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Determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine and glutathione by the colorimetric method with the use of a smartphone as a detector

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Abstract

This paper describes a new smartphone-based colorimetric method for the determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine and glutathione using a reaction with the Cu(II)–neocuproine complex. The reaction resulted in the formation of a yellow Cu(I)–neocuproine complex. Reaction solutions, prepared according to the selected optimal conditions, are placed in front of a light blue background, and a smartphone camera is used for digital image acquisition. The intensity of the blue RGB canal was selected for analytical response and determined using the free Color Grab mobile app. Also, absorbance at a wavelength of 450 nm was measured for all reaction solutions using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The proposed procedures allow the determination of both thiols in the linear dynamic range from 3.0 × 10–6 to 2.0 × 10–4 mol L−1 for a spectrophotometer as a detector, or from 6.0 × 10–6 to 2.0 × 10–4 mol L−1 for a smartphone as a detector. The obtained results indicate that the proposed method is accurate, simple, cost-effective, and applicable to the determination of thiols in pharmaceuticals.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Federal Ministry of Education and Science of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the financial support through the Grant No. 05-35-1838-1/21.

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Correspondence to Anita Martinović Bevanda.

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All the data in this paper have not been published elsewhere or considered for publication in any other journal. All the authors have approved this submission. The authors declare no conflict of interest. On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Martinović Bevanda, A., Arapović, A., Vasilj, M. et al. Determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine and glutathione by the colorimetric method with the use of a smartphone as a detector. Chem. Pap. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-024-03386-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-024-03386-6

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