Results of an interlaboratory comparison on the determination of polybrominated flame retardants in poly(ethyleneterephthalate)

An intercomparison to establish the performance of routine laboratories in the determination of polybrominated flame retardants in polymers was organised. Commercial poly(ethyleneterephthalate) was fortified with technical pentabromodiphenyl ether, octabromodiphenyl ether and decabromodiphenyl ether mixtures and with a decabromobiphenyl technical mixture at 0.4–0.8 g/kg. Homogeneity and stability of the total Br content in the material was confirmed. Thirty-seven laboratories from Europe, Asia and the Americas submitted results. Relative repeatability standard deviations for individual congeners ranged from 7 to 17%. Relative between-laboratory standard deviations ranged from 22 to 61%. No significant influence of a common standard, application of a standard method or method parameters could be identified. The quality and uncertainty of the results of this study are significantly worse than those reported in the environmental field and indicate a clear need for a learning process among the laboratories involved. Figure Mandel’s h (between labs): critical level: 1.91     

The effect of dietary fish oil supplementation on the concentration of 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropionic acid in human blood and urine

3-Carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropionic acid (furanpropionic acid), a metabolite commonly found in human blood and urine, is one of the major acidic components which accumulates in the blood of patients with renal failure. Polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5 ω?3) and long chain furan fatty acids, both present in commonly available fish oil capsules, are regarded as possible precursors of furanpropionic acid. Because of its strong binding to albumin and its various interactions with other endogenous and exogenous components, it is of great importance to determine the concentration of furanpropionic acid in blood and urine regularly. Solid phase extraction has been used to concentrate furanpropionic acid from both blood and urine samples. After esterification with ethereal diazomethane, gas chromatographic separation was performed on a HP-1 column (dimethylpolysiloxane). Quantitation with an internal standard was performed by mass selective detection in SIM-mode, qualifier ions being used for identification and accuracy. Fish oil supplementation of the diet of 24 patients for four weeks led to 3-fold and 5 to 6-fold increases in the levels of furanpropionic acid in serum and urine, respectively.     

Identification of plasticizers in medical products by a combined direct thermodesorption--cooled injection system and gas chromatography--mass spectrometry.

The combination of a new thermodesorption module with a cooled injection system now provides a powerful system for direct analysis of volatile trace compounds in gaseous, liquid and solid samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). As a cooled injection system is used for the cryofocusing of the desorbed volatiles the GC-MC system still can be used for the regular analysis of liquid samples. Although plasticizers usually are analyzed by GC-MS after solvent extraction, contaminated solvents and glassware are very well known problems. Analysis of plasticizers in plastic materials by direct thermodesorption instead saves time and avoids cross contaminations. Many medical products are made of plasticized polyvinyl chloride. Extraction of the common plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) into blood will occur, and harmful effects of DEHP in the human body have been suggested. We therefore analyzed 21 different plastic devices which are used for various invasive techniques in medicine by direct thermodesorption GC-MS. In some of the plastics up to 30 different components were identified. By far the most common plasticizer found was DEHP, followed by diethyl and dibutyl phthalates.     

尿中核苷排放模式测定的两种方法─-HPLC和CE法(英文)

 癌症病人在尿中排放比常人高得多的叶啉和嘧啶,这些改性核耷是RNA的主要组成。由于其增加的排放与癌变的RNA周转有关,已被建议和研究作肿瘤标记物。文章给出测定尿中核苷的反相高效液相色谱法和毛细管电泳方法。两种方法所得数据一致。用此方法建立了正常人尿中核苷的排放水平,并测定了34个癌症病人尿中核苷浓度,观察到改性核着浓度明显的增高现象。结果袭明,两个方法均适于大量尿样的核苷与癌症关系的临床研究。     

Absolute quantum yield measurements for the formation of oxygen atoms after UV laser excitation of SO2 at 222-4 nm

The dynamics of formation of oxygen atoms after UV photoexcitation of SO₂ in the gas-phase was studied by pulsed laser photolysis-laser-inducedfluorescence ‘pump-and-probe’ technique in a flow reactor. SO₂ at room-temperature was excited at the KrCl excimer laser wavelength (222.4 nm) and O(³P_j) photofragments were detected under collision-free conditions by vacuum ultraviolet laser-induced fluorescence. The use of narrow-band probe laser radiation, generated viaresonant third-order sum-difference frequency conversion of dye laser radiation in Krypton, allowed the measurement of the nascent O(³P_j=2,1,0) fine-structure state distribution:n _j=2/n_j=1/n_j=0 = (0.88 ± 0.02)/(0.10 ± 0.01)/(0.02 ± 0.01). Employing NO₂photolysis as a reference, a value of Φ₀(³P) = 0.13 ± 0.05 for the absolute O(³P) atom quantum yield was determined. The measured O(³P) quantum yield is compared with the results of earlier fluorescence quantum yield measurements. A suitable mechanism is suggested in which the dissociation proceeds via internal conversion from high rotational states of the initially excited SO₂(~C¹B₂ (1, 2, 2) vibronic level to nearby continuum states of the electronic ground state.     

Application of iridium catalyzed allylic substitution reactions in the synthesis of branched tryptamines and homologues via tandem hydroformylation-Fischer indole synthesis

Combination of enantioselective allylation reactions with a tandem hydroformylation-Fischer indole synthesis sequence as a highly diversity-oriented strategy for the synthesis of tryptamines and homologues was explored. This modular approach allows the substituents at C3 of the indole core, the type of the amine moiety, and the distance of the amine moiety to the indole core in the final synthetic step to be defined. The starting materials required for the hydroformylation step were synthesized via iridium catalyzed enantioselective allylic substitution reactions in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. The Rh catalyzed hydroformylation step in the presence of phenyl hydrazine, allows the in situ formed aldehyde to be trapped as the hydrazone. Subsequent acid catalyzed indolization furnishes the desired indole structures in moderate to good yields.     

Chemometrics-aided RBS analysis of thin films

Summary Elemental analysis of thin films by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) has been chemometrics-aided in borderline cases: Spectra simulation based on a physical model of Rutherford backscattering is applied for both the prediction of critical analytical parameters and quantitative analysis of overlapping peaks. Non-linear regression using a semi-empirical model of depth profiling allows to improve the determination of concentrations near surface and interface. Statistical tests and multivariate techniques, respectively, enable depth profiles to be judged and compared objectively. Benefits of these methods are demonstrated for high-T_c superconducting and resistor thin layers.     

Characterisation of the chemical homogeneity of solid-state materials by chemometric methods: Further multivariate aspects

Some further possibilities of widespread multivariate methods are checked for usefulness in chemometrical characterising the inhomogeneity of solid materials. The methods are applied to data of ten elements obtained by spark source mass spectrometric milliprobing along radial and azimuthal co-ordinates on the surface of a copper disc sample. Special multivariate control charting reveals locations with significant concentration deviations. Two-factor analysis of variance can distinguish very sensitively between radial and azimuthal contributions. Principal components analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis need three or four main components to explain sufficiently some groups of chemical elements with similar behaviour. Factor analysis clearly confirms four element groups as background factors causing inhomogeneity in a different manner. An extended strategy is proposed how to use which chemometrical method in which sequence for characterising the inhomogeneity.Dedicated to Professor Dr. K. Doerffel on the occasion of his 70th birthday