Fast and non-destructive neutron activation analysis for simultaneous determination of TiO2 and SiO2 in sunscreens with attention to regulatory and research issues

Enrico Sabbioni; Simone Manenti; Riccardo Magarini; Claudia Petrarca; Anna Maria Giuseppina Poma; Gloria Zaccariello; Michele Back; Alvise Benedetti; Mario Di Gioacchino; Elio Mignini; Giulio Pirotta; Renato Riscassi; Andrea Salvini; Flavia Groppi

doi:10.1016/j.aca.2022.339601

Fast and non-destructive neutron activation analysis for simultaneous determination of TiO₂ and SiO₂ in sunscreens with attention to regulatory and research issues

Anal Chim Acta. 2022 Apr 1:1200:339601. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.339601. Epub 2022 Feb 12.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Center of Advanced Sciences and Technologies (C.A.S.T.), University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via Luigi Polacchi 1, I-66100, Chieti, Italy; Laboratorio Acceleratori e Superconduttività Applicata (LASA), Department of Physics, University of Milan and INFN-Milan, Via F.lli Cervi 201, I-20090, Segrate, Italy.
² Laboratorio Acceleratori e Superconduttività Applicata (LASA), Department of Physics, University of Milan and INFN-Milan, Via F.lli Cervi 201, I-20090, Segrate, Italy; Department of Physics, University of Milan, Via Celoria 16, I-20133, Milano, Italy. Electronic address: simone.manenti@unimi.it.
³ Perkin Elmer Italia SpA, Viale dell'Innovazione 3, I-20126, Milano, Italy.
⁴ Center of Advanced Sciences and Technologies (C.A.S.T.), University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via Luigi Polacchi 1, I-66100, Chieti, Italy; Department of Medicine and Science of Ageing (DMSI) University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 29, I-66100, Chieti, Italy.
⁵ Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio 1, Coppito, I-67100, L'Aquila, Italy.
⁶ Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems and Centro di Microscopia Elettronica "Giovanni Stevanato", Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155b, I-30170, Venezia-Mestre, Italy.
⁷ Center of Advanced Sciences and Technologies (C.A.S.T.), University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via Luigi Polacchi 1, I-66100, Chieti, Italy; Institute of Clinical Immunotherapy and Advanced Biological Treatments, Piazza Pierangeli 1, 65121, Pescara, Italy.
⁸ SICC- Italian Society of Chemistry and Cosmetological Sciences, Via G. Mameli 4, I-20129, Milano, Italy.
⁹ Neovita Sas Di Pirotta & C, Via Solferino 4, I-21040, Uboldo, Varese, Italy.
¹⁰ Laboratorio LENA, University of Pavia, Via G. Aselli 41, I-27100, Pavia, Italy.
¹¹ Laboratorio Acceleratori e Superconduttività Applicata (LASA), Department of Physics, University of Milan and INFN-Milan, Via F.lli Cervi 201, I-20090, Segrate, Italy; Department of Physics, University of Milan, Via Celoria 16, I-20133, Milano, Italy.

PMID: 35256142
DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.339601

Abstract

A new instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for the simultaneous determination of titanium (TiO₂) and silica (SiO₂) dioxide as UV-filters in sunscreens is described. Samples are encapsulated, neutron irradiated (30 s) and after a suitable decay (3 min), the induced ⁵¹Ti (T_1/2 = 5.76 min) and ²⁹Al (T_1/2 = 6.56 min) radionuclides are measured for the emitted γ-ray fingerprint. Three applications were carried out: (i) screening study (analysis of commercial sunscreens in combination with single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (sp-ICP-MS); (ii) research study (development of innovative UV-filters such as titanium dioxide or bismuth titanate loaded inorganic mesoporous silica nanoparticles, MSN); (iii) validation study (intercalibration of a spectrochemical method - inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, ICP-OES). Collectively, the nuclear method appears a powerful tool adequate for quantifying TiO₂ and SiO₂ in the above studies. The limited accessibility at the nuclear reactor for neutron activation is probably one of the reasons why the excellent characteristics of the nuclear technique are not always fully known and exploited in the industrial and research chemical world.

Keywords: ICP-MS; Mass spectrometry; Neutron activation analysis (NAA); Silica; Sunscreen; Titania.

MeSH terms

Nanoparticles* / analysis
Neutron Activation Analysis
Silicon Dioxide
Sunscreening Agents*
Titanium / analysis

Substances

Sunscreening Agents
titanium dioxide
Silicon Dioxide
Titanium