Study of the quenching effect of quinolones over CdTe-quantum dots using sequential injection analysis and multicommutation

•Mercaptopropionic acid-capped CdTe QDs fluorescence is quenched by quinolones.•SIA and MCFIA methodologies are used to develop automated flow systems.•Both systems are compared in terms of analytical parameters and applicability.•MCFIA system is selected as optimum and applied to pharmaceutical determination. The field of light-emitting nanoparticles has experienced an enormous development over the past two decades. The fluorescence of these nanometer-size crystalline particles, called quantum dots (QDs), can be both quenched and enhanced by different compounds. Since a high percentage of articles related to QDs are focused on theoretical studies, the development of analytical methods with real applications is an important step in order to progressively demonstrate the versatility of these particles. Moreover, taking into account that most of the QDs-based analytical methods are non-automated, the development of automated flow methodologies is still a field that presents an important analytical potential. With this purpose, two automatic methodologies, multicommutated flow injection analysis and sequential injection analysis, have been here applied to the analysis of quinolones in pharmaceutical formulations, making use of the quenching effect caused by the analytes over mercaptopropionic acid-capped CdTe QDs fluorescence. Both methodologies were compared in terms of versatility, sample throughput, sensitivity, etc., and applied to the determination of five quinolones in pharmaceutical preparations available in the Spanish Pharmacopoeia. The detection limits ranged between 26 and 50μmolL−1, and Relative Standard Deviations lower than 3% were observed in all cases.