Evaluation of tetraglyme for the enrichment and analysis of volatile organic compounds in air

A recently developed method for the sampling and analysis of volatile organic compounds in air has been evaluated. The system is based on the enrichment of analytes in tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether or tetraglyme, a water-soluble organic liquid. The subsequent analysis consists of dispersion of a sample aliquot in water followed by purge-and-trap and gas chromatographic separation. Physico-chemical data were investigated for 10 volatile organic compounds, providing information on the possibilities and limitations of the tetraglyme method. The target analytes included chlorinated alkanes and alkenes, and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Air/tetraglyme partition coefficients Kat were determined over an environmental relevant temperature range of 2-25 degrees C to evaluate sorption efficiencies and estimate breakthrough volumes at the sampling stage. At 2 degrees C breakthrough volumes (allowing 5% of breakthrough) ranged from 5.8 (1,1-dichloroethane) to 312 l (1,1,2-trichloroethane) for 20 ml of tetraglyme. With regard to the desorption stage, the effect of tetraglyme on the air/water partition of organic compounds was investigated through the measurement of air/tetraglyme-water partition coefficients Kat-w for 2-31% (v/v) tetraglyme in water. Finally a clean-up procedure for tetraglyme was evaluated. Analysis of a blank tetraglyme-water (17:83, v:v) mixture by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection/mass spectrometry showed minor background signals. None of the target compounds were detected.     

GAS TRANSPORT PROPERTIES OF A POLYIMIDE BASED ON 2, 2-BIS (3, 4-DECARBOXYPHENYL) HEXAFLUOROPROPANE AND meta-PHENYLENEDIAMINE

By means of a vacuum time-lag method, gas transport properties of apolyimide based on 2, 2- bis (3, 4- decarboxyphenyl ) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA )and meta- phenylenediamine (mPDA ) have been measured as a function of upstream pres-sure and temperature. The results show that no gas-induced plasticization occurs for thispolyimide in the upstream pressure range from 1 atm to 20atm. The temperature depen-dence of P and D can be described by the Arrhenius equations. The activation energiesof permeation and diffusion were obtained for the gas/polymer pair studied and correlatedwith the size of penetrant gas.     

Charge transfer efficiency in hybrid bulk heterojunction composites

On the basis of recently published electrochemical measurements, the charge transfer efficiency within CdSe nanocrystal/conducting polymer heterojunction composites was investigated by means of luminescence interaction strength. It was found that poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] and poly-9-vinylcarbazole luminescence was not totally quenched by nanocrystals, whereas poly-3-octylthiophene and polyvinylpyrrolidone was completely quenched. In case of poly-3-hexylthiophene, the nanocrystal luminescence was quenched. The results are in complete agreement with the electrochemical findings and thus, the CdSe nanocrystal/Polyvinylpyrrolidone composite should be a promising material for electroluminescent devices.     

The tangent bundle of a Calabi-Yau manifold-deformations and restriction to rational curves

The tangent bundle _X of a Calabi-Yau threefoldX is the only known example of a stable bundle with non-trivial restriction to any rational curve onX. By deforming the direct sum of _X and the trivial line bundle one can try to obtain new examples. We use algebro-geometric techniques to derive results in this direction. The relation to the finiteness of rational curves on Calabi-Yau threefolds is discussed.     

An Arithmetic Reduction of Finite Rank 3 Geometries with Linear Spaces as Plane Residues and with Dual Linear Spaces as Point Residues

Let be a rank three incidence geometry of points, lines and planes whose planes are linear spaces and whose point residues are dual linear spaces (notice that we do not require anything on the line residues). We assume that the residual linear spaces of belong to a natural class of finite linear spaces, namely those linear spaces whose full automorphism group acts flag-transitively and whose orders are polynomial functions of some prime number. This class consists of six families of linear spaces. In the amalgamation of two such linear spaces imposes an equality on their orders leading, in particular, to a series of diophantine equations, the solutions of which provide a reduction theorem on the possible amalgams of linear spaces that can occur in .We prove that one of the following holds (up to a permutation of the words point and plane):A) the planes of and the dual of the point residues belong to the same family and have the same orders,B) the diagram of is in one of six families,C) the diagram of belongs to a list of seven sporadic cases.Finally, we consider the particular case where the line residues of are generalized digons.     

A concise synthesis of ortho-substituted aryl-acrylamides—potent activators of soluble guanylyl cyclase

Horner-Emmons reaction of phosphonate amides with aldehydes leads to generation of o-substituted aryl-acrylamides. These compounds have been shown to be useful to quickly establish structure-activity relationships (SAR) for soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) activator drug discovery.     

A tin-containing liquid crystalline polymer with two glass temperatures

A tin-containing liquid crystalline side group polymer was synthesized and characterized. Two glass transitions were detected by calorimetric investigations. The X-ray pattern corresponds to a smectic C order of the side groups and a disordered isotropic main chain. Dielectric measurements show two relaxation ranges which are influenced by the glass transitions and a fast local process. The low frequency mechanism can be related to the reorientation of the side groups and the higher glass transition temperature. The second is connected with the α-relaxation of the main chain and freezes in at lower temperatures.     

The synthesis,interfacial, and colloidal properties of waterborne cationic methacrylic co-polymers

Two cationic polymers with similar composition were prepared by two different polymerization methods. By monitoring the evolution of the molar mass and chemical composition during the reactions together with charge density measurements and calculations, it was concluded that the cationic polymer synthesized by emulsion polymerization had a less uniform compositional distribution than the cationic polymer prepared by solution polymerization. Contributing to the heterogeneity was the hydrolysis of one monomer (dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate (DMAEMA)) during the synthesis. As a result, the polymer prepared by emulsion polymerization had a more blocky structure and was more surface active as supported by static and dynamic surface tensions data. Fluorescence experiments showed that both polymers formed aggregates at very low concentrations of approximately 0.01 wt%. The aggregates of the polymer prepared by emulsion polymerization were compact, whereas the solution polymerization-based polymer aggregates exhibited a rather expanded geometry.     

Evaluation of purge-and-trap-high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of 27 volatile organic compounds in marine water at the ng l(-1) concentration level

Purge-and-trap combined with high-resolution gas chromatography and detection by mass spectrometry was evaluated for the analysis of 27 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in marine water samples down to ng l(-1) concentration levels. The target compounds included chlorinated alkanes and alkenes, monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and covered a wide range of VOCs of environmental interest. Limits of detection ranged from 0.15 ng l(-1) to 6.57 ng l(-1) for all VOCs, except for dichloromethane (41.07 ng l(-1)), chloroform (19.74 ng l(-1)), benzene (22.05 ng l(-1)) and 1,4-dichlorobenzene (20.43 ng l(-1)). Precision and accuracy were determined at a concentration level of 25.97 to 66.68 ng l(-1). Besides method validation, emphasis was put on quality control and assessment during routine determination of VOCs in marine water samples. Analytical quality control charts were plotted for all VOCs and a standard addition test was performed, as proposed by the QUASIMEME (Quality Assurance of Information in Marine Environmental Monitoring Programmes in Europe) working group. The analytical charts were incorporated in a working scheme containing guidelines to be applied during routine determinations, ensuring the long time reliability of the analytical method. Results yielded by the QUASIMEME interlaboratory exercise on organohalogen measurements in seawater are presented. The exercise was attended by seven out of eight laboratories who agreed to participate. Samples taken along the Scheldt estuary, from Breskens (The Netherlands) to Temse (Antwerp, Belgium) were analysed according to the developed technique. Concentrations as low as 0.33 ng l(-1) (1,2-dichloropropane) were detected near the mouth of the river Scheldt, while concentrations up to 326 ng l(-1) for tetrachloroethene and 461 ng l(-1) for cyclohexane were found in the vicinity of Antwerp.