Determination of microquantities of nitrogen in compounds containing fluorine by an automatic rapid nitrogen analyser

Summary It was observed that when the Heraeus automatic nitrogen analyser is used for organic fluorine compounds, the fluorine (particularly as the trifluoromethyl group) interferes. The cause and extent of the interference were established by mass spectroscopy; the cause is the formation of trifluoromethane and polytetrafluoroethylene. The interference was found to be eliminated by addition of potassium perchlorate as additive to the sample boat.

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Zusammenfassung Bei Verwendung des automatischen Geräts zur Stickstoffbestimmung von Heraeus zur Analyse fluorhältiger organischer Verbindungen stört das Fluor (besonders wenn es als Trifluormethylgruppe vorliegt). Ursache und Ausmaß dieser Störung wurden massenspektroskopisch untersucht. Die Ursache ist die Bildung von Trifluormethan und Tetrafluoräthan. Die Störung läßt sich durch Zusatz von Kaliumperchlorat in das Einwaageschiffchen beseitigen.

     

A computer system for the spectrometric analysis of high alloyed steel

Summary Experiences with a computer controlled analyser system for production control in a steel plant are reported. The analyser system consists of a direct reading vacuum spectrometer, a digital computer and a data transmission system. The computer system is responsible for the control of the spectrometer as well as for the transformation of measured values into element concentration values and their transmission into the plant internal teleprinter network. A great disadvantage of spectrometers is the fact that matrix effects occur. To solve the problems arising from that — especially in the case of analyses of an extended alloying program — either numerous special calibration curves for all the different types of alloyed steels can be established or one can use only one calibration curve and eliminate the matrix effects by calculation of the line coincidences and the third element influences. The combination of a spectrometer and a digital computer permits rapid determination of the chemical composition of samples by following the second procedure and makes the automatic transmission and documentation of data possible. The composition and working method of such an equipment is described, some selected examples for the used method of calibration are given. The principle of the digital computer program for the calculation of the chemical composition from measured intensity values is demonstrated, and the means of automatic transmission of results are shown. The main advantages of the system and also its limits are discussed.     

Determination of nitrogen content of methylamine and dimethylamine compounds by an automatic rapid nitrogen analyser

Summary It has been observed that when the Heraeus automatic nitrogen analyser is used for compounds containing anN-methyl group, values higher than theoretical are obtained, because the volume of methane arising from the methyl group is measured along with the nitrogen. This interference is found to be eliminated by increasing the temperature of the oven. When the traditional Pregl-Dumas method is used, the duration of combustion can be lengthened to eliminate this effect.

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Zusammenfassung Bei Verwendung des automatischen Gerätes von Heraeus zur N-Bestimmung in N-Methylverbindungen werden überhöhte Werte erhalten, da sich Methan bildet, das mit Stickstoff gemeinsam gemessen wird. Diese Störung läßt sich durch Erhöhung der Ofentemperatur bescitigen. Wenn die herkömmliche Methode von Dumas-Pregl verwendet wird, kann man den gleichen Erfolg durch Verlängerung der Verbrennungszeit erzielen.

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Work performed under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy under contract No. W-7405-Eng-48.     

Determination of carbon,hydrogen and nitrogen in liquid samples without weighing

Summary The determination of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen in unweighed liquid samples is described. The sample is injected by microsyringe into an automatic analyser. The method was tested with an analyser based on frontal gas chromatography, the samples being volatile hydrocarbons, pyridine bases, chlorinated hydrocarbons and an organic sulphide.

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Bestimmung von C, H und N in Flüssigen, Ungewogenen Proben

Zusammenfassung Die Elementaranalyse des Kohlenstoffs, Wasserstoffs und Stickstoffs in flüssigen, ungewogenen Proben wurde beschrieben. Die Proben werden mit einer Mikroinjektionsspritze in ein automatisches Verbrennungsgerät eingegeben. Das Verfahren wurde in einem Analysator getestet, der nach dem Prinzip der Frontalgaschromatographie funktioniert. Es eignet sich für die Analyse flüchtiger Kohlenwasserstoffe, stickstoffhaltiger Verbindungen, vor allem der Pyridinreihe, für Chlorkohlenwasserstoffe und Sulfide.

     

Conversion efficiency of the high-temperature combustion technique for dissolved organic carbon and total dissolved nitrogen analysis

The measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in seawater are key in global change and coastal eutrophication studies. Nowadays, the high-temperature combustion (HTC) technique is a widely used method for DOC and TDN analysis. However, uncertainties exist about the operation of the catalyst in the conversion process of DOC and TDN in the HTC method. In this study, five different ‘catalyst’ materials were tested for their blanks, calibration slopes, and conversion efficiency of DOC and TDN using the Shimadzu TOC 5000A total organic carbon analyser coupled to a Sievers NCD 255 nitrogen chemiluminescence detector. The materials included four metallic catalysts (Shimadzu and Johnson 0.5% Pt–alumina, 13% Cu(II)O–alumina, 0.5% Pd–alumina) and quartz beads. The results indicated that DOC blank signals for the HTC approach using metallic catalysts with an alumina support are higher compared with quartz beads, as a result of the amphoteric nature of the alumina. However, the slopes of the standard calibration graphs were lowest for DOC and TDN determinations on the quartz beads. The DOC recoveries for the metallic catalysts were close to 100% for all compounds tested, with the exception of ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate. Using quartz beads, poor recoveries were obtained for a range of organic compounds, including the commonly used calibration compounds potassium hydrogen phthalate and glycine. The TDN recoveries for all compounds were typically >90%, with the exception of NaNO₂. Furthermore, analysis using the CuO–alumina and Pd–alumina catalysts and quartz beads showed low recoveries for NH₄Cl. This study showed that catalyst performance should be verified on a regular basis using model compounds and blank checks made during every run, and that the Shimadzu 0.5% Pt–alumina material was an efficient catalyst for DOC and TDN analyses using the coupled total organic carbon–nitrogen chemiluminescence detector (TOC-NCD) analyser.     

Advances in coupling a commercial total organic carbon analyser with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer to determine the isotopic signal of the total dissolved nitrogen pool

A new method has been developed to analyse 15N of the total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) pool. The method operates on a commercial total organic carbon (TOC) analyser coupled to an elemental analyser/isotope ratio mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS). Nitrogen compounds are combusted to nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) by high-temperature catalytic oxidation (HTCO), after which the NOx gas is transferred to an EA-IRMS for isotopic nitrogen analysis. The system is described, including five modifications of the system in order to overcome analytical problems. First, flow paths were modified to run both systems on helium as carrier gas, while complete sample oxidation was maintained. Secondly, the catalyst structure was adapted to allow high injection volumes at the given backpressures delivered by the EA system. Thirdly, we installed a Permapure dehumidification system as the standard Peltier element did not satisfy dehumidification requirements. Finally, we prevented the inflow of atmospheric nitrogen into the system. In a final stage, we are planning to automate the coupled system in order to run a continuous batch of up to 60 samples. We have obtained satisfactory results on the accuracy and precision of 180+/-1 per thousand potassium nitrate samples (IAEA, USGS-32). Running a batch of five samples resulted in a mean isotopic value of 178.8 per thousand with a standard deviation of 2.8 per thousand. Some important issues could not yet be addressed here, and will have to be evaluated once the system is running on a continuous base. However, the results appear promising and this system has the potential to become a method for TD15N analysis. An appropriate TD15N analysis method might open new challenges in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem nitrogen studies, including a more comprehensive study of the dissolved organic nitrogen pool.     

Virtual screening and library enumeration of new hydroxycinnamates based antioxidant compounds: A complete framework

Designing of molecules for drugs is important topic from many decades. The search of new drugs is very hard, and it is expensive process. Computer assisted framework can provide the fastest way to design and screen drug-like compounds. In present work, a multidimensional approach is introduced for the designing and screening of antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants play a crucial role in ensuring that the body's oxidizing and reducing species are kept in the proper balance, minimizing oxidative stress. Machine learning models are used to predict antioxidant activity. Three hydroxycinnamates are selected as standard antioxidants. Similar compounds are searched from ChEMBL database using chemical structural similarity method. The libraries of new compounds are generated using evolutionary method. New compounds are also designed using automatic decomposition and construction building blocks. The antioxidant activity of all designed and searched compounds is predicted using machine learning models. The chemical space of searched and generated compounds is envisioned using t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) method. Best compounds are shortlisted, and their synthetic accessibility is predicted to further facilitate the experimental chemists. The chemical similarity between standard and selected compounds is also studied using fingerprints and heatmap.     

Identification of the chemical constituents of Chinese medicine Yi‐Xin‐Shu capsule by molecular feature orientated precursor ion selection and tandem mass spectrometry structure elucidation

The incomplete identification of the chemical components of traditional Chinese medicinal formula has been one of the bottlenecks in the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. Tandem mass spectrometry has been widely used for the identification of chemical substances. Current automatic tandem mass spectrometry acquisition, where precursor ions were selected according to their signal intensity, encounters a drawback in chemical substances identification when samples contain many overlapping signals. Compounds in minor or trace amounts could not be identified because most tandem mass spectrometry information was lost. Herein, a molecular feature orientated precursor ion selection and tandem mass spectrometry structure elucidation method for complex Chinese medicine chemical constituent analysis was developed. The precursor ions were selected according to their two‐dimensional characteristics of retention times and mass‐to‐charge ratio ranges from herbal compounds, so that all precursor ions from herbal compounds were included and more minor chemical constituents in Chinese medicine were identified. Compared to the conventional automatic tandem mass spectrometry setups, the approach is novel and can overcome the drawback for chemical substances identification. As an example, 276 compounds from the Chinese Medicine of Yi‐Xin‐Shu capsule were identified.     

Empirical additive parameter and automatic assignment of 13C NMR signals of some aryl and heteroaryl groups. A new criterion for a linear relationship between 13C chemical shifts and charge densities

The ¹³C NMR signals of some mono- and disubstituted aryl compounds were assigned by means of empirical additive substituent parameters and information taken from fully coupled spectra. This assignment was compared with that obtained with the help of the method of automatic assignment of the signals based on the linear relationship between ¹³C chemical shift and charge density. The results show that in the cases of XR substituents (X = O, NH and R = H, CH₃, CH₂CH₂OH) a good correlation is observed and the automatic assignment is correct. In contrast, in the cases of ? CH₂CH₂Y substituents (Y = OH, NH₂, Cl) a worsening of the correlation is observed and the automatic assignment is not correct. It is suggested that for compounds with a preliminarily known assignment, the automatic assignment can serve as an additional criterion for the reliability of the linear relationship between ¹³C chemical shift and charge density.     

On-line octane-number analyser for reforming unit effluents. Principle of the analyser and test of a prototype

An on-line automatic explosion-proof process octane-number analyser was developed. The principle is based on on-line capillary gas chromatographic analysis of the sample. A computer program performs the identification and the quantification of the components and calculates the octane numbers and other physical properties. The process analyser consists of laboratory equipment placed in an explosion-proof shelter. A prototype of the analyser was tested on a pilot plant under industrial conditions. It was shown that the fully automated analyser is reliable and reproducible.     

Rapid,automatic, high capacity dumas determination of nitrogen

Chemical and physical processes which take place in the Carlo Erba ANA 1400 automatic nitrogen analyzer were investigated. The instrument and its sampler were modified. Several drums with samples can be stacked upon each other for automatic analysis.About 100 analyses can be carried out in a working day, and the instrument can be loaded with further 100 or more samples for automatic analysis overnight.One analysis takes 5 min and the analyst can present a result within less than 10 min after that he has obtained the specimen for analysis. A minimum of labor is required. The instrument does clean work, requires very little laboratory space, and causes no environmental hazards.A series of 20 analyses of pure organic nitrogen-containing compounds gave a standard deviation from theory of 0.08% N. Examples of nitrogen determinations in mineral oils are reported. A cyclone mill, Retsch ZM1 was found to grind 200 g of grains, hay, peat, and other materials of agricultural interest in about 1 min to a powder, fine enough for analysis with the ANA. Examples of such analyses are reported.The method can favorably replace the Kjeldahl method in many instances of industrial, agricultural, and food analysis.     

Sequential injection system for on-line analysis of total nitrogen with UV-mineralization

An automatic method for the determination of total nitrogen in wastewater by sequential injection analysis and mineralization with UV radiation has been developed. The method is based on the mineralization of the samples with sodium persulphate in basic medium under UV radiation. Small volumes of sample and reagents are firstly aspirated into a single channel and then propelled by flow reversal to the UV reactor and then to the detector. The organic and inorganic nitrogen compounds are oxidized to nitrate that is then measured at 226 nm. The sequential injection procedure has been optimized and the factors affecting the efficiency of the oxidation have been studied with a number of test substances with different chemical structures and properties. Solutions in the concentration range 1-56 g l⁻¹ of nitrogen can be analyzed with the described procedure. The sample rate is of 30-40 samples h⁻¹. The LOD is 0.6 mg l⁻¹ N and the reproducibility is 1.8% (28 mg l⁻¹ N). Organic carbon in the form of glucose was added to a number of test solutions to study the potential interference of organic matter.The method was compared with the Kjeldahl digestion method by analyzing 15 wastewater samples with both methods. The nitrate and nitrite content of the non-oxidized samples were subtracted from the corresponding nitrogen content determined after photo-oxidation and the value compared with the Kjeldahl nitrogen content.     

Kinetics independent spectrometric analysis using non-linear calibration modelling and exploitation of concentration gradients generated by a flow-batch system for albumin and total protein determination in blood serum

An automatic method for kinetics independent spectrometric analysis is proposed in this study. It uses a non-linear calibration model that explores concentration gradients generated by a flow-batch analyser (FBA) for the samples, dye, and the single standard solution. The procedure for obtaining the gradients of the dye and standard solution is performed once at the beginning of analysis. The same procedure is applied thereafter for each sample. For illustration, the proposed automatic methodology was applied to determine total protein and albumin in blood serum by using the Biuret and Bromocresol Green (BCG) methods. The measurements were made by using a laboratory-made photometer based on a red and green bicolour LED (Light-Emitting Diode) and a phototransistor, coupled to a “Z” form flow cell. The sample throughput was about 50 h⁻¹ for albumin and 60 h⁻¹ for total protein, consuming about 7 μL of sample, 2.6 mL of BCG and 1.2 mL of biuret reagents for each determination. Applying the paired t-test for results from the proposed analyser and the reference method, no statistic differences at 95% confidence level were found. The absolute standard deviation was usually smaller than 0.2 g dL⁻¹. The proposed method is valuable for the determination of total protein and albumin; and can also be used in other determinations where kinetic effects may or may not exist.     

Gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric determination of nitroaromatics in water

Several methods for the extraction of nitroaromatic compounds from water were compared. High recoveries were achieved with discontinuous or continuous extraction of water with dichloromethane and by adsorption on Amberlite XAD-2, -4 and -8 resins (1:1:1) and elution with dichloromethane. The recoveries obtained with solid-phase extraction using cyano-, phenyl- or octadecyl-bonded phases varied, depending on the compounds studied, and were often low. Nitroaromatic compounds were determined by gas chromatography using an electron-capture or a chemiluminescence detector (thermal energy analyser) and by mass spectrometry using electron impact and positive- and negative-ion chemical ionization.     

Pharmaceutical trace analysis in aqueous environmental matrices by liquid chromatography–ion trap tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical method based on solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with an ion trap analyser was developed and validated for the quantification of a series of pharmaceutical compounds with distinct physical–chemical characteristics in estuarine water samples. Method detection limits were between 0.03 and 16.4 ng/L. The sensitivity and the accuracy obtained associated with the inherent confirmatory potential of ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (IT-MS/MS) validates its success as an environmental analysis tool. Two MS/MS transitions were used to confirm compound identity. Almost all pharmaceuticals were detected at ng/L level in at least one sampling site of the Douro River estuary, Portugal.     

Study of the behaviour of various phenolic compounds in the 4-aminoantipyrine and ultraviolet-ratio spectrophotometric methods without and with distillation

It is customary in industrial analysis in the determination of phenols by the 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) and ultraviolet-ratio spectrophotometric methods to report the total of phenolic compounds as phenol. A study was therefore made of the behaviour of 36 representative phenolic compounds in the 4-AAP and UV-ratio methods, with and without distillation, to ascertain the apparent recoveries relative to that for phenol. The Fisher phenol analyser was used for the UV-ratio method, which depends upon the bathochromic shift (from about 270 to about 290 nm) usually obtained when the solution of the phenol is made alkaline. The apparent recoveries by the 4-AAP method both with and without distillation varied from 0 to 100%. The apparent recoveries by the UV-ratio method without distillation varied from 0 to 148%, and those with distillation varied from 0 to 110%. Sixteen of the compounds tested without distillation gave less than 10% recovery by the 4-AAP method and eleven gave less than 10% recovery by the UV-ratio method. The results after distillation indicated that several of the compounds did not distil completely.     

Fe analysis by the ferrozine method: Adaptation to FIA towards in situ analysis in hydrothermal environment

The target of this study is the adaptation of the ferrozine method to flow injection analysis (FIA) to perform iron analysis in situ using an in situ chemical analyser in hydrothermal environments. The adaptation of the method to FIA was followed by its optimisation using an experimental design screening method. The goals of the optimisation steps were to decrease the detection limit and to increase the measuring range to cope with the constraints of in situ analysis. The method allows the determination of iron in the mixing zone of hydrothermal fluid, enriched in iron, and seawater. A single manifold gives the possibility to analyse either Fe(II) or ΣFe [Fe(II) + Fe(III)] in situ, or ΣFe in the lab on hydrothermal seawater samples. The measuring range of the method was increased to up to 2000 μM, which is coherent with the study of the chemical environment of communities associated with deep-sea hydrothermal activity. Finally, the method was applied in situ using the chemical analyser Alchimist during the ATOS cruise on hydrothermal vent fields on the Mid Atlantic Ridge.     

Automated pre-column derivatization in gas chromatography amino acid analysis via enantiomer labelling: An application of autoderivat 100

Summary An apparatus for the automatic derivatization of samples for chromatography is described. When coupled with an autosampler, gaschromatograph and calculating integrator, the system may be used as a fully automatic amino acid analyser, utilizing the advantages of enantiomer labelling. Presented at the 15th International Symposium on Chromatography, Nürnberg, October 1984     

High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with chemiluminescence nitrogen detection for the study of ethoxyquin antioxidant and related organic bases

The Chemiluminescent Nitrogen Detector (CLND) for use with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) allows for the low-level detection of nitrogen-containing compounds with simple quantitation. The nitrogen selective detector's equimolar response (i.e., equal response for nitrogen independent of its chemical environment) allows for any nitrogen-containing compound to be quantitated as long as the number of nitrogens are known. The HPLC-CLND provides a new detection method for analytes that are not available in large quantities or have unknown chemical or physical characteristics such as oxidation products, metabolites, or impurities. Ethoxyquin is a primary antioxidant that is used to preserve many food products and animal feeds. HPLC-CLND is used in the study of the oxidation products of ethoxyquin because limited quantities of these compounds are available and subsequent calibration curves are difficult to maintain. HPLC-CLND as a new method of detection has been evaluated for its equimolarity of response, linear range, limit of detection, and limit of quantitation.     

A measuring system for the fast simultaneous isotope ratio and elemental analysis of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur in food commodities and other biological material

The isotope ratio of each of the light elements preserves individual information on the origin and history of organic natural compounds. Therefore, a multi-element isotope ratio analysis is the most efficient means for the origin and authenticity assignment of food, and also for the solution of various problems in ecology, archaeology and criminology. Due to the extraordinary relative abundances of the elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and sulfur in some biological material and to the need for individual sample preparations for H and S, their isotope ratio determination currently requires at least three independent procedures and approximately 1 h of work. We present here a system for the integrated elemental and isotope ratio analysis of all four elements in one sample within 20 min. The system consists of an elemental analyser coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer with an inlet system for four reference gases (N(2), CO(2), H(2) and SO(2)). The combustion gases are separated by reversible adsorption and determined by a thermoconductivity detector; H(2)O is reduced to H(2). The analyser is able to combust samples with up to 100 mg of organic material, sufficient to analyse samples with even unusual elemental ratios, in one run. A comparison of the isotope ratios of samples of water, fruit juices, cheese and ethanol from wine, analysed by the four-element analyser and by classical methods and systems, respectively, yielded excellent agreements. The sensitivity of the device for the isotope ratio measurement of C and N corresponds to that of other systems. It is less by a factor of four for H and by a factor of two for S, and the error ranges are identical to those of other systems.