Determination of airborne isocyanates as di-n-butylamine derivatives using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

A method for the determination of isocyanates as di-n-butyl amine (DBA) derivatives using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and electrospray ionisation (ESI) is presented. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) of the protonated molecular ions and corresponding deuterium-labelled d₉-DBA derivatives resulted in selective quantifications with correlation coefficients >0.998 for the DBA derivatives of isocyanic acid (ICA), methyl isocyanate (MIC), ethyl isocyanate (EIC), propyl isocyanate (PIC), phenyl isocyanate (PhI), 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), 2,4-, 2,6-toluene diisocyanate (TDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), 4,4′-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), 3-ring MDI, 4-ring MDI, HDI-isocyanurate, HDI-diisocyanurate, HDI-biuret and HDI-dibiuret. The instrumental precision for 10 repeated injections of a solution containing 0.1 μg ml⁻¹ of the studied derivatives was <2%. Performing MRM of the product ion [DBA + H]⁺ (m/z = 130) from the protonated molecular ion resulted in the lowest detection limits, down to 10 amol (for TDI). Quantification of concentrations below 10⁻⁶ of the occupational exposure limit (OEL) for TDI during 10 min of air sampling was made possible. In an effort to control the formation of alkali adducts, addition of lithium acetate to the mobile phase and monitoring of lithium adducts was evaluated. Having lithium present in the mobile phase resulted in complete domination of [M + Li]⁺ adducts, but detection limits for the studied compounds were not improved. Different deuterium-labelled derivatives as internal standards were evaluated. (1) DBA derivatives of deuterium-labelled isocyanates (d₄-HDI, d₃-2,4-TDI, d₃-2,6-TDI and d₂-MDI), (2) d₉-DBA derivatives of the corresponding isocyanates and (3) d₁₈-DBA derivatives of the corresponding isocyanates. An increase in number of deuterium in the molecule of the internal standard resulted in an increase in instrumental precision and a decrease in correlation within calibration series.     

Determination of aliphatic amines in air by membrane enrichment directly coupled to a gas chromatograph

Summary A method is described for the determination of shortchain aliphatic amines in ambient air based on impinger sampling in dilute H₂SO₄, selective enrichment across a PTFE gas membrane and quantification by gas chromatography. The enrichment step is carried out in a flow system directly connected to the chromatograph. The separation is performed on a packed column with nitrogen selective detection. The enrichment per sample volume was in the range 7.3 to 8.2 mL^–1 for C₁–C₆ amines. Detection limits were ca 3–10 nM with enrichment of a 2.9 mL liquid sample. After impinger sampling of 5 m³ air in 10 mL absorption solution, this corresponds, to 0.4–0.8 ng/m³ (ca 0.2–0.5 ppt by volume) in air.     

Improving the efficiency and reliability of free energy perturbation calculations using overlap sampling methods

A challenge in free energy calculation for complex molecular systems by computer simulation is to obtain a reliable estimate within feasible computational time. In this study, we suggest an answer to this challenge by exploring a simple method, overlap sampling (OS), for producing reliable free-energy results in an efficient way. The formalism of the OS method is based on ensuring sampling of important overlapping phase space during perturbation calculations. This technique samples both forward and reverse free energy perturbation (FEP) to improve the free-energy calculation. It considers the asymmetry of the FEP calculation and features an ability to optimize both the precision and the accuracy of the measurement without affecting the simulation process itself. The OS method is tested at two optimization levels: no optimization (simple OS), and full optimization (equivalent to Bennett's method), and compared to conventional FEP techniques, including the widely used direct FEP averaging method, on three alchemical mutation systems: (a) an anion transformation in water solution, (b) mutation between methanol and ethane, and (c) alchemical change of an adenosine molecule. It is consistently shown that the reliability of free-energy estimates can be greatly improved using the OS techniques at both optimization levels, while the performance of Bennett's method is particularly striking. In addition, the efficiency of a calculation can be significantly improved because the method is able to (a) converge to the right answer quickly, and (b) work for large perturbations. The basic two-stage OS method can be extended to admit additional stages, if needed. We suggest that the OS method can be used as a general perturbation technique for computing free energy differences in molecular simulations.     

A competitive particle nucleation mechanism in the polymerization of homogenized styrene emulsions

The effects of concentrations of surfactant (sodium lauryl sulfate [SLS]) and initiator (sodium persulfate [SPS]) on the polymerization of homogenized styrene emulsions, stabilized by SLS/lauryl methacrylate (LMA) or SLS/stearyl methacrylate (SMA), were studied. The rate of polymerization increases with increasing [SLS] or [SPS]. In addition to monomer droplet nucleation, the formation of particle nuclei in the aqueous phase (homogeneous nucleation) plays a crucial role in the polymerization kinetics. In comparison with the LMA containing polymerization system, monomer droplet nucleation becomes more important when the more hydrophobic SMA was used as the costabilizer. Furthermore, the degree of homogeneous nucleation increases with increasing [SPS].     

Measurement of unbound cocaine in blood, brain and bile of anesthetized rats using microdialysis coupled with liquid chromatography and verified by tandem mass spectrometry

To investigate the disposition of unbound cocaine in the rat blood, brain and bile, we demonstrate an in vivo multiple sampling microdialysis system coupled with liquid chromatography for cocaine assay and verified by tandem mass spectrometry. Three microdialysis probes were concurrently inserted into the jugular vein, bile duct and brain striatum of each anesthetized rat. After a period of 2 h post-surgical stabilization, cocaine (10 mg kg(-1)) was administered through the femoral vein. Separation of unbound cocaine from various biological fluids was applied to a reversed-phase C(18) column (250 x 4.6 mm I.D., 5 microm). The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile--10 mm potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (25:75, v/v, pH 4.0) and 0.8% diethylamine at a flow rate of 1 mL min(-1). The UV detector wavelength was set at 235 nm. The results indicate that cocaine penetrates the blood--brain barrier with a rapid distribution. However, unbound cocaine in the bile dialysate was not detectable in the UV detection. We therefore use LC--tandem mass spectrometry to detect the bile fluid after cocaine administration (3 mg kg(-1), i.v.). The results indicate that cocaine goes through hepatobiliary excretion.     

Detection of ethanol in human body fluids by headspace solid-phase micro extraction (SPME)/capillary gas chromatography

Summary Ethanol has been found extractable from human whole blood and urine samples by headspace solid-phase micro extraction (SPME) with a Carbowax/divinylbenzene-coated fiber. After heating a vial containing the body fluid sample with ethanol, and isobutanol as internal standard (IS) at 70°C in the presence of (NH₄)₂SO₄, a Carbowax/divinylbenzene-coated SPME fiber was exposed in the headspace of the vial to allow adsorption of the compounds. The fiber needle was then injected into a middle-bore capillary gas chromatography (GC) port. The headspace SPME-GC gave intense peaks for both compounds; a small amount of background noises appeared, but did not interfere with the detection of the compounds. Recoveries of ethanol and IS were 0.049 and 0.026% for whole blood, respectively, and 0.054 and 0.085% for urine, respectively. The calibration curves for ethanol showed excellent linearity in the range of 80–5000 mg L^–1 for whole blood and 40–5000 mg L^–1 for urine; the detection limits for both samples were 20 and 10 mg L^–1, respectively. The data on actual determination of ethanol after the drinking of beer are also presented for two subjects.     

Sampling and sample-preparation strategies based on solid-phase microextraction for analysis of indoor air

Applications of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) to the sampling and analysis of volatile organic compounds in indoor air are reviewed, including a summary of quantification methods, coatings, compounds, concentrations, sampling locations and times, and detection limits. Strategies for on-site and off-site sampling and analysis, advantages and challenges associated with SPME for air sampling are discussed.     

Practical capillary gas chromatography—a systematic approach

Capillary gc is now rapidly expanding. Naturally, initiation is most often attempted on the basis of the experience acquired with packed columns. However, such an extrapolation is successful only if a number of essential peculiarities of capillary gc are considered. Based on practical examples this paper discusses six essential details: 1) design and maintenance of the gas flow paths, 2) the greatly increased importance of sampling technique, which should not be confined just to stream splitting, 3) the problems in quantitative analysis arising from small sample size, 4) specific sources of trouble related to small amounts of liquid phase, 5) specific arguments for the choice of the carrier gas, clearly pointing to hydrogen as the ideal carrier and, 6) the different way to approach column production. Figures for all selected examples are given.     

火焰原子吸收光谱法测定茶叶中的锰

介绍悬浮液进样-次灵敏线火焰原子吸收光谱法测定茶叶中的锰的方法。以琼脂为悬浮剂，将茶叶样品均匀、稳定地悬浮于琼脂溶胶中，直接喷入空气-乙炔火焰中，利用锰280.1nm次灵敏线，以工作曲线或标准加入法测定锰的含量，方法简便、快速，用于测定茶叶和桃叶样品中的锰，结果准确。     

Passive sampling and/or extraction techniques in environmental analysis: a review

The current state-of-the-art of passive sampling and/or extraction methods for long-term monitoring of pollutants in different environmental compartments is discussed in this review. Passive dosimeters that have been successfully used to monitor organic and inorganic contaminants in air, water, sediments, and soil are presented. The application of new approaches to the determination of pollutants at the sampling stage is discussed. The main milestones in the development of passive techniques for sampling and/or extraction of analytes, and in biomonitors used in environmental analysis, are summarized in this review. Passive samplers and biomonitors are compared.