Transferability of Crystal-Field Parameters for Rare-Earth Ions in Y2SiO5 Tested by Zeeman Spectroscopy

Physics of the Solid State - Zeeman spectroscopy is used to demonstrate that phenomenological crystal-field parameters determined for the two C1 point-group symmetry sites in Er3+:Y2SiO5 may be...     

Accelerated solvent-based extraction and enrichment of selected plasticisers and 4-nonylphenol, and extraction of tin from organotin sources in sediments, sludges and leachate soils

Enrichment techniques have become an important feature in the trace analysis of oestrogen mimicking chemicals in the environment. Recent developments such as accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) have improved extraction recoveries in a wide variety of solid matrices including sediments, sludges and leachate soils. Such samples taken from the Irish Midlands Shannon Catchment region during the winter of 2004/5 and suspected to contain certain xenooestrogens or hormonally active agents were extracted using this technique, which was then coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for quantification purposes. ASE was thus employed to both isolate and pre-concentrate targeted analytes using the minimum amount of solvent hence making extractions more conservational. Two simple, yet extremely sensitive liquid chromatographic methods were developed based on UV detection; one for phthalates and one for alkylphenols, with recoveries reaching up to 92.0%. Acid digestion was used for the extraction of the tin and organotin compounds with analysis by polarography. In river sediment, levels of up to 24.4 mg kg⁻¹ phthalate, 1.14 mg kg⁻¹ 4-nonylphenol and 118 mg kg⁻¹ tin were found. In leachate sediments, values up to 49.8 mg kg⁻¹ phthalate, 1.57 mg kg⁻¹ 4-nonylphenol, and 36.0 mg kg⁻¹ tin were determined. In sludge, values up to 174 mg kg⁻¹ phthalate and 22.8 mg kg⁻¹ 4-nonylphenol were quantified. The highest value of tin (118 mg kg⁻¹) was found present in an area of high leisure craft activity. Typical sediment levels of tin at other river locations ranged between 1.20 and 37.5 mg kg⁻¹.     

Complementary precursor ion and neutral loss scan mode tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of glycerophosphatidylethanolamine lipids from whole rat retina

A “shotgun” tandem mass spectrometry (MS) approach involving the use of multiple lipid-class-specific precursor ion and neutral loss scan mode experiments has been employed to identify and characterize the glycerophosphatidylethanolamine (GPEtn) lipids that were present within a crude lipid extract of a normal rat retina, obtained with minimal sample handling prior to analysis. Characterization of these lipids was performed by complementary analysis of their protonated and deprotonated precursor ions, as well as their various ionic adducts (e.g., Na⁺, Cl^-), using a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. Notably, the application of novel precursor ion and neutral loss scans of m/z 164 and m/z 43, respectively, for the specific identification of sodiated GPEtn precursor ions following the addition of 500 μM NaCl to the crude lipid extracts was demonstrated. The use of these novel MS/MS scans in parallel provided simplified MS/MS spectra and enhanced the detection of 1-alkenyl, 2-acyl (plasmenyl) GPEtn lipids relative to the positive ion mode neutral loss m/z 141 commonly used for GPEtn analysis. Furthermore, the novel use of a “low energy” neutral loss scan mode experiment to monitor for the exclusive loss of 36m/z (HCl) from [M+Cl]^- GPEtn adducts was demonstrated to provide a more than 25-fold enhancement for the detection of GPEtn lipids in negative ion mode analysis. Subsequent “high-energy” pseudo MS³ product ion scans on the precursor ions identified from this experiment were then employed to rapidly characterize the fatty acyl chain substituents of the GPEtn lipids. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Characterization of smokeless powders using nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nESI-MS)

Smokeless powder is one of the most common types of explosives used in civilian ammunition and, hence, its detection and identification is of great forensic value. Based on comparison of physical properties, extraction yield in methanol, and the spectra obtained using nanoelectrospray ionization and multistage tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer, a method was developed to identify and differentiate unburned smokeless powders from different brands of ammunition. The mass spectrometry method was optimized for the simultaneous detection of the organic stabilizers commonly present in smokeless powders: methyl centralite, ethyl centralite, and diphenylamine. All but two of the powders were differentiated; however, the two that were not differentiated were produced by the same manufacturer. Gunshot residue from the cartridges was deposited on cotton cloth and collision-induced dissociation MS/MS was used to identify low levels of ethyl centralite in the residue, despite the presence of contaminants.     

Spectroscopy of growing and evaporating water droplets: exploring the variation in equilibrium droplet size with relative humidity

We demonstrate that the thermodynamic properties of a single liquid aerosol droplet can be explored through the combination of a single-beam gradient force optical trap with Raman spectroscopy. A single aqueous droplet, 2-6 microm in radius, can be trapped in air indefinitely and the response of the particle to variations in relative humidity investigated. The Raman spectrum provides a unique fingerprint of droplet composition, temperature, and size. Spontaneous Raman scattering is shown to be consistent with that from a bulk phase sample, with the shape of the OH stretching band dependent on the concentration of sodium chloride in the aqueous phase and on the polarization of the scattered light. Stimulated Raman scattering at wavelengths commensurate with whispering gallery modes is demonstrated to provide a method for determining the size of the trapped droplet with nanometer precision and with a time resolution of 1 s. The polarization dependence of the stimulated scatter is consistent with the dependence observed for the spontaneous scatter from the droplet. By characterizing the spontaneous and stimulated Raman scattering from the droplet, we demonstrate that it is possible to measure the equilibrium size and composition of an aqueous droplet with variation in relative humidity. For this benchmark study we investigate the variation in equilibrium size with relative humidity for a simple binary sodium chloride/aqueous aerosol, a typical representative inorganic/aqueous aerosol that has been studied extensively in the literature. The measured equilibrium sizes are shown to be in excellent agreement with the predictions of K?hler theory. We suggest that this approach could provide an important new strategy for characterizing the thermodynamic properties and kinetics of transformation of aerosol particles.     

Substrate flexibility of a 2,6-dideoxyglycosyltransferase

We report the first 2,6-dideoxysugar-O-glycosyltransferase with substrate flexibility at the 2 position, confirm the function of a putative NDP-hexose 2,3-dehydratase in the jadomycin B biosynthetic gene cluster and deduce the substrate flexibility of downstream enzymes in l-digitoxose assembly, enabling reprogramming of biosynthetic gene clusters to modify sugar substituents.     

Antiparallel-aligned neutral-ground-state and zwitterionic chromophores as a nonlinear optical material

Efficient noncentrosymmetric arrangement of nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores with high first-order hyperpolarizability (beta) for increased electro-optical (EO) efficiency has proven challenging as strong dipolar interactions between the chromophores encourage antiparallel alignment, attenuating the macroscopic EO effect. This work explores a novel approach to simultaneously achieve large beta values while providing an adjustable dipole moment by linking a strong neutral-ground-state (NGS) NLO chromophore with positive beta to a zwitterionic (ZWI) chromophore with negative beta in an antiparallel fashion. It is proposed that the overall beta of such a structure will be the sum of the absolute values of the two types of chromophores while the dipole moment will be the difference. Molecules 1-3 were synthesized to test the feasibility of this approach. Molecular dynamics calculations and NMR data supported that the NGS chromophore component and the ZWI chromophore component self-assemble to an antiparallel conformation in chloroform. Calculations showed that the dipole moment of 1 is close to the difference of the two component chromophores. Hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) studies confirmed that the first hyperpolarizability of 1 is close to the sum of the two component chromophores. These results support the idea that an antiparallel-aligned neutral-ground-state chromophore and a zwitterionic chromophore can simultaneously achieve an increase in beta and a decrease of the dipole moment.     

Progress in understanding the intramolecular vibrational redistribution dynamics in the S(1) state of para-fluorotoluene

We employ zero-kinetic-energy (ZEKE) photoelectron spectroscopy with nanosecond laser pulses to study intramolecular vibrational redistribution (IVR) in S(1) para-fluorotoluene. The frequency resolution of the probe step is superior to that obtained in any studies on this molecule to date. We focus on the behavior of the 13(1) (C-CH(3) stretch) and 7a(1) (C-F stretch) vibrational states whose dynamics have previously received significant attention, but with contradictory results. We show conclusively that, under our experimental conditions, the 7a(1) vibrational state undergoes significantly more efficient IVR than does the 13(1) state. Indeed, under the experimental conditions used here, the 13(1) state undergoes very little IVR. These two states are especially interesting because their energies are only 36 cm(-1) apart, and the two vibrational modes have the same symmetry. We discuss the role of experimental conditions in observations of IVR in some detail, and thereby suggest explanations for the discrepancies reported to date.     

A comparative study of the mass and heat transfer dynamics of evaporating ethanol/water, methanol/water, and 1-propanol/water aerosol droplets

The mass and heat transfer dynamics of evaporating multicomponent alcohol/water droplets have been probed experimentally by examining changes in the near surface droplet composition and average droplet temperature using cavity-enhanced Raman scattering (CERS) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). The CERS technique provides a sensitive measure of the concentration of the volatile alcohol component in the outer shell of the droplet, due to the exponential relationship between CERS intensity and species concentration. Such volatile droplets, which are probed on a millisecond time scale, evaporate nonisothermally, resulting in both temperature and concentration gradients, as confirmed by comparisons between experimental measurements and quasi-steady state model calculations. An excellent agreement between the experimental evaporation trends and quasi-steady state model predictions is observed. An unexpectedly slow evaporation rate is observed for the evaporation of 1-propanol from a multicomponent droplet when compared to the model; possible explanations for this observation are discussed. In addition, the propagation depth of the CERS signal, and, therefore, the region of the droplet from which compositional measurements are made, can be estimated. Such measurements, when considered in conjunction with quasi-steady state theory, can allow droplet temperature gradients to be measured and vapor pressures and activity coefficients of components within the droplet to be determined.