Sensitivity spectrophotometry

Chance B 1951 Rapid and sensitive spectrophotometry. I. The accelerated and stopped-flow methods for the measurement of the reaction kinetics and spectra of unstable compounds in the visible region of the spectrum Rev. Sci. Instrum 22 619-27... 

Gibson, Q. H. Milnes, L. (1964). Apparatus for rapid and sensitive spectrophotometry. Biochemical Journal, 91,161-71. 

Determination of gold concentrations to ca 1 ppm in solution via atomic absorption spectrophotometry (62) has become an increasingly popular technique because it is available in most modem analytical laboratories and because it obviates extensive sample preparation. A more sensitive method for gold analysis is neutron activation, which permits accurate determination to levels < 1 ppb (63). The sensitivity arises from the high neutron-capture cross section (9.9 x 10 = 99 barns) of the only natural isotope, Au. The resulting isotope, Au, decays by P and y emission with a half-life of 2.7 d. 

Only slightly less accurate ( 0.3—0.5%) and more versatile in scale are other titration techniques. Plutonium maybe oxidized in aqueous solution to PuO " 2 using AgO, and then reduced to Pu" " by a known excess of Fe", which is back-titrated with Ce" ". Pu" " may be titrated complexometricaHy with EDTA and a colorimetric indicator such as Arsenazo(I), even in the presence of a large excess of UO " 2- Solution spectrophotometry (Figs. 4 and 5) can be utilized if the plutonium oxidation state is known or controlled. The spectrophotometric method is very sensitive if a colored complex such as Arsenazo(III) is used. Analytically usehil absorption maxima and molar absorption coefficients ( s) are given in Table 10. Laser photoacoustic spectroscopy has been developed for both elemental analysis and speciation (oxidation state) at concentrations of lO " — 10 M (118). Chemical extraction can also be used to enhance this technique. 

In this work hybrid method is suggested to determine anionic surfactants in waters. It is based on preconcentration of anionic surfactants as their ion associates with cationic dyes on the membrane filter and measurement of colour intensity by solid-phase spectrophotometry method. Effect of different basic dyes, nature and hydrophobicity of anionic surfactants, size of membrane filter pores, filtration rate on sensitivity of their determination was studied. Various cationic dyes, such as Methylene Blue, Crystal Violet, Malachite Green, Rhodamine 6G, Safranin T, Acridine Yellow were used as counter ions. The difference in reflection between the blank and the sample was significant when Crystal Violet or Rhodamine 6G or Acridine Yellow were used. 

Further techniques which may be applied directly to the solvent extract are flame spectrophotometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS).13 The direct use of the solvent extract in AAS may be advantageous since the presence of the organic solvent generally enhances the sensitivity of the method. However, the two main reasons for including a chemical separation in the preparation of a sample for AAS are ... 

Theory. Conventional anion and cation exchange resins appear to be of limited use for concentrating trace metals from saline solutions such as sea water. The introduction of chelating resins, particularly those based on iminodiacetic acid, makes it possible to concentrate trace metals from brine solutions and separate them from the major components of the solution. Thus the elements cadmium, copper, cobalt, nickel and zinc are selectively retained by the resin Chelex-100 and can be recovered subsequently for determination by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.45 To enhance the sensitivity of the AAS procedure the eluate is evaporated to dryness and the residue dissolved in 90 per cent aqueous acetone. The use of the chelating resin offers the advantage over concentration by solvent extraction that, in principle, there is no limit to the volume of sample which can be used. 

The sensitivity can, however, be improved if the technique of derivative spectrophotometry (Section 17.12) is employed. The development of inexpensive photoelectric colorimeters has placed this branch of instrumental chemical analysis within the means of even the smallest teaching institution. 

The choice of the method of analysis depends on the question to address. Spectrophotometry is sufficient for total curcuminoid content determination in a turmeric extract. Separation techniques coupled to mass spectrometry detection and MALDl-TOF are highly sensitive techniques that are more adapted to the identification of metabolites in biological fluids such as urine or plasma. ... 

Solid phase spectrophotometry proved to be an appropriate technique for the determination of colorants in foods dne to its simplicity, selectivity, reasonable cost, low detection limits, and use of conventional instrnmentation. This simple, sensitive, and inexpensive method allowed simnltaneons determinations of Snnset Yellow FCF (SY), Quinoline Yellow, and their nnsnlfonated derivatives [Sndan I (SUD) and Quinoline Yellow Spirit Soluble (QYSS)] in mixtnres. Mixtnres of food colorants containing Tartrazine, Sunset Yellow, Ponceau 4R, Amaranth, and Brilliant Blue were simultaneously analyzed with Vis spectrophotometry without previous chemical separation. ... 

All these methods give similar results but their sensitivities and resolutions are different. For example, UV-Vis spectrophotometry gives good results if a single colorant or mixture of colorants (with different absorption spectra) were previously separated by SPE, ion pair formation, and a good previous extraction. Due to their added-value capability, HPLC and CE became the ideal techniques for the analysis of multicomponent mixtures of natural and synthetic colorants found in drinks. To make correct evaluations in complex dye mixtures, a chemometric multicomponent analysis (PLS, nonlinear regression) is necessary to discriminate colorant contributions from other food constituents (sugars, phenolics, etc.). 

Table 5.5 shows the main characteristics of UV spectrophotometry as applied to polymer/additive analysis. Growing interest in automatic sample processing looks upon spectrophotometry as a convenient detection technique due to the relatively low cost of the equipment and easy and cheap maintenance. The main advantage of UV/VIS spectroscopy is its extreme sensitivity, which permits typical absorption detection limits in solution of 10-5 M (conventional transmission) to 10 7 M (photoacoustic). The use of low concentrations of substrates gives relatively ideal solutions [20]. As UV/VIS spectra of analytes in solution show little fine structure, the technique is of relatively low diagnostic value on the other hand, it is one of the most widely used for quantitative analysis. Absorption of UV/VIS light is quantitatively highly accurate. The simple linear relationship between... 

A multiwavelength approach might have been considered as an alternative to chemical derivatisation. Ruddle and Wilson [62] reported UV characterisation of PE extracts of three antioxidants (Topanol OC, Ionox 330 and Binox M), all with identical UV spectra and 7max = 277 nm, after reaction with nickel peroxide in alkaline ethanolic solutions, to induce marked differentiation in different solvents and allow positive identification. Nonionic surfactants of the type R0(CH2CH20) H were determined by UV spectrophotometry after derivatisation with tetrabromophenolphthalein ethyl ester potassium salt [34]. Magill and Becker [63] have described a rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method to quantitate the peroxides present in the surfactants sorbitan monooleate and monostearate. The method, which relies on the peroxide conversion of iodide to iodine, works also for Polysorbate 60 and other surfactants and is more accurate than a titrimetric assay. 

The method of choice for the measurement of ionization constants is potentio-metry [35,112-119]. Special circumstances warrant the determination of the pKa by UV spectrophotometry [120-143], capillary electrophoresis (CE) [144-147], and a chromatographic technique [148]. In principle, UV and CE methods are more sensitive and less sample-demanding than is the pH-metric method. That not withstanding, the latter method is preferred because it is so much better developed,... 

Since many new substances of interest are very poorly soluble in water, the assessment of the pKa in aqueous solution can be difficult and problematic. Potentiometry can be a quick technique for such assessment, provided the solubility of the substance is at least 100 pM. (Solutions as dilute as 10 pM can still be analyzed, but special attention must be given to electrode calibration, and ambient carbon dioxide must be excluded.) If the substance is soluble to only 1-10 pM and possesses a pH-sensitive UV chromophore, then spectrophotometry can be applied. CE methods may also be useful since very small sample quantities are required, and detection methods are generally quite sensitive. 

Cabezon et al. [662] simultaneously separated copper, cadmium, and cobalt from seawater by coflotation with octadecylamine and ferric hydroxide as collectors prior to analysis of these elements by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The substrates were dissolved in an acidified mixture of ethanol, water, and methyl isobutyl ketone to increase the sensitivity of the determination of these elements by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results were compared with those of the usual ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate/methyl isobutyl ketone extraction method. While the mean recoveries were lower, they were nevertheless considered satisfactory. 

It has been reported that the differential determination of arsenic [36-41] and also antimony [42,43] is possible by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The HGA-AS is a simple and sensitive method for the determination of elements which form gaseous hydrides [35,44-47] and mg/1 levels of these elements can be determined with high precision by this method. This technique has also been applied to analyses of various samples, utilising automated methods [48-50] and combining various kinds of detection methods, such as gas chromatography [51], atomic fluorescence spectrometry [52,53], and inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry [47]. 

An alternative to AAS for the end analysis of stannane generated by hydrogenation, could be collection in permanganate solution and spectrophotometric determination with phenylfluorone (3). This was applied to submicrogram Sn/L concentrations in fresh and marine waters276. Determination by hydride generation-AAS was found to be about 20 times more sensitive than by spectrophotometry of the phenylfluorone (3) complex28. 

The uses of micelles in chemical analysis are rapidly increasing (Hinze, 1979). Analytical reactions are carried out typically on a small scale and are based on spectrophotometry. At the same time, undesired side reactions can cause major problems, especially when the analytical procedure depends on reactions which are relatively slow and require high temperatures, exotic solvents or high reagent concentrations for completion. Micelles can suppress undesired reactions as well as speed desired ones and they also solubilize reagents which are sparingly soluble in water. In addition it is often possible to make phosphorescence measurements at room temperature in the presence of surfactants which enormously increases the utility of this very sensitive method of detection. 

An alternative means of detection involves UV spectrophotometry, the mobile phase containing the strongly absorbing phthalate ion which gives a constant high absorbance baseline signal that displays negative peaks as the sample components elute from the separator column. No suppressor column is therefore needed and the sensitivity is comparable to conductometric detection. 

Bhattachar et al.45 used CLND for solubility determinations and compared results to those obtained from UV spectrophotometry and HPLC. CLND has a throughput of 96 compounds per day with a reduced compound consumption of approximately 3 mg. The sensitivity of the instrument is approximately 6.25 pg/mL for a compound with a molecular weight of 350 and 4 nitrogens per molecule. 

Programming a CAM for fluorometry is far more complex than for spectrophotometry. Spectrophotometry is simple because it is based on the ratio of light in to light out. But fluorometry creates many of the problems associated with true radiometry—measuring the emission spectrum of an unknown source. The logic may become circular. Radiometry to determine an emission spectrum requires the relative spectral sensitivity of the photometer to be known, but how can this be determined without a source with a known emission spectrum Fortunately, physicists in our national standardization organizations provide us with calibrated sources and photometers. 

Fluorometry is a very sensitive technique - up to 1000 times more sensitive than spectrophotometry. This is because the fluorescence intensity is measured above a... 

The main advantage of fluorescence techniques is their sensitivity and measurements of nanogram (10—9 g) quantities are often possible. The reason for the increased sensitivity of fluorimetry over that of molecular absorption spectrophotometry lies in the fact that fluorescence measurements use a non-fluorescent blank solution, which gives a zero or minimal signal from the detector. Absorbance measurements, on the other hand, demand a blank solution which transmits most of the incident radiation and results in a large response from the detector. The sensitivity of fluorimetric measurements can be increased by using a detector that will accurately measure very small amounts of radiation. 

Whereas flame emission photometry relies on the excitation of atoms and the subsequent emission of radiation, atomic absorption spectrophotometry relies on the absorption of radiation by non-excited atoms. Because the proportion of the latter is considerably greater than that of the excited atoms, the potential sensitivity of the technique is also much greater. 

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