Effects of a controlled N2 and O2 addition to Ar on the analytical parameters of the GD-OES

The influence of the controlled addition of N₂ and of O₂ to Ar on the analytical parameters of a dc glow discharge has been investigated for bulk samples of the pure metals Al, Ti, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Ag. The constant voltage discharge mode at 1000 V was applied with a mean power of about 1 W/mm². The N₂ and O₂ concentrations in the discharge gas Ar were varied in the range 0–3 mass-%, corresponding to a partial pressure of about 4 · 10^?3 hPa. The general effect of the gaseous addition is the decrease of the sputtering rate with an increasing concentration of N₂ or O₂. Atomic processes, which might be responsible for the observed effects, are discussed.     

On-line coupling between chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry — a current assessment

The current state of on-line coupling between liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is reviewed. The applications can be divided into three subgroups by changing the importance of the coupling partners. An overview is given of applications in these subgroups, of its use as preconcentration and matrix elimination techniques, for the elimination of spectral interferences and as a tool for speciation analysis. A discussion of current and future development areas in on-line HPLC-ICP-MS is also included.     

Luminescent Labels—More than Just an Alternative to Radioisotopes?

Chemical, chromatographic, or spectrometric methods are generally unsuitable for the detection of molecules in the nano and subnanogram region because of their low sensitivity. The radioimmunoassay (RIA) developed by Yalow and Berson in 1959 combined the high sensitivity of radioactively labeled substances with the high specificity of immunological reactions for the first time. In this way it was possible to detect quantitatively the tiniest traces of substances in the presence of an excess of other, in some cases, similar foreign substances without prior enrichment. Immunoassays have certainly developed to become the most valuable analytical tool of in vitro diagnostics and are today routinely employed for the detection of endogenous and exogenous substances (e.g. hormones, tumor-associated proteins, bacteria, viruses, toxins, drugs, etc). The many disadvantages of radioactivity such as the required handling licenses, disposal costs, precautions necessary to prevent risks to health, short shelf-life, and limited sensitivity soon led to the search for other nonradioactive labeling methods. Encouraged by the development of light measuring techniques and the commercial availability of highly sensitive apparatus, radioactive isotopes as labels are today being replaced increasingly by enzymes, fluorophores, or luminophores. Some of the new luminescent labels have, however, not only facilitated replacement of radioisotopes, but also a breakthrough into what has until now been unattainable levels of sensitivity. The following article reviews the methods of luminescent labeling and their applications mainly in the area of immunoassays.     

Energy inconsistency of Galerkin approximationsfor plane Couette flow

For classical solutions of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) the energybalance between kinetic energy, work done by external forces, and viscous dissipation holds rigorously true. It is shown in this paper that standard Galerkin approximations violate energy balance in the case of plane Couette flow, whereas Poiseuille flow turns out to be energy consistent at any cutoff. The main reason for this discrepancy is seen in the different boundary conditions between the stationary linear shear flow and its disturbances. In our analysis, essentially, we introduce an auxiliary external force field which enforces the finite dimensional Galerkin approximation to fulfil the NSE. It is exemplarily demonstrated how the energy discrepancy decreases when the number of disturbed modes is increased which couple to the stationary shear flow.     

Zur Synthese und Struktur von K3N

Synthesis and Structure of K₃N Two phases in the binary system K/N have been obtained via co‐deposition of potassium and nitrogen onto polished sapphire at 77 K and subsequent heating to room temperature. The powder diffraction pattern of one of these phases can be satisfactorily interpreted by assuming the composition K₃N, and the anti‐TiI₃ structure‐type, which is also adopted by Cs₃O. The resulting hexagonal lattice constants are: a = 779.8(2), c = 759.2(9) pm, Z = 2, P6₃/mcm. Comparison with possible structures of K₃N generated by computational methods and refined at Hartree‐Fock‐ and DFT level, reveals that the energetically most favoured structure has not formed (presumable Li₃P‐type), but instead one of those with very low density. In this respect, the findings for K₃N are analogous to the results on Na₃N. The thermal evolution of the deposited starting mixture has been investigated. Hexagonal K₃N transforms to another K/N phase at 233 K. Its XRD can be fully indexed resulting in an orthorhombic cell a = 1163, b = 596, c = 718 pm. Decomposition leaving elemental potassium as the only residue occurs at 263 K.