Organosulphur behaviour in a GC/MS membrane interface

The behaviour of 0.1-1.0 ng amounts of S as dimethyldisulphide, n-butanethiol and diisopropylsulphide in a membrane gas-chromatograph/mass-spectrometer interface has been studied. Results are presented for an all-Teflon system which incorporated a membrane housing constructed from either glass or polymer.     

Molecular fragmentations: Part VIII. Structures and energies of mass spectral fragments derived from tetraphosphorus trisulphide

Molecular structures and energies have been calculated in the MNDO approximation, for P₄S₃ and its molecular ion P₄S₃⁺, and for the mass spectral fragment pairs: (P₃S₃⁺ + P), (P₃S₂⁺ + PS), (P₃S⁺ + PS₂), (P₂S₃⁺ + P₂), (P₂S₂⁺ + P₂S), (P₂S⁺ + P₂S₂), (P₂S₂), PS₃⁺ + P₃), (PS₂⁺ + P₃S), (PS⁺ + P₃S₂), and (PS⁺ + P₂S + PS). Three distinct energy minima were found for each of P₂S₂⁺ and P₂S₂, and two minima for each of P₂S⁺, P₂S, PS₃⁺, PS₃⁺, PS₂⁺, PS₂, P₃⁺ and P₃. The fragments arising from P₄ and P₄⁺ were also investigated. The structures are discussed in terms of the Jahn—Teller effect, whose predictions are fulfilled without exception.     

Automated accurate mass data processing using a gas chromatograph/time-of-flight mass spectrometer in drug discovery

A gas chromatograph/time-of-flight (GCT) mass spectrometer, with high mass measurement accuracy to within 5 ppm, has been used for the automated accurate mass analysis of multicomponent mixtures and drug discovery compounds. A multicomponent mixture was analyzed several times over the course of a week to assess the reproducibility and ruggedness of the automated method while operating the GCT in electron ionization mode. For example, the data for 31 radical cations generated via electron ionization was processed using automated software (i.e. OpenLynx) to provide for mass accuracies less than 5 ppm for nearly 100% of the ions from multiple injection data. Mass accuracies of the radical anions of polyaromatic hydrocarbons generated via negative chemical ionization, and protonated pyridines and quinolines generated via methane chemical ionization, were mainly less than 5 ppm from multiple injection data. In addition, the automated method has been used for the accurate mass analysis of drug discovery compounds.     

Comparison of two digestion methods used in the determination of selenium in marine biological tissues by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

The performance of two decomposition procedures, with (a) nitric/perchloric/sulphuric acid and (b) nitric acid/magnesium nitrate, in the determination of selenium in marine biological tissues by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection was compared. Both methods were found satisfactory and performed equally well for sample dissolution, but method (b) was judged to be more convenient.     

Cryogenic luminescence studies of Eu3+ in LiEuCl4

The luminescence associated with the Eu³⁺ ion in LiEuCl₄ has been studied at cryogenic temperatures under conditions of high resolution. Emission was observed to originate from both the ⁵D₀ and ⁵D₁ excited states, and transitions to the ${}^7\text{F}{}_0\text{,}{}^7\text{F}{}_1\text{,}{}^7\text{F}{}_2\text{,}{}^7\text{F}{}_3$, and ⁷F₄ ground levels were observed. The fine structure observed within these emission bands was found to be consistent with the existence of an effective D₄ site symmetry for the emitting Eu³⁺ species, even though the europium polyhedron was found to be that of a bisdisphenoid.     

Molecular fragmentations: Part IX. Structures and energies of mass spectral fragments derived from xanthan hydride, 5-amino-1,2,4-dithiazolin-3-thione

Structures and energies have been calculated, in the MNDO approximation, for xanthan hydride (C₂H₂N₂S₃) and its molecular cation, and for the mass spectral fragment ions H₂NCNCS⁺, HNCNCS⁺, CS₂⁺, H₂N₂CS⁺ (two isomers), HN₂CS⁺, S₂⁺, H₂NCS⁺ (three isomers), HNCS⁺ (two isomers), H₃N₂C₂⁺ (four isomers), CS⁺ and HNCS⁺² (two isomers), together with the corresponding neutral fragments.     

Molecular fragmentations: Part VII. Structures and energies of mass spectral fragments derived from benzene

Molecular structures and energies have been calculated, using MINDO/3, of the mass spectral ions arising from benzene: (C₆H₆)⁺ (three non-valence isomers); (C₆H₅⁺); (C₅H₃⁺) (four isomers); (C₄H₄)⁺ (three isomers); (C₄H₃)⁺ (two isomers); (C₄H₂)⁺ (four isomers); (C₃H₃)⁺; and (C₂H₂)⁺. Calculations have been made for the conjugate neutral fragments, allowing calculation of appearance potentials, and also for the ion (C₆H₇)⁺.     

The molecular structure of gaseous bis(hexamethydisilylamido)mercury(II), Hg{N(Si(CH3)3)2}2, as determined by electron diffraction

Gaseous bis(hexamethydisilylamido)mercury(II), Hg{N(SiMe₃)₂)₂}₂, has been studied by electron diffraction at a nozzle temperature of ca 390 K.

The diffraction data are consistent with a model consisting only of monomers. By assuming the NHgN chain to be linear and the HgHSi₂ fragments to be planar, an equilibrium conformer with a staggered Si₂NHgNSi₂ skeleton of D_ad-symmetry may be brought into a nice agreement with the observed diffraction data. The relatively large value of the vibrational amplitude of the inter-ligand SiSi distance, 0.26(12) A, indicates that the ligands undergo large amplitude vibrations about the NHgN axis. Steric considerations as well as the magnitude of the rotational barrier as estimated from the diffraction data (ca. 2 kcal mol⁻¹) show that this motion is hindered. A model with an eclipsed, co-planar Si₂NHgNSi₂ backbone of D_adsymmetry could not satisfactorily be brought into agreement with the observed diffraction data.

The values of some relevant key-parameters are: r_a(Hg---N) = 2.01(2) A, r_a(Si---N) = 1.732(9) A, r_a(Si---C) = 1.883(6) A;HgNSi = 116.0(1.0)°, SiNSi = 128.0(2.0)°, NSiC= 111.8(1.2)° and SiCH = 111.0(2.0)°. The trimethylsilyl groups are twisted 25(3)° away from their references positions typified by one Si---C bond of each such group eclipsing the adjacent Hg---N bond, in such a way that the overall symmetry of the model is lowered from D_ad to S₄.     

GC/MS determination of incidental PCBs in complex chlorinated-hydrocarbon process and waste streams

An electron-impact gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method using selected ion monitoring for the determination of incidental polychlorinated biphenyls in complex chlorinated-hydrocarbon samples is described. Ions in the molecular-ion cluster for each degree of chlorination (from monochloro- to decachlorobiphenyl) are monitored. Individual PCB isomers are used as standards. Validation data collected for several complex chlorinated-hydrocarbon matrices in three different laboratories had a relative precision (2sigma) of 20% with a limit of detection (3 x standard deviation of base-line noise) of 5 ppm for a single isomer at any degree of chlorination. The method has been used for the determination of incidental PCBs in more than 1000 samples from more than 30 different chlorinated-hydrocarbon sample matrices.     

The crystal structure of RbHSeO4: A neutron diffraction study of the paraelectric phase

The structure of the paraelectric phase of RbHSeO₄ has been determined at 387 K by neutron diffraction. The structure consists of chains of hydrogen bonded SeO₄ groups extending along the crystallographic b axis. Two different hydrogen bonds have been characterized, with OO distances of 2.524(4) and 2.583(3) Å. In the shorter OHO hydrogen bond the hydrogen atom is disordered, suggesting that the ordering of hydrogen participates directly in the phase transition to the ferroelectric phase.     

Structure of H(D)TaO3 determined by powder X-ray and neutron diffraction

Pure crystalline samples of HTaO₃ and DTaO₃ have been prepared. The crystal structure has been solved using powder X-ray and neutron diffraction (at 2 K and room temperature) and has been shown to consist of Ta(O,OH)₆ octahedra sharing vertices with the oxygen atoms displaced toward the vacant perovskite A sites. The compound is isomorphous with HNbO₃, D_xWO₃, and D_xReO₃ and contains hydrogen atoms as hydroxide groups.     

Miniaturized system of a gas chromatograph coupled with a Paul ion trap mass spectrometer

Miniature gas chromatography (GC) and miniature mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation has been developed to identify and quantify the chemical compounds present in complex mixtures of gases. The design approach utilizes micro-GC components coupled with a Paul quadrupole ion trap (QIT) mass spectrometer. Inherent to the system are high sensitivity, good dynamic range, good QIT resolution, low GC flow-rates to minimize vacuum requirements and the need for consumables; and the use of a modular approach to adapt to volatile organic compounds dissolved in water or present in sediment. Measurements are reported on system response to gaseous species at concentrations varying over four orders of magnitude. The ability of the system to deal with complicated mixtures is demonstrated, and future improvements are discussed. The GC/QIT system described herein has a mass, volume and power that are, conservatively, one-twentieth of those of commercial off-the-shelf systems. Potential applications are to spacecraft cabin-air monitoring, robotic planetary exploration and trace-species detection for residual gas analysis and environmental monitoring.     

Minipol, a desk-computer program for refinement of protonation constants from differential-pulse polarographic data

The program MINIPOL, designed to run on a desk-computer with 32 kbytes of memory, can calculate the optimum values of overall protonation constants and molar intensities of up to 8 species with composition H_XXXL_ρ, from differential-pulse polarographic data.     

The pK(a), values of the conjugate acid of imidazole in water-ethanol mixtures

The pK(a) values of protonated imidazole in 10 different water-ethanol mixtures were determined at 25 degrees by potentiometric titration in a cell without liquid junction (glass and silver-silver bromide electrodes). The pK(a) values can be used in a standardization procedure that allows determination of pK(a) values for protonated organic nitrogen bases in aqueous ethanol.     

Potentiometric titration of sulphate, sulphite and dithionate mixtures, with use of a lead ion-selective electrode

Simple methods are described for the analysis of sulphate, sulphite and dithionate mixtures by potentiometric titration with lead perchlorate (and use of a lead ion-selective electrode). The error and precision are both about 2–5% for the sulphate concentration range 3 × 10⁻³ −6 × 10⁻⁴M. The sulphur content in fuels derived from refuse was determined by potentiometric titration after bomb-combustion and the results compared favourably with those from the standard BaSO₄ gravimetric method.     

CONSEL, a least-squares program for estimating stability constants from polarographic data

This article describes CONSEL, a least-squares linear-regression program which, when applied to polarographic data, provides estimates of stability constants suitable for priming non-linear optimization programs. The use of CONSEL avoids the need for recourse to traditional graphical methods. The results of its application to three systems are presented.     

Semiempirical molecular orbital studies on the electronic structure of molecules in excited states: The INDO/2-VN— 1 potential model: Part I.

The performance of the V_N—1 potential model at the INDO/2 level of approximation in the calculation of transition energy, singlet—triplet splitting, change in molecular structure, inversion barrier and electron-density distribution in the excited electronic states of a few simple carbonyls is analysed. The method turns out to be reasonably successful in many ways.     

Studies on determination of fluoride in zinc and lead concentrates by using a fluoride ion-selective electrode

A modification of the potentiometric determination of fluoride has been developed, which allows use of aqueous fluoride standards in analysis of lead or zinc concentrates, instead of the need to use matrix-matching or standard additions.     

Electrochemical masking of large amounts of copper in dpasv and the determination of thallium in the presence of a large excess of copper

The influence of the following surfactants on the peak of copper in 0.2M EDTA at pH 4.5 was investigated: polyoxyethylated alkylphenols having an average of 3 and 9.5 ethylene oxide units; polyoxyethylene alcohols having 4 and 7 ethylene oxide units; poly(ethylene glycols) having M.W. 4000, 9000 and 20000; hexadecyltributylphosphonium bromide (HDTBPB), tetraphenylphosphonium bromide (TPPB),N,N,N,N,N',N',N-examethylhexamethylenediammonium bromide (HMB), benzyl(di-isobutylphenoxyethoxy) dimethylammonium chloride (Hyamine 1622), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMAB), hexadecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (HDDMBAC) and tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBAC). HDDMBAC, as well as all the substances examined which contained an ethylene oxide chain, completely suppressed the copper peak. HDTBPB and TPPB partially suppressed the peak, whereas HDTMAB, HMB and Hyamine 1622 enhanced it. TBAC was without effect. In 0.2M EDTA at pH 4.5 containing TBAC at 0.01M concentration and 10 ppm of Rokafenol N-3, Cu(II), Pb(II) and Bi(III) can be tolerated at concentrations of up to 0.05M, the height of the thallium peak being unaffected. The precision of the determination (3–10%) and the recovery are satisfactory. A 10³-fold ratio of Fe(III) to Tl(I) does not interfere with the determination.     

Separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of several metals in magnesium metal and nitrate, with activated carbon as a collector

A method is described for the preconcentration and determination of traces of Hg, Ag, Cu, Fe, In, Mn, Pb, and Zn present as impurities in magnesium metal (1 g) and nitrate (100 g). After the metal sample has been dissolved in nitric acid (or the salt in water) and the pH adjusted to 8.1-9 (except for preconcentration of Hg, when pH 3 is used), the solution is filtered through a 2-cm paper coated with 50 mg of activated carbon. The trace metals are quantitatively adsorbed on the activated carbon and separated from the matrix. The rest of the procedure has already been described. The detection limits for the analysis of 1 g of Mg and 100 g of Mg(NO(3))(2).6H(2)O are 0.03-1.3 ppm and 0.00031-0.013 ppm respectively, for all the trace metals except Hg. The limit is 0.00001(4) ppm for Hg in 100 g of Mg(NO(3))(2).6H(2)O. The coefficient of variation is 4-33%, depending on the trace metal.