Field Enhanced Sample Injection for the CE Determination of Arsenic Compounds Using Successive Multiple Ionic Polymer Layer Coated Capillaries

A capillary electrophoresis method using indirect UV detection has been applied to the determination of arsenate [As(V)], arsenite [As(III)], monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid. The arsenic species were successfully separated in a successive multiple ionic polymer layer coated capillary. On-line sample preconcentration of arsenic compounds were performed by employing field enhanced sample injection. A baseline separation was achieved in a basic background solution of 10 mM 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid at pH 10.3. The precision of migration time was 1.2–2.4% RSD and peak height was 8.1–12.9% RSD. The limits of detection at a S/N ratio of 3 for the four arsenic compounds were found to be 20–70 ppb, which are comparable to other on-line preconcentration techniques. The enhancement factor was improved by 230–1,500-fold.

     

Field Enhanced Sample Injection for the CE Determination of Arsenic Compounds Using Successive Multiple Ionic Polymer Layer Coated Capillaries

A capillary electrophoresis method using indirect UV detection has been applied to the determination of arsenate [As(V)], arsenite [As(III)], monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid. The arsenic species were successfully separated in a successive multiple ionic polymer layer coated capillary. On-line sample preconcentration of arsenic compounds were performed by employing field enhanced sample injection. A baseline separation was achieved in a basic background solution of 10 mM 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid at pH 10.3. The precision of migration time was 1.2–2.4% RSD and peak height was 8.1–12.9% RSD. The limits of detection at a S/N ratio of 3 for the four arsenic compounds were found to be 20–70 ppb, which are comparable to other on-line preconcentration techniques. The enhancement factor was improved by 230–1,500-fold.     

Advanced high-performance liquid chromatography method for highly polar nitroaromatic compounds in ground water samples from ammunition waste sites

An advanced HPLC-photodiode array detection method for the determination of 12 selected highly polar nitroaromatic compounds in ground water samples of ammunition waste sites has been developed and validated. After solid-phase extraction the limits of detection were in the range 0.1–0.5 μg/l. To prove the applicability of the method to other polar nitroaromatic compounds the retention time of another 32 polar compounds under the specified chromatographic conditions were determined and their UV spectra recorded. To review the method, interlaboratory comparisons were performed with a spiked and a real ground water sample.     

Thermal and spectroscopic studies of 2,3,5-trisubstituted and 1,2,3,5-tetrasubstituted indoles as non-competitive antagonists of GluK1/GluK2 receptors

This paper reports the thermal stability and thermal degradation of six derivatives of indole by means of TG-DSC (in air) and TG-FTIR (in nitrogen) techniques. The compounds were also characterized by infrared spectroscopy. In addition, IR spectra were calculated and compared with the experimental data. In particular, the potential energy distribution analysis was performed to assign IR signals. The studied compounds are characterized by good thermal stability in oxidizing and inert atmospheres which is important for potential medical application. Thermogravimetric measurements in air atmosphere showed that the decomposition of compounds proceeds in two or three main stages. The thermal degradation of compounds is preceded by the melting process. The pyrolysis of samples is a one-step process. Together with the analyses performed in nitrogen, the FTIR spectra of the evolved gas phase products were recorded. On the FTIR spectra of gaseous products, only the bands of water, carbon dioxide and carbon oxide molecules are present. In the case of indole derivatives containing the p-chlorobenzyl substituent in position 1, the bands of anisole, p-chlorotoluene and chlorobenzene also appear.     

Multiresidue determination of UV filters in water samples by solid‐phase extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis

UV filters, contained in sunscreens and other cosmetic products, as well as in some plastics and industrial products, are nowadays considered contaminants of emerging concern because their widespread and increasing use has lead to their presence in the environment. Furthermore, some UV filters are suspected to have endocrine disruption activity. In the present work, we developed an analytical method based on liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of UV filters in tap and lake waters. Sixteen UV filters were extracted from water samples by solid‐phase extraction employing graphitized carbon black as adsorbent material. Handling 200 mL of water sample, satisfactory recoveries were obtained for almost all the analytes. The limits of detection and quantification of the method were comparable to those reported in other works, and ranged between 0.7–3.5 and 1.9–11.8 ng/L, respectively; however in our case the number of investigated compounds was larger. The major encountered problem in method development was to identify the background contamination sources and reduce their contribution. UV filters were not detected in tap water samples, whereas the analyses conducted on samples collected from three different lakes showed that the swimming areas are most subject to UV filter contamination.     

原位红外光谱法研究三氯乙烯在TiO2表面的光催化降解

通过原位红外光谱技术在线研究了三氯乙烯的直接光降解以及三氯乙烯在TiO2表面的气相光催化降解. 研究结果表明, UV/TiO2体系比UV体系具有更强的降解能力. 在三氯乙烯的光催化降解过程中, 发现有二氯乙酰氯、二氧化碳、一氧化碳、水、氯化氢和光气等中间产物生成. 根据反应结果, 分析了三氯乙烯在TiO2表面的气相光催化降解机理: 三氯乙烯在羟基自由基等作用下生成中间产物二氯乙酰氯, 二氯乙酰氯进一步发生自由基反应, 最终降解为二氧化碳、一氧化碳、水、氯化氢和光气.     

Probability for Type I errors in gamma-ray spectrometric measurements of drinking water samples

In gamma-ray spectra, acquired in the absence of the sample, peaks occur which belong to the spectrometer background. When samples are measured, which contain radionuclides that appear in the background also and have activities near the detection level, the background contributes substantially to the peak areas. In the extreme case, when the contribution of the sample is much smaller than the contribution of the background, the peak area attributed to the radionuclide within a sample has the same probability of being positive or negative. Therefore, to interpret the results obtained from measurements of low-activity samples, the performance of the spectrum analysis procedure near the detection level must be known. To test the performance of the spectrum analysis procedure at low activities, the spectrometer background spectra were analyzed as if they had been water samples, prepared as dry residue obtained by evaporation of 50 L of water. The probabilities for false positives together with their decision thresholds are given for radionuclides appearing in the background spectra. For some of the radionuclides that do not appear in the background spectra, probabilities for false detection are given as well.     

Feasibility of screening large aqueous samples for thermally unstable pesticides using high efficiency packed column supercritical fluid chromatography with multiple detectors

Summary Nearly 100 pesticides were eluted with good peak shapes from silica columns using methanol/carbon dioxide mobile phases. The pesticides included organophosphorus, organochlorine, phenylurea, sulfonylurea, triazine, carbamate and phenoxyacid pesticides, demonstrating the wide applicability of SFC to pesticide analysis. A subset of 31 pesticides were on-line extracted from large water samples, typically 10 to 20 ml, but up to 100 ml. The extracts were separated on a 1.6 meter long column packed with 5 μm particles, then detected simultaneously with a photodiode array UV detector plus an electron capture (ECD) and a nitrogen-phosphorus (NPD) detector. Recovery, reproducibility, linearity, response factors and detection limits were determined. Detection limits from a 5 ml water sample were in the range of 100 to 500 parts per trillion (1/10¹²). Larger samples appear capable of lowering these limits to below 10 ppt.     

Development of a ginkgo biloba fingerprint chromatogram with UV and evaporative light scattering detection and optimization of the evaporative light scattering detector operating conditions

A fingerprint chromatogram of a standardized Ginkgo biloba extract is developed on a monolithic silica column using a ternary gradient containing water, iso-propanol and tetrahydrofuran. For the detection, UV and evaporative light scattering (ELS) detectors are used, the latter allowing detection of the poor UV absorbing compounds as ginkgolides (A-C and J) and bilobalide in the extract. The complementary information between the UV and ELS fingerprint is evaluated. The ELS detector used in this study can operate in an impactor 'on' or 'off' mode. For each mode, the operating conditions such as the nebulizing gas flow rate, the drift tube temperature and the gain are optimized by use of three-level screening designs to obtain the best signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio in the final ELS fingerprint chromatogram. In both impactor modes, very similar S/N ratios are obtained for the nominal levels of the design. However, optimization of the operating conditions resulted, for both impactor modes, in a significant increase in S/N ratios compared to the initial evaluated conditions, obtained from the detector software.     

Carbon dioxide supercritical fluid chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

Summary The coupling of carbon dioxide supercritical fluid chromatography with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (SFC-FTIR) is a powerful tool for the separation and on-line identification of non-volatile compounds. The IR transparency of carbon dioxide in the Fermi resonance bands region versus its density has been studied. Functional groups with stretching vibrations outside the transparent window of carbon dioxide are examined. SFC-FTIR separations allow Gram-Schmidt reconstruction chromatograms or IR window chemigrams with high quality spectra to be obtained. This SFC-FTIR lightpipe (flow cell, beam condensing optics, narrow band detector) has allowed detection limits of 250ng for benzonitrile and 70ng for methyl benzoate to be reached. The feasibility of very rapid SFC-FTIR separations is shown along with the subsequent peak spectra.     

Detection of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide using a miniaturised fibre-optic spectroscopy system and the ambient sunlight

A miniaturised fibre-optic spectrometer based system is presented for direct detection of one of the major atmospheric pollutants, nitrogen dioxide, by absorption spectroscopy using the ambient sunlight as light source. The detection system consists of a 10 cm collimator assembly, a fibre-optic cable and a portable diode-array spectrometer. The absorbance spectrum of the open-path is calculated using a reference spectrum recorded when the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration in the atmosphere is low. The relative concentration of the pollutant is calculated normalising the detected spectra and subtracting the background broadband spectrum from the specific NO2 absorbance features, since the broadband spectrum changes according to atmospheric conditions and solar intensity. Wavelengths between 400 and 500 nm are used in order to maximise sensitivity and to avoid interference from other species. Calibration is carried out using Tedlar sample bags of known concentration of the pollutant. A commercial differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) system is used as a reference standard detection system to compare the results with the new system. Results show that detection of NO2 at typical urban atmospheric levels has been achieved using an inexpensive field based fibre-optic spectrometer and a readily available, easy to align, light source. In addition the new system can be used to get a semi-quantitative estimation of the nitrogen dioxide concentration within errors of 20%. While keeping the typical benefits of open-path techniques, the new system has important advantages over them such as cost, simplicity and portability.     

Synthesis of electron energy loss spectra for the quantification of detection limits.

We describe a method for predicting detection limits of minority elements in electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and its implementation as a software package that gives quantitative predictions for user-specified materials and experimental conditions. The method is based on modeling entire energy loss spectra, including shot noise as well as instrumental noise, and taking into account all the relevant experimental parameters. We describe the steps involved in modeling the entire spectrum, from the zero loss up to inner shell edges, and pay particular attention to the contributions to the pre-edge background. The predicted spectra are used to evaluate the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for inner shell edges from user-specified minority elements. The software also predicts the minimum detectable mass (MDM) and minimum mass fraction (MMF). It can be used to ascertain whether an element present at a particular concentration should be detectable for given experimental conditions, and also to quickly and quantitatively explore ways of optimizing the experimental conditions for a particular EELS analytical task. We demonstrate the usefulness of the software by confirming the recent empirical observation of single atom detection using EELS of phosphorus in thin carbon films, and show the effect on the SNR of varying the acquisition parameters. The case of delta-doped semiconductors is also considered as an important example from materials science where low detection limits and high spatial resolution are essential, and the feasibility of such characterization using EELS is assessed.     

Determination of residues of UV filters in natural waters by solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

This study describes a procedure for the enrichment, separation and quantification of four major UV filters in natural waters. Solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography and photodiode array detection (LC-UV-DAD), and gas chromatography with mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) were employed for the analyses. LC of the four compounds with surfactant-modified hydro-organic eluents gave satisfactory resolution of overlapping peaks. In GC, a significant improvement of the detection limits was attained, but only three compounds could be detected. The method was validated for, and applied to, various water samples prone to UV filter accumulation due to recreational activities. Recoveries from real samples were 86-99% with LOQs as low as 0.5 ng/l depending on the sample volume and the analytical procedure.     

On-line sample preconcentration of cationic analytes by dynamic pH junction in capillary electrophoresis

To improve detection sensitivity of cationic analytes, a dynamic pH junction technique was examined. Dynamic pH junction is an on-line focusing method in capillary electrophoresis (CE) based on the difference in the analyte's mobility between the background electrolyte (BGE) and sample matrix. The effects of pH values and concentrations of the BGE and the sample matrix on dynamic pH junction were examined. Optimization of analyte focusing resulted in enhanced detection responses of about 100-160-fold in terms of peak heights for some anilines in comparison to conventional injections. In particular, the concentration limits of detection (LOD) (S/N = 3) for the test anilines obtained with dynamic pH junction were from 1.9 to 3.7 ppb with UV detection without any pretreatment procedure.     

Carbon dioxide versus xenon as a mobile phase for flow cell packed column SFC/FT-IR

Xenon is compared to carbon dioxide as a mobile phase for super critical fluid chromatography/Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The study showed xenon to be comparable to carbon dioxide in terms of resulting chromatography for non-polar analytes. Xenon was confirmed to be a very poor mobile phase, however, for polar analytes. It was determined that small wavenumber shifts in the infrared spectra of probe analytes occurred as either the density or temperature of the mobile phase was increased. The degree of these shifts was often similar for xenon and carbon dioxide. Analyte spectra for five different compounds were produced in both super critical xenon and carbon dioxide and compared to condensed phase and vapor phase library spectra. In all cases, carbon dioxide spectra were readily matched to their corresponding vapor phase spectra, despite having blanked portions of the spectrum due to carbon dioxide infrared absorption. Xenon produced technically superior spectra without such blanked regions, but at a much higher economical cost than carbon dioxide and with no real improvement in terms of library matching.     

Separation of twenty-one naphthalene sulfonates by means of capillary electrophoresis

The production and use of naphthalene sulfonates can easily cause pollution of surface and other types of waters. In the present study, capillary electrophoresis in combination with UV absorption detection was used to separate 21 amino- and hydroxy-substituted naphthalene sulfonates which included multiple isomeric compounds. The influence of various parameters such as pH (which turned out to be extremely important), temperature of the surrounding air flow, and the use of buffer additives (micelles, cyclodextrins, organic modifiers) was studied. Complete separation of all analytes including the isomers, was achieved in two runs with a 50 mM boric acid/borate buffer, containing either 100 mM sodium dodecylsulfonate or 15% acetonitrile. The limits of detection obtained for the individual compounds typically were 20μgI⁻¹. River water samples spiked at this concentration level could be analysed using a simple three-step sample clean-up procedure.     

An alternative method for the measurement of mineral sulphide in wastewater

A simple and rapid procedure for sulphide measurement in crude oil refinery wastewater has been developed. This method is based on the knowledge of the UV response of sulphur compounds and the mathematical deconvolution of the sample spectrum using reference spectra (specific compounds or aggregate spectra). The detection limit of the method is 0.5 mg l(-1) for a quartz cell pathlength of 10 mm. The range is up to 15 mg l(-1). The method has been validated for crude oil refinery wastewater. Compared to conventional methods, the UV determination is quicker and easier to run.     

Cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with optical feedback cw diode lasers for gas phase analysis and spectroscopy

A variant of cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (CERS) is introduced, in which diode laser radiation at 635 nm is coupled into an external linear optical cavity composed of two highly reflective mirrors. Using optical feedback stabilisation, build-up of circulating laser power by 3 orders of magnitude occurs. Strong Raman signals are collected in forward scattering geometry. Gas phase CERS spectra of H(2), air, CH(4) and benzene are recorded to demonstrate the potential for analytical applications and fundamental molecular studies. Noise equivalent limits of detection in the ppm by volume range (1 bar sample) can be achieved with excellent linearity with a 10 mW excitation laser, with sensitivity increasing with laser power and integration time. The apparatus can be operated with battery powered components and can thus be very compact and portable. Possible applications include safety monitoring of hydrogen gas levels, isotope tracer studies (e.g., (14)N/(15)N ratios), observing isotopomers of hydrogen (e.g., radioactive tritium), and simultaneous multi-component gas analysis. CERS has the potential to become a standard method for sensitive gas phase Raman spectroscopy.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of carbonyl compounds in ambient air samples by use of an HPLC–MSn method

The suitability of HPLC combined with ion-trap mass spectrometry was studied for the determination of carbonyl-2,4-dintrophenylhydrazones in ambient air. MS quantification was based on two internal standards and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in the negative-ion mode. Limits of detection for air samples of 750 L in the full-scan mode varied between 1 and 15 ng x m(-3) expressed as carbonyl. Limits of quantification were approximately a factor of three higher. This is sufficient for background regions. For sample volumes of 750 L air the instrument response was linear from 10 ng x m(-3) to 800 microg x m(-3) for carbonyls and from 3 ng x m(-3) to 250 ng x m(-3) for dicarbonyls. Besides complete method validation, quantitative results for six air samples from four background sampling sites in North and Central Europe were compared with those obtained by use of HPLC-UV. Thirty-six carbonyl compounds could be identified and twenty-four were quantified. Values for major compounds, i.e. those present at levels well above the UV detection limits (9 to 18 ng x m(-3)), deviated by less than 20%.     

Photocatalytic oxidation for total organic carbon analysis

A new method and apparatus for the determination of organic carbon in water are described. Photocatalytic oxidation of organic matter by near-UV illuminated titanium dioxide is used to convert organic carbon to carbon dioxide. Atmospheric oxygen is the oxidant. The light source is a 20-W black-light fluorescent tube. The carbon dioxide equilibrates between the reaction loop and a conductivity detection loop and the recirculated air forms the interface between the two loops. The method is suitable for analysis of water containing 0.1–30 μg ml^?1 organic carbon and sample volumes of 1–40 ml. Higher concentrations can be determined after appropriate dilution. Times for 99% oxidation of organic solutes to carbon dioxide are of the order of 10 min or less. The main advantages of the apparatus are low cost and ease of operation.