Anionic forensic signatures for sample matching of potassium cyanide using high performance ion chromatography and chemometrics

Potassium cyanide was used as a model toxicant to determine the feasibility of using anionic impurities as a forensic signature for matching cyanide salts back to their source. In this study, portions of eight KCN stocks originating from four countries were separately dissolved in water and analyzed by high performance ion chromatography (HPIC) using an anion exchange column and conductivity detection. Sixty KCN aqueous samples were produced from the eight stocks and analyzed for 11 anionic impurities. Hierarchal cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to demonstrate that KCN samples cluster according to source based on the concentrations of their anionic impurities. The Fisher-ratio method and degree-of-class separation (DCS) were used for feature selection on a training set of KCN samples in order to optimize sample clustering. The optimal subset of anions needed for sample classification was determined to be sulfate, oxalate, phosphate, and an unknown anion named unk5. Using K-nearest neighbors (KNN) and the optimal subset of anions, KCN test samples from different KCN stocks were correctly determined to be manufactured in the United States. In addition, KCN samples from stocks manufactured in Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic were all correctly matched back to their original stocks because each stock had a unique anionic impurity profile. The application of the Fisher-ratio method and DCS for feature selection improved the accuracy and confidence of sample classification by KNN.     

Development of a High Performance Ion Chromatographic (HPIC) Method for the Determination of Sodium Metabisulfite in Parenteral Formulations

Abstract

A high performance ion chromatographic (HPIC) method for the determination of sodium metabisulfite (a pharmaceutical antioxidant) in injectable formulations is described. The method is selective for both the sulfite and sulfate ions with a minimum of sample preparation.     

A rapid HPIC method for the quantitative determination of tetramethylammonium chloride in some aqueous solutions used as food simulants

Summary The present paper reports a rapid HPIC method for the determination of tetramethylammonium chloride in aqueous matrices which are used as food simulants in migration tests. These simulants were: bidistilled water, an aqueous solution of 3% acetic acid, an aqueous solution of 15% ethyl alcohol, a mixed aqueous solution of 3% acetic acid and 15% ethyl alcohol. The method, as developed, has been applied to the determination of unreacted tetramethylammonium chloride residues which are able to migrate from finished epoxy resins which are used as food packaging materials.Research partially supported by National Research Council of Italy, Special Project RAISA, sub-project 4, Paper N^o 695.     

Simultaneous Determination of Total Nitrogen and Metal Elements in Tobaccos by High Performance Ion Chromatography

A simple method, developed primarily for simultaneous determination of total nitrogen and inorganic cations by high performance ion chromatographic (HPIC), was optimized for digestion of flue‐cured tobaccos, and compared with the traditional Kjeldahl method and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Nitrogen determination by either Dumas method or Kjeldahl method is time‐consuming and tedious. Metal elements determination by either inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) or AAS may be more expensive and requires specialist equipment. The use of HPIC to simultaneous determine total nitrogen as ammonium ion and metal elements as inorganic cations after sample digestion significantly improves the speed of the analysis compared with the conventional methods. The cation‐exchange column and suppressed conductivity detector was used for determination of ammonium and inorganic cations in the presence of the elevated levels of sulfuric acid found in digested sample. The propsoed digestion method was accurate and precise, and required little investment. The determination of ammonium and inorganic cations was linear from 15 pg·L^?1 up to 25 ng·L^?1. The results obtained by the HPIC method were compared with those for the conventional methods approach for the determination of total nitrogen and metal elements. The application of the HPIC method is also demonstrated for a variety of other plant samples matrices.     

Ion chromatographic analysis of tetracyclines using polymeric column and acidic eluent

High-performance ion chromatography (HPIC) is first successfully used to analyze tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) in this work. The TCs are well separated on a solvent compatible polymeric cation-exchange column within 12 min. Isocratic elution with acetonitrile-hydrochloride is very advantageous for routine analysis. HPIC may be seen as a specific variant of the more common high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for water-soluble and polar pharmaceuticals with low hydrophobicity. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio=3:1) of oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), chlortetracycline (CTC), doxycycline (DC) are 10, 10, 20 and 20 microg l(-1), respectively. Samples are prepared by vortex mixing with an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (Na2EDTA)-McIlvaine buffer (pH 4.0) solution and the mixture filtrates through a molecular weight cut-off filter. The method has been successfully applied to monitor the OTC removal rate through every reactor in the process of OTC manufacturing wastewater treatment by bio-chemical technology. It is also applicable to determine the TCs residues in milk and milk powder with satisfying results.     

Characterization and optimization of HPIC for on-line preconcentration of trace metals with detection by ICP-mass spectrometry

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using a commercially available cation-exchange column for trace metal preconcentration. In addition, the advantages of interfacing the column to a highly sensitive element-selective detector were examined. A high-performance ion-chromatograph (HPIC) with a high-pressure pump and valve system was used to aid loading and delivery of the mobile phase. An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer combination (ICP-MS) was used as a detection device, with interfacing by means of a small diameter liquid-transport tube. The performance of the HPIC/ICP-MS combination was optimized by varying the concentration and flow-rate of two eluents (nitric acid and hydrochloric acid). The effects of varying the sample pH were assessed and the column capacity was determined by "breakthrough" tests. The elements copper, cadmium, mercury and lead were studied; the detection capability was dependent upon the sample volume loaded onto the column. The accuracy of the method was assessed by analysis of an "in house" reference standard.     

高效离子抑制色谱法和高效离子交换色谱法检测琥珀酸去甲文拉法辛中琥珀酸的含量

建立了用于琥珀酸去甲文拉法辛中琥珀酸含量测定的高效离子抑制色谱和高效离子交换色谱方法。离子抑制色谱法采用Rezex ROA-organic Acid H+(8%)色谱柱,以2.50×10^-3mol/L硫酸溶液为流动相等度洗脱,流速为0.5 mL/min,进样10 μ L,检测波长为210 nm,琥珀酸的含量按峰面积外标法计算;离子交换色谱法采用IonPac^® AS11-HC色谱柱,以氢氧化钾为淋洗液等度洗脱,流速为1.0 mL/min,进样10 μ L,带DIONEX AERS^® 500 4-mm抑制器的电导检测器检测,琥珀酸含量按峰面积外标法计算。两种方法对3批琥珀酸去甲文拉法辛中琥珀酸质量分数的测定结果分别为:28.8%、28.9%、28.9%和28.2%、28.6%、28.6%。离子抑制色谱法和离子交换色谱法在琥珀酸去甲文拉法辛中琥珀酸的含量测定结果上没有明显不同,可根据实际情况选择。     

Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Bio-Phenolic/Epoxy Polymer Blends

Polymer blends is a well-established and suitable method to produced new polymeric materials as compared to synthesis of a new polymer. The combination of two different types of polymers will produce a new and unique material, which has the attribute of both polymers. The aim of this work is to analyze mechanical and morphological properties of bio-phenolic/epoxy polymer blends to find the best formulation for future study. Bio-phenolic/epoxy polymer blends were fabricated using the hand lay-up method at different loading of bio-phenolic (5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, and 25 wt%) in the epoxy matrix whereas neat bio-phenolic and epoxy samples were also fabricated for comparison. Results indicated that mechanical properties were improved for bio-phenolic/epoxy polymer blends compared to neat epoxy and phenolic. In addition, there is no sign of phase separation in polymer blends. The highest tensile, flexural, and impact strength was shown by P-20(biophenolic-20 wt% and Epoxy-80 wt%) whereas P-25 (biophenolic-25 wt% and Epoxy-75 wt%) has the highest tensile and flexural modulus. Based on the finding, it is concluded that P-20 shows better overall mechanical properties among the polymer blends. Based on this finding, the bio-phenolic/epoxy blend with 20 wt% will be used for further study on flax-reinforced bio-phenolic/epoxy polymer blends.     

Hybrid polyion complex micelles formed from double hydrophilic block copolymers and multivalent metal ions: size control and nanostructure

Hybrid polyion complex (HPIC) micelles are nanoaggregates obtained by complexation of multivalent metal ions by double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBC). Solutions of DHBC such as the poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(acrylamide) (PAA-b-PAM) or poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(2-hydroxyethylacrylate) (PAA-b-PHEA), constituted of an ionizable complexing block and a neutral stabilizing block, were mixed with solutions of metal ions, which are either monoatomic ions or metal polycations, such as Al(3+), La(3+), or Al(13)(7+). The physicochemical properties of the HPIC micelles were investigated by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) as a function of the polymer block lengths and the nature of the cation. Mixtures of metal cations and asymmetric block copolymers with a complexing block smaller than the stabilizing block lead to the formation of stable colloidal HPIC micelles. The hydrodynamic radius of the HPIC micelles varies with the polymer molecular weight as M(0.6). In addition, the variation of R(h) of the HPIC micelle is stronger when the complexing block length is increased than when the neutral block length is increased. R(h) is highly sensitive to the polymer asymmetry degree (block weight ratio), and this is even more true when the polymer asymmetry degree goes down to values close to 3. SANS experiments reveal that HPIC micelles exhibit a well-defined core-corona nanostructure; the core is formed by the insoluble dense poly(acrylate)/metal cation complex, and the diffuse corona is constituted of swollen neutral polymer chains. The scattering curves were modeled by an analytical function of the form factor; the fitting parameters of the Pedersen's model provide information on the core size, the corona thickness, and the aggregation number of the micelles. For a given metal ion, the micelle core radius increases as the PAA block length. The radius of gyration of the micelle is very close to the value of the core radius, while it varies very weakly with the neutral block length. Nevertheless, the radius of gyration of the micelle is highly dependent on the asymmetry degree of the polymer: if the neutral block length increases in a large extent, the micelle radius of gyration decreases due to a decrease of the micelle aggregation number. The variation of the R(g)/R(h) ratio as a function of the polymer block lengths confirms the nanostructure associating a dense spherical core and a diffuse corona. Finally, the high stability of HPIC micelles with increasing concentration is the result of the nature of the coordination complex bonds in the micelle core.     

Determination of Fe-55 and Ni-63 using semi-preparative ion chromatography – a feasibility study

 The feasibility of semi-preparative high-performance ion chromatography (HPIC) for the analysis of the activation products Fe-55 and Ni-63 in samples of different sources was studied. A mixed anion/cation exchanger column was applied to the separation of Fe(III), Ni(II) and Co(II) using 1 mmol/L PDCA-solution as an eluent. After fractionation of the eluate, Fe(III)- and Ni(II)-fractions were analysed by low-level liquid scintillation counting (LSC). The method was applied to the analysis of corrosion products originating from the primary circuit of a shut-down nuclear power plant. The limits of detection are dependent on the loading of metal ions on the column and are therefore given in terms of specific activities. For a typical sample composition they were found to be 0.011 Bq per mg Fe for Fe-55 and 0.054 Bq per mg Ni for Ni-63. An assessment of semi-preparative HPIC connected to off-line and on-line LSC as compared with standard radiochemical procedures is given. Received: 10 May 1996 / Revised: 2 July 1996 / Accepted: 6 July 1996     

The effect of zeolite on the curing of epoxy resin by polyaniline: a kinetic study

Polyaniline sulfate‐zeolite composite was prepared by emulsion polymerization. Epoxy resin was cured using polyaniline‐sulfate salt and various amounts of polyaniline sulfate‐zeolite composite. The kinetics of the cure reaction for an epoxy resin based on the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with polyaniline‐sulfate and polyaniline sulfate‐zeolite composite have been studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) under isothermal and dynamic conditions. Isothermal kinetics analysis was performed using the phenomenological model of Kamal. Dynamic kinetic analysis was performed using Kissinger's method. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

高压离子色谱法快速测定饮用水中7种无机阴离子

建立了使用高压离子色谱快速测定饮用水中7种无机阴离子的方法。环境水样经0.22 μm尼龙滤膜过滤后可直接进样分析。采用Dionex Integrion高压离子色谱仪和AS22-Fast-4 μm阴离子交换柱（150 mm×4 mm）,可在5 min内完成对F^-、Cl^-、Br^-、NO₂^-、NO₃^-、SO₄^2-和PO₄^3-这7种阴离子的分析。以4.5 mmol/L碳酸钠和1.4 mmol/L碳酸氢钠为淋洗液,流速为2mL/min。7种阴离子的检出限为0.007~0.07 mg/L（S/N=3）,在较宽范围内有良好的线性关系（相关系数不小于0.999）和重现性（相对标准偏差不大于0.48%,n=8）。实际样品加标回收率为91.4%~109.7%,相对标准偏差为0.30%~0.45%（n=5）。将该方法应用于饮用水厂进出水的分析,结果表明在进出水中检出6种阴离子,以Cl^-、NO₃^-和SO₄^2-为主。该方法简便快速、灵敏准确,尤其适合高通量样品中阴离子的快速分析。     

Lifetime Improvement of Glucose Biosensor by Epoxy‐Enhanced PVC Membrane

A new approach using epoxy resin to enhance the durability and adhesion of a diffusion‐limiting membrane in amperometric biosensors is described. The polymer membrane was mainly composed of commercially available fast epoxy adhesive ATACS 5104, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and plasticizers such as isopropyl myristate (IMP) and Aliquat 336 (AL). It can be readily deposited on various substrates by using coating and other thin film fabrication methods. The effect of epoxy resin in the membrane composition was investigated using a coil‐type glucose biosensor containing extra enzyme. The ideal membrane was found to include approximately 1/3 epoxy resin, 1/3 plasticizer and 1/3 PVC. Such a membrane was verified to be porous and permeable to small molecules like glucose and can tightly adhere to other beneath layers such as a Nafion membrane, which serves as the interference‐eliminating layer. These epoxy‐based glucose biosensors showed excellent electrochemical response properties including a long lifetime and can be used for microanalysis of solutions and biological fluids. With an additional PU outermost layer, the present glucose biosensors can potentially be used for in vivo measurements.     

Effect of new hyperbranched polyester of varying generations on toughening of epoxy resin through interpenetrating polymer networks using urethane linkages

In this study, a previously unreported methodology is attempted to improve the inherent brittleness in diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A based epoxy resin using hyperbranched polymers as toughening agents. Four different hyperbranched polyesters (HBPs) with increasing generations (1–4, denoted as HBP-G1 to HBP-G4) were synthesized by reacting calculated amount of dipentaerythritol (used as a core) and dimethylol propionic acid (AB₂ type monomer) through pseudo one-step melt polycondensation method. The newly synthesized HBPs were characterized using spectral, thermal and physical measurements, which confirmed the formation of highly branched structure and decreasing thermal stability with increasing HBP generations. Further, toughening of the epoxy resin is carried out by reacting each generation of the HBP with epoxy using hexamethylene diisocyanate as an intermediate linkage resulting in the formation of HBP-Polyurethane/Epoxy-g-Interpenetrating Polymer Networks (HBP-PU/EP-g-IPNs). A linear polyol-PU/EP-g-IPN is also synthesized for the purpose of comparison. It is found that the HBP modified epoxy samples exhibited higher toughness in comparison to that of neat epoxy and linear polyol based epoxy samples. On the other hand, flexural properties, thermal stability and glass transition temperature of the modified samples is lower than neat epoxy sample due to the existence of flexible urethane linkages and decrease in the cross-linking density of epoxy matrix. The toughening characteristics exhibited by the HBPs are corroborated from the existence of heterogeneous morphology using SEM data.     

Bond length alternation in cyclic polyenes. III. Alternant molecular orbital method

The bond length alternation problem in cyclic polyene models as described by the Pariser–Parr–Pople Hamiltonian and an empirical quasiharmonic π-core potential is investigated using the one-parameter alternant molecular orbital (AMO) method. It is shown that in contrast to the unrestricted Hartree–Fock (UHF) results, which lead to symmetric equidistant structures, the one-parameter AMO results yield bond length alternating structures similar to those obtained with the restricted HF approach. The correlation energy recovered by the AMO method is examined for the symmetric polyenes in the whole range of coupling constants for both the Pariser–Parr–Pople and Hubbard Hamiltonians and compared with exact full configuration interaction (FCI) results. For the first member of the cyclic polyene series we also compared the FCI and AMO correlation energies for different nuclear framework distortions. This comparison indicates that in contrast to the UHF results the fraction of the correlation energy recovered by the AMO approach is very uniform over the range of nuclear distortions considered. The AMO results thus strongly indicate the dimerization in the polyenic chains.     

Directed Evolution of a Tryptophan 2,3-Dioxygenase for the Diastereoselective Monooxygenation of Tryptophans

Herein, we report an engineered enzyme that can monooxygenate unprotected tryptophan into the corresponding 3a-hydroxyhexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole-2-carboxylic acid (HPIC) in a single, scalable step with excellent turnover number and diastereoselectivity. Taking advantage of directed evolution, we analyzed the stepwise oxygen-insertion mechanism of tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenases, and transformed tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase from Xanthomonas campestris into a monooxygenase for oxidative cyclization of tryptophans. It was revealed that residue F51 is vital in determining the product ratio of HPIC to N′-formylkynurenine. Our reactions and purification procedures use no organic solvents, resulting in an eco-friendly method to prepare HPICs for further applications.     

离子色谱法分析加碘食盐中的微量碘

研究了离子色谱法分析加碘食盐中的微量碘的分析方法。用硫化钠将加碘盐中的碘酸根还原成碘离子，用乙醇提取碘离子，用较高浓度的碳酸钠－碳酸氢钠淋洗液；紫外检测波长２１５ｎｍ；碘的回收率在９６．１％￣９９．８％之间，方法简便，快速。     

Directed Evolution of a Tryptophan 2,3‐Dioxygenase for the Diastereoselective Monooxygenation of Tryptophans

Herein, we report an engineered enzyme that can monooxygenate unprotected tryptophan into the corresponding 3a‐hydroxyhexahydropyrrolo[2,3‐b]indole‐2‐carboxylic acid (HPIC) in a single, scalable step with excellent turnover number and diastereoselectivity. Taking advantage of directed evolution, we analyzed the stepwise oxygen‐insertion mechanism of tryptophan 2,3‐dioxygenases, and transformed tryptophan 2,3‐dioxygenase from Xanthomonas campestris into a monooxygenase for oxidative cyclization of tryptophans. It was revealed that residue F51 is vital in determining the product ratio of HPIC to N′‐formylkynurenine. Our reactions and purification procedures use no organic solvents, resulting in an eco‐friendly method to prepare HPICs for further applications.     

Storage stability and curing behavior of epoxy‐dicyandiamide systems with carbonyldiimidazole‐Cu (II) complexes as the accelerator

The reaction between carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) and copper (II) nitrate produces a new Cu (II) complex with nitrate as the counter anion. TGA, UV, and FTIR analyses confirmed that the coordination number of CDI in this complex is two. The acceleration effect of the complex in epoxy‐dicyandiamide (DICY) curing systems has been evaluated by DSC and TMA, and the increasing viscosity of the mixture was monitored during the storage. The results revealed that the complex is not only very effective for the acceleration of epoxy‐DICY systems, leading to a rapid gelation within 21 min at 120 °C, but it is also chemically stable at ambient temperature. This is reflected by the slow increase of viscosity of the accelerated curing systems stored at 35 °C, even over 56 days. In addition, the effects of the [Cu(CDI)₂]²⁺ complex with different counter anions, that is, bromide, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, phthalate, and acetate, were compared using a series of tests. By comparing with N,N‐dimethyl‐N′‐phenylurea (fenuron), the widely used latent accelerator for DICY‐epoxy curing systems, the complexes with bromide and nitride were found to be better, both regarding storage stability and for their acceleration effect. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 3470–3476