Preparation of candidate certified reference materials for the quality control of EDTA-and acetic acid-extractable trace metal determinations in sewage sludge-amended soil and terra rossa soil

The determination of extractable trace metal contents in soil using single extraction procedures is currently performed in many laboratories to assess the bioavailable metal fraction (and related phytotoxic effects) and the accessability to the environment (e.g. contamination of ground waters). Owing to the need for validation of the extraction schemes used and of the analytical techniques, the EC Measurements and Testing Programme (formerly BCR) has organized a project for improving the quality of determination of extractable trace metal contents in soil, the first step being an interlaboratory study to adopt common extraction procedures and the second being a certification campaign to certify two soils for their extractable trace element contents following these procedures. This paper gives a brief overview of the project organisation and describes the preparation, homogeneity and stability studies of two soil candidate reference materials (sewage sludge-amended and terra rossa soils).     

Lewis-Base Adducts of Group 11 Metal(I) Compounds. LXXVI Structural Studies in the Copper(I) Halide : Norbornadiene System

The structural characterizations of some copper(I) halide (CuX) adducts with norbornadiene (nbd) are recorded. CuCl : nbd (1:1)₄ (a redetermination), (2:1)_2(|), are systems both based around Cu₄Cl₄ cubane-type cluster arrays. CuBr : nbd (7:3)_(|)( 0.5 MeOH), a complex polymer with 3-symmetry, is believed to be the complex previously described as an adduct of 2:1 stoichiometry. Attempts to obtain an iodide counterpart have resulted in the definition of an ephemeral adduct CuI : MeCN (3:2)_(|). 0.5 C₇H₈ in which, remarkably, the nbd is uncoordinated; the complex is a polymer, related to the [AgX(quinoline)]_(|) (X = Cl, Br) saddle polymer.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance spin label titration: a novel method to investigate random and site-specific immobilization of enzymes onto polymeric membranes with different properties

The immobilization of biological molecules onto polymeric membranes to produce biofunctional membranes is used for selective catalysis, separation, analysis, and artificial organs. Normally, random immobilization of enzymes onto polymeric membranes leads to dramatic reduction in activity due to chemical reactions involved in enzyme immobilization, multiple-point binding, etc., and the extent of activity reduction is a function of membrane hydrophilicity (e.g. activity in cellulosic membrane?polysulfone membrane). We have used molecular biology to effect site-specific immobilization of enzymes in a manner that orients the active site away from the polymeric membrane surface, thus resulting in higher enzyme activity that approaches that in solution and in increased stability of the enzyme relative to the enzyme in solution. A prediction of this site-specific method of enzyme immobilization, which in this study with subtilisin and organophosphorus hydrolase consists of a fusion tag genetically added to these enzymes and subsequent immobilization via the anti-tag antibody and membrane-bound protein A, is that the active site conformation will more closely resemble that of the enzyme in solution than is the case for random immobilization. This hypothesis was confirmed using a new electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin label active site titration method that determines the amount of spin label bound to the active site of the immobilized enzyme. This value nearly perfectly matched the enzyme activity, and the results suggested: (a) a spectroscopic method for measuring activity and thus the extent of active enzyme immobilization in membrane, which may have advantages in cases where optical methods can not be used due to light scattering interference; (b) higher spin label incorporation (and hence activity) in enzymes that had been site-specifically immobilized versus random immobilization; (c) higher spin label incorporation in enzymes immobilized onto hydrophilic bacterial cellulose membranes versus hydrophobic modified poly(ether)sulfone membranes. These results are discussed with reference to analysis and utilization of biofunctional membranes.     

Backward error analysis for totally positive linear systems

Summary Gauss elimination applied to ann×n matrixA in floating point arithmetic produces (if successful) a factorization which differs fromA by no more than , for some of ordern times the unit roundoff. IfA is totally positive, then both computed factors and are nonnegative for sufficiently small unit roundoff and one obtains pleasantly small bounds for the perturbation inA which would account for the rounding errors committed in solvingAx=b forx by Gauss eliminationwithout pivoting. It follows that the banded linear system for the B-spline coefficients of an interpolating spline function can be solved safely by Gauss elimination without pivoting.Sponsored by the United States Army under Contract No. DAAG29-75-C-0024 and the National Science Foundation under Grant No. MPS72-00381 A01.     

SYNTHESIS OF POLYMERS CONTAINING N-N LINKAGES

The N-N linkage in hydrazine is thermally stable when it is tetrasubstituted and there are electron-withdrawinggroups attached to the nitrogen atoms. Our research on the synthesis of polymers contaning N--N linkages is reviewed. TheN,N-bisimide structure has been introduced in the backbone of polymers as well as a pendant group in poly(aryl ether)s togive very thermoxidatively stable polymers with very high glass transition temperatures. Most of the polymers form tough,flexible films. N-Aminotriazoles also form stable imides by reaction with anhydrides and these N-imidotriazole groups havebeen introduced as pendent groups on poly(aryl ether)s. The polymers are highly fluorescent materials. Three methods for thesynthesis of polymers containing the tetrasubstituted-azine structure will be discussed: (1) oxidative coupling of bisimines;(2) condensation of bishydrazones with diketones; (3) poly(aryl ether azines) from the azine formed from 4-fluorobenzo-phenone by reaction with salts of bisphenols.     

Low energy,low temperature mass spectra: I—selected derivatives of n-octane

The low voltage, low temperature mass spectra of a series of octane derivatives n-C₈H₁₇X with X=CH₃, OH, OCH₃, NH₂, NHCH₃, N(CH₃)₂, CO₂H, CO₂CH₃, CO₂C₂H₅, CHO and COCH₃ are reported and discussed, using arguments involving thermochemistry where appropriate. The structures of these compounds can be uniquely assigned on the basis of such mass spectra.     

Immobilized Glucose Oxidase in the Potentiometric Detection of Glucose

Previous work has shown that glucose oxidase can be immobilized on platinum to give an electrode that responds potentiometrically to glucose over the clinically useful range of about 10-250 mg glucose/100 mL. The present studies were carried out with electrochemically pretreated platinum and with gold or porous graphite substituted for the platinum support. The presence of the enzyme gave a significantly enhanced potentiometric response over that obtained with the bare support for both the pretreated platinum and the porous graphite, but not with gold. However, with platinum the potentiometric response became more negative with increasing glucose concentration. With porous graphite, the potential changed in the positive direction as the glucose concentration was increased. Hysteresis was demonstrated for the platinum-enzyme electrode. Mass transfer measurements with a rotating ring-disc electrode (RRDE) showed measurable diffusional resistances to the transport of a model electroactive compound (potassium ferrocyanide) through a matrix of immobilized enzyme attached to the disc of the RRDE. These results are part of a larger study to define the source of the potentiometric response by examining the roles of the support and the mass transfer resistances through the immobilized enzyme matrix.     

Inhibition of solute crystallisation in aqueous H(+)-NH(4)(+)-SO4(2-)-H2O droplets

Ice clouds in the Earth's upper troposphere can form via homogeneous nucleation of ice in aqueous droplets. In this study we investigate the crystallisation, or lack of crystallisation, of the solute phase and ice in aqueous (NH(4))(3)H(SO(4))(2)/H(2)O and NH(4)HSO(4)/H(2)O droplets. This is done using in situ X-ray diffraction of emulsified solution droplets mounted on a cold stage. From the diffraction patterns we are able to identify the phases of crystalline solute and ice that form after homogeneous freezing in micrometer sized droplets. An important finding from this study is that crystallisation of the solute does not always occur, even when crystallisation is strongly thermodynamically favoured. The nucleation and growth of solute phase crystals becomes inhibited since the viscosity of the aqueous brine most likely increases dramatically as the brine concentration increases and temperature decreases. If ice nucleates below a threshold freezing temperature, the brine appears to rapidly become so viscous that solute crystallisation is inhibited. This threshold temperature is 192 K and 180 K, in (NH(4))(3)H(SO(4))(2) and NH(4)HSO(4), respectively. We also speculate that the formation of cubic ice within a highly viscous brine blocks the solvent mediated cubic to hexagonal phase transformation, thus stabilising the metastable cubic ice in the most concentrated solution droplets.