Model-Free Analysis of Mixtures by NMR Using Blind Source Separation

The concept of blind source separation is described and examples of its use in 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy are presented. The goal of this data processing method is to extract the spectra of components molecules when only mixtures are available.     

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging demonstrates the specific localization of deca-bromo-diphenyl-ether residues in the ovaries and adrenal glands of exposed rats

Deca-bromo-diphenyl ether (DBDE) is one of the most efficient brominated flame retardant (BFR) available on the market. We recently demonstrated that when administered to female rat by oral route, DBDE is efficiently absorbed, with the highest residual concentrations found in two endocrine glands, namely the adrenal glands and the ovaries. Tinie-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) imaging, a technique usually used for the study of endogenous compounds, was applied for the first time to a persistent organic pollutant, allowing to detect and to precisely localize DBDE residues in these two target tissues. The detection of the bromide ion (⁸¹Br isotope) by TOF-SIMS mass spectrometry imaging allowed us to demonstrate a marked cortical tropism of DBDE residues for the adrenal glands in female rats dosed per os 2 mg · kg⁻¹ DBDE, daily, over 96 h. In ovaries, DBDE residues were found to be concentrated in spots corresponding to part of the corpora lutea. Hepatic residues of DBDE were found to be homogeneously distributed. Due to the intrinsic toxicity of DBDE, its accumulation in the adrenal glands and the ovaries may be connected to the mechanisms of actions by which DBDE could trigger endocrine disruption in mammals.     

Coordination Mode and Kinetic Behavior of the Tetracarbonatozirconate Ion

The behavior of [Zr(CO₃)₄]⁴⁻ complex in solution is studied by determining the coordination mode of the carbonato ligands and the kinetic law of the equilibrium between free and complexed carbonates. Raman polarization and dynamic ¹³C-NMR experiments show that complexed carbonates are bidentate. Magnetization-transfer experiments give the values of pseudo-first-order rate constants for the equilibrium with no net chemical transformation. The treatment of these parameters suggests a second-order rate law. As no solvent effect is noticed, an associative mechanism of ligand exchange is proposed.