Sample Preparation Techniques for Electrochemical Analysis of Pesticides and Heavy Metals in Environmental and Food Samples

The development of an analytical methodology commonly includes sampling and sample pretreatment-preparation. The sample preparation step should provide the analytes (pesticides, heavy metals, drugs, dyes…etc.) in an adequate medium (typically aqueous or non-aqueous solution) to be detected and/or quantified. It is, therefore, necessary to ensure that the sample is homogeneous and free of interferents, as long as the preparation step is the most significant source of error in the analytical method development and is the most time-consuming step especially when solid samples are analyzed. Given its importance, this preparation step has a fundamental importance in the overall analytical method development, mainly when electroanalytical methods are applied. In this chapter, the steps involved in preparing samples for electrochemical analysis will be described in detail. Specifically, we will be focusing on the sample preparation techniques for the electrochemical analysis of pesticides and heavy metals, in environmental and food samples. For non-electrochemical readers, a brief introduction to the most commonly used electroanalytical methods will be described

Crystal structure of limonoid TS3, isolated from Trichilia rubescens

The title limonoid compound, C26H28O5·0.5H2O (TS3) [systematic name: (3aS,3bS,4aS,5aS,6S,7aR,8aR,8bS,11aR)-6-(furan-3-yl)-3a,5a,8b,11a-tetramethyl-3a,4a,5,5a,6,7,7a,8b,11,11a-decahydrooxireno[2′,3′:4b,5]oxireno[2′′,3′′:2′,3′]cyclopenta[1′,2′:7,8]phenanthro[10,1-bc]furan-3(3aH)-one hemihydrate], crystallizes with two independent molecules (1 and 2) in the asymmetric unit and one water molecule. TS3 is composed of three six-membered rings (A, C and D), three five-membered rings (B, E and F) and two epoxide rings. A group of five fused rings (A–E) is bonded to a furan ring (F) with a Csp3—Csp2 bond [1.500 (3) Å in molecule 1 and 1.499 (3) Å in molecule 2]. The absolute structures of the molecules in the crystal were determined by resonant scattering; Flack parameter = 0.05 (5). In the crystal, the individual molecules stack in columns along the b-axis direction. The water molecule bridges molecules 1 and 2 via Owater—H...O and C—H...Owater hydrogen bonds. Together with further C—H...O hydrogen bonds, linking molecules 1 and 2, the columns are linked to form slabs parallel to the ab plane. Within each column, molecules are also linked via C—H...π interactions involving the five-membered furan (F) rings