This work describes an efficient, fast, and reliable analytical methodology for mercury determination in urine samples using stripping chronopotentiometry at gold film electrodes. The samples were sonicated in the presence of concentrated HC1 and H2O2 for 15 min in order to disrupt the organic ligands and release the mercury. Thirty samples can be treated over the optimized region of the ultrasonic bath. This sample preparation was enough to allow the accurate stripping chronopotentiometric determination of mercury in the treated samples. No background currents and no passivation of the gold film electrode due to the sample matrix were verified. The samples were also analyzed by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) and good agreement between the results was verified. The analysis of NIST SRM 2670 (Toxic Metals in Freeze-Dried Urine) also validated the proposed electroanalytical method. Finally, this method was applied for mercury evaluation in urine of workers exposed to hospital waste incinerators.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2006.04.034 | DOI Listing |
Phys Chem Chem Phys
January 2025
Theoretical Physics Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai-400085, India.
Extensive research on ultrashort laser-induced melting of noble metals like Au, Ag and Cu is available. However, studies on laser energy deposition and thermal damage of their alloys, which are currently attracting interest for energy harvesting and storage devices, are limited. This study investigates the melting damage threshold (DT) of three intermetallic alloys of Au and Cu (AuCu, AuCu and AuCu) subjected to single-pulse femtosecond laser irradiation, comparing them with their constituent metals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, South Korea.
Molecular diagnosis limitations, including complex treatment processes, low cost-effectiveness, and operator-dependent low reproducibility, interrupt the timely prevention of disease spread and the development of medical devices for home and outdoor uses. A newly fabricated gold nanopillar array-based film is presented for superior photothermal energy conversion. Magnifying the metal film surface-to-volume ratio increases the photothermal energy conversion efficiency, resulting in a swift reduction in the gene amplification reaction time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Chem Chem Phys
January 2025
Department of Chemical Engineering, Ataturk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey.
The combination of plasmonic metals and MXene, as a new and interesting member of the 2D material class, may provide unique advantages in terms of low cost, versatility, flexibility, and improved activity as an ideal surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform. Despite the recent progress, the present studies on the utilization of plasmonic metal/MXene-based SERS systems are quite limited and thereby benefits of the extraordinary properties of this combination cannot be realized. In this study, for the first time, we propose layer-by-layer (LbL) thin films of TiC MXene and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a robust SERS platform (TiC/AuNPs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Prev Alzheimers Dis
January 2025
Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Electronic address:
Background: There are no approved oral disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess efficacy and safety of blarcamesine (ANAVEX®2-73), an orally available small-molecule activator of the sigma-1 receptor (SIGMAR1) in early AD through restoration of cellular homeostasis including autophagy enhancement.
Design: ANAVEX2-73-AD-004 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 48-week Phase IIb/III trial.
Talanta
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Materials for Integrated Circuits, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, China.
Research on metasurface sensors with high sensitivity, strong specificity, good biocompatibility and strong integration is the key to promote the application of terahertz waves in the field of biomedical detection. However, traditional metallic terahertz metasurfaces have shortcomings such as poor biocompatibility and large ohmic loss in the terahertz frequency band, impeding their further application and integration in the field of biosensing detection. Here, we overcome this challenge by proposing a high-performance terahertz metasurface based on gold nanoparticles and single-walled carbon nanotubes composite film.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!