Comparison of flow analyzers exploiting constant or pulsed flows: application to samples of pharmaceutical, agronomical and/or environmental relevance

Author(s)

Milton Katsumi Sasaki

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/STB)
• Defense date: 2015-11-24

Examining board members

Elias Ayres Guidetti Zagatto; Eder Tadeu Gomes Cavalheiro; Claudimir Lucio do Lago; Fabio Rodrigo Piovezani Rocha

• Advisor: Elias Ayres Guidetti Zagatto

Abstract

Multi-pumping flow systems use solenoid pumps as fluid propelling devices, which deliver pulsed flows. These flows provide an efficient radial mass transport, thus good mixing conditions even in limited sample dispersion situations. The main objective of this work was then to compare the performance of methodologies involving immobilized reagents in flow systems with constant or pulsed flows. To this end, the spectrophotometric determinations of ascorbic acid in pharmaceutical products using a 50-cm polyethylene tubular reactor with immobilized MnO2(s) with further colour-forming reaction with 0.25 mol L-1 formaldoxime; and carbaryl in natural waters exploiting liquid-liquid extraction with xylene immobilized in a PVDF membrane and a 0.1 mol L-1 ¬¬NaOH solution as acceptor stream, were selected. Moreover, constant and pulsed flows were compared in relation to a novel strategy for flow titration, named tracer-monitored titration; the determination of total acidity in vinegars was selected and flow injection and triangle-programmed titrations were applied, both using a 0.01 mol L-1 NaOH solution as titrant, phenolphtalein as acid-base indicator and ca. 6 mg L-1 brilliant blue FCF as tracer. Regarding ascorbic acid determination, the pulsed flow system was superior in relation to the constant flow system for detection limit: 0.33 against 0.60 mg L-1 (3.3 ? criterion), and for repeatability: r.s.d. estimated as 2.5 against 5.6% (n = 20); in relation to accuracy, no significant differences between the proposed method and that of the British Pharmacopoeia were found at the 95% confidence level. Regarding carbaryl determination, use of pulsed flows favored the analyte extraction, leading to a 9.3% sensitivity improvement in relation to use of constant flows; besides the attainment of better linearity of the analytical curve. The method was however susceptible to interference of other methylcarbamates, thus the application to natural water analyses was impaired. Regarding total acidity determination, pulsed flows exploitation provided lower variations in the ratio of absorbance values related to the monitoring of tracer and indicator; no significant differences between the proposed titrations and the reference method were found at the 95% confidence level (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/14413-0 - Comparison of flow analyzers with laminar or pulsed flows and immobilized reagents: application to samples of pharmaceutical, agronomical and/or environmental relevance
• Grantee: Milton Katsumi Sasaki
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate