Investigation of the species-specific degradation behaviour of methylmercury and ethylmercury under microwave irradiation

The degradation behaviour of methylmercury (MeHg) under microwave irradiation is investigated, as is the (different) degradation behaviour of ethylmercury (EtHg) under similar irradiation. A simple and highly sensitive SPME-GC-pyrolysis-AFS system was used to analyse the aqueous MeHg and EtHg standard solutions after derivatization with sodium tetraphenylborate (NaBPh₄). Samples were irradiated in a microwave digester at microwave powers ranging from 20 to 160 W for durations of 2 to 10 min. The different tolerances towards microwave treatment of the two organomercury species were evident. Practically no degradation was experienced for MeHg for up to 8 minutes of irradiation at 120 W or for up to 4 minutes at 160 W. Significant analyte loss was observed for EtHg after 2 minutes at 40 W of microwave power. Awarded a Poster Prize on the occasion of the European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, February 2005, Budapest, Hungary     

Substoichiometric isotope dilution determination of manganese in biological smples using 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone in isobutyl methyl ketone

A substoichiometric isotope dilution method was developed for the determination of microgram amounts of manganese. The method involves the use of carrier-free ⁵⁴Mn with Mn(II) carrier and its complexation with 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) at pH 8.5, the complex then being extracted into isobutyl methyl ketone. A minimum of 50 ng of manganese can be determined. The method was applied to the determination of manganese in several standard reference materials and biological samples such as tea leaves, spices and condiments. The method is simple and fast and yields results with high accuracy and precision.     

Novel preparation of organic polymer-based monolithic column by microwave irradation

Microwave irradiation was firstly attempted for the preparation of organic-based monoliths of poly（styrene-divinylbenzene- methacrylic acid）, which single step in situ polymerization was carried out during 15 min. The colunm permeability, electrophoretic and chromatographac behaviors were comparatively evaluated using pressure-assisted CEC, GEC and low pressure-driven separation modes. The largest theoretical plates for the preparing column could be close to 18,0000 plates/m for thiourea in the mode of p-CEC. It provided a viable alternative to traditional initiation means for the perparation of monolithic capillary columns.     

Determination of trace elements in ambient aerosol samples

A microwave-assisted digestion procedure using HNO₃, HF, and H₂O₂ has been developed for analysis of elements in ambient particulate matter (PM). The samples are collected on cellulose filters and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The ICP-MS is calibrated with external standards, and recovery of analytes is tested with NIST SRM 1648 Urban Dust. This method has been used to quantify the airborne concentrations of a large number of elements, including Ag, As, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Se, Sb, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, and Zn. For the majority of these elements, recovery of the NIST SRM is within 15% of the certified values.     

Investigation of the luminescent properties of terbium-anthranilate complexes and application to the determination of anthranilic acid derivatives in aqueous solutions

The luminescent properties of terbium complexes with furosemide (FR), flufenamic (FF) acid, tolfenamic (TF) acid and mefenamic (MF) acid have been investigated in aqueous solutions. For all four compounds, complexation occurs when the carboxylic acid of the aminobenzoic group is dissociated and is greatly favoured in the presence of trioctylphosphine oxide as co-ligand and Triton X-100 as surfactant. Under optimum conditions, luminescence of the lanthanide ion is efficiently sensitised and the lifetime of the resonance level of terbium in the complex is ranging between 1 and 1.9 ms, against 0.4 ms for the aqua ion. The sensitivity of the method for the determination of anthranilic acid derivatives is improved by one to two orders of magnitude with respect to that achieved using native fluorescence or terbium-sensitised luminescence in methanol. The limits of detection are 2×10⁻¹⁰, 5×10⁻¹⁰ and 2×10⁻⁹ mol l⁻¹ for flufenamic acid, furosemide and tolfenamic acid, and mefenamic acid, respectively, with within-run RSD values of less than 1%. The method has been applied to the determination of flufenamic acid in spiked calf sera with and without sample pretreatment. Depending on the method and the analyte concentration, the recovery was ranging between 83 and 113% and the lowest concentration attainable in serum samples was close to 1×10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹.     

Determination of organochlorine pesticides by gas chromatography with solid-phase microextraction

Summary A study of different extraction techniques for the determination of a selected group of organochlorine compounds in surface waters is presented. Comparison of liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with solid-phase extraction (SPE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with fibers of different polarity shows that SPME with a recently commercialised fiber of polydimethylsiloxane divinylbenzene allows these compounds to be determined in surface waters with good extraction efficiencies. Extraction time, effect of temperature, ionic strength and pH were optimised, allowing quantification in agricultural effluents in the range 1.0–60 ng·L⁻¹.     

The identification of tricyclic neuroleptics and sulphonamides by high-performance thin-layer chromatography

Circular high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) has been used to differentiate a series of twelve tricyclic neuroleptics, using both normal phase and reverse phase procedures. The use of normal phase systems also allows the resolution of geometric isomers of chlorprothixene, clopenthixol and flupenthixol. Thirteen sulphonamides and Trirnethoprim may also be distinguished using HPTLC.     

HPLC of antibiotics. 1. Streptolydigin and related compounds

Two new acyltetramic acids related to streptolydigin have been isolated from fermentations of Streptomyces lydicus. The principal members of this complex were resolved by TLC on silica gel. However, the methods of detection, permanganate spray or bioautography, were not suitable for both crude fermentation broths and purified extracts. Gas chromatography is unsuitable for the detection of either underivatized or silylated streptolydigins. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) particularly on triethylaminoethyl cellulose is rapid and sensitive and is the method of choice for the analysis of both crude and purified samples. Using high performance liquid chromatography, two components were detected in the complex, which are not observed using any of the other chromatographic procedures.     

Biginelli reaction in aqueous medium: a greener and sustainable approach to substituted 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones

An environmentally benign aqueous Biginelli protocol for the synthesis of substituted 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones using polystyrenesulfonic acid (PSSA) as a catalyst has been achieved. These microwave-assisted reactions proceed efficiently in water in the absence of organic solvent, with simple filtration as the product isolation step.     

Investigation of parameters affecting the on-line combination of supercritical fluid extraction with capillary gas chromatography

Two different injectors, a split/splitless injector and a programmed temperature vaporizer (PTV) injector were investigated as the interface in on-line supercritical fluid extraction (SFE)-capillary gas chromatography (cGC). The parameters affecting the chromatographic peak shapes as well as the quantitative performance of the interfaces in on-line SFE-cGC were identified and studied. Particular attention was paid to the case where modified extraction fluids were used. Experiments were performed on two different samples. The first sample consisted of PAHs spiked on sand at different concentration levels. The other sample was a polymeric material.