Multi-Residue Analysis by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Coupling. Application to Drinking and River Waters

Abstract

The coupling between liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry with an APCI or ESI interface (in positive or negative mode) is used here for multi-residue analyses in natural waters, covering basic and neutral pesticides as well as acid pesticides. The methods developed are applied to drinking and, river waters after the samples are concentrated by liquid-liquid extraction or solid phase extraction on C18 cartridges. Comparisons are made between UV detection and mass spectrometry and between two chromatographic methods for acid substances. The quantitation limits range from 0.01 to 0.1 μg/l according to the substance.     

The aliasing‐phenomenon in visual terms

In a recent paper it was shown that the aliasing phenomenon, which leads to a severe identification problem in the estimation of stochastic differential equations, can be overcome by using a polygonal (or higher) approximation for the time paths of the exogenous variables. This work attempts to visualize the problem and presents several simulated trajectories of a continuous time AR(2)‐process (Ornstein‐Uhlenbeck‐process) together with the observationally equivalent structures. Furthermore it is shown that aliasing can even change the analytical properties of the time paths of the system: whereas the first component of the Ornstein‐Uhlenbeck‐process is differentiable, the trajectories of the aliasing structures are continuous, but not differentiable any more.     

Bounds for the fundamental solutions of elliptic and parabolic equations

It is shown that any elloptic or parabolic operator in nondivergence form with measurable coefficients has a global fundamental solution verifying certain pointwise bounds.     

Understanding the Deactivation Pathways of Iridium(III) Pyridine-Carboxiamide Catalysts for Formic Acid Dehydrogenation

The degradation pathways of highly active [Cp*Ir(κ²-N,N-R-pica)Cl] catalysts (pica=picolinamidate; 1 R=H, 2 R=Me) for formic acid (FA) dehydrogenation were investigated by NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Under acidic conditions (1 equiv. of HNO₃), 2 undergoes partial protonation of the amide moiety, inducing rapid κ²-N,N to κ²-N,O ligand isomerization. Consistently, DFT modeling on the simpler complex 1 showed that the κ²-N,N key intermediate of FA dehydrogenation ( I_NH ), bearing a N-protonated pica, can easily transform into the κ²-N,O analogue ( I_NH2 ; ΔG^≠≈11 kcal mol⁻¹, ΔG ≈−5 kcal mol⁻¹). Intramolecular hydrogen liberation from I_NH2 is predicted to be rather prohibitive (ΔG^≠≈26 kcal mol⁻¹, ΔG≈23 kcal mol⁻¹), indicating that FA dehydrogenation should involve mostly κ²-N,N intermediates, at least at relatively high pH. Under FA dehydrogenation conditions, 2 was progressively consumed, and the vast majority of the Ir centers (58 %) were eventually found in the form of Cp*-complexes with a pyridine-amine ligand. This likely derived from hydrogenation of the pyridine-carboxiamide via a hemiaminal intermediate, which could also be detected. Clear evidence for ligand hydrogenation being the main degradation pathway also for 1 was obtained, as further confirmed by spectroscopic and catalytic tests on the independently synthesized degradation product 1 c . DFT calculations confirmed that this side reaction is kinetically and thermodynamically accessible.     

Mechanistic Investigation on Chemiluminescent Formaldehyde Probes

A first-generation pair of chemiluminescent formaldehyde (FA) probes (CFAP540 and CFAP700) was reported recently. CFAP540 and CFAP700, with high selectivity and sensitivity to FA, are, respectively, suitable in cell and in vivo. Experimentalists have confirmed that both probes utilize a general 2-aza-Cope FA-reactive trigger and a chemiluminogenic phenoxydioxetane scaffold. The mechanism and detailed process of CFAP chemiluminescence (CL) remain largely unknown. In the present paper, (time-dependent) density functional theory calculations are performed on the entire reaction process of CFAP540 with FA to produce CL. The calculations elucidated the CL-producing process: FA initiates the decomposition of CFAP540 by dehydration condensation, and a phenoxy 1,2-dioxetane is formed through a series of reactions of aza-Cope rearrangement, hydrolysis of imine, and β-elimination of alkoxyl group. Afterwards, the produced phenoxy 1,2-dioxetane decomposes to produce the m-oxybenzoate derivative in the first singlet state (S₁) via two crossings between potential energy surfaces of the ground state (S₀) and S₁ state. This m-oxybenzoate derivative was assigned as the light emitter of the CFAP540 CL. The CL-producing process and assignment of the light emitter of CFAP700 CL are similar with the corresponding ones of CFAP540. By analyzing the D-π-A architecture of the light emitters of CFAP540 and CFAP700, a series of CFAPs is theoretically designed and a scheme to modulate their CL from visible to near-infrared region is proposed by adjusting the length and structure of the π-bridge.     

Evolutionary variational inequalities with a volterra term

The mathematical model of the injection molding process is characterized by evolutionary inequalities with an elliptic principal part and a Volterra term. Existence and uniqueness of the solution of these problems are derived by means of an argument based on the Banach fixed point theorem. Regularity results are obtained by using the penalty and Rothe method. The results can be considered as a starting point for the numerical treatment and for the application to injection molding.     

Synergistic Effect of Boron Nitride and Carbon Domains in Boron Carbide Nitride Nanotube Supported Single-Atom Catalysts for Efficient Nitrogen Fixation

Developing the low-cost and efficient single-atom catalysts (SACs) for nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is of great importance while remains as a great challenge. The catalytic activity, selectivity and durability are all fundamentally related to the elaborate coordination environment of SACs. Using first-principles calculations, we investigated the SACs with single transition metal (TM) atom supported on defective boron carbide nitride nanotubes (BCNTs) as NRR electrocatalysts. Our results suggest that boron-vacancy defects on BCNTs can strongly immobilize TM atoms with large enough binding energy and high thermal/structural stability. Importantly, the synergistic effect of boron nitride (BN) and carbon domains comes up with the modifications of the charge polarization of single-TM-atom active site and the electronic properties of material, which has been proven to be the essential key to promote N₂ adsorption, activation, and reduction. Specifically, six SACs (namely V, Mn, Fe, Mo, Ru, and W atoms embedded into defective BCNTs) can be used as promising candidates for NRR electrocatalysts as their NRR activity is higher than the state-of-the art Ru(0001) catalyst. In particular, single Mo atom supported on defective BCNTs with large tube diameter possesses the highest NRR activity while suppressing the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction, with a low limiting potential of −0.62 V via associative distal path. This work suggests new opportunities for driving NH₃ production by carbon-based single-atom electrocatalysts under ambient conditions.     

The use of relative residues in fitting experimental data: an example from fluid mechanics

A curve fitting model is presented which minimizes the sum of squares of relative residues and expressions for the fit coefficients and their respective errors are derived. The new model is compared to the normal least squares model, using as an example the Reynolds number-drag coefficient data for a sphere. The results show that the best fit was obtained with the new model, indicating it may provide a useful tool for data analysis.