A membraneless gas diffusion unit: design and its application to determination of ethanol in liquors by spectrophotometric flow injection.

This work presents new design of a gas diffusion unit, called 'membraneless gas diffusion (MGD) unit', which, unlike a conventional gas diffusion (GD) unit, allows selective detection of volatile compounds to be made without the need of a hydrophobic membrane. A flow injection method was developed employing the MGD unit to determine ethanol in alcoholic drinks based on the reduction of dichromate by ethanol vapor. Results clearly demonstrated that the MGD unit was suitable for determination of ethanol in beer, wine and distilled liquors. Detection limit (3S/N) of MGD unit was lower than the GD unit (GD: 0.68%, v/v; MGD: 0.27%, v/v). The MGD design makes the system more sensitive as mass transfer is more efficient than that of GD and thus, MGD can perfectly replace membrane-based designs.

Continuous automated measurement of hexavalent chromium in airborne particulate matter.

An automated continuous instrument for the collection and measurement of aerosol Cr(VI) is described. The system alternately collects the sample on one of two glass fiber filters. After 15-min sample collection on one filter, the sampling switches over to the second filter. The freshly sampled filter is washed for 8.5 min, and the washings are preconcentrated on a minicolumn packed with anion exchange resin. The washed filter is dried with filtered hot air for the next 6.5 min so that it is ready for sampling at the end of the 15-min cycle. The preconcentrated Cr(VI) on the column is eluted with 0.1 M sodium perchlorate and then reacted with sym-1,5-diphenylcarbazide prior to absorbance detection with a light emitting diode-based dedicated flow-through absorbance detector. The detection limit (S/N = 3) is 5 ng of Cr(VI)/m3, orders of magnitude lower than current regulatory requirements. The instrument operates unattended over long periods. In continuous round-the-clock operation, filter replacement frequency is every 24-72 h, depending on dust loading. The system is portable for facile field deployment and permits fully automated rapid determinations at a very low analysis cost per sample.

Comparison of photometry and conductometry for the determination of total carbonate by gas permeation flow injection analysis.

The experimental system involves the permeative preconcentration of CO(2) from an acidified sample through a tubular silicone rubber membrane into a suitable receptor. Procedures for measuring the CO(2) collected in the receptor by the absorbance change of an acid-base indicator incorporated in the receptor or by the conductance change of the receptor are compared. Previous theoretical considerations of the photometric system are augmented for numerical modeling and the theoretical behavior of the conductometric system is considered in detail. Experimental data generally conform to theoretical expectations. Based on either reproducibility or sensitivity, the conductometric measurement method using a solution of 1-10mM tris(hydroxymethylamino)methane as receptor is recommended. The interference from sulfite or sulfide can be eliminated by adding acidic permanganate to the sample; considerably more involved arrangements are necessary to eliminate interferences from cyanide.

Monoamine oxidase concentration in median eminence, pituitary and uterus of rat after estrogen and centchroman treatment.

Estradiol dipropionate (0.005 mg/kg) increased the monoamine oxidase levels in pituitary, median eminence and uterus of ovariectomized rats. Centchroman (3,4-trans-2, 2-dimethyl-3-phenyl-4-p-(-pyrrolidinethoxy)-phenyl-7 methoxy chroman, 1.25 mg/kg) decreased the enzyme levels in pituitary and median eminence but not in uterus. Centchroman, given to estradiol treated groups could not bring down the enhanced levels of the enzyme in the uterus.