X-ray fluorescence analysis of rare earth elements in rocks using low dilution glass beads.

Major and trace elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Th and U) in igneous rocks were assayed with fused lithium borate glass beads using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Low dilution glass beads, which had a 1:1 sample-to-flux ratio, were prepared for determination of rare earth elements. Complete vitrification of 1:1 mixture required heating twice at 1200 degrees C with agitation. Extra pure reagents containing determinants were used for calibrating standards instead of the rock standard. The calibration curves of the 23 elements showed good linearity. Furthermore, the lower limits of detection corresponding to three times the standard deviation for blank measurements were 26 mass ppm for Na2O, 6.7 for MgO, 4.5 for Al2O3, 4.5 for SiO2, 18 for P2O5, 1.1 for K2O, 4.0 for CaO, 3.9 for TiO2, 1.6 for MnO, 0.8 for Fe2O3, 0.5 for Rb, 0.2 for Sr, 0.4 for Y, 0.5 for Zr, 3.3 for La, 6.5 for Ce, 2.7 for Pr, 2.1 for Nd, 1.7 for Sm, 0.7 for Gd, 2.7 for Dy, 0.5 for Th, and 0.6 for U. Using the present method, we determined the contents of these 23 elements in four rhyolitic and granitic rocks from Japan.     

Determination of fumonisins B1 and B2 in corn and corn flakes by liquid chromatography with immunoaffinity column cleanup: collaborative study.

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method for the determination of fumonisins B1 (FB1) and B2 (FB2) in corn and corn flakes was collaboratively studied by 23 laboratories, which analyzed 5 blind duplicate pairs of each matrix to establish the accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility characteristics of the method. Fumonisin levels in the corn ranged from <0.05 (blank) to 1.41 microg/g for FB1 and from <0.05 to 0.56 microg/g for FB2, whereas in the corn flakes they ranged from <0.05 to 1.05 microg/g for FB1 and from <0.05 to 0.46 microg/g for FB2. The method involved double extraction with acetonitrile-methanol-water (25 + 25 + 50), cleanup through an immunoaffinity column, and LC determination of the fumonisins after derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde. Relative standard deviations for the within-laboratory repeatability (RSDr) of the corn analyses ranged from 19 to 24% for FB1 and from 19 to 27% for FB2; for the corn flakes analyses, RSDr ranged from 9 to 21 % for FB1 and from 8 to 22% for FB2. Relative standard deviations for the between-laboratories reproducibility (RSDR) of the corn analyses ranged from 22 to 28% for FB1 and from 22 to 30% for the FB2; for corn flakes analyses, RSDR ranged from 27 to 32% for FB1 and from 26 to 35% for FB2. Mean recoveries of FB1 and FB2 from corn spiked with FB1 at 0.80 microg/g and with FB2 at 0.40 microg/g were 76 and 72%, respectively; for corn flakes spiked at the same levels recoveries were 110 and 97% for FB1 and FB2, respectively. HORRAT ratios for the analyses of corn ranged from 1.44 to 1.53 for FB1 and from 0.96 to 1.48 for FB2, whereas for corn flakes they ranged from 1.60 to 1.82 for FB1 and from 1.39 to 1.68 for FB2.     

Dibenzomethanopentacene-Based Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity for Use in Gas-Separation Membranes

Dibenzomethanopentacene (DBMP) is shown to be a useful structural component for making Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIMs) with promise for making efficient membranes for gas separations. DBMP-based monomers for PIMs are readily prepared using a Diels–Alder reaction between 2,3-dimethoxyanthracene and norbornadiene as the key synthetic step. Compared to date for the archetypal PIM-1, the incorporation of DBMP simultaneously enhances both gas permeability and the ideal selectivity for one gas over another. Hence, both ideal and mixed gas permeability data for DBMP-rich co-polymers and an amidoxime modified PIM are close to the current Robeson upper bounds, which define the state-of-the-art for the trade-off between permeability and selectivity, for several important gas pairs. Furthermore, long-term studies (over ≈3 years) reveal that the reduction in gas permeabilities on ageing is less for DBMP-containing PIMs relative to that for other high performing PIMs, which is an attractive property for the fabrication of membranes for efficient gas separations.     

Pharmacokinetic applications of capillary electrophoresis

This review briefly discusses the use of capillary electrophoretic (CE) methods for the investigations of different aspects of pharmacokinetics. In most investigations, CE was the method of choice because of its unique features, including high resolving power for chiral or metabolite separation, small sample volume for pediatric pharmacokinetics or for cell-based investigations, in situ microdialysis sampling for rapid eliminations, low UV wavelength detection for nonderivatized analytes, fast and simplified sample processing for existing methods that require tedious sample preparation, or as a second method for verifications. Moreover, instrumental aspects of CE-based assays for pharmacokinetic studies, such as different modes of CE methods for analyzing biological samples, sample stacking for increasing detection sensitivity, and coupling techniques with microdialysis and mass spectrometry, are also discussed in this review. Furthermore, the advantages and limitations of CE methods as well as the future outlook for pharmacokinetic studies are summarized.     

Simultaneous quantification of five anthraquinones in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection (excitation 435 and emission 515 nm) was established and validated for quantification of five anthraquinones (aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion) in rat plasma. Following a single-step liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes and internal standard (1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone) were separated on a reversed-phase C(18) column with water-phosphoric acid-methanol as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The linear ranges of the calibration curves were 6.5-1300 ng/mL for aloe-emodin, 20-4000 ng/mL for rhein, 40-8000 ng/mL for emodin, 15-3000 ng/mL for chrysophanol and 13-2600 ng/mL for physcion. The lower limit of quantification was 6.5 ng/mL for aloe-emodin, 20 ng/mL for rhein, 40 ng/mL for emodin, 15 ng/mL for chrysophanol and 13 ng/mL for physcion. The mean accuracy was 94.3-105.1% for aloe-emodin, 90.3-108.8% for rhein, 92.6-106.7% for emodin, 95.8-103.8% for chrysophanol and 98.7-101.2% for physcion. The within-batch and between-batch precisions were < or = 5.5% and < or = 13.4%, respectively. This method is suitable for determining the five anthraquinones in plasma simultaneously and thus investigating the pharmacokinetics of anthraquinones from Xiexin decoction in rats.     

高效液相色谱法测定藻类中的类胡萝卜素和叶绿素

提出了用高效液相色谱法测定藻类中类胡萝卜素和叶绿素的方法。采用丙国等有机溶剂提取藻类中的类胡萝卜素和叶绿素,然后在反相C18柱上进行分离。流动相选用二氯甲烷／乙腈／甲醇／水（22.5:9.5:67.5:0.5）,流速为1.0mL／min。用光度检测器检测报长为450um。叶黄素、α-胡萝卜素、β-胡萝卜素、叶绿素a和叶绿素b的平均回收串分别为99.1％,98.5％,99.4％,100.6％和99.9％,相对标准偏差分别为2.4％,5.6％,6.0％,4.1％和4.0％。     

Method validation for determination of 13 elements in honey samples by ICP-MS

A method for simultaneous ICP-MS determination of 13 elements in three types of honey from Poland is described. The method was validated, and the uncertainty budget was set up. The results obtained for the relative expanded uncertainties U _rel (k = 2) were 15.1% for Al, 18.6% for B, 18.8% for Ba, 7.9% for Ca, 24.4% for Cd, 7.24% for Cu, 7.9% for K, 4.8% for Mg, 8.3% for Mn, 12.7% for Na, 14.9% for Ni, 12.5% for Pb and 13.4% for Zn. Traceability of the measurement results was established based on the use of the corn flour CRM INCT-CF-3 and the apple leaves CRM SRM 1515 and by analyzing spiked samples. Recovery rates between 94% (Zn) and 107% (Na) were found. The detection limits of all elements studied showed the suitability of the procedure for routine analyses. Summarizing it can be concluded that the described analytical procedures to measure the mass fractions of 13 elements in honey samples with established traceability and evaluated uncertainty allow to obtain reliable and internationally comparable results.     

Concentrations of 239,240Pu and 241Am of marine products in coastal waters of Ibaraki

More than 200 samples of marine products have been collected and analyzed for plutonium and almost 100 samples for americium around Hitachi, Tokai and Oarai in the pacific coast of Ibaraki prefecture. The data have shown that the concentration factor (CF) values for plutonium were 330 for bivalve, 770 for abalone (muscle) and 610 for brown algae. For americium, the CF was calculated as 2400 for bivalve, 1000 for abalone (muscle) and 420 for brown algae.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法快速测定苦荞茶中铜、铅、镉、钴、镍

建立了用硝酸-高氯酸消解样品,电感耦合等离子体质谱法(ICP-MS)测定苦荞茶中铜、铅、镉、钴、镍的方法.方法具有灵敏度高、检出限低、精密度好、基体干扰少、准确可靠、快捷、简便的特点.各元素方法检出限(3SD,μg/L)分别为:铜0.009、铅0.023、镉0.015、钴0.022、镍0.035;方法精密度(RSD,n=12)分别为:铜2.5%～3.0%、铅2.1%～2.3%、镉3.0%～3.8%、钴2.5%～2.6%、镍1.5%～1.9%;各元素加标回收率分别为:铜95.0%～105.0%、铅95.0%～105.0%、镉98.0%～105.0%、钴95.0%～105.0%、镍95.0%～105.0%.在线用铑作为内标95.0%～105.0%.方法经国家一级标准物质验证,测定值与标准值吻合.应用于实际样品测定,结果满意.     

Economic analysis of ethanol production in California using traditional and innovative feedstock supplies

In this article, we estimate the costs of using alternative feedstocks to produce ethanol in a 40 million-gal facility in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Feedstocks include corn imported from Midwestern states and locally grown agricultural products such as corn, grapes, raisins, oranges, and other tree fruits. The estimated feedstock costs per gallon of ethanol include $0.92 for Midwestern corn, $1.21 for locally grown corn, $6.79 for grapes, $3.36 for raisins, $3.92 for citrus, and $1.42 for other tree fruit. Adjusting for coproduct values lowers the estimated net feedstock costs to $0.67/gal of ethanol for Midwestern corn, $0.96 for locally grown corn, $6.53 for grapes, and $3.30 for raisins. We also examine the potential increases in net revenue to raisin producers, made possible by having an alternative outlet available for selling surplus raisins.     

Quantitative determination of aflatoxin B1-oxime by column liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

Liquid chromatography was used for the quantification of aflatoxin B1-oxime (AFB1-oxime). The yield of AFB1-oxime in the reaction mixture was 89%, while after purification on silica gel it was 72%. LC analysis of the reaction mixture after silica gel fractionation revealed a retention time of 0.84 min for AFB1-oxime, 8.42 min for AFB1, 1.21 min for unknown 1 and 1.61 min for unknown 2. UV-visible analysis of the reaction mixture after silica gel fractionation showed a lambda(max) of 269 and 361 nm for AFB1-oxime, 263 and 360 nm for AFB1, 273 nm for unknown 1 and 275 nm for unknown 2. Excitation and emission wavelengths were found to be 269 and 368/438 nm for AFB1-oxime, 359/424 nm for AFB1, 270 and 367/450 nm for unknown 1 and 273 and 416/447 nm for unknown 2. The method may find versatile application in monitoring reactions for the preparation of oximes of various analytes for the synthesis of their immunogens.     

On-line process analysis and control in biotechnology

Measuring techniques can be developed and adapted for the characterization of bioreactors, for on-line process analysis and for the determination of biological parameters of cells during fermentation. Mathematical models can be formulated for bioreactors and cell regulation and a combined model for these can be reduced for use in process control. Microprocessors and minicomputers give further scope for data acquisition, model implementation and process control.     

Postcolumn derivatization for chromatographic analysis of carbohydrates

Various methods for postcolumn derivatization of carbohydrates for photometric (P), fluorimetric (F) and electrochemical (E) detection are summarized. The major methods include conversion to furfurals (with strong mineral acids, reducing carbohydrates, for P), formaldehyde (with periodate, carbohydrates in general, for P and F), glycamines (by reductive amination, reducing carbohydrates, for P and F), etc., followed by condensation with appropriate chromogenic or fluorogenic reagents; direct or indirect coloration of leuco compounds (for P) or chelating agents (for P and E), respectively, by utilizaing the reducibility of reducing carbohydrates; reactions with fluorogenic reagents such as aliphatic amines (for F), 2-cyanoacetamide (for P, F and E), arginine (for F), benzamidines (for F), etc., in neutral or weakly alkaline media; and coloration of the condensates with hydrazino compounds in alkali (for P). The characteristics features of individual methods and their optimized conditions are reviewed.     

Evaluation of the detection of biomolecules in capillary electrophoresis by contactless conductivity measurement

The sensitivity of contactless conductivity detection to amino acids, peptides and proteins in CE was studied for BGE solutions of different pH values. The LOD and analytical characteristics were compared for acidic and basic conditions and better results were in most cases found for buffers of low pH values. Linear dynamic ranges varied between two orders of magnitude for amino acids and peptides and three orders of magnitude for larger proteins. The concentration detection limits were found to be between 1.2 and 7.5 microM for the amino acids tested and for the larger molecules they varied between 2.6 microM for leucine enkephalin and 0.2 microM for HSA when using a buffer at pH 2.1.     

Probing the electronic structure and property of neutral and charged arsenic clusters (As(n)(+1,0,-1), n≤8) using Gaussian-3 theory

The structures and energies of As(n) (n = 2-8) neutrals, anions, and cations have been systematically investigated by means of the G3 schemes. The electron affinities, ionization potentials, binding energies, and several dissociation energies have been calculated and compared with limited experimental values. The results revealed that the potential surfaces of neutral As(n) clusters are very shallow, and two types of structural patterns compete with each other for the ground-state structure of As(n) with n ≥ 6. One type is derived from the benzvalene form of As(6), and another is derived from the trigonal prism of As(6). The previous photoelectron spectrum (taken from J. Chem. Phys. 1998 , 109 , 10727 ) for As(3) has been reassigned in light of the G3 results. The experimental electron affinities of As(3) were measured to be 1.81 eV, not 1.45 eV. We inferred from the conclusion of G3 and density functional theory that the experimental electron affinities of 1.7 and 3.51 eV for As(5) are unreliable. The reliable electron affinities were predicted to be 0.83 eV for As(2), 1.80 eV for As(3), 0.54 eV for As(4), 3.01 eV for As(5), 2.08 eV for As(6), 2.93 eV for As(7), and 2.02 eV for As(8). The G3 ionization potentials were calculated to be 9.87 eV for As(2), 7.33 eV for As(3), 8.65 eV for As(4), 6.68 eV for As(5), 7.97 eV for As(6), 6.58 eV for As(7), and 7.65 eV for As(8). The binding energies per atom were evaluated to be 1.99 eV for As(2), 2.01 eV for As(3), 2.61 eV for As(4), 2.39 eV for As(5), 2.51 eV for As(6), 2.55 eV for As(7), and 2.67 eV for As(8). These theoretical values of As(2), As(3), and As(4) are in excellent agreement with those of experimental results. Several dissociation energies were carried out to examine relative stabilities. This characterized the even-numbered clusters as more stable than the odd-numbered species.     

Spectrophotometric determination of chloride,bromide, and iodide with an improved mercury-iron-thiocyanate method

Stable reagents for the spectrophotometric mercury-iron-thiocyanate method for the determination of halide have been developed. The molar absorptivity for concentrations up to 170 μmole/liter of halide is for chloride 3.4 × 10³, for bromide 3.9 × 10³, and for iodide 4.0 × 10³. Above this concentration there is a slight decrease of the absorptivity for chloride and a slight increase for bromide and iodide.     

Effects of gamma irradiation on cell-wall constituents of some agricultural residues

The effects of 150 kilogray (kGy) of γ irradiation on cell-wall constituents of cottonwood (CW), lentils straw (LS), apple pruning products (AP) and olive cake (OC) were investigated. Samples were irradiated by γ irradiation at a dose level of 150 kGy under identical conditions of temperature and humidity and analyzed for crude fibre (CF), neutral-detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and acid-detergent lignin (ADL). The results indicate that γ irradiation decreased CF contents by about 29% for CW, LS and AP and by 17% for OC. NDF values were also decreased by about 4% for CW and OC, and by about 12% for LS and AP. γ Irradiation treatment also decreased ADF values only for CW by 8%. ADL contents decreased by 8% for CW and 5% for OC with no effects for LS and AP. The percentage of cellulose (CL): CF ratio increased by 30, 34, 38 and 20% for CW, LS, AP and OC, respectively. Also, the percentage of hemicellulose (HCL): CF increased by 57% for CW and 16% for OC and decreased by 7% for LS and AP. The percentage of HCL: ADL increased by 22% for CW but decreased by 33% for LS and AP with no changes for OC. There were no changes in CL: ADL ratio for all residues.     

Determination of low-level agricultural residues in soft drinks and sports drinks by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: single-laboratory validation

In this study, sponsored by PepsiCo Inc., a method was validated for measurement of 11 pesticide residues in soft drinks and sports drinks. The pesticide residues determined in this validation were alachlor, atrazine, butachlor, isoproturon, malaoxon, monocrotophos, paraoxon-methyl, phorate, phorate sulfone, phorate sulfoxide, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) when spiked at 0.100 microg/L (1.00 microg/L for phorate). Samples were filtered (if particulate matter was present), degassed (if carbonated), and analyzed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Quantitation was performed with matrix-matched external standard calibration solutions. The standard curve range for this assay was 0.0750 to 10.0 microg/L. The calibration curves for all agricultural residues had coefficient of determination (r2) values greater than or equal to 0.9900 with the exception of 2 values that were 0.9285 and 0.8514. Fortification spikes at 0.100 microg/L (1.00 microg/L for phorate) over the course of 2 days (n=8 each day) for 3 matrixes (7UP, Gatorade, and Diet Pepsi) yielded average percent recoveries (and percent relative standard deviations) as follows (n=48): 94.4 (15.2) for alachlor, 98.2 (13.5) for atrazine, 83.1 (41.6) for butachlor, 89.6 (24.5) for isoproturon, 87.9 (24.4) for malaoxon, 96.1 (9.26) for monocrotophos, 101 (25.7) for paraoxon-methyl, 86.6 (20.4) for phorate, 101 (16.5) for phorate sulfone, 93.6 (25.5) for phorate sulfoxide, and 98.2 (6.02) for 2,4-D.     

A pilot study for the preparation of a new Reference Material based on antarctic krill

The preparation of new Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) of antarctic matrices forms the backbone of an ongoing project in the framework of the Italian National Program for Antarctic Research. The first CRM of this kind (MURST-ISS-A1 Antarctic Marine Sediment) is already available. The second phase focuses on the certification of antarctic krill, a small shrimp extremely abundant in the Southern Ocean. The total mass of krill available for this purpose is approximately 44 kg and results from the combination of three different catches (Ross Sea, Marguerite Bay and Livingston Island, respectively). The quantification of the following elements in the raw mass appears to be affordable by current analytical techniques, values being in the range of (in μg/g) 0.11–0.30 for As, 0.03–0.12 for Cd, 0.06–0.23 for Cr, 6.1–21 for Cu, 5.7–7.6 for Fe, 0.005–0.008 for Hg, 0.7–1.2 for Mn, 0.013– 0.077 for Ni, 0.04–0.57 for Pb and 12–16 for Zn. On the other hand, the average values ascertained in freeze-dried krill are as a rule one order of magnitude higher, i.e., (in μg/g), 3.2 for As, 0.6 for Cd, 1.8 for Cr, 75 for Cu, 61 for Fe, 0.025 for Hg, 4.6 for Mn, 0.7 for Ni, 2.1 for Pb and 81 for Zn. Information on the pretreatment of krill and details on the planned certification campaign are also given. Received: 10 June 1997 / Revised: 24 September 1997 / Accepted: 28 September 1997     

Molecular Thermodynamics for Chemical Process Design

Thermodynamic properties are essential for quantitative process design to produce chemical products. Caloric properties are required for heat balances, but these properties are usually available or estimated easily. More important—and often much more difficult to estimate—are the chemical potentials of components in mixtures; it is these potentials which determine phase equilibria, as required for separation operations, and chemical equilibria, as required for chemical reactors and for separation operations based on chemical reactions. Molecular thermodynamics is an engineering-oriented science for calculating the desired chemical potentials from a minimum of experimental data. This applied science, based on classical and statistical thermodynamics, yields chemical potentials through models that are based on molecular physics and physical chemistry. Selected examples are cited to illustrate the applicability of molecular thermodynamics: group-contribution methods for obtaining chemical potentials in highly nonideal mixtures as required for distillation-column and process-safety design; equation of state for precipitation of uniform-sized crystals from supercritical fluids; molecular-orbital calculations to guide process development for alternatives to environmentally dangerous chlorofluorohydrocarbons; molecular-simulation calculations for separation of gas mixtures with porous adsorbents; equilibria in two-phase aqueous systems for separation of protein mixtures; and, finally, extended polymer-solution thermodynamics to guide synthesis of hydrogels suitable for protein recovery from soybeans and for novel drug-delivery devices.