Comparative study of conventional and multivariate methods for aluminum determination in soft drinks by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

In the present study, conventional and multivariate methods were used to optimize conditions for direct determination of aluminum in soft drinks by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. For the conventional method, the optimized experimental parameters were: pyrolysis and atomization temperatures and chemical modifier. A multivariate study was performed using factorial design and the optimized parameters were the same employed in the univariate method including pyrolysis time. For the conventional method, the optimal conditions obtained were: pyrolysis temperature of 1600 °C, atomization temperature of 2700 °C, and Zr as permanent modifier. For the factorial design in the multivariate optimization, the Pareto´s chart showed that the atomization temperature, the modifier, and the pyrolysis temperature presented a significant effect on the integrated absorbance and the interaction between pyrolysis temperature and pyrolysis time also had a significant effect on the signal. Better results were obtained using Zr as modifier. The surface response indicates that the lowest pyrolysis (1100 °C) and atomization temperatures (2350 °C) provide higher absorbance for aluminum in soft drinks. Characteristic mass of 23.4 and 19.4 pg and LOD of 17.9 and 11.3 μg L^− 1 was obtained to conventional and multivariate methods, respectively. The calibration was accomplished with standard addition in a range of 60–200 μg L^− 1 for conventional method and of 38–200 μg L^− 1for multivariate method with R higher than 0.99 for both conditions. Recoveries in both studies were nearly 100% with adequate precision for GFAAS analysis. For the Al concentrations level found in soft drinks, both experimental conditions are adequate as good results were obtained in recovery studies. The Al concentrations in different soft drinks range from 147.9 to 599.5 μg L⁻¹. Higher concentrations were found in soft drinks sold in Al cans than in PET bottles, indicating that contamination can occur.     

Linear response theory of the dipole–dipole dispersion interaction between H(1s) atoms

A self-consistent theory of the linear response previously developed by one of us is applied to the dipole–dipole dispersion interaction of two ground state H atoms in the united atom (He) limit, using a Sellmeier representation of the polarizability in terms of pseudostates. Numerical calculations show that a truncated 12-term expansion out of the N = 22 H(1s) dipole pseudospectrum built from STOs with orbital exponent c = 0.985 gives a result exceeding by no more than 5% the variational result for the He dispersion energy.     

Efficient microwave assisted synthesis of optically active bicyclic 2-pyridinones via Δ2-thiazolines

A new efficient synthesis of optically active bicyclic 2-pyridiones has been developed using microwave irradiation. The synthesis is a two-step procedure via delta2-thiazolines, which only requires a 3 + 2 min reaction time compared to 2 days when using conventional heating. The optimized conditions proved to be suitable for the synthesis of a small library in excellent yields and with limited racemizations.     

On-line electrochemically controlled solid-phase extraction interfaced to electrospray and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Electrochemically controlled solid-phase extractions of anions were interfaced on-line to electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), using polypyrrole coated electrodes and a thin-layer electrochemical (EC) flow cell. The results indicate that electrochemically controlled solid-phase extraction (EC-SPE) can be used as a versatile potential controlled sample preparation technique for a range of anions and that the properties of the polypyrrole coatings can be modified by altering the electrodeposition conditions. In the present study, the influence of interfering anions (i.e., fluoride and sulfate), and the anion used during the electropolymerisation, on the bromide extraction recovery was investigated for EC-SPE interfaced to ICP-MS. The results of these experiments show that the interference due to the presence of similar concentrations of sulfate can be reduced when using a polypyrrole coating electropolymerised in the presence of bromide ions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were also used to study the morphology of the coatings, as well as the variations in the film thickness within the coatings. The effect of different desorption techniques on the bromide preconcentration factor in the ICP-MS on-line flow system was also examined. Stopped-flow desorption was found to give rise to significantly increased preconcentration factors in comparison with desorptions in flowing solutions. While the desorption efficiency depends on the type of desorption electrolyte (the electrolyte in which the desorption takes place), due to the competing influx of cations, the influence of the pH on the switching charge of the polypyrrole coating was found to be small, at constant ionic strength. To study the applicability of the EC-SPE technique with respect to real samples, investigations were also made with tap water samples spiked with different bromide concentrations. The results of these experiments, which were carried out using a modified thin-layer EC flow cell allowing in situ polymerisation of polypyrrole yielding a polymer plug covering the cross section of the channel, demonstrate that 3 microM concentrations of bromide could be detected in the tap water sample. This demonstrates that the extraction technique allows extractions of low concentrations of ions in the presence of significantly higher concentrations of other similar ions. The fact that the extraction and desorption steps are electrochemically controlled makes EC-SPE particularly well suited for inclusion in miniaturised lab-on-a-chip systems.     

Kinetics of the gas‐phase reaction of n‐C6–C10 aldehydes with the nitrate radical

Rate coefficients for gas‐phase reaction between nitrate radicals and the n‐C₆–C₁₀ aldehydes have been determined by a relative rate technique. All experiments were carried out at 297 ± 2 K, 1020 ± 10 mbar and using synthetic air or nitrogen as the bath gas. The experiments were made with a collapsible sampling bag as reaction chamber, employing solid‐phase micro extraction for sampling and gas chromatography/flame ionization detection for analysis of the reaction mixtures. One limited set of experiments was carried out using a glass reactor and long‐path FTIR spectroscopy. The results show good agreement between the different techniques and conditions employed as well as with previous studies (where available). With butanal as reference compound, the determined values (in units of 10^?14 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1) for each of the aldehydes were as follows: hexanal, 1.7 ± 0.1; heptanal, 2.1 ± 0.3; octanal, 1.5 ± 0.2; nonanal, 1.8 ± 0.2; and decanal, 2.2 ± 0.4. With propene as reference compound, the determined rate coefficients were as follows: heptanal, 1.9 ± 0.2; octanal, 2.0 ± 0.3; and nonanal, 2.2 ± 0.3. With 1‐butene as reference compound, the rate coefficients for hexanal and heptanal were 1.6 ± 0.2 and 1.8 ± 0.1, respectively. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 35: 120–129, 2003     

Electron paramagnetic resonance studies on copper(II)-cyclodextrin systems

Three copper(II) complexes containing beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD) derivatives as ligands [mono-6-methylamino-6-deoxy-betaCD dithiocarbamate (CDTC), mono-6-histamino-6-deoxy-betaCD (CDHM) and mono-6-Nalpha-arginyl-6-deoxy-betaCD (CDARG)] have been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance. The spectra have been recorded at X- and S-bands and different temperatures and simulated to obtain the best set of magnetic parameters. In particular, the 300 K spectra are typical of the slow motion regime, as expected considering the high molecular weight of the ligands. Some structural characteristics of the complexes are proposed on the basis of dynamic and covalency parameters obtained from simulation.     

Deciphering the Electronic Transitions of Thiophene-Based Donor-Acceptor-Donor Pentameric Ligands Utilized for Multimodal Fluorescence Microscopy of Protein Aggregates

Anionic pentameric thiophene acetates can be used for fluorescence detection and diagnosis of protein amyloid aggregates. Replacing the central thiophene unit by benzothiadiazole (BTD) or quinoxaline (QX) leads to large emission shifts and basic spectral features have been reported [Chem. Eur. J. 2015 , 21, 15133-13137]. Here we present new detailed experimental results of solvent effects, time-resolved fluorescence and examples employing multi-photon microscopy and lifetime imaging. Quantum chemical response calculations elucidate how the introduction of the BTD/QX groups changes the electronic states and emissions. The dramatic red-shift follows an increased conjugation and quinoid character of the π-electrons of the thiophene backbone. An efficient charge transfer in the excited states S₁ and S₂ compared to the all-thiophene analogue makes these more sensitive to the polarity and quenching by the solvent. Taken together, the results guide in the interpretation of images of stained Alzheimer disease brain sections employing advanced fluorescence microscopy and lifetime imaging, and can aid in optimizing future fluorescent ligand development.     

Trace metal concentration in wild avian species from Campania,Italy

This study was conducted to determine heavy metals concentrations in tissues of 94 birds belonging to different species from coastal areas of Naples and Salerno (Southern Italy) in order to provide baseline data concerning trace element levels in wild birds living in or close to an area characterized by high anthropogenic impact. Additional aim of this study was to verify if diet influenced metal accumulation, so birds were classified as birds of prey, fish eating birds and insectivorous birds.