Analysis of UV filters in tap water and other clean waters in Spain

The present paper describes the development of a method for the simultaneous determination of five hormonally active UV filters namely benzophenone-3 (BP3), 3-(4-methylbenzylidene) camphor (4MBC), 2-ethylhexyl 4-(dimethylamino) benzoate (OD-PABA), 2-ethylhexyl 4-methoxycinnamate (EHMC) and octocrylene (OC) by means of solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography–electron impact ionization–mass spectrometry. Under optimized conditions, this methodology achieved low method limits of detection (needed for clean waters, especially drinking water analysis), between 0.02 and 8.42 ng/L, and quantitative recovery rates higher than 73% in all cases. Inter- and intraday precision for all compounds were lower than 7% and 11%, respectively. The optimized methodology was applied to perform the first survey of UV absorbing compounds in tap water from the metropolitan area and the city of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). In addition, other types of clean water matrices (mineral bottled water, well water and tap water treated with an ion-exchange resin) were investigated as well. Results evidenced that all the UV filters investigated were detected in the water samples analyzed. The compounds most frequently found were EHMC and OC. Maximum concentrations reached in tap water were 290 (BP3), 35 (4MBC), 110 (OD-PABA), 260 (EHMC), and 170 ng/L (OC). This study constitutes the first evidence of the presence of UV filter residues in tap water in Europe.     

Determination of organic UV filters in water by stir bar sorptive extraction and direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry

A screening method for analyzing environmental waters contaminated with UV filters using direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) was developed. To demonstrate the suitability of DART-MS a test set of seven organic UV filters, namely benzophenone-3 (BP-3), ethylhexyl dimethyl p-aminobenzoate (OD-PABA), 4-t-butyl-4′-methoxydibenzoylmethane (BM-DBM), homomethyl salicylate (HMS), 2-(ethylhexyl) salicylate (EHS), octocrylene (OC), and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), was defined. In the first step, standard solutions of the analytes prepared in methanol were investigated in order to determine optimum parameters for the DART-MS. Because of the very low concentrations of UV filters expected in environmental water samples, a pre-concentration step using stir bar sorptive extraction was performed. DART-MS allows the direct, simple and rapid semi-quantitative analysis of the analytes enriched on the surface of the polydimethylsiloxane-coated stir bars. The optimized method provided calibration curves with correlation coefficients R > 0.959, repeatability from 5% (for 4-MBC) to 30% (for BM-DBM) relative standard deviation and limits of detection lower than 40 ng L⁻¹ for all analytes. Finally, real lake water samples from locations with typical leisure activities were analyzed. Results obtained with the developed DART-MS method were cross-checked by confirmatory analysis using thermodesorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). Thereby, it could be demonstrated that both analytical methods provide comparable concentrations for the UV filters in the lake water samples.     

Determination of selected UV filters in indoor dust by matrix solid-phase dispersion and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A simple, inexpensive sample preparation procedure, based on the matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) technique, for the determination of six UV filters: 2-ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS), 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl salicylate (Homosalate, HMS), 3-(4-methylbenzylidene) camphor (4-MBC), isoamyl-p-methoxycinnamate (IAMC), 2-ethylhexyl-p-methoxycinnamate (EHMC) and octocrylene (OCR), in dust from indoor environments is presented and the influence of several operational parameters on the extraction performance discussed. Under the final working conditions, sieved samples (0.5 g) were mixed with the same amount of anhydrous sodium sulphate and dispersed with 2 g of octadecyl bonded silica (C18) in a mortar with a pestle. This blend was transferred to a polypropylene solid-phase extraction cartridge containing 2 g of activated silica, as the clean-up co-sorbent. The cartridge was first rinsed with 5 mL of n-hexane and the analytes were then recovered with 4 mL of acetonitrile. This extract was adjusted to 1 mL, filtered and the compounds were determined by gas chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS). Recoveries for samples spiked at two different concentrations ranged between 77% and 99%, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) of the method between 10 and 40 ng g⁻¹. Analysis of settled dust from different indoor areas, including private flats, public buildings and vehicle cabins, showed that EHMC and OCR were ubiquitous in this matrix, with maximum concentrations of 15 and 41 μg g⁻¹, respectively. Both UV filters were also quantified in dust reference material SRM 2585 for first time. EHS, 4-MBC and IAMC were detected in some of the analyzed samples, although at lower concentrations than EHMC and OCR.     

气相色谱-质谱法测定水体中5种典型有机紫外防晒剂

建立了水体中5种典型有机紫外防晒剂甲氧基肉桂酸乙基己酯（ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate,EHMC）、二苯酮-3（benzophenone-3,BP-3）、4-甲基苄亚基樟脑（4-methylbenzylidene camphor,4-MBC）、奥克立林（octocrylene,OC）和胡莫柳酯（homosalate,HMS）的气相色谱-质谱检测方法。对HMS、BP-3衍生化条件进行了系统的优化。以100 μL双（三甲基硅烷基）三氟乙酰胺（N,O-bis（trimethylsilyl） trifluoroacetamide,BSTFA）为衍生化试剂,在100 ℃下反应100 min。水样固相萃取选用Oasis HLB萃取柱（0.5 g）,洗脱溶剂为乙酸乙酯-二氯甲烷（1：1,v/v）,水样pH 3~5。该方法对5种化合物的检出限范围为0.5~1.2 ng/L,定量限范围为1.4~4.0 ng/L。最佳实验条件下,加标水样回收率为87.85%~102.34%,相对标准偏差（n=3）均小于5%。该方法成功地应用于昆明市第一污水厂进出口水样中目标物质的分析。     

Non-porous membrane-assisted liquid–liquid extraction of UV filter compounds from water samples

A method for the determination of nine UV filter compounds [benzophenone-3 (BP-3), isoamyl methoxycinnamate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, octocrylene (OC), butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, ethylhexyl dimethyl p-aminobenzoate (OD-PABA), ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC), ethylhexyl salicylate and homosalate] in water samples was developed and evaluated. The procedure includes non-porous membrane-assisted liquid–liquid extraction (MALLE) and LC–atmospheric pressure photoionisation (APPI)–MS/MS. Membrane bags made of different polymeric materials were examined to enable a fast and simple extraction of the target analytes. Among the polymeric materials tested, low- and high-density polyethylene membranes proved to be well suited to adsorb the analytes from water samples. Finally, 2 cm length tailor-made membrane bags were prepared from low-density polyethylene in order to accommodate 100 μL of propanol. The fully optimised protocol provides recoveries from 76% to 101% and limits of detection (LOD) between 0.4 ng L⁻¹ (OD-PABA) and 16 ng L⁻¹ (EHMC). The interday repeatability of the whole protocol was below 18%. The effective separation of matrix molecules was proved by only marginal matrix influence during the APPI-MS analysis since no ion suppression effects were observed. During the extraction step, the influence of the matrix was only significant when non-treated wastewater was analysed. The analysis of lake water indicated the presence of seven UV filter compounds included in this study at concentrations between 40 ng L⁻¹ (BP-3) and 4381 ng L⁻¹ (OC). In non-treated wastewater several UV filters were also detected at concentration levels as high as 5322 ng L⁻¹ (OC).     

Fast pressurized liquid extraction with in-cell purification and analysis by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of UV filters and their degradation products in sediments

This paper presents the development of a fast and sensitive analytical method for the simultaneous determination of UV filters and degradation products having quite different polarities (log Kow 2.19–6.88) in sediment, by means of pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with in-cell purification and analysis by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Analytes were simultaneously concentrated and purified by placing aluminium oxide as clean-up sorbent in the extraction cell for a faster sample pre-treatment. Under optimized conditions, quantitative recoveries (only one compound below 80%) and satisfactory precision (RSD, 5–15%) were obtained. Low limits of detection were achieved of 0.5–15 ng/g dry weight (dw). The use of PLE extraction and purification and UPLC technology enabled all the compounds to be separated chromatographically in less than 9 min, and with a total chromatographic analysis time of 18 min. This method significantly decreased the overall time of analysis as compared to those of previously developed. Finally, the optimized methodology was applied to investigate the occurrence of the target UV filters in sediment samples collected along the Ebro river basin (Spain). UV filters were detected in 95% of the sediment samples analysed. Results revealed a widespread presence of octocrylene (OC), reaching concentrations up to 24 × 10² ng/g dw, the highest reported so far. Ethylhexyl dimethyl PABA (OD-PABA) and benzophenone-3 (BP3) were also frequently detected (60–65%), but at lower concentrations (4.4–27 ng/g dw). 4DHB (an estrogenic degradation product of BP3) was present in three samples at concentrations between 12 and 21 ng/g dw. These results constitute the first data on the occurrence of OD-PABA and 4DHB in sediments.     

快速制备镍钛合金固相微萃取纤维及其与高效液相色谱联用测定环境水样中的紫外线吸收剂

以镍钛合金丝为基体,通过酸处理方法制得具有大比表面积的固相微萃取(SPME)纤维氧化物涂层。将其与高效液相色谱联用,研究了氧化物涂层对芳香分析物的萃取性能。结果表明,该纤维对所选择的紫外线吸收剂具有良好的萃取效率和选择性。进一步优化了紫外线吸收剂2-羟基-4-甲氧基二苯甲酮(BP-3)、2-乙基己基-4-甲氧基肉桂酸酯(EHMC)、4-(二甲氨基)苯甲酸-2-乙基己酯(OD-PABA)和2-乙基己基水杨酸酯(EHS)的萃取条件。方法在0.1~300μg·L~(-1)范围内具有良好的线性关系,检出限为0.025~0.097μg·L~(-1),使用单支SPME纤维同日内和隔日内的精密度分别为4.9%~5.8%和5.5%~6.4%,使用不同批次SPME纤维的精密度为6.3%~7.1%。所建立方法已成功用于环境水样中目标紫外线吸收剂的富集分离和测定。该纤维制作快速简单、稳定性高,不同批次制作的重现性好。     

Stability and Removal of Benzophenone-Type UV Filters from Water Matrices by Advanced Oxidation Processes

Benzophenone (BP) type UV filters are common environmental contaminants that are posing a growing health concern due to their increasing presence in water. Different studies have evidenced the presence of benzophenones (BP, BP-1, BP-2, BP-3, BP-4, BP-9, HPB) in several environmental matrices, indicating that conventional technologies of water treatment are not able to remove them. It has also been reported that these compounds could be associated with endocrine-disrupting activities, genotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. This review focuses on the degradation kinetics and mechanisms of benzophenone-type UV filters and their degradation products (DPs) under UV and solar irradiation and in UV-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as UV/H₂O₂, UV/persulfate, and the Fenton process. The effects of various operating parameters, such as UV irradiation including initial concentrations of H₂O₂, persulfate, and Fe²⁺, on the degradation of tested benzophenones from aqueous matrices, and conditions that allow higher degradation rates to be achieved are presented. Application of nanoparticles such as TiO₂, PbO/TiO₂, and Sb₂O₃/TiO₂ for the photocatalytic degradation of benzophenone-type UV filters was included in this review.     

Phytotoxicity assessment of diclofenac and its phototransformation products

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment is an emerging issue. Several studies observed that the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac is ubiquitously present in most of the surveyed surface waters, worldwide. Phototransformation of diclofenac was reported from laboratory assays as well as in natural water systems, raising the question of possible adverse effects of the phototransformation products of diclofenac to aquatic organisms. In this study the phytotoxicity of diclofenac exposed to natural sunlight was evaluated using synchronized cultures of the unicellular chlorophyte Scenedesmus vacuolatus. Diclofenac dissolved in ultra-pure water at 50 mg L⁻¹ was exposed to natural midsummer sunlight for a maximum of 145 h. Twice a day subsamples were taken for chromatography and parallel phytotoxicity assessment. Inhibition of algal reproduction of the initial diclofenac solution was in the mg L⁻¹ range indicating no specific toxicity of diclofenac towards S. vacuolatus. Fast degradation of diclofenac was observed with half lives between 3.3 and 6.4 h during the first and the third day of exposure, respectively. Phytotoxicity increased after 3.5 h of exposure of diclofenac to sunlight and showed a maximum of sixfold enhanced toxicity after 53 h of exposure to sunlight. Several phototransformation products were found during the experiment. The time courses of the relative concentration of three transformation products significantly correlated with enhanced phytotoxicity during the experiment. This indicates a high toxicity potential of phototransformation products of diclofenac at concentration levels that may come close to environmental concentrations of residual diclofenac after degradation. We conclude that toxicity assessment of phototransformation products should be included in the risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in the environment.     

Determination of UV filters and antimicrobial agents in environmental water samples

Although there is increasing concern about residues from personal care products entering the aquatic environment and their potential to accumulate to levels that pose a health threat to humans and wildlife, we still know little about the extent and magnitude of their presence in the aquatic environment. In this study we describe a procedure for isolation, and subsequent determination, of compounds commonly added to personal care products. The compounds of interest include UV filters with the commercial name Eusolex (homosalate, 4-methylbenzylidenecamphor, benzophenone-3, octocrylene, butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate) and two common anti-microbial agents, clorophene and triclosan. Water samples were filtered, acidified, and extracted by use of solid-phase extraction. Extracted compounds were then derivatised before analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. By use of our method we obtained limits of detection of 13–266 ng L⁻¹ for UV filters, and 10–186 ng L⁻¹ for triclosan and clorophene. Recoveries were 82–98% for deionised water and 50–98% for natural water (seawater, pool water, lake water, and river water). Samples collected in Slovenia included seventeen recreational waters (seawater, pool water, lake water, and river water; August 2004) and four wastewaters (January 2005). The most abundant UV filter was benzophenone-3 (11–400 ng L⁻¹). Of the two anti-microbial agents studied, trace amounts, only, of triclosan were present in the river Kolpa (68 ng L⁻¹) and in an hospital effluent (122 ng L⁻¹).     

Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction and LC–MS/MS for Trace Analysis of UV Filters in Different Water Matrices

A simple, selective and highly sensitive method was developed and optimized to determine the most commonly used UV filters with endocrine-disrupting potential in water, namely benzophenone-3 (BP-3), octocrylene (OC), ethylhexyl dimethyl p-aminobenzoate (OD-PABA), ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS) and homosalate (HMS). Samples were extracted by stir bar sorptive extraction followed by liquid desorption (SBSE-LD). The important factors influencing SBSE-LD were optimized. Under optimal conditions, assays were performed on 50 mL of water sample using stir bars (0.5 mm in film thickness, 10 mm in length) at room temperature. The analytes were determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry with triple quadrupole analyzer using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization. The main parameters in HPLC–APCI–MS/MS were also optimized to provide the best performances for all analytes. Moreover, matrix effect was investigated using two methods the post-column infusion system and the method of spiked matrices after extraction. As a result, no significant matrix effect on the analysis was observed. The method showed good linearity (R ² coefficients greater than 0.996 in different water samples after SBSE-LD). Recoveries of the analytes were close to 90%, except for BP-3 (64%) and OC (76%) with relative standard deviation lower than 11%. Detection limits were between 0.6 and 3.3 ng L⁻¹ for all the analytes except for HMS (94 ng L⁻¹) and EHS (114 ng L⁻¹). This methodology was applied to measure UV filters in seawater, river water and wastewater in different sites of Liguria; BP-3 and OC were found in most of the considered samples at rather low concentration level.

     

Photocatalytic degradation on Disperse Blue with modified nano-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> film electrode

Sol–gel and dip-coating methods were used to prepare the modified nano-TiO₂ film electrode; its photocatalytic and electrochemical properties were investigated under both UV light and sunlight for the degradation of Disperse Blue. The results showed that the effect of co-doping metal and non-metal ions was better than that of single metal ion doping or no doping. Y–F co-doping could better take advantage of sunlight so as to decrease the energy gap of semiconductor and to improve the utilization of visible light, while Ce–F co-doping served to separate photo-generated h ⁺ /e ⁻ pairs, which resulted in better degradation of dye under UV light. The grain size of prepared electrode was from 15 to 25 nm, and nano particles were arranged smoothly as well as closely with each other, confirming to be an effective binder. The final decolorization extents reached 44.43% under sunlight and 96.86% under UV light within 30 min, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of benzotriazoles and ultraviolet filters in ground water, effluent and biosolid samples using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A new method using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of four benzotriazoles, i.e. benzotriazole (BT), 5-methylbenzotriazole (5-TTri), 5-chlorobenzotriazole (CBT), 5,6-dimethylbenzotriazole (XTri), and six UV filters, i.e. benzophenone-3 (BP-3), 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)camphor (4-MBC), octyl 4-methoxycinnamate (OMC), 2-(3-t-butyl-2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)-5-chloro benzotriazole (UV-326), 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-octylphenyl)-benzotriazole (UV-329), and octocrylene (OC) in ground water, effluent and biosolid samples. Solid phase extraction (SPE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) were applied as the preconcentration method for water samples (ground water and effluent) and biosolid samples, respectively. The optimized method allowed us to quantify all target compounds with the method detection limits ranging from 0.29 to 11.02 ng/L, 0.5 to 14.1 ng/L and 0.33 to 8.23 ng/g in tap water, effluent and biosolid samples, respectively. The recoveries of the target analytes in tap water, effluent and biosolid samples were 70-150%, 82-127% and 81-133%, respectively. The developed analytical method was applied in the determination of these target compounds in ground water, effluent and biosolid samples collected from Bolivar sewage treatment plants in South Australia. In effluent samples, the target compounds BT, 5-TTri, CBT, XTri and BP-3 tested were detected with the maximum concentration up to 2.2 μg/L for BT. In biosolid samples, eight out of ten compounds tested were found to be present at the concentrations ranging between 18.7 ng/g (5-TTri) and 250 ng/g (4-MBC).     

Quantification of urinary conjugates of bisphenol A, 2,5-dichlorophenol,and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone in humans by online solid phase extraction–high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Urinary concentrations of phenols or their metabolites have been used as biomarkers to assess the prevalence of exposure to these compounds in the general population. Total urinary concentrations, which include both free and conjugated (glucuronide and sulfated) forms of the compounds, are usually reported. From a toxicologic standpoint, the relative concentrations of the free species compared with their conjugated analogs can be important because conjugation may reduce the potential biologic activity of the phenols. In this study, we determined the percentage of glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of three phenolic compounds, bisphenol A (BPA), 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP), and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (benzophenone-3, BP-3) in 30 urine samples collected between 2000 and 2004 from a demographically diverse group of anonymous adult volunteers. We used a sensitive on-line solid phase extraction–isotope dilution–high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method. These three phenols were detected frequently in the urine samples tested. Only small percentages of the compounds (9.5% for BPA, and 3% for 2,5-DCP and BP-3) were excreted in their free form. The percentage of the sulfate conjugate was about twice that of the free compound. The glucuronide conjugate was the major metabolite, representing 69.5% (BPA), 89% (2,5-DCP), and 84.6% (BP-3) of the total amount excreted in urine. These results are in agreement with those reported before which suggested that BPA-glucuronide was an important BPA urinary metabolite in humans. To our knowledge, this is the first study describing the distribution of urinary conjugates of BP-3 and 2,5-DCP in humans.     

Rapid and selective determination of UV filters in seawater by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry combined with stir bar sorptive extraction

Fast liquid chromatography coupled to triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry was employed for the determination of six UV filters in seawater. The separation of the analytes was achieved in less than 5 min; polarity switching was used as four of the analytes were ionized in positive mode and the remaining two in negative mode. Two ionization sources were employed and compared: atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) gave better results than electrospray ionization (ESI) for all analytes, with higher reproducibility and lower detection limits. Therefore APCI was chosen for the determination of the analytes in seawater samples using stir bar sorptive extraction-liquid desorption (SBSE-LD).Quantitative analysis was performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode; fragmentation pathways of the analytes with regard to the formation of the MRM ions were also proposed.For the analysis of seawater samples, calibration curves were drawn using SBSE in spiked seawater. All figures of merit of the method were satisfactory; limits of detection were particularly low for the four analytes ionized in positive mode, being in the range 8-31 ng/L. The method was applied to the determination of the six UV filters in seawater samples from Liguria, Italy. Only benzophenone-3 (BP-3) and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) were measured in the analyzed samples; some of the remaining analytes were also detected but always below the limit of quantitation.     

Optimization of pressurized liquid extraction and purification conditions for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry determination of UV filters in sludge

This work presents an effective sample preparation method for the determination of eight UV filter compounds, belonging to different chemical classes, in freeze-dried sludge samples. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were selected as extraction and determination techniques, respectively. Normal-phase, reversed-phase and anionic exchange materials were tested as clean-up sorbents to reduce the complexity of raw PLE extracts. Under final working conditions, graphitized carbon (0.5 g) was used as in-cell purification sorbent for the retention of co-extracted pigments. Thereafter, a solid-phase extraction cartridge, containing 0.5 g of primary secondary amine (PSA) bonded silica, was employed for off-line removal of other interferences, mainly fatty acids, overlapping the chromatographic peaks of some UV filters. Extractions were performed with a n-hexane:dichloromethane (80:20, v:v) solution at 75°C, using a single extraction cycle of 5 min at 1500 psi. Flush volume and purge time were set at 100% and 2 min, respectively. Considering 0.5 g of sample and 1 mL as the final volume of the purified extract, the developed method provided recoveries between 73% and 112%, with limits of quantification (LOQs) from 17 to 61 ng g(-1) and a linear response range up to 10 μg g(-1). Total solvent consumption remained around 30 mL per sample. The analysis of non-spiked samples confirmed the sorption of significant amounts of several UV filters in sludge with average concentrations above 0.6 μg g(-1) for 3-(4-methylbenzylidene) camphor (4-MBC), 2-ethylhexyl-p-methoxycinnamate (EHMC) and octocrylene (OC).     

Inclusion complexes and photostability of UV filters and curcumin with beta-cyclodextrin polymers: effect on cross-linkers

Beta-cyclodextrin polymers (pbCD) cross-linked by epichlorohydrin (pbCDE) and citric acid (pbCDC) were prepared in this work. The inclusion complexes of pbCDE and pbCDC with curcumin and two commercial UV filters, 2-ethylhexyl-p-methoxycinnamate (EHMC) and 4-tert-butyl-4′-methoxydibenzoylmethane (DBM) were investigated. The UV absorption of these three compounds observed in water indicated that the water solubility of these three hydrophobic compounds increased. The amount of EHMC was higher in both pbCDE and pbCDC than curcumin and DBM, respectively. The photostability of these three compound inclusion complexes with pbCDE and pbCDC were also studied in water and ethylene glycol. It was found that the photostability of the three compounds improved upon formation of the inclusion complex with pbCDE in an aqueous and ethylene glycol solution. The acidity of the crosslink moiety effects to the inclusion complex formation and the photostability of the guests suggesting that more acidity of citric acid decreased the formation and stability of all guest compounds.     

Detection of manipulation in doping control urine sample collection: a multidisciplinary approach to determine identical urine samples

Manipulation of urine sampling in sports drug testing is considered a violation of anti-doping rules and is consequently sanctioned by regulatory authorities. In 2003, three identical urine specimens were provided by three different athletes, and the identity of all urine samples was detected and substantiated using numerous analytical strategies including gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with steroid and metabolite profiling, gas chromatography–nitrogen/phosphorus detector analysis, high-performance liquid chromatography–UV fingerprinting, and DNA-STR (short tandem repeat) analysis. None of the respective athletes was the donor of the urine provided for doping analysis, which proved to be a urine sample collected from other unidentified individual(s). Samples were considered suspicious based on identical steroid profiles, one of the most important parameters for specimen individualization in sports drug testing. A database containing 14,224 urinary steroid profiles of athletes was screened for specific values of 4 characteristic parameters (ratios of testosterone/epitestosterone, androsterone/etiocholanolone, androsterone/testosterone, and 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol/5β-androstane-3α,17β-diol) and only the three suspicious samples matched all criteria. Further metabolite profiling regarding indicated medications and high-performance liquid chromatography–UV fingerprinting substantiated the assumption of manipulation. DNA-STR analyses unequivocally confirmed that the 3 urine samples were from the same individual and not from the athletes who provided DNA from either buccal cell material or blood specimens. This supportive evidence led to punishment of all three athletes according to the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Application of a new multidisciplinary strategy employing common and new doping control assays enables the detection of urine substitution in sports drug testing. Figure Identical GC-MS/NPD profiles of three urine specimens collected from three different individuals for doping control purposes     

A multi-analytical approach for the identification of aloe as a colorant in oil–resin varnishes

Aloe plants have been widely documented in artists’ treatises dating from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century as a source of colorant to achieve lustrous golden glazes on tin- and silver-foiled objects and warm-toned finishes on musical instruments, such as violins. Aloe extracts contain characteristic anthraquinone and phenolic components which impart a distinctive orange tone and fluorescence to mixtures containing them. Because of the low concentration of colorant in the coatings and its probable degradation by high temperature during manufacture, the identification of aloe in heated oil–resin mixtures represents an analytical challenge. For this reason, the possible presence of aloe in glazes and coatings has been largely overlooked. This paper describes various analytical approaches to the identification of aloe in historic samples, from comparison with results obtained from reference standards and mock-up samples. Complementary analytical techniques including thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, high-performance liquid chromatography, laser desorption–mass spectrometry, matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-mass spectrometry and surface-enhanced Raman scattering were used. Different chemical markers were identified by the individual methods and the advantages and limitations of each technique for the identification of aloe in oil–resin varnishes are discussed.     

Characterization and activity of visible light–driven TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> photocatalysts co<Emphasis Type="Bold">-</Emphasis>doped with nitrogen and lanthanum

Nitrogen and lanthanum co-doped titania photocatalysts were prepared by a modified sol–gel process with urea and lanthanum nitrate doping precursors and characterized by various techniques including XRD, FTIR, TEM, EDS, and UV–Vis DRS. The average crystallite size was ca. 12–15 nm as calculated from XRD patterns, and anatase was the dominant crystalline type in the as-prepared samples. The UV–Vis DRS of the samples revealed significant absorption within the range of 400–500 nm. The optimum composition of N(0.020)La(0.012)TiO₂ exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for degradation of methyl orange (MO) aqueous solution under simulated sunlight. The percent degradation of MO was ca. 97% for N(0.020)La(0.012)TiO₂ under simulated sunlight irradiation for 9 h. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the synergistic effects of the nitrogen and lanthanum co-doping.