Infrared reflectance spectra of some optically biaxial crystals: on the origin of isosbestic-like points in the polarized reflectance spectra

An investigation of the IR polarized reflectance spectra of the orthorhombic K2SO4, KHSO4 and monoclinic CaSO4 x 2H2O, K2Ni(SO4)2 x 6H2O, (NH4)2Ni(SO4)2 x 6H2O was performed in order to explain the appearance of particular intersection points in their spectra. The analogy in the origin of the appearance of intersection points and the well-known isosbestic points in UV-vis and IR spectra was discussed. The reason for such an appearance was identified in the way that the individual reflectances (for radiation polarized along principal dielectric axes) sum up to give the reflectance under arbitrary polarization. This summation may also produce supplementary bands in the reflectance spectra, not predicted by the group theory. It was shown that relatively large LO-TO splitting is needed for the supplementary band(s) to appear, but also the overlapping region must be taken into account.     

A simple semimicro cell for the measurement of spectral reflectance

The construction and method of employment of a simple cell suitable for the measurement of the spectral reflectance of semimicro samples, such as those removed from chromatoplates, are described. An attempt is also made to correlate the performance of the cell with current theories of reflectance spectroscopy using data obtained with a system consisting of Merck silica gel G and McCormick blue, a food dye.     

Pulsed remote Raman system for daytime measurements of mineral spectra

A remote Raman system has been developed utilizing a 532nm pulsed laser and gated intensified charged couple device (ICCD) detector in the oblique geometry. When the system is set for 50m sample distance it is capable of measuring Raman spectra of minerals located at distances in the range of 10-65m from the telescope. Both daytime and nighttime operations are feasible and the spectra of minerals can be measured in a short period of time, of the order of a few seconds. In oblique geometry, measured sampling depth is more than 30m, during which the system maintains very high performance without any adjustments. Much longer sampling depth (0.1-120m) has been observed when the system is configured in the coaxial geometry. Clear advantages of using a gated detection mode over the continuous (CW) mode of operation in reducing the background signal and eliminating long-lived fluorescence signals from the Raman spectra are presented. The performance of the pulsed Raman system is demonstrated by measuring spectra of Raman standards including benzene (C(6)H(6)) and naphthalene (C(10)H(8)), a low Raman cross section silicate mineral muscovite (KAl(2)(Si(3)Al)O(10)(OH)(2)), and a medium Raman cross section mineral calcite (CaCO(3)).     

The factors affecting the reflectance spectra of some dyes adsorbed on alumina

Various factors affecting the diffuse reflectance spectra of eosin B, rhodamine B, fuchsin, and o-nitrophenol adsorbed on Chromatographic alumina under various conditions were studied to explore the potential analytical application of reflectance spectroscopy to dyestuffs separated by thin-layer chromatography. Regeneration temperature, pH and grade of adsorbent, and humidity were found to influence the spectra but the technique may be utilized for the photometric analysis of food dyes adsorbed on alumina ; straight lines passing through the origin were obtained when the Kubelka-Munk function was plotted against a suitable concentration range of dye. For reproducible results, it is essential to employ the same grade of adsorbent and to prepare samples under uniform conditions of humidity.     

New vertex invariants and topological indices of chemical graphs based on information on distances

By applying information theory to the set of topological distances from one vertex to all other graph vertices, one obtains four new types of vertex invariants (u _i,v _i,x _i,Y _i) which are real numbers (as opposed to integers). They may be combined in many ways to afford new topological indices. One such type leads to indicesU, V, X andY which show no degeneracy for alkanes with up to 15 vertices.     

Photophysics on surfaces: determination of absolute fluorescence quantum yields from reflectance spectra

A method for the calculation of absolute fluorescence quantum yields for dyes attached to solid particles based on reflectance measurements is reported. The same procedure allows calculation of true reflectance spectra (free of fluorescence) for highly fluorescent materials as well. Samples ofcresyl violet were immobilized by adsorption on microgranular cellulose in the concentration range 4.5 x 10(-9) to 3.8 x 10(-6) mol g(-1). Diffuse and total reflectance spectra were recorded with and without insertion of an optical absorption filter between the output of the integrating sphere of a reflectance spectrometer and the photodetector in order to block fluorescence partially. From these data, the relative emission spectrum of the dye, the filter transmission spectrum, and the detector sensitivity, true reflectances and absolute fluorescence quantum yields were recovered. Observed fluorescence quantum yields, affected by dye aggregation and inner filter effects, were concentration and wavelength dependent, ranging approximately between 0.1 and 0.6. The analysis of remission function spectra showed that dye aggregation is negligible up to a concentration of 1.41 x 10(-7) mol g(-1). Fluorescence data were corrected for reemission and reabsorption using a suitable model [Lagorio, M. G.; Dicelio, L. E.; Litter, M. I.; San Roman, E. J. Chem. Soc., Faraday Trans. 1998, 94, 419]. Application of this model to samples showing no aggregation yielded a wavelength-independent true fluorescence quantum yield of 0.60 +/- 0.05, similar to values found in solution. The usage of cresyl violet as a reference for the evaluation of fluorescence quantum yields for weakly fluorescing samples in the solid phase is discussed.     

Standards for the measurement of diffuse reflectance – an overview of available materials and measurement laboratories

As part of the Intersociety Colour Council (ISCC) effort to update ISCC Guide 89-1, a survey of manufacturers and national measurement laboratories was undertaken. This survey was to determine availability of artifact standards and measurement services related to colour. The results were presented as a poster paper at the Third Oxford Conference on Spectrometry in July, 1998.     

Cockle shell-derived nanoparticles for optical urea biosensor development based on reflectance transduction

An optical biosensor for urea based on urease enzyme immobilised on functionalised calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CaCO₃-NPs) was successfully developed in this study. CaCO₃-NPs were synthesised from discarded cockle shells via a simple and eco-friendly approach, followed by surface functionalisation with succinimide ester groups. The fabricated biosensor is comprised of two layers. The first (bottom layer) contained functionalised NPs covalently immobilised to urease, and the second (uppermost layer) was alginate hydrogel physically immobilised to the pH indicator phenolphthalein. The biosensor provided a colorimetric indication of increasing urea concentrations by changing from colourless to pink. Quantitative urea analysis was performed by measuring the reflectance intensity of the colour change at a wavelength of 633.16 nm. The determination of urea concentration using this biosensor yielded a linear response range of 30–1000 mM (R² = 0.9901) with a detection limit of 17.74 mM at pH 7.5. The relative standard deviation of reproducibility was 1.14%, with no signs of interference by major cations, such as K⁺, Na⁺, NH?⁺, and Mg²⁺. The fabricated biosensor showed no significant difference with the standard method for the determination of urea in urine samples.     

An ATR method for measurement of IR circular dichroic spectra

The present study is an attempt to obtain circular dichroic IR spectra using a conventional ATR attachment provided with a hemicylinder of a high enough refractive index. The measurement is carried out by means of FTIR spectrometers taking a difference spectrum from two ATR experiments. The first one is performed with linearly polarized light of a suitable azimuth while the same azimuth but of opposite sign is used for the second experiment. A theoretical treatment is presented.     

Use of NIRS technology with a remote reflectance fibre-optic probe for predicting major components in cheese

In the present work the potential of near infra-red spectroscopy technology (NIRS) together with the use of a remote reflectance fibre-optic probe for the analysis of fat, moisture, protein and chlorides contents of commercial cheeses elaborated with mixtures of cow's, ewe's and goat's milk and with different curing times was examined. The probe was applied directly, with no previous sample treatment. The regression method employed was modified partial least squares (MPLS). The equations developed for the cheese samples afforded fat, moisture, protein, and chloride contents in the range 13-52%, 10-62%, 20-30%, and 0.7-2.9%, respectively. The multiple correlation coefficients (RSQ) and prediction corrected standard errors (SEP (C)) obtained were respectively 0.97 and 0.995% for fat; 0.96% and 1.640% for moisture; 0.78% and 0.760% for protein, and 0.89% and 0.112% for chlorides.     

Effects of substituents on synthetic analogs of chlorophylls. Part 2: Redox properties, optical spectra and electronic structure

The optical absorption spectra and redox properties are presented for 24 synthetic zinc chlorins and 18 free base analogs bearing a variety of 3,13 (beta) and 5,10,15 (meso) substituents. Results are also given for a zinc and free base oxophorbine, which contain the keto-bearing isocyclic ring present in the natural photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll a. Density functional theory calculations were carried out to probe the effects of the types and positions of substituents on the characteristics (energies, electron distributions) of the frontier molecular orbitals. A general finding is that the 3,13 positions are more sensitive to the effects of auxochromes than the 5,10,15 positions. The auxochromes investigated (acetyl>ethynyl>vinyl>aryl) cause a significant redshift and intensification of the Qy band upon placement at the 3,13 positions, whereas groups at the 5,10,15 positions result in much smaller redshifts that are accompanied by a decrease in relative Qy intensity. In addition, the substituent-induced shifts in first oxidation and reduction potentials faithfully track the energies of the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO), respectively. The calculations show that the LUMO is shifted more by substituents than the HOMO, which derives from the differences in the electron densities of the two orbitals at the substituent sites. The trends in the substituent-induced effects on the wavelengths and relative intensities of the major features (By, Bx, Qx, Qy) in the near-UV to near-IR absorption bands are well accounted for using Gouterman's four-orbital model, which incorporates the effects of the substituents on the HOMO-1 and LUMO+1 in addition to the HOMO and LUMO. Collectively, the results and analysis presented herein and in the companion paper provide insights into the effects of substituents on the optical absorption, redox and other photophysical properties of the chlorins. These insights form a framework that underpins the rational design of chlorins for applications encompassing photomedicine and solar-energy conversion.     

Developing a mobile app for remote access to and data analysis of spectra

Vibrational spectroscopy is a non-destructive analytical method that can be used to analyse a wide range of materials. A vibrational spectrum contains information on the chemical structure of the sample being analysed, which can be recorded rapidly. With hand held mobile device technology being considered as a relatively mature market, there is an excellent opportunity to combine vibrational spectroscopy with mobile devices for in situ analysis of samples. There are still instances where analytical instruments require being linked to desktop PC's/laptops for instrument control and data manipulation. However, mobile devices are becoming increasingly more powerful thus, enabling data manipulation on devices via cloud based technology. With desktop PC's and laptops often having a larger environment footprint than the instrumental spectrometer itself, this therefore highlights the potential for mobile spectroscopy devices. This paper reports the first development of an app (SpectralAnalyser) to enable the use of mobile devices to access and manipulate spectra and describes the different approaches and implementation issues considered during the development of apps to display spectra on Android and iOS platforms.     

Use of NIRS technology with a remote reflectance fibre-optic probe for predicting major components in bee pollen

In the present work, we study the use of near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS) technology together with a remote reflectance fibre-optic probe for determination of the major components in bee pollen. The method allows immediate control of the bee pollen without prior sample treatment or destruction through direct application of the fibre-optic probe to the sample.The regression method employed was modified partial least squares (MPLS). The calibration results obtained using 45 samples of bee pollen allowed the measurement of protein, moisture, ash, reducing sugars, and pH with multiple correlation coefficients (RSQ) and prediction corrected standard errors (SEPC) of 0.91, 0.56% for protein, of 0.78 and 0.49% for moisture; 0.92 and 0.049% for ash; 0.81 and 1.32 g of glucose/100 g of bee pollen; 0.84 and 0.15 for pH, respectively.The prediction capacity of the pattern was checked by applying it to samples of unknown pollen in external validation.     

Use of ab initio methods for the interpretation of the experimental IR reflectance spectra of crystalline compounds

It is shown that ab initio simulation can be used as a powerful complementary tool in the interpretation of the experimental reflectance spectra R(ν) of crystalline compounds. Experimental frequencies and intensities are obtained from a best fit of R(ν) with a set of damped harmonic oscillators, whose number and initial position in frequency can dramatically influence the final results, as the parameters are strongly correlated. Computed ab initio values for frequencies and intensities are accurate enough to represent an excellent starting point for the best fit process. Moreover, at variance with respect to experiment, simulation permits to identify all the symmetry allowed modes, also when characterized by low intensity or when close to a very intense peak. Overall, simulation‐aided analysis of experimental spectra prevents from classifying combination modes as fundamental modes and permits to discard artifacts due to superposition of bands, background, and noise. Finally, it allows to (almost) completely characterize the set of fundamental modes. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

基于分子参数的药物小肠吸收预测模型

选择100个化合物作为数据集,随机选取其中80个为训练集,其他分子为验证集,并为每个化合物分子计算了30个参数.通过采用五种不同多元线性回归分析方法对其训练模拟,建立了数学模型,并用验证集检验了所建模型的预测能力.结果发现向后筛选法为最优小肠吸收建模方法.由该法所建模型的统计结果良好(R2>0.80),应用于验证集时也表现出较强预测能力.该模型确定了对小肠吸收影响较大的分子参数,有助于指导进一步的新药筛选和开发.     

Surface enhancement effect on the diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra of compounds having a pyridine ring

A surface enhancement effect was examined for the diffuse reflectance infrared spectra of structurally related compounds having a pyridine ring when a silver colloidal solution was used as the medium which induced the effect. Filter paper, which was considered to provide a favorable state of aggregation of the silver colloidal particles, was used for the preparation of the samples to be measured. It was proved experimentally that when the molecules were dissolved in the silver colloidal solution and the resulting solution was applied dropwise to filter paper, the spectra measured for the filter paper sample exhibited a surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) effect for some samples, but not for other samples. It was speculated that the existence of an electron-donating functional group in the molecule was necessary for the realization of SEIRA in the diffuse reflectance infrared spectra. This speculation was confirmed by experiments involving other types of molecules: l-phenylalanine, m-aminophenol and p-chloroaniline.