Application of artificial neural networks in multifactor optimization of an on-line microwave FIA system for catalytic kinetic determination of ruthenium (III)

A methodology based on the coupling of experimental design and artificial neural networks (ANNs) is proposed in the optimization of a flow injection system for the spectrophotometric determination of Ru (III) with m-acetylchlorophosphonazo (CPA-mA), which has been for the first time used for the optimization of high-performance capillary zone electrophoresis (J. Chromatogr. A 793 (1998) 317). And since it has been applied in many other regions like micellar electrokinetic chromatography, ion-interaction chromatography, HPLC, etc. (J. Chromatogr. A 850 (1999) 345; J. Chromatogr. A 799 (1998) 35; J. Chromatogr. A 799 (1998) 47). An orthogonal design is utilized to design the experimental protocol, in which five variables are varied simultaneously (Anal. Chim. Acta 360 (1998) 227). Feedforward-type neural networks with extended delta-bar-delta (EDBD) algorithm are applied to model the system, and the optimization of the experimental conditions is carried out in the neural network with 5–5–1 structure, which have been confirmed to be able to provide the maximum performance. In contrast to traditional methods, the use of this methodology has advantages in terms of a reduction in analysis time and an improvement in the ability of optimization. Under the optimum experimental conditions, Ru (III) can be determined in the range 0.040–0.60 μg ml−1 with detection limit of 0.03 μg ml−1 and the sampling frequency of 34 h−1. The method has been applied to the determination of Ru (III) in refined ore as well as in secondary alloy and provided satisfactory results.