Coupled biosensor, biomimetic and chemometrics strategies for analysis of the metals in complex environmental matrices

An analytical strategy to determine metals in environmental samples contaminated with both organophosphate pesticides and metals is presented. In the first step, parathion and arsenate were determined separately. Inhibition of the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase was quantified employing an enzyme thermistor and also with a CCD camera. Subsequently, parathion mixed with arsenate was measured. A molecularly imprinted polymer catalyst was then introduced as a pre-column to degrade OPs. The catalytic MIP enabled the measurement of metal from the mixture containing OPs. Hydrolysis of parathion, ethyl paraoxon, O-Ethyl-O-(4-nitrophenyl)-phenylphosphonothioate EPN and dichlorvos were monitored by using catalytic MIPs in the enzyme thermistor. Finally, inhibition patterns of parathion and arsenate were obtained employing multivariate analysis. The patterns generated after eliminating the OPs can be used for monitoring and mapping of metals in various environmental matrices.