Environmental effects on nuclear decay rates

The possible change of nuclear decay rates in different environments has long been an interesting topic due to its importance not only in nuclear physics but also in astrophysics, geological dating, condensed matter physics, etc. The progress in the investigation of variations in nuclear decay rates are reviewed.     

Mass Spectrometric Fragmentation of 2a,4-Disubstituted 2,2a,3,4-Tetrahydro-2-phenyl-1H-azeto[2,1-d]- [1,5]benzothiazepin-1-ones Under Electron Impact Ionization Conditions and Comparison with their 2-Heteroatom Substituted Analogues

The mass spectrometric behavior of seven 2a,4-disubstituted 2,2a,3,4-tetrahydro-2-phenyl-1H-azeto[2,1-d][1,5]benzothiazepin-1-ones has been studied with the aid of mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy spectrometry and accurate mass measurements under electron impact ionization. All compounds show a tendency to eliminate a phenylketene molecule, an ethyl or benzyl radical, or a phenylketene molecule plus an SH radical. The mass spectrometric behavior of the title compounds was compared to those of 2-heteroatom-substituted analogues.     

A Tensile Strain Hardening Test Indicator of Environmental Stress Cracking Resistance

Environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR) is an important indicator of performance for high density polyethylene (HDPE) in structural and polymer pipe applications. The commonly used test for determining ESCR of HDPE can be time consuming and rather imprecise. A tensile strain hardening test was recently proposed to offer a faster way to characterize ESCR of polyethylene. In this paper, a practical approach is adopted whereby the test is extended to room temperature and shown to relate reliably to the ESCR of HDPE. Several HDPE resins (including pipe‐grade resins) are analyzed at strain rates of 0.5 mm/min and 7 mm/min to compare the effect of strain rate. Comparisons between the conventional ESCR test method and the strain hardening test show that strain hardening can be used to rank ESCR of HDPE in a reliable fashion. In our study the more direct measure of “hardening stiffness” is used to compare resins instead of strain hardening modulus. Because no true stress‐strain measurement is needed, this is a much simpler test method than other methods previously suggested. In addition, the use of the natural drawing ratio (NDR) as ESCR ranking indicator is examined. Results show that NDR can also be employed as a strain rate‐independent indicator of ESCR of HDPE. The test proposed herein is practical, simple and precise, and hence a more reliable indicator of ESCR performance of HDPE.     

Electron impact,electron capture negative ionization and positive chemical ionization mass spectra of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers

Phosphate esters are important commercial products that have been used both as flame retardants and as plasticizers. To analyze these compounds by gas chromatographic mass spectrometry, it is important to understand the mass spectra of these compounds using various ionization modes. This paper is a systematic overview of the electron impact (EI), electron capture negative ionization (ECNI) and positive chemical ionization (PCI) mass spectra of 13 organophosphate esters. These data are useful for developing and optimizing analytical measurements. The EI spectra of these 13 compounds are dominated by ions such as H₄PO₄⁺, (M ? Cl)⁺, (M ? CH₂Cl)⁺ or (M)⁺ depending on specific chemical structures. The ECNI spectra are generally dominated by (M ? R)^?. The PCI spectra are mainly dominated by the protonated molecular ion (M + H)⁺. The branching of the alkyl substituents, the halogenation of the substituents and, for aromatic phosphate esters, ortho alkylation of the ring are all significant factors controlling the details of the fragmentation processes. EI provides the best sensitivity for the quantitative measurement of these compounds, but PCI and ECNI both have considerable qualitative selectivity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

电化学生物传感器在环境监测中的应用及发展前景

简要介绍了电化学生物传感器的工作原理,重点论述了电化学生物传感器在环境监测领域的应用及其研究进展,主要包括水环境污染物和大气污染物的监测,以及农药残留的监测等.同时,对电化学生物传感器的发展方向及前景进行了展望.     

宽离子能量检测范围垂直引入反射式飞行时间质谱仪的研制

本实验室研制了国内首台宽离子能量检测范围飞行时间质谱仪。仪器采用紧凑式电子轰击源设计,配合离子透镜系统有效的调制离子流,飞行时间质量分析器采用了离子垂直引入式,双场加速和双场反射以及大尺寸MCP检测装置设计。仪器单离子信号半峰宽约2 ns,仪器分辨率优于1600FWHM,检测实际样品质量范围为1~127 amu(仪器理论质量检测上限优于800 amu),可检测离子能量范围优于2个数量级(3~140 eV)。若该TOF质量分析器与短瞬高压脉冲放电离子源耦合联用,可广泛应用于高能离子束的快速检测,如真空阴极放电对制备薄膜、离子注入材料的表征,导电材料的离子电荷态分布以及离子扩散速度的测定等。     

Pine Needles (Pinus Sylvestris) as a Bioindicator of Sulphur and Heavy Metal Deposition in the Area Around a Pulp and Paper Mill Complex at Kemi,Northern Finland

Abstract

The determination of sulphur and heavy metals in plants is an integral part of many environmental studies. Pine needles (Pinus Sylvestris) have proved to be suitable air quality indicators for pollutants, especially for sulphur. This study was carried out in the vicinity of Kemi, a town situated on the Gulf of Bothnia in northern Finland. An industrial complex comprising two pulp and paper mills is located in the centre of the area. Scots pine (Pinus Sylvestris) needles were collected from 29 sampling sites. The samples were dried, homogenized and digested with nitric acid. The concentrations of the elements S, Fe, Zn, Ca, V, and Pb were determined by ICP-AES. According to our results pine needles (Pinus sylvestris) appear to be an ideal bioindicator and sampling material for identifying and assessing atmospheric sulphur pollution derived from pulp and paper mills and can complement the information provided by plant mapping studies around pulp and paper mills.     

Environmental Determination of Alkylphenol Polyethoxylate Refractory Residues Using Mass Spectrometric Techniques

Abstract

The use of methane chemical ionisation GC/MS gave satisfactory results when applied to environmental analysis of halogenated octylphenol polyethoxylates residues. In addition the selected ion monitoring GC/MS technique has been successfully applied for simulataneous qualitative and quantitative determination of some refractory metabolites of nonylphenol polyethoxylates in secondary sewage effluent and surface waters.     

Retention profile of Fe,Mn and Cu onto chemically treated polyurethane with carbon disulfide

Dithiocarbamate modified polyurethane foam (DTC-PUF) was synthesized as a new solid-phase extraction sorbent for the preconcentration and determination of Fe(II), Mn(II) and Cu(II) in environmental samples using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Maximum extraction of the elements was achieved at pH 5–7 and flow rate 3 mL min^?1. Quantitative desorption was achieved by 10 mL from 1.0 mol L^?1 HCl solution. The capacity of the sorbent was 149.2 ± 0.5, 237.5 ± 0.2, 200.2 ± 0.1 μg g^?1 and the limit of detection was of 0.015, 0.015 and 0.012 μg mL^?1for Fe(II), Mn(II) and Cu(II), respectively. A preconcentration factor of 100 was obtained for all elements. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of the tested elements in water (tap and lake) and plant (spinach and parsley leaves) samples and showed good recovery values from 98 to 111% with corresponding RSD values ranged from 0.6 to 8.6%.