Application of strategically designed sample composition to the rapid analytical screening of milk samples for polychlorinated biphenyls

Strategically designed sample composition (SSC) is a new technique that decreases the number of analytical determinations needed in routine screening to as few as the number of original sample specimens while providing information that is specific to them. Although this new technique has been applied to environmental studies, this paper describes its first application to food safety studies. Contamination of milk samples with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was chosen as a case study to show the usefulness and potential of the SSC technique with a fast analytical procedure that involves saponification of the samples and solid-phase microextraction of the PCBs. A total of 20 sample specimens can be analyzed in 11 determinations with excellent predictions of the positive samples and the concentration levels of the contaminants. The robustness of the strategy was investigated and demonstrated.     

Evaluation of a purge-and-trap injection system for capillary gas chromatography-microwave induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometry for the determination of volatile selenium compounds in water

A method is presented for the selective determination of the volatile selenium species dimethylselenide and dimethyldiselenide, using a commercially available purge-and-trap injection system coupled to capillary gas chromatography-microwave induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The efficiency of the purging step was evaluated and the parameters affecting the purge and trap processes were optimized. The method was applied to the determination of volatile selenium compounds in lake water. Relative detection limits of 2ng/l for dimethylselenide and dimethyldiselenide, corresponding to an absolute detection limit of 10 pg, were achieved.     

Antioxidants and stabilizers: Part IC—Hydroperoxide deactivation by aliphatic sulfides. A model study

The hydroperoxide decomposing efficiencies of dioctadecylsulfide (I), dioctadecyldisulfide (IV) and dioctadecyl 3,3-thio-dipropionate (VII) have been compared at 75°C and 85°C. The formation of oxidation products from (I) and (IV) has been checked. Experimental evidence is given of the important rôle of the activation of the molecule of (IV) by the presence of two sulfidic sulfur atoms compared with the activation of the sulfur atom in (VII) by the alkoxycarbonyl group in the beta position. The explanation of the high efficiency of disulfide has been based on the formation of thiosulfinate—the key intermediate for the generation of peroxidolytic species—in the first reaction step.     

A semi-empirical dim calculation of the resonant energy and autoionization width of the He(23S)—H2 system

The DIM method is used to compute the resonant energy and the autoionization width for a wide range of configurations of the He(2³S)—H₂ syste     

Study on the stability of noradrenaline and on the determination of its acidity constants

Noradrenaline is a catecholamine which has been largely recognised to play a very important role in biological systems. In view of the neurotransmitter's alleged importance, this work aimed at showing the influence of time on its spectral behaviour using different analytical methods and determining its acidity constants through spectrophotometric titration and by the so-called point-by-point analysis, where the samples are freshly prepared for each pH value investigated at the instant required. Because the catecholamines are light-sensitive and likely to react with the oxygen in the surrounding air, both methods used preclude its incidence onto the samples being analysed under the presence of a nitrogen atmosphere maintained over the solutions. The constants obtained through point-by-point analysis were log beta1 = 30.71+/-0.16, log beta2 = 22.00+/-0.15 and log beta3 = 11.69+/-0.16.     

Determination of six metals in galician red wines (in northwestern Spain) by capillary electrophoresis

A simple technique is described for the routine simultaneous capillary electrophoretic determination of 6 cations in wine. Separation was achieved on a fused silica capillary column with a UV-Cat-1, alpha-hydroxysobutyric acid and 18-crown-6-ether buffer at pH 4.5 and indirect UV detection at 214 nm. The content of magnesium, sodium, potassium, calcium, manganese, and lithium was determined. The method is quantitative, with recoveries in the 92-102% range, and linear over more than one order of magnitude. The precision is better than 2.5-3.4%. The method is sensible, with detection limits between 0.01 and 0.06 mg/L. Twenty-five red wines with a Certified Brand of Origin from Galicia (north-western Spain) were analyzed by the proposed method. Various wines showed very similar electrophoretic profiles, but significant quantitative differences were observed.     

Lifetime prediction of ABS polymers based on thermoanalytical data

The service life of ABS polymer, stabilized by 2-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanilino)-4,6-bis(octylthio)-1,3,5-triazine and containing 50% of a modifying rubber component, was estimated from oxidative induction times measured by DSC in isothermal mode in the temperature interval 140–170°C. The lifetime of ABS powder at the actual temperature of drying was predicted by linear extrapolation according to Arrhenius. However, the extrapolated value was much longer than the real lifetime determined from the long-term oven aging tests at 70 and 90°C, simulating the industrial drying process. The effect of changes in the apparent activation energy of oxidation due to antioxidant consumption during polymer aging is discussed.     

Neutron activation analysis of final molasses from Cuban sugar industry

Thermal and epithermal non-destructive activation analyses have been performed on samples of final molasses from 14 different sugar factories, covering the most important regions in Cuba. From the first measurement after irradiation at the Triga Mark reactor (VTT), the concentration of more than 15 elements is reported. The almost constant elemental composition shows that they can be used equally for different purposes as animal foodstuff and for the manufacture of biotechnological products. This work is part of a research project developed in order to establish a complete characterization of Cuban sugar molasses.