Laboratory intercomparison study on the analysis of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in an extract of industrial soil

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) comprise a class of organic pollutants used in many industrial applications and released into the environment. The analytical determination of SCCPs is very challenging. Although there is at present no fully validated measurement procedure that might be applied in routine monitoring, the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) has required regular monitoring of this class of compounds at river-basin scale since 2007.To assess the status quo of the analysis of SCCPs in relation to the requirements of the WFD, we organized an interlaboratory comparison on the quantification of SCCPs in an extract of an industrial soil. Six laboratories participated in the exercise using three different techniques [i.e. gas chromatography (GC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) in electron-capture negative ionization mode, GC with atomic emission detection, and carbon-skeleton GC-MS]. The results reported were in the range 8.5–3200 mg/L. This confirms that reliable quantification of SCCPs is still very difficult to achieve and that the comparability of SCCP data reported to the European Commission is at least questionable.     

Statistical Optimization of Alpha-Amylase Production with Immobilized Cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces erumpens</Emphasis> MTCC 7317 in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Luffa cylindrica</Emphasis> L. Sponge Discs

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of Streptomyces erumpens cells immobilized in various matrices, i.e., agar–agar, polyacrylamide, and luffa (Luffa cylindrica L.) sponge for production of α-amylase. Luffa sponge was found to be 21% and 51% more effective in enzyme yield than agar–agar and polyacrylamide, respectively. Response surface methodology was used to evaluate the effect of three main variables, i.e., incubation period, pH, and temperature on enzyme production with immobilized luffa cells. The experimental results showed that the optimum incubation period, pH, and temperature were 36h, 6.0, and 50 °C, respectively. The repeated batch fermentation of immobilized cells in shake flasks showed that S. erumpens cells were more or less equally physiologically active on the support even after three cycles of fermentation (3,830–3,575 units). The application of S. erumpens crude enzyme in liquefying cassava starch was studied. The maximum hydrolysis of cassava starch (85%) was obtained with the application of 4ml (15,200 units) of crude enzyme after 5 h of incubation.     

Spectroscopic evaluation of a compact magnetically boosted radiofrequency glow discharge for time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A compact magnetically boosted radiofrequency glow discharge (GD) has been designed, constructed and its analytical potential evaluated by its coupling to a mass spectrometer (MS). Simple modifications to the original source configuration permitted the insertion of permanent magnets. Small cylindrical Nd–Fe–B magnets (∅ = 4 mm, h = 10 mm) were placed in an in-house-modified GD holder disc that allows easy and fast exchange of the magnets. The different processes taking place within the GD plasma under the influence of a magnetic field, such as sputtering, ionisation processes and ion transport into the MS, were studied using different GD operating conditions. Changes to the ionisation and ion transport efficiency caused by the magnetic field were studied using an rf-GD-TOFMS setup. A magnetic field of 60–75 gauss (G) was found not to affect the sputtering rates but to enhance the analyte ion signal intensities while decreasing the Ar species ion signals. Moreover, magnetic fields in this range were shown not to modify the crater shapes, enabling the fast and sensitive high depth resolved analysis of relatively thick coated samples (micrometre) by using the designed compact magnetically boosted rf-GD-TOFMS.

Preparation of superhydrophobic silica films with honeycomb-like structure by emulsion method

Silica films with honeycomb-like structure were successfully obtained by emulsion method. Emulsion films prepared by the Dip-Withdrawing method were dried at 180 °C for 2 h and sintered at 500 °C, the films turned from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic after being modified by octyltrimethoxysilane (OTMS) to form a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with low surface energy. The surface structures and the thickness of the silica emulsion films were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the results showed that the emulsion method had a similar effect to the phase separation one on producing the honeycomb-like structure that highly influenced the wettability of solid surface.     

Mass Spectrometric Studies on Metal-hexafluorobenzene Anionic Complexes（M=Ag, Au, Pd, Pt, Pb and Bi）

The anionic products from the reactions between metal(M=Ag, Au, Pd, Pt, Pb and Bi) vapour produced by laser ablation and hexafluorobenzene seeded in carrier gas(Ar) were studied by means of a homemade reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry(RTOF-MS). Experimental results show that the dominant products were [MmC6F6]-complexes for the reactions of Ag, Au, Pd and Pt with C6F6, while the dominant products were [MmC6F5]-complexes for the reactions of Pb and Bi with C6F6. The formation mechanisms of the prod...     

Wettability of plasma-polymerized vinyltriethoxysilane film

Plasma-polymerized films of vinyltriethoxysilane were surface characterized using the sessile drop technique. The surface free energy and its components were evaluated using the Owens-Wendt-Kaelble geometric mean method, Wu harmonic mean method, and van Oss, Chaudhury, and Good acid-base theory. Influence of deposition conditions on the surface free energy was demonstrated in the study. Improved wettability of the films was related to the diminished concentration of apolar methyl groups in plasma polymers. An increased concentration of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups resulted in a very small improvement of the polar component.     

反相高效液相色法测定水产品中三聚氰胺

采用反相高效液相色谱法(RP-HPLC) 测定了水产品中的三聚氰胺. 色谱柱为Symmetry C18 (5 μm, 4.6 mm×250 mm), 流动相为含有0.01 mol/L庚烷磺酸钠和0.01 mol/L柠檬酸的乙腈(1+4)水溶液, 检测器为紫外检测器, 检测波长240 nm. 线性范围为1～50 μg/mL, 相关系数为0.9998, 最低检出限为0.24 μg/mL, 样品平均加标回收率为78.8%～96.1%, 相对标准偏差为3.7%～6.4%. 方法可用于水产品中三聚氰胺的测定.     

支持向量机回归法在近红外光谱测定植物纤维原料中甲氧基含量中的应用

以26个植物纤维原料为实验材料,由20个样品作校正样品,采用径向基核函数方法对纤维原料中甲氧基含量与纤维原料样品近红外光谱进行支持向量机(SVM)回归建模.以所建SVM回归模型对6个纤维原料样品中甲氧基含量进行预测,回归模型的预测结果与采用改良的维伯克法确定的甲氧基含量的相关系数为0.977,预测样本集的标准偏差为0.43.将SVM回归模型的预测效果与PLS回归模型的预测结果进行比较,所建近红外光谱测定植物纤维原料中甲氧基含量的SVM回归模型可用于实际植物纤维原料样品的定量分析,且具有较好的分析效果.     

Mass tranfer of ions and solvent at redox processes in poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene films

The work presents the data on mass transfer at the interface of the poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene film with different propylene carbonate electrolyte solutions (TBAPF₆, LiClO₄, NaClO₄, TBAClO₄, TBABF₄) obtained using the quartz microgravimetry method in combination with cyclic voltammetry. It is shown that two parts of different nature can be observed in the region of electric activity of poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene films on Δm, ΔQ curves. They evidence the change in mass transfer conditions at achieving different film oxidation degrees.     

Galvanostatic investigation of electrochemical processes at the LaF<Subscript>3</Subscript>/M (M: Ag,Bi) interface

The electrochemical processes at the interface between solid fluorine-conducting electrolyte LaF₃(Eu²⁺ 0.8 mol %) and silver or bismuth electrodes in the two-electrode cell with nonpolarizable reference electrode are studied using the galvanostatic method. The anodic galvanostatic transients of LaF₃: Eu²⁺/Ag and LaF₃: Eu²⁺/Bi interfaces are linearized on the log(η ? η_max), vs. t coordinates, i.e. the rate of LaF₃|MF _n |M electrode formation is limited by slow surface diffusion of metal adions. The initial portions of cathodic galvanostatic transients in the range of solid-electrolyte lanthanum reduction are approximated by the linear dependence of η on log(1 ? √t/τ). The plots of logI vs. 1/η are linear both for the lanthanum reduction and for silver and bismuth oxidation involving mobile fluoride ion of solid electrolyte, which is typical for two-dimensional growth of new phase.