Trace Elements in Pleurotus Ostreatus,P. Eryngii,and P. Nebrodensis Mushrooms Cultivated on Various Agricultural By-Products

Abstract

Mushrooms are efficient accumulators of essential and toxic elements. Although oyster (Pleurotus spp.) mushrooms are widely commercialized and consumed, few data exist regarding trace elements content and bioaccumulation in cultivated P. ostreatus and P. eryngii, while no data are available for P. nebrodensis. The contents of Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, V, and Zn were monitored using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic emission spectrometry (AES) in P. ostreatus, P. eryngii, and P. nebrodensis mushrooms and their cultivation substrates that include wheat straw (WHS), grape marc (GMC), olive leaves (OLV), and two-phase olive mill wastes (OMW), separately or in mixtures. Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) less than 0.3 were obtained for Al, Ba, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, and V; BAFs exceeding 1 for K?>?Zn?>?Cd?>?Cr?>?Rb?>?As, while the BAFs for Na were less 0.7. Mushrooms grown on OLV and OMW presented lower BAFs than those grown on WHS and GMC for all elements except for K, Cd, and Cu. P. ostreatus was an effective accumulator for Cr, Fe, and Zn; P. eryngii for Al, Cs, Ni, and V; and P. nebrodensis for As and Cd. The estimated daily intakes (μg kg^?1 body weight) from mushroom consumption were less than 0.010 for As, Cd, Co, Cs, Pb, and V, 0.010–0.10 for Ba, Cr, Ni, and Sr, 0.10–5.0 for Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, Rb, and Zn, 65–83 for Na, and 858–1030 for K. Overall, the mushrooms studied provide significant amounts of K, adequate amounts of Mn and Zn and low amounts of Na and toxic elements.     

Optimization of the Sample Preparation Procedure for the Determination of Trace Elements in Auricularia auricula by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry

This study aimed to develop a precise and accurate method of sample preparation of Auricularia auricula for inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry-based trace element determination and to compare concentrations of seven trace elements (Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cr, Sr) in six A. auricula samples belonging to three varieties with two cultivation substrates. Five sample preparation procedures, microwave-assisted digestion, nitric acid digestion with hot plate heating, nitric acid and perchloric acid digestion with hot plate heating, nitric acid digestion with ash content, and aqua regia digestion with ash content, were compared. The performance of the procedures was determined based on the precision and accuracy of the results and the limits of detection of the elements. The best results, with limits of detection of 0.60–6.60?ng?·?mL^?1 and recoveries for spiked samples between 93.80 and 105.00%, were found using nitric acid digestion with ash content. Six A. auricula samples were analyzed using the proposed procedure. Among the tested elements, the concentration of Fe was highest in all six A. auricula samples up to a maximum concentration of 284.83?µg?·?g^?1. The concentrations of Mn, Cu, and Ni increased in mixed stands (basswood, birch, and mongolica) compared with pine sawdust cultivation.     

Determination of minor, trace and toxic elements in chewing tobacco products by instrumental neutron activation analysis and identification of glutamic acid

Tobacco smoking/chewing has been a cause of concern because of it being related with oral cancer. It causes stimulation and ill physiological effects. Ten different brands of spit tobacco, eight gutkaas and five paan masalas have been analyzed for seven minor (Al, Na, K, Ca, Cl, Mg, and P) and 17 trace (As, Ba, Br, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Eu, Fe, Hg, La, Mn, Rb, Sb, Sc, Th, and Zn) elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Also Ni and Pb were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Concentration of Cd was below detection limit (<10?mg?kg^?1) in the tobacco samples. Mg, generally added as MgCO₃ to prevent caking, is present as minor constituent in spit tobacco and gutkaas but is below detection limit (<1?g?kg^?1) in paan masalas. Most elemental concentrations vary in a wide range depending on the nature of chewing tobacco. Spit tobacco has been found to be more enriched in essential elements (Ca, K, Na, P, Mn, and Rb), whereas gutkaas contain higher concentrations of Fe, Cr, Cu, and Zn. Paan masalas contain lower contents of other elements but higher content of Hg. Gutkaas also contain higher amounts of As and Pb. Further glutamic acid has been separated from tobacco leaves and characterized as it might bind with some elements.     

Multielement Analysis of South Serbian Strawberry Cultivars by Inductively Coupled Plasma—Optical Emission Spectrometry

The contents of 17 elements in thirteen strawberry cultivars grown in the five districts of Southern Serbia were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The most abundant elements are K (875–1148 mg?·?kg^?1 fresh weight), P (307–664 mg?·?kg^?1 fresh weight), Ca (192–256 mg?·?kg^?1 fresh weight), and Mg (111–189 mg?·?kg^?1 fresh weight) in all samples. Strawberries were also found to be a good source of Sr (8.05–18.6 mg?·?kg^?1 fresh weight) and Fe (3.09–10.4 mg?·?kg^?1 fresh weight). The contents of As and Cd were below the detection limit (0.0828 mg?·?kg^?1 and 0.0205 mg?·?kg^?1, respectively) in all strawberry samples, while the contents of Ni, Cr, and Cu were below the recommended tolerable levels proposed by Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives, and did not a pose a health risk for the consumer. The application of Duncan’s test showed significant differences between contents of analyzed elements in all strawberry cultivars. The highest mean levels of analyzed elements were detected in strawberries grown in the Topli?ki, Jablani?ki, and P?injski districts. The spike recovery test was used to verify the accuracy of the method, and the spike recovery was in the range 93.8–107.8%. The contents of the metals in strawberry samples were also comparable with values previously reported in the literature.     

A new approach for determination of crustal and trace elements in airborne particulate matter

An ICP-OES procedure was developed for fast and accurate determination of various crustal (Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Si) and trace elements (Ba, Cu, Mn, Na, K, Sr, Ti, Zn) in airborne particulate matter. The method is based on a preliminary treatment of the aerosol samples with a mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide at elevated temperature leading to a mineralization of the organic sampling substrate, dissolution of soluble material and homogeneous suspension of the remaining non-soluble fraction. After dilution the derived slurry solutions were measured using ICP-OES. The reproducibility of analysis given as the relative standard deviation (% RSD) varied between 3.2 and 6.8% for bulk constituents such as Al, Ca, Fe, Mg and Si whereas values ranging from 3.5 to 9.1% were obtained for trace metals present with distinctly lower abundance in PM10 (e.g. Ba, Cu, Mn, Sr, Zn). The limits of detection (LOD) calculated as three times the standard deviation (3σ) of the signal derived from filter blank samples ranged from approximately 1?ng?m^?3 (Sr) to 71?ng?m^?3(Ca). The developed procedure was evaluated by comparing the obtained results with the findings derived for the same set of aerosol samples analyzed using a microwave procedure for sample dissolution with subsequent ICP-OES analysis. Finally the developed procedure was applied for the analysis of crustal and trace elements in PM10 samples collected at an urban site (Getreidemarkt, Vienna) and a rural site (Hartberg, Styria), in Austria. The concentrations of the investigated crustal elements varied between some hundred ng?m^?3 and few µg?m^?3 with highest concentrations for Fe and Si, distinctly reduced concentrations ranging from some ng?m^?3 (Sr) to more than hundred ng?m^?3 (K) were found for trace elements. Observed PM10 concentrations were found to be in accordance to literature findings from urban sites in central Europe.     

Rapid multi-element analysis of groundwater by high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive method was developed to determine, with a single dilution, the concentration of 33 major and trace elements (Na, Mg, Si, K, Ca, Li, Al, P, S, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Re, Hg, Pb, Bi, U) in groundwater. The method relies on high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR ICP-MS) and works across nine orders of magnitude of concentrations. For most elements, detection limits for this method are considerably lower than methods based on quadrupole ICP-MS. Precision was within or close to ±3% (1) for all elements analyzed, with the exception of Se (±10%) and Al (±6%). The usefulness of the method is demonstrated with a set of 629 groundwater samples collected from tube wells in Bangladesh (Northeast Araiharzar). The results show that a majority of tube well samples in this area exceed the WHO guideline for As of 10 g L^–1, and that those As-safe wells frequently do not meet the guideline for Mn of 500 µg L^–1 and U of 2 µg L^–1.     

Determination of Pyrethroids in Dendrobium officinale by Ultrasound/Microwave-Assisted Solid–Liquid–Solid Dispersive Extraction,Gas Chromatography,and Triple-Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

An ultrasound/microwave-assisted solid–liquid–solid dispersive extraction method was developed for the determination of 16 pyrethroid insecticides in Dendrobium officinale. The extraction and purification were performed in one step. The pyrethroids were extracted with 8:2 acetone:hexane and purified with a mixture of primary secondary amine, Florisil, C18, and graphitized carbon black. The extraction temperature, extraction time, and ultrasound power were optimized. Trans-cyfluthrin-d₆ was used as the internal standard to improve the accuracy. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries of the pyrethroids were from 72.2 to 113.9% with the limits of detection between 0.29 and 9.38?µg?kg^?1. The optimized method was successfully used for the determination of pyrethroids in commercial D. officinale samples and may allow monitoring pyrethroids in herbal products.     

Systematic investigations of the multi-element preconcentration from copper by precipitation of the matrix as copper(I) oxide and copper(I) thiocyanate

Two methods for multi-element preconcentration from copper by reductive matrix precipitation are presented. In systematic investigations on the coprecipitation behaviour of Ag, Al, Au, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Ga, In, Mn, Mo, NJ, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Te and Zn during precipitation of the copper matrix as Cu₂O or CuSCN, the separation parameters were optimized. By combination with a hexamethyleneammonium hexamethylenedithiocarbamate collector precipitation, a concentration of 8 elements (Cu₂O precipitation) or 13 elements (CuSCN precipitation) in a small volume was achieved. The limits of detection of the procedures are, depending on the element, 0.1–5 μg g^?1 for flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and 0.01–0.1 μg g^?1 for graphite furnace AAS. The relative standard deviations are about 3%. The analytical performance of the procedures is compared with that of an electrolytic copper separation.     

A Porous Network of Bismuth Used as the Anode Material for High‐Energy‐Density Potassium‐Ion Batteries

Potassium‐ion batteries (KIBs) are plagued by a lack of materials for reversible accommodation of the large‐sized K⁺ ion. Herein we present, the Bi anode in combination with the dimethoxyethane‐(DME) based electrolyte to deliver a remarkable capacity of ca. 400 mAh g^?1 and long cycle stability with three distinct two‐phase reactions of Bi? KBi₂?K₃Bi₂?K₃Bi. These are ascribed to the gradually developed three‐dimensional (3D) porous networks of Bi, which realizes fast kinetics and tolerance of its volume change during potassiation and depotassiation. The porosity is linked to the unprecedented movement of the surface Bi atoms interacting with DME molecules, as suggested by DFT calculations. A full KIB of Bi//DME‐based electrolyte//Prussian blue of K_0.72Fe[Fe(CN)₆] is demonstrated to present large energy density of 108.1 Wh kg^?1 with average discharge voltage of 2.8 V and capacity retention of 86.5 % after 350 cycles.     

Trace metal accumulation in tissues of sole (Solea senegalensis) and the relationships with the abiotic environment

The distribution patterns and the organ-specific accumulation trends of 10 trace metals (iron, manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, nickel, cobalt, lead, cadmium and silver) and 4 major elements (sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium) in 10 different tissues (heart, muscle, kidney, stomach, intestine, liver, gill, gonads, white skin and dark skin) of a benthic fish species (Solea senegalensis) from a densely populated coastal area affected by anthropogenic activities, the Bay of Cadiz (SW Spain), have been investigated. High variability of metal concentrations among tissues were found for Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb and Ag. Factor analysis was applied to study this variability. Five principal components were found explaining the 92.95% of the total variance and similarities in behavioural patterns of bioaccumulation were described. They associated Mg, Cr, Ni and Mn to intestine and stomach tissues (PC1), Ag, Cu and Cd to liver (PC2), Zn, K and Co to gonads (PC3), Na, Fe and Pb to gill, heart and kidney tissues (PC4) and Ca, Pb and Mn to gill and dark skin (PC5). The metallic concentration in the sediment and water was also studied. The pollution in this area was found moderate with outstanding values of Zn, Cu and Pb (average values of 139, 50.4 and 75.6?mg?kg^?1, respectively) in sediment and dissolved Cu (average value of 2.5?µg?L^?1). Metal bioconcentration trends followed the order Zn?>?Cu?>?Cd?>?Pb for dissolved metals in seawater, Cu?>?Zn?>?Cd?>?Pb?≈?Mn?>?Fe?≈?Ni?≈?Co for metals associated to particulate matter and Zn?≈?Cu?>?Cd?>?Mn?>?Co?≈?Fe?>?Ni?≈?Pb?>?Cr for metals in the sediment. Higher values were found for copper in liver, zinc in gonads and lead in gill, showing the relationship between biotic and abiotic environment. In addition, Cd bioconcentration factors were found high in liver and gill showing the sensitivity of sole to this metal even at low concentrations.     

Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds from Fraxinus excelsior and Quercus robur under ambient conditions in Flanders (Belgium)

A dynamic branch enclosure system was used to measure emission rates of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) from two common European tree species: Fraxinus excelsior and Quercus robur under ambient conditions in Flanders (Belgium). Both tree species were studied for seasonal variability of BVOC emission rates under natural biotic stress (infestations). Emissions were normalized at standard conditions of temperature and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) (30°C and 1000?µmol?m^?2?s^?1, respectively). Emission rates from Fraxinus excelsior were highest in May (9.56?µg?g_DW ^?1?h^?1) and lowest in October (1.17?µg?g_DW ^?1?h^?1). This tree species emitted (Z)-β-ocimene, (E)-β-ocimene and α-farnesene during the entire measurement period and additionally isoprene only in May. Quercus robur showed isoprene emission variations according to the seasonal cycle with rates of 30, 106 and 29?µg?g_DW ^?1?h^?1 in May, August and October, respectively. Apart from isoprene, (E)-β-ocimene and β-caryophyllene were emitted through the entire experimental period.     

Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometric (ICP/MS) Determination of Thallium in Soils and Winter Rapeseeds

Abstract

The ICP/MS method with lutetium, bismuth and indium as internal standards was used for the determination of thallium and other elements, i.e. Ti, V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Mo, Cd, As and Pb, in soils and rapeseeds. Samples were collected in two thallium highly pedogeochemicaily contaminated areas situated in South Bohemia and in Czech-Moravian Highlands, in two river alluvia, in two control sites with low levels of TI and in one spot with anthropogenic contamination. Levels higher than 2.5 mg kg^?1 have been found in rapeseeds in the highly polluted areas (c. 2.8 mg kg^?1 in soils). High correlation coefficients, r > 0.81, between content of TI in top- and sub-soils and rapeseeds were obtained. Thallium concentrations exceed twice of Pb content and by one order of magnitude of Cd amounts. This finding are very important because of the high toxicity of TI and the absence of threshold limits for TI in soils, agricultural products and foodstuffs in the Czech Republic.     

Levels of mercury,cadmium, lead and other selected elements in canned tuna fish commercialised in Jordan

During 2010, the concentrations of mercury and eight other trace elements in 90 canned tuna samples commercialised in Jordan were determined using mercury analyser (Hydra C®) and the inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). The mean concentrations and ranges for elements analysed in mg?kg ^{? 1} (wet base) were as follows: total Hg (0.21; 0.06–0.57), Cd (0.06;?<?0.01–0.63), Pb (0.09; <0.04–0.24), total As (0.74; 0.11–1.56), Ni (0.51; 0.03–2.85), V (0.04; <0.03–0.1), Al (0.26; 0.08–1.63), Ba (0.13; 0.05–0.42) and Ag was not detected in any of the analysed samples (<0.02?mg?kg^?1). The data obtained in the present study compared well with data obtained from similar studies carried out in different parts of the world. Few samples had the mercury and cadmium levels slightly exceeding the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants draft guidelines. However, the estimated weekly intakes of these metals showed that there was no health risk associated with the consumption of the analysed canned tuna samples.     

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.     

On-line simultaneous pre-concentration procedure for the determination of cadmium and lead in drinking water employing sequential multi-element flame atomic absorption spectrometry

An on-line pre-concentration system for the sequential determination of cadmium and lead in drinking water by using fast sequential flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FS-FAAS) is proposed in this paper. Two minicolums of polyurethane foam loaded with 2-(6-methyl-2-benzothiazolylazo)-orcinol (Me-BTAO) were used as sorptive pre-concentration media for cadmium and lead. The analytical procedure involves the quantitative uptake of both analyte species by on-column chelation with Me-BTAO during sample loading followed by sequential elution of the analytes with 1.0?mol?L^?1 hydrochloric acid and determination by FS-FAAS. The optimisation of the entire analytical procedure was performed using a Box–Behnken multivariate design utilising the sampling flow rate, sample pH and buffer concentration as experimental variables.

The proposed flow-based method featured detection limits (3σ) of 0.08 and 0.51?µg?L^?1 for cadmium and lead, respectively, precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.63% and 3.87% (n?=?7) for cadmium at the 2.0?µg?L^?1 and 10.0?µg?L^?1 levels, respectively, and RSD of 6.34% and 3.26% (n?=?7) for lead at the 5.0?µg?L^?1 and 30.0?µg?L^?1 levels, respectively. The enrichment factors achieved were 38.6 and 30.0 for cadmium and lead, respectively, using a sample volume of 10.0?mL. The sampling frequency was 45 samples per hour. The accuracy was confirmed by analysis of a certified reference material, namely, SRM 1643d (Trace elements in natural water). The optimised method was applied to the determination of cadmium and lead in drinking water samples collected in Santo Amaro da Purificação City, Bahia, Brazil.     

Evaluation of strontium isotope abundance ratios in combination with multi-elemental analysis as a possible tool to study the geographical origin of ciders

In order to evaluate alternative analytical methodologies to study the geographical origin of ciders, both multi-elemental analysis and Sr isotope abundance ratios in combination with multivariate statistical analysis were estimated in 67 samples from England, Switzerland, France and two Spanish regions (Asturias and the Basque Country). A methodology for the precise and accurate determination of the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope abundance ratio in ciders by multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) was developed. Major elements (Na, K, Ca and Mg) were measured by ICP-AES and minor and trace elements (Li, Be, B, Al, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, W, Tl, Pb, Bi, Th and U) were measured by ICP-MS using a collision cell instrument operated in multitune mode. An analysis of variance (ANOVA test) indicated that group means for B, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Se, Cd, Cs, Ce, W, Pb, Bi and U did not show any significant differences at the 95% confidence level, so these elements were rejected for further statistical analysis. Another group of elements (Li, Be, Sc, Co, Ga, Y, Sn, Sb, La, Tl, Th) was removed from the data set because concentrations were close to the limits of detection for many samples. Therefore, the remaining elements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba) together with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope abundance ratio were considered for principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Finally, LDA was able to classify correctly 100% of cider samples coming from different Spanish regions, France, England and Switzerland when considering Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope abundance ratio as original variables.     

Studies on a New Material for Hydrogen Storage and Supply by Modified Fe and Fe2O3 Powder

Modified iron oxide, a new material for hydrogen storage and supply to polymer electrolyte fuel cell （PEFC）, was prepared by impregnating Fe or Fe2O3 powder with an aqueous solution containing metal cation additives （Al, Cr, Ni, Co, Zr and Mo）. Hydrogen storage properties of the samples were investigated. The results show that both Fe and Fe2O3 powder with additive Mo presented excellent catalytic activity and cyclic stability, and their hydrogen producing temperature could be surprisingly decreased. The temperature of forming hydrogen for the Fe2O3-Mo at the rate of 250 μmol·min^-1·Fe-g^-1 could be dramatically decreased from 527 ℃ before addition of Mo to 283 ℃ after addition of Mo in the fourth cycle. The cause for it was probably related to preventing the sinter of the sample particles. In addition, hydrogen storage capacity of the Fe2O3-Mo can reach w=4.5% （72 kg H2/m^3）, close to International Energy Agency （IEA） criterion. These show the value of practical application of the Fe2O3-Mo as the promising hydrogen storage material.     

Direct multielement determination of trace elements in boron carbide powders by direct current arc atomic emission spectrometry using a CCD spectrometer

The use of direct current arc atomic emission spectrometry (DC-arc-AES) with a CCD spectrometer for the direct determination of the trace impurities Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Si, Ti, and Zr in three well characterized boron carbide powders is described. The detection limits obtained by the procedure were found to be between 0.2 (Mg) and 25 (Na) ??g?g^?1 for the above elements. Three boron carbide powder samples with trace element concentrations between 0.9 (Cu) and 934 (Si) ??g?g^?1 for Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Si, Ti, and Zr ?? including the standard reference material ERM?-ED102 ?? were analyzed by DC-arc-AES. The relative standard deviations for 9 measurements when using 5.0?±?0.3?mg of the respective samples were found to vary from 6.2 to 27% for Al and Cu, respectively. The trace elements Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Si, Ti and Zr could be determined in the standard reference material and their concentrations determined by DC-arc AES were found to be between 89 and 116% of the accepted values. Fe and Ti were determined by DC-arc AES in the three boron carbide samples as well as in Al₂O₃, BN, SiC, coal fly ash, graphite and obsidian rock. The correlation coefficients of the plots of the net intensities versus the accepted values over the concentration ranges from 18 to 1750 and from 6 to 8000???g?g^?1 are 0.999 and 0.990 for Fe and Ti, respectively.

Calibration for Elemental Dental Tissue Analysis by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Teeth retain different elements at particular stages of life. Hence, the exposure over a selected time span may be characterized by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). A Nd:YAG laser with emission at 266?nm was coupled to a quadrupole ICP-MS for the quantitative study of historical human teeth for Sr and Ba, elements of anthropological significance. A calibration approach incorporating the experimentally derived k coefficient is reported. The coefficients were established based on the mean concentrations of the analytes determined by pneumatic nebulization ICP-MS using acid-digested calcium phosphate standards and the intensities recorded during laser ablation of corresponding standards as pellets. The k values were 0.54?±?0.05 (µg?g^?1)^?1 and 4.49?±?1.09 (µg?g^?1)^?1 for Sr and Ba, respectively. This calibration approach provided local quantitative data and demonstrated statistically significant differences in Sr concentrations in enamel and dentine.     

Zerstörungsfreie aktivierungsanalytische Bestimmung von Mikro- und Ultramikromengen Indium in Reinstthallium und Thalliumverbindungen

Two non-destructive neutron activation methods has been described for the determination of indium in thallium metal and thallium compounds. The sensitivity of the first method based on^114mIn corresponds to 1×10^?6g (standard deviation 4,5–8%). The second method (by means of^116mIn) permits the determination of ultramicro amounts of indium up to 5×10^?11g with a standard deviation of 15%. The influence of many elements (such as Ga, Cu, Al, Cd, Zn, Pb, Ca, Mg, Bi, Fe) has been examined. The methods have been applied to the determination of indium in thallium metal, oxide, nitrate, sulphate and chloride. The data obtained agreed whith those of the spectrochemical determination.