Sensitive simultaneous determination of benzo(a)pyrene, perylene and chrysene by synchronous spectrofluorometry in nonionic micellar media

A synchronous spectrofluorometric method was developed for the simultaneous determination of benzo(a)pyrene, perylene and chrysene in a POLE micellar medium, with detection limits of 0.05 ng/ml, 0.28 ng/ml and 0.64 ng/ml, respectively. Good recoveries were obtained for sea water samples spiked with each hydrocarbon.     

Photodegradation of natural organic matter exposed to fluctuating levels of solar radiation

Irradiation of natural water samples with natural or artificial UVR typically results in a progressive loss of color and decreased absorbance; a process often referred to as photobleaching. In a typical photobleaching experiment, samples are exposed to a relatively constant level of artificial or natural UVR. However, under most natural situations, the vertical mixing of the water within the upper mixed layer results in strong and periodic fluctuations in UV irradiance. In this paper, we present the results of an experiment in which natural lake water was exposed to solar radiation in quartz tubes that were incubated either at fixed depths or rotating within the water column. We found differences between rotating and fixed samples in (i) photobleaching, (ii) nutrient release, and (iii) subsequent use by algae and bacteria. The evidence presented in this study demonstrated that photochemical processes might be affected by vertical water motion. The reasons for such differences remain largely unknown. Although we offer a potential explanation for such differences, our proposed mechanism is based on a post-hoc analysis of the data and should be taken solely as a working hypothesis for future research.     

Sulfenamides as ligands in transition metal chemistry Pentacarbonyl(Sulfenamide)Chromium(0) Complexes

The complexes Cr(CO)₅(R′SNR₂) [R′ = CH₃; NR₂ = N(CH₃)₂, N(C₄H₈)O. R′ = C₆H₅; NR₂ = N(CH₃)₂, N(C₄H₄)O, N(CH₂? C₆H₅)₂, N(C₆H₁₁)₂] have been prepared by reaction of the sulfenamides with Cr(CO)₅ · THF and characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods. The IR, ¹H-NMR, UV-VIS, and mass spectra of the complexes support the coordination of the sulfenamide via the sulfur atom. π-acceptor abilities of sulfenamides in the prepared coordination compounds, determined from IR and UV-VIS data, were compared with those of other divalent sulfur conpounds.     

Alignment of carbon nanotubes under low magnetic fields through attachment of magnetic nanoparticles

The alignment of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) has been accomplished through deposition of uniform layers of magnetite/maghemite nanoparticles (diameter = 6-10 nm) and use of an external magnetic field. The coating of CNTs with magnetic nanoparticles was performed by combining the polymer wrapping and layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly techniques. The particle-coated MWNTs are superparamagnetic and can be aligned at room temperature on any substrate by deposition from an aqueous solution in an external field B = 0.2 T. The volume magnetization of the particle coated MWNTs is found to be enhanced by 17% compared to the pure particles in a powder indicating that either the adsorption process onto the CNTs changes the particle magnetization, or the MWNTs carry an intrinsic magnetization due to remaining Ni used as a catalyst for the growth process.     

Plate number requirements for establishing method suitability

Establishing the suitability of an analytical system has become a routine requirement in the testing of modern pharmaceuticals. Acceptable parameters that illustrate the system is performing as intended and in an equivalent manner to the original validation are often set at the time of method validation and transferred with the method to the production laboratory. For chromatographic methods, these parameters include--but are not limited to--resolution, tailing, and plate number specifications. Transferring methods is often a seamless transition from research to quality control. However, far too often the quality group receives arguably "overzealous" and strict requirements for the method. More specifically, chromatographic methods get issued with plate number specifications that far exceed the minimum number required to achieve sufficient resolution of the analytes. Presented here is a discussion of the setting of realistic plate number specifications that still maintain the minimum resolution of the chromatographic critical pair.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(esters) derived from diacids and diphenols containing silicon and germanium

Poly(esters) containing two heteroatoms, Si or Ge, in the main chain, derived from diphenols bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-dimethyl-germane, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-diphenyl-germane, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-dimethyl-silane and bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-diphenyl-silane, and the acid dichlorides bis(4-chloroformyl-phenyl)-dimethyl-germane, bis(4-chloroformyl-phenyl)-diphenyl-germane, bis(4-chloroformyl-phenyl)-dimethyl-silane and bis(4-chloroformyl-phenyl)-diphenyl-silane, were synthesized under phase transfer conditions using two phase transfer catalysts, and characterized by spectroscopic methods. This technique showed low effectivity for the synthesis of these kinds of polymers, showing a low increase of the yields and η_inh values in comparison with the interphasial process. In these experimental conditions there were no important differences neither in the studied parameters between the monomers with Si or Ge, nor between the catalysts.     

Sorption of Cadmium from Aqueous Solutions at Different Temperatures by Mexican HEU-type Zeolite Rich Tuff

Many factors may affect the heavy metals sorption on natural zeolites among them the temperature, for this reason in this paper the cadmium retention behavior on Mexican zeolitic rich tuff as a function of temperature is considered. The kinetic and the isotherms were determined at 303, 318, and 333 K, the remaining cadmium in the solution samples was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. The pseudo-second order rate constant, k, as well as the apparent diffusion coefficients were calculated from the cadmium uptake by the zeolitic rock as a function of the contact time and temperature, the highest amounts were found for the experiments done at 333 K. The maximum cadmium adsorption capacity by the zeolitic material was 12.2 mg Cd²⁺/g at 318 K corresponding to 20% of the effective ion exchange capacity of the Chihuahua zeolitic rock. In order to explain the cadmium sorption behavior different kinetics and isotherm models were considered.     

Sub-miniature ExB sector-field mass spectrometer

A novel sub-miniature double-focusing sector-field mass spectrometer has been fabricated at the University of Minnesota using a combination of conventional machining methods and thin film patterning techniques typically used in the sensor technology industry. Its design is based on the mass separation capabilities of a 90 degrees cylindrical crossed electric and magnetic sector-field analyzer with a 2-cm radius, which under proper conditions is able to effectively cancel the angular and chromatic dispersion of the ion beam, thus improving the resolving power of the instrument. Simulations using finite element analysis and computer modeling were employed to verify and optimize the performance of the proposed instrument before and during its fabrication. The prototype was able to attain a resolving power of 106 full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), a detection limit close to 10 parts per million, a dynamic range of 5 orders of magnitude and a mass range up to 103 Da. Its overall size, including the magnet assembly, is 3.5 cm wide, 6 cm long and 7.5 cm tall, it weighs 0.8 kg, and its power consumption was measured to be 2.5 W. The performance of the instrument was found to be comparable to that of commercial residual gas analyzers, at a fraction of the cost. All these characteristics make this miniature mass spectrometer suitable for portable and low-cost analytical instrumentation.     

Utilization of phoswich detectors for simultaneous,multiple radiation detection

Summary A phoswich radiation detector is comprised of a phosphor sandwich in which several different phosphors are viewed by a common photomultiplier. By selecting the appropriate phosphors, this system can be used to simultaneously measure multiple radiation types (alpha, beta, gamma and/or neutron) with a single detector. Differentiation between the signals from the different phosphors is accomplished using digital pulse shape discrimination techniques. This method has been shown to result in accurate discrimination with highly reliable and versatile digital systems. This system also requires minimal component count (i.e., only the detector and a computer for signal processing). A variety of detectors of this type have been built and tested including: (1) a triple phoswich system for alpha/beta/gamma swipe counting, (2) two well-type detectors for measuring low levels of low energy photons in the presence of a high energy background, (3) a large area detector for measuring beta contamination in the presence of a photon background, and (4) another large area detector for measuring low energy photons from radioactive elements such as uranium in the presence of a photon background. An annular geometry, triple phoswich system optimized for measuring alpha/beta/gamma radiation in liquid waste processing streams is currently being designed.