Determination of bismuth in urine and prescription medicines using atomic absorption with an on-line hydride generation system

Metallic nanoparticle contamination from environmental atmospheric particulate matter in the last slab of the trophic chain: Nanocrystallography, subcellular localization and toxicity effects

Atmospheric particulate material (PM) from mining and steel industries comprises several metallic contaminants. PM₁₀ samples collected in a Brazilian region with a recognized influence of the steel and iron pelletizing industries were used to investigate metallic nanoparticle incorporation into human fibroblast cells (MRC-5). MRC-5 cells were exposed to 0 (control, ultrapure water), 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 μg PM₁₀ mL^-1, for 24 h. Cytotoxic and genotoxic dose-response effects were observed on lysosome and DNA structure, and concentrations high as 20 and 40 μg PM₁₀ mL^-1 induced elevated cell death. Ultrastructure analyses showed aluminosilicate, iron, and the emerging metallic contaminants titanium, bismuth, and cerium nanoparticles were incorporated into lung cells, in which the nanocrystallography analysis indicated the bismuth as Bi₂O₃. All internalized metallic nanoparticles were free and unbound in the cytoplasm and nucleus thereby indicating bioavailability and potential interaction to biological processes and cellular structures. Pearson's correlation analysis showed Fe, Ni, Al, Cr, Pb and Hg as the main cytotoxic elements which are associated with the stainless steel production. The presence of internalized nanoparticles in human lung cells exposed to environmental atmospheric matter highlights the need for a greater effort by regulatory agencies to understand their potential damage and hence the need for future regulation, especially of emerging metallic contaminants.

A Simple, Fast, and Inexpensive Simultaneous Determination of Trace Bismuth(III) and Lead(II) in Water Samples by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

A simple, fast, and inexpensive voltammetric method for the simultaneous determination of trace bismuth(III) and lead(II) using (Hg(Ag)FE) as a working electrode was optimized. For adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of Bi(III) and Pb(II) in a single scan, the cupferron was applied as a complexing agent. Experimental conditions under which these elements can be simultaneously detected include 0.1 mol L^-1 acetate buffer (pH = 4.6), 1 × 10^-4 mol L^-1 cupferron, accumulation potential -0.05 V, and accumulation time 30 s. The experiments were performed without deaeration of the solutions. The calibration graph was linear from 2 × 10^-9 mol L^-1 to 1 × 10^-7 mol L^-1 for the simultaneous presence of bismuth and lead. The detection limits for preconcentration time of 30 s were 6.7 × 10^-10 mol L^-1 and 8.8 × 10^-10 mol L^-1 for bismuth and lead, respectively. The application of this procedure was tested by analyzing certified reference material (SPS-WW1 Wastewater) and Lake Zemborzyce water (eastern areas of Poland).

Study of the AlS4Pc-Polylysine Ion Pair, a Red-Fluorescent Probe: Its High Specificity, Large Concentration Range Response to Bismuth Ion, and Application

Tetrasulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine (AlS₄Pc), a strongly red-emitting compound, shows high detection sensitivity, little effect of photobleaching, and photochemical stability, making it an excellent red-fluorescent probe. We have observed that in acid media, a low concentration of poly-L-lysine (PLL) has a strong fluorescence-quenching effect on AlS₄Pc, forming the ion-pair complex as AlS₄Pc-PLL with almost no fluorescence. However, in the presence of Bi³⁺, the fluorescence of AlS₄Pc-PLL dramatically recovers and the emission is visual because of the remarkable recovery. Screening experiments with other metal ions reveal that only Bi³⁺ can restore the fluorescence of the AlS₄Pc-PLL complex. The presence of other metal ions does not result in the recovery of fluorescence, indicating the high specificity of the response to Bi³⁺ of AlS₄Pc-PLL. This is the key finding of the present study. It was also observed that the response to Bi³⁺ of AlS₄Pc-PLL exhibits a linear relationship over a large concentration range (three orders of magnitude). Based on these findings, we have established a new quantitative analysis method for Bi³⁺ with high specificity and high sensitivity, using the ion-pair AlS₄Pc-PLL complex as a red-fluorescent probe, and we discuss the reaction mechanism. The detection limit of this method is 0.0021 mg L^-1 The linear relationship applies to the range of 0.007-34.9 mg L^-1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9993. The method established addresses the complex operation and time-consuming problems in traditional methods and is thus suitable for real applications. Satisfactory results have been obtained when the method was applied to the measurement of real samples. This study further expands the scope of new applications of phthalocyanine-based red-fluorescent probes in analytical sciences.