Determination of impurities in high-purity carbon tetrachloride by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The impurities in high-purity carbon tetrachloride (CCl ₄ ) were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The use of chromatography of near-saturated vapors allowed the injection of samples up to 1 μL into a capillary column and to achieve specific column efficiency in an isothermal mode of 221,000 t.p./m. The detection limits for impurities were 1 × 10⁻¹ to 1 × 10⁻⁸ wt %.     

Determination of brominated diphenyl ethers (from mono- to hexa- congeners) in indoor dust by pressurised liquid extraction with in-cell clean-up and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

This study presents a selective pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry method for the determination of brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) in indoor dust. Selective PLE consisted of the addition of Florisil mixed with the sample in order to perform an in-cell clean-up. This approach provided a cleaner and almost colourless extract, ready to be injected in the gas chromatograph. The PLE conditions were studied using an experimental design, firstly a 4 × 3 × 2 multifactor categorical design to screen sorbent, solvent and temperature and then a central composite design to optimise sorbent mass, temperature and time. Finally, the number of extraction cycles was studied. The selected conditions were 4 g of Florisil all mixed with the sample and no additional clean-up sorbent layer, 1:1 n-hexane-dichloromethane, 60% flush volume, 40 °C, 1,500 psi, 2-min static time and one cycle. The proposed method allowed accurate determination of BDEs, with recovery values between 82% and 101% and detection limits between 0.06 and 0.24 ng g⁻¹. It also has advantages over other existing methods in terms of simplicity, automation, analysis time and solvent consumption.     

Improving IRMPD in a quadrupole ion trap

A focused laser is used to make infrared multiphoton photodissociation (IRMPD) more efficient in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. Efficient (up to 100%) dissociation at the standard operating pressure of 1 × 10⁻³ Torr can be achieved without any supplemental ion activation and with shorter irradiation times. The axial amplitudes of trapped ion clouds are measured using laser tomography. Laser flux on the ion cloud is increased six times by focusing the laser so that the beam waist approximates the ion cloud size. Unmodified peptide ions from 200 Da to 3 kDa are completely dissociated in 2.5–10 ms at a bath gas pressure of 3.3 × 10⁻⁴ Torr and in 3–25 ms at 1.0 × 10⁻³ Torr. Sequential dissociation of product ions is increased by focusing the laser and by operating at an increased bath gas pressure to minimize the size of the ion cloud.     

Formations of Active Species and By-Products in Water by Pulsed High-Voltage Discharge

Formations of active species and by-products are different from bubbling different gases in a pulsed high-voltage discharge reactor. The identification of all the products and the formation rate determination of active species are quite important as the process is applied to wastewater disposal. Serials of measurements were conducted to do the identifications and determinations in this paper. Amounts of · OH all increased but that of H₂O₂ all decreased by bubbling gas. The · OH formation rate was 3.49 × 10⁻⁷, 3.56 × 10⁻⁷, 3.21 × 10⁻⁷ and 1.94 × 10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹ s⁻¹ with bubbling nitrogen, argon, air and oxygen respectively, but it was 1.61 × 10⁻⁷ mol s⁻¹ l⁻¹ without bubbling. Without any bubbling, the H₂O₂ formation rate was up to 6.53 × 10⁻⁶ mol l⁻¹ s⁻¹, while it was 9.97 × 10⁻⁷, 1.663 × 10⁻⁷, 1.73 × 10⁻⁶ and 3.14 × 10⁻⁶ mol l⁻¹ s⁻¹ with bubbling nitrogen, argon, air and oxygen, respectively. NO₂⁻ and NO₃⁻ was detected in discharged water with bubbling nitrogenous gas. Their formation made the pH decreased.     

Sensitive and selective determination of mercury by differential pulse stripping voltammetry after accumulation of mercury vapour on a gold plated graphite electrode

 A selective and sensitive method is proposed for the determination of mercury by anodic stripping voltammetry after its preconcentration from the gas phase. Mercury from the sample solution is reduced to elemental Hg by SnCl₂ and volatilized by the bubbles of a carrier gas. The gas containing mercury vapour is dried and passed through a capillary onto a gold coated graphite electrode. An anodic stripping voltammogram is recorded from 0.1 mol/l HClO₄+3×10^-3 mol/l HCl solution. The calibration curve is linear from 1×10^-9 to 4×10^-8 mol/l Hg(NO₃)₂. The absolute detection limit is 0.46 ng Hg. The relative standard deviations for 4×10^-9 mol/l and 2×10^-8 mol/l Hg(NO₃)₂ are 9.8% and 6.1%, respectively (n=5). Received: 18 December 1995/Revised: 16 April 1996/Accepted: 20 April 1996     

Synthesis,structure, and electric properties of oxygen-deficient perovskites Ba<Subscript>3</Subscript>In<Subscript>2</Subscript>ZrO<Subscript>8</Subscript> and Ba<Subscript>4</Subscript>In<Subscript>2</Subscript>Zr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>11</Subscript>

Perovskite phases Ba₃In₂ZrO₈ and Ba₄In₂Zr₂O₁₁ with the nominal concentration of structural oxygen vacancies 1/9 and 1/12, respectively, were synthesized by solid-phase and solution methods. X-ray diffraction showed cubic symmetry of both phases with the unit cell parameter a = 0.4193(2) and 0.4204(3) nm, respectively. The absence of superstructural lines resulted in the conclusion on statistical arrangement of oxygen vacancies. Thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry proved that both phases can reversibly absorb water from gas phase (pH₂O = 2 × 10⁻² atm) with observed correlation between the concentration of oxygen vacancies and amount of absorbed water. The total water amount was up to 0.9 mol per formula unit or, if recalculated for perovskite unit ABO₃, 0.3 and 0.23 mol H₂O, respectively. The temperature curves of coductivity in the atmosphere with various partial water vapor pressures (pH₂O = 3 × 10⁻⁵ and 2 × 10⁻² atm) showed significantly higher conductivity and lower activation energy (0.52 eV) in humid atmosphere due to proton transfer. The proton conductivity is up to 5 × 10⁻⁴ Ohm⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 300°C for Ba₃In₂ZrO₈ specimen. IR spectrometry showed that protons in the structure exist primarily in OH-groups.     

Sensitive and selective determination of mercury by differential pulse stripping voltammetry after accumulation of mercury vapour on a gold plated graphite electrode

A selective and sensitive method is proposed for the determination of mercury by anodic stripping voltammetry after its preconcentration from the gas phase. Mercury from the sample solution is reduced to elemental Hg by SnCl₂ and volatilized by the bubbles of a carrier gas. The gas containing mercury vapour is dried and passed through a capillary onto a gold coated graphite electrode. An anodic stripping voltam-mogram is recorded from 0.1 mol/1 HClO₄ + 3 × 10⁻³ mol/1 HCl solution. The calibration curve is linear from 1 × 10⁻⁹ to 4 × 10⁻⁸ mol/1 Hg(NO₃)₂. The absolute detection limit is 0.46 ng Hg. The relative standard deviations for 4 × 10⁻⁹ mol/1 and 2 × 10⁻⁸ mol/1 Hg(NO₃)₂ are 9.8% and 6.1%, respectively n = 5).     

41Ca ultratrace determination with isotopic selectivity > 1012 by diode-laser-based RIMS

⁴¹Ca ultratrace determination by diode-laser-based resonance ionization mass spectrometry with extremely high isotopic selectivity is presented. Application to environmental dosimetry of nuclear reactor components, to cosmochemical investigations of production cross sections, and biomedical isotope-tracer studies of human calcium kinetics are discussed. Future investigations are possible use in ⁴¹Ca-radiodating. Depending on the application, ⁴¹Ca isotopic abundances in the range of 10^–9 to 10^–15 relative to the dominant stable isotope ⁴⁰Ca must be determined. Either double- or triple-resonance optical excitation with narrow-band extended cavity diode lasers and subsequent non-resonant photoionization of calcium in a collimated atomic beam were used. The resulting photoions are detected with a quadrupole mass spectrometer optimized for background reduction and neighboring mass suppression. Applying the full triple-resonance scheme provides a selectivity of ∼ 5 × 10¹² in the suppression of neighboring isotopes and > 10⁸ for isobars, together with an overall detection efficiency of ∼ 5 × 10^–5. Measurements on a variety of sample types are discussed; the accuracy and reproducibility of the resulting ⁴¹Ca/⁴⁰Ca isotope ratios was better than 5%. Received: 4 January 2001 / Revised: 19 February 2001 / Accepted: 27 February 2001     

Experimental evidence for the formation of doubly charged oxide and hydroxide ions in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The formation of doubly charged polyatomic ions in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers was investigated using commercially available instruments. The species observed were ThO²⁺ and ThOH²⁺, which were found in similar amounts with the different instruments used in this study, when operated under routine analytical conditions. The signal ratios for ThO²⁺ were between 1.8 × 10^–4 and 4.2 × 10^–4 relative to the singly charged elemental ion and between 1.4 × 10^–2 and 2.2 × 10^–2 relative to the doubly charged elemental ion. The formation of ThOH²⁺ was between 1.1 × 10^–4 and 2.8 × 10^–4 relative to the singly charged elemental ion and between 0.72 × 10^–2 and 1.3 × 10^–2 relative to the doubly charged elemental ion. A mechanism is proposed for the formation of the doubly charged oxide and hydroxide ions that is based on the condensation of the doubly charged elemental ion with water or oxygen molecules in the interface region of the mass spectrometer. Received: 20 December 2000 / Revised: 19 March 2001 / Accepted: 22 March 2001     

高精度四极质谱检测限测试和影响因素分析

高精度四极质谱仪(QMS)的气体分压精确测量功能与其使用方法关系密切.采用包含有四极质谱仪、真空系统和进样系统的质谱参数测试装置,针对工作及系统参数对质谱测试结果的影响开展研究.试验结果表明:无论是扫描速率、质量数分辨率、电压和探测器等质谱工作参数,还是真空本底、工作真空和气体种类等系统参数都会对质谱测试结果尤其检测限产生一定影响.试验获得了特定条件下的最优参数并进行比较.采用获得的最优参数组合,通过测量空气中极低含量稀有氪气和氙气的同位素谱图,可获得一定条件下法拉第杯(FC)、二次电子倍增器(SEM)和离子计数器(CP)等3种探测器的最小可检浓度,分别为17.3×10-9、0.34×10-9和0.15×10-9.其中SEM和CP的检测限最低,适合用于微量气体分析.     

Differential kinetic thermal lens determination of aniline and 4-nitroaniline

Thermal lens spectrometry was used for the differential kinetic determination of aniline (over the concentration range of 8 × 10⁻⁴–3.2 × 10⁻³ M) and 4-nitroaniline (2 × 10⁻⁴–1.6 × 10⁻³ M) present in combination in a single sample based on the oxidation reaction with periodate ions in an acidic medium (this determination is not possible with the spectrophotometric monitoring of the rate of reaction). The thermal lens procedure (λ_e = 488.0 nm; 80 mW) was characterized by good performance characteristics in the determination of aniline (c _min = 3 × 10⁻⁴ M; c _d = 8 × 10⁻⁴ M) and 4-nitroaniline (c _min = 7 × 10⁻⁵ M; c _d = 2 × 10⁻⁴ M), simplicity, and rapidity.     

Iodide ion selective poly(aniline) solid contact electrode based on quinine-cu ionophores

Iodide ion selective poly(aniline) solid contact electrode based on quinine-Cu ionophore as a sensing material has been successfully developed. The electrode exhibits good linear response of 52.0 mV/decade (at 20 ± 0.2°C, r ² = 0.9998) within the concentration range of 1 × 10^−6.4–1 × 10^−1.0 M KI. The composition of this electrode was quinine-Cu 2.0: PVC 30.0: bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate 68.0 (mass). This plasticizer provides the best response characteristics. The electrode shows good selectivity for iodide ion in comparison with any other anions and is suitable for use with aqueous solutions of pH 3.3–9.4. The standard deviations of the measured EMF difference were ±1.4 and ±1.3 mV for iodide sample solutions of 1.0 × 10⁻² M and 1.0 × 10⁻³ M, respectively. The stabilization time was less than 10 min and response time was less than 15 sec.     

Certified reference material for quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and toxic elements in tunnel dust (NMIJ CRM 7308-a) from the National Metrology Institute of Japan

The National Metrology Institute of Japan has issued a certified reference material of tunnel dust for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and toxic element analyses. PAH certification was performed using isotope dilution mass spectrometry with deuterium-labeled PAHs as internal standards. Three extraction techniques (microwave-assisted extraction with toluene/methanol, Soxhlet extraction with toluene, and pressurized liquid extraction with toluene) were used, and the extracts were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with two different columns. For values of PAHs, 11 PAHs are provided as certified values between 0.294 and 20.3 mg/kg, and five PAHs are provided as information values. Certified values of five toxic elements (Cr, Ni, Pb, Mn, and Cd) obtained from microwave-assisted digestions and a combination of measurement techniques are also provided between 43.4 and 10.71 × 10³ mg/kg.     

Analytical performance of high-voltage neon plasma in glow discharge optical emission spectrometry

In a high-voltage Ne glow discharge plasma (Ne-GDP), calibration factors as well as the limit of determination were compared between atomic resonance lines and singly-ionized lines of copper and aluminium in optical emission spectrometry. These elements have intense ionic lines which are excited by resonance charge-transfer collisions of Ne ions. The ionic lines gave better detection sensitivity in the Ne-GDP, whereas the atomic resonance lines were commonly employed as analytical lines in the other plasma sources such as Ar-GDP and ICP. The limit of determination was 1.3 × 10^–3 mass % for the Cu II 248.58 nm line and 1.0 × 10^–3 mass % Al for the Al II 358.66 nm line at a discharge parameter of 1.60 kV/36 mA. Received: 22 January 1999 / Revised: 15 March 1999 / Accepted: 20 March 1999     

Simultaneous Determination of Triptolide and Tripdiolide in Extract of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. by LC–APCI-MS

A novel method using liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry in the negative selected ion monitoring mode has been developed and validated for rapid simultaneous determination of triptolide and tripdiolide in the extract of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. The molecular ions m/z [M–H]⁻ 359 and 375 were selected for the quantification in selected ion monitoring mode for triptolide and tripdiolide. Standard calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 0.12–24 and 0.15–30 μg mL⁻¹ for triptolide and tripdiolide. The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day were in the range of 4.7–9.9 and 8.9–12.6%. The average recoveries were between 96.4 and 104.6%. The limits of quantitation were 2.0 × 10⁻³ and 2.5 × 10⁻³ μg mL⁻¹ for triptolide and tripdiolide.     

Gas chromatographic determination of benzothiophenes in high-purity sulfur

A procedure is developed for the determination of benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene in high-purity sulfur, including liquid-phase microextraction preconcentration, identification by gas chromatography?mass spectrometry, and gas chromatographic determination with flame photometric detection. The rate of microextraction recovery was from 16 to 78%. The limits of detection were 8 × 10^–5 wt % for benzophiophene and 2 × 10^–5 wt % for dibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene.     

Voltammetric and Spectrophotometric Determination of Nizatidi ne in Pharmaceutical Formulations

 Two methods are described for quantitative determination of nizatidine. The first is a cathodic stripping voltammetric method which is based on the accumulation of the compound at the hanging mercury drop electrode. The adsorptive stripping response was evaluated with respect of accumulation time, potential, concentration, pH and other variables. A linear calibration graph was obtained over the range 3.0×10⁻⁸–1.0×10⁻⁶ M with a detection limit 3.0×10⁻⁸ M after a 20s accumulation time at −0.2 V accumulation potential. On the other hand, it was found that the detection limit could be lowered to 1.0×10⁻⁸ M after 180s accumulation time at −0.2 V accumulation potential. The relative standard deviation was in the range 1.2−2.0% for six measurements. The tolerance amounts of the common excipients have also been reported. The second is a spectrophotometric method which is based on the formation and extraction of the ion-pair complex formed between nizatidine and either bromocresol green or bromothymol blue. The extracted colored ion-pair complexes absorb at 416 nm. The effect of different factors such as: type of organic solvent, pH, reagent concentration, number of extraction times, shaking time, temperature and the tolerance amount of the common excipients have been reported. The calibration graph was linear in the range 6.0×10⁻⁷–1.8×10⁻⁵ M with a detection limit of 6.0×10⁻⁷ M and molar absorptivity of 2.1×10⁴ lċmol⁻¹ċcm⁻¹ when using bromocresol green, while the calibration graph was linear in the range 3.0×10⁻⁷–1.1×10⁻⁵ M with a detection limit of 3.0×10⁻⁷ M and molar absorptivity of 3.2×10⁴ lċmol⁻¹ċcm⁻¹ when using bromothymol blue. The spectrophotometric methods offer alternative methods with reasonable sensitivity, selectivity and accuracy with relative standard deviation in the range 2.1−6.0% and 1.2−4.7% (for six measurements) when using bromothymol blue and bromocresol green, respectively. The proposed two methods were applied for the determination of nizatidine in commercially available dosage forms. A comparison between the voltammetric and the extraction-spectrophotometric methods was also reported. Received April 19, 1999. Revision August 30, 1999.     

A rapid in vitro assay of cobalamin in human urine and medical tablets using ICP-MS

A rapid and simple as well as sensitive inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for the determination of cobalamin is described. Cobalamin in human urine and medicine tablet solutions was converted on-line into free cobalt ions in acid medium, the cobalt ions were then detected by ICP-MS. Cobalamin was determined by measuring the increase of integral counts per second intensity, which was linear over the cobalamin concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ g mL⁻¹ to 8.0 × 10⁻⁵ g mL⁻¹, and the limit of detection was 0.05 ng mL⁻¹ (3σ). At the pump rate of 30 rotations per minute, one analysis cycle of cobalamin, including sampling and washing, could be accomplished in 0.5 min with the relative standard deviations of less than 5 %. The proposed procedure was applied successfully in monitoring cobalamin in human urine without any pretreatment process and in rapid determination of cobalamin in multivitamin tablets.     

Construction of different types of ion-selective electrodes and validation of direct potentiometric determination of phenytoin sodium

The construction and performance characteristics of phenytoin sodium selective electrodes are detailed. Two types of electrodes: plastic membrane I and coated wire II, were constructed based on the incorporation of phenytoin sodium with tungstosilicic acid. The influence of membrane composition, kind of plasticizer, pH of the test solution, soaking time and the electrodes’ foreign ions were investigated. The electrodes showed a Nernstian response with a mean calibration graph slope of 30.9±0.1 and 28.9±0.1 mV decade⁻¹ at 25°C for electrode I and II respectively, over a phenytoin sodium concentration range of 5×10⁻³−5×10⁻⁶ M and 1×10⁻³−1×10⁻⁶ M with a detection limit 1.3×10⁻⁶ M and 2.5×10⁻⁷ M for electrode I and II, respectively. The electrodes gave average selective precision and were usable within the pH range 6–10. Interference studies from common cations, alkaloids, sugars, amino acids and drug excipients are reported. The results obtained by the proposed electrodes were also applied successfully for the determination of the drug in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids.     

Electrochemical behaviors of ofloxacin and its voltammetric determination at carbon nanotubes film modified electrode

A multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)-Nafion film-coated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was fabricated and the electrochemical behavior of ofloxacin on the MWNTs-Nafion film-coated GCE were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The oxidation peak current of ofloxacin increased significantly on the MWNTs-Nafion film modified GCE compared with that using a bare GCE. This nano-structured film electrode exhibited excellent enhancement effects on the electrochemical oxidation of ofloxacin. A well-defined oxidation peak attributed to ofloxacin was observed at 0.97 V and was applied to the determination of ofloxacin. The oxidation peak current was proportional to ofloxacin concentration in the ranges 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L and 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L. A detection limit of 8.0 × 10⁻⁹ mol/L was obtained for 400 s accumulation at open circuit (S/N = 3). This method for the detection of ofloxacin in human urine was satisfactory. __________ Translated from Chinese Journal of Applied Chemistry, 2007, 24(5): 540–545 [译自: 应用化学]