A partially mechanized system for the combustion of organic samples in a stream of oxygen with quantitative recovery of the trace elements

Summary A partially mechanized apparatus made of quartz (Trace-0-Mat) is described that permits the complete mineralization of up to 1 g of organic or biological solid samples. The combustion takes place in pure oxygen in a very small burning chamber (ca. 75 cm³) to subsequently determine metallic and nonmetallic trace elements (1 ng/g) with high reliability. The controllable incineration is started with an IR-radiator system. All volatile trace elements (e.g. Hg, Se, Te, As, Sb, I) are condensed together with the products of the combustion process in a cooling system filled with liquid nitrogen that is mounted on top of the burning chamber. Subsequent refluxing with a suitable acid in a quartz test tube mounted below the burning chamber collects both the volatilized elements from the cooled areas and nonvolatile elements in the ashing residue. The volume of the acid is about 2 ml.The recoveries of the elements following the decomposition process that takes 50–60 min for one sample was checked using 7 NBS-Standard Reference Materials for the elements B, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn (ICP-emission spectrometry), Cd, Pb (ETA-AAS), Hg (AAS-cold vapor technique), As (AAS-hydride method) and Se (XRF). Very good agreement with the certified values was observed. This furnished evidence that this new and very general decomposition method is not only poor in blanks but also avoids substantially losses of the elements to be determined by volatilization, adsorption or even baking in the quartz surface. The easy handling of the apparatus offers the best premises for a reliable determination of trace elements in the g/g and ng/g range in most non-volatile organic matrices.

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Teilmechanisiertes System zur Verbrennung organischer Proben im Sauerstoffstrom mit quantitativer Wiedergewinnung der Spurenelemente

Zusammenfassung Ein teilmechanisiertes aus Quarz bestehendes System (Trace-0-Mat) wird beschrieben, das die vollständige Mineralisation fester organischer oder biologischer Proben bis zu Mengen von 1 g gestattet. Die Verbrennung findet dabei in reinem Sauerstoff in einer sehr kleinen Verbrennungskammer (etwa 75 cm³) statt, so daß anschließend die metallischen und nichtmetallischen Spurenelemente mit hoher Zuverlässigkeit bestimmt werden können. Die steuerbare Veraschung wird durch ein System von IR-Strahlern gestartet. Alle flüchtigen Spurenelemente (z. B. Hg, Se, Te, As, Sb, I) werden zusammen mit den Verbrennungsprodukten in einem Kühlsystem kondensiert, das mit flüssigem Stickstoff gefüllt und über der Verbrennungskammer angeordnet ist. Die sich an den gekühlten Flächen befindlichen flüchtigen sowie die in der Asche vorhandenen nichtflüchtigen Elemente werden durch Rückflußbehandlung mit einer kleinen Säuremenge (2 ml) gelöst und in einem Quarzglas unterhalb der Verbrennungskammer gesammelt.Die Wiederfindung der Elemente nach dem Aufschlußprozeß (50–60 min) wurde mit Hilfe von 7 NBS-Referenzmaterialien für folgende Elemente geprüft: B, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn (ICP-Emissionsspektrometrie), Cd, Pb (ETA-AAS), Hg (AAS-Kaltdampftechnik), As (AAS-Hydridmethode) und Se (Röntgenfluorescenz). Es ergab sich sehr gute Übereinstimmung mit den zertifizierten Werten. Diese neue und sehr allgemein anwendbare Aufschlußmethode weist nicht nur geringe Blindwerte auf, sondern vermeidet auch wesentliche Verluste der zu bestimmenden Elemente durch Verflüchtigung, Adsorption oder Zusammenbacken an der Quarzoberfläche. Durch die einfache Handhabung der Apparatur ist eine zuverlässige Bestimmung von Spurenelementen im g/g- und ng/g-Bereich für die meisten nichtflüchtigen organischen Matrices gewährleistet.

     

Evidence for changing of cosmic ray composition between 10(17) and 10(18) eV from multicomponent measurements

The average mass composition of cosmic rays with primary energies between 10(17) and 10(18) eV has been studied using a hybrid detector consisting of the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) prototype and the MIA muon array. Measurements have been made of the change in the depth of shower maximum and the muon density as a function of energy. The results show that the composition is changing from a heavy to lighter mix as the energy increases.     

Heteroatomic molecular clusters derived from Group 15 Zintl ion cages: synthesis and isolation of [M2(HP7)2](2-) (M=Ag, Au), two novel cluster anions exhibiting metallophilic interactions

Ethylenediamine (en) solutions of K(3)P(7) and 2,2,2-crypt (4,7,13,16,21,24-hexaoxa-1,10-diazabicyclo[8.8.8]hexacosane) were reacted with the homoleptic group 11 complexes [M(nbe)(3)][SbF(6)] (M = Ag, Au; nbe = norbornene) yielding two novel cluster anions, [M(2)(HP(7))(2)](2-), both of which were isolated in low crystalline yields as [K(2,2,2-crypt)](2)[M(2)(HP(7))(2)] (M = Ag (1) and Au (2)). Optimization of the reaction conditions by incorporation of a proton source (ammonium tetraphenylborate) and the replacement of the light-sensitive nbe adducts of silver and gold with the chloride salts MCl (M = Ag, Au) was found to greatly increase the yield and purity in which 1 and 2 were isolated. Compounds 1 and 2 were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, electrospray ionization mass-spectrometry (ESI- MS), elemental analysis, and (1)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the cluster anions were also conducted.     

Statistical investigations of interferences in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy

Summary Interferences in the flameless determination of cadmium using the HGA 72 were studied for HCl, HNO₃, H₂SO₄, HClO₄ and HF and found to be depending on different thermal pretreatment. The interferences of cations were much smaller than for anions. The results are discussed with respect to thermal stability as well as atomization rate of the compositions under investigation. Special emphasis is put upon the presence of interactions between interferents, which in some cases can be used to eliminate interferences.

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Statistische Untersuchungen über Störungen bei der flammenlosen AtomabsorptionsspektralphotometrieII. Cadmium

Zusammenfassung Interferenzen, die bei der flammenlosen Bestimmung von Cadmium in der HGA 72 auftreten, wurden bei HCl, HNO₃, H₂SO₄, H₃PO₄, HClO₄ und HF studiert; die AbhÄngigkeit ihres Auftretens von der thermischen Vorbehandlung wird gezeigt. Interferenzen von Kationen sind kleiner. Die Ergebnisse werden im Hinblick auf die thermische StabilitÄt und die Atomisierungsgeschwindigkeit der Proben diskutiert. Besonders betont wird die Gegenwart von Wechselwirkungen zwischen Störungen, die manchmal auch benützt werden können, um Interferenzen auszuschalten.

Part I: Z. Anal. Chem. [10]     

Mono-Triflation of Carbohydrate Diols and Triols

ABSTRACT

For five carbohydrate substrates [methyl 4,6-O-(phenylmethylene)-1-thio-α-D-glucopyranoside 1a, 1-cyano-1-deoxy-4,6-O-(phenylmethylene)-α-D-galactopyranose 2a, methyl α-D-xylopyranoside 3a, methyl β-D-arabinopyranoside 4a, and methyl 5-O-(tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)-α-D-ribofuranoside 5a], selective mono-triflation was achieved where the reacting hydroxyl is cis and vicinal to a heteroatom.     

Energetics of radical transfer in DNA photolyase

Charge separation and radical transfer in DNA photolyase from Escherichia coli is investigated by computing electrostatic free energies from a solution of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation. For the initial charge separation 450 meV are available. According to recent experiments [Aubert et al. Nature 2000, 405, 586-590] the flavin receives an electron from the proximal tryptophan W382, which consequently forms a cationic radical WH(*)(+)382. The radical state is subsequently transferred along the triad W382-W359-W306 of conserved tryptophans. The radical transfer to the intermediate tryptophan W359 is nearly isoenergetic (58 meV uphill); the radical transfer from the intermediate W359 to the distal W306 is 200 meV downhill in energy, funneling and stabilizing the radical state at W306. The resulting cationic radical WH(*)(+)306 is further stabilized by deprotonation, yielding the neutral radical W(*)306, which is 214 meV below WH(*)(+)306. The time scale of the charge recombination process yielding back the resting enzyme with FADH(*) is governed by reprotonation of W306, with a calculated lifetime of 1.2 ms that correlates well with the measured lifetime of 17 ms. In photolyase from Anacystis nidulans the radical state is partially transferred to a tyrosine [Aubert et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1999, 96, 5423-5427]. In photolyase from Escherichia coli, there is a tyrosine (Y464) close to the distal tryptophan W306 that could play this role. We show that this tyrosine cannot be involved in radical transfer, because the electron transfer from tyrosine to W306 is much too endergonic (750 meV) and a direct hydrogen transfer is likely too slow. Coupling of specific charge states of the tryptophan triad with protonation patterns of titratable residues of photolyase is small.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of porcine rhodopsin

Rhodopsin is the dim light photosensitive pigment of animals. In this work, we undertook to study the structure of rhodopsin from swine and compare it with bovine and rat rhodopsin. Porcine rhodopsin was analyzed using methodology developed previously for mass spectrometric analysis of integral membrane proteins. Combining efficient protein cleavage and high performance liquid chromatography separation with the sensitivity of mass spectrometry (MS), this technique allows the observation of the full protein map and the posttranslational modifications of the protein in a single experiment. The rhodopsin protein from a single porcine eye was sequenced completely, with the exception of two single-amino acid fragments and one two-amino acid fragment, and the gene sequence reported previously was confirmed. The posttranslational modifications, similar to the ones reported previously for bovine and rat rhodopsin, were also identified. Although porcine rhodopsin has a high degree of homology to bovine and rat rhodopsins and most of their posttranslational modifications are identical, the glycosylation and phosphorylation patterns observed were different. These results show that rhodopsin from a single porcine eye can be characterized completely by MS. This technology opens the possibility of rhodopsin structural and functional studies aided by powerful mass spectrometric analysis, using the fellow eye as an internal control.     

Accurate pKa determination for a heterogeneous group of organic molecules.

Single-molecule studies that allow to compute pKa values, proton affinities (gas-phase acidity/basicity) and the electrostatic energy of solvation have been performed for a heterogeneous set of 26 organic compounds. Quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) using the Becke-half&half and B3LYP functionals on optimized molecular geometries have been carried out to investigate the energetics of gas-phase protonation. The electrostatic contribution to the solvation energies of protonated and deprotonated compounds were calculated by solving the Poisson equation using atomic charges generated by fitting the electrostatic potential derived from the molecular wave functions in vacuum. The combination of gas-phase and electrostatic solvation energies by means of the thermodynamic cycle enabled us to compute pKa values for the 26 compounds, which cover six distinct chemical groups (carboxylic acids, benzoic acids, phenols, imides, pyridines and imidazoles). The computational procedure for determining pKa values is accurate and transferable with a root-mean-square deviation of 0.53 and 0.57 pKa units and a maximum error of 1.0 pKa and 1.3 pKa units for Becke-half&half and B3LYP DFT functionals, respectively.