Surface and wastewater quality monitoring: combination of liquid chromatography with (geno)toxicity detection,diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry for identification of pollutants

Identification of unknown water pollutants with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS) is often more complex and time consuming than identification with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC–MS). In order to focus the identification effort on relevant compounds, unknown peaks need to be selected carefully. Based on its frequency of occurrence in the LC–Diode Array Detection (LC–DAD) chromatograms of surface and infiltrated waters, an unknown peak was selected for identification with LC–MS–MS. This compound was identified as hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM), a chemical often used in the coating industry. This is the first time the presence of this chemical in surface waters has been reported. In addition to HMMM, two other structurally related compounds were found to be present in the investigated surface water. A standard mixture of HMMM and its by-products did not exhibit (geno)toxicity under the test conditions applied in this study. In another example, a genotoxic fraction of an industrial wastewater was isolated and examined by LC–MS–MS using a modern quadrupole–orthogonal acceleration-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Q-TOF). Four compounds were detected. The structures of two compounds present are proposed to be 9-amino-2-hydroxy-acridine and 9-hydroxy-acridine-N-oxide or its structural isomer dihydroxy-acridine. Confirmation with standards could not be carried out, as pure compounds are not available. The other two compounds (structural isomers) could not be identified based on the data available within this study.     

Shape resonances in slow electron scattering by aromatic molecules. I. Anthraquinone derivatives

A series of anthraquinone (C(14)O(2)H(8)) derivatives has been studied by means of electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry (ECNI-MS), photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), and AM1 quantum chemical calculations. Mean lifetimes of molecular negative ions M(-.) (MNI) have been measured. The mechanism of long-lived MNI formation in the epithermal energy region of incident electrons has been investigated. A simple model of a molecule (a spherical potential well with the repulsive centrifugal term) has been applied for the analysis of the energy dependence of cross sections at the first stage of the electron capture process. It has been shown that a temporary resonance of MNI at the energy approximately 0.5 eV corresponds to a shape resonance with lifetime 1-2.10(-13) s in the f-partial wave (l = 3) of the incident electron. The next resonant state of MNI at the energy approximately 1.7 eV has been associated with the electron excited Feshbach resonance (whose parent state is a triplet npi* transition). In all cases the initial electron state of the MNI relaxes into the ground state by means of a radiationless transition, and the final state of the MNI is a nuclear excited resonance with a lifetime measurable on the mass spectrometry timescale. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phase behavior and gelation of solutions of poly (vinyl alcohol)

The phase behavior of poly (vinyl alcohol) dissolved in ethylene glycol and propylene glycol was studied. On cooling a solution in the low concentration range, solidification results from a combination of a liquid-liquid demixing and a crystallization or liquid-solid demixing. This conclusion is based on the results obtained from optical and calorimetric observations and is further supported by the influence of the molecular weight and the solvent quality. It also explains the melting point-crystallization relationship observed after isothermal crystallization of the polymer in presence of the solvent. The mechanism proposed for the thermoreversible gelation of these solution is confirmed.     

Analysis of a shielded TE011 mode composite dielectric resonator for stable frequency reference

Analysis of a TE₀₁₁ mode composite sapphire-rutile dielectric resonator has been carried out to study the temperature variation of resonance frequency, close to the Cs atomic clock hyperfine frequency of 9.192 GHz. The complementary behavior of dielectric permittivity with temperature of the composite has been exploited to obtain the desired turning point in the resonant frequency. The frequency of the composite structure is found to be independent of the shield diameter beyond four times the puck diameter.     

Electrospray ionization multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometric analysis of diglycosyldiacylglycerol glycolipids from the bacteria Bacillus pumilus

Electrospray ionization (ESI) combined with multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n)) was used to directly analyze the glycolipid mixture from bacteria Bacillus pumilus without preliminary separation. Full scan ESI-MS revealed the composition of picomole quantities of glycerolglycolipid species containing C(14)-C(19) fatty acids, some of which were monounsaturated. Two main components were identified from their molecular masses and fragmentation pathways. The fragmentation pathway of the known compound compared with the investigated compound verified the proposed structure as 1(3)-acyl-2-pentadecanoyl-3(1)-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-sn-glycerols. A comparison of the multiple tandem mass spectra of the different alkali-metal cation adducts indicates that the intensity of fragments and the dissociation pathways are dependent on the alkali-metal type. The basic structures of glycerolglycolipids were reflected clearly from the fragmentation patterns of the sodium cations. The intense fragments of the sugar residue from the precursor ions were obtained from the lithiated adduct ions. ESI-MS(n) spectra of [M + K](+) ions did not provide as much fragmentation as [M + Na](+) and [M + Li](+) adducts, but their spectra allow the position of glycerol acylation to be determined. On the basis of MS(2) spectra of [M + K](+) ions, it was established that all components have a C(15:0) fatty acid at the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone and C(14)-C(19) acids at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of data scaling on dual prices and sensitivity analysis in linear programs

In many practical situations scaling the data is necessary to solve linear programs. This note explores the relationships in translating the sensitivity analysis between the original and the scaled problems.     

Variable-temperature x-ray structural investigation of [Fe[HC(3,5-Me2pz)3]2](BF4)2 (pz= pyrazolyl ring): observation of a thermally induced spin state change from all high spin to an equal high spin-low spin mixture, concomitant with the onset of nonmerohedral twinning

The complex [Fe[HC(3,5-Me(2)pz)(3)](2)](BF(4))(2) (pz = pyrazolyl ring) undergoes a phase transition that occurs concomitantly with a thermally induced spin conversion between the high-spin (HS, S = 2) and low-spin (LS, S = 0) states. Above 204 K the compound is completely HS with the structure in the C2/c space group with Z = 4. A crystal structure determination of this phase was performed at 220 K yielding the cell constants a = 20.338(2) A, b = 10.332(1) A, c = 19.644(2) A, beta = 111.097(2) degrees, and V = 3851.5(6) A(3). There is one unique iron(II) site at this temperature. Below 206 K the compound converts to a 50:50 mixture of HS and LS. The radical change in the coordination sphere for half of the iron(II) sites, most notably a shortening of the Fe-N bond distances by ca. 0.2 A, that accompanies this magnetic transition causes a phase transition. The crystal system changes from C-centered monoclinic to primitive triclinic with Z = 2 with two half-molecules on independent inversion centers. A crystal structure determination was performed at 173 K in space group P1 with a = 10.287(2) A, b = 11.355(3) A, c = 18.949(4) A, alpha = 90.852(4) degrees, beta = 105.245(4) degrees, gamma = 116.304(4) degrees, and V = 1892.3(8) A(3). All specimens investigated below the phase transition temperature were determined to be nonmerohedral twins. Temperature cycling between these two forms does not appear to degrade crystal quality. Previous magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate a second, irreversible increase in the magnetic moment the first time the crystals are cooled below 85 K. A crystal structure determination at 220 K of a specimen precooled to 78 K was not significantly different from those not cooled below 220 K.