Analytical Chemistry is like the Fruit of an Apple Tree

Prof. Dr. Victor G. Mihucz
Head of the Analytical Chemistry Dept., Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

“… Recent advances in instrumental analysis create the impression that conducting chemical analysis is an easy task that no longer requires the expertise of chemists devoted to this branch of chemistry. However, there is still a lot of work to do. Thanks to innovations in mass spectrometry and related techniques, analytical chemistry is experiencing a second Golden Era…”

Dr. Patricia Smichowski, a researcher who works hard to contribute to science, kindly granted BrJAC an interview

Dr. Patricia Smichowski
Head of the Analytical Developments Division at the Argentine Atomic Energy Commission
Principal Researcher at CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina

“… there is a relatively small number of scientists in South America compared to other regions of the world. In this context, added to the decrease in funding, cooperation between different research groups in the region is crucial to maintain the scientific level that we have achieved with great effort.”

BrJAC 2023 – Growing and Building Bridges

Prof. Dr. Joaquim de Araújo Nóbrega
Full Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil

“As announced since the beginning, each BrJAC issue has a great combination of reviews, scientific articles, points of view, letters, sponsors’ reports, releases, news, and interviews. This list of contents is part of the identity of BrJAC and each section plays a special role. Of course, articles are the core of any scientific journal, but to create and consolidate bridges we need to integrate academia and industry, so different forms of communication are in the BrJAC fingerprint.”

Importance of Elemental Chemical Speciation Studies in Enriched Food: Nutritional Quality, Toxicity, and Economic Improvement

Prof. Dr. Juliana Naozuka
Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Federal University of São Paulo, Diadema, SP, Brazil

“Food enrichment success is closely associated with chemical speciation studies since there are chemical species that will be absorbed in a cultivation medium, as well as the chemical species that are formed during translocation and accumulation, which must be in bioavailable forms, in order to act on the different metabolic systems of the human body, including remedying prevalences. In this scenario, it is imperative to go beyond determining the total concentration of essential elements...”

Acknowledgments
BrJAC editors are grateful to all those who have reviewed papers in 2023 using significant time and effort to provide constructive inputs.

A Brief Assessment of the Bioanalytical Methods by using LC-MS/MS for the Quantitation of Melatonin: A Potential Biomarker for Sleep-Related Disorders
Gorav Monga, Sravani Yerram, Shailaja Koppula, Rakesh Kumar, Sandeep Kumar

This review shows that LC-MS/MS is a rugged and dependable instrument for the robust and precise quantitation of melatonin. It compiles key elements like extraction procedure, linearity range, and chromatographic conditions.

The Determination of Ethanol Levels in Facial Freshener Using the NIR Spectroscopy and Chemometric Method
Wahyu Eka Febriyanti, Nia Kristiningrum, Lestyo Wulandari

This study aims to determine ethanol content in toner using the NIR chemometric method and compare the results with gas chromatography as a reference method in order to ascertain if there is a significant difference between the NIR spectroscopy method and gas chromatography.

Closed-Vessel Conductively Heated Digestion of Dry Dog Food for Spectrometric Determination of Essential Nutrients
Rayane Cristina Vieira Costa, João Victor Biagi Santiago, Edilene C. Ferreira, Alex Virgilio, José Anchieta Gomes Neto

The present work aims to evaluate the conductively heated digestion system for digestion of dry dog foods (from distinct manufacturers and intended for different stages of pet development) for determination of K, Na, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn by HR-CS FAAS. The accuracy was assessed by analysis of bovine liver, mussel tissue and fish food reference materials. For comparative purposes, all dry dog foods were also analyzed after digestion by Microwave-assisted digestion systems.

Infrared and Electronic Spectroscopy for Assay of Dosulepin in Pharmaceuticals: Stability Indicating Study and Quantification Approach
Shivarampura M. Dushyantha, Chikkalingaiah Siddaraju, Nagaraju Rajendraprasad

Four simple, precise, and cost-effective spectrophotometric methods were designed and validated to assess Dosulepin hydrochloride (DOS) in pure and dosage form. Two of them are direct UV and the other two are indirect visible spectrophotometric methods. It was possible to determine DOS concentrations as low as 0.71, 0.26 and 2.14 µg mL-1 with confidence and a justifiable level of accuracy and precision. The procedures required no harsh experimental conditions and were straightforward, precise, rapid, cost-effective, and free from interference from common diluents and additives in the formulations.

Ancient Rock Paintings at Region del Cabo-BCS, Mexico: An Analytical Study
Úrsula Méndez-Mejía, Maria Dolores Tenorio, Melania Jiménez-Reyes, Rosa Elba Rodríguez-Tomp

The goal of this research was to conduct a physicochemical characterization of the raw materials used in the creation of six pictorial panels, and one isolated figure found at Sierra de las Cacachilas, Region del Cabo-BCS, MEX. This involved analyzing pictorial layers, patina, rocky supports, and natural pigments. The findings obtained through the application of various analytical techniques (SEM-EDS, FTIR, XRD) provide significant knowledge for the conservation of ancient pictorial art in the Sierra de las Cacachilas region and in general they result useful for other archaeological studies.

Use of Smartphone and Image Analysis in the Quantification of Vitamin C in Golden Berry (Physalis peruviana L.) Juice
Wilber Vilcapoma Quispe, Julio Fernando Pérez Sáez

The quantification of vitamin C in golden berry juice was performed using the image analysis method. A comparative assessment was conducted against a spectrophotometric method utilizing the t-Student test for independent samples, demonstrating no statistically significant difference between the two methods.

Systematic Study for Determining As, Pb, Cd, and Se in Steel and Nickel Alloy Samples by GF AAS: Circumventing Matrix Interference with Extraction Based on Micellar Separation
Natália Tostes Canevari Viola, Brian Cardoso Ferreira, Lilian Rodrigues Rosa Souza, Márcia Andreia Mesquita Silva da Veiga

In the present work, cloud point extraction (CPE) is proposed for As, Cd, Pb and Se separation from Ni alloy and steel digestates of CPE, followed by the determination of analytes by GF AAS. Among the variables investigated for CPE optimization, ammonium o,o-diethyl dithiophosphate (DDTP), HCl, and Triton X-114 concentrations were the most meaningful.