ABSTRACT
A flame atomic-absorption spectroscopy method for determination of nickel in the serum of occupationally exposed subjects has been developed. Trichloroacetic add is utilized for precipitating proteins and freeing bound nickel; sodium diethyldithiocarbamate is used as complexing agent and isopropyl acetate as the solvent for extraction. The method is characterized by good accuracy, precision and sensitivity, over a concentration range up to about 20 ng/ml. Calcium, which is present in serum in great excess with respect to typical nickel concentrations, does not interfere in the determination of the latter.
ABSTRACT
An enzymatic kinetic method for the determination of V(V) is described, based on the activation of xanthine oxidase-catalysed NADH oxidation, in the presence of xanthine, dithiothreitol and Ag(+) ions. Under these conditions the activating power of V(V) was found to be enhanced. The linear relationship between relative enzyme activity and V(V) concentration allows the enzymatic determination of vanadium in the concentration range 20-500 ng ml , the maximum relative error being +/- 3%, and relative standard deviation less than +/- 2.2%. Possible interferences have been studied.
ABSTRACT
The inhibitory effect of selected metal ions [Ag(I), Hg(II), Cu(II), Cr(VI), V(V), Au(III), T1(I) and Zn(II)], on the xanthine oxidase (XOD) catalysis of xanthine oxidation, has been investigated with reference to the XOD catalysis of oxidation of NADH. Hg(II), Ag(I), Zn(II) and Au(III) act as inhibitors, T1(I) has no effect and Cu(II), Cr(VI) and V(V) act as activators. The formation of O(2)(-) during XOD catalysis of oxidation of either xanthine or NADH has also been studied. All the metal ions considered act as inhibitors with respect to O(2)(-) production when the reducing substrate is xanthine, but only a few of them when the substrate is NADH, the others showing no effect whatsoever whether or not they activate NADH oxidation in the course of the same reaction. Vanadium (V) has an anomalous effect: it inhibits xanthine oxidation but considerably increases NADH oxidation, and thus appears to modify the catalytic properties of the enzyme. This behaviour appears promising as the basis for a kinetic method for determination of V(V).
ABSTRACT
An investigation of the high-temperature injection (350 degrees C) gas chromatographic behaviour of standards of various classes of phospholipids has elucidated certain characteristic fragments ("tracers") in the pyrogram of each class. Under these conditions of pyrolysis of the phospholipids, a natural mixture of such substances (extracted and purified from cows' milk) has provided evidence for the same "tracers" as for the standards. Analogous results were obtained with a more representative specimen of cows' milk of various breeds grown in areas of different altitudes. The content of fatty acids in phospholipids, tested on each class (separated by means of radial compression high-performance liquid chromatography from polar lipids of milk) appeared to be relatively similar for all the phospholipid classes, and over half the content consisted of unsaturated fatty acids. The major component was delta 9-octadecenoid (oleic) acid.
Subject(s)
Milk/analysis , Phospholipids/analysis , Animals , Cattle , Chromatography, Gas/methods , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods , Fatty Acids/analysis , Lipids/analysis , SolventsABSTRACT
An unconventional coulometric method, based on electrolysis at controlled potential by means of discrete charge-pulses, with end-point detection obtained by mathematical linearization of potentiometric data, has been applied to various systems. The results appear very satisfactory: very weak acids can be determined with high accuracy; in the case of precipitation reactions the selectivity is high enough to allow titration of the components of halide mixtures; for homogeneous redox systems some problems caused by irreversibility at the indicator electrode are overcome.
ABSTRACT
The effect of metal ions on the reductive half-reaction of xanthine oxidase (XOD) in the catalytic conversion of xanthine into uric acid has been studied spectrophotometrically in Tris-HCl buffer at pH 7.4, 37 +/- 0.1 degrees and ionic strength 0.04M. Some metal ions display inhibitor properties, the sequence of inhibiting efficiency being Ag(I) > Hg(II) > Cu(II) > Cr(VI) > V(V) > Au(III) > Tl(I) and for these the I(50) values were determined. Only Tl(I), V(V) and Cu(II) showed reversible inhibition and therefore for these the mechanisms were assessed [competitive for V(V) and Tl(I); uncompetitive for Cu(II)]. The conditional inhibition constants (K(i)) were also determined. The effect of EDTA for protection of the enzyme against metal inhibition, and for its reactivation after inhibition, was also investigated. Utilization of the linear relationship between relative enzyme activity and inhibitor concentration allowed sensitive and selective (though not specific) determination of Ag(I) and Hg(II) (10(-9)-10(-8)M), and of Cu(II) and Cr(VI) (10(-7)-10(-6)M), the maximum relative error being +/- 4%. For a few metal ions, e.g., Ag(I) and Cr(VI), in the presence of EDTA, a certain specificity is observed.
ABSTRACT
A new method for electrochemical titrations is proposed, based on the redox transformation of the test species by means of a controlled-potential pulsed current, followed by measurement of the potential in the intervals between the current pulses: the end-point is found by means of Sörensen's linearization technique. Investigations on various metal ions (Ag(+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+), Pb(2+)) have shown that the accuracy and sensitivity, which depend on the nature of the species titrated, are comparable with those of other titration techniques. The method permits analytical separations and determinations of metal ions in mixtures. No particularly elaborate instrumentation is required and the apparatus described is simple to use, reliable and inexpensive.
