Emerging and classical pollutants, such as antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, dyes and heavy metals derived from human activity, currently pose serious threats to the environment and human health. Despite the grave danger posed by these pollutants, there is still no adequate monitoring of their presence in the environment. The regular determination of these contaminants in the environment can play a crucial role in the protection of human health and the preservation of ecosystems. New analytical techniques allow the reproducible quantification of analytes at very low concentration levels. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), with selective recognition, have also been combined with quantum dots (QDs) and suggested as valuable materials in the construction of optical sensors. Several strategies have been proposed for the selective detection of these pollutants in recent years. Rather than employing expensive, time-consuming standard analytical methods, fluorescent quantum dots coupled with molecularly imprinted polymers can be used for developing simple, rapid and highly selective analytical methods for the detection of these pollutants. This review presents a brief discussion on the application of tailor-made polymeric materials in tandem with quantum dots for the rational construction of efficient sensors capable of determining the presence of these pollutants in aquatic environments.

A simple extractive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the quantification of mirtazapine. This method is based on the formation of ion-association complex of mirtazapine drug with bromocresol purple dye. The absorbance of the complex was measured at 400 nm. The method was successfully applied to the determination of mirtazapine in their pharmaceutical formulations. The method shows a linear range from 0.2-10 μg mL-1 with a molar absorptivity of 1.53 '10 4 L mol-1 cm-1. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 0.096 μg mL-1 and 0.32μg mL-1 respectively. The developed methodology was successfully applied for the determination of mirtazapine in commercial formulation and the percentage recovery was found 99.91 ± 0.15. The developed methodology promises a feasible, low cost and an efficient method for the routine analysis.

A flow-injection spectrophotometric procedure was developed for screening organophosphorus pesticides. The method is based on the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase immobilized on controlled porous glass beads with acetylcholine chloride as the substrate. Methyl parathion, chlorpyrifos, malathion and dichlorvos have been tested. The analytical peak height for a given acetylcholine chloride concentration correlates linearly with the logarithmic concentration of the pesticides between 1.0 × 10-3 mol L-1 and 1.0 × 10-6 mol L-1. If bromine water is added to the pesticide solution, a dramatic increase is observed in the analytical signal, and correlations with the logarithm of the concentrations are observed from 1.0 × 10-3 to 1.0 × 10-10 mol L-1.

O metóxido de sódio é usado como reagente ou como catalisador em muitos processos industriais como, por exemplo, na síntese de fármacos e de biodiesel. O presente trabalho apresenta um novo e seletivo método analítico quantitativo termométrico para a determinação de metóxido de sódio em soluções de metanol na presença de íons hidróxido. Para fins de comparação com o método Karl-Fischer, os dois procedimentos foram aplicados a quatro diferentes soluções de metóxido de sódio em metanol, inclusive em presença de hidróxido de sódio, e os resultados foram comparados estatisticamente mostrando total concordância.

Sodium methoxide is used as a reagent or a catalyst in many industrial processes such as, for example, pharmaceuticals and biodiesel syntheses. This work presents a new and selective quantitative analytical thermometric method for sodium methoxide determination in methanol solutions in the presence of hydroxide ions. For comparative purposes with the Karl-Fischer procedure, these two methods were applied to four different solutions of sodium methoxide in methanol, including in presence of sodium hydroxide, and the results were compared statistically showing total agreement.