrometry

Insolubles determination is one of the parameters usually recommended to evaluate the residual life of oil because their presence at elevated levels in diesel lubricating oil changes the viscosity, prematurely clogs filters and is one of the major factors in causing abrasive engine wear. The proposed method employs visible spectrophotometric detection in association with flow injection analysis. The results obtained by this method were compared with the ones obtained by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) since this is the most employed method for insolubles determination. The proposed method presented a linear response from 0 to 3% (w/w) of insolubles in pentane (ASTM D-893). T…

Modified locally weighted—Partial least squares regression improving clinical predictions from infrared spectra of human serum samples

Locally weighted partial least squares regression (LW-PLSR) has been applied to the determination of four clinical parameters in human serum samples (total protein, triglyceride, glucose and urea contents) by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Classical LW-PLSR models were constructed using different spectral regions. For the selection of parameters by LW-PLSR modeling, a multi-parametric study was carried out employing the minimum root-mean square error of cross validation (RMSCV) as objective function. In order to overcome the effect of strong matrix interferences on the predictive accuracy of LW-PLSR models, this work focuses on sample selection. Accordingly, a novel strateg…

Near Infrared Spectroscopy Detection and Quantification of Herbal Medicines Adulterated with Sibutramine.

There is an increasing demand for herbal medicines in weight loss treatment. Some synthetic chemicals, such as sibutramine (SB), have been detected as adulterants in herbal formulations. In this study, two strategies using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy have been developed to evaluate potential adulteration of herbal medicines with SB: a qualitative screening approach and a quantitative methodology based on multivariate calibration. Samples were composed by products commercialized as herbal medicines, as well as by laboratory adulterated samples. Spectra were obtained in the range of 14,000-4000 per cm. Using PLS-DA, a correct classification of 100% was achieved for the external validatio…

Liquid chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectrometric determination of cholesterol in animal greases

Abstract Stearic acid, cholesterol and cholesteryl palmitate have been separated in less than 14 min by liquid chromatography on a column (3.9 mm i.d.×150 mm) of Nova-Pack C 18 (5 μm) using chloroform–acetonitrile (45 : 55) as mobile phase pumped at 0.5 ml min −1 ; Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry was employed for both, general detection at 2868 or 2855 cm −1 and selective detection at 3285 cm −1 for stearic acid and 3526 cm −1 for cholesterol. In all cases a baseline established at 3900 cm −1 , 9-point smoothing and chromatographic peak height measurements were used. The method has been validated by application to the determination of cholesterol in animal greases and fish oi…

Mid-infrared and Raman spectrometry for quality control of pesticide formulations

This article deals with recent developments in the use of vibrational spectrometry for the quantitative analysis of active components in commercial pesticide formulations. We review the techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and FT-Raman spectrometries, and measurement modes, such as stopped flow or flow injection. FTIR is being used increasingly in the determination of pesticides in agrochemical products because of its relatively short analysis time. However, FT-Raman spectrometry provides direct analysis of solid and aqueous samples. It is therefore clear that these techniques enable fast, non-destructive, precise and accurate measurements, so vibrational spectrometry appea…

New background correction approach based on polynomial regressions for on-line liquid chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry.

Abstract In the present study a new approach for the chemometric background correction in on-line gradient LC–FTIR is introduced. For this purpose, the spectral changes of the elution mixture during gradient elution were analyzed applying 2D correlation spectroscopy. The fundamentals of the new background correction algorithm, based on polynomial fits calculated from a reference spectra matrix (Polyfit-RSM method) are explained. The Polyfit-RSM approach was applied on blank gradient runs as well as on LC–FTIR data obtained from the injection of a soft drink sample using acetonitrile:water as eluent. Results found were critically assessed and compared to those obtained by two previous backgr…

Univariate method for background correction in liquid chromatography–Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

An univariate method is proposed for background correction in on-line gradient liquid chromatography-Fourier transform infrared (LC-FTIR) spectrometry using acetonitrile:water as mobile phase components. The method is based on the calculation of the ratio of absorbances (AR) at two characteristic wavenumbers for each spectrum. This parameter is subsequently used to locate the most appropriated eluent spectrum within a reference spectra matrix (RSM) to be subtracted from each spectrum included in the sample chromatogram. To correct minor changes in eluent spectra intensity during the elution of analytes, a correction factor (Kf), defined as the ratio of the absorbance of the sample and the s…

Fourier transform infrared analysis of commercial formulations for Varroa treatment

A comparative study has been carried out between univariate and multivariate calibration strategies for the simultaneous determination of camphor, thymol, menthol and eucalyptol in commercial formulations used for Varroa treatment. Absorbance peak heights of the transmission mid-infrared (MIR) spectra of individual monoterpenes, prepared in dichloromethane, were measured at 1737, 1151, 1022 and 980 cm−1 (corrected with a base-line at 1933 cm−1) for camphor, thymol, menthol and eucalyptol, respectively. Data were processed using the proportional equations approach in univariate mode. For multivariate calibration, partial least squares (PLS) regression based on a classical 42 design for stand…

Analysis of Caffeine, Sweeteners, and Other Additives in Beverages by Vibrational Spectroscopy

This chapter presents a review of the scientific literature on the use of vibrational spectroscopy, near-infrared (NIR), mid-infrared (mid-IR), and Raman, for the analysis of caffeine, sweeteners, and other additives in beverages and related products. Direct analysis procedures of coffee and tea, for both classification according to precedence or variety and quantitative determination of caffeine, are available. For beverage analysis, caffeine has been determined by direct attenuated total reflection (ATR) measurement or by transmission spectroscopy in the mid-IR region after extraction with chloroform. Different strategies have been employed for the analysis of sweeteners in beverages and …

Fourier transform infrared spectrometric determination of Ziram.

A procedure has been developed for vapour-phase Fourier transform infrared determination of Ziram, a dithiocarbamate pesticide. The method is based on the evolution of CS(2), after decomposition of the dithiocarbamate with diluted H(2)SO(4) at 50 degrees C. The CS(2) evolved was swept by a carrier flow of nitrogen to a laboratory-made infrared gas cell of 39 mm pathlength and 490 mul volume. The signals were registered as a function of time. The area of peaks obtained from absorbance measurement in the wavenumber range between 1600 and 1450 cm(-1) were interpolated in a calibration line established from Ziram standards treated in the same way as samples. The method provided an absolute limi…

Determination of quality parameters of beers by the use of attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Abstract The estimation of important quality parameters of beers, such as original and real extracts and alcohol content, has been evaluated by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) using a partial least square (PLS) calibration approach. Two sample populations, one consisting of 24 samples and other of 21 samples, obtained from the Spanish market and covering different types of beer were used. The first set was used for building and validating the model, whereas the second, measured 6 months after, was used for evaluating its robustness. The spectral range and the size of the calibration set and its suitability for building the PLS model have been …

Attenuated total reflectance infrared determination of sodium nitrilotriacetate in alkaline liquid detergents

Abstract An attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR–FTIR) method has been developed for the direct determination of the chelating agent sodium nitrilotriacetate (NTA) in high pH cleaning formulations. Aqueous samples and standards were placed directly on the diamond ATR cell without any pre-treatment and FTIR spectra were recorded between 4000 and 600 cm−1. Measurement conditions were evaluated. Results obtained for five different commercial formulations containing from 6.22 to 9.25% (w/w) of NTA were in good agreement with the manufacturer's declared content (differences between 3.2 and −3.7%). Recovery studies evidenced the accuracy of the developed method, having found values between …

Detection and characterization of emerging psychoactive substances by ion mobility spectrometry

Rapid detection and identification of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) continues to present significant analytical challenges to forensic and analytical chemists. Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has been traditionally considered as the analytical technique of choice to detect illicit drugs in security points in airports, borderlines and customs. Databases of the reduced mobility (K0 ) values of illicit drugs are available in the scientific literature and they should be completed with data of emerging designer drugs. In this paper, we have evaluated the effect of different measurement conditions and determined the K0 values of an important number of NPS including different families; such …

Cubic smoothing splines background correction in on-line liquid chromatography–Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

A background correction method for the on-line coupling of gradient liquid chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (LC-FTIR) is proposed. The developed approach applies univariate background correction to each variable (i.e. each wave number) individually. Spectra measured in the region before and after each peak cluster are used as knots to model the variation of the eluent absorption intensity with time using cubic smoothing splines (CSS) functions. The new approach has been successfully tested on simulated as well as on real data sets obtained from injections of standard mixtures of polyethylene glycols with four different molecular weights in methanol:water, 2-propano…

Gamificación: El concurso como actividad grupal de enseñanza/aprendizaje

[EN] The present study consist of the use of game mechanics to promote the development of applications and activities to stimulate, in an attractive way but without sacrificing the rigor required, the teaching and learning in the subjects of Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry in Chemistry degree.

Fourier transform infrared spectrometric determination of Malathion in pesticide formulations

Abstract An environmentally friendly methodology has been developed for quality control analysis of emulsifiable concentrate pesticide formulations containing Malathion as active ingredient, using flow injection analysis (FIA)–Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. Five microlitres samples were directly injected into a 3 ml closed FIA manifold, in which 2 ml of CHCl 3 was re-circulated at 1.96 ml min −1 . After homogenisation and sample measurement, 2 μl volumes of a Malathion standard were injected, taking absorbance measurements after each injection. Peak height of the chemigrams, established from peak area values between 1027 and 1017 cm −1 , corrected with a baseline fixed from…

Multicommutation-NIR determination of Hexythiazox in pesticide formulations.

A multicommutated flow-system was designed in order to increase analytical throughput and for controlling thermal effects on the NIR spectra for determination of Hexythiazox in pesticide formulations. An on-line standard addition was carried out showing the versatility and repeatability of multicommutation for the on-line mixing and dilution of solutions. Results obtained for commercial samples were statistically comparable with those obtained by an HPLC-reference method. Multicommutation-NIR allows the analysis of 52 samples per hour, in front of the 30 samples per hour analyzed by the NIR-batch procedure and the 7 samples per hour analyzed by HPLC-reference method.

Fourier transform infrared determination of Fluometuron in pesticide formulations

Abstract A single method has been developed for Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) determination of Fluometuron in pesticide formulations. Samples were ultrasonically shaken with CHCl3 for 5 min and the FTIR spectra of sample extracts and standards were obtained at a nominal resolution of 4 cm−1 from 4000 to 900 cm−1 accumulating 25 scans. Fluometuron determination is based on the measure of peak area from 1342 to 1321 cm−1 corrected using a baseline defined from 1352 to 1294 cm−1. This procedure provided a limit of detection of 6.5 μg g−1, a sensitivity of 0.852 a.u. g mg−1 for a pathlength of 0.11 mm, a relative standard deviation of 1.6% for three analysis of a sample containing 50.4% (w/…

Fast authentication of tea tree oil through spectroscopy

Two new procedures, based on infrared spectroscopy in the near infrared (NIR) and mid infrared (MIR), have been developed for the authentication of tea tree oil (TTO) commercial samples. Infrared measurements were made on untreated samples by transmission NIR and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) followed by partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). These methods offer a fast and low cost alternative to enantiomeric two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to mass detection usually employed to discriminate between authentic and non-authentic samples. In these studies, a set of 267 samples, including authentic and non-authentic labelled tea tree oil samples, were used to build …

Determination of the energetic value of fruit and milk-based beverages through partial-least-squares attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

Abstract The estimation of important nutritional parameters, such as carbohydrates content and energetic value (calories) in commercially available fruit juice and flavour milk shakes has been made by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) using a partial-least-square (PLS) calibration approach. A highly heterogeneous population of 65 samples obtained from the Spanish market, covering fruit juices, flavour milk shakes and milk-added fruit juices was used. The spectral range and the size of the calibration set for building the PLS model have been evaluated. Considering a calibration set comprised of 27 samples, selected via hierarchical cluster analys…

A green method for the determination of cocaine in illicit samples

Abstract Direct determination of cocaine in untreated seized samples has been made based on diffuse reflectance measurements of the near infrared (NIR) radiation through samples contained inside standard glass vials. The method used a series of previously analyzed samples, by the reference gas chromatography method, to build a partial least squares calibration model which was validated using an independent set of samples. The use of a general model for samples containing from 11.38% till 86.44% (w/w) cocaine was based on the use of spectral ranges from 12500.7 to 10128.6, 9339.8 to 6967.7 and 5388.3 to 4597.6 cm−1 with previous first derivative and vector normalization data pre-processing a…

Headspace–mass spectrometry determination of benzene, toluene and the mixture of ethylbenzene and xylene isomers in soil samples using chemometrics

A simple and fast method has been developed for the determination of benzene, toluene and the mixture of ethylbenzene and xylene isomers (BTEX) in soils. Samples were introduced in 10 mL standard glass vials of a headspace (HS) autosampler together with 150 microL of 2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane, heated at 90 degrees C for 10 min and introduced in the mass spectrometer by using a transfer line heated at 250 degrees C as interface. The volatile fraction of samples was directly introduced into the source of the mass spectrometer which was scanned from m/z 75 to 110. A partial least squares (PLS) multivariate calibration approach based on a classical 3(3) calibration model was build with m…

Authentication of protected designation of origin artichokes by spectroscopy methods

Abstract Artichoke samples with the protected designation of origin (PDO) ‘Alcachofa de Benicarlo’ were discriminated from those produced in other towns surrounding Valencia and Murcia, outside the PDO frame. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES), near infrared (NIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) were assayed in order to achieve a correct sample classification of the three different origin sample groups (Benicarlo, Valencia and Murcia). Chemometrics was used to compare the ability of classification of artichoke from their origin by using concentration data of mineral elements, determined by ICP-OES, NIR spectra and XRF spectra. Multivariate analysis tools, as principal component analysis (PCA…

Direct determination of benzene in gasoline by flow-injection Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

Abstract A Fourier transform infrared spectrometric procedure for the automated determination of benzene in gasoline was developed, based on the use of flow-injection analysis. The method permits the direct determination of benzene without any pretreatment of samples, with a limit of detection of 0.02% (v/v) and a relative standard deviation of ca. 1% [for five independent analyses of a diluted sample containing a 0.4% (v/v) of benzene]. Results found by direct analysis agreed with those obtained by off-line and on-line standard addition methods. A rapid quality control procedure was developed, based on the on-line injection of gasoline samples (diluted 1 + 9 in hexane) into a carrier strea…

Infrared-based quantification of clinical parameters

Abstract Infrared (IR) spectroscopy has become a promising technique for the analysis of clinical samples, and IR-based diagnosis is already a well-established technique in the academic field. This review aims to report the methodologies proposed for IR quantification of different analytes and parameters in a variety of clinical samples; including: liquids, such as whole blood, serum, plasma, urine, human milk, amniotic fluid and cerebrospinal fluid; solids, such as urinary stones, skin, hair and lips; breath; or, microscopic quantifications on tissues. For the application of IR spectroscopy to the clinical field, we also discuss: the benefits, which make IR spectroscopy ideally suited to m…

Portability in analytical chemistry: a green and democratic way for sustainability

International audience; Recent advances in portability of analytical equipment have been considered to enlighten the advantages offered by portable instrumentation on greening the analytical methods. Their use drastically reduces sampling, sample stockage, and transport, thus avoiding environmental side effects and risks, also improving decision-making. The fact that portable instrumentation is, in general, less expensive than bench instruments and apparatuses makes also available the analytical tools for extended sectors of the population, thus making accessible the advantages derived from analytical methods. The role of sensor technology and portable miniaturized systems has been consider…

Determination of Olive Oil Parameters by Near Infrared Spectrometry

Publisher Summary Near infrared (NIR) covers the region between 780 and 2500 nm, and based on the absorption, transmission or reflection of the light, NIR spectroscopy provides a fast and non-destructive technique which is very useful for the simultaneous determination of several compounds in the same sample. Food NIR spectra comprise broad bands corresponding to overtones and combinations of vibrational modes involving C–H, O–H, and N–H chemical bonds, providing a great amount of information which properly treated by chemometrics is useful for classification and for the quantification of many parameters. The olive oil extraction process starts in the harvesting and transport of olive fruit…

The social responsibility of environmental analysis

Abstract A literature updated has been made on the academical studies focused on the social impact of environmental studies, paying attention to both, the quality of the information provided and the side effects of the methodology employed, also considering the importance of the analytical methodologies in the development of remediation processes and the key subject of the transmission of the environmental information to the policy makers and the general society.

Analysis of ecstasy in oral fluid by ion mobility spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy after liquid-liquid extraction.

We developed and evaluated two different strategies for determining abuse drugs based on (i) the analysis of saliva by ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) after thermal desorption and (ii) the joint use of IMS and infrared (IR) spectroscopy after liquid-liquid microextraction (LLME) to enable the sensitivity-enhanced detection and double confirmation of ecstasy (MDMA) abuse. Both strategies proved effective for the intended purpose. Analysing saliva by IMS after thermal desorption, which provides a limit of detection (LOD) of 160μgL(-1), requires adding 0.2M acetic acid to the sample and using the truncated negative second derivative of the ion mobility spectrum. The joint use of IMS and IR spe…

Multicommutation ATR-FTIR: determination of sodium alpha-olefin sulfonate in detergent formulations

Abstract The mechanization of attenuated total reflectance measurements (ATR) in Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry (FTIR) through the use of multicommutation has been evaluated in order to reduce the sample consumption and waste generation also avoiding risks of cells breaking. A new multicommutation ATR-FTIR procedure has been proposed for the determination of sodium alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS) in liquid detergent formulations. The main advantages of this method are the low consumption of sample (96 ml per 100 determinations) and the analytical throughput (23 h −1 versus 15 h −1 for the manual mode). Results obtained for reference samples containing 7.52% to 9.52% (w/w) of AOS are i…

Towards the determination of isoprene in human breath using substrate-integrated hollow waveguide mid-infrared sensors

Selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath may be considered biomarkers if they are indicative of distinct diseases or disease states. Given the inherent molecular selectivity of vibrational spectroscopy, infrared sensing technologies appear ideally suitable for the determination of endogenous VOCs in breath. The aim of this study was to determine that mid-infrared (MIR; 3-20 µm) gas phase sensing is capable of determining isoprene in exhaled breath as an exemplary medically relevant VOC by hyphenating novel substrate-integrated hollow waveguides (iHWG) with a likewise miniaturized preconcentration system. A compact preconcentrator column for sampling isoprene from exhaled breath …

Flow-Injection Solid Phase Partial Least-Squares Spectrophotometric Simultaneous Determination of Iron, Nickel and Zinc

A PLS-2 multivariate calibration method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of iron, nickel and zinc in ternary mixtures by solid phase spectrophotometry associated with flow injection analysis. Fe(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) form color complexes with 1-(2-thiazolylazo)-2-naphthol (TAN), immobilized on a C18 bonded silica support, at pH 6.4. The proposed procedure is based on the different reaction/retention ratios of the studied ions on the solid support. Bilinear spectrophotometric data of the analytes, fixed in the solid support, were recorded in the 400-800 nm wavelength range as a function of time and a partial least squares (PLS-2) algorithm was used to predict results of…

Retention of carbaryl by polyether type polyurethane foam: a critical study

This paper reports the retention of carbaryl by polyether type polyurethane foam in a dynamic mode. Several parameters that can influence the extraction of carbaryl from water samples were investigated such as concentration of carbaryl, mass of sorbent in the column, sample pH, saline concentration, solvent washing and sample flow rate. Results show that it is possible to achieve quantitative extractions when the sample flow rate is maintained up to 2.4 mL min−1, a mass of foam of 300 mg and a sample volume of 30 mL in 0.5 NaCl are employed. They also indicate that there is an ether-like solvent extraction mechanism controlling the sorption of the substance by the foam. Some recovery tests …

Education in Green Analytical Chemistry

New cut-off criterion for uninformative variable elimination in multivariate calibration of near-infrared spectra for the determination of heroin in illicit street drugs.

A new cut-off criterion has been proposed for the selection of uninformative variables prior to chemometric partial least squares (PLS) modelling. After variable elimination, PLS regressions were made and assessed comparing the results with those obtained by PLS models based on the full spectral range. To assess the prediction capabilities, uninformative variable elimination (UVE)-PLS and PLS were applied to diffuse reflectance near-infrared spectra of heroin samples. The application of the proposed new cut-off criterion, based on the t-Students distribution, provided similar predictive capabilities of the PLS models than those obtained using the original criteria based on quantile value. H…

An innovative multi-analytical approach based on spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques to study a complex Roman amphorae collection

Abstract An innovative multi-analytical approach for the classification of ancient pottery sherds was tested. Twenty Roman amphorae fragments belonging to different known typologies and twenty-seven unclassified ones from a complex Sagunto Archaeological Museum (Spain) collection were studied by multielement analysis (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry), Fourier-transform near infrared spectroscopy and voltammetry of immobilized microparticles employing a minimal amount of sample. Chemometric analysis based on principal component analysis allowed the identification of most of the unclassified samples, proving the importance and reliability of th…

Flow injection Fourier transform infrared determination of nicotine in tobacco

A fully automated procedure is proposed for the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) determination of nicotine in tobacco. The method is based on the on-line extraction of nicotine with CHCl3. Samples, weighed inside empty extraction cartridges, were humidified with NH3 and the cartridges were installed in a flow manifold in which they were extracted with 2 ml CHCl3 for 2 min, then 400 microliters of the extract were introduced into a micro-flow cell using a carrier of CHCl3 and the IR spectrum was registered continuously. The absorbance, in the wavenumber range 1334-1300 cm-1, was measured, obtaining a peak as a function of time. The area of this peak was interpolated on a calibration line es…

Direct determination of Mancozeb by photoacoustic spectrometry

Abstract A solvent free, fast and environmentally friendly photoacoustic-infrared-based methodology (PAS-FTIR) was developed for the determination of Mancozeb in agrochemicals. This methodology was based on the direct measurement of the transmittance spectra of solid samples and a multivariate calibration model to determine the active ingredient concentration. The proposed partial least squares (PLS) model was made using nine standards prepared by mixing different amounts of kaolin and Mancozeb, with concentrations between 5.43 and 88.10% (w/w). A hierarchical cluster analysis was made in order to classify the samples in terms of similarity in the PAS-FTIR spectra. From their spectra differ…

A validated and fast procedure for FTIR determination of Cypermethrin and Chlorpyrifos.

Abstract A FTIR methodology has been developed for the simultaneous determination of Cypermethrin and Chlorpyrifos in pesticide commercially available formulations. The method involves the extraction of both active principles with CHCl3 and direct measurement of the peak area values between 1747 and 1737 cm−1 corrected with a baseline defined at 2000 cm−1 for Cypermethrin and peak height values established at 1549 cm−1 corrected using a baseline situated at 1650 cm−1 for Chlorpyrifos. The limits of detection achieved were of the order of 0.7 and 0.4% (w/w), and the relative standard deviation 0.4 and 0.2% for Cypermethrin and Chlorpyrifos, respectively. The developed procedure provided stat…

Simultaneous determination of acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine in pharmaceuticals by flow injection with fourier transform infrared detection.

Abstract A fast quality control methodology has been developed for the simultaneous determination of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and caffeine in pharmaceuticals by flow injection—Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry. The method is based on the solubilization of ASA and caffeine in CH2Cl2 and the use of a flow system to introduce samples and standards in the spectrometer. Two solutions, containing 90 and 110% of the reported concentration of the two active principles in the sample, were employed in order to control the extreme tolerance levels accepted by the International Pharmacopeia for the composition of formulations. A 300 μl volume of each solution was injected in turn, into a carrie…

Flow injection near-infrared determination of ethanol in chloroform

A simple and direct flow injection (FIA) procedure has been developed for the determination of the stabilizing agent ethanol in chloroform samples. The procedure is based on the use of the absorbance band of ethanol in the near-infrared (NIR) region at 2272 nm, measured in front of a reference sample of chloroform stabilized with amylene. The method developed provides a limit of detection of 0.0045% (v/v) and a dynamic range until 10% (v/v) with a typical variation coefficient of 0.4% for six independent analysis of a real sample containing approximately 1% (v/v) of ethanol. The sample injection frequency allowed by the method is 78 h−1.

Determination of vinegar acidity by attenuated total reflectance infrared measurements through the use of second-order absorbance-pH matrices and parallel factor analysis

Univariate (zero-order), multivariate (first-order) and multiway (second-order) calibrations were assayed for the determination of vinegar acidity using a mechanized procedure based upon vibrational spectroscopy and the emerging multicommutation methodology. The second-order methodology relies on the use of a flow system based on multicommutation and binary sampling. The flow network comprises a set of three-way solenoid valves, computer-controlled to provide facilities to handle the sample and to generate a time-dependent pH gradient using two carrier solutions. The procedure is based on the volumetric fraction variation approach that maintains the same volume of sample solution and dynami…

Smart Sorption Materials in Green Analytical Chemistry

The use of smart materials as alternative sorption materials for their use in greening sample preparation has been reviewed. It has been taking into consideration recent advances on the use of natural products, without any modification or purification, for making analyte extraction and pre-concentration and the use of specific materials in solid-phase extraction (SPE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) approaches. Inorganic materials, such as metal oxides, alumina-based, silica-based, and carbon-based materials together with biomimetic sorbents such as classical immunosorbents, aptamers, and molecularly imprinted polymers, have been reviewed as examples of these materials, stressing the…

Prediction of alkaline earth elements in bone remains by near infrared spectroscopy.

An innovative methodological approach has been developed for the prediction of the mineral element composition of bone remains. It is based on the use of Fourier Transform Near Infrared (FT-NIR) diffuse reflectance measurements. The method permits a fast, cheap and green analytical way, to understand post-mortem degradation of bones caused by the environment conditions on different skeletal parts and to select the best preserved bone samples. Samples, from the Late Roman Necropolis of Virgen de la Misericordia street and En Gil street located in Valencia (Spain), were employed to test the proposed approach being determined calcium, magnesium and strontium in bone remains and sediments. Coef…

Determination of sulfide in waters by flow-injection solid phase spectrophotometry

A highly sensitive flow injection solid-phase spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of sulfide in waters. The method is based on the formation of Methylene Blue (MB) by reaction between sulfide and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine chloride in presence of Fe(III) in acidic medium. The MB formed was adsorbed on C18 bonded silica, located inside a laboratory-made flow cell, which was placed in the optical path of the spectrophotometer. Analyte retention and detection at 666 nm were performed simultaneously, followed by elution with a mixture of methanol and hydrochloric acid. Several variables of the system, such as amine concentration, acidity of the reaction medium, re…

HPLC determination of oxadiazon in commercial pesticide formulations

A simple, fast and precise high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) procedure has been developed for the determination of oxadiazon in emulsifiable concentrated pesticide formulations. 20 µL of diluted sample in acetonitrile were injected in a Kromasil C18 (250 ×am injetados em uma coluna Kromasil C18 4.6 mm, 5 µm) column, using acetonitrile:water (80:20) as mobile phase at 1 mL min-1 flow rate and oxadiazon determined by absorbance measurement at 292 nm. A theoretical limit of detection of 0.02 µg mL-1, a limit of quantification of 0.047 µg mL-1, corresponding to a 0.02 and 0.07% m/v in the original sample, and a relative standard deviation of 0.08% for three replicate analysis of sa…

Fourier transform infrared determination of CO 2 evolved from carbonate in carbonated apatites

A quantitative method based on FTIR has been developed to determine carbonate in synthetic apatites. The method measures the evolved CO2 after reaction of 50 mg apatite with 2 mL of hydrochloric acid (0.5 M) in a reaction vessel, heated to 40 degrees C. The CO2 evolved was swept by a carrier of nitrogen to a laboratory-made infrared gas cell of 39 mm pathlength and 490 microL volume. The signals were recorded as a function of time and the areas of the chemigram peaks obtained from the measurements in the wavenumber range of 2,500-2,150 cm(-1), were interpolated using a calibration curve. The method can be used to study apatites with carbonate contents below 0.2% with a sampling frequency of…

Analytical methods for clinical diagnostics

Assessment of the statistical significance of classifications in infrared spectroscopy based diagnostic models.

Fourier transform infrared (IR) spectroscopy in combination with multivariate data analysis is a versatile tool that can be applied to disease diagnosis. However, a rigorous validation of the obtained models is necessary in order to obtain robust results. This work evaluates the advantages of the use of permutation testing for determining the statistical significance of the misclassification errors obtained from IR based diagnostic models through cross validation (CV). The model performance, estimated by CV, is compared to a distribution of CV-performance values obtained using randomly permuted class labels. The distribution of ‘random CV-values’ is considered as a null distribution and use…

Green extraction techniques in green analytical chemistry

Abstract Green analytical chemistry concept, involving the development of analytical methodologies with an environmental concern, encourages the use of direct analysis to avoid any sample treatment that involves energy and reagent consumption and generation of wastes. However, the determination of target analytes at trace concentration levels or in complex matrices frequently requires previous extraction, pre-concentration, or clean-up steps offering thus, additional possibilities for greening classical methods. So, a green evaluation of alternative extraction techniques to currently used ones for the extraction of solid, liquid, and gaseous samples has been carried out in this study. Moreo…

Determination of caffeine in tea samples by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

A sustainable and environmentally friendly procedure has been developed for the FTIR determination of caffeine in tea leaf samples. The method is based on the extraction with ammonia and CHCl3 and direct determination of caffeine on the chloroform extracts using peak height absorbance measurements at 1658.5 cm(-1) and external calibration. The method provides a sensitivity of 0.2142 absorbance units mg(-1) mL and a limit of detection of 1 mg L(-1), corresponding to 0.002% m/m caffeine in tea leaves. As compared with a reference procedure, based on UV absorbance measurement at 276 nm after low pressure column chromatography, the developed procedure reduces the consume of CHCl3 by a factor of…

Solid sampling Fourier transform infrared determination of Mancozeb in pesticide formulations

Abstract A series of approaches have been assayed for FTIR determination of Mancozeb in several solid commercial fungicides using different calibration strategies. The simplest procedure was based on the use of the ratio between the absorbance of a characteristic band of Mancozeb and that of a KSCN internal standard measured in the FTIR spectra obtained from KBr pellets. It was employed the quotient between peak height absorbance values at 1525 cm−1 for Mancozeb and 2070 cm−1 for KSCN. In these conditions a precision as relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.6% and a relative accuracy error of 0.8% (w/w) were found. For complex formulations, containing other compounds with characteristic ab…

Analytical Research Based on the Use of Low Cost Instrumentation

A multicommutated flow system for determination of bismuth in milk shakes by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry incorporating on-line neutralization of waste effluent

Abstract A highly sensitive method was developed for determination of bismuth in milk shakes by multicommutation hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) based on off-line sonication for 10 min with aqua regia 8% (v/v) and on-line waste treatment. The instrumentation and chemistry variables were studied in order to provide the best performance. The limit of detection in the original samples, established for a probability level of 99.6% (k = 3), was 1.67 ng/g Bi. The method provides a fast alternative in control analysis with a sampling throughput of 72 h as compared with 31 h obtained by the classical continuous measurement. Additionally, multicommutation reduces waste g…

First‐Derivative Fourier‐Transform Infrared Determination of Oxadiazon in Commercial Herbicide Formulations

Abstract A Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) method has been developed for the quantification of oxadiazon in herbicide formulations. The method involves the extraction of the active ingredient by sonication of the samples with CHCl3 and direct measurement of the peak area values in first‐order derivate spectra from 1770 cm−1 to 1774 cm−1 corrected with a baseline point located at 1950 cm−1 and after a 5‐point smoothing. A limit of detection (3 s) of 0.03 mg g−1 and a typical relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.3% were found. Results obtained were comparable with those found by liquid chromatography with UV detection. The proposed method involves a 7‐times reduction in solvent consumptio…

Chemometric determination of arsenic and lead in untreated powdered red paprika by diffuse reflectance near-infrared spectroscopy.

It has been evaluated the potential of near-infrared (NIR) diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) as a way for non-destructive measurement of trace elements at microg kg(-1) level in foods, with neither physical nor chemical pre-treatment. Predictive models were developed using partial least-square (PLS) multivariate approaches based on first-order derivative spectra. A critical comparison of two spectral pre-treatments, multiplicative signal correction (MSC) and standard normal variate (SNV) was also made. The PLS models built after using SNV provided the best prediction results for the determination of arsenic and lead in powdered red paprika samples. Relativ…

Selection of calibration set samples in determination of olive oil acidity by partial least squares–attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Abstract A chemometric method has been applied for the determination of the free fatty acid (FFA) concentration in commercial olive oil samples of different types an origins by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) attenuated total reflectance (ATR) measurements. Different methods for selecting the training set, including hierarchical cluster analysis, were applied and compared. The prediction capabilities of partial least squares (PLS) multivariate calibration methods, net analyte signal (NAS) preprocessing followed by PLS or classical least squares (CLS) regression method of ATR–FTIR data were evaluated. Several aspects, like spectral range to be considered, different prepr…

Preliminary studies about thermal degradation of edible oils through attenuated total reflectance mid-infrared spectrometry

Abstract Degradation of edible oils during their heating process has been evaluated through the determination of cis -unsaturation and trans -fatty acids together with free fatty acids as a function of time and temperature heating. Two types of cooking oils, sunflower and seed (mixture of different seeds non-detailed), were heated at three different temperatures (147, 171 and 189 °C) during a total time of 1920 min (32 h) shared out in four sessions of 8 h each one, and samples were studied from their spectra obtained by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry using attenuated total reflectance measurements. A critical comparison between different multivariate calibration models built based…

Sweeteners determination in table top formulations using FT-Raman spectrometry and chemometric analysis

Abstract A partial least squares (PLS) Fourier transform Raman spectrometry procedure based on the measurement of solid samples contained inside standard glass vials, has been developed for direct and reagent-free determination of sodium saccharin and sodium cyclamate in table top sweeteners. A classical 22 design for standards was used for calibration, but this system provides accuracy errors higher than 13% w/w for the analysis of samples containing glucose monohydrate. So, an extended model incorporating glucose monohydrate (23 standards) was assayed for the determination of sodium saccharin and sodium cyclamate in all the samples. Mean centering spectra data pre-treatment has been emplo…

PLS-NIR determination of total sugar, glucose, fructose and sucrose in aqueous solutions of fruit juices

Abstract An analytical procedure has been developed for the direct determination of sugars in fruit juice samples. The method is based on the partial least-squares (PLS) treatment of first derivative near infrared (NIR) spectroscopic data obtained between 1200 and 2450 nm, using 1 mm pathlength cell and a multicomponent calibration set, including seven binary mixtures and 10 ternary mixtures of glucose, fructose and sucrose. The limit of detection values found are of the order of 0.2 g/100 ml for total sugar and 0.2, 0.4 and 0.5 g/100 ml for glucose, fructose and sucrose, respectively. Relative standard deviation values obtained vary from 0.4% to 2.3% for six independent measurements of ind…

Spectrophotometric determination of carbaryl by on-line elution after its preconcentration onto polyurethane foam.

Abstract An analytical methodology has been developed for the UV-spectrophotometric determination of carbaryl in waters after its preconcentration onto a polyether type polyurethane foam followed by on-line elution. The aforementioned strategy offers an easy way for in-field sampling and to improve the analytical sensitivity. Several chemical and flow variables (mass of sorbent, sample flow rate, sample volume and carrier flow rate) were studied to ensure the best performance of the system. Recovery studies, carried out on natural water samples spiked with known amounts of carbaryl at concentration levels between 250 and 500 μg l−1, provided recovery percentages between 94 and 105%. A detec…

Chemometric determination of lipidic parameters in serum using ATR measurements of dry films of solvent extracts

Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) infrared spectroscopy of dried organic extracts of serum samples has been evaluated as a fast method for the determination of triglycerides, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL). After careful selection of solvents based on green parameters, serum samples were extracted using hexane-isopropanol and ethyl acetate-ethanol mixtures. Microscopy studies and comparison with standard spectra were performed in order to investigate whether the proposed methodology is suitable for the quantification of lipids in serum samples. The results of these preliminary studies confirmed that the variations in the IR spectra of sample e…

FIA—FT—IR determination of ibuprofen in pharmaceuticals

A method has been developed for the determination of Ibuprofen (2-[4-isobutylphenyl]-propionic acid) in pharmaceuticals by FT-IR, using the carbonyl band which this compound presents at 1710 cm(-1) in carbon tetrachloride solutions. Samples are dissolved in carbon tetrachloride. In this solvent the excipients are not soluble and so the drug can be directly determined without any additional treatment. The use of a simple FIA manifold permits one to carry out this analysis with a low consumption of reagent and the FT-IR provides a continuous monitoring of the spectral base-line which permits an accurate determination of the maximum in the absorbance band. Also, the FIA system permits easy and…

Flow injection Fourier transform infrared determination of caffeine in coffee

Abstract A fully automatized procedure has been developed for the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic determination of caffeine in coffee samples. The method involves the on-line extraction of caffeine with CHCl3. Samples, weighed inside empty PTFE cartridges of 0.5 cm internal diameter (i.d.) and 1.5 ml volume, were humidified with four drops of 0.25 M NH3. The cartridge was installed in a flow manifold, in which samples were extracted in a closed-flow system with 1 ml CHCl3 during 6 min. Four hundred microliters of the extract were introduced in a microflow cell and absorbance measured as a function of time at 1659 cm−1, with a baseline established between 1900 and 830 cm−1, …

Headspace-Liquid Phase Microextraction for Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds at Trace Levels

A combination of headspace (HS) sampling and liquid phase microextraction (LPME) has been successfully developed to solve sensitivity problems in attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The HS sampling facilitates the selective extraction of the target volatile analytes from the sample matrix, while the liquid phase microextraction allows their preconcentration prior to infrared analysis. The direct determination of extracted analytes in the acceptor solvent provides high preconcentration factors of the order of 200 with a reduced consumption of organic solvents and a minimum generation of wastes, being thus the developed methodology a …

Direct ATR-FTIR determination of sucrose in beet root.

A simple and fast procedure has been developed for the direct determination of sucrose in beet root samples through attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared absorbance measurements (ATR-FTIR) at 1056 cm(-1) with a baseline established between 1187 and 887 cm(-1). The method only requires a previous crushing or liquefaction of samples and it is free from matrix effects and from the interference of minoritary sugars and fermentation molecules. Aqueous solutions of sucrose can be used as standards and recovery values from 101 to 103% were found for spiked concentration levels from 3.5 to 10.5% (w/w). The limit of detection provided by this method corresponds to 0.15% (w/w) of su…

Determination of cyromazine in pesticide commercial formulations by vibrational spectrometric procedures

Two vibrational spectrometry-based methodologies were developed for Cyromazine determination in solid pesticide formulations: a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) procedure, based on the extraction of Cyromazine by CH3OH and direct determination in the extracts by peak height measurement at 1622 cm−1 corrected using a baseline defined at 1900 cm−1, and a FT-Raman determination, made directly on the powdered solid products using standard chromatographic glass vials as sample cells and measuring the Raman intensity between 633 and 623 cm−1 for a baseline established between 663 and 601 cm−1. The sensitivity obtained was 0.01631 absorbance g−1 mg for FTIR determination and 2.23 area values g−1 …

Combination of mid- and near-infrared spectroscopy for the determination of the quality properties of beers

Abstract The combination of infrared (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been employed for the determination of important quality parameters of beers, such as original and real extract and alcohol content. A population of 43 samples obtained from the Spanish market and including different types of beer, was evaluated. For each technique, spectra were obtained in triplicate. In the case of NIR a 1 mm pathlength quartz flow cell was used, whereas attenuated total reflectance measurements were used in MIR. Cluster hierarchical analysis was employed to select calibration and validation data sets. The calibration set was composed of 15 samples, thus leaving 28 for validation. A critic…

Quantitative Vibrational Spectrometry in the 21st Century: A Scientometric Evaluation

Abstract The state of the art of research on vibrational spectrometry–based quantitative methodologies was evaluated from the literature compiled in Analytical Abstracts from 1980. Medium and near infrared, Raman spectrometry, and photoacoustic methods of analysis were considered. The evolution of the number of published papers, the distribution of the literature as a function of the different application fields in which the vibrational methods were employed, and a study of the impact on this area of chemometric and automation studies clearly shows that, from the 1990s until now, the importance of vibrational spectrometry in application analysis has grown to reach maturity. This field provi…

FT-Raman determination of Mepiquat chloride in agrochemical products

Abstract A fast and environmentally friendly procedure has been developed for Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) determination of a quaternary ammonium compound, Mepiquat chloride, in pesticide emulsifiable concentrate formulations. The method is based on the measurement of peak area values between 711 and 701 cm −1 corrected using a baseline defined at 620 cm −1 and interpolated in an external calibration of Mepiquat chloride standards dissolved in water. FT-Raman spectra were collected over 1.5 min from samples confined in screw cap standard chromatographic glass vials, at a nominal resolution of 4 cm −1 accumulating 25 scans per spectra and using a laser power of 1000 mW. Five commercial…

Solid-phase FT-Raman determination of caffeine in energy drinks

Abstract A solid-phase vibrational spectrometry-based methodology (solid-phase Fourier transform-Raman spectrometry, SP-FT-Raman) has been developed for caffeine determination in commercial energy drink samples. The Raman spectra of caffeine, fixed on a C18 solid phase packed into a glass tube of 5 mm i.d., was obtained directly between 3500 and 70 cm −1 . In order to quantify caffeine, Raman intensity between 573 and 542 cm −1 corrected using a baseline defined between 580 and 540 cm −1 was used. A repeatability of 3%, as relative standard deviation of five analysis of a 200 mg l −1 concentration, and a limit of detection of 18 mg l −1 were obtained. The SP-FT-Raman procedure provides a sa…

Research on Spectroscopy in Morocco from 1984 to 2006

Abstract The evolution of spectroscopy‐based research activity in Morocco was evaluated on the basis of publications that have appeared in the Science Citation Index, Expanded (SCI), during the cumulative period 1984–2006 (September). The most active research groups, and their universities or centers, were identified in this subject from their scientific production in the first years of this century. The preference to publish in specific journals, the main areas of interest to Moroccan authors, and the spectroscopy techniques most commonly employed for their studies were also appraised. This scientometric study was undertaken to introduce a group of papers in a special issue of Spectroscopy…

Multicommutation Fourier transform infrared determination of benzene in gasoline

A fully mechanized method to determine benzene in motor gasolines has been developed based on the use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and multicommutation. The flow network comprised a set of three-way solenoid valves and was controlled by means of a microcomputer furnished with an electronic interface and running by a software written in QUICK BASIC 4.5. The flow network and control software were designed to implement the multicommutation approach providing facilities to handle sample and reagent solutions, so that, sample dilution, external calibration and standard addition could be easily performed on-line. The method permits the direct determination of benzene without…

Classification of persimmon fruit origin by near infrared spectrometry and least squares-support vector machines

Abstract The main objective of this work has been the authentication by Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectrometry of the origin of persimmon fruits cultivated in different regions of Spain. In order to achieve this goal, 166 persimmon samples from 7 different regions of Spain were analyzed by FT-NIR spectrometry. By splitting the spectral data in training and independent test sets, a classification model was built using least squares support vector machines chemometric technique. Orthogonal signal correction and principal component analysis were performed prior to conduct the classification strategy. The verified model was applied for the prediction of the origin of 50 samples f…

Variable selection for the determination of total polar materials in fried oils by near infrared spectroscopy

Total polar materials (TPM) content is considered as the best indicator and the most common parameter to check the quality of deep-frying oils. The development of simpler and quicker analytical techniques than the available methods to monitor oil quality in restaurants and fried food outlets is an important topic related to the human health. This paper reports a comparison of the variable selection of near infrared (NIR) spectra by multiple linear regression (MLR-NIR) with partial least squares (PLS-NIR) models for the quantification of TPM in fried vegetable oils. The use of PLS-NIR offers an alternative in laboratory bench equipment for the determination of TPM in oils employed for fryin…

Greening the wastes

Problems associated with analytical waste toxicity and waste treatment are reviewed in the frame of the water treatment, being collected a series of models, from the big-scale treatment of waste waters and adapted to the effluents generated during sample analysis. In fact to move from wastes to clean or no-contaminant wastes is a way from greening those methods in which any sample treatment and the use of reagents and solvents cannot be avoided. The last contributions in the field have been taken into account in this study and future trends have been proposed.

On-line gel permeation chromatography–attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared determination of lecithin and soybean oil in dietary supplements

Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometry detection has been proposed for the simultaneous determination of lecithin and soybean oil in dietary supplements. The method involves the extraction of analytes with dichloromethane in an ultrasound water bath and the injection of 2 ml of centrifuged and filtered extracts into the system integrated by two Envirogel GPC columns (19 mm x150 mm, 19 mm x 300 mm) coupled on-line. Dichloromethane was used as mobile phase. A method has been developed to select the most appropriated wavenumber to be used for the determination of each considered compound from the calculation of a…

Challenges in Green Analytical Chemistry

Concerns about environmental pollution, global climate change and hazards to human health have increased dramatically. This has led to a call for change in chemical processes including those that are part of chemical analysis. The development of analytical chemistry continues and every new discovery in chemistry, physics, molecular biology, and materials science brings new opportunities and challenges. Yet, contemporary analytical chemistry does not consume resources optimally. Indeed, the usage of toxic chemical compounds is at the highest rate ever. All this makes the emerging field of green chemistry a “hot topic” in industrial, governmental laboratories as well as in academia. This book…

Identification and determination of synthetic cannabinoids in herbal products by dry film attenuated total reflectance-infrared spectroscopy.

A new procedure has been developed for the identification and quantitative determination of synthetic cannabinoids in illicit herbal preparations. The methodology is based on the use of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) measurement of sample extracts with 2-propanol drying 5µL of the extracts onto the ATR crystal. The qualitative identification was carried out on the 2-propanol extract after identification of the herbal matrix, followed by its subtraction and using a cut-off criterion of 75%. Quantitative determination was made by univariate calibration using the absorbance of the band located at 1520cm-1 of the spectrum. Four different cannabin…

Fourier transform infrared spectrometric strategies for the determination of Buprofezin in pesticide formulations

Abstract Two different strategies for Buprofezin determination, an off-line extraction and stopped-flow determination and an automated procedure, based on the on-line extraction of Buprofezin samples with chloroform and flowing action analysis–fourier transform infrared (FIA–FT-IR) spectrometric measurement of the extracts, have been developed. For the treatment of the off-line extraction mode, data a three-factor partial least squares (PLSs) calibration was developed, using the region from 1465.7 to 1342.3 cm−1 with a single point baseline defined at 2051.9 cm−1 and based on the use of chloroform solutions of Buprofezin. The method provides a R.S.D. On the other hand, the recommended FIA m…

Nondestructive Direct Determination of Heroin in Seized Illicit Street Drugs by Diffuse Reflectance near-Infrared Spectroscopy

A new method has been developed for the fast and nondestructive direct determination of heroin in seized street illicit drugs using partial least-squares regression analysis of diffuse reflectance near-infrared spectra. Data were obtained from untreated samples placed in standard glass chromatography vials. A heterogeneous population of 31 samples, previously analyzed by a reference method, was employed to build the calibration model and to have a separated validation set. Based on the use of zero-order data for a calibration set of 21 samples, after standard normal variate and quadratic linear removed baseline correction (detrending), in the wavelength range from 1111 to 1647 nm, 8 PLS fac…

Validated, non-destructive and environmentally friendly determination of cocaine in euro bank notes.

A non-destructive, fast and environmentally friendly procedure has been developed for cocaine determination in euro bank notes. Cocaine was extracted with 15 ml methanol by vortex agitation during 5 min. The extract was evaporated and reconstituted in 0.5 ml methanol. GC-MS-MS analysis was performed using as precursor ion m/z 182.2, with an excitation energy voltage of 1.60 eV, being the product ions measured m/z 150.2 and 82.0. A limit of detection of 0.15 ng per note and a repeatability of 6%, established from the relative standard deviation, of a 1 ng ml(-1) level, were achieved. Recoveries of 101+/-2 and 98+/-3% were obtained for samples spiked with 100 and 10 microg respectively. Resul…

Determination of edible oil parameters by near infrared spectrometry

Abstract A chemometric method has been developed for the determination of acidity and peroxide index in edible oils of different types and origins by using near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) measurements. Different methods for selecting the calibration set, after an hierarchical cluster analysis, were applied. After discrimination of olive oils from maize, seed and sunflower, the prediction capabilities of partial least squares (PLS) multivariate calibration of NIR data were evaluated. Several preprocessing alternatives (first derivative, multiplicative scatter correction, vector normalization, constant offset elimination, mean centering and standard normal variate) were investigated by using…

Evaluation of extraction alternatives for Fourier transform infrared spectrometric determination of oil and greases in water

Abstract Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), solid phase extraction (SPE) and microwave-assisted extraction are evaluated for Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometric determination of oil and grease in polluted waters. A fast microwave-assisted quantitative procedure is proposed for the total extraction of oil and grease into CCl 4 from water samples, with an irradiation time of 1 min at an exit power of 520 W using closed PTFE vessels. The FTIR quantification of oil and grease is carried out by the measurement of the area under the absorbance spectra in the range between 3058 and 2780 cm −1 , with a baseline established between 3200 and 2700 cm −1 . The analytical features of the propos…

Comparison of near and mid infrared spectroscopy as green analytical tools for the determination of total polar materials in fried oils

Abstract Total polar materials (TPM) are used as an indicator of the quality in the frying oil because of high values may be harmful for human health. Spanish legislation establishes the maximum level of total polar materials for frying fats and oils for human consumption around 25% (w/w). Official methods to monitor oil quality are time consuming and use a lot of chemicals; therefore it is necessary a simple and quick analytical technique to evaluate fried oils. Transmittance near-infrared (NIR) and attenuated total reflection mid-infrared (ATR-MIR) spectroscopy measurements, combined with partial least squares (PLS) regression, offer alternatives to determine TPM in fried oils with relati…

FTIR approaches for diuron determination in commercial pesticide formulations.

Two strategies have been developed for Diuron determination by FTIR spectrometry, an off-line extraction and stopped-flow determination and a fully mechanized procedure, based on the on-line extraction of Diuron and FIA-FTIR measurement of the extracts. The aforementioned procedures have been compared with a reference chromatographic method. The off-line FTIR spectra were obtained at a nominal resolution of 4 cm(-1) from 4000 to 900 cm(-1) by accumulating 25 scans. Diuron was determined using peak height measurements at 1582 cm(-1) corrected using a baseline defined between 1562 and 1614 cm(-1). The waste generation of the off-line procedure was 3.4 mL chloroform for each sample, and the me…

Non-invasive analysis of solid samples

Within the Green Analytical Chemistry paradigm, the best alternative for greening the methods of analysis comprises the direct determination of sample composition and/or sample properties without any chemical sample treatment, and, of course, it would be preferable not to have any physical treatment before acquisition of the information desired. In this review, we evaluate the state of the art in, and available alternatives for, analysis of solids without prior sample treatment, starting from the non-invasive quality control of products or processes through to the use of portable instruments for in situ determinations and the development of methods based on image analysis. We evaluate the a…

Vibrational Spectrometry Strategies for Quality Control of Procymidone in Pesticide Formulations

Abstract Two vibrational spectrometry–based methodologies were developed for procymidone determination in wettable powdered pesticide formulations. The Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) procedure was based on the selective extraction of procymidone by chloroform and determination by peak area measurement between 1451 and 1441 cm−1, using a baseline correction established between 1490 and 1410 cm−1, and a precision of 0.4% and a limit of detection of 0.01% w/w procymidone for a sample mass of 25 mg were obtained. For FT‐Raman determination, the selected conditions were peak area measurement between 1005 and 995 cm−1 Raman shift, with a baseline correction fixed between 1030 and 947 cm−1, and…

Strategies for the rapid characterization of metals and organic pollutants in solid wastes and contaminated soils by using mass spectrometry

Abstract Hyphenated techniques involving mass spectrometry (MS) such as ICP-MS, GC–MS and LC–MS are the most powerful tools for both qualitative and quantitative characterization of metals and organic pollutants in previously dissolved or extracted samples. However a considerable analytical effort is required in developing simple and general sample preparation strategies for the complete characterization of toxic substances in solid wastes and soils. This article gives a critical review of the state-of-the-art and future perspectives for rapid procedures to evaluate the pollution of soils and sediments, also considering new alternatives like flow injection analysis–MS and direct sampling MS.

Automated Fourier Transform near Infrared Determination of Buprofezin in Pesticide Formulations

An automated procedure has been developed for Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) determination of buprofezin in pesticide formulations. This methodology is based on on-line pesticide extraction with acetonitrile from solid samples and its determination by using peak area absorbance measurements between 2147 and 2132 nm, corrected with a horizontal baseline established at 2091 nm. The repeatability, as a relative standard deviation of five independent analyses of 18.9 mg g−1 of buprofezin, was 0.06% and the limit of detection 5 mg L−1. The reagent consumption was clearly reduced compared with a chromatographic reference procedure from 40.4 mL acetonitrile per sample, required by high …

Smart materials for sample preparation in bioanalysis: A green overview

Abstract The analysis of biological samples is a complex challenge due to the complexity of the matrix, but also to the low concentration of target analytes that must be determined. Consequently, different sample treatment procedures have been proposed in bioanalysis to clean-up and enrich sample extracts, paying special attention to microextraction approaches. In this frame, the combined use of microextraction approaches with smart materials provides environmentally friendly sample treatment strategies with improved selectivity, sensitivity, and reusability. Applications of smart solid materials includes antibody–antigen interaction based materials, aptamers, molecularly imprinted polymers…

Methods for the vibrational spectroscopy analysis of beers

The main possibilities and drawbacks of vibrational spectroscopy techniques, infrared (both in the middle and near infrared ranges) and Raman, for the analysis of beers have been reviewed taking into consideration methods proposed in the scientific literature for the determination of as many as possible compounds and parameters of beers. Details about the procedures available and comments on the future developments in this field have been based on the experience of authors and extended checking of the characteristics of the procedures published till now.

Non-destructive and clean prediction of aviation fuel characteristics through Fourier transform-Raman spectroscopy and multivariate calibration

Abstract The combination of Fourier transform (FT)-Raman spectroscopy and partial least squares (PLS) regression is proposed to be used in off-line kerosene quality control. Here, six important physico-chemical properties have been studied: Abel flash point, initial boiling point (IBP), 10% of distilled sample, final boiling point (FBP), total percentage of aromatic compounds (% aromatics) and viscosity. The Raman spectra were obtained directly from standard 2 ml glass vials ( 12 mm ×32  mm), using a Bruker RFS 100 FT-Raman spectrometer, equipped with a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser and a Ge detector, in back-scattering mode and accumulating 25 scans (150 s acquisition time) with a laser power of 30…

Use of reflectance infrared spectroscopy for monitoring the metal content of the estuarine sediments of the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal River (Metropolitan Bilbao, Bay of Biscay, Basque Country).

Multivariate partial least-squares (PLS) calibration models have been developed for the spatial and seasonal simultaneous monitoring of 14 trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, V, and Zn) in sediments from 117 samples taken in the estuary of the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal River. Models were based on the chemometric treatment of diffuse reflectance near-infrared (NIR) and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mid infrared (MIR) spectra, obtained from samples previously lyophilized and sieved with a particle size lower than 63 microm. Vibrational spectra were scanned in both, NIR and MIR regions. Developed PLS models, based on the interaction between trace elements and organic m…

Green direct determination of mineral elements in artichokes by infrared spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence.

Near infrared (NIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy were investigated to predict the concentration of calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc in artichoke samples. Sixty artichokes were purchased from different Spanish areas (Benicarlo, Valencia and Murcia). NIR and XRF spectra, combined with partial least squares (PLS) data treatment, were used to develop chemometric models for the prediction of mineral concentration. To obtain reference data, samples were mineralised and analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Coefficients of determination obtained for the regression between predicted values and reference ones for calcium, …

Mid- and near-infrared determination of metribuzin in agrochemicals

Abstract Two infrared-based methodologies were developed for metribuzin determination in pesticide formulations after extraction with acetonitrile. Fourier transform mid infrared (MIR) procedure was based on peak area measurements between 1692 and 1670 cm −1 corrected with a baseline fixed at 1877 cm −1 . Fourier transform near infrared (NIR) determination was made by measuring the peak area between 6498 and 6332 cm −1 corrected using a two points baseline defined between 6570 and 6212 cm −1 . Repeatability, as relative standard deviation, of 5 independent measurements at mg g −1 concentration level was 0.3% and 0.03% for MIR and NIR, respectively, and limit of detection values of 9 and 17 …

Quantitative Analysis, InfraredUpdate based on the original article by Frederic Cadet,Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry, © 2000, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Determination of Paint Solvents by Vapour Phase Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry.

Abstract A fast procedure has been developed for the direct determination of paint solvents. The method is based on the injection of small volumes of untreated solvent mixtures into a heated Pyrex glass reactor in which the sample is volatilized and introduced by means of a flow of nitrogen into an IR multiple pass gas cell and the spectrum in the mid-IR region is registered as a function of time. Data found for samples are interpolated in calibration graphs obtained by injecting different volumes of pure compounds which constitute the solvent mixture. A methylisobutylketone (MIBK) toluene mixture was used as test system to develop the proposed procedure. The method provides a limit of dete…

Flow-injection determination of water in organic solvents by near-infrared spectrometry

Abstract A flow-injection (FI) procedure was developed for the direct determination of water in organic solvents by using the O-H stretch absorbance band of water in the near-infrared (NIR) region. Dichloromethane was employed as a test solvent to study the influence of the flow parameters (carrier flow and sample injection volume) and time interval on the sensitivity and repeatability of the FI-NIR measurements. The developed procedure permits the determination of water in dichloromethane and isobutyl methyl ketone samples with limits of detection of 0.01 and 0.005% (v/v), respectively. Real and spiked samples of solvents were analysed by FI-NIR and accurate results were found. The method …

Direct determination of ethanol and methanol in liquid samples by means of vapor phase-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Abstract A FTIR procedure is proposed for the direct determination of methanol and ethanol in liquid samples, such as alcoholic beverages and eau-de-cologne, based on vapor generation from small injected volumes of untreated samples into a heated Pyrex glass reactor in which, at a temperature of 80°C, ethanol and methanol are volatilized and introduced into a long-path IR gas cell by means of a N2 carrier flow. The IR spectra obtained present two characteristic ethanol bands (1050 and 880 cm−1) and a single characteristic methanol band (1030 cm−1). The measurement of the area of the transient recording obtained for the wavenumber range between 1025–950 and 950–820 cm−1 allows us the determi…

Green Analytical Chemistry

We discuss the origins and the fundamentals of Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC), based on the literature published about clean, environmentally-friendly or GAC methods. We pay special attention to the strategies and the tools available to make sample-pretreatment and analytical methods greener. We consider that the main principles are to replace toxic reagents, to miniaturize and to automate methods, making it possible to reduce dramatically the amounts of reagents consumed and wastes generated, so reducing or avoiding side effects of analytical methods. We also consider on-line decontamination or passivation of wastes to be of special interest in making analytical chemistry sustainable.

Date-rape evidence through fast determination of γ-butyrolactone in adulterated beverages.

Abstract An infrared spectroscopy (IR) based methodology has been developed to determine γ-butyrolactone (GBL) in adulterated beverages. The proposed method permits the direct screening of GBL in beverages and involves a minimum sample treatment requiring less than 2 min for quantitative determination of GBL. Sensitivity of IR method was improved by using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) providing detection limits of 0.023 mg g−1. Accuracy of the proposed methodology was evaluated through the analysis of soft beverages and alcoholic cocktails spiked with GBL at concentration levels ranging from 0.075 to 10 mg g−1 providing recovery values from 91 to 100%. GBL was determined in twelve blind-sp…

Liquid–liquid equilibria in the system H3PO4–KCl–H2O–tri-n-butyl phosphate: experiments and modelling

Abstract The liquid–liquid equilibria of the system H3PO4–KCl–H2O–TBP was studied experimentally in the concentration range 0–6 mol/kg. The obtained data were modelled using the Pitzer equation for the aqueous phase and the Sergievskii–Dannus relationship for the organic phase. A fairly good agreement was observed between the model and the experimental data.

Prediction of organic carbon and total nitrogen contents in organic wastes and their composts by Infrared spectroscopy and partial least square regression

Middle and near infrared (MIR and NIR) were employed to determine organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (TN) in different soil organic amendments including wastes, composts and mixtures of composts and organic wastes. Prediction models based on partial least squares (PLS) regression from the spectra of untreated samples were built. Different spectra preprocessing strategies were adopted and the best number of latent variable was evaluated using leave-one-out cross-validation. Attenuated total reflectance (PLS-ATR-MIR) and diffuse reflectance (PLS-DR-NIR) models were built and evaluated from root mean square error of cross validation and prediction (RMSECV and RMSEP), coefficients of determ…

Comparative study of reflectance cells for PLS-FTIR determination of sugars in soft drinks

A comparative study has been carried out between a horizontal Attenuated Total Reflectance (h-ATR) cell and a Cylindrical Internal Reflection (CIR) cell (CIRCLE cell). Both cells were employed for the determination of glucose, fructose, sucrose and total sugar in soft drinks and fruit juices using absorbance measurements at two resolution values (4 and 8 cm–1). Data were processed by Partial Least Squares regression (PLS). Using a resolution of 4 cm–1, mean relative errors of prediction from 0.6% to 1.3% were obtained using the horizontal-ATR and from 0.6% to 2.8% using the CIRCLE cell resulting in a limit of detection from 0.03% in the case of sucrose to 0.21% for total sugar for the h-ATR…

Estuarine sediment quality assessment by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy

Partial least squares Fourier-transform infrared (PLS-FTIR) models were developed for the quality assessment of estuarine sediments through the evaluation of several physico-chemical parameters. Models were based on the chemometric treatment of attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectra directly obtained from samples previously lyophilized and sieved through a lower than 63 μm grid. Spectra were scanned from 3997 to 523 cm-1, averaging 36 scans per spectrum with a nominal resolution of 8 cm-1. Models were built using reference data obtained for sediment samples collected from Ria de Arousa estuary. Hierarchical cluster classification of sediment ATR spectra was employed for the establishment…

Microwave-assisted vapour-generation Fourier transform infrared spectrometric determination of carbonate in waters

Abstract A microwave-assisted vapour-generation Fourier transform infrared spectrometric procedure is proposed for the determination of total carbonate in waters. The method is based on the simultaneous injection of 100 μl of sample and 300 μl of 0.1 M nitric acid in a two-channel manifold with a merging zone; a coil located inside a microwave oven encourages the removal of CO 2 . The carbon dioxide is separated from the distilled water employed as carrier by means of gas–liquid separator and is introduced by a nitrogen carrier flow inside a long-path infrared absorption gas cell, from which the corresponding flow analysis recording is registered as a function of time in the wavenumber rang…

Determination of the mineral composition of foods by infrared spectroscopy: a review of a green alternative.

The determination of mineral composition of foods involves, in most cases, the use of long and tedious sample preparation, which consumes acids and reagents and sometimes requires the use of expensive instrumentation. This is the main reason for the search for direct analytical procedures, based on the use of infrared sample spectra and chemometrics, to model the signals in order to determine the presence of essential and trace toxic elements in foods. The state-of-the-art of the research in this field has been established in the present review article from the critical evaluation of articles available in the literature. Chemometric methods employed and their validation, together with a dis…

Monitoring of the smoking process by multicommutation Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy

Abstract Nicotine was selected as the target molecule for monitoring of the smoking process by multicommutation Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The method involved the use of CHCl3 for on-line extraction of nicotine from tobacco, cigarette filters and tobacco ash from NH4OH alkalinized samples, and absorbance measurement of the characteristic band at 1316 cm−1 in the stopped-flow mode, by obtaining the peak area in the range between 1334 and 1300 cm−1. Under the best operational conditions, the procedure developed provided a detection limit of 0.05 mg mL−1 nicotine, corresponding to 0.5 mg g−1 in the solid sample, a relative standard deviation less than 2.5%, and a sampling …

FT–Raman spectrometry determination of Malathion in pesticide formulations

Abstract A fast and environmentally friendly method has been developed for Fourier transform–Raman (FT–Raman) spectrometry determination of Malathion in pesticide emulsifiable concentrate formulations. The method is based on the measurement of intensity peak height values at 1737 cm −1 Raman shift corrected using a baseline defined at 1900 cm −1 . Samples were diluted with CHCl 3 and the FT–Raman spectra collected in back-scattering mode over 3.3 min at a nominal resolution of 4 cm −1 accumulating 50 scans per spectra and using a laser power of 1250 mW. The developed procedure provided a limit of detection of 1.8% w/w in the original sample. Results found by FT–Raman spectrometry were stati…

Fourier transform infrared determination of imidacloprid in pesticide formulations

A simple method has been developed for Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) determination of Imidacloprid in pesticide formulations. Samples were diluted with CHCl3 and the FTIR spectra of samples and standards were obtained at a nominal resolution of 4 cm-1 from 4000 to 900 cm-1 accumulating 25 scans. Imidacloprid determination was based on the measure of either peak area from 1577 to 1567 cm-1 or peak height at 1572 cm-1, both corrected using a horizontal baseline defined at 1900 cm-1. The limits of detection achieved, of the order of 9 µg g-1, were appropriate for the determination of Imidacloprid in commercially available formulations. FTIR results were statistically comparable to those fo…

Vibrational spectroscopy provides a green tool for multi-component analysis

Abstract Based on the literature published in the past decade, we focus on the possibilities offered by vibrational-spectroscopy-based techniques to make multi-component analysis of samples independently of their physical state. We discuss the main chemometric tools proposed for developing calibration models and solving problems derived from spectroscopic non-idealities (e.g., highly overlapped spectral bands or the presence of spectral non-linearity), and the benefits provided by vibrational-spectroscopy-based multi-component analysis in industry. Our main objective is to show that vibrational spectroscopy provides fast analytical methods that enable non-destructive analysis and permits, i…