Benefiting from information-rich multi-frequency AC voltammetry coupled with chemometrics on the example of on-line monitoring of leveler component of electroplating bath

Simultaneous application of multiple sinusoidal waveforms perturbations superimposed onto DC staircase step significantly enriches current response. The measured current is characterized by a matrix of data rather than a conventional voltammetric output in a form of a vector. This increase of the dimensionality of the current response and therefore the wealth of analytical information is achieved without compromising the time of analysis. The natural approach for compression of such data and extraction of relevant information is by utilizing multi-way chemometric decomposition techniques. An electroplating solution presents a very challenging analyte for electroanalysis as its constituents interact synergistically with each other during both the plating process and its simulation during electroanalysis. For some components the mechanism is not entirely understood. Therefore, the only way to benefit from the analytical data is by employing soft modeling. The electrode processes involving additives rely heavily on adsorption and, indirectly, on electron transfer kinetics for which AC voltammetry is an analytical technique capable of delivering informative signals. This paper presents a rigorous universal method for calculating and validating an exemplary multi-way calibration of a leveler component in a copper electroplating bath used in the semiconductor industry. The method presented employs comparatively Parallel Factor Analysis coupled with Inverse Least Squares Regression and multi-linear Partial Least Squares. The calibration training set consists of multi-frequency AC voltammetric data subjected to pretreatments aiming to select informative independent variables and exclude outliers.     

Identification and quality evaluation of different processed products of Aconitum carmichaelii by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Aconitum carmichaelii is widely used to treat chronic and intractable diseases due to its remarkable curative effect, but it is also a highly toxic herb with severe cardiac and neurotoxicity. It has been combined with honey for thousands of years to reduce toxicity and enhance efficacy, but there has been no study on the chemical constituent changes in the honey-processing so far. In this study, the chemical constituents of A. carmichaelii before and after honey-processing were characterized by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that a total of 118 compounds were identified, of which six compounds disappeared and five compounds were newly produced after honey-processing, and the cleavage pathway of main components was elucidated. At the same time, 25 compounds were found to have significant effects on different products, among which four compounds with the biggest difference were selected for quantitative analysis by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. This study not only explained the chemical differences between the different products, but also helped to control the quality of the honey-processed products more effectively, and laid a foundation for further elucidating the mechanism of chemical constituent change during the honey-processing of A. carmichaelii.     

The complementary effect between biochar and ferrihydrite in sustainable Fenton-like oxidation of pollutant

Biochar (BC) and ferrihydrite (Fh) were used together in activation of H₂O₂ for removal of sulfamethazine (SMZ), a refractory antibiotic pollutant. The results show a complementary effect between biochar and ferrihydrite on activation of H₂O₂, namely biochar accelerated Fe(Ⅲ)/Fe(Ⅱ) cycle through electron donation/transfer, while ferrihydrite enhanced the yield of ^•OH through a sustainable release of dissolved Fe. Thus several times more ^•OH was produced in the co-activated system (BC + Fh/H₂O₂) than either in the ferrihydrite-catalyzed Fenton-like system (Fh/H₂O₂) or in the biochar-activated system (BC/H₂O₂). Consequently, a more efficient oxidation of SMZ was observed in BC + Fh/H₂O₂, in which the reaction rate constant (k_obs) is 30.7 times in Fh/H₂O₂ and 6.08 times in BC/H₂O₂, respectively. This research provides a simple and sustainable strategy for enhancing the efficiency of Fenton-like oxidation of pollutants.     

Conformation control of bilatrienes by peptides: A survey

Summary A variety of bilipeptides has been synthesized and investigated by UV-VIS and CD spectroscopy to explore the conformational influence of peptide ligands on the covalently bound tetrapyrrol moiety. The results obtained are complemented by those reported previously. From the comprehensive data thus available several features of the peptidic chain regulating interactions with the bilatriene moiety have been elucidated. Accordingly, the presence of three amide linkages at the ligand is prerequiste for induction of pronounced conformational changes consisting either in a complete transition ofM intoP helical bilatriene species by inversion of all torsional angles, or in a stretching of the chromophore. The kind of conformational influence can be controlled by varying the position of the prolyl entity within a given peptide.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Kurt Schaffner on occasion of his 60th birthday     

Quality assurance and statistical control

In scientific research laboratories it is rarely possible to use quality assurance schemes, developed for large-scale analysis. Instead methods have been developed to control the quality of modest numbers of analytical results by relying on statistical control: Analysis of precision serves to detect analytical errors by comparing thea priori precision of the analytical results with the actual variability observed among replicates or duplicates. The method relies on the chi-square distribution to detect excess variability and is quite sensitive even for 5–10 results. Interference control serves to detect analytical bias by comparing results obtained by two different analytical methods, each relying on a different detection principle and therefore exhibiting different influence from matrix elements; only 5–10 sets of results are required to establish whether a regression line passes through the origo. Calibration control is an essential link in the traceability of results. Only one or two samples of pure solid or aqueous standards with accurately known content need to be analyzed. Verification is carried out by analyzing certified reference materials from BCR, NIST, or others; their limited accuracy of 5–10% make them less suitable for calibration purposes.     

A journey through quality control

The Euroanalysis VII conference in Vienna included a two-day session: Quality Assurance in Analytical Chemistry. The contributions comprised 15 lectures devoted to: intra-laboratory quality measures, inter-laboratory control, formal aspects and accreditation and implementation. The paper presents an overview of the main items developed by the contributors.A survey on the session on Quality Assurance in Analytical Chemistry of Euroanalysis VIIThe authors thank the organizers of EUROANALYSIS VII and in particular Dr. B. Griepink and Dr. E. Maier of the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) of the CEC for their support and considerable contributions.     

药用缓释辅料——羟丙基甲基纤维素的合成及其缓释性能的研究

本文研究了药物缓释材料HPMC的合成方法,探讨了碱纤维素制备,醚化剂浓度,混合醚化剂配经以及产品后处理对高粘度HPMC的影响。本文还初步对KCl,氨茶碱,硝酸异山梨醇酯等药物采用合成的HPMC作辅料,进行了缓释制剂的研究,结果表明合成的HPMC具有满意的缓释性能。     

Amelioration of methane yield in cheese whey fermentation by controlling the pH of the methanogenic stage

A two-stage, no-mix anaerobic digester of 145 L capacity was used to investigate the effect of controlling the pH of the methanogenic stage on the biogas production and the pollution potential reduction of acid cheese whey. The digester was operated at a 15-d hydraulic retention time, and a temperature of 35°C. Controlling the pH of the methanogenic stage increased the biogas production rate and methane yield by 77.77 and 289.00%, respectively. Reductions of up to 32.19, 44.44, and 35.86% in the COD, solids and nitrogen were achieved.     

数理统计在地球化学样品分析质量控制中的应用

使用Excel2013和Minitab两种常用软件对地球化学样品中CaO含量分布情况进行了研究,运用描述性统计、正态分布、背景值与异常方法对实验室分析的广西某地地球化学样品的分析数据进行了质量评价,结果表明:综合运用计算机软件和数理统计方法,能快速找到分析数据的详细信息和数据特征,判别地球化学样品实验室分析数据的准确性,找出元素的背景值和异常值并剔除异常值,比较发现,样品中CaO含量分析数据对数转换后比原始数据的分布更趋于正态分布,相比于X射线荧光光谱方法,用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法测定的结果更符合正态分布。方法对地球化学调查样品的分析数据质量评价作了有益的尝试,揭示了数理统计方法是地球化学样品分析质量控制的有效手段。