Trends in the use of passive sampling for monitoring polar pesticides in water

The presence of polar pesticides in environmental waters is a growing problem. After application their migration into the aqueous phase is promoted by their high water solubility. Transport processes are usually complex and inputs are generally stochastic; this makes monitoring of this class of pesticides challenging using low volume spot samples of water. Recently there has been a trend to use passive samplers to monitor pesticides in river catchments as it is an in-situ time integrative sampling technique. The three main types of device used for this purpose are, Chemcatcher®, POCIS and o-DGT. This article reviews the fate and current state-of-the-art for monitoring polar pesticides in aqueous matrices. Principles and the theory of passive sampling and strategies for passive sampler design and operation are presented. Advances in the application of passive sampling devices for measuring polar pesticides are extensively critiqued; future trends in their use are also discussed.     

Accelerated Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy with Deep Learning

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy serves as an indispensable tool in chemistry and biology but often suffers from long experimental times. We present a proof‐of‐concept of the application of deep learning and neural networks for high‐quality, reliable, and very fast NMR spectra reconstruction from limited experimental data. We show that the neural network training can be achieved using solely synthetic NMR signals, which lifts the prohibiting demand for a large volume of realistic training data usually required for a deep learning approach.     

Transient pockets as mediators of gas molecules routes inside proteins: The case study of dioxygen pathway in homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase and its implication in Alkaptonuria development

Alkaptonuria (AKU) is an ultra-rare disease caused by mutations in homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (HGD) enzyme, characterized by the loss of enzymatic activity and the accumulation of its substrate, homogentisic acid (HGA) in different tissues, leading to ochronosis and organ degeneration. Although the pathological effects of HGD mutations are largely studied, less is known about the structure of the enzyme, in particular the pathways for dioxygen diffusion to the active site, required for the enzymatic reaction, are still uninvestigated. In the present project, the combination of two in silico techniques, Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation and Implicit Ligand Sampling (ILS), was used to delineate gas diffusion routes in HGD enzyme. A route from the central opening of the hexameric structure of the enzyme to the back of the active site trough the protein moiety was identified as the path for dioxygen diffusion, also overlapping with a transient pocket, which then assumes an important role in dioxygen diffusion. Along the route the sequence location of the missense variant E401Q, responsible for AKU development, was also found, suggesting such mutation to be conducive of enzymatic activity loss by altering the flow dynamics of dioxygen. Our in silico approach allowed also to delineate the route of HGA substrate to the active site, until now only supposed.     

Investigating aroma diversity combining purge‐and‐trap,comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography,and mass spectrometry

Headspace gas chromatography is frequently used for aroma profiling thanks to its ability to naturally exploit the volatility of aroma compounds, and also to provide chemical information on sample composition. Its main advantages rely on simplicity, no use of solvent, amenability to automation, and the cleanliness of the extract. In the present contribution, the most effective sampling (dynamic extraction), separation (multidimensional gas chromatography), and detection (mass spectrometry) techniques for untargeted analysis are exploited in combination, showing their potential in unraveling aroma profiles in fruit beers. To complete the overall analytical process, a neat workflow for data analysis is discussed and used for the successful characterization and identification of five different beer flavors (berries, cherry, banana, apple, and peach). From the technical viewpoint, the coupling of purge‐and‐trap, comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography, and mass spectrometry makes the global methodology unique, and it is for the first time discussed. A (low‐)flow modulation approach allowed for the full transfer into the second dimension with mass‐spectrometry compatible flow (< 7 mL/min), avoiding the need of splitting before detection and making the overall method sensitive (1.2–5.2‐fold higher signal to noise ratio compared to unmodulated gas chromatography conditions) and selective.     

Nd:GGG晶体荧光寿命的测试

针对Nd:GGG激光器,介绍了荧光寿命测试原理,设计了低频窄脉宽荧光寿命测试系统.该系统由光源、光路系统、驱动电路和探测系统等几部分组成.利用脉冲取样技术测试了Nd:GGG晶体的荧光寿命约为250μs左右.     

煤与生物油的成浆性能研究

利用不同煤种的煤和生物油制备了不同浓度的生物油煤浆,考察了生物油煤浆的成浆浓度、表观黏度、流变特性和稳定性。结果表明,生物油煤浆是具有一定屈服应力的非牛顿流体,其流变特性可用宾汉姆方程来描述;生物油煤浆的屈服应力和表观黏度都随着固体浓度的增加而增大;随着剪切速率的增加,生物油煤浆的表观黏度减小;四种煤中,无烟煤的成浆浓度最高,可达42%,其含碳量高达49%,相当于同种煤制成的74%的水煤浆含量。烟煤次之,褐煤最低;生物油与煤粉之间能够形成絮凝性的大分子网络结构,使得生物油煤浆存在屈服应力并能够保持良好的静态稳定性,4.0~5.0 d天没有软沉淀产生,数月没有硬沉淀产生。     

Passive sampling and/or extraction techniques in environmental analysis: a review

The current state-of-the-art of passive sampling and/or extraction methods for long-term monitoring of pollutants in different environmental compartments is discussed in this review. Passive dosimeters that have been successfully used to monitor organic and inorganic contaminants in air, water, sediments, and soil are presented. The application of new approaches to the determination of pollutants at the sampling stage is discussed. The main milestones in the development of passive techniques for sampling and/or extraction of analytes, and in biomonitors used in environmental analysis, are summarized in this review. Passive samplers and biomonitors are compared.     

An automated monitoring system for VOC ozone precursors in ambient air: development,implementation and data analysis

An automated system for the monitoring of volatile organic compound (VOC) ozone precursors in ambient air is described. The measuring technique consists of subambient preconcentration on a cooled trap followed by thermal desorption and GC/FID analysis. First, the technical development, which permits detection limits below 0.05 ppbv to be reached, proceeded in two steps: (1) the determination of optimum sampling parameters (trap composition and conditioning, outlet split, desorption temperature); (2) the development of a reliable calibration method based on a highly accurate standard. Then, a 4-year field application of the hourly measuring chain was carried out at two urban sites. On the one hand, quality control procedures provided the best VOC identification (peak assignment) and quantification (reproducibility, blank system control). On the other hand, the success and performances of the routine experience (88% of the measurements covered more than 40 target compounds) indicated the high quality and suitability of the instrumentation which is actually applied in several French air quality monitoring networks. Finally, an example of data analysis is presented. Data handling identified important organic compound sources other than vehicle exhaust.     

在柱透析-毛细管电泳联用分析--一种带有透析采样功能的毛细管电泳的实现与初步应用

在石英毛细管的进样端端口内采用相转移法制作聚砜膜,使该毛细管同时具有采样、样品净化与分离功能.建立了一种透析-毛细管电泳在柱联用方法.膜能有效地拦截大分子和颗粒物,性能稳定,12h内连续使用,膜的透过率和对大分子的拦截性能无显著变化.该方法避免了大分子和颗粒物的干扰,可直接对复杂样品中的小分子进行分析.将其应用于咖啡牛奶中游离咖啡因的含量测定,测得其值为0.68mmol/L;用于药物与蛋白的相互作用研究,获得了盐酸异丙嗪与牛血清白蛋白的结合常数,其值为1.47×104L/mol.     

浆态床合成二甲醚复合催化剂失活原因探索

在反应温度260 ℃、压力5.0 MPa的条件下,对浆态床反应器中二甲醚合成复合催化剂的失活规律进行了研究.结果表明,Cu基催化剂失活较快是导致浆态床二甲醚合成催化剂不稳定的主要原因.通过分析Cu基催化剂在浆态床反应器和固定床反应器中的活性变化规律,发现在浆态床反应器中不能及时导出反应体系的H2O对催化剂的毒副作用导致了浆态床Cu基催化剂快速失活.对失活催化剂进行的TPR、XRD和SEM-EDS表征结果可以看出,Cu粒子的长大和积炭是Cu基催化剂失活的重要原因,与已有文献报道不同的是并未发现明显的Cu元素流失.