Trace metal analyses in honey samples from selected countries. A potential use in bio-monitoring

Honey is a sweet product made by bees using nectar from flowers. Concentrations of Ca, K, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb and Cd were determined in 13 honey samples from the selected regions around the world. Levels of Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn were measured using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Potassium concentration was determined via flame photometry. Concentrations of Cd and Pb were determined using the electrothermal technique (ETAAS). It was estimated that the examined samples of honey from Greece, Turkey, Spain, Poland, Mexico, Argentina and Italy were of good quality in terms of metal concentrations (compliant with the norms referring to food products – WHO, Fifty-third Report of the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; Technical Report Series 776, Geneva), although the analysed samples were not free of heavy metals. The concentrations of the elements in the honey samples ranged from 2.38 to 9.31 μg · g^?1 for Zn, from 3.86 to 35.10 μg · g^?1 for Fe, from 0.19 to 21.64 μg · g^?1 for Mn, from 49.53 to 1006.90 μg · g^?1 for Ca, from 388.25 to 4761.50 μg · g^?1 for K and from 0.20 to 1.53 μg · g^?1 for Cu and regarding heavy metals from 0.11 to 2.78 μg · g^?1 for Pb and from 0.02 to 0.44 μg · g^?1 for Cd. According to these results it was found that the concentrations of heavy metals in the honey samples (except for alfalfa honey and eucalyptus honey from Italy) were under the acceptable limits for foods set out by the FAO/WHO. It was confirmed that the application of chemometric tools supports the extraction of significant information from analytical data, even though the availability of samples is not fully sufficient (this problem is often encountered in environmental analyses).     

Impurity diffusion during activation a significant source of systematic errors in neutron activation analysis

Using a layer etching technique impurity profiles of Cu and Fe in silicon samples are measured by n.a.a. Radiation enhanced diffusion of Cu and Fe impurities from the surface into the bulk material has been observed. The samples were etched before irradiation to remove the impurity profiles caused by the sampling procedures.     

Experimental assessment of a large sample cell for laser ablation-ICP-MS, and its application to sediment core micro-analysis

The coupling of laser ablation (LA) to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) enables the direct analysis of solid samples with micrometric resolution. Analysis is often restricted to relatively small samples owing to the dimensions of conventional ablation cells. Here, we assess the performance of a large rectangular, commercially-available sample cell which enables analysis over a 10.2?×?5.2 cm² area. Comparison with the conventional cell shows a small to moderate performance decrease for the large cell resulting from the dilution of ablated particles in a larger volume with a 4–31% lower signal output and longer signal tailings. The performance of this cell is however sufficient for the determination of both major and trace elements in many kinds of samples. The applicability of the large cell LA-ICP-MS setup was demonstrated by the determination of Al, Si, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn Pb and U in sediment core sections at a resolution of 0.6 mm. Detection limits for sediment analysis were 7 mg Al kg^?1, 68 mg Si kg^?1, 0.5 mg Mn kg^?1, 20 mg Fe kg^?1, 0.2 mg Cu kg^?1, 0.3 mg Zn kg^?1, 0.08 mg Pb kg^?1 and 0.003 mg U kg^?1. Cyclic patterns, which would have been overlooked by conventional analysis at cm resolution, were observed in analysed sediments. This study demonstrates the potential of LA-ICP-MS in environmental analysis, with the large sample cell setup offering the possibility to analyse a wider range of samples without sectioning.     

Comparison of solar silicon feedstock

One of the major factors in reducing a cost of commercial solar cells is the lifetime of the photovoltaic material. In this work, a deterioration of Si generated by solvent metal gathering method (SMG) and Si removed from damaged solar cells is analyzed and compared with electronic grade Si. The differences in heating and cooling cycles on the DTA curves of different solar grade Si and Cu–Si mixtures are compared. A nonequilibrium exothermic reaction in Si generated by SMG method is recorded in samples aged in room atmosphere for 1 year. The outcomes of the cooling cycles after the DTA analyses for various solar grades Si were not significantly differentiated from the referred electronic grade Si indicating that recrystallization of aged Si diminishes the problem related to agglomeration of Cu and oxygen on the surface of Si solar grade particles. The DTA tests showed that recrystallized Si from the deteriorated solar cells can be recycled as feedstock materials for solar cells applications while Si generated by SMG method can be used for blending in order to achieve a long lifetime of Si solar cells.     

Synergistic solvent extraction of copper, cobalt, rhodium and iridium into 1, 2-Dichloroethane at trace level by newly synthesized 25, 26, 27, 28-tetrahydroxy-5, 11, 17, 23-tetra-[4-(N-hydroxyl-3-phenylprop-2-enimidamido) phenylazo] calix[4]arene

A spectrophotometric method for determination of copper, cobalt, rhodium and iridium ions from nitric acid media after extraction of these ions by 25, 26, 27, 28-tetrahydroxy-5, 11, 17, 23-tetra-[4-(N-hydroxyl-3-phenylprop-2-enimidamido) phenylazo] calix [4] arene (THPAC) has been developed and possible synergistic effect has been investigated. The maximum enhancement was obtained in the presence of 30% 1, 2-dichloroethane in DMF and 3M nitric acid. The trace amounts of the metal were determined spectrophotometrically. Beer’s law was obeyed in concentration range 5.0–10.0 μg, 6.0–120.0 μg, 12.0–100.0 μg, and 10.0–130.0 μg/10 mL of the final solution of copper, cobalt, rhodium and iridium, respectively. The molar absorptivities (l mol^?1 cm^?1) and Sandell’s sensitivities (μg cm^?1) were calculated: Cu (II) = 0.96 × 10^4, 0.0066; Co (II) = 1.13 × 10⁴, 0.0052; Rh (III) = 0.98 × 10⁴, 0.012; and Ir (III) = 2.03 × 10⁴, 0.0095, respectively. Seven replicate analyses containing of 20.0 μg of Cu (II), 24.0 μg of Co (II), 36.0 μg of Rh (III) and 25.0 μg of Ir (III) gave mean absorbance 0.302, 0.462, 0.344, 0.264; and relative standard deviation 0.65, 0.85, 1.10, 1.08%, respectively. The interference of various ions was studied and optimum conditions were developed for determination of metals in certain alloys, environmental, pharmaceutical and synthetic samples.     

Evaluation of ammonium fluoride for quantitative microwave-assisted extraction of silicon and boron from different solid samples

A novel, simple, efficient and environmentally friendly closed-microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method of silicon and boron from a variety of industrial and environmental samples using ammonium fluoride as an extractant was developed. This method avoids handling the corrosive and toxic HF and prevents the potential risk of analyte loss due to the creation of volatile SiF₄ and BF₃ in the presence of HF. Atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry were employed for the subsequent analysis of the resulting supernatant for determination of Si and B, respectively. Certified reference material BCR^®-032 Natural Moroccan Phosphate Rock (phosphate fertiliser) was taken to optimise the extraction parameters such as the sample amount, extraction temperature and time and the volume of the extractant. The optimum extraction parameters evaluated using a fractional factorial design were as follows: 50 mg of the sample extracted with 5 mL of 100 g L^?1 NH₄ F for 15 min at 180°C. The optimised MAE procedure was successfully applied to nine different matrix reference materials intended primarily for validation of methods for determination of components in fertilisers, sludge, plants and fly ash. The obtained results were in a good agreement with the certified or comparative values with an overall precision better than 10% in all cases. The proposed method is recommended for fast and reliable preparation of samples with silicon content <8.2% (w/w). However, further decreasing the sample mass to 10 mg enabled the quantitative extraction of silicon from fly ashes at levels of 23% (w/w).     

High throughput method for multielemental analysis of horse hair by oaTOF-ICP-MS

An approach for high throughput reliable multielemental analysis of trace elements in a large number of horse hair samples was designed. Suitability of time-of-flight mass spectrometer (oaTOF-ICP-MS) for fast determination of unlimited numbers of isotopes in the low volume samples was demonstrated. Due to quasi-simultaneous capability of the oaTOF-ICP-MS the large number of highly valuated data with unaffected isotopic ratio in a very short time could be obtained. The choice of horse hair was obvious because of easy reachability and clear conception about horse nutritional habits and stabling. Such large data set with preserved isotopic ratios is ideal for statistical evaluation which could reveal some interesting interconnection between elemental composition of horse hair and the way of stabling, feeding, etc. Statistical treatment of the data is not a part of this study and will be presented later. We collected one hundred horse hair samples from horse stables through Czech Republic. Samples were washed by optimized washing process to eliminate exogenic contamination prior to digestion and following analysis. A determination of 36 elements (As, Au, B, Be, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Dy, Er, Eu, Ga, Gd, Ge, Ho, La, Li, Lu, Nd, Ni, Pb, Pd, Pr, Pt, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Ta, Tb, Te, Tm, U, V, Y, Yb) in horse hair by oaTOF-ICP-MS was optimized. A throughput of 100 samples with unlimited numbers of isotopes per 6 h was achieved. Proposed very fast multielemental method preserves isotopic ratios, and therefore, is undoubtedly highly suitable for statistical studies. Detection limits of the proposed method ranged from 0.13 μg kg^?1 (Eu, Gd, Tm) to 27.9 μg kg^?1 (Au), except for Ni (48.5 μg kg^?1) that is probably affected by contamination raised from nickel cones.     

Studies on sorption of uranium on chitin: a solid-state extractant application for removal of uranium from ground water

Studies were carried out to remove uranium from aqueous systems based on the solid phase extraction of uranium by powdered chitin. The effects of various parameters like pH, contact time, and amount of chitin for quantitative sorption of uranium on chitin have been studied. The sorption studies with spiked water samples and natural ground water samples showed that uranium was easily sorbed onto powdered chitin between pH 3 and 6. The effects of various cations and anions, which are present in the water samples, were studied. The method is simple, fast and environmental friendly and it is unaffected by the other ions present in the natural waters. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by applying the present method on ground water samples containing uranium in the range of 100–2,200 μg/L. The uranium remained in water samples is <20 μg/L after treatment with chitin, which is below the AERB limits given for uranium in drinking water. The values are an average of five replicate measurements, with an RSD of ±10 μg/L at 100 μg/L uranium in water samples.     

Development of a simple and fast ultrasound-assisted extraction method for trace element determination in tobacco samples using ICP-MS

The current study describes a simple and fast method for the determination of Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Pb in tobacco samples. Commercial cigarettes obtained from local market stores were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after ultrasound-assisted extraction in acidic medium, and the results were compared to those obtained following microwave-assisted digestion of the samples. The sonication time was evaluated from 0 to 60 min, and a 30 min extraction time was selected. The concentration of HNO₃ was also optimised at 0.7 mol L^?1. In order to verify the accuracy of the proposed method, a certified reference material was submitted to the same extraction protocol adopted for the samples, and good agreement with the certified values was obtained at a 95% confidence level, except for Co. The extraction of Pb was also semi-quantitative. A total of four tobacco samples were analysed, with concentrations ranging from 0.4 for Cr to 214.6 µg g^?1 for Mn. The proposed method was demonstrated to be fast, sensitive, precise and accurate for the determination of Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn an Ni and for the semi-quantitative analysis of Co and Pb in tobacco samples.     

SEM–EDX and SAM–AES Investigations on Rochow Contact Masses

Appropriate Rochow contact masses have been investigated by the spatial resolution techniques SEM–EDX and SAM–AES. The results gave evidence of the existence and the catalytic action of (X-ray)-amorphous copper–silicon (Cu–Si) surface species, i.e. extremely highly dispersed particles or two-dimensional species. The well-known Rochow promoter zinc seems to act as a moderator rather than as a real accelerator. It ensures a stable rate for the reaction by neutralizing the detrimental action of silicon impurities. The silicon impurities make the whole of the silicon surface reactive and in this way cause a general blockade of the silicon surface by inactive copper species. Zinc localizes the reaction. The silicon surface remains partly free, and active Cu–Si surface species can be formed by lateral diffusion of copper onto the silicon surface that is still free. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nano Silicon from Nano Silica Using Natural Resource (Rha) for Solar Cell Fabrication

Abstract

High purity (～99%) nano silica with an average particle size of ～100 nm was extracted at pH 3 at 650°C from a natural resource, rice husk, using alkaline extraction followed by acid precipitation method. Using nano silica as a precursor, silicon (Si) nanoparticles have been synthesized by high-temperature magnesiothermic reduction method. The prepared sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, particle size analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence analyzer, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The comprehensive characterization studies indicate the pure phase formation of Si and the variation of particle size from 70 nm to 100 nm for samples synthesized at different sintering temperatures. Moreover, the silicon nanoparticles produced at 850°C have pure phase formation, high purity, and good absorption peaks. The efficiency calculated through IV characteristics is found to be increasing in silicon and ruthenium combination (2.67%), which is better than that achieved from the conventional solar cells. The produced silicon nanoparticles could be applied as an anode material for solar cell fabrication.     

Indirect atomic absorption spectroscopic determination of SiO2 in copper composite coatings

A fast, sensitive and reliable method for the indirect atomic absorption determination of SiO₂ in copper composite coatings after extraction of silicomolybdic acid in a mixture of isobutyl methyl ketone and butanol (volume ratio 5?:?1) and measurement of the molybdenum absorbance in an air/acetylene flame is described. The experimental conditions are optimized for (i) prevention of the silicon polymerization during sample preparation and storage; (ii) for overcoming of the Cu(SiF₆) – complex formation and (iii) for quantitative extraction of the yellow complex into the organic phase for a wide silicon concentration range. The method permits the determination of 0.5–10 mg/g Si in copper. The analytical performance of the proposed method is compared with direct Si determination using ICP-AES.     

Multilayered Cu–Ti deposition on silicon substrates for chemiresistor applications

Abstract

On the perspective to develop CuO–TiO₂ MOS, multilayered Cu and Ti thin layers were alternatively deposited on silicon wafers using 25?keV Ar?+?ion beam sputtering and, subsequently, oxidized by thermal annealing in air at 400?°C for 24?h. The deposited films have variable ratios of the Cu and Ti % at. One of the main goal is to obtain such multilayers avoiding the presence of Cu–Ti–O compounds. The samples were characterized in terms of composition (by RBS and SIMS analyses) and morphology (by AFM and SEM investigations). In particular, SIMS maps allows to observe the spatial distribution and thickness of each phase of the Cu/Ti multilayers, and further to observe Cu diffusion and mixing with Ti, as well as phase separation of CuO and TiO₂ in the samples. The reasons of this effect represent an open issue that has to investigated, in order to improve the MOS fabrication.     

Chemical composition of marine sediments in the Pacific Ocean from Sinaloa to Jalisco, Mexico

Marine sediments from Mexico’s West coast in the Pacific Ocean from Sinaloa to Jalisco were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique. Ten sediment samples were collected in May, 2010 between 55.5 and 1264 m water depth with a Reinneck type box nucleate sampler. Sediments were dried and fractioned by granulometry. Their physical and chemical properties were determined in laboratory by standard methods, pH, and conductivity. Concentration and distribution of K, Ca, Ti Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Pb, Br and Sr were analyzed. In order to determine the status of the elements, enrichment factors were calculated. Total, organic carbon and CaCO₃ were also determined. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction show predominant groups of compounds. As quality-control method, Certified Reference Material was both processed and analyzed at even conditions. Enrichment factors for K, Ca, Ti, Mn Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ni, and Sr show they are conservative elements having concentrations in the range of unpolluted sites giving a base data line for the sampling zone In spite of moderately enrichment factors <100 μm size and bulk fractions, first Pb concentration fraction was similar to those found in not influenced by anthropogenic activities sites nearby Mazatlan Harbor. Bulk fraction concentration (52–133 μg g^?1) and enrichment factor show the influence of anthropogenic sources with values between lowest effect level and a third part of 250 μg g^?1value, which is considered to have severe effect levels for aquatic life.     

Thin layer spectroelectrochemical (RVC-OTTLE) studies of pertechnetate reduction in acidic media

A Peltier-cooled silicon drift detector was successfully applied for conversion electron spectrometry. The energy resolution of the detector for 45 keV electrons was 0.50 keV (FWHM). The approximate thickness of the dead layer was determined to be 140 ± 20 nm Si equivalent. The relative efficiency of the detector was verified to be approximately constant in the energy range of 17–75 keV. This is concordant with the high transparency of the thin dead layer and the sufficient thickness of the detector (450 μm) to stop the electrons. The detector is suitable for use in plutonium analysis of chemically prepared samples. Moreover, it was demonstrated that conversion electron spectrometry is better than alpha spectrometry in preserving its capability to determine the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu isotopic ratio as a function of sample thickness. The investigated measurement technique can be considered a promising new tool in safeguards, complementary to existing methods.     

Fully automated standard addition method for the quantification of 29 polar pesticide metabolites in different water bodies using LC-MS/MS

A reliable quantification by LC-ESI-MS/MS as the most suitable analytical method for polar substances in the aquatic environment is usually hampered by matrix effects from co-eluting compounds, which are unavoidably present in environmental samples. The standard addition method (SAM) is the most appropriate method to compensate matrix effects. However, when performed manually, this method is too labour- and time-intensive for routine analysis. In the present work, a fully automated SAM using a multi-purpose sample manager “Open Architecture UPLC®-MS/MS” (ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry) was developed for the sensitive and reliable determination of 29 polar pesticide metabolites in environmental samples. A four-point SAM was conducted parallel to direct-injection UPLC-ESI-MS/MS determination that was followed by a work flow to calculate the analyte concentrations including monitoring of required quality criteria. Several parameters regarding the SAM, chromatography and mass spectrometry conditions were optimised in order to obtain a fast as well as reliable analytical method. The matrix effects were examined by comparison of the SAM with an external calibration method. The accuracy of the SAM was investigated by recovery tests in samples of different catchment areas. The method detection limit was estimated to be between 1 and 10 ng/L for all metabolites by direct injection of a 10-μL sample. The relative standard deviation values were between 2 and 10 % at the end of calibration range (30 ng/L). About 200 samples from different water bodies were examined with this method in the Rhine and Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). Approximately 94 % of the analysed samples contained measurable amounts of metabolites. For most metabolites, low concentrations ≤0.10 μg/L were determined. Only for three metabolites were the concentrations in ground water significantly higher (up to 20 μg/L). In none of the examined drinking water samples were the health-related indication values (between 1 and 3 μg/L) for non-relevant metabolites exceeded.     

Thermal analysis of high-speed high-temperature reactions of refractory carbide synthesis

A new thermoanalytikal method, called electrothermal explosion (ETE) is described in which uniform heating of samples at extremely high rates (up to 10⁵ deg. sec^?1) is achieved. Heating is by direct passing of an electric current through the sample in the initial stages and by chemical heat release after the ignition conditions have been attained. ETE is the only direct method that allows the macrokinetics of heterogeneous reactions occurring in condensed systems to be studied at high temperature and at short conversion times, which are prohibitive for traditional thermoanalytical devices (up to 3500 K and 10^?2 sec respectively). Kinetic data on high-temperature, high-speed interactions in powder mixtures of carbon with titanium, silicon and tantalum are presented. The rate of heat release in the Ti?C system depends only to a small extent on temperature after the metal has melted, being mainly determined by the solution rate of carbon particles. The interaction mechanism in the Si?C system is similar to that in Ti?C, but the high enthalpy of carbon solution in liquid silicon results in a bulk activation energy ofE=55 kcal. mol^?1. Synthesis of tantalum carbide from the elements in the temperature range 1500–3000 K occurs by the mechanism of reaction diffusion and proceeds with strong self-retardation.     

A novel approach to measure isotope ratios via multi-collector—inductively coupled plasma—mass spectrometry based on sample mixing with a non-enriched standard

In this work, a novel approach to measure isotope ratios via multi-collector—inductively coupled plasma—mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) for low amounts of target element is proposed. The methodology is based on mixing of the sample (target element isolate) with a non-enriched in-house standard, previously characterized for its isotopic composition. This methodology has been applied to isotopic analysis of Cu and of Fe in whole blood samples. For this purpose, different mixtures of sample + in-house standard were prepared and adjusted to a final concentration of 500 μg/L of the target elements for isotopic analysis. δ⁶⁵Cu, δ⁵⁶Fe, and δ⁵⁷Fe varied linearly as a function of the amount of in-house standard (or of sample) present in the mixture. The isotopic composition of the sample was calculated considering the isotope ratios measured for (i) the mixture and (ii) the in-house standard and (iii) the relative concentrations of target element contributed by the sample and the standard to the mixture, respectively. For validation purposes, the isotopic analysis of whole blood Cu was carried out using both the conventional (using 2 mL of whole blood) and the newly developed approach (using 500 μL of whole blood). The δ⁶⁵Cu values obtained using mixtures containing 40 % (200 μg/L) of Cu from the blood samples and 60 % (300 μg/L) of Cu from the in-house standard were in good agreement with the δ⁶⁵Cu value obtained using the conventional approach (bias ≤0.15?‰).     

A Proof for Substitution of Endogenous Iron (II) in Lipoxygenase by Exogenous Cu2+

Soybean lipoxygenase (LOX) contains endogenous iron (II) at the active site, which is important for the enzyme activity. The activity of LOX can be accelerated by some exogenous metal ions including Cu²⁺. However, the mechanism of the activity improvement caused by exogenous metal ions remains unclear, not only for LOX but for most other metalloenzymes. Meanwhile, the possibility that exogenous metal ions can displace endogenous iron (II) is still in discussion for a lack of a direct and quantitative proof. In this paper, a quantitative proof of replacing iron (II) inside LOX by exogenous Cu²⁺ was provided, simply using UV-Vis spectrometry with two indicators p-carboxylantipyrylazo and 9-(4-carboxyphenyl)-2,3,7-trihydroxyl-6-fluorine. A 0.56 μM free iron (II) was observed in the bulk solution after incubating 9.45 μM Cu²⁺ with 16.10 μM LOX at 20°C for 5 min, which is in coincidence with the decrement of Cu²⁺ in the bulk solution (0.53 μM), implying that iron (II) was replaced by Cu²⁺.     

Pre-concentration and quantification of aluminum in fish samples using a dispersive liquid–liquid micro-extraction–spectrofluorimetric method based on Al(III)–8-hydroxyquinoline complex’s fluorescence properties

A simple and fast dispersive liquid–liquid micro-extraction (DLLME)–spectrofluorimetric technique was developed and validated for the extraction and quantification of trace amounts of Al in fish samples, where 8-hydroxyquinoline was utilized as a spectrofluorimetric probe. In order to optimize the efficacy of the DLLME technique, the impact of experimental parameters on the extraction of Al(III) from fish samples was evaluated. Under the optimal conditions, the method was linear in the concentration range of 0.1–7.0 μg/g (r = 0.9996) with a LOD of 0.092 μg/g; additionally, the method was accurate (RE% of ? 3.0 to + 10.0%), precise (RSD% of 1.2–14.3%) and robust (RSD% of 3.8 and p value of 0.21) and its recovery was in the range of 97.0 ± 3.89–110.0 ± 12.5%; moreover, samples were stable before and during the analyses. Therefore, it can be claimed that the developed method could be successfully applied for the quantification of Al in fish samples.