High precision measurements of atmospheric nitrous oxide and methane using thermoelectrically cooled mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers and detectors

A compact, fast response, mid-infrared absorption spectrometer using thermoelectrically (TE) cooled pulsed quantum cascade (QC) lasers and TE detectors has been developed to demonstrate the applicability of QC lasers for high precision measurements of nitrous oxide and methane in the earth's atmosphere. Reduced pressure extractive sampling with a 56 m path length, 0.5 l volume, multiple pass absorption cell allows a time response of <0.1s which is suitable for eddy correlation flux measurements for these gases. Precision of 0.3 ppb (rms, 1s averaging time) or 0.1% of the ambient concentration for N(2)O (4 ppb or 0.2% of ambient for CH(4)), has been demonstrated using QC lasers at 4.5 microm (7.9 microm for CH(4)), corresponding to an absorbance precision of 4 x 10(-5) Hz(-1/2) (8 x 10(-5) Hz(-1/2) for CH(4)). Stabilization of the temperature of the optical bench and the pulse electronics results in a minimum Allan variance corresponding to 0.06 ppb for N(2)O with an averaging time of 100 s (0.7 ppb with an averaging time of 200 s for CH(4)). The instrument is capable of long-term, unattended, continuous operation without cryogenic cooling of either laser or detector.     

Detection of monobromamine, monochloramine and dichloramine using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry and their relevance as breath markers

We report a fast, sensitive, real-time method to measure monobromamine, monochloramine and dichloramine using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). Relative rate coefficients and product distributions are reported for the reagent ions H3O+ and O2 +. Rapid reactions with the haloamines were observed with H3O+ and O2 + but no fast reaction was found with NO+. A slow reaction between NO+ and dichloramine was observed. We demonstrate the feasibility of determining these compounds in a single human breath for which the limit of detection is approaching 10 parts per billion (ppb). We also report preliminary measurements of these compounds in the breath of individuals where the concentrations of bromamine and chloramine ranged from 10 to 150 ppb.     

Determination of ammonia in ethylene using ion mobility spectrometry.

A simple procedure to analyze ammonia in ethylene by ion mobility spectrometry is described. The spectrometer is operated with a silane polymer membrane., 63Ni ion source, H+ (H2O)n reactant ion, and nitrogen drift and source gas. Ethylene containing parts per billion (ppb) (v/v) concentrations of ammonia is pulled across the membrane and diffuses into the spectrometer. Preconcentration or preseparation is unnecessary, because the ethylene in the spectrometer has no noticeable effect on the analytical results. Ethylene does not polymerize in the radioactive source. Ethylene's flammability is negated by the nitrogen inside the spectrometer. Response to ammonia concentrations between 200 ppb and 1.5 ppm is near linear, and a detection limit of 25 ppb is calculated.     

Fluorimetric determination of nitrogen oxides in the air by a novel red-region fluorescent reagent

A sensitive fluorimetric method for the determination of nitrogen oxides (NO(x): NO+NO(2)) in air is described. Nitrogen dioxide (nitrogen monoxide was previously converted to nitrogen dioxide in oxide tubes) was aspirated through a fritted glass bubble at a flow rate of 500 ml min(-1) for 120 min and fixed as nitrite, using 0.1 N NaOH as a trapping solution with the empirical absorption efficiency 0.74 and the stoichiometric factor 0.5. The method is based on the fluorescence quenching of a red-region fluorescent reagent, tetra-substituted amino aluminum phthalocyanine (TAAlPc), after being diazotized by nitrite. Under optimal conditions the linear range of the calibration curve for nitrite is 1-40 ng ml(-1) (NO(2) 0.24-9.6 ppb, v/v). The detection limit is 0.34 ng ml(-1) for nitrite (NO(2) 0.08 ppb, v/v) and the relative standard deviation for six replicate measurements of 15 ng ml(-1) nitrite is 3.2%. The method has been applied to the determination of nitrogen oxides in the air with satisfactory results. Typical gaseous co-pollutants such as SO(2), H(2)S and HCHO did not interference the determination.     

A novel dual-isotope labelling method for distinguishing between soil sources of N2O

We present a novel 18O-15N-enrichment method for the distinction between nitrous oxide (N2O) from nitrification, nitrifier denitrification and denitrification based on a method with single- and double-15N-labelled ammonium nitrate. We added a new treatment with 18O-labelled water to quantify N2O from nitrifier denitrification. The theory behind this is that ammonia oxidisers use oxygen (O2) from soil air for the oxidation of ammonia (NH3), but use H2O for the oxidation of the resulting hydroxylamine (NH2OH) to nitrite (NO2-). Thus, N2O from nitrification would therefore be expected to reflect the 18O signature of soil O2, whereas the 18O signature of N2O from nitrifier denitrification would reflect that of both soil O2 and H2O. It was assumed that (a) there would be no preferential removal of 18O or 16O during nitrifier denitrification or denitrification, (b) the 18O signature of the applied 18O-labelled water would remain constant over the experimental period, and (c) any O exchange between H(2)18O and NO3- would be negligible under the chosen experimental conditions. These assumptions were tested and validated for a silt loam soil at 50% water-filled pore space (WFPS) following application of 400 mg N kg-1 dry soil. We compared the results of our new method with those of a conventional inhibition method using 0.02% v/v acetylene (C2H2) and 80% v/v O2 in helium. Both the 18O-15N-enrichment and inhibitor methods identified nitrifier denitrification to be a major source of N2O, accounting for 44 and 40%, respectively, of N2O production over 24 h. However, compared to our 18O-15N-method, the inhibitor method overestimated the contribution from nitrification at the expense of denitrification, probably due to incomplete inhibition of nitrifier denitrification and denitrification by large concentrations of O2 and a negative effect of C2H2 on denitrification. We consider our new 18O-15N-enrichment method to be more reliable than the use of inhibitors; it enables the distinction between more soil sources of N2O than was previously possible and has provided the first direct evidence of the significance of nitrifier denitrification as a source of N2O in fertilised arable soil.     

Triazole linked picolylimine conjugate of calix[6]arene as a sequential sensor for La3+ followed by F-

A new 1,3,5-tris-triazole linked picolylimine conjugate of calix[6]arene (L) has been shown to be selective toward La(3+) by turn on fluorescence with ～70-fold enhancement and emits blue, with a minimal detection limit of 65 ± 5 ppb (490 nM). The species of recognition has been modeled computationally to have a monocapped twisted square antiprism with a N(6)O(3) binding core about La(3+). The in situ complex of L with La(3+) recognizes F(-) via fluorescence quenching. The reversible response of sensing La(3+) and F(-) sequentially by L has been demonstrated.     

Trace Analysis of Heavy Metals (Cd,Pb, Hg) Using Native and Modified 3D Printed Graphene/Poly(Lactic Acid) Composite Electrodes

Here we investigate the use of 3D printed graphene/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) electrodes for quantifying trace amounts of Hg, Pb, and Cd. We prepared cylindrical electrodes by sealing a 600 μm diameter graphene/PLA filament in a pipette tip filled with epoxy. We characterized the electrodes using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry in ferrocene methanol. The physical characterization showed a significant amount of disorder in the carbon structure and the electrochemical characterization showed quasi‐reversible behavior without any electrode pretreatment. We then used unmodified graphene/PLA electrode to quantify Hg, and Pb and Cd in 0.01 M HCl and 0.1 M acetate buffer using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. We were able to quantify Hg with a limit of detection (LOD) of 6.1 nM (1.2 ppb), but Pb and Cd did not present measurable peaks at concentrations below ～400 nM. We improved the LODs for Pb and Cd by depositing Bi microparticles on the graphene/PLA and, after optimization, achieved clear stripping peaks at the 20 nM level for both ions (4.1 and 2.2 ppb for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺, respectively). The results obtained for all three metals allowed quantification below the US Environmental Protection Agency action limits in drinking water.     

A new ratiometric ESIPT sensor for detection of palladium species in aqueous solution

An aqueous ratiometric ESIPT sensor with a 87 nM (15.4 ppb) detection limit was successfully synthesized and applied for detection of all oxidation states of palladium species.     

Development of a highly sensitive galvanic cell oxygen sensor

A highly sensitive galvanic cell oxygen sensor was successfully developed for determining parts per billion of oxygen in high purity gases such as nitrogen, argon, etc. The response of this improved sensor was proportional in the range of oxygen concentrations from 10.0 ppm to the detection limit. The response speed in this study was improved to within 90 sec for a 90% response. The detection limit was tentatively found to be less than 0.4 ppb corresponding to S N = 2 .     

氮磷掺杂碳点荧光探针用于食品中柠檬黄的快速检测

本工作以葡萄糖为碳源,乙二胺、浓磷酸为氮、磷杂原子供体,通过酸碱中和自放热法制备氮磷共掺杂碳量子点(N,P-CDs).基于柠檬黄对N,P-CDs荧光的猝灭效应,构建了一种快速灵敏检测柠檬黄的荧光方法.在最佳实验条件下,N,P-CDs对柠檬黄的检测展现出高选择性和高灵敏度特点,柠檬黄浓度在0.01-10.0μM范围内与N...     

Fluorimetric Analysis of Aluminum in Diluted Hemodialysis Solutions by Using a Novel Schiff Base

A spectrofluorimetric method has been developed for trace amount of aluminum(III) by using a novel Schiff base, N,N′-bis(salicylidene)-1,4-diaminobuthane (BUTAS), and 4-methyl-2-aminophenol (OAP). Since the aluminum complexes are generally fluorescent, aluminum(III) increases the fluorescence intensity of BUTAS-OAP by formation of Al-BUTAS-OAP complex. The fluorescence of the complex is measured at an excitation wavelength of 410 nm with an emission at 526 nm. Aluminum(III) can be detected within a concentration limit of 0.11–1.62 ppb and the lowest detection limit being 0.07 ppb. The proposed method was applied to diluted hemodialysis solution and spectrofluorimetric data was compared with data of standard pharmacopoeia method.     

AuCl4-H2O2化学发光体系研究

本文发现, AuCl4^-在KOH和H2O2存在下会产生弱化学发光信号; 在此基础上建立了AuCl4^-H2O2-KOH-CTMAB体系测定金的新的简单的化学发光分析法; 方法的检测限为5.5ppbAn; 线性范围为10-800pph; 测定100ppb金溶液的相对标准偏差为6.5%; 并初步探讨了AuCl4^-化学发光的可能过程及表面活性剂的影响作用。     

New improvements in methane detection using a Helmholtz resonant photoacoustic laser sensor: a comparison between near-IR diode lasers and mid-IR quantum cascade lasers

Atmospheric methane was detected by combining a photoacoustic (PA) sensor with several lasers emitting in both the near- and mid-infrared spectral ranges to check the achievable detection limits. The PA spectrometer is based on differential Helmholtz resonance. Near-infrared telecommunication-type laser diodes of increasing power, from Sensors Unlimited Inc. and Anritsu, were first used to scan the 2 nu(3) band of CH(4) near 1.65 microm. The best achieved detection limit is 0.15 ppm of methane at atmospheric pressure and with a 1s integration time. The PA sensor was then operated in conjunction with a quantum cascade laser from Alpes Lasers emitting near 7.9 microm on the nu(4) band of CH(4). The achieved detection limit is then of 3 ppb. The dramatic improvement in the detection limit obtained with the QC laser is due to the stronger optical power as well as to the capability of reaching the fundamental bands of methane lying in the mid-infrared spectral range.     

Cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry of nickel complexed with hydroxynaphthol blue at a static mercury drop electrode

A new method is described for the determination of Ni based on the cathodic adsorptive stripping of Ni(II) complexed with hydroxynaphthol blue (HNB) at a static mercury drop electrode. Optimal conditions were found to be: accumulation potential -0.50 V (vs. Ag/AgCl); final potential -1.10 V; accumulation time 50 sec; scan rate 200 mV/sec; linear scan mode; filter 0.1 sec; supporting electrolyte acetic acid/acetate (0.25M, pH = 6.0) and concentration of HNB 3.3 x 10(-5)M. The response of the system was found to be linear in a range of Ni concentrations from 25 ppb to the detection limit. The detection limit was found to be 1.7 nM (0.10 ppb) with 2 mins of accumulation time. The effect of various potential interferences (including a variety of cations, anions and organic surfactants) were also studied. With the exception of Co, at less than equimolar concentrations no significant interferences were observed. Al was found to interfere at high concentrations with respect to Ni, but Al concentrations up to 1000 ppb may be masked by sodium citrate or sodium fluoride. The utility of the method is demonstrated by the recovery of Ni in a doped sample of commercial mineral water.     

Chemiluminescence nitrogen detection in ion chromatography for the determination of nitrogen-containing anions

Chemiluminescence nitrogen detection (CLND) provides equimolar response for nitrogen-containing ions such as nitrate, nitrite, cyanide, ammonium and tetradecyltrimethylammonium. Only azide yields a lower response. Nitrite, azide and nitrate are separated on a Dionex AS11 column using 5 mM NaOH as eluent with a 3 μM (1 ng N) limit of detection. Matrices, such as 1:10 diluted seawater, do not degrade these detection limits. CLND also provides equally sensitive (limit of detection 3 μM, 78 ppb) detection of weak acids such, as cyanide, which yield poor sensitivity with suppressed conductivity detection.     

Fabrication of ozone gas sensor based on FeOOH/single walled carbon nanotube-modified field effect transistor

A novel ozone (O₃) sensor is fabricated using commercial metal oxide field effect transistor (MOSFET), modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). In this study, integrated circuit (IC: BS250) was selected as the selective probe for O₃ detection. For this purpose, a plastic cover on the surface of the drain was drilled to bare the drain surface, followed by its modification with nitrogen and sulfur-functionalized SWCNTs by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The CVD-synthesized SWCNTs were then electrodeposited with FeOOH nanostructures. According to the figures of merit, the fabricated sensor gave a linear output from 20 to 450 parts per billion (ppb). Detection limit was also 4.1?ppb. Relative standard deviation (RSD) for seven replicate analyses was 3.61%. Based on 90% of maximum response (t₉₀), the response time was ～1.5?min. Calibration sensitivity was measured to 1.3?mV/ppb. No interference was observed, when introducing at least 500 folds of interferences of gaseous species such as H₂O, HCl, H₂S, O₂, H₂, CO, CO₂, NO₂, SO₂, Cl₂, C₂H₂, CH₄ and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to 250?ppb of O₃ solution. Reliability of the sensor was also evaluated via determination of O₃ in different air samples.     

Determination of residues of azamethiphos in salmon tissue by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method with fluorescence detection (FLD) is described for determining residues of the pesticide azamethiphos (AZA) in salmon tissue. The sample is extracted with ethyl acetate, centrifuged, dehydrated with anhydrous sodium sulfate, evaporated, reconstituted in water, and defatted with hexane. The aqueous phase is passed through a C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) column. The SPE column is eluted with methanol, and the eluate is evaporated to dryness and then taken up in 10% acetonitrile (ACN) in water. The analyte is determined by LC using a C18 column, ACN-H2O (32 + 68) mobile phase, and FLD with excitation at 230 nm and emission at 345 nm. Composited salmon tissues were fortified with AZA at 5, 10, 21, 42, and 83 ng/g or ppb (target level, X = 10 ng/g). Overall recoveries were 86%, with between-day variability of 5.3%. The method detection limit was calculated as 1.2 ppb AZA based on a 5 g sample. The limit of quantitation as determined empirically by this method is the lower limit of the standard curve, approximately 5 ppb.     

Catalytic flow-injection determination of sub-ppb copper(II) using the redox reaction of cysteine with iron(III) in the presence of 2,4,6-tris(2-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine.

A kinetic-catalytic spectrophotometric flow-injection method was developed for the rapid and sensitive determination of trace amounts of copper(II). The method is based on the catalytic effect of copper(II) on the redox reaction of cysteine with iron(III). Iron(II) produced by the catalytic reaction reacts with 2,4,6-tris(2-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TPTZ) to form the iron(II)-TPTZ complex (lambda(max) = 593 nm). By measuring an absorbance of the complex, one could determine 0.05-8 ppb copper(II) with the relative standard deviations (n = 10) of 1.6%, 1.3%, and 0.8% for 0.5 ppb, 1 ppb, and 2 ppb copper(II), respectively. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) was 0.005 ppb. The sample throughput was 30 h(-1). The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of copper in natural water and serum samples.     

Development of an analytical method for penicillin G in bovine milk by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible detection and confirmation by mass spectrometric detection

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method with ultraviolet-visible photodiode array (UV-VIS PDA) detection was developed to measure penicillin G in bovine milk. A liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric (LC-MS) procedure was divised to confirm the LC method. The method involved diluting milk with a drug-releasing solvent consisting of acetonitrile-methanol-water and ultrafiltration through a 10,000 dalton cutoff filter. Penicillin G was separated from other components in the ultrafiltrate by ion-paired LC using a reversed-phase microbore column eluted with a 25% acetonitrile solution. The LC method was confirmed by thermospray LC-MS. The detection limit for penicillin G determination in milk was estimated to be 10 ppb for LC with UV-VIS PDA and 100 ppb for LC-MS.     

Simultaneous determination of oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen in metals by pulse heating and time of flight mass spectrometric method

The inert gas fusion and infrared absorption and thermal conductivity methods are widely used for quantitative determination of oxygen(O), nitrogen(N) and hydrogen(H) in metals. However, O, N and H cannot be determined simultaneously with this method in most cases and the sensitivity cannot meet the requirement of some new metal materials. Furthermore, there is no equipment or method reported for determination of Argon(Ar) or Helium(He) in metals till now. In this paper, a new method for simultaneous quantitative determination of O, N, H and Ar(or He) in metals has been described in detail, which combined the pulse heating inert gas fusion with time of flight mass spectrometric detection. The whole analyzing process was introduced, including sample retreatment, inert gas fusion, mass spectral line selection, signal acquisition, data processing and calibration. The detection limit, lower quantitative limit and linear range of each element were determined. The accuracy and precision of the new method have also been verified by measurements of several kinds of samples. The results were consistent with that obtained by the traditional method. It has shown that the new method is more sensitive and efficient than the existing method.