USEFULNESS OF STOPPED-FLOW MIXING METHODOLOGY FOR THE DETERMINATION OF FLUORESCENT AND ABSORBING SPECIES - SPECTROFLUOROMETRIC DETERMINATION OF IMIPRAMINE IN SERUM

A very simple approach for the determination of fluorescent and absorbing species based on stopped-flow mixing methodology is reported. By using a special procedure to introduce samples and their solvent into the observation cell of a spectrofluorimeter or spectrophotometer with the aid of a stopped-flow module, one can rapidly obtain a kinetic curve, the slope and amplitude of which are proportional to the concentration of the fluorescent or absorbing solute concerned. Various chemical systems, including quinine, imipramine, potassium permanganate and Methylene Blue were examined in order to find a plausible explanation for the kinetic effect observed and whether it applied to any fluorescent or absorbing species. The proposed approach was satisfactorily applied to the determination of imipramine in serum.