Evaluation of the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio from57Co Mössbauer emission spectra: Influence of the relaxation of Fe3+

The Fe³⁺ fraction after the EC of⁵⁷Co is usually evaluated supposing that ferric ions contribute a quadrupole doublet to Mössbauer emission spectra. It is shown that a not sufficiently fast relaxation of the electron spins may falsify the evaluated intensity even by a factor 2. Additional information can be gained from measurements performed in a large velocity span at low temperatures in high magnetic fields.     

Decomposition of 1/f noise in Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs Hall devices

We present a systematic study of the low-frequency noise in micron and submicron Hall devices made from Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs heterostructures. In a sample with feature size as small as 0.45 microm we observe a nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the noise power spectral densities (PSD's) at temperatures where surface states and deep-level excitations are frozen out. Near the temperature where the noise peaks, the PSD's can be described by a thermally activated two-level random telegraph signal, i.e., the 1/f noise originating from switching events in the highly doped Al(x)Ga(1-x) layer is resolved into a single Lorentzian spectrum.     

Spin-dependent electronic states of the ferromagnetic semimetal EuB6

The spin polarization of EuB6 has been measured by using Andreev reflection spectroscopy. Analyses of the conductance spectra of the EuB6/Pb junctions yield a spin polarization of about 56%. The results demonstrate that the ferromagnetic EuB6 is not half-metallic. Combined with the Hall effect and magnetoresistivity data, the results indicate a semimetallic band structure with a fully spin-polarized hole band and an unpolarized electron band. The values and the spread of the measured spin polarization are quantitatively consistent with the experimentally determined Fermi surface and carrier densities.     

Characteristic fragmentation patterns of the trimethylsilyl and trimethylsilyl-oxime derivatives of various saccharides as obtained by gas chromatography coupled to ion-trap mass spectrometry

The fragmentation patterns of selected glycosidic linkage containing non-reducing (methylmannoside, methylgalactoside, lactitol, sucrose, trehalose, raffinose, erlose, melezitose) and reducing saccharides (maltose, cellobiose, lactose, melibiose, palatinose, primeverose, rutinose) have been compared as their trimethylsilyl and as their trimethylsilyl-oxime derivatives. Fragmentation characteristics of the glycosidic linkage containing trimethylsilyl-oxime derivatives have been investigated at the first time: these spectra are not available in the official libraries (NIST, Wiley). Applying gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry, informative fragments of high masses with high intensities have been obtained. Results confirmed characteristic differences between the simple trimethylsilyl derivative providing non-reducing glycosides and the trimethylsilyl, syn and antioxime species. Fragmentation starts at the glycosidic linkage resulting in the case of the non-reducing di- and trisaccharides in two, identical fragments of ring structure, with the abundant selective fragment ion at m/z=361. In the case of reducing disaccharides fragmentation provides two different moieties: one moiety of ring structure at m/z=361, and one of the open chain trimethylsilyl-oxime moiety with two special fragment ions at m/z=361 and at m/z=538. These fragmentation patterns proved to be independent on the position of the glycosidic linkage. Distribution of the selective fragment ions, obtained from their total ion current elutions, was evaluated on a quantitative basis, expressed in percentages of the total of ions formed. Reproducibility in the formation of these selective fragment ions, depending on their amount to be fragmented, proved to be proper for identification and quantitation purposes, equally. On this basis, in addition to the authentic ones, also two reducing disaccharides (primeverose and rutinose), as authentic compounds not available on the market, were identified and quantified in natural matrices.     

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the trimethylsilyl (oxime) ether/ester derivatives of cholic acids: their presence in the aquatic environment

This paper presents a derivatization, mass fragmentation study relating to the most common six cholic acids, such as cholic, lithocholic, chenodeoxycholic, ursodeoxycholic, 3-hydroxy,7-ketocholanic and dehydrocholic acids, identified and quantified as pollutants in the aquatic environment at the first time. Derivatizations have been performed with the two-step process (1: oximation, 2: silylation) varying the time and temperature of both reactions. Optimum responses have been obtained after 30 min oximation with hydroxylamine.HCl and 90 min silylation with hexamethyldisilazane and trifluoroacetic acid at 70 degrees C. Fragmentation patterns of the trimethylsilyl (oxime) ether/ester derivatives of all six cholic acids provided the theoretically expected, fully derivatized compounds. Reproducibility/linearity of derivatives calculated on the basis of the corresponding selective fragment ions, characterized by the relative standard deviation percentages of measurements, proved to be < or =4.9 (RSD%). The practical utility of the method was shown by the identification and quantification of cholic acids as pollutants in the aquatic environment. Subsequently to a solid phase extraction study varying the pH of extractions (pH 2, pH 4 and pH 7), applying the OASIS cartridges, it has been confirmed that the recoveries for all six cholic acids are acceptable, varying between 77% and 104%, and are independent on the pH. The total cholic acid content of a Hungarian wastewater plants' influent wastewater varied between 184 microg/L and 356 microg/L, while the Danube rivers' cholic acid content was 4.1 microg/L, only.     

Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric fragmentation study of flavonoids as their trimethylsilyl derivatives: analysis of flavonoids, sugars, carboxylic and amino acids in model systems and in citrus fruits

The fragmentation patterns and quantitation possibilities of three anthocyanidins (pelargonidin, cyanidin, malvidin), one flavonol (quercetin), two flavones (apigenin, luteolin) and two flavanones (naringenin, hesperetin) have been investigated as trimethylsilyl and as trimethylsilyl (oxime) derivatives by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results proved that anthocyanidins and flavanones form trimethylsilyl (oximes), while flavonol and flavones provide simple trimethylsilyl derivatives. In all cases, characteristic fragments of high masses are formed proper for quantitation purposes. Hydrolysis conditions for naringin, hesperidin and rutin have been optimized, resulting in the quantitative release of naringenin, hesperetin and quercetin together with their corresponding saccharides. These basic studies made possible the identification and quantification of the flavonoid, carboxylic-/amino acid and sugar constituents of citrus fruit juices and albedos, without any extraction/enrichment procedure. In total 33 compounds have been determined in hydrolyzed samples, such as 2 flavonoids (naringenin and hesperetin), 6 phenolic acids (trimethoxybenzoic, 4-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, quinic, chlorogenic and rosmarinic acids), 3 aliphatic carboxylic acids (levulinic, malic, citric acids), phosphoric acid, 4 amino acids (aspartic, glutamic acids, alanine, proline), 9 monosaccharides (xylose, arabinose, rhamnose, fucose, fructose, galactose, glucose, galacturonic acid, sedoheptulose), inositol, sugarphosphate, 5 disaccharides and tocopherol. Measurements were carried out as the trimethylsilyl (oxime) ether/ester derivatives of constituents, in the concentration range of 2 x 10(-3) to 49.9%. Identification level of samples varied between 26.4 and 77.5%, expressed in dry matter content of juices and albedos.     

A General Theory of Non-Abelian Electrodynamics

The general theory of gauge fields is used to develop a theory of electrodynamics in which the fundamental structure is non-Abelian and in which the internal gauge field symmetry is O(3), based on the existence of circular polarization and the third Stokes parameter. The theory is used to provide an explanation for the Sagnac effect with platform at rest and in motion. The Sagnac formula is obtained by considering the platform in motion to be a gauge transformation. The topological phases can be described straightforwardly with non Abelian electrodynamics, which produces a novel magnetic field component for all types of radiation, a component which is proportional to the third Stokes parameter. The theory provides a natural explanation for the inverse Faraday effect without phenomenology.