Solid Phase Microextraction and Related Techniques for Drugs in Biological Samples

PubMed Central

Moein, Mohammad Mahdi; Said, Rana; Bassyouni, Fatma

2014-01-01

In drug discovery and development, the quantification of drugs in biological samples is an important task for the determination of the physiological performance of the investigated drugs. After sampling, the next step in the analytical process is sample preparation. Because of the low concentration levels of drug in plasma and the variety of the metabolites, the selected extraction technique should be virtually exhaustive. Recent developments of sample handling techniques are directed, from one side, toward automatization and online coupling of sample preparation units. The primary objective of this review is to present the recent developments in microextraction sample preparation methods for analysis of drugs in biological fluids. Microextraction techniques allow for less consumption of solvent, reagents, and packing materials, and small sample volumes can be used. In this review the use of solid phase microextraction (SPME), microextraction in packed sorbent (MEPS), and stir-bar sorbtive extraction (SBSE) in drug analysis will be discussed. In addition, the use of new sorbents such as monoliths and molecularly imprinted polymers will be presented. PMID:24688797

Preparation of Gd(OH){sub 3} large single crystals by solid KOH assisted hydrothermal method and their luminescent and magnetic properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Hai; Zhang, Youjin, E-mail: zyj@ustc.edu.cn; Zhou, Maozhong

Highlights: • Gd(OH){sub 3} large single crystals were prepared by solid KOH assisted hydrothermal method. • The possible growth mechanism of Gd(OH){sub 3} large single crystals was proposed. • The Gd(OH){sub 3} samples emitted a strong narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) light. • The Gd(OH){sub 3} samples showed good paramagnetic properties. - Abstract: Large single crystals of gadolinium hydroxide [Gd(OH){sub 3}] in the length of several millimeters were successfully prepared by using solid KOH assisted hydrothermal method. Gd(OH){sub 3} samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), 4-circle single-crystal diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). FESEM imagemore » shows hexagonal prism morphology for the Gd(OH){sub 3} large crystals. The possible growth mechanism of Gd(OH){sub 3} large single crystals was proposed. The photoluminescence and magnetic properties of Gd(OH){sub 3} species were investigated.« less

Efficient sample preparation method based on solvent-assisted dispersive solid-phase extraction for the trace detection of butachlor in urine and waste water samples.

PubMed

Aladaghlo, Zolfaghar; Fakhari, Alireza; Behbahani, Mohammad

2016-10-01

In this work, an efficient sample preparation method termed solvent-assisted dispersive solid-phase extraction was applied. The used sample preparation method was based on the dispersion of the sorbent (benzophenone) into the aqueous sample to maximize the interaction surface. In this approach, the dispersion of the sorbent at a very low milligram level was achieved by inserting a solution of the sorbent and disperser solvent into the aqueous sample. The cloudy solution created from the dispersion of the sorbent in the bulk aqueous sample. After pre-concentration of the butachlor, the cloudy solution was centrifuged and butachlor in the sediment phase dissolved in ethanol and determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Under the optimized conditions (solution pH = 7.0, sorbent: benzophenone, 2%, disperser solvent: ethanol, 500 μL, centrifuged at 4000 rpm for 3 min), the method detection limit for butachlor was 2, 3 and 3 μg/L for distilled water, waste water, and urine sample, respectively. Furthermore, the preconcentration factor was 198.8, 175.0, and 174.2 in distilled water, waste water, and urine sample, respectively. Solvent-assisted dispersive solid-phase extraction was successfully used for the trace monitoring of butachlor in urine and waste water samples. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

State of the art of environmentally friendly sample preparation approaches for determination of PBDEs and metabolites in environmental and biological samples: A critical review.

PubMed

Berton, Paula; Lana, Nerina B; Ríos, Juan M; García-Reyes, Juan F; Altamirano, Jorgelina C

2016-01-28

Green chemistry principles for developing methodologies have gained attention in analytical chemistry in recent decades. A growing number of analytical techniques have been proposed for determination of organic persistent pollutants in environmental and biological samples. In this light, the current review aims to present state-of-the-art sample preparation approaches based on green analytical principles proposed for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and metabolites (OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs) in environmental and biological samples. Approaches to lower the solvent consumption and accelerate the extraction, such as pressurized liquid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and ultrasound-assisted extraction, are discussed in this review. Special attention is paid to miniaturized sample preparation methodologies and strategies proposed to reduce organic solvent consumption. Additionally, extraction techniques based on alternative solvents (surfactants, supercritical fluids, or ionic liquids) are also commented in this work, even though these are scarcely used for determination of PBDEs. In addition to liquid-based extraction techniques, solid-based analytical techniques are also addressed. The development of greener, faster and simpler sample preparation approaches has increased in recent years (2003-2013). Among green extraction techniques, those based on the liquid phase predominate over those based on the solid phase (71% vs. 29%, respectively). For solid samples, solvent assisted extraction techniques are preferred for leaching of PBDEs, and liquid phase microextraction techniques are mostly used for liquid samples. Likewise, green characteristics of the instrumental analysis used after the extraction and clean-up steps are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improved Dielectric Properties via Mechano-Chemical Activation in Ba0.80Pb0.20TiO3 Ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Parveen; Rani, Renu; Singh, Sangeeta; Juneja, J. K.; Prakash, Chandra; Raina, K. K.

2011-12-01

The present report is about the preparation and dielectric properties of commonly used Ba0.80Pb0.20TiO3 (BPT) ferroelectric ceramic via Mechano-Chemical Activation (MCA). Results were compared by the BPT sample prepared by conventional solid state method. The BPT sample prepared via MCA technique was found to have decreased tetragonality, dielectric constant value (ɛRT = 450 and ɛmax = 6170) approximately double the value for sample prepared by conventional method (ɛRT = 260 and ɛmax = 3275). Also, the sample prepared by MCA was found to be less frequency dependent. Thus, the BPT sample prepared via MCA is more suitable for capacitor applications requiring lesser frequency dependency than the conventionally prepared BPT sample.

Recent developments and future trends in solid phase microextraction techniques towards green analytical chemistry.

PubMed

Spietelun, Agata; Marcinkowski, Łukasz; de la Guardia, Miguel; Namieśnik, Jacek

2013-12-20

Solid phase microextraction find increasing applications in the sample preparation step before chromatographic determination of analytes in samples with a complex composition. These techniques allow for integrating several operations, such as sample collection, extraction, analyte enrichment above the detection limit of a given measuring instrument and the isolation of analytes from sample matrix. In this work the information about novel methodological and instrumental solutions in relation to different variants of solid phase extraction techniques, solid-phase microextraction (SPME), stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) is presented, including practical applications of these techniques and a critical discussion about their advantages and disadvantages. The proposed solutions fulfill the requirements resulting from the concept of sustainable development, and specifically from the implementation of green chemistry principles in analytical laboratories. Therefore, particular attention was paid to the description of possible uses of novel, selective stationary phases in extraction techniques, inter alia, polymeric ionic liquids, carbon nanotubes, and silica- and carbon-based sorbents. The methodological solutions, together with properly matched sampling devices for collecting analytes from samples with varying matrix composition, enable us to reduce the number of errors during the sample preparation prior to chromatographic analysis as well as to limit the negative impact of this analytical step on the natural environment and the health of laboratory employees. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural and magnetic characterization of Ti doped cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, Jaswinder; Kumar, Sunil; Kaur, Randeep; Agrawal, P.; Singh, Mandeep; Singh, Anupinder

2018-05-01

Synthesis of Co1-xTixFe2O4 solid solutions for 0.1≤x≤0.4 using the solid-state-reaction rate has been done. The prepared samples were characterized by using XRD (X-ray diffraction) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy). Magnetic studies have been done using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). XRD confirmed that Cobalt Ferrite spinel cubic structure in all prepared samples. The lattice parameter `a' increases with increase in the concentration of Ti. SEM micrograph shows good grain growth in all samples. Magnetic Study reveals that the M-H curves of all the prepared samples taken at room temperature are very well saturated. The maximum value of remnant magnetization (Mr ˜13.9 emu/g) and saturation magnetization (Ms ˜74.4 emu/g) has been observed for x =0.2 sample. Coercivity does not show any regular variation with increase in the molar concentration of Ti in CoFe2O4 at A-site.

Applications of reversible covalent chemistry in analytical sample preparation.

PubMed

Siegel, David

2012-12-07

Reversible covalent chemistry (RCC) adds another dimension to commonly used sample preparation techniques like solid-phase extraction (SPE), solid-phase microextraction (SPME), molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) or immuno-affinity cleanup (IAC): chemical selectivity. By selecting analytes according to their covalent reactivity, sample complexity can be reduced significantly, resulting in enhanced analytical performance for low-abundance target analytes. This review gives a comprehensive overview of the applications of RCC in analytical sample preparation. The major reactions covered include reversible boronic ester formation, thiol-disulfide exchange and reversible hydrazone formation, targeting analyte groups like diols (sugars, glycoproteins and glycopeptides, catechols), thiols (cysteinyl-proteins and cysteinyl-peptides) and carbonyls (carbonylated proteins, mycotoxins). Their applications range from low abundance proteomics to reversible protein/peptide labelling to antibody chromatography to quantitative and qualitative food analysis. In discussing the potential of RCC, a special focus is on the conditions and restrictions of the utilized reaction chemistry.

Ice Surfaces.

PubMed

Shultz, Mary Jane

2017-05-05

Ice is a fundamental solid with important environmental, biological, geological, and extraterrestrial impact. The stable form of ice at atmospheric pressure is hexagonal ice, I h . Despite its prevalence, I h remains an enigmatic solid, in part due to challenges in preparing samples for fundamental studies. Surfaces of ice present even greater challenges. Recently developed methods for preparation of large single-crystal samples make it possible to reproducibly prepare any chosen face to address numerous fundamental questions. This review describes preparation methods along with results that firmly establish the connection between the macroscopic structure (observed in snowflakes, microcrystallites, or etch pits) and the molecular-level configuration (detected with X-ray or electron scattering techniques). Selected results of probing interactions at the ice surface, including growth from the melt, surface vibrations, and characterization of the quasi-liquid layer, are discussed.

Critical evaluation of sample pretreatment techniques.

PubMed

Hyötyläinen, Tuulia

2009-06-01

Sample preparation before chromatographic separation is the most time-consuming and error-prone part of the analytical procedure. Therefore, selecting and optimizing an appropriate sample preparation scheme is a key factor in the final success of the analysis, and the judicious choice of an appropriate procedure greatly influences the reliability and accuracy of a given analysis. The main objective of this review is to critically evaluate the applicability, disadvantages, and advantages of various sample preparation techniques. Particular emphasis is placed on extraction techniques suitable for both liquid and solid samples.

Polymorphs of Theophylline Characterized by DNP Enhanced Solid-State NMR

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

We show how dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enhanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy can be used to characterize polymorphs and solvates of organic solids. We applied DNP to three polymorphs and one hydrated form of the asthma drug molecule theophylline. For some forms of theophylline, sample grinding and impregnation with the radical-containing solution, which are necessary to prepare the samples for DNP, were found to induce polymorphic transitions or desolvation between some forms. We present protocols for sample preparation for solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) DNP experiments that avoid the polymorphic phase transitions in theophylline. These protocols include cryogrinding, grinding under inert atmosphere, and the appropriate choice of the impregnating liquid. By applying these procedures, we subsequently demonstrate that two-dimensional correlation experiments, such as 1H–13C and 1H–15N HETCOR or 13C–13C INADEQUATE, can be obtained at natural isotopic abundance in reasonable times, thus enabling more advanced structural characterization of polymorphs. PMID:26393368

Preparation of amorphous solid dispersions by rotary evaporation and KinetiSol Dispersing: approaches to enhance solubility of a poorly water-soluble gum extract.

PubMed

Bennett, Ryan C; Brough, Chris; Miller, Dave A; O'Donnell, Kevin P; Keen, Justin M; Hughey, Justin R; Williams, Robert O; McGinity, James W

2015-03-01

Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA), a gum resin extract, possesses poor water-solubility that limits bioavailability and a high melting point making it difficult to successfully process into solid dispersions by fusion methods. The purpose of this study was to investigate solvent and thermal processing techniques for the preparation of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) exhibiting enhanced solubility, dissolution rates and bioavailability. Solid dispersions were successfully produced by rotary evaporation (RE) and KinetiSol® Dispersing (KSD). Solid state and chemical characterization revealed that ASD with good potency and purity were produced by both RE and KSD. Results of the RE studies demonstrated that AQOAT®-LF, AQOAT®-MF, Eudragit® L100-55 and Soluplus with the incorporation of dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium provided substantial solubility enhancement. Non-sink dissolution analysis showed enhanced dissolution properties for KSD-processed solid dispersions in comparison to RE-processed solid dispersions. Variances in release performance were identified when different particle size fractions of KSD samples were analyzed. Selected RE samples varying in particle surface morphologies were placed under storage and exhibited crystalline growth following solid-state stability analysis at 12 months in comparison to stored KSD samples confirming amorphous instability for RE products. In vivo analysis of KSD-processed solid dispersions revealed significantly enhanced AKBA absorption in comparison to the neat, active substance.

Solid matrix transformation and tracer addition using molten ammonium bifluoride salt as a sample preparation method for laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Grate, Jay W; Gonzalez, Jhanis J; O'Hara, Matthew J; Kellogg, Cynthia M; Morrison, Samuel S; Koppenaal, David W; Chan, George C-Y; Mao, Xianglei; Zorba, Vassilia; Russo, Richard E

2017-09-08

Solid sampling and analysis methods, such as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), are challenged by matrix effects and calibration difficulties. Matrix-matched standards for external calibration are seldom available and it is difficult to distribute spikes evenly into a solid matrix as internal standards. While isotopic ratios of the same element can be measured to high precision, matrix-dependent effects in the sampling and analysis process frustrate accurate quantification and elemental ratio determinations. Here we introduce a potentially general solid matrix transformation approach entailing chemical reactions in molten ammonium bifluoride (ABF) salt that enables the introduction of spikes as tracers or internal standards. Proof of principle experiments show that the decomposition of uranium ore in sealed PFA fluoropolymer vials at 230 °C yields, after cooling, new solids suitable for direct solid sampling by LA. When spikes are included in the molten salt reaction, subsequent LA-ICP-MS sampling at several spots indicate that the spikes are evenly distributed, and that U-235 tracer dramatically improves reproducibility in U-238 analysis. Precisions improved from 17% relative standard deviation for U-238 signals to 0.1% for the ratio of sample U-238 to spiked U-235, a factor of over two orders of magnitude. These results introduce the concept of solid matrix transformation (SMT) using ABF, and provide proof of principle for a new method of incorporating internal standards into a solid for LA-ICP-MS. This new approach, SMT-LA-ICP-MS, provides opportunities to improve calibration and quantification in solids based analysis. Looking forward, tracer addition to transformed solids opens up LA-based methods to analytical methodologies such as standard addition, isotope dilution, preparation of matrix-matched solid standards, external calibration, and monitoring instrument drift against external calibration standards.

Optimization of the β-Elimination/Michael Addition Chemistry on Reversed-Phase Supports for Mass Spectrometry Analysis of O-Linked Protein Modifications

PubMed Central

Nika, Heinz; Nieves, Edward; Hawke, David H.; Angeletti, Ruth Hogue

2013-01-01

We previously adapted the β-elimination/Michael addition chemistry to solid-phase derivatization on reversed-phase supports, and demonstrated the utility of this reaction format to prepare phosphoseryl peptides in unfractionated protein digests for mass spectrometric identification and facile phosphorylation-site determination. Here, we have expanded the use of this technique to β-N-acetylglucosamine peptides, modified at serine/threonine, phosphothreonyl peptides, and phosphoseryl/phosphothreonyl peptides, followed in sequence by proline. The consecutive β-elimination with Michael addition was adapted to optimize the solid-phase reaction conditions for throughput and completeness of derivatization. The analyte remained intact during derivatization and was recovered efficiently from the silica-based, reversed-phase support with minimal sample loss. The general use of the solid-phase approach for enzymatic dephosphorylation was demonstrated with phosphoseryl and phosphothreonyl peptides and was used as an orthogonal method to confirm the identity of phosphopeptides in proteolytic mixtures. The solid-phase approach proved highly suitable to prepare substrates from low-level amounts of protein digests for phosphorylation-site determination by chemical-targeted proteolysis. The solid-phase protocol provides for a simple, robust, and efficient tool to prepare samples for phosphopeptide identification in MALDI mass maps of unfractionated protein digests, using standard equipment available in most biological laboratories. The use of a solid-phase analytical platform is expected to be readily expanded to prepare digest from O-glycosylated- and O-sulfonated proteins for mass spectrometry-based structural characterization. PMID:23997661

Fluidics platform and method for sample preparation

DOEpatents

Benner, Henry W.; Dzenitis, John M.

2016-06-21

Provided herein are fluidics platforms and related methods for performing integrated sample collection and solid-phase extraction of a target component of the sample all in one tube. The fluidics platform comprises a pump, particles for solid-phase extraction and a particle-holding means. The method comprises contacting the sample with one or more reagents in a pump, coupling a particle-holding means to the pump and expelling the waste out of the pump while the particle-holding means retains the particles inside the pump. The fluidics platform and methods herein described allow solid-phase extraction without pipetting and centrifugation.

Final Report for X-ray Diffraction Sample Preparation Method Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ely, T. M.; Meznarich, H. K.; Valero, T.

WRPS-1500790, “X-ray Diffraction Saltcake Sample Preparation Method Development Plan/Procedure,” was originally prepared with the intent of improving the specimen preparation methodology used to generate saltcake specimens suitable for XRD-based solid phase characterization. At the time that this test plan document was originally developed, packed powder in cavity supports with collodion binder was the established XRD specimen preparation method. An alternate specimen preparation method less vulnerable, if not completely invulnerable to preferred orientation effects, was desired as a replacement for the method.

Enhanced Multiferroic Properties of YMnO3 Ceramics Fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering Along with Low-Temperature Solid-State Reaction

PubMed Central

Wang, Meng; Wang, Ting; Song, Shenhua; Ravi, Muchakayala; Liu, Renchen; Ji, Shishan

2017-01-01

Based on precursor powders with a size of 200–300 nm prepared by the low-temperature solid-state reaction method, phase-pure YMnO3 ceramics are fabricated using spark plasma sintering (SPS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveal that the high-purity YMnO3 ceramics can be prepared by SPS at 1000 °C for 5 minutes with annealing at 800 °C for 2 h. The relative density of the sample is as high as 97%, which is much higher than those of the samples sintered by other methods. The present dielectric and magnetic properties are much better than those of the samples fabricated by conventional methods and SPS with ball-milling precursors, and the ferroelectric loops at room temperature can be detected. These findings indicate that the YMnO3 ceramics prepared by the low temperature solid reaction method and SPS possess excellent dielectric lossy ferroelectric properties at room temperature, and magnetic properties at low temperature (10 K), making them suitable for potential multiferroic applications. PMID:28772832

Detergent Optimized Membrane Protein Reconstitution in Liposomes for Solid State NMR

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

For small helical membrane proteins, their structures are highly sensitive to their environment, and solid state NMR is a structural technique that can characterize these membrane proteins in native-like lipid bilayers and proteoliposomes. To date, a systematic method by which to evaluate the effect of the solubilizing detergent on proteoliposome preparations for solid state NMR of membrane proteins has not been presented in the literature. A set of experiments are presented aimed at determining the conditions most amenable to dialysis mediated reconstitution sample preparation. A membrane protein from M. tuberculosis is used to illustrate the method. The results show that a detergent that stabilizes the most protein is not always ideal and sometimes cannot be removed by dialysis. By focusing on the lipid and protein binding properties of the detergent, proteoliposome preparations can be readily produced, which provide double the signal-to-noise ratios for both the oriented sample and magic angle spinning solid state NMR. The method will allow more membrane protein drug targets to be structurally characterized in lipid bilayer environments. PMID:24665863

On the use of ultracentrifugal devices for routine sample preparation in biomolecular magic-angle-spinning NMR

PubMed Central

Mandal, Abhishek; Boatz, Jennifer C.; Wheeler, Travis; van der Wel, Patrick C. A.

2017-01-01

A number of recent advances in the field of magic-angle-spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR have enabled its application to a range of biological systems of ever increasing complexity. To retain biological relevance, these samples are increasingly studied in a hydrated state. At the same time, experimental feasibility requires the sample preparation process to attain a high sample concentration within the final MAS rotor. We discuss these considerations, and how they have led to a number of different approaches to MAS NMR sample preparation. We describe our experience of how custom-made (or commercially available) ultracentrifugal devices can facilitate a simple, fast and reliable sample preparation process. A number of groups have since adopted such tools, in some cases to prepare samples for sedimentation-style MAS NMR experiments. Here we argue for a more widespread adoption of their use for routine MAS NMR sample preparation. PMID:28229262

Morphology and conductivity study of solid electrolyte Li{sub 3}PO{sub 4}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prayogi, Lugas Dwi, E-mail: ldprayodi@gmail.com; Faisal, Muhamad; Kartini, Evvy, E-mail: kartini@batan.go.id

2016-02-08

The comparison between two different methods of synthesize of solid electrolyte Li{sub 3}PO{sub 4} as precursor material for developing lithium ion battery, has been performed. The first method is to synthesize Li{sub 3}PO{sub 4} prepared by wet chemical reaction from LiOH and H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} which provide facile, abundant available resource, low cost, and low toxicity. The second method is solid state reaction prepared by Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3} and NH{sub 4}H{sub 2}PO{sub 4.} In addition, the possible morphology identification of comparison between two different methods will also be discussed. The composition, morphology, and additional identification phase and another compound ofmore » Li{sub 3}PO{sub 4} powder products from two different reaction are characterized by SEM, EDS, and EIS. The Li{sub 3}PO{sub 4} powder produced from wet reaction and solid state reaction have an average diameter of 0.834 – 7.81 µm and 2.15 – 17.3 µm, respectively. The density of Li{sub 3}PO{sub 4} prepared by wet chemical reaction is 2.238 gr/cm{sup 3}, little bit lower than the sample prepared by solid state reaction which density is 2.3560 gr/cm{sup 3}. The EIS measurement result shows that the conductivity of Li{sub 3}PO{sub 4} is 1.7 x 10{sup −9} S.cm{sup −1} for wet chemical reaction and 1.8 x 10{sup −10} S.cm{sup −1} for solid state reaction. The conductivity of Li{sub 3}PO{sub 4} is not quite different between those two samples even though they were prepared by different method of synthesize.« less

Fe–Ni solid solutions in nano-size dimensions: Effect of hydrogen annealing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Asheesh, E-mail: asheeshk@barc.gov.in; Meena, S.S.; Banerjee, S.

Highlights: • Fe–Ni solid solution with nano-size dimensions were prepared and characterized. • Both as prepared and hydrogenated solid solutions have FCC structure of Ni. • Paramagnetic and ferromagnetic domains coexist in these samples. - Abstract: Nanoparticles of Ni{sub 0.50}Fe{sub 0.50} and Ni{sub 0.75}Fe{sub 0.25} alloys were prepared by chemical reduction in ethylene glycol medium. XRD and {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer studies have confirmed the formation of Fe–Ni solid solution in nano-size dimensions with FCC structure. These samples consist of both ferromagnetic and paramagnetic domains which have been attributed to the coexistence of large and small particles as confirmed by atomicmore » force microscopic (AFM) and {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectroscopic studies. Improved extent of Fe–Fe exchange interaction existing in Ni{sub 0.50}Fe{sub 0.50} alloy compared to Ni{sub 0.75}Fe{sub 0.25} alloy explains the observed increase in the relative extent of ferromagnetic domains compared to paramagnetic domains in the former sample. Increase in the relative extent of ferromagnetic domains for hydrogenated alloys is due to increase in particle size brought about by the high temperature activation prior to hydrogenation.« less

Microwave Crystallization of Lithium Aluminum Germanium Phosphate Solid-State Electrolyte.

PubMed

Mahmoud, Morsi M; Cui, Yuantao; Rohde, Magnus; Ziebert, Carlos; Link, Guido; Seifert, Hans Juergen

2016-06-23

Lithium aluminum germanium phosphate (LAGP) glass-ceramics are considered as promising solid-state electrolytes for Li-ion batteries. LAGP glass was prepared via the regular conventional melt-quenching method. Thermal, chemical analyses and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were performed to characterize the prepared glass. The crystallization of the prepared LAGP glass was done using conventional heating and high frequency microwave (MW) processing. Thirty GHz microwave (MW) processing setup were used to convert the prepared LAGP glass into glass-ceramics and compared with the conventionally crystallized LAGP glass-ceramics that were heat-treated in an electric conventional furnace. The ionic conductivities of the LAGP samples obtained from the two different routes were measured using impedance spectroscopy. These samples were also characterized using XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Microwave processing was successfully used to crystallize LAGP glass into glass-ceramic without the aid of susceptors. The MW treated sample showed higher total, grains and grain boundary ionic conductivities values, lower activation energy and relatively larger-grained microstructure with less porosity compared to the corresponding conventionally treated sample at the same optimized heat-treatment conditions. The enhanced total, grains and grain boundary ionic conductivities values along with the reduced activation energy that were observed in the MW treated sample was considered as an experimental evidence for the existence of the microwave effect in LAGP crystallization process. MW processing is a promising candidate technology for the production of solid-state electrolytes for Li-ion battery.

Assessment of Bacterial Spores in Solid Materials: Curriculum Improvements Partnership Award for the Integration of Research (CIPAIR)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lavallee, Richard J.

2012-01-01

This summer, we quantified the release, by cryogenic grinding at liquid nitrogen temperatures, of microbes present in 4 different spacecraft solids: epoxy 9309, epoxy 9394, epoxy 9396, and a silicone coating. Three different samples of each material were prepared: aseptically prepared solid material, powdered material inoculated with a known spore count of Bacillus atrophaeus, and solid material artificially embedded with a known spore count of Bacillus atrophaeus. Samples were cryogenically ground as needed, and the powders were directly cultured to determine the number of microbial survivors per gram of material. Recovery rates were found to be highly material-dependent, varying from 0.2 to 50% for inoculated material surfaces and 0.002 to 0.5% for embedded spores. A study of the spore survival rate versus total grinding time was also performed, with results indicating that longer grinding time decreases recovery rates of viable spores.

A green analytical method using ultrasound in sample preparation for the flow injection determination of iron, manganese, and zinc in soluble solid samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

PubMed

Yebra, M Carmen

2012-01-01

A simple and rapid analytical method was developed for the determination of iron, manganese, and zinc in soluble solid samples. The method is based on continuous ultrasonic water dissolution of the sample (5-30 mg) at room temperature followed by flow injection flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination. A good precision of the whole procedure (1.2-4.6%) and a sample throughput of ca. 25 samples h(-1) were obtained. The proposed green analytical method has been successfully applied for the determination of iron, manganese, and zinc in soluble solid food samples (soluble cocoa and soluble coffee) and pharmaceutical preparations (multivitamin tablets). The ranges of concentrations found were 21.4-25.61 μg g(-1) for iron, 5.74-18.30 μg g(-1) for manganese, and 33.27-57.90 μg g(-1) for zinc in soluble solid food samples and 3.75-9.90 μg g(-1) for iron, 0.47-5.05 μg g(-1) for manganese, and 1.55-15.12 μg g(-1) for zinc in multivitamin tablets. The accuracy of the proposed method was established by a comparison with the conventional wet acid digestion method using a paired t-test, indicating the absence of systematic errors.

Sample Preparation and Extraction in Small Sample Volumes Suitable for Pediatric Clinical Studies: Challenges, Advances, and Experiences of a Bioanalytical HPLC-MS/MS Method Validation Using Enalapril and Enalaprilat

PubMed Central

Burckhardt, Bjoern B.; Laeer, Stephanie

2015-01-01

In USA and Europe, medicines agencies force the development of child-appropriate medications and intend to increase the availability of information on the pediatric use. This asks for bioanalytical methods which are able to deal with small sample volumes as the trial-related blood lost is very restricted in children. Broadly used HPLC-MS/MS, being able to cope with small volumes, is susceptible to matrix effects. The latter restrains the precise drug quantification through, for example, causing signal suppression. Sophisticated sample preparation and purification utilizing solid-phase extraction was applied to reduce and control matrix effects. A scale-up from vacuum manifold to positive pressure manifold was conducted to meet the demands of high-throughput within a clinical setting. Faced challenges, advances, and experiences in solid-phase extraction are exemplarily presented on the basis of the bioanalytical method development and validation of low-volume samples (50 μL serum). Enalapril, enalaprilat, and benazepril served as sample drugs. The applied sample preparation and extraction successfully reduced the absolute and relative matrix effect to comply with international guidelines. Recoveries ranged from 77 to 104% for enalapril and from 93 to 118% for enalaprilat. The bioanalytical method comprising sample extraction by solid-phase extraction was fully validated according to FDA and EMA bioanalytical guidelines and was used in a Phase I study in 24 volunteers. PMID:25873972

Solid-Phase Extraction Strategies to Surmount Body Fluid Sample Complexity in High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics

PubMed Central

Bladergroen, Marco R.; van der Burgt, Yuri E. M.

2015-01-01

For large-scale and standardized applications in mass spectrometry- (MS-) based proteomics automation of each step is essential. Here we present high-throughput sample preparation solutions for balancing the speed of current MS-acquisitions and the time needed for analytical workup of body fluids. The discussed workflows reduce body fluid sample complexity and apply for both bottom-up proteomics experiments and top-down protein characterization approaches. Various sample preparation methods that involve solid-phase extraction (SPE) including affinity enrichment strategies have been automated. Obtained peptide and protein fractions can be mass analyzed by direct infusion into an electrospray ionization (ESI) source or by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) without further need of time-consuming liquid chromatography (LC) separations. PMID:25692071

Molecularly imprinted polymer online solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-UV for the determination of three sulfonamides in pork and chicken.

PubMed

He, Jinxing; Wang, Shuo; Fang, Guozhen; Zhu, Huaping; Zhang, Yan

2008-05-14

A selective imprinted amino-functionalized silica gel sorbent was prepared by combining a surface molecular imprinting technique with a sol-gel process for online solid-phase extraction-HPLC determination of three trace sulfonamides in pork and chicken muscle. The imprinted functionalized silica gel sorbent exhibited selectivity and fast kinetics for the adsorption and desorption of sulfonamides. With a sample loading flow rate of 4 mL min (-1) for 12.5 min, enhancement factors and detection limits for three sulfonamides ( S/ N = 3) were achieved. The precision (RSD) for nine replicate online sorbent extractions of 5 microg L (-1) sulfonamides was less than 4.5%. The sorbent also offered good linearity ( r (2) > 0.99) for online solid-phase extraction of trace levels of sulfonamides. The method was applied to the determination of sulfonamides in pork and chicken muscle samples. The prepared polymer sorbent shows promise for online solid-phase extraction for HPLC determination of trace levels of sulfonamides in pork and chicken samples.

Effects of Sample Preparation on the Infrared Reflectance Spectra of Powders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brauer, Carolyn S.; Johnson, Timothy J.; Myers, Tanya L.

2015-05-22

While reflectance spectroscopy is a useful tool in identifying molecular compounds, laboratory measurement of solid (particularly powder) samples often is confounded by sample preparation methods. For example, both the packing density and surface roughness can have an effect on the quantitative reflectance spectra of powdered samples. Recent efforts in our group have focused on developing standard methods for measuring reflectance spectra that accounts for sample preparation, as well as other factors such as particle size and provenance. In this work, the effect of preparation method on sample reflectivity was investigated by measuring the directional-hemispherical spectra of samples that were hand-packedmore » as well as pressed into pellets using an integrating sphere attached to a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The results show that the methods used to prepare the sample have a substantial effect on the measured reflectance spectra, as do other factors such as particle size.« less

Effects of sample preparation on the infrared reflectance spectra of powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brauer, Carolyn S.; Johnson, Timothy J.; Myers, Tanya L.; Su, Yin-Fong; Blake, Thomas A.; Forland, Brenda M.

2015-05-01

While reflectance spectroscopy is a useful tool for identifying molecular compounds, laboratory measurement of solid (particularly powder) samples often is confounded by sample preparation methods. For example, both the packing density and surface roughness can have an effect on the quantitative reflectance spectra of powdered samples. Recent efforts in our group have focused on developing standard methods for measuring reflectance spectra that accounts for sample preparation, as well as other factors such as particle size and provenance. In this work, the effect of preparation method on sample reflectivity was investigated by measuring the directional-hemispherical spectra of samples that were hand-loaded as well as pressed into pellets using an integrating sphere attached to a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The results show that the methods used to prepare the sample can have a substantial effect on the measured reflectance spectra, as do other factors such as particle size.

Effect of processing route for preparation of mullite from kaolinite and alumina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behera, Pallavi Suhasinee; Bhattacharyya, Sunipa

2018-05-01

In current work, two different types of mullite ceramic powder were prepared using kaolinite and alumina by solid state and chemical precipitation route. The phases, bond types and microstructural evolution of the mullite powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction, infrared analysis, and field emission scanning electron microscopy to study the mullitisation behavior. The solid state method evident a pure mullite phase formation at 1550 °C. In case of chemical precipitation route small amount of alumina peak was noticed along with major phase of mullite which was also clearly apprehended from FESEM micrographs and IR spectra. Densification was more for the samples prepared by solid state process which may be correlated to the delayed mullitization process in chemical precipitation route.

Solid state NMR: The essential technology for helical membrane protein structural characterization

PubMed Central

Cross, Timothy A.; Ekanayake, Vindana; Paulino, Joana; Wright, Anna

2014-01-01

NMR spectroscopy of helical membrane proteins has been very challenging on multiple fronts. The expression and purification of these proteins while maintaining functionality has consumed countless graduate student hours. Sample preparations have depended on whether solution or solid-state NMR spectroscopy was to be performed – neither have been easy. In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that membrane mimic environments influence the structural result. Indeed, in these recent years we have rediscovered that Nobel laureate, Christian Anfinsen, did not say that protein structure was exclusively dictated by the amino acid sequence, but rather by the sequence in a given environment (Anfinsen, 1973) [106]. The environment matters, molecular interactions with the membrane environment are significant and many examples of distorted, non-native membrane protein structures have recently been documented in the literature. However, solid-state NMR structures of helical membrane proteins in proteoliposomes and bilayers are proving to be native structures that permit a high resolution characterization of their functional states. Indeed, solid-state NMR is uniquely able to characterize helical membrane protein structures in lipid environments without detergents. Recent progress in expression, purification, reconstitution, sample preparation and in the solid-state NMR spectroscopy of both oriented samples and magic angle spinning samples has demonstrated that helical membrane protein structures can be achieved in a timely fashion. Indeed, this is a spectacular opportunity for the NMR community to have a major impact on biomedical research through the solid-state NMR spectroscopy of these proteins. PMID:24412099

Solid state NMR: The essential technology for helical membrane protein structural characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cross, Timothy A.; Ekanayake, Vindana; Paulino, Joana; Wright, Anna

2014-02-01

NMR spectroscopy of helical membrane proteins has been very challenging on multiple fronts. The expression and purification of these proteins while maintaining functionality has consumed countless graduate student hours. Sample preparations have depended on whether solution or solid-state NMR spectroscopy was to be performed - neither have been easy. In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that membrane mimic environments influence the structural result. Indeed, in these recent years we have rediscovered that Nobel laureate, Christian Anfinsen, did not say that protein structure was exclusively dictated by the amino acid sequence, but rather by the sequence in a given environment (Anfinsen, 1973) [106]. The environment matters, molecular interactions with the membrane environment are significant and many examples of distorted, non-native membrane protein structures have recently been documented in the literature. However, solid-state NMR structures of helical membrane proteins in proteoliposomes and bilayers are proving to be native structures that permit a high resolution characterization of their functional states. Indeed, solid-state NMR is uniquely able to characterize helical membrane protein structures in lipid environments without detergents. Recent progress in expression, purification, reconstitution, sample preparation and in the solid-state NMR spectroscopy of both oriented samples and magic angle spinning samples has demonstrated that helical membrane protein structures can be achieved in a timely fashion. Indeed, this is a spectacular opportunity for the NMR community to have a major impact on biomedical research through the solid-state NMR spectroscopy of these proteins.

Streamlined sample cleanup using combined dispersive solid-phase extraction and in-vial filtration for analysis of pesticides and environmental pollutants in shrimp

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A new method of sample preparation was developed and is reported for the first time. The approach combines in-vial filtration with dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) in a fast and convenient cleanup of QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) extracts. The method was appli...

A Green Analytical Method Using Ultrasound in Sample Preparation for the Flow Injection Determination of Iron, Manganese, and Zinc in Soluble Solid Samples by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Yebra, M. Carmen

2012-01-01

A simple and rapid analytical method was developed for the determination of iron, manganese, and zinc in soluble solid samples. The method is based on continuous ultrasonic water dissolution of the sample (5–30 mg) at room temperature followed by flow injection flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination. A good precision of the whole procedure (1.2–4.6%) and a sample throughput of ca. 25 samples h–1 were obtained. The proposed green analytical method has been successfully applied for the determination of iron, manganese, and zinc in soluble solid food samples (soluble cocoa and soluble coffee) and pharmaceutical preparations (multivitamin tablets). The ranges of concentrations found were 21.4–25.61 μg g−1 for iron, 5.74–18.30 μg g−1 for manganese, and 33.27–57.90 μg g−1 for zinc in soluble solid food samples and 3.75–9.90 μg g−1 for iron, 0.47–5.05 μg g−1 for manganese, and 1.55–15.12 μg g−1 for zinc in multivitamin tablets. The accuracy of the proposed method was established by a comparison with the conventional wet acid digestion method using a paired t-test, indicating the absence of systematic errors. PMID:22567553

Characterization of rhamnolipids by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry after solid-phase extraction.

PubMed

Behrens, Beate; Engelen, Jeannine; Tiso, Till; Blank, Lars Mathias; Hayen, Heiko

2016-04-01

Rhamnolipids are surface-active agents with a broad application potential that are produced in complex mixtures by bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas. Analysis from fermentation broth is often characterized by laborious sample preparation and requires hyphenated analytical techniques like liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to obtain detailed information about sample composition. In this study, an analytical procedure based on chromatographic method development and characterization of rhamnolipid sample material by LC-MS as well as a comparison of two sample preparation methods, i.e., liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction, is presented. Efficient separation was achieved under reversed-phase conditions using a mixed propylphenyl and octadecylsilyl-modified silica gel stationary phase. LC-MS/MS analysis of a supernatant from Pseudomonas putida strain KT2440 pVLT33_rhlABC grown on glucose as sole carbon source and purified by solid-phase extraction revealed a total of 20 congeners of di-rhamnolipids, mono-rhamnolipids, and their biosynthetic precursors 3-(3-hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoic acids (HAAs) with different carbon chain lengths from C8 to C14, including three rhamnolipids with uncommon C9 and C11 fatty acid residues. LC-MS and the orcinol assay were used to evaluate the developed solid-phase extraction method in comparison with the established liquid-liquid extraction. Solid-phase extraction exhibited higher yields and reproducibility as well as lower experimental effort.

Molecularly imprinted polymer/cryogel composites for solid-phase extraction of bisphenol A from river water and wine.

PubMed

Baggiani, Claudio; Baravalle, Patrizia; Giovannoli, Cristina; Anfossi, Laura; Giraudi, Gianfranco

2010-05-01

Superporous monolithic hydrogels (cryogel monoliths) are elastic, sponge-like materials that can be prepared in an aqueous medium through a cryotropic gelation technique. These monoliths show interesting properties for the development of high-throughput solid-phase extraction supports to treat large volumes of aqueous samples. In this work, a cryogel-supported molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction approach for the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) from river water and wine samples is presented. An imprinted polymer with molecular recognition properties for BPA was prepared in acetonitrile by thermal polymerization of a mixture of 4,4'-dihydroxy-2,2-diphenyl-1,1,1,3,3,3-trifluoropropane as a mimic template of BPA, 4-vinylpyridine and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate in a molar ratio of 1 + 6 + 6. Fine imprinted particles (<10 microm) were embedded in a poly-acrylamide-co-N,N'-methylenbisacrylamide cryogel obtained by ammonium persulfate-induced cryopolymerization at -18 degrees C. The resulting monolithic gel was evaluated for its use as a sorbent support in an off-line solid-phase extraction approach to recover BPA from dilute aqueous samples with minimum pre-loading work-up. The optimized extraction protocol resulted in a reliable MISPE method suitable to selectively extract and preconcentrate BPA from river water and red wine samples, demonstrating the practical feasibility of cryogel-trapped imprinted polymers as solid-phase extraction materials.

Enhancing the bioavailability of magnolol in rabbits using melting solid dispersion with polyvinylpyrrolidone.

PubMed

Lin, Shiuan-Pey; Hou, Yu-Chi; Liao, Tzu-Yun; Tsai, Shang-Yuan

2014-03-01

Preparation of magnolol-loaded amorphous solid dispersion was investigated for improving the bioavailability. A solid dispersion of magnolol was prepared with polyvinylpyrrolidone K-30 (PVP) by melting method, and the physical properties were characterized by using differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffractometry, Fourier transformation-infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. In addition, dissolution test was also performed. Subsequently, the bioavailability of magnolol pure compound, its physical mixture and solid dispersion were compared in rabbits. The blood samples withdrawn via marginal ear vein at specific time points were assayed by HPLC method. Oral administration of the solid dispersion of magnolol with PVP significantly increased the systemic exposures of magnolol and magnolol sulfates/glucuronides by 80.1% and 142.8%, respectively, compared to those given with magnolol pure compound. Magnolol-loaded amorphous solid dispersion with PVP has demonstrated enhanced bioavailability of magnolol in rabbits.

Effect of Sintering Temperature on Structural, Dielectric, and Magnetic Properties of Multiferroic YFeO₃ Ceramics Fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering.

PubMed

Wang, Meng; Wang, Ting; Song, Shenhua; Ma, Qing; Liu, Renchen

2017-03-07

Based on precursor powders with a size of 200-300 nm prepared by the low-temperature solid reaction method, phase-pure YFeO₃ ceramics are fabricated using spark plasma sintering (SPS) at different temperatures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveal that the high-purity YFeO₃ ceramics can be prepared using SPS, while the results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) show that the concentration of oxygen vacancies resulting from transformation from Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ is low. The relative density of the 1000 °C-sintered sample is as high as 97.7%, which is much higher than those of the samples sintered at other temperatures. The present dielectric and magnetic properties are much better than those of the samples fabricated by conventional methods. These findings indicate that the YFeO₃ ceramics prepared by the low temperature solid reaction and SPS methods possess excellent dielectric and magnetic properties, making them suitable for potential applications involving magnetic storage.

[Developments in preparation and experimental method of solid phase microextraction fibers].

PubMed

Yi, Xu; Fu, Yujie

2004-09-01

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is a simple and effective adsorption and desorption technique, which concentrates volatile or nonvolatile compounds from liquid samples or headspace of samples. SPME is compatible with analyte separation and detection by gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, and other instrumental methods. It can provide many advantages, such as wide linear scale, low solvent and sample consumption, short analytical times, low detection limits, simple apparatus, and so on. The theory of SPME is introduced, which includes equilibrium theory and non-equilibrium theory. The novel development of fiber preparation methods and relative experimental techniques are discussed. In addition to commercial fiber preparation, different newly developed fabrication techniques, such as sol-gel, electronic deposition, carbon-base adsorption, high-temperature epoxy immobilization, are presented. Effects of extraction modes, selection of fiber coating, optimization of operating conditions, method sensitivity and precision, and systematical automation, are taken into considerations in the analytical process of SPME. A simple perspective of SPME is proposed at last.

Low-temperature dynamic nuclear polarization of gases in frozen mixtures

PubMed Central

Pourfathi, Mehrdad; Clapp, Justin; Kadlecek, Stephen J.; Keenan, Caroline D.; Ghosh, Rajat K.; Kuzma, Nicholas N.; Rizi, Rahim R.

2015-01-01

Purpose To present a new cryogenic technique for preparing gaseous compounds in solid mixtures for polarization using dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). Methods 129Xe and 15N2O samples were prepared using the presented method. Samples were hyperpolarized at 1.42K at 5T. 129Xe was polarized at 1.65K and 1.42K to compare enhancement. Polarization levels for both samples and T1 relaxation times for the 129Xe sample were measured. Sample pulverization for the 129Xe and controlled annealing for both samples were introduced as additional steps in sample preparation. Results Enhancement increased by 15% due to a temperature drop from 1.65K to 1.42K for the 129Xe sample. A polarization level of 20±3% for the 129Xe sample was achieved, a 2-fold increase from 10±1% after pulverization of the sample at 1.42K. T1 of the 129Xe sample was increased by more than 3-fold via annealing. In the case of 15N2O, annealing led to a ~2-fold increase in the signal level after DNP. Conclusion The presented technique for producing and manipulating solid gas/glassing agent/radical mixtures for DNP led to high polarization levels in 129Xe and 15N2O samples. These methods show potential for polarizing other gases using DNP technology. PMID:26444315

Infrared reflectance spectra: Effects of particle size, provenance and preparation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Su, Yin-Fong; Myers, Tanya L.; Brauer, Carolyn S.

2014-09-22

We have recently developed methods for making more accurate infrared total and diffuse directional - hemispherical reflectance measurements using an integrating sphere. We have found that reflectance spectra of solids, especially powders, are influenced by a number of factors including the sample preparation method, the particle size and morphology, as well as the sample origin. On a quantitative basis we have investigated some of these parameters and the effects they have on reflectance spectra, particularly in the longwave infrared. In the IR the spectral features may be observed as either maxima or minima: In general, upward-going peaks in the reflectancemore » spectrum result from strong surface scattering, i.e. rays that are reflected from the surface without bulk penetration, whereas downward-going peaks are due to either absorption or volume scattering, i.e. rays that have penetrated or refracted into the sample interior and are not reflected. The light signals reflected from solids usually encompass all such effects, but with strong dependencies on particle size and preparation. This paper measures the reflectance spectra in the 1.3 – 16 micron range for various bulk materials that have a combination of strong and weak absorption bands in order to observe the effects on the spectral features: Bulk materials were ground with a mortar and pestle and sieved to separate the samples into various size fractions between 5 and 500 microns. The median particle size is demonstrated to have large effects on the reflectance spectra. For certain minerals we also observe significant spectral change depending on the geologic origin of the sample. All three such effects (particle size, preparation and provenance) result in substantial change in the reflectance spectra for solid materials; successful identification algorithms will require sufficient flexibility to account for these parameters.« less

Infrared reflectance spectra: effects of particle size, provenance and preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yin-Fong; Myers, Tanya L.; Brauer, Carolyn S.; Blake, Thomas A.; Forland, Brenda M.; Szecsody, J. E.; Johnson, Timothy J.

2014-10-01

We have recently developed methods for making more accurate infrared total and diffuse directional - hemispherical reflectance measurements using an integrating sphere. We have found that reflectance spectra of solids, especially powders, are influenced by a number of factors including the sample preparation method, the particle size and morphology, as well as the sample origin. On a quantitative basis we have investigated some of these parameters and the effects they have on reflectance spectra, particularly in the longwave infrared. In the IR the spectral features may be observed as either maxima or minima: In general, upward-going peaks in the reflectance spectrum result from strong surface scattering, i.e. rays that are reflected from the surface without bulk penetration, whereas downward-going peaks are due to either absorption or volume scattering, i.e. rays that have penetrated or refracted into the sample interior and are not reflected. The light signals reflected from solids usually encompass all such effects, but with strong dependencies on particle size and preparation. This paper measures the reflectance spectra in the 1.3 - 16 micron range for various bulk materials that have a combination of strong and weak absorption bands in order to observe the effects on the spectral features: Bulk materials were ground with a mortar and pestle and sieved to separate the samples into various size fractions between 5 and 500 microns. The median particle size is demonstrated to have large effects on the reflectance spectra. For certain minerals we also observe significant spectral change depending on the geologic origin of the sample. All three such effects (particle size, preparation and provenance) result in substantial change in the reflectance spectra for solid materials; successful identification algorithms will require sufficient flexibility to account for these parameters.

Nickel Nanocatalyst Ex-Solution from Ceria-Nickel Oxide Solid Solution for Low Temperature CO Oxidation.

PubMed

Singhania, Amit; Gupta, Shipra Mital

2018-07-01

In this work, in situ growth of Ni nanocatalysts to attach onto the ceria (CeO2) surface through direct Ni ex-solution from the NiO-CeO2 solid solution in a reducing atmosphere at high temperatures with an aim to improve the catalytic activity, and stability for low temperature carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation reaction have been reported. The NiO-CeO2 solid solutions were prepared by solution combustion method, and the results of XRD and RAMAN showed that doping of Ni increases the oxygen vacancies due to charge compensation. Ni is clearly visible in XRD and TEM of Ni ex-solved sample (R-UCe5Ni10) after reduction of NiO-CeO2 (UCe5Ni10) sample by 5% H2/Ar reduction at 1000 °C. TEM analysis revealed a size of 9.2 nm of Ni nanoparticle that is ex-solved on the surface CeO2. This ex-solved sample showed very high catalytic activity (T50 ~ 110 °C), and stability (100 h) for CO oxidation reaction as compared to prepared solid solution samples. This is due to the highly active metallic nano-phase which is ex-solved on the surface of CeO2 and strongly adherent to the support. The apparent activation energy Ni ex-solved sample is found out to be 48.4 kJ mol-1. Thus, the above Ni ex-solved sample shows a practical applicability for the CO reaction.

Gas chromatographic detection of some nitro explosive compounds in soil samples after solid-phase microextraction with carbon ceramic copper nanoparticle fibers.

PubMed

Farhadi, Khalil; Bochani, Shayesteh; Hatami, Mehdi; Molaei, Rahim; Pirkharrati, Hossein

2014-07-01

In this research, a new solid-phase microextraction fiber based on carbon ceramic composites with copper nanoparticles followed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection was applied for the extraction and determination of some nitro explosive compounds in soil samples. The proposed method provides an overview of trends related to synthesis of solid-phase microextraction sorbents and their applications in preconcentration and determination of nitro explosives. The sorbents were prepared by mixing of copper nanoparticles with a ceramic composite produced by mixture of methyltrimethoxysilane, graphite, methanol, and hydrochloric acid. The prepared sorbents were coated on copper wires by dip-coating method. The prepared nanocomposites were evaluated statistically and provided better limits of detection than the pure carbon ceramic. The limit of detection of the proposed method was 0.6 μg/g with a linear response over the concentration range of 2-160 μg/g and square of correlation coefficient >0.992. The new proposed fiber has been demonstrated to be a suitable, inexpensive, and sensitive candidate for extraction of nitro explosive compounds in contaminated soil samples. The constructed fiber can be used more than 100 times without the need for surface generation. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The low temperature synthesis, characterization and properties of ferroelectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jie

2000-10-01

PZT 50:50 xerogels prepared by two different sol-gel routes crystallized in a similar fashion to give a mixture of tetragonal and rhombohedral at high temperature (1000°C). Both the diffraction and EXAFS data suggest that the compositional inhomogeneity of the samples prepared by the two routes is similar. The crystallization of CZT gels is complicated. Crystalline CaCO 3 was always detected in the dry gels regardless of the sample composition and preparation methods. At intermediate temperatures a fluorite related phase was always formed and it transformed to perovskite at higher temperatures. The EXAFS data suggest that perovskite CZT samples prepared using alkoxide sol-gel chemistry may not be random solid solutions. All the solution processed ZrTiO4 materials crystallized in the range 600--700°C. The KTN samples prepared using a conventional alkoxide sol-gel route crystallized completely to perovskite at lower temperatures than those prepared using prehydrolyzed precursors. The EXAFS data for the KTN samples prepared using a conventional alkoxide sol-gel route are consistent with a random distribution of tantalum and niobium in the solid solution. However, materials prepared using the inhomogeneous sol-gel route and by the direct reaction of mixed oxides were shown to be compositionally inhomogeneous. The heterogeneity could not be removed by regrinding and heating the mixed oxide samples several times. K2Ta4-xNbxO11 (x = 0, 2, 4) samples were prepared using alkoxide sol-gel chemistry and their crystallization was examined by powder X-ray diffraction. A Rietveld structure analysis of the pyrochlore formed from a gel with bulk composition K2Ta 2Nb2O11 indicated that it was rich in potassium relative to the bulk sample. On heating to high temperatures tetragonal tungsten bronzes were formed. A Rietveld analysis was also performed for K2Ta 2Nb2O11 with tetragonal tungsten bronze structure. The defect pyrochlores "AgTaO3" and GaTaO 3 were synthesized by ion-exchange using pyrochlore KTaO3 as a starting material. The structures of the pyrochlores were examined using the Rietveld method. The pyrochlore-to-perovskite transformations were also explored.

Type of oral solid medication packaging and medication preparation time in nursing homes: A direct observation study.

PubMed

Cready, C M; Hudson, C; Dreyer, K

2017-12-01

Medication administration is a substantial portion of the workday in nursing homes, with the medication preparation step being the most time-consuming. However, little is known about how medication preparation time is affected by the type of packaging used for oral solid medications (ie, tablets/capsules). We examined the effects of two types of packaging. As fewer steps are associated with strip packaging compared to bingo card packaging, we hypothesized that the increase in medication preparation seconds per resident with each additional oral solid medication would be smaller when strip packaging was used. A total of 430 medication preparations conducted by eight nurses during the regularly scheduled morning medication administration period in two nursing homes-using strip packaging and bingo card packaging, respectively-were observed. Each medication preparation observation was matched to its corresponding medication administration record and observations averaged across resident. Using the resident sample (N=149), we estimated three regression models (adjusting the standard errors for the clustering of resident by nurse). The first model regressed medication preparation seconds on the number of oral solid medications. The second model added the type of packaging used and the control variables (type of unit [long-term care, post-acute care], the number of one-half pills and the dosage form diversity in the preparation). To test our hypothesis, the third model added an interaction term between the number of oral solid medications and the type of packaging used. As hypothesized, all else equal, the number of oral solid medications tended to increase medication preparation time per resident in both nursing homes, but the increase was smaller in the strip packaging nursing home (P<.05). Each additional oral solid medication in the bingo card packaging nursing home increased medication preparation by an average of 13 seconds (b=13.077), whereas each oral solid medication administered in the strip packaging nursing home increased medication preparation by an average of only 8 seconds (13.077-5.092=7.985). This is a difference on average of about 5 seconds per oral solid medication. To our knowledge, we were the first to examine the effect of type of oral solid medication packaging on medication preparation time in nursing homes. Type of packaging matters. The time saved using strip packaging (vs bingo card packaging) has implications for quality of care and the movement towards person-centred care in the nursing home sector. Nurses (or other staff tasked with medication preparation) in nursing homes using strip packaging potentially have more time to devote to nurturing a relationship with the resident. However, time saved in medication preparation by strip packaging is counterproductive if a serious error results. Thus, future studies should investigate the effects of type of packaging on medication preparation errors. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Analysis of Explosives in Soil Using Solid Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography: Environmental Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS Analysis of Explosives in Soil Using Solid Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography Howard T. Mayfield Air Force Research...Abstract: Current methods for the analysis of explosives in soils utilize time consuming sample preparation workups and extractions. The method detection...chromatography/mass spectrometry to provide a con- venient and sensitive analysis method for explosives in soil. Keywords: Explosives, TNT, solid phase

Molecularly imprinted polymers for sample preparation and biosensing in food analysis: Progress and perspectives.

PubMed

Ashley, Jon; Shahbazi, Mohammad-Ali; Kant, Krishna; Chidambara, Vinayaka Aaydha; Wolff, Anders; Bang, Dang Duong; Sun, Yi

2017-05-15

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are biomimetics which can selectively bind to analytes of interest. One of the most interesting areas where MIPs have shown the biggest potential is food analysis. MIPs have found use as sorbents in sample preparation attributed to the high selectivity and high loading capacity. MIPs have been intensively employed in classical solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction. More recently, MIPs have been combined with magnetic bead extraction, which greatly simplifies sample handling procedures. Studies have consistently shown that MIPs can effectively minimize complex food matrix effects, and improve recoveries and detection limits. In addition to sample preparation, MIPs have also been viewed as promising alternatives to bio-receptors due to the inherent molecular recognition abilities and the high stability in harsh chemical and physical conditions. MIPs have been utilized as receptors in biosensing platforms such as electrochemical, optical and mass biosensors to detect various analytes in food. In this review, we will discuss the current state-of-the-art of MIP synthesis and applications in the context of food analysis. We will highlight the imprinting methods which are applicable for imprinting food templates, summarize the recent progress in using MIPs for preparing and analysing food samples, and discuss the current limitations in the commercialisation of MIPs technology. Finally, future perspectives will be given. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

14C sample preparation for AMS microdosing studies at Lund University using online combustion and septa-sealed vials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sydoff, Marie; Stenström, Kristina

2010-04-01

The Department of Physics at Lund University is participating in a European Union project called EUMAPP (European Union Microdose AMS Partnership Programme), in which sample preparation and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements of biological samples from microdosing studies have been made. This paper describes a simplified method of converting biological samples to solid graphite for 14C analysis with AMS. The method is based on online combustion of the samples, and reduction of CO 2 in septa-sealed vials. The septa-sealed vials and disposable materials are used to eliminate sample cross-contamination. Measurements of ANU and Ox I standards show deviations of 2% and 3%, respectively, relative to reference values. This level of accuracy is sufficient for biological samples from microdosing studies. Since the method has very few handling steps from sample to graphite, the risk of failure during the sample preparation process is minimized, making the method easy to use in routine preparation of samples.

Characterization of Sb-doped Bi(2)UO(6) solid solutions by X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

PubMed

Misra, N L; Yadav, A K; Dhara, Sangita; Mishra, S K; Phatak, Rohan; Poswal, A K; Jha, S N; Sinha, A K; Bhattacharyya, D

2013-01-01

The preparation and characterization of Sb-doped Bi(2)UO(6) solid solutions, in a limited composition range, is reported for the first time. The solid solutions were prepared by solid-state reactions of Bi(2)O(3), Sb(2)O(3) and U(3)O(8) in the required stoichiometry. The reaction products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements at the Bi and U L(3) edges. The XRD patterns indicate the precipitation of additional phases in the samples when Sb doping exceeds 4 at%. The chemical shifts of the Bi absorption edges in the samples, determined from the XANES spectra, show a systematic variation only up to 4 at% of Sb doping and support the results of XRD measurements. These observations are further supported by the local structure parameters obtained by analysis of the EXAFS spectra. The local structure of U is found to remain unchanged upon Sb doping indicating that Sb(+3) ions replace Bi(+3) during the doping of Bi(2)UO(6) by Sb.

Prediction of recrystallization behavior of troglitazone/polyvinylpyrrolidone solid dispersion by solid-state NMR.

PubMed

Ito, Atsutoshi; Watanabe, Tomoyuki; Yada, Shuichi; Hamaura, Takeshi; Nakagami, Hiroaki; Higashi, Kenjirou; Moribe, Kunikazu; Yamamoto, Keiji

2010-01-04

The purpose of this study was to elaborate the relationship between the (13)C CP/MAS NMR spectra and the recrystallization behavior during the storage of troglitazone solid dispersions. The solid dispersions were prepared by either the solvent method or by co-grinding. The recrystallization behavior under storage conditions at 40 degrees C/94% RH was evaluated by the Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (KJMA) equation. Solid dispersions prepared by the solvent method or by prolonged grinding brought about inhibition of the nucleation and the nuclei growth at the same time. No differences in the PXRD profiles were found in the samples prepared by the co-grinding and solvent methods, however, (13)C CP/MAS NMR showed significant differences in the spectra. The correlation coefficients using partial least square regression analysis between the PXRD profiles and the apparent nuclei-growth constant or induction period to nucleation were 0.1305 or 0.6350, respectively. In contrast, those between the (13)C CP/MAS NMR spectra and the constant or the period were 0.9916 or 0.9838, respectively. The (13)C CP/MAS NMR spectra had good correlation with the recrystallization kinetic parameters evaluated by the KJMA equation. Consequently, solid-state NMR was judged to be a useful tool for the prediction of the recrystallization behavior of solid dispersions.

Quality assessment of compost prepared with municipal solid waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jodar, J. R.; Ramos, N.; Carreira, J. A.; Pacheco, R.; Fernández-Hernández, A.

2017-11-01

One way that helps maintain the sustainability of agro-ecosystems land is the application of compost from municipal solid waste as fertilizer, because it can recover the nutrients contained in them, minimizing the negative impact on the environment. Composting as a method for preparing organic fertilizers and amendments is economically and ecologically sound and may well represent an acceptable solution for disposing of municipal solid waste. In the present work, the quality of compost is studied made from municipal solid waste; the content of mineral nutrients: potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, manganese, cupper, iron, nickel, chromium and lead has been investigated. The objective was to evaluate the changes in mineral nutrient concentration during the composting process. The compost was prepared in a pilot-plant using the turning-pile system. Temperature was used as a monitoring parameter to follow the composting progress, which underwent the typical trend of municipal solid waste composting mixtures. The results showed a similar evolution on the content of mineral nutrients of the mixture of municipal solid waste. This evolution originated in a mature compost (end sample) with an adequate content of mineral elements and physical-chemical characteristics for its use in agriculture. So, the use of compost of municipal solid waste represents an important tool for fertilization requirements for its use in agriculture.

La 2-xSr xCuO 4-δ superconducting samples prepared by the wet-chemical method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loose, A.; Gonzalez, J. L.; Lopez, A.; Borges, H. A.; Baggio-Saitovitch, E.

2009-10-01

In this work, we report on the physical properties of good-quality polycrystalline superconducting samples of La 2-xSr xCu 1-yZn yO 4-δ ( y=0, 0.02) prepared by a wet-chemical method, focusing on the temperature dependence of the critical current. Using the wet-chemical method, we were able to produce samples with improved homogeneity compared to the solid-state method. A complete set of samples with several carrier concentrations, ranging from the underdoped (strontium concentration x≈0.05) to the highly overdoped ( x≈0.25) region, were prepared and investigated. The X-ray diffraction analysis, zero-field cooling magnetization and electrical resistivity measurements were reported on earlier. The structural parameters of the prepared samples seem to be slightly modified by the preparation method and their critical temperatures were lower than reported in the literature. The temperature dependence of the critical current was explained by a theoretical model which took the granular structure of the samples into account.

Preparation of l-phenylalanine-imprinted solid-phase extraction sorbent by Pickering emulsion polymerization and the selective enrichment of l-phenylalanine from human urine.

PubMed

Li, Ji; Hu, Xiaoling; Guan, Ping; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Qian, Liwei; Zhang, Nan; Du, Chunbao; Song, Renyuan

2016-05-01

A novel l-phenylalanine molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction sorbent was synthesized by the combination of Pickering emulsion polymerization and ion-pair dummy template imprinting. Compared to other polymerization methods, the molecularly imprinted polymers thus prepared exhibit a high specific surface, large pore diameter, and appropriate particle size. The key parameters for solid-phase extraction were optimized, and the result indicated that the molecularly imprinted polymer thus prepared exhibits a good recovery of 98.9% for l-phenylalanine. Under the optimized conditions of the procedure, an analytical method for l-phenylalanine was well established. By comparing the performance of the molecularly imprinted polymer and a commercial reverse-phase silica gel, the obtained molecularly imprinted polymer as an solid-phase extraction sorbent is more suitable, exhibiting high precision (relative standard deviation 3.2%, n = 4) and a low limit of detection (60.0 ± 1.9 nmol·L(-1) ) for the isolation of l-phenylalanine. Based on these results, the combination of the Pickering emulsion polymerization and ion-pair dummy template imprinting is effective for preparing selective solid-phase extraction sorbents for the separation of amino acids and organic acids from complex biological samples. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Preparation of Solid Derivatives by Differential Scanning Calorimetry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crandall, E. W.; Pennington, Maxine

1980-01-01

Describes the preparation of selected aldehydes and ketones, alcohols, amines, phenols, haloalkanes, and tertiaryamines by differential scanning calorimetry. Technique is advantageous because formation of the reaction product occurs and the melting point of the product is obtained on the same sample in a short time with no additional purification…

On-line double isotope dilution laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the quantitative analysis of solid materials.

PubMed

Fernández, Beatriz; Rodríguez-González, Pablo; García Alonso, J Ignacio; Malherbe, Julien; García-Fonseca, Sergio; Pereiro, Rosario; Sanz-Medel, Alfredo

2014-12-03

We report on the determination of trace elements in solid samples by the combination of on-line double isotope dilution and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The proposed method requires the sequential analysis of the sample and a certified natural abundance standard by on-line IDMS using the same isotopically-enriched spike solution. In this way, the mass fraction of the analyte in the sample can be directly referred to the certified standard so the previous characterization of the spike solution is not required. To validate the procedure, Sr, Rb and Pb were determined in certified reference materials with different matrices, including silicate glasses (SRM 610, 612 and 614) and powdered samples (PACS-2, SRM 2710a, SRM 1944, SRM 2702 and SRM 2780). The analysis of powdered samples was carried out both by the preparation of pressed pellets and by lithium borate fusion. Experimental results for the analysis of powdered samples were in agreement with the certified values for all materials. Relative standard deviations in the range of 6-21% for pressed pellets and 3-21% for fused solids were obtained from n=3 independent measurements. Minimal sample preparation, data treatment and consumption of the isotopically-enriched isotopes are the main advantages of the method over previously reported approaches. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Offline solid phase microextraction sampling system

DOEpatents

Harvey, Chris A.

2008-12-16

An offline solid phase microextraction (SPME) sampling apparatus for enabling SPME samples to be taken a number of times from a previously collected fluid sample (e.g. sample atmosphere) stored in a fused silica lined bottle which keeps volatile organics in the fluid sample stable for weeks at a time. The offline SPME sampling apparatus has a hollow body surrounding a sampling chamber, with multiple ports through which a portion of a previously collected fluid sample may be (a) released into the sampling chamber, (b) SPME sampled to collect analytes for subsequent GC analysis, and (c) flushed/purged using a fluidically connected vacuum source and purging fluid source to prepare the sampling chamber for additional SPME samplings of the same original fluid sample, such as may have been collected in situ from a headspace.

Magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction based on modified magnetic nanoparticles for the detection of cocaine and cocaine metabolites in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Yang, Feiyu; Zou, Yun; Ni, Chunfang; Wang, Rong; Wu, Min; Liang, Chen; Zhang, Jiabin; Yuan, Xiaoliang; Liu, Wenbin

2017-11-01

An easy-to-handle magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction procedure was developed for preconcentration and extraction of cocaine and cocaine metabolites in human urine. Divinyl benzene and vinyl pyrrolidone functionalized silanized Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were synthesized and used as adsorbents in this procedure. Scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and infrared spectroscopy were employed to characterize the modified adsorbents. A high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry method for determination of cocaine and its metabolites in human urine sample has been developed with pretreatment of the samples by magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction. The obtained results demonstrated the higher extraction capacity of the prepared nanoparticles with recoveries between 75.1 to 105.7% and correlation coefficients higher than 0.9971. The limits of detection for the cocaine and cocaine metabolites were 0.09-1.10 ng/mL. The proposed magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction method provided a rapid, environmentally friendly and magnetic stuff recyclable approach and it was confirmed that the prepared adsorbents material was a kind of highly effective extraction materials for the trace cocaine and cocaine metabolites analyses in human urine. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Improved chip design for integrated solid-phase microextraction in on-line proteomic sample preparation.

PubMed

Bergkvist, Jonas; Ekström, Simon; Wallman, Lars; Löfgren, Mikael; Marko-Varga, György; Nilsson, Johan; Laurell, Thomas

2002-04-01

A recently introduced silicon microextraction chip (SMEC), used for on-line proteomic sample preparation, has proved to facilitate the process of protein identification by sample clean up and enrichment of peptides. It is demonstrated that a novel grid-SMEC design improves the operating characteristics for solid-phase microextraction, by reducing dispersion effects and thereby improving the sample preparation conditions. The structures investigated in this paper are treated both numerically and experimentally. The numerical approach is based on finite element analysis of the microfluidic flow in the microchip. The analysis is accomplished by use of the computational fluid dynamics-module FLOTRAN in the ANSYS software package. The modeling and analysis of the previously reported weir-SMEC design indicates some severe drawbacks, that can be reduced by changing the microextraction chip geometry to the grid-SMEC design. The overall analytical performance was thereby improved and also verified by experimental work. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectra of model peptides extracted from both the weir-SMEC and the new grid-SMEC support the numerical analysis results. Further use of numerical modeling and analysis of the SMEC structures is also discussed and suggested in this work.

Classification of bacteria by simultaneous methylation-solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of fatty acid methyl esters.

PubMed

Lu, Yao; Harrington, Peter B

2010-08-01

Direct methylation and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) were used as a sample preparation technique for classification of bacteria based on fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles. Methanolic tetramethylammonium hydroxide was applied as a dual-function reagent to saponify and derivatize whole-cell bacterial fatty acids into FAMEs in one step, and SPME was used to extract the bacterial FAMEs from the headspace. Compared with traditional alkaline saponification and sample preparation using liquid-liquid extraction, the method presented in this work avoids using comparatively large amounts of inorganic and organic solvents and greatly decreases the sample preparation time as well. Characteristic gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) of FAME profiles was achieved for six bacterial species. The difference between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was clearly visualized with the application of principal component analysis of the GC/MS data of bacterial FAMEs. A cross-validation study using ten bootstrap Latin partitions and the fuzzy rule building expert system demonstrated 87 +/- 3% correct classification efficiency.

Ionic liquids: solvents and sorbents in sample preparation.

PubMed

Clark, Kevin D; Emaus, Miranda N; Varona, Marcelino; Bowers, Ashley N; Anderson, Jared L

2018-01-01

The applications of ionic liquids (ILs) and IL-derived sorbents are rapidly expanding. By careful selection of the cation and anion components, the physicochemical properties of ILs can be altered to meet the requirements of specific applications. Reports of IL solvents possessing high selectivity for specific analytes are numerous and continue to motivate the development of new IL-based sample preparation methods that are faster, more selective, and environmentally benign compared to conventional organic solvents. The advantages of ILs have also been exploited in solid/polymer formats in which ordinarily nonspecific sorbents are functionalized with IL moieties in order to impart selectivity for an analyte or analyte class. Furthermore, new ILs that incorporate a paramagnetic component into the IL structure, known as magnetic ionic liquids (MILs), have emerged as useful solvents for bioanalytical applications. In this rapidly changing field, this Review focuses on the applications of ILs and IL-based sorbents in sample preparation with a special emphasis on liquid phase extraction techniques using ILs and MILs, IL-based solid-phase extraction, ILs in mass spectrometry, and biological applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of Sintering Temperature on Structural, Dielectric, and Magnetic Properties of Multiferroic YFeO3 Ceramics Fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering

PubMed Central

Wang, Meng; Wang, Ting; Song, Shenhua; Ma, Qing; Liu, Renchen

2017-01-01

Based on precursor powders with a size of 200–300 nm prepared by the low-temperature solid reaction method, phase-pure YFeO3 ceramics are fabricated using spark plasma sintering (SPS) at different temperatures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveal that the high-purity YFeO3 ceramics can be prepared using SPS, while the results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) show that the concentration of oxygen vacancies resulting from transformation from Fe3+ to Fe2+ is low. The relative density of the 1000 °C-sintered sample is as high as 97.7%, which is much higher than those of the samples sintered at other temperatures. The present dielectric and magnetic properties are much better than those of the samples fabricated by conventional methods. These findings indicate that the YFeO3 ceramics prepared by the low temperature solid reaction and SPS methods possess excellent dielectric and magnetic properties, making them suitable for potential applications involving magnetic storage. PMID:28772626

Preparation of C18 composite solid-phase microextraction fiber and its application to the determination of organochlorine pesticides in water samples.

PubMed

Li, Siyan; Lu, Chengwei; Zhu, Fang; Jiang, Ruifen; Ouyang, Gangfeng

2015-05-11

In this work, a C18 composite solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was prepared with a new method and applied to the analysis of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in water sample. A stainless steel wire (o.d. 127 μm) was used as the substrate, and a mixture of the C18 particle (3.5 μm) and the 184 silicone was used as the coating material. During the process of fiber preparation, a section of capillary column was used to fix the mixture onto the stainless steel wire and to ensure the constant of coating thickness. The prepared fiber showed excellent thermal stability and solvent resistance. By coupling with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the fiber exhibited wide linearity (2-500 ng L(-1)) and good sensitivity for the determination of six OCPs in water samples, the OCPs tested included hexachlorobezene, trans-chlordane, cis-chlordane, o,p-DDT, p,p-DDT and mirex. Not only the extraction performance of the newly prepared fiber was more than seven times higher than those of commercial fibers, the limits of detections (LODs) (0.059-0.151 ng L(-1)) for OCPs achieved under optimized conditions were also lower than those of reported SPME methods. The fiber was successfully applied to the determination of OCPs in real water samples by using developed SPME-GC-MS method. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Monolithic methacrylate packed 96-tips for high throughput bioanalysis.

PubMed

Altun, Zeki; Skoglund, Christina; Abdel-Rehim, Mohamed

2010-04-16

In the pharmaceutical industry the growing number of samples to be analyzed requires high throughput and fully automated analytical techniques. Commonly used sample-preparation methods are solid-phase extraction (SPE), liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and protein precipitation. In this paper we will discus a new sample-preparation technique based on SPE for high throughput drug extraction developed and used by our group. This new sample-preparation method is based on monolithic methacrylate polymer as packing sorbent for 96-tip robotic device. Using this device a 96-well plate could be handled in 2-4min. The key aspect of the monolithic phase is that monolithic material can offer both good binding capacity and low back-pressure properties compared to e.g. silica phases. The present paper presents the successful application of monolithic 96-tips and LC-MS/MS by the sample preparation of busulphan, rescovitine, metoprolol, pindolol and local anaesthetics from human plasma samples and cyklophosphamid from mice blood samples. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation of magnetic melamine-formaldehyde resin and its application to extract nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

PubMed

Xue, Shu-Wen; Li, Jing; Xu, Li

2017-05-01

Magnetic melamine-formaldehyde resin was prepared via water-in-oil emulsification approach by entrapping Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanoparticles as the core. The preparation of the magnetic resin was optimized by investigating the amount of polyethylene glycol 20000 and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, the concentration of the catalyst (hydrochloric acid), as well as the mechanical stirring rate. The prepared material was characteristic of excellent anion-exchange capacity, good water wettability, and proper magnetism. Its application was demonstrated by magnetic solid-phase extraction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs coupled to high performance liquid chromatography-UV analysis. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed method showed broad linear range of 1-5000 ng mL -1 of milk and urine samples, satisfactory reproducibility with intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations less than 12.4% and 9.7%, respectively, and low limits of detection of 0.2 ng mL -1 for the studied nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The developed method was successfully used for the determination of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in spiked urine and milk samples. The magnetic melamine-formaldehyde resin was promising for the sample pretreatment of acidic analytes via anion-exchange interaction with convenient operation from complex sample matrix. Graphical abstract Magnetic solid-phase extraction based on melamine-formaldehyde resin.

Microextraction by Packed Sorbent (MEPS) and Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) as Sample Preparation Procedures for the Metabolomic Profiling of Urine

PubMed Central

Silva, Catarina; Cavaco, Carina; Perestrelo, Rosa; Pereira, Jorge; Câmara, José S.

2014-01-01

For a long time, sample preparation was unrecognized as a critical issue in the analytical methodology, thus limiting the performance that could be achieved. However, the improvement of microextraction techniques, particularly microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME), completely modified this scenario by introducing unprecedented control over this process. Urine is a biological fluid that is very interesting for metabolomics studies, allowing human health and disease characterization in a minimally invasive form. In this manuscript, we will critically review the most relevant and promising works in this field, highlighting how the metabolomic profiling of urine can be an extremely valuable tool for the early diagnosis of highly prevalent diseases, such as cardiovascular, oncologic and neurodegenerative ones. PMID:24958388

Camera flash heating of a three-layer solid composite: An approximate solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jibrin, Sani; Moksin, Mohd Maarof; Husin, Mohd Shahril; Zakaria, Azmi; Hassan, Jumiah; Talib, Zainal Abidin

2014-03-01

Camera flash heating and the subsequent thermal wave propagation in a solid composite material is studied using the Laplace transform technique. Full-field rear surface temperature for a single-layer, two-layer and three-layer solid composites are obtained directly from the Laplace transform conversion tables as opposed to the tedious inversion process by integral transform method. This is achieved by first expressing the hyperbolic-transcendental equation in terms of negative exponentials of square root of s/α and expanded same in a series by the binomial theorem. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and dip coating processes were used to prepare three-layer solid composites consisting ZnO/Cu/ZnO and starch/Al/starch respectively. About 0.5ml of deionized water enclosed within an air-tight aluminium container serves as the third three layer sample (AL/water/AL). Thermal diffusivity experiments were carried out on all the three samples prepared. Using Scaled Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, the approximate temperature curve for the three-layer solid composite is fitted with the corresponding experimental result. The agreement between the theoretical curve and the experimental data as well as that between the obtained thermal diffusivity values for the ZnO, aluminium and deionized water in this work and similar ones found in literature is found to be very good.

Phase transitions of amorphous solid acetone in confined geometry investigated by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Shin, Sunghwan; Kang, Hani; Kim, Jun Soo; Kang, Heon

2014-11-26

We investigated the phase transformations of amorphous solid acetone under confined geometry by preparing acetone films trapped in amorphous solid water (ASW) or CCl4. Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) were used to monitor the phase changes of the acetone sample with increasing temperature. An acetone film trapped in ASW shows an abrupt change in the RAIRS features of the acetone vibrational bands during heating from 80 to 100 K, which indicates the transformation of amorphous solid acetone to a molecularly aligned crystalline phase. Further heating of the sample to 140 K produces an isotropic solid phase, and eventually a fluid phase near 157 K, at which the acetone sample is probably trapped in a pressurized, superheated condition inside the ASW matrix. Inside a CCl4 matrix, amorphous solid acetone crystallizes into a different, isotropic structure at ca. 90 K. We propose that the molecularly aligned crystalline phase formed in ASW is created by heterogeneous nucleation at the acetone-water interface, with resultant crystal growth, whereas the isotropic crystalline phase in CCl4 is formed by homogeneous crystal growth starting from the bulk region of the acetone sample.

Solventless and solvent-minimized sample preparation techniques for determining currently used pesticides in water samples: a review.

PubMed

Tankiewicz, Maciej; Fenik, Jolanta; Biziuk, Marek

2011-10-30

The intensification of agriculture means that increasing amounts of toxic organic and inorganic compounds are entering the environment. The pesticides generally applied nowadays are regarded as some of the most dangerous contaminants of the environment. Their presence in the environment, especially in water, is hazardous because they cause human beings to become more susceptible to disease. For these reasons, it is essential to monitor pesticide residues in the environment with the aid of all accessible analytical methods. The analysis of samples for the presence of pesticides is problematic, because of the laborious and time-consuming operations involved in preparing samples for analysis, which themselves may be a source of additional contaminations and errors. To date, it has been standard practice to use large quantities of organic solvents in the sample preparation process; but as these solvents are themselves hazardous, solventless and solvent-minimized techniques are coming into use. This paper discusses the most commonly used over the last 15 years sample preparation techniques for monitoring organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides residue in water samples. Furthermore, a significant trend in sample preparation, in accordance with the principles of 'Green Chemistry' is the simplification, miniaturization and automation of analytical techniques. In view of this aspect, several novel techniques are being developed in order to reduce the analysis step, increase the sample throughput and to improve the quality and the sensitivity of analytical methods. The paper describes extraction techniques requiring the use of solvents - liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and its modifications, membrane extraction techniques, hollow fibre-protected two-phase solvent microextraction, liquid phase microextraction based on the solidification of a floating organic drop (LPME-SFO), solid-phase extraction (SPE) and single-drop microextraction (SDME) - as well as solvent-free techniques - solid phase microextraction (SPME) and stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE). The advantages and drawbacks of these techniques are also discussed, and some solutions to their limitations are proposed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Semi-automated 96-well solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry for the trace analysis of fluprostenol in rat plasma.

PubMed

Gauw, R D; Stoffolano, P J; Kuhlenbeck, D L; Patel, V S; Garver, S M; Baker, T R; Wehmeyer, K R

2000-07-21

Semi-automated 96-well plate solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for sample preparation of fluprostenol, a prostaglandin analog, in rat plasma prior to detection by gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS-MS). A liquid handling system was utilized for all aspects of sample handling prior to SPE including transferring of samples into a 96-well format, preparation of standards as well as addition of internal standard to standards, quality control samples and study samples. SPE was performed in a 96-well plate format using octadecylsilane packing and the effluent from the SPE was dried in a custom-made 96-well apparatus. The sample residue was derivatized sequentially with pentafluorobenzylbromide followed by N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide. The derivatized sample was then analyzed using GC-NCI-MS-MS. The dynamic range for the method was from 7 to 5800 pg/ml with a 0.1-ml plasma sample. The methodology was evaluated over a 4-day period and demonstrated an accuracy of 90-106% with a precision of 2.4-12.9%.

Preparation and physicochemical properties of whole-bean soymilk.

PubMed

Kuo, Hsin-Yu; Chen, Shih-Hsin; Yeh, An-I

2014-01-22

Whole-bean soymilk has been prepared by using media-milling. Some characteristics of media-milled soymilk have been determined and compared with filtered soymilk (similar to commercial ones) and whole-bean soymilk prepared by blending. There existed particles in the nano/submicrometer scale in both media-milled and filtered soymilk. The particles in blended soymilk were greater than 1 μm. Media-milled soymilk was the most stable among three samples, even after autoclaving. Solid recovery (98.44 ± 0.16%), viscosity (160.59 ± 4.26 cps), dietary fiber (22.68 ± 0.97% on dry basis), total polyphenol recovery (95.15 ± 7.09%), and isoflavone content (4.42 ± 0.03 mg/g dry solid) of media-milled samples were greater than those of filtered ones. Aglycones, the most bioactive form of isoflavone, in autoclaved media-milled soymilk were more than 2-fold those in autoclaved filtered soymilk. With almost no okara generated, the media-milled soymilk retained fiber in soybeans which would be beneficial to human health.

Direct Analysis of Amphetamine Stimulants in a Whole Urine Sample by Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe Tandem Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crevelin, Eduardo J.; Salami, Fernanda H.; Alves, Marcela N. R.; De Martinis, Bruno S.; Crotti, Antônio E. M.; Moraes, Luiz A. B.

2016-05-01

Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are among illicit stimulant drugs that are most often used worldwide. A major challenge is to develop a fast and efficient methodology involving minimal sample preparation to analyze ATS in biological fluids. In this study, a urine pool solution containing amphetamine, methamphetamine, ephedrine, sibutramine, and fenfluramine at concentrations ranging from 0.5 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL was prepared and analyzed by atmospheric solids analysis probe tandem mass spectrometry (ASAP-MS/MS) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). A urine sample and saliva collected from a volunteer contributor (V1) were also analyzed. The limit of detection of the tested compounds ranged between 0.002 and 0.4 ng/mL in urine samples; the signal-to-noise ratio was 5. These results demonstrated that the ASAP-MS/MS methodology is applicable for the fast detection of ATS in urine samples with great sensitivity and specificity, without the need for cleanup, preconcentration, or chromatographic separation. Thus ASAP-MS/MS could potentially be used in clinical and forensic toxicology applications.

Comparison of the solid-phase extraction efficiency of a bounded and an included cyclodextrin-silica microporous composite for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons determination in water samples.

PubMed

Mauri-Aucejo, Adela; Amorós, Pedro; Moragues, Alaina; Guillem, Carmen; Belenguer-Sapiña, Carolina

2016-08-15

Solid-phase extraction is one of the most important techniques for sample purification and concentration. A wide variety of solid phases have been used for sample preparation over time. In this work, the efficiency of a new kind of solid-phase extraction adsorbent, which is a microporous material made from modified cyclodextrin bounded to a silica network, is evaluated through an analytical method which combines solid-phase extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples. Several parameters that affected the analytes recovery, such as the amount of solid phase, the nature and volume of the eluent or the sample volume and concentration influence have been evaluated. The experimental results indicate that the material possesses adsorption ability to the tested polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Under the optimum conditions, the quantification limits of the method were in the range of 0.09-2.4μgL(-1) and fine linear correlations between peak height and concentration were found around 1.3-70μgL(-1). The method has good repeatability and reproducibility, with coefficients of variation under 8%. Due to the concentration results, this material may represent an alternative for trace analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water trough solid-phase extraction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of pseudo-template molecularly imprinted polymers by atom transfer radical polymerization to the solid-phase extraction of pyrethroids.

PubMed

Zhang, Ming; He, Juan; Shen, Yanzheng; He, Weiye; Li, Yuanyuan; Zhao, Dongxin; Zhang, Shusheng

2018-02-01

A polymer-based adsorption medium with molecular recognition ability for homologs of pyrethroids was prepared by atom transfer radical polymer iration using a fragment imprinting technique. Phenyl ether-biphenyl eutectic was utilized as a pseudo-template molecule, and the adsorption medium prepared was evaluated by solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography. Selectivity of the medium for pyrethroids was evaluated using it as solid phase extraction packing by Gas Chromatography. The results demonstrated that the absorption amount of bifenthrin, fenpropathrin, permethrin, cypermethrin, fenvalerate, Dursban and pentachloronitrobenzene for molecularly imprinted polymers were 2.32, 2.12, 2.18, 2.20, 2.30, 1.30 and 1.40mgg -1 , respectively, while the non-imprinted polymers were 1.20, 1.13, 1.25, 1.05, 1.20, 1.23 and 1.32mgg -1 , respectively. The rebinding test based on the molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction column technique showed the recoveries of honey sample spiked with seven insecticides within 88.5-106.2%, with relative standard deviations of 2.38-5.63%. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the analysis of pyrethroids in a honey sample. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation of Chloramphenicol/Amino Acid Combinations Exhibiting Enhanced Dissolution Rates and Reduced Drug-Induced Oxidative Stress.

PubMed

Sterren, Vanesa B; Aiassa, Virginia; Garnero, Claudia; Linck, Yamila Garro; Chattah, Ana K; Monti, Gustavo A; Longhi, Marcela R; Zoppi, Ariana

2017-11-01

Chloramphenicol is an old antibiotic agent that is re-emerging as a valuable alternative for the treatment of multidrug-resistant pathogens. However, it exhibits suboptimal biopharmaceutical properties and toxicity profiles. In this work, chloramphenicol was combined with essential amino acids (arginine, cysteine, glycine, and leucine) with the aim of improving its dissolution rate and reduce its toxicity towards leukocytes. The chloramphenicol/amino acid solid samples were prepared by freeze-drying method and characterized in the solid state by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. The dissolution properties, antimicrobial activity, reactive oxygen species production, and stability of the different samples were studied. The dissolution rate of all combinations was significantly increased in comparison to that of the pure active pharmaceutical ingredient. Additionally, oxidative stress production in human leukocytes caused by chloramphenicol was decreased in the chloramphenicol/amino acid combinations, while the antimicrobial activity of the antibiotic was maintained. The CAP:Leu binary combination resulted in the most outstanding solid system makes it suitable candidate for the development of pharmaceutical formulations of this antimicrobial agent with an improved safety profile.

Multivariate study of parameters in the determination of pesticide residues in apple by headspace solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using experimental factorial design.

PubMed

Abdulra'uf, Lukman Bola; Tan, Guan Huat

2013-12-15

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a solvent-less sample preparation method which combines sample preparation, isolation, concentration and enrichment into one step. In this study, multivariate strategy was used to determine the significance of the factors affecting the solid phase microextraction of pesticide residues (fenobucarb, diazinon, chlorothalonil and chlorpyrifos) using a randomised factorial design. The interactions and effects of temperature, time and salt addition on the efficiency of the extraction of the pesticide residues were evaluated using 2(3) factorial designs. The analytes were extracted with 100 μm PDMS fibres according to the factorial design matrix and desorbed into a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detector. The developed method was applied for the analysis of apple samples and the limits of detection were between 0.01 and 0.2 μg kg(-)(1), which were lower than the MRLs for apples. The relative standard deviations (RSD) were between 0.1% and 13.37% with average recovery of 80-105%. The linearity ranges from 0.5-50 μg kg(-)(1) with correlation coefficient greater than 0.99. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An efficient method and device for transfer of semisolid materials into solid-state NMR spectroscopy rotors.

PubMed

Hisao, Grant S; Harland, Michael A; Brown, Robert A; Berthold, Deborah A; Wilson, Thomas E; Rienstra, Chad M

2016-04-01

The study of mass-limited biological samples by magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR spectroscopy critically relies upon the high-yield transfer of material from a biological preparation into the MAS rotor. This issue is particularly important for maintaining biological activity and hydration of semi-solid samples such as membrane proteins in lipid bilayers, pharmaceutical formulations, microcrystalline proteins and protein fibrils. Here we present protocols and designs for rotor-packing devices specifically suited for packing hydrated samples into Pencil-style 1.6 mm, 3.2 mm standard, and 3.2 mm limited speed MAS rotors. The devices are modular and therefore readily adaptable to other rotor and/or ultracentrifugation tube geometries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene on platinum wire as a new fiber coating method for the solid-phase microextraction of BXes in water samples: Comparison of headspace and cold-fiber headspace modes.

PubMed

Memarian, Elham; Hosseiny Davarani, Saied Saeed; Nojavan, Saeed; Movahed, Siyavash Kazemi

2016-09-07

In this work, a new solid-phase microextraction fiber was prepared based on nitrogen-doped graphene (N-doped G). Moreover, a new strategy was proposed to solve problems dealt in direct coating of N-doped G. For this purpose, first, Graphene oxide (GO) was coated on Pt wire by electrophoretic deposition method. Then, chemical reduction of coated GO to N-doped G was accomplished by hydrazine and NH3. The prepared fiber showed good mechanical and thermal stabilities. The obtained fiber was used in two different modes (conventional headspace solid-phase microextraction and cold-fiber headspace solid-phase microextraction (CF-HS-SPME)). Both modes were optimized and applied for the extraction of benzene and xylenes from different aqueous samples. All effective parameters including extraction time, salt content, stirring rate, and desorption time were optimized. The optimized CF-HS-SPME combined with GC-FID showed good limit of detections (LODs) (0.3-2.3 μg/L), limit of quantifications (LOQs) (1.0-7.0 μg/L) and linear ranges (1.0-5000 μg/L). The developed method was applied for the analysis of benzene and xylenes in rainwater and some wastewater samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous Solid Phase Extraction and Derivatization of Aliphatic Primary Amines Prior to Separation and UV-Absorbance Detection

PubMed Central

Felhofer, Jessica L.; Scida, Karen; Penick, Mark; Willis, Peter A.; Garcia, Carlos D.

2013-01-01

To overcome the problem of poor sensitivity of capillary electrophoresis-UV absorbance for the detection of aliphatic amines, a solid phase extraction and derivatization scheme was developed. This work demonstrates successful coupling of amines to a chromophore immobilized on a solid phase and subsequent cleavage and analysis. Although the analysis of many types of amines is relevant for myriad applications, this paper focuses on the derivatization and separation of amines with environmental relevance. This work aims to provide the foundations for future developments of an integrated sample preparation microreactor capable of performing simultaneous derivatization, preconcentration, and sample cleanup for sensitive analysis of primary amines. PMID:24054648

Development and optimization of a novel sample preparation method cored on functionalized nanofibers mat-solid-phase extraction for the simultaneous efficient extraction of illegal anionic and cationic dyes in foods.

PubMed

Qi, Feifei; Jian, Ningge; Qian, Liangliang; Cao, Weixin; Xu, Qian; Li, Jian

2017-09-01

A simple and efficient three-step sample preparation method was developed and optimized for the simultaneous analysis of illegal anionic and cationic dyes (acid orange 7, metanil yellow, auramine-O, and chrysoidine) in food samples. A novel solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure based on nanofibers mat (NFsM) was proposed after solvent extraction and freeze-salting out purification. The preferred SPE sorbent was selected from five functionalized NFsMs by orthogonal experimental design, and the optimization of SPE parameters was achieved through response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box-Behnken design (BBD). Under the optimal conditions, the target analytes could be completely adsorbed by polypyrrole-functionalized polyacrylonitrile NFsM (PPy/PAN NFsM), and the eluent was directly analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The limits of detection (LODs) were between 0.002 and 0.01 mg kg -1 , and satisfactory linearity with correlation coefficients (R > 0.99) for each dye in all samples was achieved. Compared with the Chinese standard method and the published methods, the proposed method was simplified greatly with much lower requirement of sorbent (5.0 mg) and organic solvent (2.8 mL) and higher sample preparation speed (10 min/sample), while higher recovery (83.6-116.5%) and precision (RSDs < 7.1%) were obtained. With this developed method, we have successfully detected illegal ionic dyes in three common representative foods: yellow croaker, soybean products, and chili seasonings. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of the process of the three-step sample preparation.

1QCY17 Saltstone waste characterization analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, F. C.

2017-07-25

In the first quarter of calendar year 2017, a salt solution sample was collected from Tank 50 on January 16, 2017 in order to meet South Carolina (SC) Regulation 61-107.19 Part I C, “Solid Waste Management: Solid Waste Landfills and Structural Fill – General Requirements” and the Saltstone Disposal Facility Class 3 Landfill Permit. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested to prepare and ship saltstone samples to a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified laboratory to perform the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and subsequent characterization.

Preparation of solid-phase microextraction fibers by in-mold coating strategy for derivatization analysis of 24-epibrassinolide in pollen samples.

PubMed

Pan, Jialiang; Hu, Yuling; Liang, Tingan; Li, Gongke

2012-11-02

A novel and simple in-mold coating strategy was proposed for the preparation of uniform solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coatings. Such a strategy is based on the direct synthesis of the polymer coating on the surface of a solid fiber using a glass capillary as the mold. The capillary was removed and the polymer with well-controlled thickness could be coated on the silica fiber reproductively. Following the strategy, a new poly(acrylamide-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (poly(AM-co-EGDMA)) coating was prepared for the preconcentration of 24-epibrassinolide (24-epiBL) from plant matrix. The coating had the enrichment factor of 32 folds, and the extraction efficiency per unit thickness was 5 times higher than that of the commercial polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) coating. A novel method based on SPME coupled with derivatization and large volume injection-high performance liquid chromatography (LVI-HPLC) was developed for the analysis of 24-epiBL. The linear range was 0.500-20.0 μg/L with the detection limit of 0.13 μg/L. The amounts of endogenous 24-epiBL in rape and sunflower breaking-wall pollens samples were determined with satisfactory recovery (77.8-104%) and reproducibility (3.9-7.9%). The SPME-DE/LVI-HPLC method is rapid, reliable, convenient and applicable for complicated plant samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Theophylline-nicotinamide cocrystal formation in physical mixture during storage.

PubMed

Ervasti, Tuomas; Aaltonen, Jaakko; Ketolainen, Jarkko

2015-01-01

Pharmaceutically relevant properties, such as solubility and dissolution rate, of active pharmaceutical ingredients can be enhanced by cocrystal formation. Theophylline and nicotinamide are known to form cocrystals, for example if subjected to solid-state grinding. However, under appropriate conditions, cocrystals can also form in physical mixtures without any mechanical activation. The purpose of this work was to study whether theophylline and nicotinamide could form cocrystals spontaneously, without mechanical activation. Crystalline theophylline and nicotinamide powders were gently mixed manually in a 1:1 molar ratio and stored at different relative humidity and temperature conditions. The solid state of the samples was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffractometry. Three different variations of theophylline were used as starting materials, e.g., two size fractions of theophylline anhydrate (large 710 μm-1 mm and small 180-355 μm), and monohydrate (recrystallized from water). As a reference, anhydrous theophylline-nicotinamide cocrystals were prepared by solid-state grinding. The results of this study indicate that theophylline-nicotinamide cocrystals can form without any mechanical activation from physical mixtures of theophylline and nicotinamide during storage. For anhydrous samples, storage humidity was found to be a critical parameter for cocrystal formation. Increasing temperature was also found to have an accelerating effect on the transformation. The effect of particle size of anhydrous theophylline on the transformation rate could not be completely resolved; DSC and Raman indicated slightly faster transformation with a physical mixture prepared from large size fraction of anhydrous theophylline, but the differences were only minor. Cocrystal formation was also observed in the physical mixture prepared from theophylline monohydrate, but the rate was not as high as with samples prepared from anhydrous material. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation of sulfonated graphene/polypyrrole solid-phase microextraction coating by in situ electrochemical polymerization for analysis of trace terpenes.

PubMed

Zhang, Chengjiang; Zhang, Zhuomin; Li, Gongke

2014-06-13

In this study, a novel sulfonated graphene/polypyrrole (SG/PPy) solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coating was prepared and fabricated on a stainless-steel wire by a one-step in situ electrochemical polymerization method. Crucial preparation conditions were optimized as polymerization time of 15min and SG doping amount of 1.5mg/mL. SG/PPy coating showed excellent thermal stability and mechanical durability with a long lifespan of more than 200 stable replicate extractions. SG/PPy coating demonstrated higher extraction selectivity and capacity to volatile terpenes than commonly-used commercial coatings. Finally, SG/PPy coating was practically applied for the analysis of volatile components from star anise and fennel samples. The majority of volatile components identified were terpenes, which suggested the ultra-high extraction selectivity of SG/PPy coating to terpenes during real analytical projects. Four typical volatile terpenes were further quantified to be 0.2-27.4μg/g from star anise samples with good recoveries of 76.4-97.8% and 0.1-1.6μg/g from fennel samples with good recoveries of 80.0-93.1%, respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SOLID-STATE SYNTHESIS AND SOME PROPERTIES OF MAGNESIUM-DOPED COPPER ALUMINUM OXIDES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Chang; Ren, Fei; Wang, Hsin

2010-01-01

Copper aluminum oxide (CuAlO2) with delafossite structure is a promising candidate for high temperature thermoelectric applications because of its modest band gap, high stability and low cost. We investigate magnesium doping on the aluminum site as a means of producing higher electrical conductivity and optimized Seebeck coefficient. Powder samples were synthesized using solid-state reaction and bulk samples were prepared using both cold-pressing and hot-pressing techniques. Composition analysis, microstructural examination and transport property measurements were performed, and the results suggest that while hot-pressing can achieve high density samples, secondary phases tend to form and lower the performance of the materials.

Detection of Acetone Processing of Castor Bean Mash for Forensic Investigation of Ricin Preparation Methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kreuzer-Martin, Helen W.; Wahl, Jon H.; Metoyer, Candace N.

The toxic protein ricin is of concern as a potential biological threat agent (BTA) Recently, several samples of ricin have been seized in connection with biocriminal activity. Analytical methods are needed that enable federal investigators to determine how the samples were prepared, to match seized samples to potential source materials, and to identify samples that may have been prepared by the same method using the same source materials. One commonly described crude ricin preparation method is acetone extraction of crushed castor beans. Here we describe the use of solid-phase microextraction and headspace analysis of crude ricin preparation samples to determinemore » whether they were processed by acetone extraction. In all cases, acetone-extracted bean mash could be distinguished from un-extracted mash or mash extracted with other organic solvents. Statistical analysis showed that storage in closed containers for up to 109 days had no effect on acetone signal intensity. Signal intensity in acetone-extracted mash decreased during storage in open containers, but extracted mash could still be distinguished from un-extracted mash after 94 days.« less

Sample preparation composite and replicate strategy case studies for assay of solid oral drug products.

PubMed

Nickerson, Beverly; Harrington, Brent; Li, Fasheng; Guo, Michele Xuemei

2017-11-30

Drug product assay is one of several tests required for new drug products to ensure the quality of the product at release and throughout the life cycle of the product. Drug product assay testing is typically performed by preparing a composite sample of multiple dosage units to obtain an assay value representative of the batch. In some cases replicate composite samples may be prepared and the reportable assay value is the average value of all the replicates. In previously published work by Harrington et al. (2014) [5], a sample preparation composite and replicate strategy for assay was developed to provide a systematic approach which accounts for variability due to the analytical method and dosage form with a standard error of the potency assay criteria based on compendia and regulatory requirements. In this work, this sample preparation composite and replicate strategy for assay is applied to several case studies to demonstrate the utility of this approach and its application at various stages of pharmaceutical drug product development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Drying Process on an IgG1 Monoclonal Antibody Using Solid-State Hydrogen Deuterium Exchange with Mass Spectrometric Analysis (ssHDX-MS).

PubMed

Moussa, Ehab M; Wilson, Nathan E; Zhou, Qi Tony; Singh, Satish K; Nema, Sandeep; Topp, Elizabeth M

2018-01-03

Lyophilization and spray drying are widely used to manufacture solid forms of therapeutic proteins. Lyophilization is used to stabilize proteins vulnerable to degradation in solution, whereas spray drying is mainly used to prepare inhalation powders or as an alternative to freezing for storing bulk drug substance. Both processes impose stresses that may adversely affect protein structure, stability and bioactivity. Here, we compared lyophilization with and without controlled ice nucleation, and spray drying for their effects on the solid-state conformation and matrix interactions of a model IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Solid-state conformation and matrix interactions of the mAb were probed using solid-state hydrogen-deuterium exchange with mass spectrometric analysis (ssHDX-MS), and solid-state Fourier transform infrared (ssFTIR) and solid-state fluorescence spectroscopies. mAb conformation and/or matrix interactions were most perturbed in mannitol-containing samples and the distribution of states was more heterogeneous in sucrose and trehalose samples that were spray dried. The findings demonstrate the sensitivity of ssHDX-MS to changes weakly indicated by spectroscopic methods, and support the broader use of ssHDX-MS to probe formulation and process effects on proteins in solid samples.

Solid-phase microextraction of methadone in urine samples by electrochemically co-deposited sol-gel/Cu nanocomposite fiber.

PubMed

Mohammadiazar, Sirwan; Hasanli, Fateme; Maham, Mehdi; Payami Samarin, Somayeh

2017-08-01

Electrochemically co-deposited sol-gel/Cu nanocomposites have been introduced as a novel, simple and single-step technique for preparation of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coating to extract methadone (MDN) (a synthetic opioid) in urine samples. The porous surface structure of the sol-gel/Cu nanocomposite coating was revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Direct immersion SPME followed by HPLC-UV determination was employed. The factors influencing the SPME procedure, such as the salt content, desorption solvent type, pH and equilibration time, were optimized. The best conditions were obtained with no salt content, acetonitrile as desorption solvent type, pH 9 and 10 min equilibration time. The calibration graphs for urine samples showed good linearity. The detection limit was about 0.2 ng mL -1 . Also, the novel method for preparation of nanocomposite fiber was compared with previously reported techniques for MDN determination. The results show that the novel nanocomposite fiber has relatively high extraction efficiency. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Separation and enrichment of trace ractopamine in biological samples by uniformly-sized molecularly imprinted polymers

PubMed Central

Li, Ya; Fu, Qiang; Liu, Meng; Jiao, Yuan-Yuan; Du, Wei; Yu, Chong; Liu, Jing; Chang, Chun; Lu, Jian

2012-01-01

In order to prepare a high capacity packing material for solid-phase extraction with specific recognition ability of trace ractopamine in biological samples, uniformly-sized, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared by a multi-step swelling and polymerization method using methacrylic acid as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker, and toluene as a porogen respectively. Scanning electron microscope and specific surface area were employed to identify the characteristics of MIPs. Ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Scatchard analysis and kinetic study were performed to interpret the specific recognition ability and the binding process of MIPs. The results showed that, compared with other reports, MIPs synthetized in this study showed high adsorption capacity besides specific recognition ability. The adsorption capacity of MIPs was 0.063 mmol/g at 1 mmol/L ractopamine concentration with the distribution coefficient 1.70. The resulting MIPs could be used as solid-phase extraction materials for separation and enrichment of trace ractopamine in biological samples. PMID:29403774

Influence of Sm2O3 microalloying and Yb contamination on Y211 particles coarsening and superconducting properties of IG YBCO bulk superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vojtkova, L.; Diko, P.; Kovac, J.; Vojtko, M.

2018-06-01

Single grain YBa2Cu3O7‑x (YBCO or Y123) bulk superconductors were produced by an infiltration growth process. The solid phase precursor was prepared by solid state synthesis from Y2O3 + BaCuO2 powders. The influence of the addition of Sm2O3 and YB contamination from the substrate on the microstructure and superconducting properties was analyzed. The dependences of Yb concentration on the distance from the bottom of the samples measured by energy dispersive spectroscopy microanalysis used in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy confirmed the contamination of the samples during the melting stage of the sample preparation. It is shown that the addition of Sm in low concentration and its combination with Yb from the substrate modify the coarsening of the Y211 particles as well as lead to the appearance of a secondary peak effect in the field dependences of the critical current density.

Analytical methods for the assessment of endocrine disrupting chemical exposure during human fetal and lactation stages: a review.

PubMed

Jiménez-Díaz, I; Vela-Soria, F; Rodríguez-Gómez, R; Zafra-Gómez, A; Ballesteros, O; Navalón, A

2015-09-10

In the present work, a review of the analytical methods developed in the last 15 years for the determination of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in human samples related with children, including placenta, cord blood, amniotic fluid, maternal blood, maternal urine and breast milk, is proposed. Children are highly vulnerable to toxic chemicals in the environment. Among these environmental contaminants to which children are at risk of exposure are EDCs -substances able to alter the normal hormone function of wildlife and humans-. The work focuses mainly on sample preparation and instrumental techniques used for the detection and quantification of the analytes. The sample preparation techniques include, not only liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE), but also modern microextraction techniques such as extraction with molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs), stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME), dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME), matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) or ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), which are becoming alternatives in the analysis of human samples. Most studies focus on minimizing the number of steps and using the lowest solvent amounts in the sample treatment. The usual instrumental techniques employed include liquid chromatography (LC), gas chromatography (GC) mainly coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Multiresidue methods are being developed for the determination of several families of EDCs with one extraction step and limited sample preparation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct Compositional Characterization of (U,Th)O2 Powders, Microspheres, and Pellets Using TXRF.

PubMed

Dhara, Sangita; Prabhat, Parimal; Misra, N L

2015-10-20

A total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analysis method for direct compositional characterization of sintered and green (U,Th)O2 samples in different forms (e.g., pellets, powders, and microspheres) without sample dissolution has been developed for the first time. The methodology involves transfer of only a few nanograms of the sample on the TXRF sample support by gently rubbing the samples on supports or taking their tiny uniform slurry in collodion on the sample support, drying them to make thin film, and measuring the TXRF spectra of the specimens thus prepared. This approach minimizes the matrix effects. Uranium determinations from the TXRF spectra of such specimens were made with respect to thorium, considering it as an internal standard. Samples having uranium atom percent (at%) from 0 to 100 in (U,Th)O2 were analyzed for uranium in comparison to thorium. The results showed an average precision of 2.6% (RSD, 2σ, n = 8). The TXRF-determined results deviated from expected values within 5%. The TXRF results were compared with those of biamperometry with good agreement. The lattice parameters of the solid solutions were calculated using their XRD patterns. A good correlation between lattice parameters and TXRF-determined U at% and between TXRF-determined U at% and expected U at%, calculated on the basis of preparation of (U,Th)O2 solid solutions, was obtained. The developed method is capable of analyzing (U,Th)O2 samples directly with almost negligible sample preparation and is well suited for radioactive samples. The present study suggests that this method can be extended for the determination of U,Th and Pu in other nuclear fuel materials (e.g., nitrides, carbides, etc.) in the form of pellets, powders, and microspheres after suitable modifications in sample handling procedure.

Nonthermal effects in photostimulated solid state reaction of Mn doped SrTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daraselia, D.; Japaridze, D.; Jibuti, Z.; Shengelaya, A.; Müller, K. A.

2017-04-01

The effect of a photostimulated solid state reaction was investigated in Mn doped SrTiO3 samples. Light irradiation was performed by either halogen or UV lamps in order to study the effect of the spectral composition, and the results were compared with samples prepared at the same temperatures in a conventional furnace. The obtained samples were studied by X-ray diffraction for structural characterization and by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, which provides microscopic information about the local environment as well as the valence state of Mn ions. It was found that light irradiation significantly enhances the solid state reaction rate compared to synthesis in the conventional furnace. Moreover, it was observed that UV lamp irradiation is much more effective compared to halogen lamps. This indicates that the absorption of light with energy larger than the materials band gap plays an important role and points towards the nonthermal mechanism of the photostimulated solid state reaction.

Application of solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry for the early detection of active moulds on historical woollen objects.

PubMed

Sawoszczuk, Tomasz; Syguła-Cholewińska, Justyna; Del Hoyo-Meléndez, Julio M

2017-02-01

The goal of this work was to determine the microbial volatile organic compounds emitted by moulds growing on wool in search of particular volatiles mentioned in the literature as indicators of active mould growth. The keratinolytically active fungi were inoculated on two types of media: (1) samples of wool placed on broths, and (2) on broths containing amino acids that are elements of the structure of keratin. All samples were prepared inside 20 mL vials (closed system). In the first case (1) the broths did not contain any sources of organic carbon, nitrogen, or sulfur, i.e. wool was the only nutrient for the moulds. A third type of sample was historical wool prepared in a Petri dish without a broth and inoculated with a keratinolytically active mould (open system). The microbial volatiles emitted by moulds were sampled with the headspace solid-phase microextraction method. Volatiles extracted on solid-phase microextraction fibers were analyzed in a gas chromatography with mass spectrometry system. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of chromatograms were carried out in search of indicators of metabolic activity. The results showed that there are three groups of volatiles that can be used for the detection of active forms of moulds on woollen objects. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electric shielding films for biased TEM samples and their application to in situ electron holography.

PubMed

Nomura, Yuki; Yamamoto, Kazuo; Hirayama, Tsukasa; Saitoh, Koh

2018-06-01

We developed a novel sample preparation method for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to suppress superfluous electric fields leaked from biased TEM samples. In this method, a thin TEM sample is first coated with an insulating amorphous aluminum oxide (AlOx) film with a thickness of about 20 nm. Then, the sample is coated with a conductive amorphous carbon film with a thickness of about 10 nm, and the film is grounded. This technique was applied to a model sample of a metal electrode/Li-ion-conductive-solid-electrolyte/metal electrode for biasing electron holography. We found that AlOx film with a thickness of 10 nm has a large withstand voltage of about 8 V and that double layers of AlOx and carbon act as a 'nano-shield' to suppress 99% of the electric fields outside of the sample. We also found an asymmetry potential distribution between high and low potential electrodes in biased solid-electrolyte, indicating different accumulation behaviors of lithium-ions (Li+) and lithium-ion vacancies (VLi-) in the biased solid-electrolyte.

Electrochemical pesticide detection with AutoDip--a portable platform for automation of crude sample analyses.

PubMed

Drechsel, Lisa; Schulz, Martin; von Stetten, Felix; Moldovan, Carmen; Zengerle, Roland; Paust, Nils

2015-02-07

Lab-on-a-chip devices hold promise for automation of complex workflows from sample to answer with minimal consumption of reagents in portable devices. However, complex, inhomogeneous samples as they occur in environmental or food analysis may block microchannels and thus often cause malfunction of the system. Here we present the novel AutoDip platform which is based on the movement of a solid phase through the reagents and sample instead of transporting a sequence of reagents through a fixed solid phase. A ball-pen mechanism operated by an external actuator automates unit operations such as incubation and washing by consecutively dipping the solid phase into the corresponding liquids. The platform is applied to electrochemical detection of organophosphorus pesticides in real food samples using an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) biosensor. Minimal sample preparation and an integrated reagent pre-storage module hold promise for easy handling of the assay. Detection of the pesticide chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPO) spiked into apple samples at concentrations of 10(-7) M has been demonstrated. This concentration is below the maximum residue level for chlorpyrifos in apples defined by the European Commission.

Infrared spectroscopy and upconversion luminescence behaviour of erbium doped yttrium (III) oxide phosphor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubey, Vikas; Tiwari, Ratnesh; Tamrakar, Raunak Kumar; Rathore, Gajendra Singh; Sharma, Chitrakant; Tiwari, Neha

2014-11-01

The paper reports upconversion luminescence behaviour and infra-red spectroscopic pattern of erbium doped yttrium (III) oxide phosphor. Sample was synthesized by solid state reaction method with variable concentration or erbium (0.5-2.5 mol%). The conventional solid state method is suitable for large scale production and eco-friendly method. The prepared sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. From structural analysis by XRD technique shows cubic structure of prepared sample with variable concentration of erbium and no impurity phase were found when increase the concentration of Er3+. Particle size was calculated by Scherer's formula and it varies from 67 nm to 120 nm. The surface morphology of prepared phosphor was determined by field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEGSEM) technique. The surface morphology of the sample shows good connectivity with grains as well as some agglomerates formation occurs in sample. The functional group analysis was done by Fourier transform infra-red technique (FTIR) analysis which confirm the formation of Y2O3:Er3+ phosphor was prepared. The results indicated that the Y2O3:Er3+ phosphors might have high upconversion efficiency because of their low vibrational energy. Under 980 nm laser excitation sample shows intense green emission at 555 nm and orange emission at 590 nm wavelength. For green emission transition occurs 2H11/2 → 4I15/2, 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 for upconversion emissions. Excited state absorption and energy transfer process were discussed as possible upconversion mechanisms. The near infrared luminescence spectra was recorded. The upconversion luminescence intensity increase with increasing the concentration or erbium up to 2 mol% after that luminescence intensity decreases due to concentration quenching occurs. Spectrophotometric determinations of peaks are evaluated by Commission Internationale de I'Eclairage (CIE) technique. From CIE technique the dominant peak of from PL spectra shows intense green emission so the prepared phosphor is may be useful for green light emitting diode (GLED) application.

Characterization of the tank 51 alternate reductant sludge batch 9 slurry sample (HTF-51-15-130)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reboul, S. H.

Tank 51 slurry sample HTF-51-15-130 was collected following sludge washing at the Tank Farm. The sample was received at SRNL and then characterized in preparation for qualification of the alternate reductant Sludge Batch 9 (SB9) flowsheet. In this characterization, densities, solids distribution, elemental constituents, anionic constituents, carbon content, and select radioisotopes were quantified.

Application of mercapto-silica polymerized high internal phase emulsions for the solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of trace lead(II).

PubMed

Su, Rihui; Ruan, Guihua; Chen, Zhengyi; Du, Fuyou; Li, Jianping

2015-12-01

A new class of solid-phase extraction column prepared with grafted mercapto-silica polymerized high internal phase emulsion particles was used for the preconcentration of trace lead. First, mercapto-silica polymerized high internal phase emulsion particles were synthesized by using high internal phase emulsion polymerization and carefully assembled in a polyethylene syringe column. The influences of various parameters including adsorption pH value, adsorption and desorption solvents, flow rate of the adsorption and desorption procedure were optimized, respectively, and the suitable uploading sample volumes, adsorption capacity, and reusability of solid phase extraction column were also investigated. Under the optimum conditions, Pb(2+) could be preconcentrated quantitatively over a wide pH range (2.0-5.0). In the presence of foreign ions, such as Na(+) , K(+) , Ca(2+) , Zn(2+) , Mg(2+) , Cu(2+) , Fe(2+) , Cd(2+) , Cl(-) and NO3 (-) , Pb(2+) could be recovered successfully. The prepared solid-phase extraction column performed with high stability and desirable durability, which allowed more than 100 replicate extractions without measurable changes of performance. The feasibility of the developed method was further validated by the extraction of Pb(2+) in rice samples. At three spiked levels of 40.0, 200 and 800 μg/kg, the average recoveries for Pb(2+) in rice samples ranged from 87.3 to 105.2%. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Lowering the synthesis temperature of Y3Fe5O12 by surfactant assisted solid state reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Fenghua; Huang, Ju; Li, Tianrui; Wang, Zifan; Zhou, Xiaochao; Wei, Lujun; Gao, Baizhi; Zhai, Ya; Li, Qi; Xu, Qingyu; Du, Jun

2018-01-01

There is an urgent technical requirement of lowering the sintering temperature of Y3Fe5O12 (YIG) for its practical applications. In this paper, a modified solid state reaction method is reported by adding the surfactant of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). A high sintering temperature of 1200 °C is required for the formation of YIG phase without adding CTAB, which is effectively decreased to 1050 °C by adding CTAB. The morphology studies show that the sintering temperature plays the main role in the crystal growth and excludes the possible contribution of CTAB. The prepared YIG ceramic samples show soft ferromagnetic properties, with coercivity of only 21.2 Oe for the sample prepared with CTAB at 1050 °C, which decreases with increasing sintering temperature. The main role of adding CTAB is preventing the agglomeration of ball milled ultrafine source particles, which may facilitate the interdiffusion among them and promote the reaction at lower temperatures. Furthermore, the Gilbert damping constant is significantly reduced for YIG prepared by adding CTAB, which is one order smaller than that without CTAB.

Procedure for Uranium-Molybdenum Density Measurements and Porosity Determination

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prabhakaran, Ramprashad; Devaraj, Arun; Joshi, Vineet V.

2016-08-13

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for preparing uranium-molybdenum (U-Mo) specimens, performing density measurements, and computing sample porosity. Typical specimens (solids) will be sheared to small rectangular foils, disks, or pieces of metal. A mass balance, solid density determination kit, and a liquid of known density will be used to determine the density of U-Mo specimens using the Archimedes principle. A standard test weight of known density would be used to verify proper operation of the system. By measuring the density of a U-Mo sample, it is possible to determine its porosity.

Fabrication of high-k dielectric Calcium Copper Titanate (CCTO) target by solid state route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathy, N.; Das, K. C.; Ghosh, S. P.; Bose, G.; Kar, J. P.

2016-02-01

CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) ceramic pellet of 10mm diameter has been synthesized by adopting solid state route. The structural and morphological characterization of the ceramics sample was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. XRD pattern revealed the CCTO phase formation, where as SEM micrograph shows the sample consisting of well defined grain and grain boundaries. The room temperature dielectric constant of the sample was found to be ∼ 5000 at 1kHz. After successful preparation of CCTO pellet, a 2 inch diameter CCTO sputtering target is also fabricated in order to deposit CCTO thin films for microelectronic applications.

Multiferroic properties in NdFeO3-PbTiO3 solid solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sunil; Pal, Jaswinder; Kaur, Shubhpreet; Agrawal, P.; Singh, Mandeep; Singh, Anupinder

2018-05-01

The x(NdFeO3) - 1-x(PbTiO3) where x = 0.2 solid solution was prepared using solid state reaction route. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) data reveals the single phase formation. The microstructure shows grain growth with lesser porosity. The energy dispersive analysis confirms the presence of elements in stochiometric proportion. The polarization vs. Electric field loop estabilished a ferroelectric type behavior but lossy in nature. This lossy nature may be due to the presence of large leakage current in solid solution. The Magnetization vs. Magnetic field plot exhibits a unsaturated hysteriss loop indicates that the sample is not purely ferromagnetic.

Molten salt synthesis of nanocrystalline phase of high dielectric constant material CaCu3Ti4O12.

PubMed

Prakash, B Shri; Varma, K B R

2008-11-01

Nanocrystalline powders of giant dielectric constant material, CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO), have been prepared successfully by the molten salt synthesis (MSS) using KCl at 750 degrees C/10 h, which is significantly lower than the calcination temperature (approximately 1000 degrees C) that is employed to obtain phase pure CCTO in the conventional solid-state reaction route. The water washed molten salt synthesized powder, characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed to be a phase pure CCTO associated with approximately 150 nm sized crystallites of nearly spherical shape. The decrease in the formation temperature/duration of CCTO in MSS method was attributed to an increase in the diffusion rate or a decrease in the diffusion length of reacting ions in the molten salt medium. As a consequence of liquid phase sintering, pellets of as-synthesized KCl containing CCTO powder exhibited higher sinterability and grain size than that of KCl free CCTO samples prepared by both MSS method and conventional solid-state reaction route. The grain size and the dielectric constant of KCl containing CCTO ceramics increased with increasing sintering temperature (900 degrees C-1050 degrees C). Indeed the dielectric constants of these ceramics were higher than that of KCl free CCTO samples prepared by both MSS method and those obtained via the solid-state reaction route and sintered at the same temperature. Internal barrier layer capacitance (IBLC) model was invoked to correlate the observed dielectric constant with the grain size in these samples.

Synthesis and characterization of iron based superconductor Nd-1111

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alborzi, Z.; Daadmehr, V.

2018-06-01

Polycrystalline sample of NdFeAsO0.8F0.2 was prepared by one-step solid-state reaction method. The structural and electrical properties of sample were characterized through XRD pattern and the 4-probe method. The critical temperature was obtained at 56 K. The crystal structure was tetragonal with P4/nmm:2 symmetry group.

Experimental and computational studies on molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for gonyautoxins 2,3 from dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum.

PubMed

Lian, Ziru; Li, Hai-Bei; Wang, Jiangtao

2016-08-01

An innovative and effective extraction procedure based on molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) was developed for the isolation of gonyautoxins 2,3 (GTX2,3) from Alexandrium minutum sample. Molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres were prepared by suspension polymerization and and were employed as sorbents for the solid-phase extraction of GTX2,3. An off-line MISPE protocol was optimized. Subsequently, the extract samples from A. minutum were analyzed. The results showed that the interference matrices in the extract were obviously cleaned up by MISPE procedures. This outcome enabled the direct extraction of GTX2,3 in A. minutum samples with extraction efficiency as high as 83 %, rather significantly, without any need for a cleanup step prior to the extraction. Furthermore, computational approach also provided direct evidences of the high selective isolation of GTX2,3 from the microalgal extracts.

Quantification of 31 illicit and medicinal drugs and metabolites in whole blood by fully automated solid-phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Bjørk, Marie Kjærgaard; Simonsen, Kirsten Wiese; Andersen, David Wederkinck; Dalsgaard, Petur Weihe; Sigurðardóttir, Stella Rögn; Linnet, Kristian; Rasmussen, Brian Schou

2013-03-01

An efficient method for analyzing illegal and medicinal drugs in whole blood using fully automated sample preparation and short ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) run time is presented. A selection of 31 drugs, including amphetamines, cocaine, opioids, and benzodiazepines, was used. In order to increase the efficiency of routine analysis, a robotic system based on automated liquid handling and capable of handling all unit operation for sample preparation was built on a Freedom Evo 200 platform with several add-ons from Tecan and third-party vendors. Solid-phase extraction was performed using Strata X-C plates. Extraction time for 96 samples was less than 3 h. Chromatography was performed using an ACQUITY UPLC system (Waters Corporation, Milford, USA). Analytes were separated on a 100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm Acquity UPLC CSH C(18) column using a 6.5 min 0.1 % ammonia (25 %) in water/0.1 % ammonia (25 %) in methanol gradient and quantified by MS/MS (Waters Quattro Premier XE) in multiple-reaction monitoring mode. Full validation, including linearity, precision and trueness, matrix effect, ion suppression/enhancement of co-eluting analytes, recovery, and specificity, was performed. The method was employed successfully in the laboratory and used for routine analysis of forensic material. In combination with tetrahydrocannabinol analysis, the method covered 96 % of cases involving driving under the influence of drugs. The manual labor involved in preparing blood samples, solvents, etc., was reduced to a half an hour per batch. The automated sample preparation setup also minimized human exposure to hazardous materials, provided highly improved ergonomics, and eliminated manual pipetting.

Methods for the preparation and analysis of solids and suspended solids for methylmercury

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeWild, John F.; Olund, Shane D.; Olson, Mark L.; Tate, Michael T.

2004-01-01

This report presents the methods and method performance data for the determination of methylmercury concentrations in solids and suspended solids. Using the methods outlined here, the U.S. Geological Survey's Wisconsin District Mercury Laboratory can consistently detect methylmercury in solids and suspended solids at environmentally relevant concentrations. Solids can be analyzed wet or freeze dried with a minimum detection limit of 0.08 ng/g (as-processed). Suspended solids must first be isolated from aqueous matrices by filtration. The minimum detection limit for suspended solids is 0.01 ng per filter resulting in a minimum reporting limit ranging from 0.2 ng/L for a 0.05 L filtered volume to 0.01 ng/L for a 1.0 L filtered volume. Maximum concentrations for both matrices can be extended to cover nearly any amount of methylmercury by limiting sample size.

Thermal Processing of PVP- and HPMC-Based Amorphous Solid Dispersions.

PubMed

LaFountaine, Justin S; Prasad, Leena Kumari; Brough, Chris; Miller, Dave A; McGinity, James W; Williams, Robert O

2016-02-01

Thermal processing technologies continue to gain interest in pharmaceutical manufacturing. However, the types and grades of polymers that can be utilized in common thermal processing technologies, such as hot-melt extrusion (HME), are often limited by thermal or rheological factors. The objectives of the present study were to compare and contrast two thermal processing methods, HME and KinetiSol® Dispersing (KSD), and investigate the influence of polymer type, polymer molecular weight, and drug loading on the ability to produce amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) containing the model compound griseofulvin (GRIS). Dispersions were analyzed by a variety of imaging, solid-state, thermal, and solution-state techniques. Dispersions were prepared by both HME and KSD using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) K17 or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) E5. Dispersions were only prepared by KSD using higher molecular weight grades of HPMC and PVP, as these could not be extruded under the conditions selected. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis showed that dispersions prepared by HME were amorphous at 10% and 20% drug load; however, it showed significant crystallinity at 40% drug load. PXRD analysis of KSD samples showed all formulations and drug loads to be amorphous with the exception of trace crystallinity seen in PVP K17 and PVP K30 samples at 40% drug load. These results were further supported by other analytical techniques. KSD produced amorphous dispersions at higher drug loads than could be prepared by HME, as well as with higher molecular weight polymers that were not processable by HME, due to its higher rate of shear and torque output.

Applications of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in materials science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Johanna Sabine

2002-12-01

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) have been applied as the most important inorganic mass spectrometric techniques having multielemental capability for the characterization of solid samples in materials science. ICP-MS is used for the sensitive determination of trace and ultratrace elements in digested solutions of solid samples or of process chemicals (ultrapure water, acids and organic solutions) for the semiconductor industry with detection limits down to sub-picogram per liter levels. Whereas ICP-MS on solid samples (e.g. high-purity ceramics) sometimes requires time-consuming sample preparation for its application in materials science, and the risk of contamination is a serious drawback, a fast, direct determination of trace elements in solid materials without any sample preparation by LA-ICP-MS is possible. The detection limits for the direct analysis of solid samples by LA-ICP-MS have been determined for many elements down to the nanogram per gram range. A deterioration of detection limits was observed for elements where interferences with polyatomic ions occur. The inherent interference problem can often be solved by applying a double-focusing sector field mass spectrometer at higher mass resolution or by collision-induced reactions of polyatomic ions with a collision gas using an ICP-MS fitted with collision cell. The main problem of LA-ICP-MS is quantification if no suitable standard reference materials with a similar matrix composition are available. The calibration problem in LA-ICP-MS can be solved using on-line solution-based calibration, and different procedures, such as external calibration and standard addition, have been discussed with respect to their application in materials science. The application of isotope dilution in solution-based calibration for trace metal determination in small amounts of noble metals has been developed as a new calibration strategy. This review discusses new analytical developments and possible applications of ICP-MS and LA-ICP-MS for the quantitative determination of trace elements and in surface analysis for materials science.

Non-Contact Conductivity Measurement for Automated Sample Processing Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beegle, Luther W.; Kirby, James P.

2012-01-01

A new method has been developed for monitoring and control of automated sample processing and preparation especially focusing on desalting of samples before analytical analysis (described in more detail in Automated Desalting Apparatus, (NPO-45428), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 34, No. 8 (August 2010), page 44). The use of non-contact conductivity probes, one at the inlet and one at the outlet of the solid phase sample preparation media, allows monitoring of the process, and acts as a trigger for the start of the next step in the sequence (see figure). At each step of the muti-step process, the system is flushed with low-conductivity water, which sets the system back to an overall low-conductivity state. This measurement then triggers the next stage of sample processing protocols, and greatly minimizes use of consumables. In the case of amino acid sample preparation for desalting, the conductivity measurement will define three key conditions for the sample preparation process. First, when the system is neutralized (low conductivity, by washing with excess de-ionized water); second, when the system is acidified, by washing with a strong acid (high conductivity); and third, when the system is at a basic condition of high pH (high conductivity). Taken together, this non-contact conductivity measurement for monitoring sample preparation will not only facilitate automation of the sample preparation and processing, but will also act as a way to optimize the operational time and use of consumables

In Situ Preparation of Cobalt Nanoparticles Decorated in N-Doped Carbon Nanofibers as Excellent Electromagnetic Wave Absorbers.

PubMed

Liu, Huihui; Li, Yajing; Yuan, Mengwei; Sun, Genban; Li, Huifeng; Ma, Shulan; Liao, Qingliang; Zhang, Yue

2018-06-21

Electrospinning and annealing methods are applied to prepare cobalt nanoparticles decorated in N-doped carbon nanofibers (Co/N-C NFs) with solid and macroporous structures. In detail, the nanocomposites are synthesized by carbonization of as-electrospun polyacrylonitrile/cobalt acetylacetonate nanofibers in an argon atmosphere. The solid Co/N-C NFs have lengths up to dozens of microns with an average diameter of ca. 500 nm and possess abundant cobalt nanoparticles on both the surface and within the fibers, and the cobalt nanoparticle size is about 20 nm. The macroporous Co/N-C NFs possess a hierarchical pore structure, and there are macropores (500 nm) and mesopores (2-50 nm) existing in this material. The saturation magnetization ( M s ) and coercivity ( H c ) of the solid Co/N-C NFs are 28.4 emu g -1 and 661 Oe, respectively, and those of the macroporous Co/N-C NFs are 23.3 emu g -1 and 580 Oe, respectively. The solid Co/N-C NFs exhibit excellent electromagnetic wave absorbability, and a minimum reflection loss (RL) value of -25.7 dB is achieved with a matching thickness of 2 mm for solid Co/N-C NFs when the filler loading is 5 wt %, and the effective bandwidth (RL ≤ -10 dB) is 4.3 GHz. Moreover, the effective microwave absorption can be achieved in the whole range of 1-18 GHz by adjusting the thickness of the sample layer and content of the dopant sample.

Preparation and quantification of the total phenolic products in Citrus fruit using solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and UV detection.

PubMed

Zeng, Honglian; Liu, Zhenli; Zhao, Siyu; Shu, Yisong; Song, Zhiqian; Wang, Chun; Dong, Yunzhuo; Ning, Zhangchi; He, Dan; Wang, Menglei; Lu, Cheng; Liu, Yuanyan; Lu, Aiping

2016-10-01

Citrus fruit is an important health-promoting food that is rich in dietary phenolic metabolites. Traditional Chinese medicines, such as Zhishi and Zhiqiao, come from young and immature fruits of Citrus cultivars. The preparation of diversified bioactive phenolic products and establishment of the corresponding quality control methodology are challenging and necessary. In the current study, four types of solid-phase extraction sorbents for the enrichment and clean-up of the phenolic matrix were evaluated. A solid-phase extraction column coated with Strata-X was finally used in the procedure. Twenty phenolic compounds were selected to evaluate the extraction performances of the sorbents using high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Under the optimized conditions, good linearities were obtained with R 2 more than 0.9996 for all analytes with LODs of 0.04-1.012 μg/g. Intra- and interday relative standard deviation values were less than 3%, and the recovery was equal to or higher than 90.02%. Compared to non-solid-phase extraction process, the content of total phenolic products was elevated 35.55-68.48% with solid-phase extraction. Finally, the developed and validated method was successfully applied to the discrimination of Zhishi samples from different species as well as Zhishi and Zhiqiao samples in different development stages. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Using Flory-Huggins phase diagrams as a pre-formulation tool for the production of amorphous solid dispersions: a comparison between hot-melt extrusion and spray drying.

PubMed

Tian, Yiwei; Caron, Vincent; Jones, David S; Healy, Anne-Marie; Andrews, Gavin P

2014-02-01

Amorphous drug forms provide a useful method of enhancing the dissolution performance of poorly water-soluble drugs; however, they are inherently unstable. In this article, we have used Flory-Huggins theory to predict drug solubility and miscibility in polymer candidates, and used this information to compare spray drying and melt extrusion as processes to manufacture solid dispersions. Solid dispersions were prepared using two different techniques (hot-melt extrusion and spray drying), and characterised using a combination of thermal (thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry), spectroscopic (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction methods. Spray drying permitted generation of amorphous solid dispersions across a wider drug concentration than melt extrusion. Melt extrusion provided sufficient energy for more intimate mixing to be achieved between drug and polymer, which may improve physical stability. It was also confirmed that stronger drug-polymer interactions might be generated through melt extrusion. Remixing and dissolution of recrystallised felodipine into the polymeric matrices did occur during the modulated differential scanning calorimetry analysis, but the complementary information provided from FTIR confirms that all freshly prepared spray-dried samples were amorphous with the existence of amorphous drug domains within high drug-loaded samples. Using temperature-composition phase diagrams to probe the relevance of temperature and drug composition in specific polymer candidates facilitates polymer screening for the purpose of formulating solid dispersions. © 2013 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Solid-phase reductive amination for glycomic analysis.

PubMed

Jiang, Kuan; Zhu, He; Xiao, Cong; Liu, Ding; Edmunds, Garrett; Wen, Liuqing; Ma, Cheng; Li, Jing; Wang, Peng George

2017-04-15

Reductive amination is an indispensable method for glycomic analysis, as it tremendously facilitates glycan characterization and quantification by coupling functional tags at the reducing ends of glycans. However, traditional in-solution derivatization based approach for the preparation of reductively aminated glycans is quite tedious and time-consuming. Here, a simpler and more efficient strategy termed solid-phase reductive amination was investigated. The general concept underlying this new approach is to streamline glycan extraction, derivatization, and purification on non-porous graphitized carbon sorbents. Neutral and sialylated standard glycans were utilized to test the feasibility of the solid-phase method. As results, almost complete labeling of those glycans with four common labels of aniline, 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB), 2-aminobenzoic acid (2-AA) and 2-amino-N-(2-aminoethyl)-benzamide (AEAB) was obtained, and negligible desialylation occurred during sample preparation. The labeled glycans derived from glycoproteins showed excellent reproducibility in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis. Direct comparisons based on fluorescent absorbance and relative quantification using isotopic labeling demonstrated that the solid-phase strategy enabled 20-30% increase in sample recovery. In short, the solid-phase strategy is simple, reproducible, efficient, and sensitive for glycan analysis. This method was also successfully applied for N-glycan profiling of HEK 293 cells with MALDI-TOF MS, showing its attractive application in the high-throughput analysis of mammalian glycome. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Perchlorate in Fertilizers

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-09-01

Harrington , showed that with respect to mixed water analysis containing TDS at greater 1,000 ppm, the performance of the AS-5 column is not as robust...to note, these raw test materials were heterogeneous. Regardless of mixing time and mesh quality, dividing the raw test materials for laboratory...raw test material was prepared and shipped to seven laboratories for blind analysis. The suspension was prepared by 4 mixing the solid sample with

A new carbon-based magnetic material for the dispersive solid-phase extraction of UV filters from water samples before liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis.

PubMed

Piovesana, Susy; Capriotti, Anna Laura; Cavaliere, Chiara; La Barbera, Giorgia; Samperi, Roberto; Zenezini Chiozzi, Riccardo; Laganà, Aldo

2017-07-01

Magnetic solid-phase extraction is one of the most promising new extraction methods for liquid samples before ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis. Several types of materials, including carbonaceous ones, have been prepared for this purpose. In this paper, for the first time, the preparation, characterization, and sorption capability of Fe 3 O 4 -graphitized carbon black (mGCB) composite toward some compounds of environmental interest were investigated. The synthesized mGCB consisted of micrometric GCB particles with 55 m 2  g -1 surface area bearing some carbonyl and hydroxyl functionalities and the surface partially decorated by Fe 3 O 4 microparticles. The prepared mGCB was firstly tested as an adsorbent for the extraction from surface water of 50 pollutants, including estrogens, perfluoroalkyl compounds, UV filters, and quinolones. The material showed good affinity to many of the tested compounds, except carboxylates and glucoronates; however, some compounds were difficult to desorb. Ten UV filters belonging to the chemical classes of benzophenones and p-aminobenzoates were selected, and parameters were optimized for the extraction of these compounds from surface water before UHPLC-MS/MS determination. Then, the method was validated in terms of linearity, trueness, intra-laboratory precision, and detection and quantification limits. In summary, the method performance (trueness, expressed as analytical recovery, 85-114%; RSD 5-15%) appears suitable for the determination of the selected compounds at the level of 10-100 ng L -1 , with detection limits in the range of 1-5 ng L -1 . Finally, the new method was compared with a published one, based on conventional solid-phase extraction with GCB, showing similar performance in real sample analysis. Graphical Abstract Workflow of the analytical method based on magnetic solid-phase extraction followed by LC-MS/MS determination.

PLE in the analysis of plant compounds. Part I. The application of PLE for HPLC analysis of caffeine in green tea leaves.

PubMed

Dawidowicz, Andrzej L; Wianowska, Dorota

2005-04-29

A broad spectrum of sample preparation methods is currently used for the isolation of pharmacologically active compounds from plant and herbal materials. The paper compares the effectiveness of infusion, microwave assisted solvent extraction (MASE), matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) and pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) as sample preparation methods for the isolation of caffeine from green tea leaves. The effect of PLE variables, such as extraction temperature, pressure and time, on the yield of caffeine from the investigated matrix is discussed. The obtained results revealed that PLE, in comparison with other sample preparation methods applied, has significantly lower efficacy for caffeine isolation from green tea leaves. The evaluation of PLE conditions leads to the conclusion that elevated pressure applied in the PLE process is the factor hindering the extraction.

Preparation of nanobiochar as magnetic solid acid catalyst by pyrolysis-carbonization from oil palm empty fruit bunches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenie, S. N. Aisyiyah; Kristiani, Anis; Kustomo, Simanungkalit, Sabar; Mansur, Dieni

2017-11-01

Nanomaterials based on carbon exhibits unique properties, both physical and chemical, that can be utilized in various application, including catalyst. These nanomaterials were prepared through pyrolysis-carbonization process of biomass, oil palm empty fruit bunches. The effect of carbonization temperature in range of 500°C-600°C were also studied. The magnetic nanobiochar samples, MBC, were sulfonated by using sulfuric acid to increase their properties as solid acid catalyst. Their chemical and physical properties were characterized by Surface Area Analyzer and Porositymeter, X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infra-Red. The magnetic biochar samples obtained from carbonization at 873 K, MBC02-SO3H, was proven to have higher surface area, crystallinity properties and surface chemical composition after sulfonation process, which were confirmed by the BET, XRD and FT-IR analysis. Moreover, sample MBC02-SO3H exhibit promising catalytic acitivity in a catalysed esterification reaction, producing an ester yield of 64%. The result from this work opens new opportunities for the development of magnetic heterogenous acid catalyst from biomass waste.

YAlO3:Ce3+ powders: Synthesis, characterization, thermoluminescence and optical studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parganiha, Yogita; Kaur, Jagjeet; Dubey, Vikas; Shrivastava, Ravi

2015-09-01

Yttrium aluminum perovskite (YAP) is a promising high temperature ceramic material, known for its mechanical, structural and optical properties. YAP's also known as an ideal host material for solid-state lasers and phosphors. In this work, Ce3+ doped YAlO3 phosphors were synthesized by solid state reaction method, which is very suitable technique for large scale production. A prepared phosphor was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Photoluminescence spectra and Thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve study. The starting reagents used for sample preparation are Y2O3, Al2O3 and CeO2, boric acid used as a flux. Ratio of Y:Al was 1:1 which shows perovskite structure confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) study. The entire prepared sample was studied by PL excitation and emission spectra. Prominent peak at 446 nm (blue emission) which shows broad emission spectra of photoluminescence. It proves that prepared phosphor can act as a single host for blue emission of light and can be used for display applications. Commission Internationale de I'Eclairage (CIE) techniques proves the blue emission of light (x = .148, y = .117). TL glow curve analysis of prepared phosphor shows the prominent peak at 189 °C for the variable UV exposure time and high temperature peak shows the more stability and less fading in the prepared phosphor. Kinetic data of prepared phosphor were evaluated by peak shape method for variable UV exposure time (5-25 min).

Characterization of solid dispersions of itraconazole and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose prepared by melt extrusion, Part II.

PubMed

Six, Karel; Berghmans, Hugo; Leuner, Christian; Dressman, Jennifer; Van Werde, Kristof; Mullens, Jules; Benoist, Luc; Thimon, Mireille; Meublat, Laurent; Verreck, Geert; Peeters, Jef; Brewster, Marcus; Van den Mooter, Guy

2003-07-01

This study was done to elucidate the physical and pharmaceutical properties of itraconazole-HPMC dispersions and the influence of water on the phase separation. Extrudates were prepared using a corotating twin-screw hot-stage extruder with fixed process parameters. Modulated-temperature differential scanning calorimetry (MTDSC) and DSC 111 were used to examine the mixing behavior of itraconazole and the carrier by evaluation of the glass transition region. High temperature diffuse reflectance infrared transform spectroscopy (HT-DRIFT) was performed to reveal interactions between itraconazole and HPMC. Dissolution was performed to investigate the pharmaceutical performance of the dispersions. Although the dissolution rate of itraconazole significantly increased, we found that the solid dispersions do not form a homogeneous system. A different picture was obtained depending on the way MTDSC analysis was performed, i.e., using open or closed sample pans. Water can evaporate in open pans, which allows itraconazole to interact with HPMC and leads to a partially mixed phase. Analysis in hermetically closed pans revealed a further phase separation as water remains on the sample and impedes the interaction between drug and polymer. Solid dispersions of itraconazole and HPMC do not form a homogeneous phase.

Preparation and characterization of magnetic carboxylated nanodiamonds for vortex-assisted magnetic solid-phase extraction of ziram in food and water samples.

PubMed

Yılmaz, Erkan; Soylak, Mustafa

2016-09-01

A simple and rapid vortex-assisted magnetic solid phase extraction (VA-MSPE) method for the separation and preconcentration of ziram (zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate), subsequent detection of the zinc in complex structure of ziram by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) has been developed. The ziram content was calculated by using stoichiometric relationship between the zinc and ziram. Magnetic carboxylated nanodiamonds (MCNDs) as solid-phase extraction adsorbent was prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These magnetic carboxylated nanodiamonds carrying the ziram could be easily separated from the aqueous solution by applying an external magnetic field; no filtration or centrifugation was necessary. Some important factors influencing the extraction efficiency of ziram such as pH of sample solution, amount of adsorbent, type and volume of eluent, extraction and desorption time and sample volume were studied and optimized. The total extraction and detection time was lower than 10min The preconcentration factor (PF), the precision (RSD, n=7), the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 160, 7.0%, 5.3µgL(-1) and 17.5µgL(-1), respectively. The interference of various ions has been examined and the method has been applied for the determination of ziram in various waters, foodstuffs samples and synthetic mixtures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recovery of Picloram and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid from Aqueous Samples by Reversed-Phase Solid-Phase Extraction

Treesearch

Martha J.M. Wells; Jerry L. Michael

1987-01-01

Extensive preparation of samples before chromatographic analysis is usually the most time-consuming process in the determination of many organic compounds in environmental matrices. In the past, removal of some organic from aqueous solution was commonly done by liquid/liquid extraction. However, the introduction of stable, covalently bonded reversed-phase sorbents now...

46 CFR 164.009-17 - Density measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) If the sample is a solid material, a specimen that has a length of 305 mm, a width of 305 mm, and thickness equal to that of the sample is prepared. The length and width are measured to the nearest 0.80 mm and the thickness to the nearest 0.25 mm. Allowance is made for any irregularity in the surfaces of...

46 CFR 164.009-17 - Density measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) If the sample is a solid material, a specimen that has a length of 305 mm, a width of 305 mm, and thickness equal to that of the sample is prepared. The length and width are measured to the nearest 0.80 mm and the thickness to the nearest 0.25 mm. Allowance is made for any irregularity in the surfaces of...

46 CFR 164.009-17 - Density measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) If the sample is a solid material, a specimen that has a length of 305 mm, a width of 305 mm, and thickness equal to that of the sample is prepared. The length and width are measured to the nearest 0.80 mm and the thickness to the nearest 0.25 mm. Allowance is made for any irregularity in the surfaces of...

46 CFR 164.009-17 - Density measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) If the sample is a solid material, a specimen that has a length of 305 mm, a width of 305 mm, and thickness equal to that of the sample is prepared. The length and width are measured to the nearest 0.80 mm and the thickness to the nearest 0.25 mm. Allowance is made for any irregularity in the surfaces of...

Metal-organic framework based in-syringe solid-phase extraction for the on-site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaoqiong; Wang, Peiyi; Han, Qiang; Li, Hengzhen; Wang, Tong; Ding, Mingyu

2018-04-01

In-syringe solid-phase extraction is a promising sample pretreatment method for the on-site sampling of water samples because of its outstanding advantages of portability, simple operation, short extraction time, and low cost. In this work, a novel in-syringe solid-phase extraction device using metal-organic frameworks as the adsorbent was fabricated for the on-site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental waters. Trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were effectively extracted through the self-made device followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis. Owing to the excellent adsorption performance of metal-organic frameworks, the analytes could be completely adsorbed during one adsorption cycle, thus effectively shortening the extraction time. Moreover, the adsorbed analytes could remain stable on the device for at least 7 days, revealing the potential of the self-made device for on-site sampling of degradable compounds in remote regions. The limit of detection ranged from 0.20 to 1.9 ng/L under the optimum conditions. Satisfactory recoveries varying from 84.4 to 104.5% and relative standard deviations below 9.7% were obtained in real samples analysis. The results of this study promote the application of metal-organic frameworks in sample preparation and demonstrate the great potential of in-syringe solid-phase extraction for the on-site sampling of trace contaminants in environmental waters. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Innovative procedure for the determination of gross-alpha/gross-beta activities in drinking water.

PubMed

Wisser, S; Frenzel, E; Dittmer, M

2006-03-01

An alternative sample preparation method for the determination of gross-alpha/beta activity concentrations in drinking water is introduced in this paper. After the freeze-drying of tap water samples, determination by liquid scintillation counting can be applied utilizing alpha/beta separation. It has been shown that there is no adsorption or loss of solid radionuclides during the freeze-drying procedure. However, the samples have to be measured quickly after the preparation since the ingrowth of daughter isotopes negatively effects the measurement. The limits of detection for gross-alpha and gross-beta activity are in the range 25-210 mBq/l, respectively, for a measurement time of only 8-9 h.

Solid sampling determination of magnesium in lithium niobate crystals by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dravecz, Gabriella; Laczai, Nikoletta; Hajdara, Ivett; Bencs, László

2016-12-01

The vaporization/atomization processes of Mg in high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFAAS) were investigated by evaporating solid (powder) samples of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) optical single crystals doped with various amounts of Mg in a transversally heated graphite atomizer (THGA). Optimal analytical conditions were attained by using the Mg I 215.4353 nm secondary spectral line. An optimal pyrolysis temperature of 1500 °C was found for Mg, while the compromise atomization temperature in THGAs (2400 °C) was applied for analyte vaporization. The calibration was performed against solid (powered) lithium niobate crystal standards. The standards were prepared with exactly known Mg content via solid state fusion of the oxide components of the matrix and analyte. The correlation coefficient (R value) of the linear calibration was not worse than 0.9992. The calibration curves were linear in the dopant concentration range of interest (0.74-7.25 mg/g Mg), when dosing 3-10 mg of the powder samples into the graphite sample insertion boats. The Mg content of the studied 19 samples was in the range of 1.69-4.13 mg/g. The precision of the method was better than 6.3%. The accuracy of the results was verified by means of flame atomic absorption spectrometry with solution sample introduction after digestion of several crystal samples.

Systematic Assessment of Seven Solvent and Solid-Phase Extraction Methods for Metabolomics Analysis of Human Plasma by LC-MS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitnikov, Dmitri G.; Monnin, Cian S.; Vuckovic, Dajana

2016-12-01

The comparison of extraction methods for global metabolomics is usually executed in biofluids only and focuses on metabolite coverage and method repeatability. This limits our detailed understanding of extraction parameters such as recovery and matrix effects and prevents side-by-side comparison of different sample preparation strategies. To address this gap in knowledge, seven solvent-based and solid-phase extraction methods were systematically evaluated using standard analytes spiked into both buffer and human plasma. We compared recovery, coverage, repeatability, matrix effects, selectivity and orthogonality of all methods tested for non-lipid metabolome in combination with reversed-phased and mixed-mode liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS). Our results confirmed wide selectivity and excellent precision of solvent precipitations, but revealed their high susceptibility to matrix effects. The use of all seven methods showed high overlap and redundancy which resulted in metabolite coverage increases of 34-80% depending on LC-MS method employed as compared to the best single extraction protocol (methanol/ethanol precipitation) despite 7x increase in MS analysis time and sample consumption. The most orthogonal methods to methanol-based precipitation were ion-exchange solid-phase extraction and liquid-liquid extraction using methyl-tertbutyl ether. Our results help facilitate rational design and selection of sample preparation methods and internal standards for global metabolomics.

Preparation and characterization of magnetic nanocomposite of Schiff base/silica/magnetite as a preconcentration phase for the trace determination of heavy metal ions in water, food and biological samples using atomic absorption spectrometry.

PubMed

Bagheri, Hasan; Afkhami, Abbas; Saber-Tehrani, Mohammad; Khoshsafar, Hosein

2012-08-15

A versatile and robust solid phase with both magnetic property and a very high adsorption capacity is presented on the basis of modification of iron oxide-silica magnetic particles with a newly synthesized Schiff base (Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2)/L). The structure of the resulting product was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We developed an efficient and cost-effective method for the preconcentration of trace amounts of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) in environmental and biological samples using this novel magnetic solid phase. Prepared magnetic solid phase is an ideal support because it has a large surface area, good selectivity and can be easily retrieved from large volumes of aqueous solutions. The possible parameters affecting the enrichment were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the method detection limit was 0.14, 0.19 and 0.12 μg L(-1) for Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) ions, respectively. The established method has been successfully applied to analyze real samples, and satisfactory results were obtained. All these indicated that this magnetic phase had a great potential in environmental and biological fields. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Systematic Assessment of Seven Solvent and Solid-Phase Extraction Methods for Metabolomics Analysis of Human Plasma by LC-MS

PubMed Central

Sitnikov, Dmitri G.; Monnin, Cian S.; Vuckovic, Dajana

2016-01-01

The comparison of extraction methods for global metabolomics is usually executed in biofluids only and focuses on metabolite coverage and method repeatability. This limits our detailed understanding of extraction parameters such as recovery and matrix effects and prevents side-by-side comparison of different sample preparation strategies. To address this gap in knowledge, seven solvent-based and solid-phase extraction methods were systematically evaluated using standard analytes spiked into both buffer and human plasma. We compared recovery, coverage, repeatability, matrix effects, selectivity and orthogonality of all methods tested for non-lipid metabolome in combination with reversed-phased and mixed-mode liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS). Our results confirmed wide selectivity and excellent precision of solvent precipitations, but revealed their high susceptibility to matrix effects. The use of all seven methods showed high overlap and redundancy which resulted in metabolite coverage increases of 34–80% depending on LC-MS method employed as compared to the best single extraction protocol (methanol/ethanol precipitation) despite 7x increase in MS analysis time and sample consumption. The most orthogonal methods to methanol-based precipitation were ion-exchange solid-phase extraction and liquid-liquid extraction using methyl-tertbutyl ether. Our results help facilitate rational design and selection of sample preparation methods and internal standards for global metabolomics. PMID:28000704

Determination of trace/ultratrace rare earth elements in environmental samples by ICP-MS after magnetic solid phase extraction with Fe3O4@SiO2@polyaniline-graphene oxide composite.

PubMed

Su, Shaowei; Chen, Beibei; He, Man; Hu, Bin; Xiao, Zuowei

2014-02-01

A novel Fe3O4@SiO2@polyaniline-graphene oxide composite (MPANI-GO) was prepared through a simple noncovalent method and applied to magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) of trace rare earth elements (REEs) in tea leaves and environmental water samples followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection. The prepared MPANI-GO was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. Various parameters affecting MPANI-GO MSPE of REEs have been investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection (LODs, 3σ) for REEs were in the range of 0.04-1.49 ng L(-1) and the relative standard deviations (RSDs, c=20 ng L(-1), n=7) were 1.7-6.5%. The accuracy of the proposed method was validated by analyzing a Certified Reference Material of GBW 07605 tea leaves. The method was also successfully applied for the determination of trace REEs in tea leaves and environmental water samples. The developed MPANI-GO MSPE-ICP-MS method has the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, high sensitivity, high enrichment factor and is suitable for the analysis of trace REEs in samples with complex matrix. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced 99 Tc retention in glass waste form using Tc(IV)-incorporated Fe minerals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Um, Wooyong; Luksic, Steven A.; Wang, Guohui

Technetium (99Tc) immobilization by doping into iron oxide mineral phases may alleviate the problems with Tc volatility during vitrification of nuclear waste. Reduced Tc, Tc(IV), substitutes for Fe(III) in the crystal structure by a process of Tc reduction from Tc(VII) to Tc(IV) followed by co-precipitation of Fe oxide minerals. Two Tc-incorporated Fe minerals (Tc-goethite and Tc-magnetite/maghemite) were prepared and tested for Tc retention in glass melt samples at temperatures between 600 – 1,000 oC. After being cooled, the solid glass specimens prepared at different temperatures were analyzed for Tc oxidation state using Tc K-edge XANES. In most samples, Tc wasmore » partially oxidized from Tc(IV) to Tc(VII) as the melt temperature increased. However, Tc retention in glass melt samples prepared using Tc-incorporated Fe minerals were moderately higher than in glass prepared using KTcO4 because of limited and delayed Tc volatilization.« less

The preparation of calcium superoxide from calcium peroxide diperoxyhydrate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballou, E. V.; Wood, P. C.; Spitze, L. A.; Wydeven, T.

1977-01-01

There is interest in solid materials containing a high percentage of stored oxygen for use in emergency breathing apparatus for miners and as auxiliary oxygen sources for astronauts. In theory, the amount of available oxygen in calcium superoxide, Ca(O2)2 is higher than in potassium superoxide, KO2, and its availability during use should be unhindered by the formation of a low melting and hydrous coating. The decomposition of solid calcium peroxide diperoxyhydrate, CaO2.2H2O2 has been studied, using an apparatus which allows good control of the critical reaction parameters. Samples have been prepared showing apparent superoxide contents in excess of those previously reported and higher than the theoretical 58.4% expected from a disproportionation reaction.

Phosphopeptide Enrichment by Covalent Chromatography after Derivatization of Protein Digests Immobilized on Reversed-Phase Supports

PubMed Central

Nika, Heinz; Nieves, Edward; Hawke, David H.; Angeletti, Ruth Hogue

2013-01-01

A rugged sample-preparation method for comprehensive affinity enrichment of phosphopeptides from protein digests has been developed. The method uses a series of chemical reactions to incorporate efficiently and specifically a thiol-functionalized affinity tag into the analyte by barium hydroxide catalyzed β-elimination with Michael addition using 2-aminoethanethiol as nucleophile and subsequent thiolation of the resulting amino group with sulfosuccinimidyl-2-(biotinamido) ethyl-1,3-dithiopropionate. Gentle oxidation of cysteine residues, followed by acetylation of α- and ε-amino groups before these reactions, ensured selectivity of reversible capture of the modified phosphopeptides by covalent chromatography on activated thiol sepharose. The use of C18 reversed-phase supports as a miniaturized reaction bed facilitated optimization of the individual modification steps for throughput and completeness of derivatization. Reagents were exchanged directly on the supports, eliminating sample transfer between the reaction steps and thus, allowing the immobilized analyte to be carried through the multistep reaction scheme with minimal sample loss. The use of this sample-preparation method for phosphopeptide enrichment was demonstrated with low-level amounts of in-gel-digested protein. As applied to tryptic digests of α-S1- and β-casein, the method enabled the enrichment and detection of the phosphorylated peptides contained in the mixture, including the tetraphosphorylated species of β-casein, which has escaped chemical procedures reported previously. The isolates proved highly suitable for mapping the sites of phosphorylation by collisionally induced dissociation. β-Elimination, with consecutive Michael addition, expanded the use of the solid-phase-based enrichment strategy to phosphothreonyl peptides and to phosphoseryl/phosphothreonyl peptides derived from proline-directed kinase substrates and to their O-sulfono- and O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc)-modified counterparts. Solid-phase enzymatic dephosphorylation proved to be a viable tool to condition O-GlcNAcylated peptide in mixtures with phosphopeptides for selective affinity purification. Acetylation, as an integral step of the sample-preparation method, precluded reduction in recovery of the thiolation substrate caused by intrapeptide lysine-dehydroalanine cross-link formation. The solid-phase analytical platform provides robustness and simplicity of operation using equipment readily available in most biological laboratories and is expected to accommodate additional chemistries to expand the scope of solid-phase serial derivatization for protein structural characterization. PMID:23997662

Wastewater Biosolid Composting Optimization Based on UV-VNIR Spectroscopy Monitoring

PubMed Central

Temporal-Lara, Beatriz; Melendez-Pastor, Ignacio; Gómez, Ignacio; Navarro-Pedreño, Jose

2016-01-01

Conventional wastewater treatment generates large amounts of organic matter–rich sludge that requires adequate treatment to avoid public health and environmental problems. The mixture of wastewater sludge and some bulking agents produces a biosolid to be composted at adequate composting facilities. The composting process is chemically and microbiologically complex and requires an adequate aeration of the biosolid (e.g., with a turner machine) for proper maturation of the compost. Adequate (near) real-time monitoring of the compost maturity process is highly difficult and the operation of composting facilities is not as automatized as other industrial processes. Spectroscopic analysis of compost samples has been successfully employed for compost maturity assessment but the preparation of the solid compost samples is difficult and time-consuming. This manuscript presents a methodology based on a combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation and ultraviolet, visible and short-wave near-infrared spectroscopy. Spectroscopic measurements were performed with liquid compost extract instead of solid compost samples. Partial least square (PLS) models were developed to quantify chemical fractions commonly employed for compost maturity assessment. Effective regression models were obtained for total organic matter (residual predictive deviation—RPD = 2.68), humification ratio (RPD = 2.23), total exchangeable carbon (RPD = 2.07) and total organic carbon (RPD = 1.66) with a modular and cost-effective visible and near infrared (VNIR) spectroradiometer. This combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation with a versatile sensor system provides an easy-to-implement, efficient and cost-effective protocol for compost maturity assessment and near-real-time monitoring. PMID:27854280

Wastewater Biosolid Composting Optimization Based on UV-VNIR Spectroscopy Monitoring.

PubMed

Temporal-Lara, Beatriz; Melendez-Pastor, Ignacio; Gómez, Ignacio; Navarro-Pedreño, Jose

2016-11-15

Conventional wastewater treatment generates large amounts of organic matter-rich sludge that requires adequate treatment to avoid public health and environmental problems. The mixture of wastewater sludge and some bulking agents produces a biosolid to be composted at adequate composting facilities. The composting process is chemically and microbiologically complex and requires an adequate aeration of the biosolid (e.g., with a turner machine) for proper maturation of the compost. Adequate (near) real-time monitoring of the compost maturity process is highly difficult and the operation of composting facilities is not as automatized as other industrial processes. Spectroscopic analysis of compost samples has been successfully employed for compost maturity assessment but the preparation of the solid compost samples is difficult and time-consuming. This manuscript presents a methodology based on a combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation and ultraviolet, visible and short-wave near-infrared spectroscopy. Spectroscopic measurements were performed with liquid compost extract instead of solid compost samples. Partial least square (PLS) models were developed to quantify chemical fractions commonly employed for compost maturity assessment. Effective regression models were obtained for total organic matter (residual predictive deviation-RPD = 2.68), humification ratio (RPD = 2.23), total exchangeable carbon (RPD = 2.07) and total organic carbon (RPD = 1.66) with a modular and cost-effective visible and near infrared (VNIR) spectroradiometer. This combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation with a versatile sensor system provides an easy-to-implement, efficient and cost-effective protocol for compost maturity assessment and near-real-time monitoring.

Automated processing of whole blood samples for the determination of immunosuppressants by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Vogeser, Michael; Spöhrer, Ute

2006-01-01

Liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is an efficient technology for routine determination of immunosuppressants in whole blood; however, time-consuming manual sample preparation remains a significant limitation of this technique. Using a commercially available robotic pipetting system (Tecan Freedom EVO), we developed an automated sample-preparation protocol for quantification of tacrolimus in whole blood by LC-MS/MS. Barcode reading, sample resuspension, transfer of whole blood aliquots into a deep-well plate, addition of internal standard solution, mixing, and protein precipitation by addition of an organic solvent is performed by the robotic system. After centrifugation of the plate, the deproteinized supernatants are submitted to on-line solid phase extraction, using column switching prior to LC-MS/MS analysis. The only manual actions within the entire process are decapping of the tubes, and transfer of the deep-well plate from the robotic system to a centrifuge and finally to the HPLC autosampler. Whole blood pools were used to assess the reproducibility of the entire analytical system for measuring tacrolimus concentrations. A total coefficient of variation of 1.7% was found for the entire automated analytical process (n=40; mean tacrolimus concentration, 5.3 microg/L). Close agreement between tacrolimus results obtained after manual and automated sample preparation was observed. The analytical system described here, comprising automated protein precipitation, on-line solid phase extraction and LC-MS/MS analysis, is convenient and precise, and minimizes hands-on time and the risk of mistakes in the quantification of whole blood immunosuppressant concentrations compared to conventional methods.

MICROWAVE-ASSISTED EXTRACTION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM STANDARD REFERENCE SOILS AND SEDIMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

As part of an ongoing evaluation of new sample preparation techniques by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), especially those that minimize waste solvents, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of organic compounds from solid materials (or "matrices") was evaluated. Six...

Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE): comparison of the performance in classification of ecstasy tablets. Part 2.

PubMed

Bonadio, Federica; Margot, Pierre; Delémont, Olivier; Esseiva, Pierre

2008-11-20

Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) is assessed as an alternative to liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) currently used for 3,4-methylenedioxymethampethamine (MDMA) profiling. Both methods were compared evaluating their performance in discriminating and classifying samples. For this purpose 62 different seizures were analysed using both extraction techniques followed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). A previously validated method provided data for HS-SPME, whereas LLE data were collected applying a harmonized methodology developed and used in the European project CHAMP. After suitable pre-treatment, similarities between sample pairs were studied using the Pearson correlation. Both methods enable to distinguish between samples coming from the same pre-tabletting batches and samples coming from different pre-tabletting batches. This finding emphasizes the use of HS-SPME as an effective alternative to LLE, with additional advantages such as sample preparation and a solvent-free process.

Determination of ruthenium in pharmaceutical compounds by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy.

PubMed

Jia, Xiujuan; Wang, Tiebang; Bu, Xiaodong; Tu, Qiang; Spencer, Sandra

2006-04-11

A graphite furnace atomic absorption (GFAA) spectrometric method for the determination of ruthenium (Rh) in solid and liquid pharmaceutical compounds has been developed. Samples are dissolved or diluted in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) without any other treatment before they were analyzed by GFAA with a carefully designed heating program to avoid pre-atomization signal loss and to achieve suitable sensitivity. Various inorganic and organic solvents were tested and compared and DMSO was found to be the most suitable. In addition, ruthenium was found to be stable in DMSO for at least 5 days. Spike recoveries ranged from 81 to 100% and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) was determined to be 0.5 microg g(-1) for solid samples or 0.005 microg ml(-1) for liquid samples based a 100-fold dilution. The same set of samples was also analyzed by ICP-MS with a different sample preparation method, and excellent agreement was achieved.

Antibacterial kaolinite/urea/chlorhexidine nanocomposites: Experiment and molecular modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holešová, Sylva; Valášková, Marta; Hlaváč, Dominik; Madejová, Jana; Samlíková, Magda; Tokarský, Jonáš; Pazdziora, Erich

2014-06-01

Clay minerals are commonly used materials in pharmaceutical production both as inorganic carriers or active agents. The purpose of this study is the preparation and characterization of clay/antibacterial drug hybrids which can be further included in drug delivery systems for treatment oral infections. Novel nanocomposites with antibacterial properties were successfully prepared by ion exchange reaction from two types of kaolinite/urea intercalates and chlorhexidine diacetate. Intercalation compounds of kaolinite were prepared by reaction with solid urea in the absence of solvents (dry method) as well as with urea aqueous solution (wet method). The antibacterial activity of two prepared samples against Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was evaluated by finding the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Antibacterial studies of both samples showed the lowest MIC values (0.01%, w/v) after 1 day against E. faecalis, E. coli and S. aureus. A slightly worse antibacterial activity was observed against P. aeruginosa (MIC 0.12%, w/v) after 1 day. Since samples showed very good antibacterial activity, especially after 1 day of action, this means that these samples can be used as long-acting antibacterial materials. Prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The experimental data are supported by results of molecular modelling.

Matrix effects in pesticide multi-residue analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Kruve, Anneli; Künnapas, Allan; Herodes, Koit; Leito, Ivo

2008-04-11

Three sample preparation methods: Luke method (AOAC 985.22), QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) and matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) were applied to different fruits and vegetables for analysis of 14 pesticide residues by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI/MS). Matrix effect, recovery and process efficiency of the sample preparation methods applied to different fruits and vegetables were compared. The Luke method was found to produce least matrix effect. On an average the best recoveries were obtained with the QuEChERS method. MSPD gave unsatisfactory recoveries for some basic pesticide residues. Comparison of matrix effects for different apple varieties showed high variability for some residues. It was demonstrated that the amount of co-extracting compounds that cause ionization suppression of aldicarb depends on the apple variety as well as on the sample preparation method employed.

Back-scattered electron imaging of skeletal tissues.

PubMed

Boyde, A; Jones, S J

The use of solid-state back-scattered electron (BSE) detectors in the scanning electron microscopic study of skeletal tissues has been investigated. To minimize the topographic element in the image, flat samples and a ring detector configuration with the sample at normal incidence to the beam and the detector are used. Very flat samples are prepared by diamond micromilling or diamond polishing plastic-embedded tissue. Density discrimination in the image is so good that different density phases within mineralized bone can be imaged. For unembedded spongy bone, cut surfaces can be discriminated from natural surfaces by a topographic contrast mechanism. BSE imaging also presents advantages for unembedded samples with rough topography, such as anorganic preparations of the mineralization zone in cartilage, which give rise to severe charging problems with conventional secondary electron imaging.

Method and apparatus for automated processing and aliquoting of whole blood samples for analysis in a centrifugal fast analyzer

DOEpatents

Burtis, C.A.; Johnson, W.F.; Walker, W.A.

1985-08-05

A rotor and disc assembly for use in a centrifugal fast analyzer. The assembly is designed to process multiple samples of whole blood followed by aliquoting of the resultant serum into precisely measured samples for subsequent chemical analysis. The assembly requires minimal operator involvement with no mechanical pipetting. The system comprises: (1) a whole blood sample disc; (2) a serum sample disc; (3) a sample preparation rotor; and (4) an analytical rotor. The blood sample disc and serum sample disc are designed with a plurality of precision bore capillary tubes arranged in a spoked array. Samples of blood are loaded into the blood sample disc by capillary action and centrifugally discharged into cavities of the sample preparation rotor where separation of serum and solids is accomplished. The serum is loaded into the capillaries of the serum sample disc by capillary action and subsequently centrifugally expelled into cuvettes of the analyticaly rotor for conventional methods. 5 figs.

Method and apparatus for automated processing and aliquoting of whole blood samples for analysis in a centrifugal fast analyzer

DOEpatents

Burtis, Carl A.; Johnson, Wayne F.; Walker, William A.

1988-01-01

A rotor and disc assembly for use in a centrifugal fast analyzer. The assembly is designed to process multiple samples of whole blood followed by aliquoting of the resultant serum into precisely measured samples for subsequent chemical analysis. The assembly requires minimal operator involvement with no mechanical pipetting. The system comprises (1) a whole blood sample disc, (2) a serum sample disc, (3) a sample preparation rotor, and (4) an analytical rotor. The blood sample disc and serum sample disc are designed with a plurality of precision bore capillary tubes arranged in a spoked array. Samples of blood are loaded into the blood sample disc in capillary tubes filled by capillary action and centrifugally discharged into cavities of the sample preparation rotor where separation of serum and solids is accomplished. The serum is loaded into the capillaries of the serum sample disc by capillary action and subsequently centrifugally expelled into cuvettes of the analytical rotor for analysis by conventional methods.

Particle design using a 4-fluid-nozzle spray-drying technique for sustained release of acetaminophen.

PubMed

Chen, Richer; Okamoto, Hirokazu; Danjo, Kazumi

2006-07-01

We prepared matrix particles of acetaminophen (Act) with chitosan (Cht) as a carrier using a newly developed 4-fluid-nozzle spray dryer. Cht dissolves in acid solutions and forms a gel, but it does not dissolve in alkaline solutions. Therefore, we tested the preparation of controlled release matrix particles using the characteristics of this carrier. Act and Cht mixtures in prescribed ratios were dissolved in an acid solution. We evaluated the matrix particles by preparing a solid dispersion using a 4-fluid-nozzle spray dryer. Observation of the particle morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the particles from the spray drying process had atomized to several microns, and that they had become spherical. We investigated the physicochemical properties of the matrix particles by powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and dissolution rate analyses with a view to clarifying the effects of crystallinity on the dissolution rate. The powder X-ray diffraction peaks and the heat of the Act fusion in the spray-dried samples decreased with the increase of the carrier content, indicating that the drug was amorphous. These results indicate that the system formed a solid dispersion. Furthermore, we investigated the interaction between the drug and carrier using FT-IR analysis. The FT-IR spectroscopy for the Act solid dispersions suggested that the Act carboxyl group and the Cht amino group formed a hydrogen bond. In addition, the measurement results of the 13C CP/MAS solid-state NMR, indicated that a hydrogen bond had been formed between the Act carbonyl group and the Cht amino group. In the Act-Cht system, the 4-fluid-nozzle spray-dried preparation with a mixing ratio of 1 : 5 obtained a sustained release preparation in all pH test solutions.

Application of sunflower stalk-carbon nitride nanosheets as a green sorbent in the solid-phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons followed by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Marzi Khosrowshahi, Elnaz; Razmi, Habib

2018-02-08

A green biocomposite of sunflower stalks and graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets has been applied as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent for sample preparation of five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in different solutions using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Before the modification, sunflower stalks exhibited relatively low adsorption to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extraction. The modified sunflower stalks showed increased adsorption to the analytes extraction due to the increase in surface and existence of a π-π interaction between the analytes and graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets on the surface. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection and quantification for five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons compounds could reach 0.4-32 and 1.2-95 ng/L, respectively. The method accuracy was evaluated using recovery measurements in spiked real samples and good recoveries from 71 to 115% with relative standard deviations of <10% have been achieved. The developed method was successfully applied for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons determination in various samples-well water, tap water, soil, vegetable, and barbequed meat (kebab)-with analytes contents ranging from 0.065 to 13.3 μg/L. The prepared green composite as a new sorbent has some advantages including ease of preparation, low cost, and good reusability. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Methylxanthines: properties and determination in various objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreeva, Elena Yu; Dmitrienko, Stanislava G.; Zolotov, Yurii A.

2012-05-01

Published data on the properties and determination of caffeine, theophylline, theobromine and some other methylxanthines in various objects are surveyed and described systematically. Different sample preparation procedures such as liquid extraction from solid matrices and liquid-liquid, supercritical fluid and solid-phase extraction are compared. The key methods of analysis including chromatography, electrophoresis, spectrometry and electrochemical methods are discussed. Examples of methylxanthine determination in plants, food products, energy beverages, pharmaceuticals, biological fluids and natural and waste waters are given. The bibliography includes 393 references.

Method development for the control determination of mercury in seafood by solid-sampling thermal decomposition amalgamation atomic absorption spectrometry (TDA AAS).

PubMed

Torres, D P; Martins-Teixeira, M B; Silva, E F; Queiroz, H M

2012-01-01

A very simple and rapid method for the determination of total mercury in fish samples using the Direct Mercury Analyser DMA-80 was developed. In this system, a previously weighted portion of fresh fish is combusted and the released mercury is selectively trapped in a gold amalgamator. Upon heating, mercury is desorbed from the amalgamator, an atomic absorption measurement is performed and the mercury concentration is calculated. Some experimental parameters have been studied and optimised. In this study the sample mass was about 100.0 mg. The relative standard deviation was lower than 8.0% for all measurements of solid samples. Two calibration curves against aqueous standard solutions were prepared through the low linear range from 2.5 to 20.0 ng of Hg, and the high linear range from 25.0 to 200.0 ng of Hg, for which a correlation coefficient better than 0.997 was achieved, as well as a normal distribution of the residuals. Mercury reference solutions were prepared in 5.0% v/v nitric acid medium. Lyophilised fish tissues were also analysed; however, the additional procedure had no advantage over the direct analysis of the fresh fish, and additionally increased the total analytical process time. A fish tissue reference material, IAEA-407, was analysed and the mercury concentration was in agreement with the certified value, according to the t-test at a 95% confidence level. The limit of quantification (LOQ), based on a mercury-free sample, was 3.0 µg kg(-1). This LOQ is in accordance with performance criteria required by the Commission Regulation No. 333/2007. Simplicity and high efficiency, without the need for any sample preparation procedure, are some of the qualities of the proposed method.

Investigation of Rhodopsin Dynamics in its Signaling State by Solid-State Deuterium NMR Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Struts, Andrey V.; Chawla, Udeep; Perera, Suchithranga M.D.C.; Brown, Michael F.

2017-01-01

Site-directed deuterium NMR spectroscopy is a valuable tool to study the structural dynamics of biomolecules in cases where solution NMR is inapplicable. Solid-state 2H NMR spectral studies of aligned membrane samples of rhodopsin with selectively labeled retinal provide information on structural changes of the chromophore in different protein states. In addition, solid-state 2H NMR relaxation time measurements allow one to study the dynamics of the ligand during the transition from the inactive to the active state. Here we describe the methodological aspects of solid-state 2H NMR spectroscopy for functional studies of rhodopsin, with an emphasis on the dynamics of the retinal cofactor. We provide complete protocols for the preparation of NMR samples of rhodopsin with 11-cis-retinal selectively deuterated at the methyl groups in aligned membranes. In addition, we review optimized conditions for trapping the rhodopsin photointermediates; and lastly we address the challenging problem of trapping the signaling state of rhodopsin in aligned membrane films. PMID:25697522

Preparation of novel alumina nanowire solid-phase microextraction fiber coating for ultra-selective determination of volatile esters and alcohols from complicated food samples.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhuomin; Ma, Yunjian; Wang, Qingtang; Chen, An; Pan, Zhuoyan; Li, Gongke

2013-05-17

A novel alumina nanowire (ANW) solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coating was prepared by a simple and rapid anodization-chemical etching method for ultra-selective determination of volatile esters and alcohols from complicated food samples. Preparation conditions for ANW SPME fiber coating including corrosion solution concentration and corrosion time were optimized in detail for better surface morphology and higher surface area based on scanning electron microscope (SEM). Under the optimum conditions, homogeneous alumina nanowire structure of ANW SPME fiber coating was achieved with the average thickness of 20 μm around. Compared with most of commercial SPME fiber coatings, ANW SPME fiber coatings achieved the higher extraction capacity and special selectivity for volatile esters and alcohols. Finally, an efficient gas sampling technique based on ANW SPME fiber coating as the core was established and successfully applied for the ultra-selective determination of trace volatile esters and alcohols from complicated banana and fermented glutinous rice samples coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) detection. It was interesting that 25 esters and 2 alcohols among 30 banana volatile organic compounds (VOCs) identified and 4 esters and 7 alcohols among 13 identified VOCs of fermented glutinous rice were selectively sampled by ANW SPME fiber coatings. Furthermore, new analytical methods for the determination of some typical volatile esters and alcohols from banana and fermented glutinous rice samples at specific storage or brewing phases were developed and validated. Good recoveries for banana and fermented glutinous rice samples were achieved in range of 108-115% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.6-6.7% and 80.0-91.8% with RSDs of 0.3-1.3% (n=3), respectively. This work proposed a novel and efficient gas sampling technique of ANW SPME which was quite suitable for ultra-selectively sampling trace volatile esters and alcohols from complicated food samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The planning and establishment of a sample preparation laboratory for drug discovery

PubMed Central

Dufresne, Claude

2000-01-01

Nature has always been a productive source of new drugs. With the advent of high-throughput screening, it has now become possible to rapidly screen large sample collections. In addition to seeking greater diversity from natural product sources (micro-organisms, plants, etc.), fractionation of the crude extracts prior to screening is becoming a more important part of our efforts. As sample preparation protocols become more involved, automation can help to achieve and maintain a desired sample throughput. To address the needs of our screening program, two robotic systems were designed. The first system processes crude extracts all the way to 96-well plates, containing solutions suitable for screening in biological and biochemical assays. The system can dissolve crude extracts, fractionate them on solid-phase extraction cartridges, dry and weigh each fraction, re-dissolve them to a known concentration, and prepare mother plates. The second system replicates mother plates into a number of daughter plates. PMID:18924691

Multiple headspace-solid-phase microextraction: an application to quantification of mushroom volatiles.

PubMed

Costa, Rosaria; Tedone, Laura; De Grazia, Selenia; Dugo, Paola; Mondello, Luigi

2013-04-03

Multiple headspace-solid phase microextraction (MHS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and flame ionization detection (GC-FID) was applied to the identification and quantification of volatiles released by the mushroom Agaricus bisporus, also known as champignon. MHS-SPME allows to perform quantitative analysis of volatiles from solid matrices, free of matrix interferences. Samples analyzed were fresh mushrooms (chopped and homogenized) and mushroom-containing food dressings. 1-Octen-3-ol, 3-octanol, 3-octanone, 1-octen-3-one and benzaldehyde were common constituents of the samples analyzed. Method performance has been tested through the evaluation of limit of detection (LoD, range 0.033-0.078 ng), limit of quantification (LoQ, range 0.111-0.259 ng) and analyte recovery (92.3-108.5%). The results obtained showed quantitative differences among the samples, which can be attributed to critical factors, such as the degree of cell damage upon sample preparation, that are here discussed. Considerations on the mushrooms biochemistry and on the basic principles of MHS analysis are also presented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heat Management Strategies for Solid-state NMR of Functional Proteins

PubMed Central

Fowler, Daniel J.; Harris, Michael J.; Thompson, Lynmarie K.

2012-01-01

Modern solid-state NMR methods can acquire high-resolution protein spectra for structure determination. However, these methods use rapid sample spinning and intense decoupling fields that can heat and denature the protein being studied. Here we present a strategy to avoid destroying valuable samples. We advocate first creating a sacrificial sample, which contains unlabeled protein (or no protein) in buffer conditions similar to the intended sample. This sample is then doped with the chemical shift thermometer Sm2Sn2O7. We introduce a pulse scheme called TCUP (for Temperature Calibration Under Pulseload) that can characterize the heating of this sacrificial sample rapidly, under a variety of experimental conditions, and with high temporal resolution. Sample heating is discussed with respect to different instrumental variables such as spinning speed, decoupling strength and duration, and cooling gas flow rate. The effects of different sample preparation variables are also discussed, including ionic strength, the inclusion of cryoprotectants, and the physical state of the sample (i.e. liquid, solid, or slurry). Lastly, we discuss probe detuning as a measure of sample thawing that does not require retuning the probe or using chemical shift thermometer compounds. Use of detuning tests and chemical shift thermometers with representative sample conditions makes it possible to maximize the efficiency of the NMR experiment while retaining a functional sample. PMID:22868258

Highly efficient red-emitting BaMgBO3F:Eu3+,R+ (R: Li, Na, K, Rb) phosphor for near-UV excitation synthesized via glass precursor solid-state reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinozaki, Kenji; Akai, Tomoko

2017-09-01

Eu3+-doped fluoroborate crystals of BaMgBO3F were synthesized by a solid-state reaction using a glassy precursor material, and their photoluminescence (PL) was investigated. To compensate for the incorporation of Eu3+ into Ba2+ sites, samples codoped with alkali ions (Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+) were also prepared. The Eu3+-doped sample showed red PL with a quantum yield (QY) of 65% caused by near-UV excitation (λ = 393 nm), and PL intensity and QY increased with the codoping of Eu3+ and alkali ions. It was found that the Eu3+,Li+-codoped sample showed the highest PL intensity and a QY of 83%.

Dielectric Constant Measurements of Solid 4He

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, L.; Xia, J. S.; Huan, C.; Sullivan, N. S.; Chan, M. H. W.

2011-03-01

Careful measurements of the dielectric properties of solid 4He have been carried out down to 35 mK, considerably lower than the temperature range of previous studies. The sample was prepared from high purity gas with 3He concentrations of the order of 200 ppb and were formed by the blocked capillary method. The molar volume of the sample was 20.30 cm3. The dielectric constant of the samples was found to be independent of temperature down to 120 mK before showing a continuous increase with decreasing temperature and saturating below 50 mK. The total increase in ɛ is 2 parts in 10-5. The temperature dependence of ɛ mimics the increase in the resonant frequency found in the torsional oscillator studies and also the increase found in the shear modulus measurements.

(13)C and (15)N solid-state NMR studies on albendazole and cyclodextrin albendazole complexes.

PubMed

Ferreira, M João G; García, A; Leonardi, D; Salomon, Claudio J; Lamas, M Celina; Nunes, Teresa G

2015-06-05

(13)C and (15)N solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra were recorded from albendazole (ABZ) and from ABZ:β-cyclodextrin, ABZ:methyl-β-cyclodextrin, ABZ:hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and ABZ:citrate-β-cyclodextrin, which were prepared by the spray-drying technique. ABZ signals were typical of a crystalline solid for the pure drug and of an amorphous compound obtained from ABZ:cyclodextrin samples. Relevant spectral differences were correlated with chemical interaction between ABZ and cyclodextrins. The number and type of complexes revealed a strong dependence on the cyclodextrin group substituent. Solid-state NMR data were consistent with the presence of stable inclusion complexes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Separation and purification of thymopentin with molecular imprinting membrane by solid phase extraction disks.

PubMed

Wang, Chaoli; Hu, Xiaoling; Guan, Ping; Wu, Danfeng; Qian, Liwei; Li, Ji; Song, Renyuan

2015-01-01

The synthesis and performance of molecularly imprinted membranes (MIMs) as a solid phase extraction packing materials for the separation and purification of thymopentin from crude samples was described. In order to increase structural selectivity and imprinting efficiency, surface-initiated ATRP and ionic liquid (1-vinyl-3-ethyl acetate imidazolium chloride) were used to prepare molecularly imprinting membranes. The results demonstrated that solid phase extraction disks stuffed by MIMs with ionic liquids as functional monomer demonstrated high isolation and purification of performance to the thymopentin. The molecular recognition of thymopentin was analyzed by using molecular modeling software. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Precipitation in Al–Mg solid solution prepared by solidification under high pressure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jie, J.C., E-mail: jiejc@dlut.edu.cn; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001; Wang, H.W.

2014-01-15

The precipitation in Al–Mg solid solution containing 21.6 at.% Mg prepared by solidification under 2 GPa was investigated. The results show that the γ-Al{sub 12}Mg{sub 17} phase is formed and the β′ phase cannot be observed in the solid solution during ageing process. The precipitation of γ and β phases takes place in a non-uniform manner during heating process, i.e. the γ and β phases are first formed in the interdendritic region, which is caused by the inhomogeneous distribution of Mg atoms in the solid solution solidified under high pressure. Peak splitting of X-ray diffraction patterns of Al(Mg) solid solutionmore » appears, and then disappears when the samples are aged at 423 K for different times, due to the non-uniform precipitation in Al–Mg solid solution. The direct transformation from the γ to β phase is observed after ageing at 423 K for 24 h. It is considered that the β phase is formed through a peritectoid reaction of α + γ → β which needs the diffusion of Mg atoms across the interface of α/γ phases. - Highlights: • The γ phase is formed and the β′ phase is be observed in Al(Mg) solid solution. • Peak splitting of XRD pattern of Al(Mg) solid solution appears during aged at 150 °C. • The β phase is formed through a peritectoid reaction of α + γ → β.« less

An Overview of Conventional and Emerging Analytical Methods for the Determination of Mycotoxins

PubMed Central

Cigić, Irena Kralj; Prosen, Helena

2009-01-01

Mycotoxins are a group of compounds produced by various fungi and excreted into the matrices on which they grow, often food intended for human consumption or animal feed. The high toxicity and carcinogenicity of these compounds and their ability to cause various pathological conditions has led to widespread screening of foods and feeds potentially polluted with them. Maximum permissible levels in different matrices have also been established for some toxins. As these are quite low, analytical methods for determination of mycotoxins have to be both sensitive and specific. In addition, an appropriate sample preparation and pre-concentration method is needed to isolate analytes from rather complicated samples. In this article, an overview of methods for analysis and sample preparation published in the last ten years is given for the most often encountered mycotoxins in different samples, mainly in food. Special emphasis is on liquid chromatography with fluorescence and mass spectrometric detection, while in the field of sample preparation various solid-phase extraction approaches are discussed. However, an overview of other analytical and sample preparation methods less often used is also given. Finally, different matrices where mycotoxins have to be determined are discussed with the emphasis on their specific characteristics important for the analysis (human food and beverages, animal feed, biological samples, environmental samples). Various issues important for accurate qualitative and quantitative analyses are critically discussed: sampling and choice of representative sample, sample preparation and possible bias associated with it, specificity of the analytical method and critical evaluation of results. PMID:19333436

Improved sample preparation of glyphosate and methylphosphonic acid by EPA method 6800A and time-of-flight mass spectrometry using novel solid-phase extraction.

PubMed

Wagner, Rebecca; Wetzel, Stephanie J; Kern, John; Kingston, H M Skip

2012-02-01

The employment of chemical weapons by rogue states and/or terrorist organizations is an ongoing concern in the United States. The quantitative analysis of nerve agents must be rapid and reliable for use in the private and public sectors. Current methods describe a tedious and time-consuming derivatization for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry. Two solid-phase extraction (SPE) techniques for the analysis of glyphosate and methylphosphonic acid are described with the utilization of isotopically enriched analytes for quantitation via atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (APCI-Q-TOF-MS) that does not require derivatization. Solid-phase extraction-isotope dilution mass spectrometry (SPE-IDMS) involves pre-equilibration of a naturally occurring sample with an isotopically enriched standard. The second extraction method, i-Spike, involves loading an isotopically enriched standard onto the SPE column before the naturally occurring sample. The sample and the spike are then co-eluted from the column enabling precise and accurate quantitation via IDMS. The SPE methods in conjunction with IDMS eliminate concerns of incomplete elution, matrix and sorbent effects, and MS drift. For accurate quantitation with IDMS, the isotopic contribution of all atoms in the target molecule must be statistically taken into account. This paper describes two newly developed sample preparation techniques for the analysis of nerve agent surrogates in drinking water as well as statistical probability analysis for proper molecular IDMS. The methods described in this paper demonstrate accurate molecular IDMS using APCI-Q-TOF-MS with limits of quantitation as low as 0.400 mg/kg for glyphosate and 0.031 mg/kg for methylphosphonic acid. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Magnetic and structural properties of glass-coated Heusler-type microwires exhibiting martensitic transformation.

PubMed

Zhukov, A; Ipatov, M; Del Val, J J; Zhukova, V; Chernenko, V A

2018-01-12

We have studied magnetic and structural properties of the Heusler-type Ni-Mn-Ga glass-coated microwires prepared by Tailor-Ulitovsky technique. As-prepared sample presents magnetoresistance effect and considerable dependence of magnetization curves (particularly magnetization values) on magnetic field attributed to the magnetic and atomic disorder. Annealing strongly affects the temperature dependence of magnetization and Curie temperature of microwires. After annealing of the microwires at 973 K, the Curie temperature was enhanced to about 280 K which is beneficial for the magnetic solid state refrigeration. The observed hysteretic anomalies on the temperature dependences of resistance and magnetization in the as-prepared and annealed samples are produced by the martensitic transformation. The magnetoresistance and magnetocaloric effects have been investigated to illustrate a potential technological capability of studied microwires.

Large-scale pesticide testing in olives by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry using two sample preparation methods based on matrix solid-phase dispersion and QuEChERS.

PubMed

Gilbert-López, Bienvenida; García-Reyes, Juan F; Lozano, Ana; Fernández-Alba, Amadeo R; Molina-Díaz, Antonio

2010-09-24

In this work we have evaluated the performance of two sample preparation methodologies for the large-scale multiresidue analysis of pesticides in olives using liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The tested sample treatment methodologies were: (1) liquid-liquid partitioning with acetonitrile followed by dispersive solid-phase extraction clean-up using GCB, PSA and C18 sorbents (QuEChERS method - modified for fatty vegetables) and (2) matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) using aminopropyl as sorbent material and a final clean-up performed in the elution step using Florisil. An LC-MS/MS method covering 104 multiclass pesticides was developed to examine the performance of these two protocols. The separation of the compounds from the olive extracts was achieved using a short C18 column (50 mm x 4.6 mm i.d.) with 1.8 microm particle size. The identification and confirmation of the compounds was based on retention time matching along with the presence (and ratio) of two typical MRM transitions. Limits of detection obtained were lower than 10 microgkg(-1) for 89% analytes using both sample treatment protocols. Recoveries studies performed on olives samples spiked at two concentration levels (10 and 100 microgkg(-1)) yielded average recoveries in the range 70-120% for most analytes when QuEChERS procedure is employed. When MSPD was the choice for sample extraction, recoveries obtained were in the range 50-70% for most of target compounds. The proposed methods were successfully applied to the analysis of real olives samples, revealing the presence of some of the target species in the microgkg(-1) range. Besides the evaluation of the sample preparation approaches, we also discuss the use of advanced software features associated to MRM method development that overcome several limitations and drawbacks associated to MS/MS methods (time segments boundaries, tedious method development/manual scheduling and acquisition limitations). This software feature recently offered by different vendors is based on an algorithm that associates retention time data for each individual MS/MS transition, so that the number of simultaneously traced transitions throughout the entire chromatographic run (dwell times and sensitivity) is maximized. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polymeric ionic liquid-based portable tip microextraction device for on-site sample preparation of water samples.

PubMed

Chen, Lei; Pei, Junxian; Huang, Xiaojia; Lu, Min

2018-06-05

On-site sample preparation is highly desired because it avoids the transportation of large-volume samples and ensures the accuracy of the analytical results. In this work, a portable prototype of tip microextraction device (TMD) was designed and developed for on-site sample pretreatment. The assembly procedure of TMD is quite simple. Firstly, polymeric ionic liquid (PIL)-based adsorbent was in-situ prepared in a pipette tip. After that, the tip was connected with a syringe which was driven by a bidirectional motor. The flow rates in adsorption and desorption steps were controlled accurately by the motor. To evaluate the practicability of the developed device, the TMD was used to on-site sample preparation of waters and combined with high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection to measure trace estrogens in water samples. Under the most favorable conditions, the limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) for the target analytes were in the range of 4.9-22 ng/L, with good coefficients of determination. Confirmatory study well evidences that the extraction performance of TMD is comparable to that of the traditional laboratory solid-phase extraction process, but the proposed TMD is more simple and convenient. At the same time, the TMD avoids complicated sampling and transferring steps of large-volume water samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of g-C3N4/Fe3O4 nanocomposites and application as a new sorbent for solid phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples.

PubMed

Wang, Man; Cui, Shihai; Yang, Xiaodi; Bi, Wentao

2015-01-01

An easy preparation of g-C3N4/Fe3O4 nanocomposites by chemical co-precipitation has been demonstrated. The as-prepared materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The high affinity of g-C3N4 toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the magnetic behavior of Fe3O4 were combined to provide an efficient and simple magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE). The adsorption and desorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on g-C3N4/Fe3O4 were examined. Different factors affecting the magnetic solid phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were assessed in terms of adsorption, desorption, and recovery. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method showed good limits of detection (LOD, S/N=3) in the range of 0.05-0.1 ng mL(-1) and precision in the range of 1.8-5.3% (RSDs, n=3). This method was also successfully applied to the analysis of real water samples; good spiked recoveries over the range of 80.0-99.8% were obtained. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ionization behavior of polyphosphoinositides determined via the preparation of pH titration curves using solid-state 31P NMR.

PubMed

Graber, Zachary T; Kooijman, Edgar E

2013-01-01

Detailed knowledge of the degree of ionization of lipid titratable groups is important for the evaluation of protein-lipid and lipid-lipid interactions. The degree of ionization is commonly evaluated by acid-base titration, but for lipids localized in a multicomponent membrane interface this is not a suitable technique. For phosphomonoester-containing lipids such as the polyphosphoinositides, phosphatidic acid, and ceramide-1-phosphate, this is more conveniently accomplished by (31)P NMR. Here, we describe a solid-state (31)P NMR procedure to construct pH titration curves to determine the degree of ionization of phosphomonoester groups in polyphosphoinositides. This procedure can also be used, with suitable sample preparation conditions, for other important signaling lipids. Access to a solid-state, i.e., magic angle spinning, capable NMR spectrometer is assumed. The procedures described here are valid for a Bruker instrument, but can be adapted for other spectrometers as needed.

Effect of sterilization on the physical stability of brimonidine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers.

PubMed

El-Salamouni, Noha S; Farid, Ragwa M; El-Kamel, Amal H; El-Gamal, Safaa S

2015-12-30

Nanoparticulate delivery systems have recently been under consideration for topical ophthalmic drug delivery. Brimonidine base-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carrier formulations were prepared using glyceryl monostearate as solid lipid and were evaluated for their physical stability following sterilization by autoclaving at 121°C for 15min. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of autoclaving on the physical appearance, particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and particle morphology of the prepared formulations, compared to non-autoclaved ones. Results showed that, autoclaving at 121°C for 15min allowed the production of physically stable formulations in nanometric range, below 500nm suitable for ophthalmic application. Moreover, the autoclaved samples appeared to be superior to non-autoclaved ones, due to their increased zeta potential values, indicating a better physical stability. As well as, increased amount of brimonidine base entrapped in the tested formulations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation of curcumin self-micelle solid dispersion with enhanced bioavailability and cytotoxic activity by mechanochemistry.

PubMed

Zhang, Qihong; Polyakov, Nikolay E; Chistyachenko, Yulia S; Khvostov, Mikhail V; Frolova, Tatjana S; Tolstikova, Tatjana G; Dushkin, Alexandr V; Su, Weike

2018-11-01

An amorphous solid dispersion (SD) of curcumin (Cur) with disodium glycyrrhizin (Na 2 GA) was prepared by mechanical ball milling. Curcumin loaded micelles were self-formed by Na 2 GA when SD dissolved in water. The physical properties of Cur SD in solid state were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction studies, and scanning electron microscope. The characteristics of the sample solutions were analyzed by reverse phase HPLC, UV-visible spectroscopy, 1 H NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation LC, and transmission electron microscopy. In vitro cytotoxic tests demonstrated that Cur SD induced higher cytotoxicity against glioblastoma U-87 MG cells than free Cur. Besides, an improvement of membrane permeability of Cur SD was confirmed by parallel artificial membrane permeability assay. Further pharmacokinetic study of this SD formulation in rat showed a significant ∼19-fold increase of bioavailability as comparing to free Cur. Thus, Cur SD provide a more potent and efficacious formulation for Cur oral delivery.

Modified Activated Carbon Prepared from Acorn Shells as a New Solid-Phase Extraction Sorbent for the Preconcentration and Determination of Trace Amounts of Nickel in Food Samples Prior to Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.

PubMed

Ebrahimi, Bahram

2017-03-01

A new solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent was introduced based on acidic-modified (AM) activated carbon (AC) prepared from acorn shells of native oak trees in Kurdistan. Hydrochloric acid (15%, w/w) and nitric acid (32.5%, w/w) were used to condition and modify AC. The IR spectra of AC and AM-AC showed that AM lead to the formation of increasing numbers of acidic functional groups on AM-AC. AM-AC was used in the SPE method for the extraction and preconcentration of Ni+2 prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination at ng/mL levels in model and real food samples. Effective parameters of the SPE procedure, such as the pH of the solutions, sorbent dosage, extraction time, sample volume, type of eluent, and matrix ions, were considered and optimized. An enrichment factor of 140 was obtained. The calibration curve was linear with an R2 of 0.997 in the concentration range of 1-220 ng/mL. The RSD was 5.67% (for n = 7), the LOD was 0.352 ng/mL, and relative recoveries in vegetable samples ranged from 96.7 to 103.7%.

Enhanced magnetization in morphologically and magnetically distinct BiFeO3 and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pillai, Shreeja; Reshi, Hilal Ahmad; Bagwaiya, Toshi; Banerjee, Alok; Shelke, Vilas

2017-09-01

Nanomaterials exhibit properties different from those of their bulk counterparts. The modified magnetic characteristics of manganite nanoparticles were exploited to improve magnetization in multiferroic BiFeO3 compound. We studied the composite of two morphologically and magnetically distinct compounds BiFeO3 (BFO) and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO). The microcrystalline BiFeO3 sample was prepared by solid state reaction method and the nanocrystalline La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 by sol-gel method. Composites with nominal compositions (1-x)BiFeO3-(x)La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 were prepared by modified solid state reaction method. The phase purity and crystal structures were checked by using X-ray diffraction. The formation of composites with phase separated BFO and LSMO was confirmed using Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy studies. The composite samples showed relatively high value of magnetization with finite coercivity. This improvement in magnetic behavior is ascribed to the coexistence of multiple magnetic orderings in composite samples. We scrutinized the possibility of oxygen vacancy or Fe mixed valency formation in the samples using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique.

Laser pyrolysis fabrication of ferromagnetic gamma'-Fe4N and FeC nanoparticles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grimes, C. A.; Qian, D.; Dickey, E. C.; Allen, J. L.; Eklund, P. C.

2000-01-01

Using the laser pyrolysis method, single phase gamma'-Fe4N nanoparticles were prepared by a two step method involving preparation of nanoscale iron oxide and a subsequent gas-solid nitridation reaction. Single phase Fe3C and Fe7C3 could be prepared by laser pyrolysis from Fe(CO)5 and 3C2H4 directly. Characterization techniques such as XRD, TEM and vibrating sample magnetometer were used to measure phase structure, particle size and magnetic properties of these nanoscale nitride and carbide particles. c2000 American Journal of Physics.

Xylanase supplementation on enzymatic saccharification of dilute acid pretreated poplars at different severities

Treesearch

Chao Zhang; Xinshu Zhuang; Zhao Jiang Wang; Fred Matt; Franz St. John; J.Y. Zhu

2013-01-01

Three pairs of solid substrates from dilute acid pretreatment of two poplar wood samples were enzymatically hydrolyzed by cellulase preparations supplemented with xylanase. Supplementation of xylanase improved cellulose saccharification perhaps due to improved cellulose accessibility by xylan hydrolysis. Total xylan removal directly affected enzymatic cellulose...

EPA Method 8321B (SW-846): Solvent-Extractable Nonvolatile Compounds by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Thermospray-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-TS-MS) or Ultraviolet (UV) Detection

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Method 8321B describes procedures for preparation and analysis of solid, aqueous liquid, drinking water and wipe samples using high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for extractable non-volatile compounds.

ZnO nanorod array polydimethylsiloxane composite solid phase micro-extraction fiber coating: fabrication and extraction capability.

PubMed

Wang, Dan; Wang, Qingtang; Zhang, Zhuomin; Chen, Guonan

2012-01-21

ZnO nanorod array coating is a novel kind of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coating which shows good extraction capability due to the nanostructure. To prepare the composite coating is a good way to improve the extraction capability. In this paper, the ZnO nanorod array polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite SPME fiber coating has been prepared and its extraction capability for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been studied by headspace sampling the typical volatile mixed standard solution of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX). Improved detection limit and good linear ranges have been achieved for this composite SPME fiber coating. Also, it is found that the composite SPME fiber coating shows good extraction selectivity to the VOCs with alkane radicals.

Design and optimization of reverse-transcription quantitative PCR experiments.

PubMed

Tichopad, Ales; Kitchen, Rob; Riedmaier, Irmgard; Becker, Christiane; Ståhlberg, Anders; Kubista, Mikael

2009-10-01

Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is a valuable technique for accurately and reliably profiling and quantifying gene expression. Typically, samples obtained from the organism of study have to be processed via several preparative steps before qPCR. We estimated the errors of sample withdrawal and extraction, reverse transcription (RT), and qPCR that are introduced into measurements of mRNA concentrations. We performed hierarchically arranged experiments with 3 animals, 3 samples, 3 RT reactions, and 3 qPCRs and quantified the expression of several genes in solid tissue, blood, cell culture, and single cells. A nested ANOVA design was used to model the experiments, and relative and absolute errors were calculated with this model for each processing level in the hierarchical design. We found that intersubject differences became easily confounded by sample heterogeneity for single cells and solid tissue. In cell cultures and blood, the noise from the RT and qPCR steps contributed substantially to the overall error because the sampling noise was less pronounced. We recommend the use of sample replicates preferentially to any other replicates when working with solid tissue, cell cultures, and single cells, and we recommend the use of RT replicates when working with blood. We show how an optimal sampling plan can be calculated for a limited budget. .

Receiver calibration and the nonlinearity parameter measurement of thick solid samples with diffraction and attenuation corrections.

PubMed

Jeong, Hyunjo; Barnard, Daniel; Cho, Sungjong; Zhang, Shuzeng; Li, Xiongbing

2017-11-01

This paper presents analytical and experimental techniques for accurate determination of the nonlinearity parameter (β) in thick solid samples. When piezoelectric transducers are used for β measurements, the receiver calibration is required to determine the transfer function from which the absolute displacement can be calculated. The measured fundamental and second harmonic displacement amplitudes should be modified to account for beam diffraction and material absorption. All these issues are addressed in this study and the proposed technique is validated through the β measurements of thick solid samples. A simplified self-reciprocity calibration procedure for a broadband receiver is described. The diffraction and attenuation corrections for the fundamental and second harmonics are explicitly derived. Aluminum alloy samples in five different thicknesses (4, 6, 8, 10, 12cm) are prepared and β measurements are made using the finite amplitude, through-transmission method. The effects of diffraction and attenuation corrections on β measurements are systematically investigated. When diffraction and attenuation corrections are all properly made, the variation of β between different thickness samples is found to be less than 3.2%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tank 241-B-108, cores 172 and 173 analytical results for the final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nuzum, J.L., Fluoro Daniel Hanford

1997-03-04

The Data Summary Table (Table 3) included in this report compiles analytical results in compliance with all applicable DQOS. Liquid subsamples that were prepared for analysis by an acid adjustment of the direct subsample are indicated by a `D` in the A column in Table 3. Solid subsamples that were prepared for analysis by performing a fusion digest are indicated by an `F` in the A column in Table 3. Solid subsamples that were prepared for analysis by performing a water digest are indicated by a I.wl. or an `I` in the A column of Table 3. Due to poormore » precision and accuracy in original analysis of both Lower Half Segment 2 of Core 173 and the core composite of Core 173, fusion and water digests were performed for a second time. Precision and accuracy improved with the repreparation of Core 173 Composite. Analyses with the repreparation of Lower Half Segment 2 of Core 173 did not show improvement and suggest sample heterogeneity. Results from both preparations are included in Table 3.« less

Evaluation of Heavy Metals in Solid Waste Disposal Sites in Campinas City, Brazil Using Synchrotron Radiation Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Faria, Bruna Fernanda; Moreira, Silvana

2011-12-01

The problem of solid waste in most countries is on the rise as a result of rapid population growth, urbanization, industrial development and changes in consumption habits. Amongst the various forms of waste disposals, landfills are today the most viable for the Brazilian reality, both technically and economically. Proper landfill construction practices allow minimizing the effects of the two main sources of pollution from solid waste: landfill gas and slurry. However, minimizing is not synonymous with eliminating; consequently, the landfill alone cannot resolve all the problems with solid waste disposal. The main goal of this work is to evaluate the content of trace elements in samples of groundwater, surface water and slurry arising from local solid waste disposals in the city of Campinas, SP, Brazil. Samples were collected at the Delta, Santa Barbara and Pirelli landfills. At the Delta and Santa Barbara sites, values above the maximum permitted level established by CETESB for Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni and Pb were observed in samples of groundwater, while at the Pirelli site, elements with concentrations above the permitted levels were Mn, Fe, Ba and Pb. At Delta, values above levels permitted by the CONAMA 357 legislation were still observed in surface water samples for Cr, Mn, Fe and Cu, whereas in slurry samples, values above the permitted levels were observed for Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb. Slurry samples were prepared in accordance with two extraction methodologies, EPA 3050B and EPA 200.8. Concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu and Pb were higher than the limit established by CONAMA 357 for most samples collected at different periods (dry and rainy) and also for the two extraction methodologies employed.

Phase equilibria and crystal structure of the complex oxides in the Sr Fe Co O system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksenova, T. V.; Gavrilova, L. Ya.; Cherepanov, V. A.

2008-06-01

Phase relations in the Sr-Fe-Co-O system have been investigated at 1100 °C in air by X-ray powder diffraction on quenched samples. Solid solutions of the form SrFe 1-xCo xO 3-δ (0⩽ x⩽0.7), Sr 3Fe 2-yCo yO 7-δ (0⩽ y⩽0.4) and Sr 4Fe 6-zCo zO 13±δ (0⩽ z⩽1.6) were prepared by solid-state reaction and by the sol-gel method. The structural parameters of single-phase samples were refined by the Rietveld profile method. The variation of the lattice parameters with composition has been determined for each solid solution and a cross-section of the phase diagram at 1100 °C in air for the entire Sr-Fe-Co-O system has been constructed.

Structure, optical and phonon properties of bulk and nanocrystalline Al2-xScx(WO4)3 solid solutions doped with Cr3+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mączka, M.; Hermanowicz, K.; Pietraszko, A.; Yordanova, A.; Koseva, I.

2014-01-01

Pure and Cr3+ doped nanosized Al2-xScx(WO4)3 solid solutions were prepared by co-precipitation method as well as Al2-xScx(WO4)3 single crystals were grown by high-temperature flux method. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray, Raman, IR, absorption and luminescence methods. Single crystal X-ray diffraction showed that AlSc(WO4)3 is orthorhombic at room temperature with space group Pnca and trivalent cations are statistically distributed. Raman and IR studies showed that Al2-xScx(WO4)3 solid solutions show "two mode" behavior. They also showed that vibrational properties of nanosized samples have been weakly modified in comparison with the bulk materials. The luminescence and absorption spectra revealed that chromium ions occupy two sites of weak and strong crystal field strength.

Fifty years of solid-phase extraction in water analysis--historical development and overview.

PubMed

Liska, I

2000-07-14

The use of an appropriate sample handling technique is a must in an analysis of organic micropollutants in water. The efforts to use a solid phase for the recovery of analytes from a water matrix prior to their detection have a long history. Since the first experimental trials using activated carbon filters that were performed 50 years ago, solid-phase extraction (SPE) has become an established sample preparation technique. The initial experimental applications of SPE resulted in widespread use of this technique in current water analysis and also to adoption of SPE into standardized analytical methods. During the decades of its evolution, chromatographers became aware of the advantages of SPE and, despite many innovations that appeared in the last decade, new SPE developments are still expected in the future. A brief overview of 50 years of the history of the use of SPE in organic trace analysis of water is given in presented paper.

Determination of type A trichothecenes in coix seed by magnetic solid-phase extraction based on magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes coupled with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Dong, Maofeng; Si, Wenshuai; Wang, Weimin; Bai, Bing; Nie, Dongxia; Song, Weiguo; Zhao, Zhihui; Guo, Yirong; Han, Zheng

2016-09-01

Magnetic solid-phase extraction (m-SPE) is a promising sample preparation approach due to its convenience, speed, and simplicity. For the first time, a rapid and reliable m-SPE approach using magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (m-MWCNTs) as the adsorbent was proposed for purification of type A trichothecenes including T-2 toxins (T2), HT-2 toxins (HT-2), diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), and neosolaniol (NEO) in coix seed. The m-MWCNTs were synthesized by assembling the magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4) with MWCNTs by sonication through an aggregation wrap mechanism, and characterized by transmission electron microscope. Several key parameters affecting the performance of the procedure were extensively investigated including extraction solutions, desorption solvents, and m-MWCNT amounts. Under the optimal sample preparation conditions followed by analysis with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), high sensitivity (limit of quantification in the range of 0.3-1.5 μg kg(-1)), good linearity (R (2) > 0.99), satisfactory recovery (73.6-90.6 %), and acceptable precision (≤2.5 %) were obtained. The analytical performance of the developed method has also been successfully evaluated in real coix seed samples. Graphical Abstract Flow chart of determination of type A trichothecenes in coix seed by magnetic solid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Refinement of atomic and magnetic structures using neutron diffraction for synthesized bulk and nano-nickel zinc gallate ferrite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ata-Allah, S. S.; Balagurov, A. M.; Hashhash, A.; Bobrikov, I. A.; Hamdy, Sh.

2016-01-01

The parent NiFe2O4 and Zn/Ga substituted spinel ferrite powders have been prepared by solid state reaction technique. As a typical example, the Ni0.7Zn0.3Fe1.5Ga0.5O4 sample has been prepared by sol-gel auto combustion method with the nano-scale crystallites size. X-ray and Mössbauer studies were carried out for the prepared samples. Structure and microstructure properties were investigated using the time-of-flight HRFD instrument at the IBR-2 pulsed reactor, at a temperatures range 15-473 K. The Rietveld refinement of the neutron diffraction data revealed that all samples possess cubic symmetry corresponding to the space group Fd3m. Cations distribution show that Ni2+ is a complete inverse spinel ion, while Ga3+ equally distributed between the two A and B-sublattices. The level of microstrains in bulk samples was estimated as very small while the size of coherently scattered domains is quite large. For nano-structured sample the domain size is around 120 Å.

Comparison of the recovery of Mycobacterium bovis isolates using the BACTEC MGIT 960 system, BACTEC 460 system, and Middlebrook 7H10 and 7H11 solid media.

PubMed

Hines, Nichole; Payeur, Janet B; Hoffman, Lorraine J

2006-05-01

The BACTEC Microbacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) 960 system was evaluated to determine how it compares with the BACTEC 460 radiometric system and solid media for recovery of Mycobacterium bovis from tissue samples. A total of 506 bovine lymph node samples were collected from abattoirs in the United States and Mexico between November 2003 and September 2004. Processed samples were inoculated into an MGIT 960 tube, BACTEC 460 vial, and Middlebrook 7H10 and Middlebrook 7H11 solid media. Ziehl-Neelsen slides were prepared to check for contaminants and confirm the presence of acid-fast positive bacilli. Samples containing acid-fast bacilli were confirmed as members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by a nucleic acid assay. Niacin and nitrate biochemical tests were used to distinguish M. bovis from M. tuberculosis isolates. Statistical analyses were performed to compare recovery rate, mean time to detection, contamination rates, as well as pair-wise comparisons in each category. The results showed that the MGIT 960 system had a higher recovery rate of M. bovis (122/129) than did the BACTEC 460 (102/129) and solid media system (96/129). The average time to detection was 15.8 days for the MGIT 960 system, 28.2 days for the BACTEC 460 system, and 43.4 days for solid media. Contamination rates were 6.9% for the MGIT 960 system, 3.4% for the BACTEC 460 system, and 21.7% for solid media. These results indicate the MGIT 960 system can be used as an alternative to the BACTEC 460 system for recovering M. bovis from tissue samples.

A comparison study of rhodamine B photodegradation over nitrogen-doped lamellar niobic acid and titanic acid under visible-light irradiation.

PubMed

Li, Xiukai; Kikugawa, Naoki; Ye, Jinhua

2009-01-01

A solid-state reaction method with urea as a nitrogen precursor was used to prepare nitrogen-doped lamellar niobic and titanic solid acids (i.e., HNb(3)O(8) and H(2)Ti(4)O(9)) with different acidities for visible-light photocatalysis. The photocatalytic activities of the nitrogen-doped solid acids were evaluated for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation and the results were compared with those obtained over the corresponding nitrogen-doped potassium salts. Techniques such as XRD, BET, SEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were adopted to explore the nature of the materials as well as the characteristics of the doped nitrogen species. It was found that the intercalation of the urea precursor helped to stabilize the layered structures of both lamellar solid acids and enabled easier nitrogen doping. The effects of urea intercalation were more significant for the more acidic HNb(3)O(8) sample than for the less acidic H(2)Ti(4)O(9). Compared with the nitrogen-doped KNb(3)O(8) and K(2)Ti(4)O(9) samples, the nitrogen-doped HNb(3)O(8) and H(2)Ti(4)O(9) solid acids absorb more visible light and exhibit a superior activity for RhB photodegradation under visible-light irradiation. The nitrogen-doped HNb(3)O(8) sample performed the best among all the samples. The results of the current study suggest that the protonic acidity of the lamellar solid-acid sample is a key factor that influences nitrogen doping and the resultant visible-light photocatalysis.

Determination of sulphur in various vegetables by solid sampling high-resolution electrothermal molecular absorption spectrometry.

PubMed

Gunduz, Sema; Akman, Suleyman

2015-04-01

Sulphur was determined in various vegetables via molecular absorption of carbon monosulphide (CS) at 258.056 nm using a solid sampling high resolution continuum source electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer (SS HR-CS ETAAS). Samples were dried, ground and directly introduced into the ruthenium coated graphite furnace as 0.05 to 0.50mg. All determinations were performed using palladium+citric acid modifier and applying a pyrolysis temperature of 1000 °C and a volatilisation temperature of 2400 °C. The results were in good agreement with certified sulphur concentrations of various vegetal CRM samples applying linear calibration technique prepared from thioacetamide. The limit of detection and characteristic mass of the method were 7.5 and 8.7 ng of S, respectively. The concentrations of S in various spinach, leek, lettuce, radish, Brussels sprouts, zucchini and chard samples were determined. It was showed that distribution of sulphur in CRM and grinded food samples were homogeneous even in micro-scale. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rugged large volume injection for sensitive capillary LC-MS environmental monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberg-Larsen, Hanne; Abele, Silvija; Demir, Deniz; Dzabijeva, Diana; Amundsen, Sunniva F.; Wilson, Steven R.; Bartkevics, Vadims; Lundanes, Elsa

2017-08-01

A rugged and high throughput capillary column (cLC) LC-MS switching platform using large volume injection and on-line automatic filtration and filter back-flush (AFFL) solid phase extraction (SPE) for analysis of environmental water samples with minimal sample preparation is presented. Although narrow columns and on-line sample preparation are used in the platform, high ruggedness is achieved e.g. injection of 100 non-filtrated water samples would did not result in a pressure rise/clogging of the SPE/capillary columns (inner diameter 300 µm). In addition, satisfactory retention time stability and chromatographic resolution were also features of the system. The potential of the platform for environmental water samples was demonstrated with various pharmaceutical products, which had detection limits (LOD) in the 0.05 - 12.5 ng/L range. Between-day and within-day repeatability of selected analytes were < 20% RSD.

Photoluminescence Properties of Ca3Si2O7: Pr3+ Orange-Red Phosphors Prepared by High-Temperature Solid-State Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Zhi-Qing; Chen, Rong; Feng, Wen-Lin

2018-06-01

Novel luminescent materials Ca3-xSi2O7: xPr3+ were successfully prepared by the high-temperature solid-state method. The crystal structure, morphology, and optical spectrum were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and spectroscopy, respectively. The XRD patterns of the samples indicate that the crystal structure is monoclinic symmetry. The SEM shows that the selected sample has good crystallinity although its appearance is irregular and scalelike. The peak of the excitation spectrum of the sample is located at around 449 nm, corresponding to 3H4→3P2 transition of Pr3+. The peak of the emission spectrum of the sample is situated at around 612 nm which is attributed to 3P0→3H6 transition of Pr3+, and the colour is orange-red. The optimum concentration for Pr3+ replaced Ca2+ sites in Ca3Si2O7: Pr3+ is 0.75 mol%. The lifetime (8.48 μs) of a typical sample (Ca2.9925Pr0.0075)Si2O7 is obtained. It reveals that orange-red phosphors Ca3-xSi2O7: xPr3+ possess remarkable optical properties and can be used in white light emitting devices.

Effects of polymer type and storage relative humidity on the kinetics of felodipine crystallization from amorphous solid dispersions.

PubMed

Rumondor, Alfred C F; Stanford, Lindsay A; Taylor, Lynne S

2009-12-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of polymer type and storage relative humidity (RH) on the crystallization kinetics of felodipine from amorphous solid dispersions. Crystallization of the model drug felodipine from amorphous solid dispersion samples containing poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) were evaluated. Samples at three different drug-polymer weight ratios (10, 25, and 50 wt. % polymer) were prepared and stored at six different RHs (0%, 32%, 52% or 66%, 75%, 86%, and 93%). Periodically, the fraction of the drug that had crystallized from the samples was quantified using powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD). Felodipine crystallization rates from PVP-containing dispersions were found to be very sensitive to changes in storage RH, while crystallization rates from HPMCAS-containing dispersions were not. PVP and HPMCAS were similar in terms of their ability to inhibit crystallization at low RH, but when the storage RH was increased to 75% or above, felodipine crystallization from PVP-containing solid dispersions proceeded much faster. It is hypothesized that this trend was caused by moisture-induced drug-polymer immiscibility in PVP-felodipine system. For PVP-containing solid dispersion samples stored at 75% RH and above, crystallization of the model drug felodipine seemed to approach a kinetic plateau, whereby a fraction of the drug still remained amorphous even after storage for 500 days or more. The physical stability of solid dispersions as a function of RH is highly dependent on the polymer used to form the solid dispersion, with PVP-containing dispersions being much less physically stable at high RH than HPMCAS-containing dispersions.

Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe sample preparation approach for pesticide residue analysis using traditional detectors in chromatography: A review.

PubMed

Rahman, Md Musfiqur; Abd El-Aty, A M; Kim, Sung-Woo; Shin, Sung Chul; Shin, Ho-Chul; Shim, Jae-Han

2017-01-01

In pesticide residue analysis, relatively low-sensitivity traditional detectors, such as UV, diode array, electron-capture, flame photometric, and nitrogen-phosphorus detectors, have been used following classical sample preparation (liquid-liquid extraction and open glass column cleanup); however, the extraction method is laborious, time-consuming, and requires large volumes of toxic organic solvents. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method was introduced in 2003 and coupled with selective and sensitive mass detectors to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. Compared to traditional detectors, mass spectrometers are still far more expensive and not available in most modestly equipped laboratories, owing to maintenance and cost-related issues. Even available, traditional detectors are still being used for analysis of residues in agricultural commodities. It is widely known that the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method is incompatible with conventional detectors owing to matrix complexity and low sensitivity. Therefore, modifications using column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction instead of dispersive solid-phase extraction for cleanup have been applied in most cases to compensate and enable the adaptation of the extraction method to conventional detectors. In gas chromatography, the matrix enhancement effect of some analytes has been observed, which lowers the limit of detection and, therefore, enables gas chromatography to be compatible with the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction method. For liquid chromatography with a UV detector, a combination of column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction and dispersive solid-phase extraction was found to reduce the matrix interference and increase the sensitivity. A suitable double-layer column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction might be the perfect solution, instead of a time-consuming combination of column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction and dispersive solid-phase extraction. Therefore, replacing dispersive solid-phase extraction with column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction in the cleanup step can make the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction method compatible with traditional detectors for more sensitive, effective, and green analysis. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Anti-idiotypic antibodies to poliovirus antibodies in commercial immunoglobulin preparations, human serum, and milk.

PubMed

Hahn-Zoric, M; Carlsson, B; Jeansson, S; Ekre, H P; Osterhaus, A D; Roberton, D; Hanson, L A

1993-05-01

Our previous studies have suggested that fetal antibody production can be induced by maternal antiidiotypic antibodies transferred to the fetus via the placenta. We tested commercial Ig, sera, and milk for the presence of anti-idiotypic antibodies to poliovirus type 1, using affinity chromatography combined with ELISA systems and virus neutralization techniques. Our results indicate that commercial Ig, serum, and milk samples contain antibodies recognizing idiotypic determinants on antibodies to poliovirus. Several lines of evidence support this conclusion. Thus, in an ELISA with poliovirus as a solid phase, binding of specific antibodies could be inhibited by addition of an eluate from the Ig preparation containing anti-idiotypic antibodies against poliovirus type 1. Also, antiidiotypic antibodies from pooled human Ig, serum, and colostrum samples against poliovirus bound directly to solid-phase-attached MAb against poliovirus type 1. In addition, in a competitive inhibition ELISA, where antiidiotypic antibodies isolated from the Ig preparation competed with the poliovirus antigen for binding to monoclonal or polyclonal idiotypic antibodies on the solid phase, inhibition of antigen binding was seen at low antigen concentrations. When single-donor serum or milk was used, this inhibition was even more pronounced and could be demonstrated at almost all antigen concentrations. The finding that anti-idiotypes are present in maternal serum and milk imply, in agreement with our previous studies, that anti-idiotypes may actively induce a specific immune response in the fetus without previous exposure to the antigen by being transferred across the placenta or by being passively transferred to the newborn via mother's milk.

Properties of ZnO nanocrystals prepared by radiation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Čuba, Václav; Gbur, Tomáš; Múčka, Viliam; Nikl, Martin; Kučerková, Romana; Pospíšil, Milan; Jakubec, Ivo

2010-01-01

Zinc oxide nanoparticles were prepared by irradiation of aqueous solutions containing zinc(II) ions, propan-2-ol, polyvinyl alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide. Zinc oxide was found in solid phase either directly after irradiation, or after additional heat treatment. Various physicochemical parameters, including scintillation properties of prepared materials, were studied. After decomposition of impurities and annealing of oxygen vacancies, the samples showed intensive emission in visible spectral range and well-shaped exciton luminescence at 390-400 nm. The best scintillating properties had zinc oxide prepared from aqueous solutions containing zinc formate as initial precursor and hydrogen peroxide. Size of the crystalline particles ranged from tens to hundreds nm, depending on type of irradiated solution and post-irradiation thermal treatment.

Determination of triazine herbicides in seaweeds: development of a sample preparation method based on Matrix Solid Phase Dispersion and Solid Phase Extraction Clean-up.

PubMed

Rodríguez-González, N; González-Castro, M J; Beceiro-González, E; Muniategui-Lorenzo, S; Prada-Rodríguez, D

2014-04-01

A method using dual process columns of Matrix Solid Phase Dispersion (MSPD) and Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) has been developed for extracting and cleaning-up of nine triazine herbicides (ametryn, atrazine, cyanazine, prometryn, propazine, simazine, simetryn, terbuthylazine and terbutryn) in seaweed samples. Under optimized conditions, samples were blended with 2g of octasilyl-derivatized silica (C8) and transferred into an SPE cartridge containing ENVI-Carb II/PSA (0.5/0.5 g) as a clean up co-sorbent. Then the dispersed sample was washed with 10 mL of n-hexane and triazines were eluted with 20 mL ethyl acetate and 5 mL acetonitrile. Finally the extract was concentrated to dryness, re-constituted with 1 mL methanol:water (1:1) and injected into the HPLC-DAD system. The linearity of the calibration curves was excellent in matrix matched standards, and yielded the coefficients of determination>0.995 for all the target analytes. The recoveries ranged from 75% to 100% with relative standard deviations lower than 7%. The achieved LOQs (<10 µg kg(-1)) for all triazines under study permits to ensure proper determination at the maximum allowed residue levels set in the European Union Legislation. Samples of three seaweeds were subjected to the procedure proving the suitability of MSPD method for the analysis of triazines in different seaweeds samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sample preparation: a critical step in the analysis of cholesterol oxidation products.

PubMed

Georgiou, Christiana A; Constantinou, Michalis S; Kapnissi-Christodoulou, Constantina P

2014-02-15

In recent years, cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) have drawn scientific interest, particularly due to their implications on human health. A big number of these compounds have been demonstrated to be cytotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic. The main source of COPs is through diet, and particularly from the consumption of cholesterol-rich foods. This raises questions about the safety of consumers, and it suggests the necessity for the development of a sensitive and a reliable analytical method in order to identify and quantify these components in food samples. Sample preparation is a necessary step in the analysis of COPs in order to eliminate interferences and increase sensitivity. Numerous publications have, over the years, reported the use of different methods for the extraction and purification of COPs. However, no method has, so far, been established as a routine method for the analysis of COPs in foods. Therefore, it was considered important to overview different sample preparation procedures and evaluate the different preparative parameters, such as time of saponification, the type of organic solvents for fat extraction, the stationary phase in solid phase extraction, etc., according to recovery, precision and simplicity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation and characterization of azithromycin--Aerosil 200 solid dispersions with enhanced physical stability.

PubMed

Li, Xuechao; Peng, Huanhuan; Tian, Bin; Gou, Jingxin; Yao, Qing; Tao, Xiaoguang; He, Haibing; Zhang, Yu; Tang, Xing; Cai, Cuifang

2015-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of azithromycin (AZI)--Aerosil 200 solid dispersions specifically with high stability under accelerated condition (40 °C/75% RH). Ball milling (BM) and hot-melt extrusion (HME) were used to prepare AZI solid dispersions. The physical properties of solid dispersions were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). For solid dispersions prepared with both methods, no crystalline of AZI was detected (except for AZI: Aerosil 200=75:25) by DSC or PXRD, indicating the amorphous state of AZI in solid dispersions. The FT-IR results demonstrated the loss of crystallization water and the formation of hydrogen bonds between Aerosil 200 and AZI during the preparation of solid dispersions. After 4 weeks storage under accelerated condition, the degree of crystallinity of AZI increased in solid dispersions prepared by BM, whereas for solid dispersions containing AZI, Aerosil 200 and glyceryl behenate (GB) prepared by HME, no crystalline of AZI was identified. This high stability can be attributed to the hydrophobic properties of GB and the presence of hydrogen bonds. Based on the above results, it is inferred the protection of hydrogen bonds between AZI and Aerosil 200 formed during preparation process effectively inhibited the recrystallization of AZI and improved the physical stability of amorphous AZI in the presence of Aerosil 200. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cai, Zhaobing

Ni-Cr-Co-Ti-V-Al high-entropy alloy coating on Ti-6Al-4V was synthesized by laser surface alloying. The coating is composed of a B2 matrix and (Co, Ni)Ti{sub 2} compounds with few β-Ti phases. Focused ion beam technique was utilized to prepare TEM sample and TEM observations agree well with XRD and SEM results. The formation of HEA phases is due to high temperature and rapid cooling rate during laser surface alloying. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH{sub mix}, ΔS{sub mix}and δ as well as Δχ, should be used to predict the formation of the BCC solid solution, but they are not the strict criteria. Especially whenmore » Δχ reaches a high value (≥ 10%), BCC HEA will be partially decomposed, leading to the formation of (Co, Ni)Ti{sub 2} compound phases. - Highlights: •Preparing HEA coating on Ti-6Al-4V by laser surface alloying is successful. •The synthesized HEA coating mainly consists of BCC HEA and (Co, Ni)Ti{sub 2} compounds. •FIB technology was used to prepare the sample for TEM analysis. • ΔH{sub mix}, ΔS{sub mix}and δ as well as Δχ, should be all used to predict the formation of solid solution.« less

Novel nanoporous sorbent for solid-phase extraction in petroleum fingerprinting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alayande, S. Oluwagbemiga; Hlengilizwe, Nyoni; Dare, E. Olugbenga; Msagati, Titus A. M.; Akinlabi, A. Kehinde; Aiyedun, P. O.

2016-04-01

Sample preparation is crucial in the analysis of petroleum and its derivatives. In this study, developing affordable sorbent for petroleum fingerprinting analysis using polymer waste such expanded polystyrene was explored. The potential of electrospun expanded polystyrene (EPS) as a sorbent for the solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique was investigated, and its efficiency was compared with commercial cartridges such as alumina, silica and alumina/silica hybrid commercial for petroleum fingerprinting analysis. The chromatograms showed that the packed electrospun EPS fibre demonstrated excellent properties for SPE applications relative to the hybrid cartridges.

Quantification and application of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of WKYMVm peptide in rat using solid-phase extraction.

PubMed

Lee, Byeong Ill; Park, Min-Ho; Heo, Soon Chul; Park, Yuri; Shin, Seok-Ho; Byeon, Jin-Ju; Kim, Jae Ho; Shin, Young G

2018-03-01

A liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization-time-of-flight/mass spectrometric (LC-ESI-TOF/MS) method was developed and applied for the determination of WKYMVm peptide in rat plasma to support preclinical pharmacokinetics studies. The method consisted of micro-elution solid-phase extraction (SPE) for sample preparation and LC-ESI-TOF/MS in the positive ion mode for analysis. Phenanthroline (10 mg/mL) was added to rat blood immediately for plasma preparation followed by addition of trace amount of 2 m hydrogen chloride to plasma before SPE for stability of WKYMVm peptide. Then sample preparation using micro-elution SPE was performed with verapamil as an internal standard. A quadratic regression (weighted 1/concentration 2 ), with the equation y = ax 2  + bx + c was used to fit calibration curves over the concentration range of 3.02-2200 ng/mL for WKYMVm peptide. The quantification run met the acceptance criteria of ±25% accuracy and precision values. For quality control samples at 15, 165 and 1820 ng/mL from the quantification experiment, the within-run and the between-run accuracy ranged from 92.5 to 123.4% with precision values ≤15.1% for WKYMVm peptide from the nominal values. This novel LC-ESI-TOF/MS method was successfully applied to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of WKYMVm peptide in rat plasma. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Preparation and physical properties of the GdPr-123 system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamani, Z.; Akhavan, M.

1997-06-01

The Gd - Pr solid solution of the `123' crystal structure, 0953-2048/10/6/008/img1 (GdPr-123) with 0953-2048/10/6/008/img2 has been prepared by the standard solid-state reaction technique. Details of sample preparation and results of XRD, SEM, TGA, DT, 0953-2048/10/6/008/img3, and 0953-2048/10/6/008/img4 measurements are reported. For 0953-2048/10/6/008/img5, GdPr-123 is non-superconducting down to 10 K and does not show `metallic' conduction. Samples have a predominantly single-phase orthorhombic structure with Pmmm symmetry and a small percentage (0953-2048/10/6/008/img6) of the Ba sites are occupied by Pr ions in some Pr-rich samples. The lower critical field value measured lies in the range of 10 mT. The nominal valence of the Cu ion in the whole range of x is determined; at the metal - semiconductor boundary 0953-2048/10/6/008/img7, which is smaller by only 0.18 than the value 2.33 of the fully oxygenated 0953-2048/10/6/008/img8 (Gd-123) system. However, the valence of Pr is 3.86+. We suggest that the increasing band filling and localization of states due to the disorder effects together with Pr doping could cause the observed metal - semiconducting transition; qualitatively this is the same as the oxygen depletion case.

Thermoluminescence glow curve analysis and CGCD method for erbium doped CaZrO{sub 3} phosphor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tiwari, Ratnesh, E-mail: 31rati@gmail.com; Chopra, Seema

2016-05-06

The manuscript report the synthesis, thermoluminescence study at fixed concentration of Er{sup 3+} (1 mol%) doped CaZrO{sub 3} phosphor. The phosphors were prepared by modified solid state reaction method. The powder sample was characterized by thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve analysis. In TL glow curve the optimized concentration in 1mol% for UV irradiated sample. The kinetic parameters were calculated by computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) techniaue. Trapping parameters gives the information of dosimetry loss in prepared phosphor and its usability in environmental monitoring and for personal monitoring. CGCD is the advance tool for analysis of complicated TL glow curves.

Application of PLE for the determination of essential oil components from Thymus vulgaris L.

PubMed

Dawidowicz, Andrzej L; Rado, Ewelina; Wianowska, Dorota; Mardarowicz, Marek; Gawdzik, Jan

2008-08-15

Essential plants, due to their long presence in human history, their status in culinary arts, their use in medicine and perfume manufacture, belong to frequently examined stock materials in scientific and industrial laboratories. Because of a large number of freshly cut, dried or frozen plant samples requiring the determination of essential oil amount and composition, a fast, safe, simple, efficient and highly automatic sample preparation method is needed. Five sample preparation methods (steam distillation, extraction in the Soxhlet apparatus, supercritical fluid extraction, solid phase microextraction and pressurized liquid extraction) used for the isolation of aroma-active components from Thymus vulgaris L. are compared in the paper. The methods are mainly discussed with regard to the recovery of components which typically exist in essential oil isolated by steam distillation. According to the obtained data, PLE is the most efficient sample preparation method in determining the essential oil from the thyme herb. Although co-extraction of non-volatile ingredients is the main drawback of this method, it is characterized by the highest yield of essential oil components and the shortest extraction time required. Moreover, the relative peak amounts of essential components revealed by PLE are comparable with those obtained by steam distillation, which is recognized as standard sample preparation method for the analysis of essential oils in aromatic plants.

Evaluation of a Fast and Simple Sample Preparation Method for Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) Flame Retardants and Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) Pesticides in Fish for Analysis by ELISA Compared with GC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Sapozhnikova, Yelena; Simons, Tawana; Lehotay, Steven J

2015-05-13

A simple, fast, and cost-effective sample preparation method, previously developed and validated for the analysis of organic contaminants in fish using low-pressure gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LPGC-MS/MS), was evaluated for the analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) pesticides using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The sample preparation technique was based on the quick, easy, cheap, rugged, effective, and safe (QuEChERS) approach with filter-vial dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE). Incurred PBDEs and DDTs were analyzed in three types of fish with 3-10% lipid content: Pacific croaker, salmon, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Material 1947 (Lake Michigan fish tissue). LPGC-MS/MS and ELISA results were in agreement: 108-111 and 65-82% accuracy ELISA versus LPGC-MS/MS results for PBDEs and DDTs, respectively. Similar detection limits were achieved for ELISA and LPGC-MS/MS. Matrix effects (MEs) were significant (e.g., -60%) for PBDE measurement in ELISA, but not a factor in the case of DDT pesticides. This study demonstrated that the sample preparation method can be adopted for semiquantitative screening analysis of fish samples by commercial kits for PBDEs and DDTs.

A solid-phase microextraction fiber with carbon nanoparticles as sorbent material prepared by a simple flame-based preparation process.

PubMed

Sun, Min; Feng, Juanjuan; Qiu, Huamin; Fan, Lulu; Li, Leilei; Luo, Chuannan

2013-07-26

A novel carbon nanoparticles-coated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was prepared via a simple and low-cost flame-based preparation process, with stainless steel wire as support. Surface characteristic of the fiber was studied with scanning electron microscope. A nano-scaled brushy structure was observed. Coupled to gas chromatography (GC), the fiber was used to extract phthalate esters (PAEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous samples. Analytical performances of the proposed method were investigated under the optimum extraction conditions (extraction temperature, 40°C; content of KCl, 30% (w/v); extraction time, 50min for PAEs and 40min for PAHs) and compared with other reports for the same analytes. Calibration ranges were 0.06-500μgL(-1) for di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), and 0.1-300μgL(-1) for di-cyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) and di-(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate (DEHP). For the eight PAHs, good linearity was obtained ranging from 0.01 to 150μgL(-1). Limits of detection were 0.005μgL(-1) for three PAEs and 0.001-0.003μgL(-1) for eight PAHs. The fiber exhibited excellent stability. It can be used for 100 times with RSDs of extraction efficiency less than 22.4%. The as-established SPME-GC method was applied to determine PAEs in food-wrap and PAHs in cigarette ash and snow water, and satisfactory results were obtained. The carbon nanoparticles-coated SPME fiber was efficient for sampling of organic compounds from aqueous samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Uptake properties of Ni2+ by nCaO.Al2O3.2SiO2 (n=1-4) prepared from solid-state reaction of kaolinite and calcite.

PubMed

Jha, Vinay Kumar; Kameshima, Yoshikazu; Nakajima, Akira; Okada, Kiyoshi; MacKenzie, Kenneth J D

2005-08-31

A series of nCaO.Al2O3.2SiO2 samples (n=1-4) were prepared by solid-state reaction of mechanochemically treated mixtures of kaolinite and calcite fired at 600-1000 degrees C for 24 h. All the samples were X-ray amorphous after firing at 600-800 degrees C but had crystallized by 900 degrees C. The main crystalline phases were anorthite (n=1), gehlenite (n=2 and 3) and larnite (n=4). The uptake of Ni2+ by nCaO.Al2O3.2SiO2 samples fired at 800 and 900 degrees C was investigated at room temperature using solutions with initial Ni2+ concentrations of 0.1-50 mmol/l. Amorphous samples (fired at 800 degrees C) showed a higher Ni2+ uptake capacity than crystalline samples (fired at 900 degrees C). Ni2+ uptake was found to increase with increasing of CaO content. Amorphous 4CaO.Al2O3.2SiO2 showed the highest Ni2+ uptake capacity (about 9 mmol/g). The Ni2+ uptake abilities of the present samples are higher than those of other materials reported in the literature. Since the sorbed Ni2+/released Ca2+ ratios of these samples are close to unity, ion replacement of Ni2+ for Ca2+ is thought to be the principal mechanism of Ni2+ uptake by the present samples.

Structural and Optical properties of poly-crystalline BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 prepared via solid state route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarabana, Kanaka M.; Mishra, Ashutosh; Bisen, Supriya

2016-10-01

Polycrystalline BaTiO3 (BTO) and SrTiO3 (STO) were synthesized by solid state route method and properties of made polycrystalline were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy & FTIR Spectroscopy. XRD analysis shows that samples are crystalline in nature. In Raman Spectroscopy measurement, the experiment has been done with the help of JOBIN-YOVN HORIBA LABRAM HR800 single monochromator, which is coupled with a “peltier cooled” charge coupled device (CCD). Raman Spectroscopy at low temperature measurement shows the phase transition above & below the curie temperature in samples. Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy was used to determine the Ti-O bond length position.

Analysis of Volatile Fragrance and Flavor Compounds by Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction and GC-MS: An Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galipo, Randolph C.; Canhoto, Alfredo J.; Walla, Michael D.; Morgan, Stephen L.

1999-02-01

A senior-level undergraduate laboratory experiment that demonstrates the use of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for the identification of volatile compounds in consumer products. SPME minimizes sample preparation and concentrates volatile analytes in a solvent-free manner. Volatile flavor and fragrance compounds were extracted by SPME from the headspace of vials containing shampoos, chewing gums, and perfumes and analyzed by GC-MS. Headspace SPME was shown to be more sensitive than conventional headspace analysis of similar samples performed with an airtight syringe. Analysis times were less than 30 min, allowing multiple analyses to be performed in a typical laboratory class period.

Analysis of 238U, 232Th, 222Rn, and 220Rn in different medical drug preparations by using CR-39 and LR-115 typE II SSNTDs and resulting radiation doses to adult patients.

PubMed

Misdaq, M A; Karime, M

2009-01-01

Uranium (238U) and thorium (232Th) concentrations as well as radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) alpha activities per unit volume have been measured inside 18 medical drugs (4 liquid and 14 solid materials), widely prescribed by doctors to the Moroccan adult patients, by using CR-39 and LR-115 type II solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs). The measured 238U, 232Th, 222Rn, and 220Rn concentrations ranged from (4.7 +/- 0.1) mBq L-1 to (14.3 +/- 0.7) mBq L-1, (0.32 +/- 0.02) mBq L-1 to (2.7 +/- 0.2) mBq L-1, (4.7 +/- 0.2) Bq L-1 to (14.3 +/- 0.7) Bq L-1, and (0.32 +/- 0.02) Bq L-1 to (2.7 +/- 0.2) Bq L-1 for the medical drug samples studied, respectively. These radionuclides were also measured inside the preparations of the solid medical drugs studied. The influence of the drinking water nature and pollution on the concentrations of these radionuclides inside the considered medical drug preparations was investigated. Annual committed equivalent doses due to 238U, 232Th, and 222Rn were evaluated in the human body compartments of adult patients from the ingestion of the medical drug preparations studied. The maximum total committed effective dose due to 238U, 232Th, and 222Rn from the ingestion of the studied medical drug preparations, prepared from unpolluted waters, by adult patients was found equal to 1.44 microSv y.

Ferroelectric and optical properties of `Ba-doped' new double perovskites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parida, B. N.; Panda, Niranjan; Padhee, R.; Parida, R. K.

2018-06-01

Solid solution of Pb1.5Ba0.5BiNbO6 ceramic is explored here to obtain its ferroelectric and optical properties. The polycrystalline sample was prepared by a standard solid state reaction route. Room temperature XRD and FTIR spectra of the compound exhibit an appreciable change in its crystal structure of Pb2BiNbO6 on addition of 'Ba' in A site. The surface morphology of the gold-plated sintered pellet sample recorded by SEM exhibits a uniform distribution of small grains with well-defined grain boundaries. Detailed studies on the nature of polarization and variation of dielectric constant, tangent loss with temperature as well as frequency indicate the existence of Ferro-electricity in the sample. Using UV-Vis spectroscopy, the optical band gap of the studied sample has been estimated as 2.1 eV, which is useful for photo catalytic devices. Photoluminescence analysis of the powder sample shows a strong red photoluminescence with blue excitation, which is basically useful for LED.

A solid phase extraction-ion chromatography with conductivity detection procedure for determining cationic surfactants in surface water samples.

PubMed

Olkowska, Ewa; Polkowska, Żaneta; Namieśnik, Jacek

2013-11-15

A new analytical procedure for the simultaneous determination of individual cationic surfactants (alkyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chlorides) in surface water samples has been developed. We describe this methodology for the first time: it involves the application of solid phase extraction (SPE-for sample preparation) coupled with ion chromatography-conductivity detection (IC-CD-for the final determination). Mean recoveries of analytes between 79% and 93%, and overall method quantification limits in the range from 0.0018 to 0.038 μg/mL for surface water and CRM samples were achieved. The methodology was applied to the determination of individual alkyl benzyl quaternary ammonium compounds in environmental samples (reservoir water) and enables their presence in such types of waters to be confirmed. In addition, it is a simpler, less time-consuming, labour-intensive, avoiding use of toxic chloroform and significantly less expensive methodology than previously described approaches (liquid-liquid extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiscale microstructures and improved thermoelectric performance of Mg2(Si0.4Sn0.6)Sbx solid solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xin; Liu, Hongliang; Li, Songhao; Zhang, Feipeng; Lu, Qingmei; Li, Jingfeng

2014-03-01

A series of Sb-doped Mg2(Si0.4Sn0.6)Sbx (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.025) solid solutions were prepared by an induction melting, Melt Spinning (MS) and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) method, namely the non-equilibrium technique MS-SPS, using bulks of Magnesium, Silicon, Tin, and Antimony as raw materials. The non-equilibrium technique generates the unique multiscale microstructures of samples containing micronscale grains and nanoscale precipitates, the multiscale microstructures remarkably make the lattice thermal conductivities decreased, particularly for samples with the nanoscale precipitates having the size of 10-20 nm. Meanwhile, Sb-doping greatly increased the electrical performance of samples. Consequently, the Sb-doping combined with the multiscale microstructures strategy remarkably improves the overall thermoelectric (TE) performance of Sb doped samples, and a high dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) value of up to 1.25 at 723 K is obtained with Mg2(Si0.4Sn0.6)Sb0.02 sample in a relatively wide temperature range.

Structural characterization of Er(3+),Yb(3+)-doped Gd2O3 phosphor, synthesized using the solid-state reaction method, and its luminescence behavior.

PubMed

Tamrakar, Raunak Kumar; Bisen, D P; Brahme, Nameeta

2016-02-01

We report the synthesis and structural characterization of Er(3+),Yb(3+)-doped Gd2O3 phosphor. The sample was prepared using the conventional solid-state reaction method, which is the most suitable method for large-scale production. The prepared phosphor sample was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermoluminescence (TL), photoluminescence (PL) and CIE techniques. For PL studies, the excitation and emission spectra of Gd2O3 phosphor doped with Er(3+) and Yb(3+) were recorded. The excitation spectrum was recorded at a wavelength of 551 nm and showed an intense peak at 276 nm. The emission spectrum was recorded at 276 nm excitation and showed peaks in all blue, green and red regions, which indicate that the prepared phosphor may act as a single host for white light-emitting diode (WLED) applications, as verified by International de I'Eclairage (CIE) techniques. From the XRD data, the calculated average crystallite size of Er(3+) and Yb(3+) -doped Gd2O3 phosphor is ~ 38 nm. A TL study was carried out for the phosphor using UV irradiation. The TL glow curve was recorded for UV, beta and gamma irradiations, and the kinetic parameters were also calculated. In addition, the trap parameters of the prepared phosphor were also studied using computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Synthesis of GaN:ZnO solid solution by solution combustion method and characterization for photocatalytic application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menon, Sumithra Sivadas; Anitha, R.; Gupta, Bhavana; Baskar, K.; Singh, Shubra

2016-05-01

GaN-ZnO solid solution has emerged as a successful and reproducible photocatalyst for overall water splitting by one-step photoexcitation, with a bandgap in visible region. When the solid solution is formed, some of the Zn and O ions are replaced by Ga and N ions respectively and there is a narrowing of bandgap which is hypothesized as due to Zn3d-N2p repulsion. The traditional method of synthesis of GaN-ZnO solid solution is by nitridation of the starting oxides under constant ammonia flow. Here we report a solution combustion technique for the synthesis of the solid solution at a temperature about 500 ° C in a muffle furnace with metal nitrates as precursors and urea as the fuel. The as prepared samples showed change in color with the increased concentration of ZnO in the solution. The structural, microstructural, morphological and optical properties of the samples were realized by Powder X ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Energy dispersive X ray analysis, Transmission electron microscopy and Photoluminescence. Finally the hydrogen production efficiency of the GaN-ZnO nanopowders by water splitting was found, using methanol as a scavenger. The apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 0.048% is obtained for GaN-ZnO solid solution.

Quantitative atomic-scale structure characterization of ordered mesoporous carbon materials by solid state NMR

DOE PAGES

Wang, Zhuoran; Opembe, Naftali; Kobayashi, Takeshi; ...

2018-02-03

In this study, solid-state (SS)NMR techniques were applied to characterize the atomic-scale structures of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) materials prepared using Pluronic F127 as template with resorcinol and formaldehyde as polymerizing precursors. A rigorous quantitative analysis was developed using a combination of 13C SSNMR spectra acquired with direct polarization and cross polarization on natural abundant and selectively 13C-enriched series of samples pyrolyzed at various temperatures. These experiments identified and counted the key functional groups present in the OMCs at various stages of preparation and thermal treatment. Lastly, the chemical evolution of molecular networks, the average sizes of aromatic clusters andmore » the extended molecular structures of OMCs were then inferred by coupling this information with the elemental analysis results.« less

Quantitative atomic-scale structure characterization of ordered mesoporous carbon materials by solid state NMR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Zhuoran; Opembe, Naftali; Kobayashi, Takeshi

In this study, solid-state (SS)NMR techniques were applied to characterize the atomic-scale structures of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) materials prepared using Pluronic F127 as template with resorcinol and formaldehyde as polymerizing precursors. A rigorous quantitative analysis was developed using a combination of 13C SSNMR spectra acquired with direct polarization and cross polarization on natural abundant and selectively 13C-enriched series of samples pyrolyzed at various temperatures. These experiments identified and counted the key functional groups present in the OMCs at various stages of preparation and thermal treatment. Lastly, the chemical evolution of molecular networks, the average sizes of aromatic clusters andmore » the extended molecular structures of OMCs were then inferred by coupling this information with the elemental analysis results.« less

Preparation and application of poly 3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) nanofibers in the pretreatment of samples before the determination of elements in children fingernails

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, J. L.; Kang, X. J.; Ma, L.; Huang, W. Y.; Ge, Q. Y.

2015-07-01

Solid phase extraction (SPE) has been used widely for sample preparation in the analytical process. Many efforts have focused on developing novel adsorbents to enrich and purify the analytes effectively. In this study, poly-3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) nanofiber was prepared and used as the SPE adsorbent. The fiber performed good in extraction of metal ions, Cd, Sn, Hg, Pb, Al, and As, with the extraction recoveries ranged from 53.9% to 99.6% in the wet digested samples of fingernails. A PEDOT namofibers SPE column coupled with ICP-MS was established for assay of elements in fingernails. The levels of elements (Cd, Sn, Hg, Pb, Al, and As) in the fingernails of 77 healthy Chinese children (6-7 and 10-11 years) were determined. Independent t test shows that no significance has been found between boys and girls. On the contrary, there was obvious difference on the levels of most elements between the two grade groups.

Chemical fingerprinting of Arabidopsis using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic approaches.

PubMed

Gorzsás, András; Sundberg, Björn

2014-01-01

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is a fast, sensitive, inexpensive, and nondestructive technique for chemical profiling of plant materials. In this chapter we discuss the instrumental setup, the basic principles of analysis, and the possibilities for and limitations of obtaining qualitative and semiquantitative information by FT-IR spectroscopy. We provide detailed protocols for four fully customizable techniques: (1) Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS): a sensitive and high-throughput technique for powders; (2) attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy: a technique that requires no sample preparation and can be used for solid samples as well as for cell cultures; (3) microspectroscopy using a single element (SE) detector: a technique used for analyzing sections at low spatial resolution; and (4) microspectroscopy using a focal plane array (FPA) detector: a technique for rapid chemical profiling of plant sections at cellular resolution. Sample preparation, measurement, and data analysis steps are listed for each of the techniques to help the user collect the best quality spectra and prepare them for subsequent multivariate analysis.

Preparation and Thermoelectric Properties of IR(sub x)Co(sub 1-x)Sb(sub 2) Alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caillat, Thierry

1995-01-01

The preparation and characterization of the binary arsenopyrite compounds CoSb2 and IrSb2 and IrxCo1-xSb2 alloys is reported. Single crystals of CoSb2 were grown by the vertical gradient freeze technique from solution rich in antimony. Polycrystalline samples of IrSb2 and IrxCo1-xSb2 alloys were prepared by hot-pressing of prereacted elemental powders. Samples were investigated by X-ray diffractometry, microprobe analysis and density measurements. It was found that a range of solid solution exist in the system IrxCo1-xSb2 for 0.1

[Preparation and in vitro dissolution of magnolol solid dispersion].

PubMed

Tang, Lan; Qiu, Shuai-Bo; Wu, Lan; Lv, Long-Fei; Lv, Hui-Xia; Shan, Wei-Guang

2016-02-01

In this study, solid dispersion system of magnolol in croscarmellose sodium was prepared by using the solvent evaporation method, in order to increase the drug dissolution. And its dissolution behavior, stability and physical characteristics were studied. The solid dispersion was prepared with magnolol and croscarmellose sodium, with the proportion of 1∶5, the in vitro dissolution of magnolol solid dispersion was up to 80.66% at 120 min, which was 6.9 times of magnolol. The results of DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), IR (infra-red) spectrum and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) showed that magnolol existed in solid dispersion in an amorphous form. After an accelerated stability test for six months, the drug dissolution and content in magnolol solid dispersion showed no significant change. So the solid dispersion prepared with croscarmellose sodium as the carrier can remarkably improve the stability and dissolution of magnolol. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Micelle assisted thin-film solid phase microextraction: a new approach for determination of quaternary ammonium compounds in environmental samples.

PubMed

Boyacı, Ezel; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2014-09-16

Determination of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) often is considered to be a challenging undertaking owing to secondary interactions of the analytes' permanently charged quaternary ammonium head or hydrophobic tail with the utilized labware. Here, for the first time, a micelle assisted thin-film solid phase microextraction (TF-SPME) using a zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) as a matrix modifier is introduced as a novel approach for in-laboratory sample preparation of the challenging compounds. The proposed micelle assisted TF-SPME method offers suppression/enhancement free electrospray ionization of analytes in mass spectrometric detection, minimal interaction of the micelles with the TF-SPME coating, and chromatographic stationary phase and analysis free of secondary interactions. Moreover, it was found that the matrix modifier has multiple functions; when its concentration is found below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the matrix modifier primarily acts as a surface deactivator; above its CMC, it acts as a stabilizer for QACs. Additionally, shorter equilibrium extraction times in the presence of the modifier demonstrated that micelles also assist in the transfer of analytes from the bulk of the sample to the surface of the coating. The developed micelle assisted TF-SPME protocol using the 96-blade system requires only 30 min of extraction and 15 min of desorption. Together with a conditioning step (15 min), the entire method is 60 min; considering the advantage of using the 96-blade system, if all the blades in the brush are used, the sample preparation time per sample is 0.63 min. Moreover, the recoveries for all analytes with the developed method were found to range within 80.2-97.3%; as such, this method can be considered an open bed solid phase extraction. The proposed method was successfully validated using real samples.

Facile synthesis of Li2S-P2S5 glass-ceramics electrolyte with micron range particles for all-solid-state batteries via a low-temperature solution technique (LTST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Sunho; Lee, Sewook; Park, Jongyeop; Nichols, William T.; Shin, Dongwook

2018-06-01

A lithium ion conductive 75Li2Sṡ25P2S5 glass-ceramics electrolyte is, for the first time, successfully synthesized via a new low-temperature solution technique (LTST) and compared to the conventional mechanical-milling technique. Both samples are composed of the highly lithium ion conductive thio-LISICON III analog phase. Due to the uniform dispersion of reactants in an organic liquid, the use of LTST produced significantly smaller and more uniform particle sizes (2.2 ± 1.68 μm) resulting in a 6.5 times higher specific surface area compared to the mechanically-milled sample. A pronounced enhancement of both the rate capability and cyclability is demonstrated for the LTST solid electrolyte sample due to the more intimate contact with the LiCoO2 active material. Furthermore, the LTST sample shows excellent electrochemical stability throughout the potential range of -1 to 5 V. These results suggest that the proposed technique using the optimized LTST process is promising for the preparation of 75Li2Sṡ25P2S5 solid electrolytes for use in advanced Li-ion batteries.

Preparation and Some Properties of N-Type IrxCo1-xSB3 Solid Solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caillat, Thierry

1995-01-01

A number of studies have been recently devoted to the preparation and characterization of binary skutterudite materials to investigate their potential as advanced thermoelectric materials. These studies show that the potential of these binary skutterudite compounds is limited because of their relatively large thermal conductivity. In order to achieve high thermoelectric figure of merits for these materials, efforts should focus on thermal conductivity reduction. Recent results obtained on n-type CoSb3 and IrSb3 compounds have shown that n-type skutterudite materials might have a better potential for thermoelectric applications than p-type materials. The thermoelectric properties of p-type IrxCo1-xSb3 solid solutions have been recently investigated and it was shown that a substantial reduction in thermal conductivity was achieved. We prepared and measured some properties of n-type IrxCo1-xSb3 solid solutions. The samples are characterized by large Seebeck coefficient values and significantly lower thermal conductivity values than those measured on the binary compounds CoSb3 and IrSb3. A maximum ZT value of about 0.4 was obtained at a temperature of about 300(deg)C. Improvements in the figure of merit are possible in this system by optimization of the doping level.

Monolithic Solid Based on Single-Walled Carbon Nanohorns: Preparation, Characterization, and Practical Evaluation as a Sorbent.

PubMed

Fresco-Cala, Beatriz; López-Lorente, Ángela I; Cárdenas, Soledad

2018-05-25

A monolithic solid based solely on single walled carbon nanohorns (SWNHs) was prepared without the need of radical initiators or gelators. The procedure involves the preparation of a wet jelly-like system of pristine SWNHs followed by slow drying (48 h) at 25 °C. As a result, a robust and stable porous network was formed due to the interaction between SWNHs not only via π-π and van der Waals interactions, but also via the formation of carbon bonds similar to those observed within dahlia aggregates. Pristine SWNHs and the SWNH monolith were characterized by several techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen intrusion porosimetry. Taking into account the efficiency of carbon nanoparticles in sorption processes, the potential applicability of the SWNH-monolith in this research field was explored using toluene; m-, p-, and o-xylene; ethylbenzene; and styrene, as target analytes. Detection limits were 0.01 µg·L -1 in all cases and the inter-day precision was in the interval 7.4⁻15.7%. The sorbent performance of the nanostructured monolithic solid was evaluated by extracting the selected compounds from different water samples with recovery values between 81.5% and 116.4%.

Physicochemical characterization of atorvastatin calcium/ezetimibe amorphous nano-solid dispersions prepared by electrospraying method.

PubMed

Jahangiri, Azin; Barzegar-Jalali, Mohammad; Javadzadeh, Yousef; Hamishehkar, Hamed; Adibkia, Khosro

2017-09-01

In the present study, electrospraying was applied as a novel method for the fabrication of amorphous nano-solid dispersions (N-SDs) of atorvastatin calcium (ATV), ezetimibe (EZT), and ATV/EZT combination as poorly water-soluble drugs. N-SDs were prepared using polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 as an amorphous carrier in 1:1 and 1:5 drug to polymer ratios and the total solid (including drug and polymer) concentrations of 10 and 20% (w/v). The prepared formulations were further investigated for their morphological, physicochemical, and dissolution properties. Scanning electron microscopy studies indicated that the morphology and diameter of the electrosprayed samples (ESs) were influenced by the solution concentration and drug:polymer ratio, so that an increase in the solution concentration resulted in fiber formation while an increase in the polymer ratio led to enhancement of the particle diameter. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray powder diffraction studies together with in vitro dissolution test revealed that the ESs were present in an amorphous form with improved dissolution properties. Infrared spectroscopic studies showed hydrogen-bonding interaction between the drug and polymer in ESs. Since the electrospraying method benefits from the both amorphization and nanosizing effect, this novel approach seems to be an efficient method for the fabrication of N-SDs of poorly water-soluble drugs.

Interference modelling, experimental design and pre-concentration steps in validation of the Fenton's reagent for pesticides determination.

PubMed

Ostra, Miren; Ubide, Carlos; Zuriarrain, Juan

2007-02-12

The determination of atrazine in real samples (commercial pesticide preparations and water matrices) shows how the Fenton's reagent can be used with analytical purposes when kinetic methodology and multivariate calibration methods are applied. Also, binary mixtures of atrazine-alachlor and atrazine-bentazone in pesticide preparations have been resolved. The work shows the way in which interferences and the matrix effect can be modelled. Experimental design has been used to optimize experimental conditions, including the effect of solvent (methanol) used for extraction of atrazine from the sample. The determination of pesticides in commercial preparations was accomplished without any pre-treatment of sample apart from evaporation of solvent; the calibration model was developed for concentration ranges between 0.46 and 11.6 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) with mean relative errors under 4%. Solid-phase extraction is used for pre-concentration of atrazine in water samples through C(18) disks, and the concentration range for determination was established between 4 and 115 microg L(-1) approximately. Satisfactory results for recuperation of atrazine were always obtained.

Proposal of ultrasonic-assisted mid-infrared spectroscopy for incorporating into daily life like smart-toilet and non-invasive blood glucose sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitazaki, Tomoya; Mori, Keita; Yamamoto, Naoyuki; Wang, Congtao; Kawashima, Natsumi; Ishimaru, Ichiro

2017-07-01

We proposed the extremely compact beans-size snap-shot mid-infrared spectroscopy that will be able to be built in smartphones. And also the easy preparation method of thin-film samples generated by ultrasonic standing wave is proposed. Mid-infrared spectroscopy is able to identify material components and estimate component concentrations quantitatively from absorption spectra. But conventional spectral instruments were very large-size and too expensive to incorporate into daily life. And preparations of thin-film sample were very troublesome task. Because water absorption in mid-infrared lights is very strong, moisture-containing-sample thickness should be less than 100[μm]. Thus, midinfrared spectroscopy has been utilized only by analytical experts in their laboratories. Because ultrasonic standing wave is compressional wave, we can generate periodical refractive-index distributions inside of samples. A high refractiveindex plane is correspond to a reflection boundary. When we use a several MHz ultrasonic transducer, the distance between sample surface and generated first node become to be several ten μm. Thus, the double path of this distance is correspond to sample thickness. By combining these two proposed methods, as for liquid samples, urinary albumin and glucose concentrations will be able to be measured inside of toilet. And as for solid samples, by attaching these apparatus to earlobes, the enhancement of reflection lights from near skin surface will create a new path to realize the non-invasive blood glucose sensor. Using the small ultrasonic-transducer whose diameter was 10[mm] and applied voltage 8[V], we detected the internal reflection lights from colored water as liquid sample and acrylic board as solid sample.

Facile synthesis and microwave absorbability of C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid sphere and multi-shelled NiO hollow sphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Hongjing, E-mail: wuhongjing@mail.nwpu.edu.cn; Wu, Guanglei, E-mail: wuguanglei@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Wu, Qiaofeng

2014-11-15

We reported the preparation of C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid spheres or multi-shelled NiO hollow spheres by combining a facile hydrothermal route with a calcination process in H{sub 2} or air atmosphere, respectively. The synthesized C@Ni–NiO core–shell solid spheres with diameters of approximately 2–6 μm were in fact built from dense NiO nanoparticles coated by random two-dimensional metal Ni nanosheets without any visible pores. The multi-shelled NiO hollow spheres were built from particle-like ligaments and there are a lot of pores with size of several nanometers on the surface. Combined Raman spectra with X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), it suggested that themore » defects in the samples play a limited role in the dielectric loss. Compared with the other samples, the permeability of the samples calcined in H{sub 2} and air was increased slightly and the natural resonance frequency shifted to higher frequency (7, 11 and 14 GHz, respectively), leading to an enhancement of microwave absorption property. For the sample calcined in H{sub 2}, an optimal reflection loss less than − 10 was obtained at 7 GHz with a matching thickness of 5.0 mm. Our study demonstrated the potential application of C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid sphere or multi-shelled NiO hollow sphere as a more efficient electromagnetic (EM) wave absorber. - Highlights: • C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid sphere was synthesized by a facile method. • Multi-shelled NiO hollow sphere was synthesized by a facile method. • It suggested that the defects in the samples play a limited role in dielectric loss. • The permeability of the samples calcined in H{sub 2} and air was increased. • Microwave absorbability of C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid sphere was investigated.« less

[Study on solid dispersion of copovidone-based tanshinone II(A)].

PubMed

Jiang, Yan-Rong; Zhang, Zhen-Hai; Xia, Hai-Jiang; Jia, Xiao-Bin

2013-01-01

To apply PVP-S630 in the preparation of tanshinone II(A) (TS II(A)) solid dispersion, in order to improve its dissolution in vitro and reduce the moisture absorption of the solid dispersion. Tanshinone II(A) solid dispersion was prepared by spray drying method. Such analytical methods as SEM, DSC, XRD were used to characterize their phases and detect their dissolution, moisture absorption and stability. In the solid dispersion prepared with tanshinone II(A) and copovidone with proportion of 1:10, tanshinone II(A) was scattered on the surface of the carrier in the amorphous form, with a dissolution in vitro up to 100% at 0.5 h and a lower moisture absorption than PVP-K30 solid dispersion prepared with the same proportion. After a three-month accelerated stability test, it showed no significant change in drug dissolution and content. The solid dispersion prepared with copovidone as the carrier can significantly improve the dissolution of tanshinone II(A), with a relatively low moisture absorption and high stability, thereby having a good prospect of application.

Latex samples for RAMSES electrophoresis experiment on IML 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seaman, Geoffrey V. F.; Knox, Robert J.

1994-01-01

The objectives of these reported studies were to provide ground based support services for the flight experiment team for the RAMSES experiment to be flown aboard IML-2. The specific areas of support included consultation on the performance of particle based electrophoresis studies, development of methods for the preparation of suitable samples for the flight hardware, the screening of particles to obtain suitable candidates for the flight experiment, and the electrophoretic characterization of sample particle preparations. The first phases of these studies were performed under this contract, while the follow on work was performed under grant number NAG8 1081, 'Preparation and Characterization of Latex Samples for RAMSES Experiment on IML 2.' During this first phase of the experiment the following benchmarks were achieved: Methods were tested for the concentration and resuspension of latex samples in the greater than 0.4 micron diameter range to provide moderately high solids content samples free of particle aggregation which interferred with the normal functioning of the RAMSES hardware. Various candidate latex preparations were screened and two candidate types of latex were identified for use in the flight experiments, carboxylate modified latex (CML) and acrylic acid-acrylamide modified latex (AAM). These latexes have relatively hydrophilic surfaces, are not prone to aggregate, and display sufficiently low electrophoretic mobilities in the flight buffer so that they can be used to make mixtures to test the resolving power of the flight hardware.

SPME-GC-pyrolysis-AFS determination of methylmercury in marine fish products by alkaline sample preparation and aqueous phase phenylation derivatization.

PubMed

Jókai, Zsuzsa; Abrankó, László; Fodor, Péter

2005-07-13

Characterization of a cost-efficient analytical method based on alkaline sample digestion with KOH and NaOH, followed by aqueous phase phenylation derivatization with NaBPh4 and solid phase microextraction (SPME) for the determination of methylmercury in typical fish-containing food samples commercially available in Hungary, is reported. The sample preparation procedure along with the applied SPME-GC-pyrolysis-AFS system was validated by measuring certified reference materials (CRM) BCR-464, TORT-2, and a candidate CRM BCR 710. To carry out an estimation of average Hungarian methylmercury exposures via marine fish and/or fish-containing food consumption, 16 commercially available products and 3 pooled representative seafood samples of-according to a previous European survey--the three most consumed fish species in Hungary, herring, sardines, and hake, were analyzed. Methylmercury concentrations of the analyzed samples were in the range 0.016-0.137 microg of MeHg g(-1) dry weight as Hg.

A novel method for the elaboration of hydroxyapatite with high purity by sol-gel using the albumin and comparison with the classical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammed, Eddya; Bouazza, Tbib; Khalil, El-Hami

2018-02-01

In this paper, we report the first synthesis of hydroxyapatite (Hap) by sol-gel using the albumin (egg white) compared with the four classical elaboration methods such as co-precipitation, solid state, and solid-liquid samples of hydroxyapatite. We use a reference sample of hydroxyapatite bought from Fluka Chemika company (Lot and Filling code 385330/1 14599). All samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Uv-visible spectroscopy (Uv-Vis), and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The XRD study showed the existence of a Hexagonal phase for all our samples prepared in our laboratory and an orthorhombic phase for the Fulka Chemika sample of Hap (Lot and Filling code 385330/1 14599). The study by Uv-visible spectroscopy was performed to determine and compare the optical gap and the disorder of each sample of Hap. The FT-IR spectroscopy demonstrated that all our Hap samples had a similar mode of vibration of the chemical bonds (OH-) and (PO4)3-.

Transport Properties Of PbI2 Doped Silver Oxysalt Based Amorphous Solid Electrolytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrisanjaykumar Jayswal, Manishkumar

Solid electrolytes are a class of materials that conduct electricity by means of motion of ions like Ag+, Na+, Li +, Cu+, H+, F-, O -2 etc. in solid phase. The host materials include crystalline, polycrystalline, glasses, polymers and composites. Ion conducting glasses are one of the most sought after solid electrolytes that are useful in various electrochemical applications like solid state batteries, gas sensors, supercapacitors, electrochromic devices, to name a few. Since the discovery of fast silver ion transport in silver oxyhalide glasses at the end of the 1960s, many glasses showing large ionic conductivity up to 10-4 10-2 S/cm at room temperature have been developed, chiefly silver and copper ion conductors. The silver ion conducting glasses owe their high ionic conductivity mainly to stabilized alpha-AgI. AgI, as we know, undergoes a structural phase transition from wurtzite (beta phase) at room temperature to body centered cubic (alpha phase) structure at temperatures higher than 146 °C. The alpha-AgI possesses approximately six order of higher ionic conductivity than beta-AgI. The high ionic conductivity of alpha-AgI is attributed to its molten sublattice type of structure, which facilitates easy Ag+ ion migration, like a liquid. And hence, several attempts have been made to stabilize it at room temperature in crystalline as well as non-crystalline hosts like oxide and non-oxide glasses. Recently, in order to stabilize AgI in glasses, instead of directly doping it, indirect routes have also been explored. Where, a metal iodide salt along with silver oxide or silver phosphate is taken and an exchange reaction permitted by Hard and Soft, Acid and Base (HSAB) principle occurs between the two and AgI and metal oxide form in the glass forming melt. Work done in the present thesis has been organized in seven chapters as follows: Chapter 1: A review and background information of different solid electrolyte materials and their development is presented. Along with that a detailed review on fast ion conducting glasses is included. At the end of the chapter, the aim of the present work has been given. Chapter 2: A discussion about various theoretical models to explain fast ion conduction mechanism in superionic conductors in general and superionic conducting glasses in particular is given. In addition to that, impedance spectroscopy and its various formalisms are discussed. Chapter 3: This chapter describes the method of preparation of the glass samples and various characterizations and techniques to study their various properties. Chapter 4: Physical properties of the prepared glass samples are studied and discussed in this chapter. The glass samples are found to be fully amorphous as exhibited by x-ray diffraction studies. The density of the prepared samples is increasing consistently with increasing PbI 2 content in the glass. For glass series (a), the molar volume also increases with PbI2 content. However, for glass series (b) and (c), molar volume is reducing with increasing PbI2 content, showing that glass is getting compacted with increasing PbI2 content. Chapter 5: Transport properties of the prepared glass samples have been investigated using impedance spectroscopy and its various formalisms. The chapter discusses DC conductivity, AC conductivity, dielectric permittivity and modulus analysis of the obtained impedance spectra. The sigma' spectra were scaled using Summerfield scaling law using sigmaDCT as the scaling factor for frequency axis and a well defined Time-Temperature Superposition (TTS) is observed as a function of temperature. The dielectric spectra show the presence of a dielectric relaxation in all glass samples. The dielectric permittivity, epsilon', spectra were scaled using the scaling law given by Sidebottom. The modulus spectra exhibit non-Debye relaxation of Ag+ ions and could be explained using KWW (Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts) decay function. Scaling analysis of the modulus spectra as a function of temperature suggest of invariance of ion relaxation process with changing temperatures. Chapter 6: Solid state battery studies: This chapter discusses about "solid state batteries" prepared by using the best conducting glass composition, from each glass Battery discharge characteristics, polarization measurements and other battery parameters like battery capacity, power density, energy, specific power etc. have been evaluated and summarized. Chapter 7: A summary of the work done and future prospects are discussed. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

A comprehensive program to develop correlations for physical properties of kraft black liquor. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fricke, A.L.; Zaman, A.A.; Stoy, M.O.

A wide variety of experimental techniques have been used in this work, and many of these have been developed completely or improved significantly in the course of the research done during this program. Therefore, it is appropriate to describe these techniques in detail as a reference for future workers so that the techniques can be used in future work with little additional effort or so that the results reported from this program can be compared better with future results from other work. In many cases, the techniques described are for specific analytical instruments. It is recognized that these may bemore » superseded by future developments and improvements in instrumentation if a complete description of techniques used successfully in the past on other instrumentation is available. The total pulping and liquor preparation research work performed included chip and white liquor preparation, digestion, pulp washing, liquor and wash recovery, liquor sampling, weak liquor concentration in two steps to about 45--50% solids with an intermediate soap skimming at about 140F and 27--30% solids, determination of pulp yield and Kappa number, determination of total liquor solids, and a check on the total material balance for pulping. All other research was performed either on a sample of the weak black liquor (the combined black liquor and washes from the digester) or on the skimmed liquor that had been concentrated.« less

Preparation and application of in-fibre internal standardization solid-phase microextraction.

PubMed

Zhao, Wennan; Ouyang, Gangfeng; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2007-03-01

The in-fibre standardization method is a novel approach that has been developed for field sampling/sample preparation, in which an internal standard is pre-loaded onto a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibre for calibration of the extraction of target analytes in field samples. The same method can also be used for in-vial sample analysis. In this study, different techniques to load the standard to a non-porous SPME fibre were investigated. It was found that the appropriateness of the technique depends on the physical properties of the standards that are used for the analysis. Headspace extraction of the standard dissolved in pumping oil works well for volatile compounds. Conversely, headspace extraction of the pure standard is an effective approach for semi-volatile compounds. For compounds with low volatility, a syringe-fibre transfer method and direct extraction of the standard dissolved in a solvent exhibited a good reproducibility (<5% RSD). The main advantage of the approaches investigated in this study is that the standard generation vials can be reused for hundreds of analyses without exhibiting significant loss. Moreover, most of the standard loading processes studied can be performed automatically, which is efficient and precise. Finally, the standard loading technique and in-fibre standardization method were applied to a complex matrix (milk) and the results illustrated that the matrix effect can be effectively compensated for with this approach.

Dense garnet-like Li5La3Nb2O12 solid electrolyte prepared by self-consolidation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Pengcheng; Xiang, Yu; Xu, Yan; Wen, Yuehua; Zhang, Wenfeng; Zhu, Xiayu; Li, Meng; Zhang, Sontong; Ming, Hai; Jin, Zhaoqing; Cao, Gaoping

2018-06-01

Li5La3Nb2O12 (LLNO) is a typical garnet-like solid electrolyte with solitary cubic structure. However, its ionic conductivity is relatively low due to the low relative density when prepared by cold isostatic pressing method, which usually involves high-pressure machines, poor productivity, tedious pressing operations, and low density. In this paper, self-consolidation method is developed to sinter dense LLNO electrolyte. Although not any pressing operations are employed in the entire process, the relative density of LLNO is promoted up to 95%, which is much higher than the reported values of 45-80%. SEM images reveal that the sample is built by huge particles in size of 80 μm indicating that there are few boundaries in the sample. Moreover, a rich content of Li-Al-O compounds is detected out in the boundary areas, which may act as sintering aids for the sample to consolidate automatically. According to the highest density, the bulk ionic conductivity of LLNO sample reaches up to 1.61 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 30 °C, which is in the same order of magnitude as the value of cubic Li7La3Zr2O12 electrolyte. This work verifies the self-consolidation mechanism for the sintering of ceramic electrolytes and could significantly facilitate the development of LLNO membrane technology.

Investigation of fragrance stability used in the formulation of cosmetic and hygienic products using headspace solid-phase microextraction by nanostructured materials followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Masoum, Saeed; Gholami, Ali; Ghaheri, Salehe; Bouveresse, Delphine Jouan-Rimbaud; Cordella, Christophe B Y; Rutledge, Douglas N

2016-07-01

A new composite coating of polypyrrole and sodium lauryl ether sulfate was electrochemically prepared on a stainless-steel wire using cyclic voltammetry. The application and performance of the fiber was evaluated for the headspace solid-phase microextraction of a fragrance in aqueous bleach samples followed by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry to assess the fragrance stability in this kind of household cleaning product. To obtain a stable and efficient composite coating, parameters related to the coating process such as scan rate and numbers of cycles were optimized using a central composite design. In addition, the effects of various parameters on the extraction efficiency of the headspace solid-phase microextraction process such as extraction temperature and time, ionic strength, sample volume, and stirring rate were investigated by experimental design methods using Plackett-Burman and Doehlert designs. The optimum values of 53°C and 28 min for sample temperature and time, respectively, were found through response surface methodology. Results show that the combination of polypyrrole and sodium lauryl ether sulfate in a composite form presents desirable opportunities to produce new materials to study fragrance stability by headspace solid-phase microextraction. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A review on development of solid phase microextraction fibers by sol-gel methods and their applications.

PubMed

Kumar, Ashwini; Gaurav; Malik, Ashok Kumar; Tewary, Dhananjay Kumar; Singh, Baldev

2008-03-03

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is an innovative, solvent free technology that is fast, economical and versatile. SPME is a fiber coated with a liquid (polymer), a solid (sorbent) or a combination of both. The fiber coating takes up the compounds from the sample by absorption in the case of liquid coatings or adsorption in the case of solid coatings. The SPME fiber is then transferred with the help of a syringe like device into the analytical instrument for desorption and analysis of the target analytes. The sol-gel process provides a versatile method to prepare size, shape and charge selective materials of high purity and homogeneity by means of preparation techniques different from the traditional ones, for the chemical analysis. This review is on the current state of the art and future trends in the developments of solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibers using sol-gel method. To achieve more selective determination of different compound classes, the variety of different coating material for SPME fibers has increased. Further developments in SPME as a highly efficient extraction technique, will greatly depend on new breakthroughs in the area of new coating material developments for the SPME fibers. In sol-gel approach, appropriate sol-gel precursors and other building blocks can be selected to create a stationary phase with desired structural and surface properties. This approach is efficient in integrating the advantageous properties of organic and inorganic material systems and thereby increasing and improving the extraction selectivity of the produced amalgam organic-inorganic stationary phases. This review is mainly focused on recent advanced developments in the design, synthesis, characterisation, properties and application of sol-gel in preparation of coatings for the SPME fibers.

Intact and Top-Down Characterization of Biomolecules and Direct Analysis Using Infrared Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization Coupled to FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Sampson, Jason S.; Murray, Kermit K.; Muddiman, David C.

2013-01-01

We report the implementation of an infrared laser onto our previously reported matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (MALDESI) source with ESI post-ionization yielding multiply charged peptides and proteins. Infrared (IR)-MALDESI is demonstrated for atmospheric pressure desorption and ionization of biological molecules ranging in molecular weight from 1.2 to 17 kDa. High resolving power, high mass accuracy single-acquisition Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectra were generated from liquid-and solid-state peptide and protein samples by desorption with an infrared laser (2.94 µm) followed by ESI post-ionization. Intact and top-down analysis of equine myoglobin (17 kDa) desorbed from the solid state with ESI post-ionization demonstrates the sequencing capabilities using IR-MALDESI coupled to FT-ICR mass spectrometry. Carbohydrates and lipids were detected through direct analysis of milk and egg yolk using both UV- and IR-MALDESI with minimal sample preparation. Three of the four classes of biological macromolecules (proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) have been ionized and detected using MALDESI with minimal sample preparation. Sequencing of O-linked glycans, cleaved from mucin using reductive β-elimination chemistry, is also demonstrated. PMID:19185512

Preparation and Characterization of the Solid Spherical HMX/F2602 by the Suspension Spray-Drying Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Wei; Li, Xiaodong; Wang, Jingyu; Ye, Baoyun; Wang, Cailing

2016-10-01

Solid spherical octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine/fluororubber2602 (HMX/F2602) was prepared by the suspension spray-drying method as follows: firstly, thinning octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) was obtained by a solvent-anti-solvent method. Secondly, thinning HMX suspended in ethyl acetate solvent in a solution of a binder-F2602-was made into a suspension. Finally, the samples were prepared by spray drying. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and its thermal stability as well as mechanical and spark sensitivities were measured. The results of SEM showed that the grain of HMX/F2602 was solid spherical and the particle distribution was homogeneous. The results of XPS indicated that F2602 can be successfully coated on the surface of HMX crystals. Compared to raw HMX, th characteristic drop height was increased from 19.60 to 40.37 cm, an increase of 79.10%. The friction sensitivities of HMX reduced from 100 to 28% and the spark sensitivity of HMX/F2602 increased. The critical explosion temperatures of raw HMX and HMX/F2602 were 275.43 and 274.30°C, respectively. The amount of gas evolution of raw HMX and HMX/F2602 was 0.15 and 0.12 ml.(5 g)-1, respectively. The results of DSC and vacuum stability tests (VSTs) indicate that the thermal stability of HMX/F2602 was equal to that of raw HMX and HMX and F2602 had good compatibility.

Thermal and sonochemical synthesis of porous (Ce,Zr)O2 mixed oxides from metal β-diketonate precursors and their catalytic activity in wet air oxidation process of formic acid.

PubMed

Cau, Camille; Guari, Yannick; Chave, Tony; Larionova, Joulia; Nikitenko, Sergey I

2014-07-01

Porous (Ce0.5Zr0.5)O2 solid solutions were prepared by thermolysis (T=285 °C) or sonolysis (20 kHz, I=32 W cm(-2), Pac=0.46 W mL(-1), T=200 °C) of Ce(III) and Zr(IV) acetylacetonates in oleylamine or hexadecylamine under argon followed by heat treatment of the precipitates obtained in air at 450 °C. Transmission Electron Microscopy images of the samples show nanoparticles of ca. 4-6 nm for the two synthetic approaches. The powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray and μ-Raman spectroscopy of solids obtained after heat treatment indicate the formation of (Ce0.5Zr0.5)O2 solid solutions with a metastable tetragonal crystal structure for the two synthetic routes. The specific surface area of the samples varies between 78 and 149 m(2) g(-1) depending on synthesis conditions. The use of Barrett-Joyner-Halenda and t-plot methods reveal the formation of mixed oxides with a hybrid morphology that combines mesoporosity and microporosity regardless of the method of preparation. Platinum nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of the mixed oxides by sonochemical reduction of Pt(IV). It was found that the materials prepared by sonochemistry exhibit better resistance to dissolution during the deposition process of platinum. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows the presence of Pt(0) and Pt(II) on the surface of mixed oxides. Porous (Ce0.5Zr0.5)O2 mixed oxides loaded with 1.5%wt. platinum exhibit high activity in catalytic wet air oxidation of formic acid at 40 °C. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Method for preparing a solid phase microextraction device using aerogel

DOEpatents

Miller, Fred S [Bethel Island, CA; Andresen, Brian D [Livermore, CA

2006-10-24

A sample collection substrate of aerogel and/or xerogel materials bound to a support structure is used as a solid phase microextraction (SPME) device. The xerogels and aerogels may be organic or inorganic and doped with metals or other compounds to target specific chemical analytes. The support structure is typically formed of a glass fiber or a metal wire (stainless steel or kovar). The devices are made by applying gel solution to the support structures and drying the solution to form aerogel or xerogel. Aerogel particles may be attached to the wet layer before drying to increase sample collection surface area. These devices are robust, stable in fields of high radiation, and highly effective at collecting gas and liquid samples while maintaining superior mechanical and thermal stability during routine use. Aerogel SPME devices are advantageous for use in GC/MS analyses due to their lack of interfering background and tolerance of GC thermal cycling.

Effect on Ammonium Bromide in dielectric behavior based Alginate Solid Biopolymer electrolytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuzlin, A. F.; Rasali, N. M. J.; Samsudin, A. S.

2018-04-01

This paper present the development of solid biopolymer electrolytes (SBEs) system which has been accomplished by incorporating various composition of ionic dopant namely ammonium bromide (NH4Br) with alginate solution casting method. The prepared sample of SBEs has been analyzed via electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the ionic conductivity at room temperature was increased from 4.67 x 10-7 S cm-1 for un-doped sample to optimum value at 4.41 x 10-5 S cm-1 for composition of 20 wt. % NH4Br. The SBEs system was found to obey the Arrhenius characteristics with R2~1where all sample is thermally activated when increasing temperature. The dielectric behavior of the alginate-NH4Br SBEs system were measured using complex permittivity (ε*) and complex electrical modulus (M*) and shown the non-debye behavior where no single relaxation was found for present SBEs system.

Silk fiber for in-tube solid-phase microextraction to detect aldehydes by chemical derivatization.

PubMed

Wang, Xiuqin; Pan, Lei; Feng, Juanjuan; Tian, Yu; Luo, Chuannan; Sun, Min

2017-11-03

Aldehydes are the potentially damaging pollutants in the environment, but it is difficult to be determined due to the low concentration level. Therefore, to accurate analysis of aldehydes, it is important for efficient sample preparation with selective enrichment and rapid separation. Environmentally friendly silk fiber as adsorbent material was directly applied to develop in-tube solid-phase microextraction for analyzing aqueous samples combined with high performance liquid chromatography. 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine as a derivative reagent was used for chemical derivatization of aldehydes before extraction. Under optimum conditions, an online analysis method was built with the limits of detection in the range of 0.005-0.01μgL -1 and the linearity in the range of 0.03-10μgL -1 . Three aldehydes were determined in two real samples, and the relative recoveries were in the range of 95-102%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of processing on the surface physical stability of amorphous solid dispersions.

PubMed

Yang, Ziyi; Nollenberger, Kathrin; Albers, Jessica; Moffat, Jonathan; Craig, Duncan; Qi, Sheng

2014-11-01

The focus of this study was to investigate the effect of processing on the surface crystallization of amorphous molecular dispersions and gain insight into the mechanisms underpinning this effect. The model systems, amorphous molecular dispersions of felodipine-EUDRAGIT® E PO, were processed both using spin coating (an ultra-fast solvent evaporation based method) and hot melt extrusion (HME) (a melting based method). Amorphous solid dispersions with drug loadings of 10-90% (w/w) were obtained by both processing methods. Samples were stored under 75% RH/room temperatures for up to 10months. Surface crystallization was observed shortly after preparation for the HME samples with high drug loadings (50-90%). Surface crystallization was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and imaging techniques (SEM, AFM and localized thermal analysis). Spin coated molecular dispersions showed significantly higher surface physical stability than hot melt extruded samples. For both systems, the progress of the surface crystal growth followed zero order kinetics on aging. Drug enrichment at the surfaces of HME samples on aging was observed, which may contribute to surface crystallization of amorphous molecular dispersions. In conclusion it was found the amorphous molecular dispersions prepared by spin coating had a significantly higher surface physical stability than the corresponding HME samples, which may be attributed to the increased process-related apparent drug-polymer solubility and reduced molecular mobility due to the quenching effect caused by the rapid solvent evaporation in spin coating. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of precursor types on the magnetic properties of Y-type hexa-ferrite composite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Chin Mo; Na, Eunhye; Kim, Ingyu

2015-05-07

With magnetic composite including uniform magnetic particles, we expect to realize good high-frequency soft magnetic properties. We produced needle-like (α-FeOOH) nanoparticles with nearly uniform diameter and length of 20 and 500 nm. Zn-doped Y-type hexa-ferrite samples were prepared by solid state reaction method using the uniform goethite and non-uniform hematite (Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) with size of <1 μm, respectively. The micrographs observed by scanning electron microscopy show that more uniform hexagonal plates are observed in ZYG-sample (Zn-doped Y-type hexa-ferrite prepared with non-uniform hematite) than in ZYH-sample (Zn-doped Y-type hexa-ferrite prepared with uniform goethite). The permeability (μ′) and loss tangent (δ) atmore » 2 GHz are 2.31 and 0.07 in ZYG-sample and 2.0 and 0.07 in ZYH sample, respectively. We can observe that permeability and loss tangent are strongly related to the particle size and uniformity based on the nucleation, growth, and two magnetizing mechanisms: spin rotation and domain wall motion. The complex permeability spectra also can be numerically separated into spin rotational and domain wall resonance components.« less

[Comparative studies of methods of salmonella enrichment (author's transl)].

PubMed

Pietzsch, O; Kretschmer, F J; Bulling, E

1975-07-01

Eight different methods of salmonella enrichment were compared in two series of experiments involving 100 samples of whole-egg powder and 80 samples of frozen whole liquid egg, respectively. 66 out of a total of 100 samples of whole-egg powder had been artificially infected with varying numbers of S. typhi-murium; 60 out of 80 samples of frozen whole liquid egg were found to be naturally infected with various salmonella species. 3 of the 8 methods (Table 1) were compared within an international collaborative study with 14 laboratories in 11 countries participating. A reduction of the pre-enrichment period from 18 to 6 hours and of volumes used in pre-enrichment and selective enrichment from 10 and 100 ml, respectively to 1 and 10 ml, respectively were found to have adverse influence upon the result of isolations, in particular in the case of weakly infected samples. In contrast, extended incubation over 48 hours as well as preparation of two sub-cultures on solid selective media following incubation of enrichment cultures over 18-24 hours and 42-48 hours, respectively always resulted in a certain increase of salmonella yield which, however, exhibited gradual differences for the individual methods examined. Preparation of a 2nd sub-culture meant, in particular, a decisive improvement of the result of isolations from artificially infected samples if selenite-cystine enrichment volumes were 10 and 100 ml, respectively. The best results could be obtained by means of the following methods of enrichment: Pre-enrichment of material in buffered peptone water at 37 degrees C over 18 hours; pipetting of 10 ml inoculated and incubated pre-enriched material into 100 ml selenite-cystine or tetrathionate enrichment medium according to MULLER-KAUFFMANN; onward incubation of the enrichment culture at 43 degrees C over 48 hours; and preparation of sub-cultures on solid selective media after 24 and 48 hours. The method using tetrathionate enrichment medium was found to be most expensive, results, however, were the most consistent ones.

Universal Solid-phase Reversible Sample-Prep for Concurrent Proteome and N-glycome Characterization

PubMed Central

Zhou, Hui; Morley, Samantha; Kostel, Stephen; Freeman, Michael R.; Joshi, Vivek; Brewster, David; Lee, Richard S.

2017-01-01

SUMMARY We describe a novel Solid-phase Reversible Sample-Prep (SRS) platform, which enables rapid sample preparation for concurrent proteome and N-glycome characterization by mass spectrometry. SRS utilizes a uniquely functionalized, silica-based bead that has strong affinity toward proteins with minimal-to-no affinity for peptides and other small molecules. By leveraging the inherent size difference between, SRS permits high-capacity binding of proteins, rapid removal of small molecules (detergents, metabolites, salts, etc.), extensive manipulation including enzymatic and chemical treatments on beads-bound proteins, and easy recovery of N-glycans and peptides. The efficacy of SRS was evaluated in a wide range of biological samples including single glycoprotein, whole cell lysate, murine tissues, and human urine. To further demonstrate the SRS platform, we coupled a quantitative strategy to SRS to investigate the differences between DU145 prostate cancer cells and its DIAPH3-silenced counterpart. Our previous studies suggested that DIAPH3 silencing in DU145 prostate cancer cells induced transition to an amoeboid phenotype that correlated with tumor progression and metastasis. In this analysis we identified distinct proteomic and N-glycomic alterations between the two cells. Intriguingly, a metastasis-associated tyrosine kinase receptor ephrin-type-A receptor (EPHA2) was highly upregulated in DIAPH3-silenced cells, indicating underling connection between EPHA2 and DIAPH3. Moreover, distinct alterations in the N-glycome were identified, suggesting a cross-link between DIAPH3 and glycosyltransferase networks. Overall, SRS is an enabling universal sample preparation strategy that is not size limited and has the capability to efficiently prepare and clean peptides and N-glycans concurrently from nearly all sample types. Conceptually, SRS can be utilized for the analysis of other posttranslational modifications, and the unique surface chemistry can be further transformed for high-throughput automation. The technical simplicity, robustness, and modularity of SRS make it a highly promising technology with great potential in proteomic-based research. PMID:26791391

Synthesis, characterization and application of ion imprinted polymeric nanobeads for highly selective preconcentration and spectrophotometric determination of Ni2 + ion in water samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajabi, Hamid Reza; Razmpour, Saham

2016-01-01

Here, the researchers report on the synthesis of ion imprinted polymeric (IIP) nanoparticles using a thermal polymerization strategy, and their usage for the separation of Ni2 + ion from water samples. The prepared Ni-IIP was characterized by colorimetry, FT-IR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the particle size of the prepared particle to be 50-70 nm in diameter with the highly selective binding capability for Ni2 + ion, with reasonable adsorption and desorption process. After preconcentration, bound ions can be eluted with an aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid, after their complexation with dimethylglyoxime, these ions can be quantified by UV-Vis absorption spectrophotometry. The effect of various parameters on the extraction efficiency including pH of sample solution, adsorption and leaching times, initial sample volume, concentration and volume of eluent were investigated. In selectivity study, it was found that imprinting causes increased affinity of the prepared IIP toward Ni2 + ion over other ions such as Na+, K+, Ag+, Co2 +, Cu2 +, Cd2 +, Hg2 +, Pb2 +, Zn2 +, Mn2 +, Mg2 +, Cr3 +, and Fe3 +. The prepared IIP can be used and regenerated for at least eight times without any significant decrease in binding affinities. The prepared IIP is considered to be promising and selective sorbent for solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of Ni2 + ion from different water samples.

Fabrication and Evaluation of Superconducting and Semiconducting Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-09-01

Laboratory Material Physics Branch by conducting investigations into the properties of superconducting , magnetic , and other solid state materials. Studies...Physics Branch in conducting research into applied problems such as the design of magnetic shielding and superconducting quantum interference device...SQUID) magnetometry detection of magnetic anomalies. SFA provided research assistance in the areas of bulk ceramic sample preparation. conversion

Determination of preservatives in cosmetics, cleaning agents and pharmaceuticals using fast liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Baranowska, Irena; Wojciechowska, Iwona; Solarz, Natalia; Krutysza, Ewa

2014-01-01

This paper reports the development of a method for simultaneously determining five preservatives in cosmetics, cleaning agents and pharmaceuticals by fast liquid chromatography. Methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, benzyl alcohol, sodium benzoate and methylparaben were separated on a Chromolith Fast Gradient reversed-phase 18e column using gradient elution with acetonitrile and a 0.1% aqueous solution of formic acid, with a run time of 3 min. The preparation of solid and liquid samples included ultrasonic extraction with methanol with recoveries ranging from 69 to 119%. The developed method was used to analyze samples of cosmetics (66 samples), cleaning agents (five samples) and pharmaceutical industry products (17 samples).

A novel superparamagnetic surface molecularly imprinted nanoparticle adopting dummy template: an efficient solid-phase extraction adsorbent for bisphenol A.

PubMed

Lin, Zhenkun; Cheng, Wenjing; Li, Yanyan; Liu, Zhiren; Chen, Xiangping; Huang, Changjiang

2012-03-30

Leakage of the residual template molecules is one of the biggest challenges for application of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) in solid-phase extraction (SPE). In this study, bisphenol F (BPF) was adopted as a dummy template to prepare MIP of bisphenol A (BPA) with a superparamagnetic core-shell nanoparticle as the supporter, aiming to avoid residual template leakage and to increase the efficiency of SPE. Characterization and test of the obtained products (called mag-DMIP beads) revealed that these novel nanoparticles not only had excellent magnetic property but also displayed high selectivity to the target molecule BPA. As mag-DMIP beads were adopted as the adsorbents of solid-phase extraction for detecting BPA in real water samples, the recoveries of spiked samples ranged from 84.7% to 93.8% with the limit of detection of 2.50 pg mL(-1), revealing that mag-DMIP beads were efficient SPE adsorbents. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) Monthly Report December 2014

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Renae Soelberg

2014-12-01

• PNNL has completed sectioning of the U.C. Berkeley hydride fuel rodlet 1 (highest burn-up) and is currently polishing samples in preparation for optical metallography. • A disk was successfully sectioned from rodlet 1 at the location of the internal thermocouple tip as desired. The transition from annular pellet to solid pellet is verified by the eutectic-filled inner cavity located on the back face of this disk (top left) and the solid front face (bottom left). Preliminary low-resolution images indicate interesting sample characteristics in the eutectic surrounding the rodlet at the location of the outer thermocouple tip (right). This samplemore » has been potted and is currently being polished for high-resolution optical microscopy and subsequent SEM analysis. (See images.)« less

Simultaneous determination of 20 pharmacologically active substances in cow's milk, goat's milk, and human breast milk by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Azzouz, Abdelmonaim; Jurado-Sánchez, Beatriz; Souhail, Badredine; Ballesteros, Evaristo

2011-05-11

This paper reports a systematic approach to the development of a method that combines continuous solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of 20 pharmacologically active substances including antibacterials (chloramphenicol, florfenicol, pyrimethamine, thiamphenicol), nonsteroideal anti-inflammatories (diclofenac, flunixin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, mefenamic acid, niflumic acid, phenylbutazone), antiseptic (triclosan), antiepileptic (carbamazepine), lipid regulator (clofibric acid), β-blockers (metoprolol, propranolol), and hormones (17α-ethinylestradiol, estrone, 17β-estradiol) in milk samples. The sample preparation procedure involves deproteination of the milk, followed by sample enrichment and cleanup by continuous solid-phase extraction. The proposed method provides a linear response over the range of 0.6-5000 ng/kg and features limits of detection from 0.2 to 1.2 ng/kg depending on the particular analyte. The method was successfully applied to the determination of pharmacologically active substance residues in food samples including whole, raw, half-skim, skim, and powdered milk from different sources (cow, goat, and human breast).

An in Situ Technique for Elemental Analysis of Lunar Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kane, K. Y.; Cremers, D. A.

1992-01-01

An in situ analytical technique that can remotely determine the elemental constituents of solids has been demonstrated. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a form of atomic emission spectroscopy in which a powerful laser pulse is focused on a solid to generate a laser spark, or microplasma. Material in the plasma is vaporized, and the resulting atoms are excited to emit light. The light is spectrally resolved to identify the emitting species. LIBS is a simple technique that can be automated for inclusion aboard a remotely operated vehicle. Since only optical access to a sample is required, areas inaccessible to a rover can be analyzed remotely. A single laser spark both vaporizes and excites the sample so that near real-time analysis (a few minutes) is possible. This technique provides simultaneous multielement detection and has good sensitivity for many elements. LIBS also eliminates the need for sample retrieval and preparation preventing possible sample contamination. These qualities make the LIBS technique uniquely suited for use in the lunar environment.

An Evaluation of the Accuracy of the Subtraction Method Used for Determining Platelet Counts in Advanced Platelet-Rich Fibrin and Concentrated Growth Factor Preparations

PubMed Central

Watanabe, Taisuke; Isobe, Kazushige; Suzuki, Taiji; Kawabata, Hideo; Nakamura, Masayuki; Tsukioka, Tsuneyuki; Okudera, Toshimitsu; Okudera, Hajime; Uematsu, Kohya; Okuda, Kazuhiro; Nakata, Koh; Kawase, Tomoyuki

2017-01-01

Platelet concentrates should be quality-assured of purity and identity prior to clinical use. Unlike for the liquid form of platelet-rich plasma, platelet counts cannot be directly determined in solid fibrin clots and are instead calculated by subtracting the counts in other liquid or semi-clotted fractions from those in whole blood samples. Having long suspected the validity of this method, we herein examined the possible loss of platelets in the preparation process. Blood samples collected from healthy male donors were immediately centrifuged for advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF) and concentrated growth factors (CGF) according to recommended centrifugal protocols. Blood cells in liquid and semi-clotted fractions were directly counted. Platelets aggregated on clot surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy. A higher centrifugal force increased the numbers of platelets and platelet aggregates in the liquid red blood cell fraction and the semi-clotted red thrombus in the presence and absence of the anticoagulant, respectively. Nevertheless, the calculated platelet counts in A-PRF/CGF preparations were much higher than expected, rendering the currently accepted subtraction method inaccurate for determining platelet counts in fibrin clots. To ensure the quality of solid types of platelet concentrates chairside in a timely manner, a simple and accurate platelet-counting method should be developed immediately. PMID:29563413

Pipette-tip solid-phase extraction using polypyrrole as efficient adsorbent for extraction of avermectins and milbemycins in milk.

PubMed

Florez, Diego Hernando Ângulo; Teixeira, Roseane Andrade; da Silva, Ricky Cássio Santos; Pires, Bruna Carneiro; Dutra, Flávia Viana Avelar; Borges, Keyller Bastos

2018-05-01

In this work, we developed a HPLC method for the multidetermination of avermectins (AVM) (abamectin-ABA 1b and ABA 1a, eprinomectin-EPR, and ivermectin-IVM) and milbemycins (moxidectin-MOX) in milk samples using polypyrrole (PPy) as adsorbent material in pipette-tip solid-phase extraction (PT-PPy-SPE). PPy was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction and the data agreed with the literature. The sample preparation included the clean-up of the milk by protein precipitation (PP) with acetonitrile and extraction of the analytes by PT-PPy-SPE. The chromatographic method was developed in reverse phase and isocratic mode with flow rate at 1.2 mL min -1 and ultraviolet detection at 250 nm. The mobile phase composition was acetonitrile:methanol:water (55:25:20, v/v/v). The studied parameters and the optimized conditions for the sample preparation were washing solvent (300 μL water), volume and type of eluent (500 μL methanol), volume and pH of sample (1 mL and pH 10), amount of adsorbent material (50 mg PPy), and without addition of salt (NaCl). The method was linear over the concentration range from 20 to 3000 ng mL -1 with coefficients of correlation (r) ≥ 0.99 for all analytes and recoveries around 100%. The method developed and validated was used for the analyses of real milk samples from cow treated with Ivomec ® (IVM 3.5%), in which were found 21.51 ± 2.94 ng mL -1 of IVM. Finally, the results proved that PT-PPy-SPE coupled to HPLC-UV was economical, simple, and easy-to-perform technique. Graphical abstract Pipette-tip solid phase extraction using polypirrole as adsorbent material for determination of avermectins and milbemycins in milk.

Hematocrit-Independent Quantitation of Stimulants in Dried Blood Spots: Pipet versus Microfluidic-Based Volumetric Sampling Coupled with Automated Flow-Through Desorption and Online Solid Phase Extraction-LC-MS/MS Bioanalysis.

PubMed

Verplaetse, Ruth; Henion, Jack

2016-07-05

A workflow overcoming microsample collection issues and hematocrit (HCT)-related bias would facilitate more widespread use of dried blood spots (DBS). This report describes comparative results between the use of a pipet and a microfluidic-based sampling device for the creation of volumetric DBS. Both approaches were successfully coupled to HCT-independent, fully automated sample preparation and online liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis allowing detection of five stimulants in finger prick blood. Reproducible, selective, accurate, and precise responses meeting generally accepted regulated bioanalysis guidelines were observed over the range of 5-1000 ng/mL whole blood. The applied heated flow-through solvent desorption of the entire spot and online solid phase extraction (SPE) procedure were unaffected by the blood's HCT value within the tested range of 28.0-61.5% HCT. Enhanced stability for mephedrone on DBS compared to liquid whole blood was observed. Finger prick blood samples were collected using both volumetric sampling approaches over a time course of 25 h after intake of a single oral dose of phentermine. A pharmacokinetic curve for the incurred phentermine was successfully produced using the described validated method. These results suggest that either volumetric sample collection method may be amenable to field-use followed by fully automated, HCT-independent DBS-SPE-LC-MS/MS bioanalysis for the quantitation of these representative controlled substances. Analytical data from DBS prepared with a pipet and microfluidic-based sampling devices were comparable, but the latter is easier to operate, making this approach more suitable for sample collection by unskilled persons.

Oxygen ion conductivity of La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.17-xCoxO3-δ synthesized by laser rapid solidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jie; Yuan, Chao; Wang, Jun-Qiao; Liang, Er-Jun; Chao, Ming-Ju

2013-08-01

Materials La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.17-xCoxO3-δ with x = 0, 0.05, 0.085, 0.10, and 0.15 are synthesized by laser rapid solidification. It is shown that the samples prepared by laser rapid solidification give rise to unique spear-like or leaf-like microstructures which are orderly arranged and densely packed. Their electrical properties each show a general dependence of the Co content and the total conductivities of La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.085Co0.085O3-δ prepared by laser rapid solidification are measured to be 0.067, 0.124, and 0.202 S·cm-1 at 600, 700, and 800 °C, respectively, which are much higher than by conventional solid state reactions. Moreover, the electrical conductivities each as a function of the oxygen partial pressure are also measured. It is shown that the samples with the Co content values <= 8.5 mol% each exhibit basically ionic conduction while those for Co content values >= 10 mol % each show ionic mixed electronic conduction under oxygen partial pressures from 10-16 atm (1 atm = 1.01325 × 105 Pa) to 0.98 atm. The improved ionic conductivity of La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.085Co0.085O3-δ prepared by laser rapid solidification compared with by solid state reactions is attributed to the unique microstructure of the sample generated during laser rapid solidification.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Faria, Bruna Fernanda de; Moreira, Silvana

The problem of solid waste in most countries is on the rise as a result of rapid population growth, urbanization, industrial development and changes in consumption habits. Amongst the various forms of waste disposals, landfills are today the most viable for the Brazilian reality, both technically and economically. Proper landfill construction practices allow minimizing the effects of the two main sources of pollution from solid waste: landfill gas and slurry. However, minimizing is not synonymous with eliminating; consequently, the landfill alone cannot resolve all the problems with solid waste disposal. The main goal of this work is to evaluate themore » content of trace elements in samples of groundwater, surface water and slurry arising from local solid waste disposals in the city of Campinas, SP, Brazil. Samples were collected at the Delta, Santa Barbara and Pirelli landfills. At the Delta and Santa Barbara sites, values above the maximum permitted level established by CETESB for Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni and Pb were observed in samples of groundwater, while at the Pirelli site, elements with concentrations above the permitted levels were Mn, Fe, Ba and Pb. At Delta, values above levels permitted by the CONAMA 357 legislation were still observed in surface water samples for Cr, Mn, Fe and Cu, whereas in slurry samples, values above the permitted levels were observed for Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb. Slurry samples were prepared in accordance with two extraction methodologies, EPA 3050B and EPA 200.8. Concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu and Pb were higher than the limit established by CONAMA 357 for most samples collected at different periods (dry and rainy) and also for the two extraction methodologies employed.« less

Enhanced 99Tc retention in glass waste form using Tc(IV)-incorporated Fe minerals

DOE PAGES

Um, Wooyong; Luksic, Steven A.; Wang, Guohui; ...

2017-09-07

We present that technetium ( 99Tc) immobilization by doping into iron oxide mineral phases may alleviate the problems with Tc volatility during vitrification of nuclear waste. Because reduced Tc, Tc(IV), substitutes for Fe(III) in the crystal structure by a process of Tc reduction from Tc(VII) to Tc(IV) followed by co-precipitation of Fe oxide minerals, two Tc-incorporated Fe minerals (Tc-goethite and Tc-magnetite/maghemite) were prepared and tested for Tc retention in glass melt samples at temperatures between 600 and 1000 °C. After being cooled, the solid glass specimens prepared at different temperatures at 600, 800, and 1000 °C were analyzed for Tcmore » oxidation state using Tc K-edge XANES. In most samples, Tc was partially (<60%) oxidized from Tc(IV) to Tc(VII) as the melt temperature increased up to 600 °C. However, most of Tc(IV) was completely (>95%) oxidized to Tc(VII) at temperature above 800 °C. Tc retention in glass melt samples prepared using Tc-incorporated Fe minerals were slightly higher (~10%) than in glass prepared using KTcO4 because of limited and delayed Tc volatilization.« less

Enhanced 99Tc retention in glass waste form using Tc(IV)-incorporated Fe minerals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Um, Wooyong; Luksic, Steven A.; Wang, Guohui

We present that technetium ( 99Tc) immobilization by doping into iron oxide mineral phases may alleviate the problems with Tc volatility during vitrification of nuclear waste. Because reduced Tc, Tc(IV), substitutes for Fe(III) in the crystal structure by a process of Tc reduction from Tc(VII) to Tc(IV) followed by co-precipitation of Fe oxide minerals, two Tc-incorporated Fe minerals (Tc-goethite and Tc-magnetite/maghemite) were prepared and tested for Tc retention in glass melt samples at temperatures between 600 and 1000 °C. After being cooled, the solid glass specimens prepared at different temperatures at 600, 800, and 1000 °C were analyzed for Tcmore » oxidation state using Tc K-edge XANES. In most samples, Tc was partially (<60%) oxidized from Tc(IV) to Tc(VII) as the melt temperature increased up to 600 °C. However, most of Tc(IV) was completely (>95%) oxidized to Tc(VII) at temperature above 800 °C. Tc retention in glass melt samples prepared using Tc-incorporated Fe minerals were slightly higher (~10%) than in glass prepared using KTcO4 because of limited and delayed Tc volatilization.« less

New mass-spectrometric facility for the analysis of highly radioactive samples

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Warmack, R.J.; Landau, L.; Christie, W.H.

A new facility has been completed for the analysis of highly radioactive, gamma-emitting solid samples. A commercial spark-source mass spectrometer was adapted for remote handling and loading. Electrodes are prepared in a hot cell and transported to the adjacent lead-shielded source for analysis. The source was redesigned for ease of shielding, loading, and maintenance. Both solutions and residues from irradiated nuclear fuel dissolutions have been analyzed for elemental concentrations to < 1 ppM; isotopic data have also been obtained.

Automated Sample Preparation (ASP): Development of a Rapid Method to Sequentially Isolate Nucleic Acids and Protein from Any Sample Type by a Cartridge-Based System

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-11-27

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: CUBRC has developed an in-line, multi-analyte isolation technology that utilizes solid phase extraction chemistries to purify...goals. Specifically, CUBRC will design and manufacture a prototype cartridge(s) and test the prototype cartridge for its ability to isolate each...display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. CUBRC , Inc. P. O. Box 400 Buffalo, NY 14225 -1955

Field and Laboratory Application of a Gas Chromatograph Low Thermal Mass Resistively Heated Column System in Detecting Traditional and Non-Traditional Chemical Warfare Agents Using Solid Phase Micro-Extraction

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-02-01

followed by extensive sample preparation procedures that are performed in a laboratory. Analysis is typically conducted by injecting a liquid or gas sample...Alfentanil, Remifentanil , Sufentanil, and Carfentanil) in a laboratory. (5) Quantitatively determine a maximum temperature ramping rate at which the LTM...RHT Column combined with a GC-MS can separate and analyze a mixture of non- traditional CWAs (i.e. Fentanyl, Alfentanil, Remifentanil , Sufentanil

Evaluation of ionic liquids supported on silica as a sorbent for fully automated online solid-phase extraction with LC-MS determination of sulfonamides in bovine milk samples.

PubMed

da Silva, Meire Ribeiro; Mauro Lanças, Fernando

2018-03-10

Sulfonamides are antibiotics widely used in the treatment of diseases in dairy cattle. However, their indiscriminate use for disease control may lead to their presence in tissues and milk and their determination requires a sample preparation step as part of an analytical approach. Among the several sample preparation techniques available, those based upon the use of sorptive materials have been widely employed. Recently, the application of ionic liquids immobilized on silica surfaces or polymeric materials has been evaluated for such an application. This manuscript addresses the evaluation of silica-based ionic liquid obtained by a sol-gel synthesis process by basic catalysis as sorbent for online solid-phase extraction with liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for sulfonamides determination. Infrared vibrational spectroscopy confirmed the presence of the ionic liquid on the silica surface, suggesting that the ionic liquid was anchored on to the silica surface. Other sorbents varying the ionic liquid alkyl chain were also synthesized and evaluated by off-line solid-phase extraction in the sulfonamide extraction. As the length of the alkyl chain increased, the amount of extracted sulfonamides decreased, possibly due to a decrease in the electrostatic interaction caused by the reduction in the polarity, as well as the presence of a hexafluorophosphate anion that increases the hydrophobic character of the material. The use of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate as a selective ionic liquid sorbent enabled the isolation and sulfonamide preconcentration in bovine milk by online solid-phase extraction with liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The limit of quantification for the method developed was 5-7, 5 μg/mL, with extraction recoveries ranging between 74 and 93% and intra- and interassay between 1.5-12.5 and 2.3-13.1, respectively. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

[Preparation of Oenothera biennis Oil Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Based on Microemulsion Technique].

PubMed

Piao, Lin-mei; Jin, Yong; Cui, Yan-lin; Yin, Shou-yu

2015-06-01

To study the preparation of Oenothera biennis oil solid lipid nanoparticles and its quality evaluation. The solid lipid nanoparticles were prepared by microemulsion technique. The optimum condition was performed based on the orthogonal design to examine the entrapment efficiency, the mean diameter of the particles and so on. The optimal preparation of Oenothera biennis oil solid lipid nanoparticles was as follows: Oenothera biennis dosage 300 mg, glycerol monostearate-Oenothera biennis (2: 3), Oenothera biennis -RH/40/PEG-400 (1: 2), RH-40/PEG-400 (1: 2). The resulting nanoparticles average encapsulation efficiency was (89.89 ± 0.71)%, the average particle size was 44.43 ± 0.08 nm, and the Zeta potential was 64.72 ± 1.24 mV. The preparation process is simple, stable and feasible.

A simplified radiometabolite analysis procedure for PET radioligands using a solid phase extraction with micellar medium.

PubMed

Nakao, Ryuji; Halldin, Christer

2013-07-01

A solid phase extraction method has been developed for simple and high-speed direct determination of PET radioligands in plasma. This methodology makes use of a micellar medium and a solid-phase extraction cartridge for displacement of plasma protein bound radioligand and separation of PET radioligands from their radiometabolites without significant preparation. The plasma samples taken from monkey or human during PET measurements were mixed with a micellar eluent containing an anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate and loaded onto SPE cartridges. The amount of radioactivity corresponding to parent radioligand (retained on the cartridge) and its radioactive metabolites (eluted with micellar eluent) was measured. Under the optimized conditions, excellent separation of target PET radioligands from their radiometabolites was achieved with a single elution and short run-time of 1 min. This method was successfully applied to study the metabolism for (11)C-labelled radioligands in human or monkey plasma. The amount of parent PET radioligands estimated by micellar solid phase extraction strongly corresponded with that determined by radio-LC. The improved throughput permitted the analysis of a large number of plasma samples (up to 13 samples per one PET study) for accurate estimation of metabolite-corrected input function during quantitative PET imaging studies. Solid phase extraction together with micellar medium is fast, sensitive and easy to use, and therefore it is an attractive alternative method to determine relative composition of PET radioligands in plasma. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farrokhzadeh, Abdolkarim; Modarresi-Alam, Ali Reza, E-mail: modaresi@chem.usb.ac.ir

Poly [(±)-2-(sec-butyl) aniline]/silica-supported perchloric acid composites were synthesized by combination of poly[(±)-2-sec-butylaniline] base (PSBA) and the silica-supported perchloric acid (SSPA) as dopant solid acid in solid-state. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and CHNS results confirm nigraniline oxidation state and complete doping for composites (about 75%) and non-complete for the PSBA·HCl salt (about 49%). The conductivity of samples was (≈0.07 S/cm) in agreement with the percent of doping obtained of the XPS analysis. Also, contact resistance was determined by circular-TLM measurement. The morphology of samples by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their coating were investigated by XPS, SEM-map and energy-dispersivemore » X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The key benefits of this work are the preparation of conductive chiral composite with the delocalized polaron structure under green chemistry and solid-state condition, the improvement of the processability by inclusion of the 2-sec-butyl group and the use of dopant solid acid (SSPA) as dopant. - Highlights: • The solid-state synthesis of the novel chiral composites of poly[(±)-2-(sec-butyl)aniline] (PSBA) and silica-supported perchloric acid (SSPA). • It takes 120 h for complete deprotonation of PSBA.HCl salt. • Use of SSPA as dopant solid acid for the first time to attain the complete doping of PSBA. • The coating of silica surface with PSBA.« less

Synthesis of GaN:ZnO solid solution by solution combustion method and characterization for photocatalytic application

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Menon, Sumithra Sivadas; Anitha, R.; Baskar, K.

2016-05-23

GaN-ZnO solid solution has emerged as a successful and reproducible photocatalyst for overall water splitting by one-step photoexcitation, with a bandgap in visible region. When the solid solution is formed, some of the Zn and O ions are replaced by Ga and N ions respectively and there is a narrowing of bandgap which is hypothesized as due to Zn3d-N2p repulsion. The traditional method of synthesis of GaN-ZnO solid solution is by nitridation of the starting oxides under constant ammonia flow. Here we report a solution combustion technique for the synthesis of the solid solution at a temperature about 500 °more » C in a muffle furnace with metal nitrates as precursors and urea as the fuel. The as prepared samples showed change in color with the increased concentration of ZnO in the solution. The structural, microstructural, morphological and optical properties of the samples were realized by Powder X ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Energy dispersive X ray analysis, Transmission electron microscopy and Photoluminescence. Finally the hydrogen production efficiency of the GaN-ZnO nanopowders by water splitting was found, using methanol as a scavenger. The apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 0.048% is obtained for GaN-ZnO solid solution.« less

ACCELERATED SOLVENT EXTRACTION COMBINED WITH ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A research project was initiated to address a recurring problem of elevated detection limits above required risk-based concentrations for the determination of semivolatile organic compounds in high moisture content solid samples. This project was initiated, in cooperation with the EPA Region 1 Laboratory, under the Regional Methods Program administered through the ORD Office of Science Policy. The aim of the project was to develop an approach for the rapid removal of water in high moisture content solids (e.g., wetland sediments) in preparation for analysis via Method 8270. Alternative methods for water removal have been investigated to enhance compound solid concentrations and improve extraction efficiency, with the use of pressure filtration providing a high-throughput alternative for removal of the majority of free water in sediments and sludges. In order to eliminate problems with phase separation during extraction of solids using Accelerated Solvent Extraction, a variation of a water-isopropanol extraction method developed at the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, CO is being employed. The concentrations of target compounds in water-isopropanol extraction fluids are subsequently analyzed using an automated Solid Phase Extraction (SPE)-GC/MS method developed in our laboratory. The coupled approaches for dewatering, extraction, and target compound identification-quantitation provide a useful alternative to enhance sample throughput for Me

Dielectric spectroscopy for the determination of the glass transition temperature of pharmaceutical solid dispersions.

PubMed

O'Donnell, Kevin P; Woodward, W H Hunter

2015-06-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate analytical techniques for the measurement of the glass transition temperature of HPMC and formulated solid dispersions thereof. Unmodified samples of various grades of HPMC and solid dispersions of HPMC and itraconazole produced by hot melt extrusion were analyzed by thermomechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, thermally stimulated depolarization current and dielectric spectroscopy. It was found that dielectric spectroscopy offers the best accuracy and reproducibility for analysis of the base HPMC powders regardless of the substitution type or viscosity grade and that the obtained results were not frequency dependent. The results of dielectric measurements of solid dispersions prepared by hot melt extrusion were compared with predicted values of the Gordon-Taylor equation. It was found that time-temperature superposition effects and small molecule frequency dependence makes broadly applying determination of the glass transition temperature in drug dispersions by dielectric spectroscopy prohibitively difficult.

Characterization of the Key Aroma Compounds in Proso Millet Wine Using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Liu, Jingke; Zhao, Wei; Li, Shaohui; Zhang, Aixia; Zhang, Yuzong; Liu, Songyan

2018-02-20

The volatile compounds in proso millet wine were extracted by headspace solid-phase microextraction (85 μm polyacrylate (PA), 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), 75 μm Carboxen (CAR)/PDMS, and 50/30 μm divinylbenzene (DVB)/CAR/PDMS fibers), and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; the odor characteristics and intensities were analyzed by the odor activity value (OAV). Different sample preparation factors were used to optimize this method: sample amount, extraction time, extraction temperature, and content of NaCl. A total of 64 volatile compounds were identified from the wine sample, including 14 esters, seven alcohols, five aldehydes, five ketones, 12 benzene derivatives, 12 hydrocarbons, two terpenes, three phenols, two acids, and two heterocycles. Ethyl benzeneacetate, phenylethyl alcohol, and benzaldehyde were the main volatile compounds found in the samples. According to their OAVs, 14 volatile compounds were determined to be odor-active compounds (OAV > 1), and benzaldehyde, benzeneacetaldehyde, 1-methyl-naphthalene, 2-methyl-naphthalene, and biphenyl were the prominent odor-active compounds (OAV > 50), having a high OAV. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed the difference of distribution of the 64 volatile compounds and 14 odor-active compounds with four solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers.

Novel micro-extraction by packed sorbent procedure for the liquid chromatographic analysis of antiepileptic drugs in human plasma and urine.

PubMed

Rani, Susheela; Malik, Ashok K; Singh, Baldev

2012-02-01

A method for the simultaneous determination of the antiepileptic drugs, phenobarbital (PHB), phenytoin (PTN), carbamazepine (CBZ), primidone (PRM) and oxcarbazepine (OXC) in human plasma and urine samples by using micro-extraction in a packed syringe as the sample preparation method connected with LC/UV (MEPS/LC/UV) is described. Micro-extraction in a packed syringe (MEPS) is a new miniaturized, solid-phase extraction technique that can be connected online to gas or liquid chromatography without any modifications. In MEPS approximately 1 mg of the solid packing material is inserted into a syringe (100-250 μL) as a plug. Sample preparation takes place on the packed bed. The bed can be coated to provide selective and suitable sampling conditions. The new method is very promising, easy to use, fully automated, inexpensive and quick. The standard curves were obtained within the concentration range 1-500 ng/mL in both plasma and urine samples. The results showed high correlation coefficients (R(2) >0.988) for all of the analytes within the calibration range. The extraction recovery was found to be between 88.56 and 99.38%. The limit of quantification was found to be between 0.132 and 1.956 ng/mL. The precision (RSD) values of quality control samples (QC) had a maximum deviation of 4.9%. A comparison of the detection limits with similar methods indicates high sensitivity of the present method. The method is applied for the analysis of these drugs in real urine and plasma samples of epileptic patients. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Rapid analysis of the skin irritant p-phenylenediamine (PPD) in henna products using atmospheric solids analysis probe mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Chen, Weiyang; Nkosi, Thobile A N; Combrinck, Sandra; Viljoen, Alvaro M; Cartwright-Jones, Catherine

2016-09-05

Henna (Lawsonia inermis) is applied to stain keratin, present in hair, skin and fingernails, a red-orange or rust colour. Producers of temporary tattoos mix the aromatic amine compound, para-phenylenediamine (PPD) into natural henna to create 'black henna' that rapidly stains the skin black. However, PPD may cause severe delayed hypersensitivity reactions following skin contact. This study proposes a rapid direct-analysis method to detect and identify PPD using an atmospheric solids analysis probe (ASAP) coupled to a Q-ToF mass spectrometer (MS). Since laborious, multistep methods of analysis to determine PPD are undesirable, due to the instability of the compound in solution, a screening method involving no sample preparation steps was developed. Experiments were carried out to optimise the corona current, sample cone voltage, source temperature, and desolvation gas temperature to determine ideal ASAP-Q-ToF-MS analysing conditions. Eleven of the 109 henna samples, originating from various countries, tested positive for PPD when henna products were screened using ASAP-MS, without any form of sample preparation other than grinding. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-ToF-MS) was subsequently used to confirm the results from ASAP and to determine the concentrations of PPD in henna products. The allergen was detected in the same eleven samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.05-4.21% (w/w). It can be concluded that the sensitivity of the ASAP-MS technique is sufficient (limit of detection=0.025% w/w) to allow screening of henna samples for the presence of PPD. This relatively new technique can be applied to commercial products without extraction, sample treatment or chromatographic separation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molten salt-directed synthesis method for LiMn2O4 nanorods as a cathode material for a lithium-ion battery with superior cyclability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kebede, Mesfin A.; Ozoemena, Kenneth I.

2017-02-01

A molten salt synthesis technique has been used to prepare nanorods of Mn2O3 and single-crystal LiMn2O4 nanorods cathode material with superior capacity retention. The molten salt-directed synthesis involved the use of NaCl as the eutectic melt. The as-synthesized LiMn2O4 nanorods cathode material showed superior electrochemical performance compared to the LiMn2O4 sample obtained via the solid state method. The as-synthesized LiMn2O4 nanorods maintained more than 95% of the initial discharge capacity of 107 mA h g-1 over 100 cycles at a rate of 0.1 C, whereas the LiMn2O4 sample synthesized using the solid state reaction method maintained 88% of the initial discharge capacity of 98 mA h g-1 over 100 cycles at a rate of 0.1 C. Compared to the literature, the molten salt-directed method for the preparation of high-performance LiMn2O4 is simpler and less expensive, with greater potential for industrial scale-up.

Measurement of process-dependent material properties of pharmaceutical solids by nanoindentation.

PubMed

Liao, Xiangmin; Wiedmann, Timothy Scott

2005-01-01

The purpose of this work was to evaluate nanoindentation as a means to characterize the material properties of pharmaceutical solids. X-ray diffraction of potassium chloride and acetaminophen showed that samples prepared by cooling a melt to a crystalline sample as opposed to slow recrystallization had the same crystal structure. With analysis of the force-displacement curves, the KCl quenched samples had a hardness that was 10 times higher than the recrystallized KCl, while acetaminophen quenched samples were 25% harder than the recrystallized samples. The elastic moduli of the quenched samples were also much greater than that observed for the recrystallized samples. Although the elasticity was independent of load, the hardness increased with load for acetaminophen. With each sample, the flow at constant load increased with applied load. Etching patterns obtained by atomic force microscopy showed that the KCl quenched sample had a higher dislocation density than the recrystallized sample, although there was no evident difference in the acetaminophen samples. Overall, the differences in the observed sample properties may be related to the dislocation density. Thus, nanoindentation has been shown to be a sensitive method for determining a processed-induced change in the hardness, creep, and elasticity of KCl and acetaminophen. (c) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Molecularly imprinted polymer for selective extraction of malachite green from seawater and seafood coupled with high-performance liquid chromatographic determination.

PubMed

Lian, Ziru; Wang, Jiangtao

2012-12-01

In this paper, a highly selective sample cleanup procedure combining molecular imprinting technique (MIT) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed for the isolation of malachite green in seawater and seafood samples. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared using malachite green as the template molecule, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linking monomer. The imprinted polymer and non-imprinted polymer were characterized by scanning electron microscope and static adsorption experiments. The MIP showed a high adsorption capacity and was used as selective sorbent for the SPE of malachite green. An off-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) method followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diodearray detection for the analysis of malachite green in seawater and seafood samples was also established. Finally, five samples were determined. The results showed that malachite green concentration in one seawater sample was at 1.30 μg L⁻¹ and the RSD (n=3) was 4.15%. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical preparation of composite polyaniline coating and its application in the determination of bisphenol A, 4-n-nonylphenol, 4-tert-octylphenol using direct solid phase microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Huang, Minjia; Jiang, Guibin; Cai, Yaqi

2005-11-01

For SPME-HPLC, metal wires with better mechanical strength are preferred over the fused silica fibers. In this article, a novel composite polyaniline (CPANI) doped with PEG and polydimethylsiloxane coating (CPANI fiber) was prepared on a stainless steel wire by a three-electrode system: the fiber was used as the work electrode, a calomel electrode and a platinum electrode were used as the reference and the counter electrodes, respectively. To evaluate the new CPANI coating, the coating was used to extract three kinds of phenols (bisphenol A, 4-n-nonylphenol, and 4-tert-octylphenol) in water samples by direct-SPME mode and then desorbed in commercial SPME-HPLC interface to separation. The extraction procedure was also optimized. Five real water samples were investigated. Good recoveries were gained when environmental samples were analyzed.

Detection of urinary creatinine using gold nanoparticles after solid phase extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sittiwong, Jarinya; Unob, Fuangfa

2015-03-01

Label-free gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were utilized in the detection of creatinine in human urine after a sample preparation by extraction of creatinine on sulfonic acid functionalized silica gel. With the proposed sample preparation method, the interfering effects of the urine matrix on creatinine detection by AuNPs were eliminated. Parameters affecting creatinine extraction were investigated. The aggregation of AuNPs induced by creatinine resulted in a change in the surface plasmon resonance signal with a concomitant color change that could be observed by the naked eye and quantified spectrometrically. The effect of AuNP concentration and reaction time on AuNP aggregation was investigated. The method described herein provides a determination of creatinine in a range of 15-40 mg L-1 with a detection limit of 13.7 mg L-1 and it was successfully used in the detection of creatinine in human urine samples.

Fabrication and thermoelectric properties of n-type (Sr0.9Gd0.1)TiO3 oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Liangliang; Qin, Xiaoying; Liu, Yongfei; Xin, Hongxing; Zhang, Jian; Li, Di; Song, Chunjun; Guo, Guanglei; Dou, Yunchen; Zou, Tianhua

2014-02-01

The n-type oxides (Sr0.9Gd0.1)TiO3 (SGTO) have been successfully prepared via a sol-gel process followed by solid-state sintering. The effects of sintering temperature on the thermoelectric (TE) properties of the SGTO samples have been investigated. The Seebeck coefficient showed no obvious difference, while the electrical conductivity increased with increasing sintering temperature, benefiting from an enhancement of densification. The maximum power factor (PF) value, 20.5μW/K2cm at 370 K in the metallic region, was observed for the sample sintered at 1748 K. As a result, the peak figure of merit (ZT) values for the samples sintered at higher than 1673 K were in the range of 0.28-0.30. All the results indicate that such synthetic method provides a simple and effective way to prepare TE oxides.

Structural, magnetic, and dielectric properties of solid solutions between BiMnO{sub 3} and YMnO{sub 3}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belik, Alexei A., E-mail: Alexei.BELIK@nims.go.jp

2017-02-15

Bi{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}MnO{sub 3} (0.1≤x≤0.9) solid solutions were prepared by the high-pressure high-temperature method at 6 GPa and 1573 K. They crystallize in the GdFeO{sub 3}-type perovskite structure with the Pnma symmetry. Crystal structures of Bi{sub 0.9}Y{sub 0.1}MnO{sub 3} and Bi{sub 0.5}Y{sub 0.5}MnO{sub 3} are studied by synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction at room temperature. Only one Néel temperature, T{sub N}, is found in samples with 0.1≤x≤0.9 in comparison with two Néel temperatures observed in YMnO{sub 3} (T{sub N}=29 and 39 K). Samples with 0.5≤x≤0.9 have almost constant T{sub N}=44 K, while T{sub N} starts to increase linearly for other compositions:more » T{sub N}=46 K for x=0.3, T{sub N}=58 K for x=0.2, and T{sub N}=68 K for x=0.1. Field-induced transitions from canted-antiferromagnetic states to antiferromagnetic states are detected at about 30 kOe for x=0.2 and 70 kOe for x=0.1. Dielectric constant increases below T{sub N} in samples with 0.5≤x≤1, while it decreases below T{sub N} in samples with 0.1≤x≤0.3. Our data suggest that a magnetic structure changes near x=0.4. By extrapolation, we could estimate lattice parameters (a=5.9221 Å, b=7.5738 Å, and c=5.4157 Å) and T{sub N}=79 K for a hypothetical Pnma modification of BiMnO{sub 3}. - Graphical abstract: Bi{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}MnO{sub 3} solid solutions were prepared in the whole compositional range by the high-pressure method. Magnetic and dielectric data suggest that a magnetic structure changes near x=0.4. No ferroelectric properties were found. - Highlights: • Orthorhombic Bi{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}MnO{sub 3} solid solutions are prepared by the high-pressure method. • Structural, magnetic, and dielectric properties are studied. • One Néel temperature is found in all the samples. • T{sub N}=44 K for x=0.5–0.9, 46 K for x=0.3, 58 K for x=0.2, and 68 K for x=0.1. • No ferroelectricity is observed.« less

Development of andrographolide molecularly imprinted polymer for solid-phase extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Xiaoying; Liu, Qingshan; Jiang, Yifan; Luo, Yongming

2011-06-01

A method employing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as selective sorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) to pretreat samples was developed. The polymers were prepared by precipitation polymerization with andrographolide as template molecule. The structure of MIP was characterized and its static adsorption capacity was measured by the Scatchard equation. In comparison with C 18-SPE and non-imprinted polymer (NIP) SPE column, MIP-SPE column displays high selectivity and good affinity for andrographolide and dehydroandrographolide for extract of herb Andrographis paniculata ( Burm.f.) Nees (APN). MIP-SPE column capacity was 11.9 ± 0.6 μmol/g and 12.1 ± 0.5 μmol/g for andrographolide and dehydroandrographolide, respectively and was 2-3 times higher than that of other two columns. The precision and accuracy of the method developed were satisfactory with recoveries between 96.4% and 103.8% (RSD 3.1-4.3%, n = 5) and 96.0% and 104.2% (RSD 2.9-3.7%, n = 5) for andrographolide and dehydroandrographolide, respectively. Various real samples were employed to confirm the feasibility of method. This developed method demonstrates the potential of molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction for rapid, selective, and effective sample pretreatment.

Ratios of total suspended solids to suspended sediment concentrations by particle size

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selbig, W.R.; Bannerman, R.T.

2011-01-01

Wet-sieving sand-sized particles from a whole storm-water sample before splitting the sample into laboratory-prepared containers can reduce bias and improve the precision of suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC). Wet-sieving, however, may alter concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS) because the analytical method used to determine TSS may not have included the sediment retained on the sieves. Measuring TSS is still commonly used by environmental managers as a regulatory metric for solids in storm water. For this reason, a new method of correlating concentrations of TSS and SSC by particle size was used to develop a series of correction factors for SSC as a means to estimate TSS. In general, differences between TSS and SSC increased with greater particle size and higher sand content. Median correction factors to SSC ranged from 0.29 for particles larger than 500m to 0.85 for particles measuring from 32 to 63m. Great variability was observed in each fraction-a result of varying amounts of organic matter in the samples. Wide variability in organic content could reduce the transferability of the correction factors. ?? 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Review of online coupling of sample preparation techniques with liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Pan, Jialiang; Zhang, Chengjiang; Zhang, Zhuomin; Li, Gongke

2014-03-07

Sample preparation is still considered as the bottleneck of the whole analytical procedure, and efforts has been conducted towards the automation, improvement of sensitivity and accuracy, and low comsuption of organic solvents. Development of online sample preparation techniques (SP) coupled with liquid chromatography (LC) is a promising way to achieve these goals, which has attracted great attention. This article reviews the recent advances on the online SP-LC techniques. Various online SP techniques have been described and summarized, including solid-phase-based extraction, liquid-phase-based extraction assisted with membrane, microwave assisted extraction, ultrasonic assisted extraction, accelerated solvent extraction and supercritical fluids extraction. Specially, the coupling approaches of online SP-LC systems and the corresponding interfaces have been discussed and reviewed in detail, such as online injector, autosampler combined with transport unit, desorption chamber and column switching. Typical applications of the online SP-LC techniques have been summarized. Then the problems and expected trends in this field are attempted to be discussed and proposed in order to encourage the further development of online SP-LC techniques. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapid Radiochemical Methods for Asphalt Paving Material ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Technical Brief Validated rapid radiochemical methods for alpha and beta emitters in solid matrices that are commonly encountered in urban environments were previously unavailable for public use by responding laboratories. A lack of tested rapid methods would delay the quick determination of contamination levels and the assessment of acceptable site-specific exposure levels. Of special concern are matrices with rough and porous surfaces, which allow the movement of radioactive material deep into the building material making it difficult to detect. This research focuses on methods that address preparation, radiochemical separation, and analysis of asphalt paving materials and asphalt roofing shingles. These matrices, common to outdoor environments, challenge the capability and capacity of very experienced radiochemistry laboratories. Generally, routine sample preparation and dissolution techniques produce liquid samples (representative of the original sample material) that can be processed using available radiochemical methods. The asphalt materials are especially difficult because they do not readily lend themselves to these routine sample preparation and dissolution techniques. The HSRP and ORIA coordinate radiological reference laboratory priorities and activities in conjunction with HSRP’s Partner Process. As part of the collaboration, the HSRP worked with ORIA to publish rapid radioanalytical methods for selected radionuclides in building material matrice

Investigation of solvent-free MALDI-TOFMS sample preparation methods for the analysis of organometallic and coordination compounds.

PubMed

Hughes, Laura; Wyatt, Mark F; Stein, Bridget K; Brenton, A Gareth

2009-01-15

An investigation of various solvent-free matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) sample preparation methods for the characterization of organometallic and coordination compounds is described. Such methods are desirable for insoluble materials, compounds that are only soluble in disadvantageous solvents, or complexes that dissociate in solution, all of which present a major "difficulty" to most mass spectrometry techniques. First-row transition metal acetylacetonate complexes, which have been characterized previously by solution preparation MALDI-TOFMS, were used to evaluate the various solvent-free procedures. These procedures comprise two distinct steps: the first being the efficient "solids mixing" (the mixing of sample and matrix), and the second being the effective transfer of the sample/matrix mixture to the MALDI target plate. This investigation shows that vortex mixing is the most efficient first step and that smearing using a microspatula is the most effective second step. In addition, the second step is shown to be much more critical than the first step in obtaining high-quality data. Case studies of truly insoluble materials highlight the importance of these techniques for the wider chemistry community.

Facile preparation of multifunctional carbon nanotube/magnetite/polyaniline nanocomposite offering a strong option for efficient solid-phase microextraction coupled with GC-MS for the analysis of phenolic compounds.

PubMed

Tafazoli, Zahra; Azar, Parviz Aberoomand; Tehrani, Mohammad Saber; Husain, Syed Waqif

2018-04-20

The aim of this study the synthesis of a highly efficient organic-inorganic nanocomposite. In this research, the carbon nanotube/magnetite/polyaniline nanocomposite was successfully prepared through a facile route. Monodisperse magnetite nanospheres were prepared through the coprecipitation route, and polyaniline nanolayer as a modified shell with a high surface area was synthesized by an in situ growth route and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The prepared nanocomposite was immobilized on a stainless-steel wire for the fabrication of the solid-phase microextraction fiber. The combination of headspace solid-phase microextraction using carbon nanotube/magnetite/polyaniline nanocomposite fiber with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry can achieve a low limit of detection and can be applied to determine phenolic compounds in water samples. The effects of the extraction and desorption parameters including extraction temperature and time, ionic strength, stirring rate, pH, and desorption temperature and time have been studied. Under the optimum conditions, the dynamic linear range was 0.01-500 ng mL -1 and the limits of detection of phenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol, and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol were the lowest (0.008 ng mL -1 ) for three times. The coefficient of determination of all calibration curves was more than 0.990. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Drop-on-demand sample introduction system coupled with the flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow for direct molecular analysis of complex liquid micro-volume samples

PubMed Central

Schaper, J. Niklas; Pfeuffer, Kevin P.; Shelley, Jacob T.; Bings, Nicolas H.

2012-01-01

One of the fastest developing fields in analytical spectrochemistry in recent years is ambient desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (ADI-MS). This burgeoning interest has been due to the demonstrated advantages of the method: simple mass spectra, little or no sample preparation, and applicability to samples in the solid, liquid, or gaseous state. One such ADI-MS source, the flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow (FAPA), is capable of direct analysis of solids just by aiming the source at the solid surface and sampling the produced ions into a mass spectrometer. However, direct introduction of significant volumes of liquid samples into this source has not been possible, as solvent loads can quench the afterglow and, thus, the formation of reagent ions. As a result, the analysis of liquid samples is preferably carried out by analyzing dried residues or by desorbing small amounts of liquid samples directly from the liquid surface. In the former case, reproducibility of sample introduction is crucial if quantitative results are desired. In the present study, introduction of liquid samples as very small droplets helps overcome the issues of sample positioning and reduced levels of solvent intake. A recently developed “drop-on-demand” (DOD) aerosol generator is capable of reproducibly producing very small volumes of liquid (~17 pL). In this paper, the coupling of FAPA-MS and DOD is reported and applications are suggested. Analytes representing different classes of substances were tested and limits of detections were determined. Matrix tolerance was investigated for drugs of abuse and their metabolites by analyzing raw urine samples and quantification without the use of internal standards. Limits of detection below 2 µg/mL, without sample pretreatment, were obtained. PMID:23025277

Drop-on-demand sample introduction system coupled with the flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow for direct molecular analysis of complex liquid microvolume samples.

PubMed

Schaper, J Niklas; Pfeuffer, Kevin P; Shelley, Jacob T; Bings, Nicolas H; Hieftje, Gary M

2012-11-06

One of the fastest developing fields in analytical spectrochemistry in recent years is ambient desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (ADI-MS). This burgeoning interest has been due to the demonstrated advantages of the method: simple mass spectra, little or no sample preparation, and applicability to samples in the solid, liquid, or gaseous state. One such ADI-MS source, the flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow (FAPA), is capable of direct analysis of solids just by aiming the source at the solid surface and sampling the produced ions into a mass spectrometer. However, direct introduction of significant volumes of liquid samples into this source has not been possible, as solvent loads can quench the afterglow and, thus, the formation of reagent ions. As a result, the analysis of liquid samples is preferably carried out by analyzing dried residues or by desorbing small amounts of liquid samples directly from the liquid surface. In the former case, reproducibility of sample introduction is crucial if quantitative results are desired. In the present study, introduction of liquid samples as very small droplets helps overcome the issues of sample positioning and reduced levels of solvent intake. A recently developed "drop-on-demand" (DOD) aerosol generator is capable of reproducibly producing very small volumes of liquid (∼17 pL). In this paper, the coupling of FAPA-MS and DOD is reported and applications are suggested. Analytes representing different classes of substances were tested and limits of detections were determined. Matrix tolerance was investigated for drugs of abuse and their metabolites by analyzing raw urine samples and quantification without the use of internal standards. Limits of detection below 2 μg/mL, without sample pretreatment, were obtained.

Encapsulation of eugenol from clove oil using casein micelle for solid preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijayanto, Andri; Putri, Yeshinta Risky Priasmara; Hermansyah, Heri; Sahlan, Muhamad

2017-02-01

Liquid preparation of eugenol in clove oil form is one of eugenol preparation form that is easiest to get it nowadays in many level of purity. The problem is the liquid preparation of chemical is often not easy to handle than the solid one. In this study, we observe the effectivity of cow milk casein in case of encapsulating eugenol from clove oil for creating the solid preparation of eugenol in nanoscale size. The result is 63.86% eugenol from clove oil can be encapsulated by the casein. The average particle diameter is about 377.5 nm, with loading capacity until 67.2%.

Improving the chemical stability of amorphous solid dispersion with cocrystal technique by hot melt extrusion.

PubMed

Liu, Xu; Lu, Ming; Guo, Zhefei; Huang, Lin; Feng, Xin; Wu, Chuanbin

2012-03-01

To explore in-situ forming cocrystal as a single-step, efficient method to significantly depress the processing temperature and thus minimize the thermal degradation of heat-sensitive drug in preparation of solid dispersions by melting method (MM) and hot melt extrusion (HME). Carbamazepine (CBZ)-nicotinamide (NIC) cocrystal solid dispersions were prepared with polymer carriers PVP/VA, SOLUPLUS and HPMC by MM and/or HME. The formation of cocrystal was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and hot stage polarized optical microscopy. State of CBZ in solid dispersion was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and optical microscopy. Interactions between CBZ, NIC and polymers were investigated by FTIR. Dissolution behaviors of solid dispersions were compared with that of pure CBZ. CBZ-NIC cocrystal with melting point of 160°C was formed in polymer carriers during heating process, and the preparation temperature of amorphous CBZ solid dispersion was therefore depressed to 160°C. The dissolution rate of CBZ-NIC cocrystal solid dispersion was significantly increased. By in-situ forming cocrystal, chemically stable amorphous solid dispersions were prepared by MM and HME at a depressed processing temperature. This method provides an attractive opportunity for HME of heat-sensitive drugs.

Application of spherical silicate to prepare solid dispersion dosage forms with aqueous polymers.

PubMed

Nagane, Kentaro; Kimura, Susumu; Ukai, Koji; Takahashi, Chisato; Ogawa, Noriko; Yamamoto, Hiromitsu

2015-09-30

The objective of this study is to prepare and characterize solid dispersions of nifedipine (NP) using porous spherical silicate micro beads (MB) that were approximately 100 μm in diameter with vinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymer (PVP/VA) and a Wurster-type fluidized bed granulator. Compared with previously reported solid dispersion using only MB, the supersaturation of NP dissolved from the proposed system of MB and PVP/VA was maintained during dissolution tests. The proposed system produced a solid dispersion product coated on MB, and morphology was maintained after the coating process to prepare solid dispersion; therefore, the powder characteristics, such as flowability of the proposed solid dispersion product, was tremendously preferable to that of the conventional spray-dried solid dispersions of NP with PVP/VA, expecting to make the consequent manufacturing processes easy for development. Another advantage in the terms of manufacturing is its simple process to prepare solid dispersion by spraying the drug and polymer that were dissolved in an organic solvent onto a MB in a Wurster-type fluidized bed granulator, thus, simplifying the optimization and scale-up with ease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

X-ray tomography studies on porosity and particle size distribution in cast in-situ Al-Cu-TiB{sub 2} semi-solid forged composites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mathew, James; Mandal, Animesh

X-ray computed tomography (XCT) was used to characterise the internal microstructure and clustering behaviour of TiB{sub 2} particles in in-situ processed Al-Cu metal matrix composites prepared by casting method. Forging was used in semi-solid state to reduce the porosity and to uniformly disperse TiB{sub 2} particles in the composite. Quantification of porosity and clustering of TiB{sub 2} particles was evaluated for different forging reductions (30% and 50% reductions) and compared with an as-cast sample using XCT. Results show that the porosity content was decreased by about 40% due to semi-solid forging as compared to the as-cast condition. Further, XCT resultsmore » show that the 30% forging reduction resulted in greater uniformity in distribution of TiB{sub 2} particles within the composite compared to as-cast and the 50% forge reduction in semi-solid state. These results show that the application of forging in semi-solid state enhances particle distribution and reduces porosity formation in cast in-situ Al-Cu-TiB{sub 2} metal matrix composites. - Highlights: •XCT was used to visualise 3D internal structure of Al-Cu-TiB{sub 2} MMCs. •Al-Cu-TiB{sub 2} MMC was prepared by casting using flux assisted synthesis method. •TiB{sub 2} particles and porosity size distribution were evaluated. •Results show that forging in semi-solid condition decreases the porosity content and improve the particle dispersion in MMCs.« less

A bioinspired polydopamine approach toward the preparation of gold-modified magnetic nanoparticles for the magnetic solid-phase extraction of steroids in multiple samples.

PubMed

An, Xuehan; Chai, Weibo; Deng, Xiaojuan; Chen, Hui; Ding, Guosheng

2018-05-02

In this work, a simple, facile, and sensitive magnetic solid-phase extraction method was developed for the extraction and enrichment of three representative steroid hormones before high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Gold-modified Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, as novel magnetic adsorbents, were prepared by a rapid and environmentally friendly procedure in which polydopamine served as the reductant as well as the stabilizer for the gold nanoparticles, thus successfully avoiding the use of some toxic reagents. To obtain maximum extraction efficiency, several significant factors affecting the preconcentration steps, including the amount of adsorbent, extraction time, pH of the sample solution, and the desorption conditions, were optimized, and the enrichment factors for three steroids were all higher than 90. The validity of the established method was evaluated and good analytical characteristics were obtained. A wide linearity range (0.8-500 μg/L for all the analytes) was attained with good correlation (R 2  ≥ 0.991). The low limits of detection were 0.20-0.25 μg/L, and the relative standard deviations ranged from 0.83 to 4.63%, demonstrating a good precision. The proposed method was also successfully applied to the extraction and analysis of steroids in urine, milk, and water samples with satisfactory results, which showed its reliability and feasibility in real sample analysis. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Synthesis of surface Cr (VI)-imprinted magnetic nanoparticles for selective dispersive solid-phase extraction and determination of Cr (VI) in water samples.

PubMed

Qi, Xue; Gao, Shuang; Ding, Guosheng; Tang, An-Na

2017-01-01

A facile, rapid and selective magnetic dispersed solid-phase extraction (dSPE) method for the extraction and enrichment of Cr (VI) prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was introduced. For highly selective and efficient extraction, magnetic Cr (VI)-imprinted nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 @ Cr (VI) IIPs) were prepared by hyphenating surface ion-imprinted with sol-gel techniques. In the preparation process, chromate (Cr(VI)) was used as the template ion; vinylimidazole and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane were selected as organic functional monomer and co-monomer respectively. Another reagent, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane was adopted as coupling agent to form the stable covalent bonding between organic and inorganic phases. The effects of various parameters on the extraction efficiency, such as pH of sample solution, the amount of adsorbent, extraction time, the type and concentration of eluent were systematically investigated. Furthermore, the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the adsorption process were studied to explore the internal adsorption mechanism. Under optimized conditions, the preconcentration factor, limit of detection and linear range of the established dSPE-AAS method for Cr (VI) were found to be 98, 0.29μgL -1 and 4-140μgL -1 , respectively. The developed method was also successfully applied to the analysis of Cr (VI) in different water samples with satisfactory results, proving its reliability and feasibility in real sample analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative study on Ga1-xZnxN1-yOy oxynitride synthesized by different techniques for application in photocatalytic hydrogen production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menon, Sumithra Sivadas; Baskar, K.; Singh, Shubra

2017-06-01

Hydrogen evolution by overall water splitting has emerged as a potential method for green energy generation due to the introduction of highly efficient photocatalysts active under visible region of spectra. In the present work, we focus on a comparative study of the properties of Ga1-xZnxN1-yOy oxynitride samples synthesized by two techniques and their effect on the sample properties. The samples were prepared by both traditional nitridation technique and solution combustion method. Room temperature photoluminescence studies revealed the introduction of additional energy levels above the valence band which in turns broadens the valence band and subsequently reduces the band gap. The band gap narrowing was further confirmed using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (VB-XPS). It was also realized from VB XPS that the reduction of band gap in both the samples was due to upshift of valence band without affecting the conduction band. The presence of disorder activated modes in the samples was examined using temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy. In this work we corroborate the theoretical prediction reported by Al-Jassim et. al that the bandgap narrowing mechanism in ZnO rich solid solution and GaN rich solid solution is asymmetric and a significant bandgap reduction could be observed for ZnO rich solid solution than GaN rich.

Ionic-liquid-mediated poly(dimethylsiloxane)- grafted carbon nanotube fiber prepared by the sol-gel technique for the head space solid-phase microextraction of methyl tert-butyl ether using GC.

PubMed

Vatani, Hossein; Yazdi, Ali Sarafraz

2014-01-01

A headspace solid-phase microextraction method was developed for the preconcentration and extraction of methyl tert-butyl ether. An ionic-liquid-mediated multiwalled carbon nanotube-poly(dimethylsiloxane) hybrid coating, which was prepared by covalent functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes with hydroxyl-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) using the sol-gel technique, was used as solid-phase microextraction adsorbent. This innovative fiber exhibited a highly porous surface structure, high thermal stability (at least 320°C) and long lifespan (over 210 uses). Potential factors affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the method LOD (S/N = 3) was 0.007 ng/mL and the LOQ (S/N = 10) was 0.03 ng/mL. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.03-200 ng/mL. The RSDs for one fiber (repeatability, n = 5) at three different concentrations (0.05, 1, and 150 ng/mL) were 5.1, 4.2, and 4.6% and for the fibers obtained from different batches (reproducibility, n = 3) were 6.5, 5.9, and 6.3%, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of methyl tert-butyl ether in different real water samples on three consecutive days. The relative recoveries for the spiked samples with 0.05, 1, and 150 ng/mL were between 94-104%. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Salt-assistant combustion synthesis of nanocrystalline Nd{sub 2}(Zr{sub 1-x}Sn{sub x}){sub 2}O{sub 7} (0 {<=} x {<=} 1) solid solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tong Yuping, E-mail: huabeitong@yahoo.cn; Wang Yanping

2009-11-15

Nanocrystalline Nd{sub 2}(Zr{sub 1-x}Sn{sub x}){sub 2}O{sub 7} series solid solutions were prepared by a convenient salt-assisted combustion process using glycine as fuel. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results showed the Zr ion can be partially replaced by Sn ion. The partial substituted products were still single-phase solid solutions and the crystal form remained unchanged. TEM images reveal that the products are composed of well-dispersed square-shaped nanocrystals. The method provides a convenient and low-cost route for the synthesis of nanostructures of oxide materials.

Electrical field-induced extraction and separation techniques: promising trends in analytical chemistry--a review.

PubMed

Yamini, Yadollah; Seidi, Shahram; Rezazadeh, Maryam

2014-03-03

Sample preparation is an important issue in analytical chemistry, and is often a bottleneck in chemical analysis. So, the major incentive for the recent research has been to attain faster, simpler, less expensive, and more environmentally friendly sample preparation methods. The use of auxiliary energies, such as heat, ultrasound, and microwave, is one of the strategies that have been employed in sample preparation to reach the above purposes. Application of electrical driving force is the current state-of-the-art, which presents new possibilities for simplifying and shortening the sample preparation process as well as enhancing its selectivity. The electrical driving force has scarcely been utilized in comparison with other auxiliary energies. In this review, the different roles of electrical driving force (as a powerful auxiliary energy) in various extraction techniques, including liquid-, solid-, and membrane-based methods, have been taken into consideration. Also, the references have been made available, relevant to the developments in separation techniques and Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) systems. All aspects of electrical driving force in extraction and separation methods are too specific to be treated in this contribution. However, the main aim of this review is to provide a brief knowledge about the different fields of analytical chemistry, with an emphasis on the latest efforts put into the electrically assisted membrane-based sample preparation systems. The advantages and disadvantages of these approaches as well as the new achievements in these areas have been discussed, which might be helpful for further progress in the future. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lithium loss in the solid electrolyte interphase: Lithium quantification of aged lithium ion battery graphite electrodes by means of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwieters, Timo; Evertz, Marco; Mense, Maximilian; Winter, Martin; Nowak, Sascha

2017-07-01

In this work we present a new method using LA-ICP-MS to quantitatively determine the lithium content in aged graphite electrodes of a lithium ion battery (LIB) by performing total depth profiling. Matrix matched solid external standards are prepared using a solid doping approach to avoid elemental fractionation effects during the measurement. The results are compared and matched to the established ICP-OES technique for bulk quantification after performing a microwave assisted acid digestion. The method is applied to aged graphite electrodes in order to determine the lithium immobilization (= "Li loss") in the solid electrolyte interphase after the first cycle of formation. For this, different samples including a reference sample are created to obtain varying thicknesses of the SEI covering the electrode particles. By applying defined charging voltages, an initial lithiation process is performed to obtain specific graphite intercalation compounds (GICs, with target stoichiometries of LiC30, LiC18, LiC12 and LiC6). Afterwards, the graphite electrode is completely discharged to obtain samples without mobile, thus active lithium in its lattice. Taking the amount of lithium into account which originates from the residues of the LiPF6 (dissolved in the carbon components containing electrolyte), it is possible to subtract the amount of lithium in the SEI.

Ionic Liquid-Mediated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Polydimethylsiloxane Fiber for Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction of Phenolic Compounds in Aqueous Samples by Gas Chromatography Coupled to Flame Ionization Detector.

PubMed

Sadri, Minoo; Vatani, Hossein

2017-02-01

An ionic liquid-mediated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sorbent was developed for headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) of phenolic compounds from human urine samples. Sol-gel method was used to prepare this sorbent. For this purpose, MWCNTs were functionalized covalently and were attached chemically to the hydroxyl-terminated PDMS. Prepared fiber showed high thermal stability (over than 320°C) and good lifespan (>210 times). These good performances can be attributed to the performance of carbon nanotubes and sol-gel method. Affecting parameters on the efficiency of HS-SPME were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, linear dynamic ranges were observed over a range of 0.002-200 ng mL -1 with limits of detection from 0.0005 to 0.005 ng mL -1 and limits of quantitation between 0.002 and 0.02 ng mL -1 The relative standard deviations for one fiber (repeatability) (n = 5) at three different concentrations (0.05, 2 and 100 ng mL -1 ) were obtained from 4.6 up to 6.7% and between fibers or batch to batch (n = 3) (reproducibility) in the range of 5.7-7.8%. Urine samples were used as real samples. All real samples were spiked at 0.5 ng mL -1 of understudy analytes and the relative recovery percentages obtained from 90.7 to 102.1%. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Preparation of C₁₈-functionalized magnetic polydopamine microspheres for the enrichment and analysis of alkylphenols in water samples.

PubMed

Wang, Xianying; Deng, Chunhui

2016-02-01

In this work, C18-functionalized magnetic polydopamine microspheres (Fe3O4@PDA@C18) were successfully synthesized and applied to the analysis of alkylphenols in water samples. The magnetic Fe3O4 particles coated with hydrophilic surface were synthesized via a solvothermal reaction and the self-polymerization of dopamine. And then the C18 groups were fabricated by a silylanization method. Benefit from the merits of Fe3O4 particles, polydopamine coating and C18 groups, the Fe3O4@PDA@C18 material possessed several properties of super magnetic responsiviness, good water dispersibility, π-electron system and hydrophobic C18 groups. Thus, the materials had great potential to be developed as the adsorbent for the magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) technique. Here, we selected three kinds of alkylphenols (4-tert-octylphenol, 4-n-nonylphenol, 4-n-octylphenol) to be the target analyst for evaluating the performance of the prepared material. In this study, various extraction parameters were investigated and optimized, such as pH values of water sample solution, amount of adsorbents, adsorption and desorption time, the species of desorption solution. Meanwhile, the method validations were studied, including linearity, limit of detection and method precision. From the results, Fe3O4@PDA@C18 composites were successfully applied as the adsorbents for the extraction of alkylphenols in water samples. The proposed material provided an approach for a simple, rapid magnetic solid-phase extraction for hydrophobic compounds in environmental samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermoelectric Properties and Hall Effect of Bi2Te3-xSex Polycrystalline Materials Prepared by a Hot Press Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yashima, Isamu; Watanave, Hiroshi; Ogisu, Takayasu; Tsukuda, Ryouma; Sato, Susumu

1998-05-01

Bi2Te3-xSex (0≦x<1) polycrystalline solids are prepared by a hot press method and their thermoelectric properties are studied. The samples show the maximum value of Z = 2.3×10-3 K-1 at x=0.22. The lattice thermal conductivity is smaller than that of a single crystal. The lattice constant and power factor decrease upon increasing the selenium substitution while thermal conductivity decreases for x values up to 0.33 and becomes constant for x values greater than 0.33.

Innovative acoustic techniques for studying new materials and new developments in solid state physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maynard, Julian D.

1994-06-01

The goals of this project involve the use of innovative acoustic techniques to study new materials and new developments in solid state physics. Major accomplishments include (a) the preparation and publication of a number of papers and book chapters, (b) the measurement and new analysis of more samples of aluminum quasicrystal and its cubic approximant to eliminate the possibility of sample artifacts, (c) the use of resonant ultrasound to measure acoustic attenuation and determine the effects of heat treatment on ceramics, (d) the extension of our technique for measuring even lower (possibly the lowest) infrared optical absorption coefficient, and (e) the measurement of the effects of disorder on the propagation of a nonlinear pulse, and (f) the observation of statistical effects in measurements of individual bond breaking events in fracture.

Influence of the sintering temperature on the electrical properties of Ce-doped WO3 ceramics prepared from nano-powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Liang; Chen, Han-Jun; Wang, Yu; Li, De-Zhu; Li, Tong-Ye; Zhao, Yong

2007-04-01

Using a nm-level powder fabricated by a wet chemical method as precursor, the CeO2-doped WO3 ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid state reaction at sintering temperatures from 600 to 1100 °C. The x-ray diffraction analysis reveals the coexistence of different WO3 phases in the samples sintered at temperatures below 900 °C, whereas a single phase appears in the samples sintered above 1000 °C. No new Ce-W compound appears. As the sintering temperature increases, the electrical properties of the samples display an interesting transformation from linear to nonlinear behaviour. The measurements of scanning electron microscope, complex impedance and electrical stability indicate that a lot of grain boundary regions in the samples sintered at low temperatures strongly influences the electrical transportation. Therefore, the electrical nonlinearity is due to a basic process controlled by the back-to-back Schottky barriers at grain boundaries with suitable thickness as well as the coexistence of phases.

Structural and morphological study of Fe-doped Bi-based superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Yadunath; Kumar, Rohitash

2018-05-01

In the present work, we report the study of iron-doped Bi-based superconductor sample with stoichiometric composition of Bi2Sr2Can-1(Cu1-x Fex)3O2n+4 where n=3 and x = 0.7. This sample was prepared by grinding the precursor oxides in the Ball mill for 6 hours continuous at the rate of 400 rpm for a proper mixing and to obtain the required grain size. Then the solid-state reaction method was used to prepare the sample. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis (EDX) were performed for determination of the crystal structure, surface morphology and trace the material elements of samples, respectively. The surface microscopy data were collected over a selected area of the surface of the material and a two-dimensional image generated that displays spatial variations in properties including chemical characterization and orientation of materials.

Preparation and application of reversed phase chromatorotor for the isolation of natural products by centrifugal preparative chromatography

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A method of preparation of Chromatorotor or plates with a reversed phase (RP) solid silica gel sorbent layer has been developed for preparative centrifugal chromatography. The RP-rotor plates consist of binder free RP solid SiO2 sorbent layers of different thicknesses paked between two supported cir...

Chemically modified activated carbon with 1-acylthiosemicarbazide for selective solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of trace Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) from water samples.

PubMed

Gao, Ru; Hu, Zheng; Chang, Xijun; He, Qun; Zhang, Lijun; Tu, Zhifeng; Shi, Jianping

2009-12-15

A new sorbent 1-acylthiosemicarbazide-modified activated carbon (AC-ATSC) was prepared as a solid-phase extractant and applied for removing of trace Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The separation/preconcentration conditions of analytes were investigated, including effects of pH, the shaking time, the sample flow rate and volume, the elution condition and the interfering ions. At pH 3, the maximum static adsorption capacity of Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) onto the AC-ATSC were 78.20, 67.80 and 48.56 mg g(-1), respectively. The adsorbed metal ions were quantitatively eluted by 3.0 mL of 2% CS(NH2)2 and 2.0 mol L(-1) HCl solution. Common coexisting ions did not interfere with the separation. According to the definition of IUPAC, the detection limits (3sigma) of this method for Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) were 0.20, 0.12 and 0.45 ng mL(-1), respectively. The relative standard deviation under optimum conditions is less than 4.0% (n=8). The prepared sorbent was applied for the preconcentration of trace Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) in certified and water samples with satisfactory results.

A platinized stainless steel fiber with in-situ coated polyaniline/polypyrrole/graphene oxide nanocomposite sorbent for headspace solid-phase microextraction of aliphatic aldehydes in rice samples.

PubMed

Ghiasvand, Alireza; Nasirian, Afagh; Koonani, Samira; Nouriasl, Kolsoum

2017-12-01

The surface of a stainless steel fiber was made larger, porous and cohesive by platinizing for tight attachment of its coating. Then it was coated by a polyaniline/polypyrrole/graphene oxide (PANI/PP/GO) nanocomposite film using electrochemical polymerization. The prepared PANI/PP/GO fiber was used for headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) of linear aliphatic aldehydes in rice samples followed by GC-FID determination. To achieve the highest extraction efficiency, various experimental parameters including extraction time and temperature, matrix modifier and desorption condition were studied. The linear calibration curves were obtained over the range of 0.05-20 μg g -1 (R 2  > 0.99) for C 4 -C 11 aldehydes. The limits of detection were found to be in the range of 0.01-0.04 μg g -1 . RSD values were calculated to be <7.4 and 10.7% for intra- and inter-day, respectively. The superiority of the prepared nanocomposite SPME fiber was established by comparison of its results with those obtained by polydimethylsiloxane, carbowax-divinylbenzene, divinylbenzene-carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane and polyacrylate commercial ones. Finally, the nanocomposite fiber was used to extract and determine linear aliphatic aldehydes in 18 rice samples. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fabrication of single domain GdBCO bulk superconductors by a new modified TSIG technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, W. M.; Zhi, X.; Chen, S. L.; Wang, M.; Li, J. W.; Ma, J.; Chao, X. X.

2014-01-01

Single domain GdBCO bulk superconductors have been fabricated with new and traditional solid phases by a top seeded infiltration and growth (TSIG) process technique. In the conventional TSIG process, three types of powders, such as Gd2BaCuO5, GdBa2Cu3O7-x and Ba3Cu5O8, must be prepared, but in our new modified TSIG technique, only BaCuO2 powders are required during the fabrication of the single domain GdBCO bulk superconductors. The solid phase used in the conventional process is Gd2BaCuO5 instead of the solid phase (Gd2O3 + BaCuO2) utilized in the new process. The liquid phase used in the conventional process is a mixture of (GdBa2Cu3O7-x + Ba3Cu5O8), and the liquid phase in the new process is a mixture of (Gd2O3 + 10BaCuO2 + 6CuO). Single domain GdBCO bulk superconductors have been fabricated with the new solid and liquid phases. The levitation force of the GdBCO bulk samples fabricated by the new solid phase is 28 N, which is slightly higher than that of the samples fabricated using the conventional solid phases (26 N). The microstructure and the levitation force of the samples indicate that this new method can greatly simplify the fabrication process, introduce nanometer-sized flux centers, improve the levitation force and working efficiency, and greatly reduce the cost of fabrication of single domain GdBCO bulk superconductors by the TSIG process.

Precipitation of silicon from splat-cooled Al-Si alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matyja, H.; Russell, K. C.; Grant, N. J.; Giessen, B. C.

1975-01-01

Splat cooled Al-Si solid solutions with 1 to 11 at.% Si were prepared and their precipitation kinetics were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The time required for appearance of particles visible at a magnification of 35,000 times was determined at temperatures between 248 K and 573 K. The resulting Arrhenius plots yielded activation energies ranging from 55 to 40 plus or minus 2kJ/mol over the composition range. Precipitate densities were higher and denuded zones of 100 to 150 nm were narrower than in comparable solid quenched samples. The activation energies are explained in terms of excess point defect concentrations.

Thin and flexible all-solid supercapacitor prepared from novel single wall carbon nanotubes/polyaniline thin films obtained in liquid-liquid interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Souza, Victor Hugo Rodrigues; Oliveira, Marcela Mohallem; Zarbin, Aldo José Gorgatti

2014-08-01

The present work describes for the first time the synthesis and characterization of single wall carbon nanotubes/polyaniline (SWNTs/PAni) nanocomposite thin films in a liquid-liquid interface, as well as the subsequent construction of a flexible all-solid supercapacitor. Different SWNTs/PAni nanocomposites were prepared by varying the ratio of SWNT to aniline, and the samples were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman and UV-Vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The pseudo-capacitive behavior of the nanocomposites was evaluated by charge/discharge galvanostatic measurements. The presence of the SWNTs affected the electronic and vibrational properties of the polyaniline and also improved the pseudo-capacitive behavior of the conducting polymer. A very thin and flexible all-solid device was manufactured using two electrodes (polyethylene terephthalate-PET covered with the SWNT/PAni nanocomposite separated by a H2SO4-PVA gel electrolyte). The pseudo-capacitive behavior was characterized by a volumetric specific capacitance of approximately 76.7 F cm-3, even under mechanical deformation, indicating that this nanocomposite has considerable potential for application in new-generation energy storage devices.

New Phases of YBaCuGeO Superconductors Identified from X-ray Diffraction and Infra-red Absorption Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abo-Arais, Ahmed; Dawoud, Mohamad Ahmad Taher

2005-01-01

X-ray powder diffraction patterns and infra-red absorption spectra have been evaluated and analysed for the Y1 Ba2 Cu3 O7-d - Gex compound samples prepared by the solid state reaction with x values ranging from 0.0 to 1.13. All samples show bulk superconductivity above liquid nitrogen temperature using the levitation test (Meissner effect). Samples with Ge content up to x = 0.2 have offset Tc between 83K and 92K while the sample with x = 1.13 shows semiconducting behavior above 100K. As a result of the solid state interaction between YBCO and Ge, new phases are observed and determined, mainly three phases are concluded from X-ray powder diffraction analysis: (i) Ba2GeO4 (ii) Y2BaCuO5 (iii) BaCO3. The unit cell parameters a, b and c of the orthorhombic superconducting phase are calculated for all the prepared samples. The anisotropy factor is evaluated and related to the new structural phases in YBCO-Ge composite system. The I-R absorption spectra for the samples with orthorhombic symmetry have been determined. The phonon modes between ~ 400 cm-1 and 630 cm-1 are attributed to the Cu - O octahedron and pyramid vibrations for the CuO2 -planes and CuO-chains, while the peaks in the range from ~ 700 cm-1 to ~ 860 cm-1 may be due to defects such as the new phase Ba2GeO4 and the green phase Y2BaCuO5. The obtained results are discussed according to the superconductor - semi-conductor composite model and with the phonon-mediated charge transfer between CuO2 -planes and CuO- chains through apex oxygen (BaO).

Determination of fluorine in herbs and water samples by molecular absorption spectrometry after preconcentration on nano-TiO2 using ultrasound-assisted dispersive micro solid phase extraction.

PubMed

Krawczyk-Coda, Magdalena; Stanisz, Ewa

2017-11-01

This work presents ultrasound-assisted dispersive micro solid phase extraction (USA DMSPE) for preconcentration of fluorine (F) in water and herb samples. TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) were used as an adsorbent. The determination with slurry sampling was performed via molecular absorption of calcium monofluoride (CaF) at 606.440 nm using a high-resolution continuum source electrothermal absorption spectrometry (HR-CS ET MAS). Several factors influencing the efficiency of the preconcentration technique, such as the amount of TiO 2 , pH of sample solution, ultrasonication and centrifugation time and TiO 2 slurry solution preparation before injection to HR-CS ET MAS, were investigated in detail. The conditions of detection step (wavelength, calcium amount, pyrolysis and molecule-forming temperatures) were also studied. After extraction, adsorbent with the analyte was mixed with 200 μL of H 2 O to prepare a slurry solution. The concentration limit of detection was 0.13 ng mL -1 . The achieved preconcentration factor was 7. The relative standard deviations (RSDs, %) for F in real samples were 3-15%. The accuracy of this method was evaluated by analyses of certified reference materials after spiking: INCT-MPH-2 (Mixed Polish Herbs), INCT-SBF-4 (Soya Bean Flour), ERM-CAO11b (Hard Drinking Water) and TMDA-54.5 (Lake Ontario Water). The measured F contents in reference materials were in satisfactory agreement with the added amounts, and the recoveries were found to be 97-109%. Under the developed extraction conditions, the proposed method has been successfully applied for the determination of F in real water samples (lake, sea, tap water) and herbs.

Exploiting automatic on-line renewable molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction in lab-on-valve format as front end to liquid chromatography: application to the determination of riboflavin in foodstuffs.

PubMed

Oliveira, Hugo M; Segundo, Marcela A; Lima, José L F C; Miró, Manuel; Cerdà, Victor

2010-05-01

In the present work, it is proposed, for the first time, an on-line automatic renewable molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) protocol for sample preparation prior to liquid chromatographic analysis. The automatic microscale procedure was based on the bead injection (BI) concept under the lab-on-valve (LOV) format, using a multisyringe burette as propulsion unit for handling solutions and suspensions. A high precision on handling the suspensions containing irregularly shaped molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) particles was attained, enabling the use of commercial MIP as renewable sorbent. The features of the proposed BI-LOV manifold also allowed a strict control of the different steps within the extraction protocol, which are essential for promoting selective interactions in the cavities of the MIP. By using this on-line method, it was possible to extract and quantify riboflavin from different foodstuff samples in the range between 0.450 and 5.00 mg L(-1) after processing 1,000 microL of sample (infant milk, pig liver extract, and energy drink) without any prior treatment. For milk samples, LOD and LOQ values were 0.05 and 0.17 mg L(-1), respectively. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of two certified reference materials (NIST 1846 and BCR 487) with high precision (RSD < 5.5%). Considering the downscale and simplification of the sample preparation protocol and the simultaneous performance of extraction and chromatographic assays, a cost-effective and enhanced throughput (six determinations per hour) methodology for determination of riboflavin in foodstuff samples is deployed here.

Preparation and application of a tyre-based activated carbon solid phase extraction of heavy metals in wastewater samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimpe, K. Mogolodi; Ngila, J. C.; Nomngongo, Philiswa N.

2018-06-01

In this paper, the tyre-based activated carbon solid phase extraction (SPE) method was successfully developed for simultaneous preconcentration of metal ions in the model and real water samples before their determination using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The activation of carbon was achieved by chemical activation and the tyre-based activated carbon was used as a sorbent for solid phase extraction. The prepared activated carbon was characterized using the scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. Moreover, optimization of the proposed method was performed by the two-level full factorial design (FFD). The FFD was chosen in order to fully investigate the effect of the experimental variables (pH, eluent concentration and sample flow rate) that significantly influence the preconcentration procedure. In this model, individual factors are considered along with their interactions. In addition, modelling of the experiments allowed simultaneous variation of all experimental factors investigated, reduced the required time and number of experimental runs which consequently led to the reduction of the overall required costs. Under optimized conditions, the limits of detection and quantification (LOD and LOQ) ranged 0.66-2.12 μg L-1and 1.78-5.34 μg L-1, respectively and the enrichment factor of 25 was obtained. The developed SPE/FAAS method was validated using CWW-TM-A and CWW-TM-B wastewater standard reference materials (SRMs). The procedure showed to be accurate with satisfactory recoveries ranging from 92 to 99%. The precision (repeatability) was lower than 4% in terms of the relative standard deviation (%RSD). The developed method proved to have the capability to be used in routine analysis of heavy metals in domestic and industrial wastewater samples. In addition, the developed method can be used as a final step (before being discharged to the rivers) in wastewater treatment process in order to keep our water bodies free from toxic metals.

Effect of charge compensator ions (R+ = Li+, Na+ and K+) on Sr2MgSi2O7:Dy3+ phosphors by solid-state reaction method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahu, Ishwar Prasad

2016-09-01

The Sr2MgSi2O7:Dy3+ and Sr2MgSi2O7:Dy3+, R+ (R+ = Li+, Na+ and K+) phosphors were prepared by solid-state reaction method. The crystal structures of sintered phosphors were an akermanite-type structure which belongs to the tetragonal crystallography. The prepared phosphors were excited at 350 nm, and their corresponding emission spectrum were recorded at blue (482 nm) and yellow (575 nm) region due to the 4F9/2 → 6H15/2 and 4F9/2 → 6H13/2 transitions, respectively, of Dy3+ ions. Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage coordinates have been calculated for each sample and its value exhibited that overall emission is near white light. The possible mechanisms of discussed white light emitting phosphors were also investigated. In order to investigate the suitability of the samples as white color light sources for industrial uses, color purity, correlated color temperature (CCT) and color rendering index (CRI) were calculated. Values of color purity, CCT and CRI were found well within the defined acceptable range. With incorporating (R+ = Li+, Na+ and K+) as charge compensator ions, the emission intensity of Sr2MgSi2O7:Dy3+ can be obviously enhanced. The results indicate that prepared phosphors may be a potential application in display devices.

Facile synthesis of magnetic carbon nitride nanosheets and its application in magnetic solid phase extraction for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in edible oil samples.

PubMed

Zheng, Hao-Bo; Ding, Jun; Zheng, Shu-Jian; Zhu, Gang-Tian; Yuan, Bi-Feng; Feng, Yu-Qi

2016-01-01

In this study, we proposed a method to fabricate magnetic carbon nitride (CN) nanosheets by simple physical blending. Low-cost CN nanosheets prepared by urea possessed a highly π-conjugated structure; therefore the obtained composites were employed as magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) sorbent for extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in edible oil samples. Moreover, sample pre-treatment time could be carried out within 10 min. Thus, a simple and cheap method for the analysis of PAHs in edible oil samples was established by coupling magnetic CN nanosheets-based MSPE with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. Limits of quantitation (LOQs) for eight PAHs ranged from 0.4 to 0.9 ng/g. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 15.0%. The recoveries of PAHs for spiked soybean oil samples ranged from 91.0% to 124.1%, with RSDs of less than 10.2%. Taken together, the proposed method offers a simple and cost-effective option for the convenient analysis of PAHs in oil samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization of solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneous determination of capilliposide B and its active metabolite in rat urine and feces: Overcoming nonspecific binding.

PubMed

Cheng, Zhongzhe; Zhou, Xing; Li, Wenyi; Hu, Bingying; Zhang, Yang; Xu, Yong; Zhang, Lin; Jiang, Hongliang

2016-11-30

Capilliposide B, a novel oleanane triterpenoid saponin isolated from Lysimachia capillipes Hemsl, showed significant anti-tumor activities in recent studies. To characterize the excretion of Capilliposide B, a reliable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of Capilliposide B and its active metabolite, Capilliposide A in rat urine and feces. Sample preparation using a solid-phase extraction procedure was optimized by acidification of samples at various degrees, providing extensive sample clean-up with a high extraction recovery. In addition, rat urinary samples were pretreated with CHAPS, an anti-adsorptive agent, for overcoming nonspecific analytes adsorption during sample storage and process. The method validation was conducted over the curve range of 10.0-5000ng/ml for both analytes. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy of the QC samples showed ≤11.0% RSD and -10.4-12.8% relative error. The method was successfully applied to an excretion study of Capilliposide B following intravenous administration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of dielectric constant at percolation threshold in CaCu3 Ti4 O12 ceramic fabricated by both solid state and sol-gel process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Rupam; Garcia, Lucia; Lawes, Gavin; Nadgorny, Boris

2014-03-01

We have investigated the large dielectric enhancement at the percolation threshold by introducing metallic RuO2 grains into a matrix of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO). The intrinsic response of the pure CCTO samples prepared by solid state and sol-gel processes results in a dielectric constant on the order of 104 and 103 respectively with low loss. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy indicate that a difference in the thickness of the copper oxide enriched grain boundary is the main reason for the different dielectric properties between these two samples. Introducing RuO2 metallic fillers in these CCTO samples yields a sharp increase of the dielectric constant at percolation threshold fc, by a factor of 6 and 3 respectively. The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant shows that the dipolar relaxation plays an important role in enhancing dielectric constant in composite systems.

Selective isolation of gonyautoxins 1,4 from the dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum based on molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction.

PubMed

Lian, Ziru; Wang, Jiangtao

2017-09-15

Gonyautoxins 1,4 (GTX1,4) from Alexandrium minutum samples were isolated selectively and recognized specifically by an innovative and effective extraction procedure based on molecular imprinting technology. Novel molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres (MIPMs) were prepared by double-templated imprinting strategy using caffeine and pentoxifylline as dummy templates. The synthesized polymers displayed good affinity to GTX1,4 and were applied as sorbents. Further, an off-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) protocol was optimized and an effective approach based on the MISPE coupled with HPLC-FLD was developed for selective isolation of GTX1,4 from the cultured A. minutum samples. The separation method showed good extraction efficiency (73.2-81.5%) for GTX1,4 and efficient removal of interferences matrices was also achieved after the MISPE process for the microalgal samples. The outcome demonstrated the superiority and great potential of the MISPE procedure for direct separation of GTX1,4 from marine microalgal extracts. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Protein blotting protocol for beginners.

PubMed

Petrasovits, Lars A

2014-01-01

The transfer and immobilization of biological macromolecules onto solid nitrocellulose or nylon (polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF)) membranes subsequently followed by specific detection is referred to as blotting. DNA blots are called Southerns after the inventor of the technique, Edwin Southern. By analogy, RNA blots are referred to as northerns and protein blots as westerns (Burnette, Anal Biochem 112:195-203, 1981). With few exceptions, western blotting involves five steps, namely, sample collection, preparation, separation, immobilization, and detection. In this chapter, protocols for the entire process from sample collection to detection are described.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for analysis of plant materials: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Dário, Jr.; Nunes, Lidiane Cristina; de Carvalho, Gabriel Gustinelli Arantes; Gomes, Marcos da Silva; de Souza, Paulino Florêncio; Leme, Flavio de Oliveira; dos Santos, Luis Gustavo Cofani; Krug, Francisco José

2012-05-01

Developments and contributions of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for the determination of elements in plant materials are reviewed. Several applications where the solid samples are interrogated by simply focusing the laser pulses directly onto a fresh or dried surface of leaves, roots, fruits, vegetables, wood and pollen are presented. For quantitative purposes aiming at plant nutrition diagnosis, the test sample presentation in the form of pressed pellets, prepared from clean, dried and properly ground/homogenized leaves, and the use of univariate or multivariate calibration strategies are revisited.

Laboratory and quality assurance protocols for the analysis of herbicides in ground water from the Management Systems Evaluation Area, Princeton, Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Larson, S.J.; Capel, P.D.; VanderLoop, A.G.

1996-01-01

Laboratory and quality assurance procedures for the analysis of ground-water samples for herbicides at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Princeton, Minnesota are described. The target herbicides include atrazine, de-ethylatrazine, de-isopropylatrazine, metribuzin, alachlor, 2,6-diethylaniline, and metolachlor. The analytical techniques used are solid-phase extraction, and analysis by gas chromatography with mass-selective detection. Descriptions of cleaning procedures, preparation of standard solutions, isolation of analytes from water, sample transfer methods, instrumental analysis, and data analysis are included.

SOLID3: a multiplex antibody microarray-based optical sensor instrument for in situ life detection in planetary exploration.

PubMed

Parro, Víctor; de Diego-Castilla, Graciela; Rodríguez-Manfredi, José A; Rivas, Luis A; Blanco-López, Yolanda; Sebastián, Eduardo; Romeral, Julio; Compostizo, Carlos; Herrero, Pedro L; García-Marín, Adolfo; Moreno-Paz, Mercedes; García-Villadangos, Miriam; Cruz-Gil, Patricia; Peinado, Verónica; Martín-Soler, Javier; Pérez-Mercader, Juan; Gómez-Elvira, Javier

2011-01-01

The search for unequivocal signs of life on other planetary bodies is one of the major challenges for astrobiology. The failure to detect organic molecules on the surface of Mars by measuring volatile compounds after sample heating, together with the new knowledge of martian soil chemistry, has prompted the astrobiological community to develop new methods and technologies. Based on protein microarray technology, we have designed and built a series of instruments called SOLID (for "Signs Of LIfe Detector") for automatic in situ detection and identification of substances or analytes from liquid and solid samples (soil, sediments, or powder). Here, we present the SOLID3 instrument, which is able to perform both sandwich and competitive immunoassays and consists of two separate functional units: a Sample Preparation Unit (SPU) for 10 different extractions by ultrasonication and a Sample Analysis Unit (SAU) for fluorescent immunoassays. The SAU consists of five different flow cells, with an antibody microarray in each one (2000 spots). It is also equipped with an exclusive optical package and a charge-coupled device (CCD) for fluorescent detection. We demonstrated the performance of SOLID3 in the detection of a broad range of molecular-sized compounds, which range from peptides and proteins to whole cells and spores, with sensitivities at 1-2 ppb (ng mL⁻¹) for biomolecules and 10⁴ to 10³ spores per milliliter. We report its application in the detection of acidophilic microorganisms in the Río Tinto Mars analogue and report the absence of substantial negative effects on the immunoassay in the presence of 50 mM perchlorate (20 times higher than that found at the Phoenix landing site). Our SOLID instrument concept is an excellent option with which to detect biomolecules because it avoids the high-temperature treatments that may destroy organic matter in the presence of martian oxidants.

Effect of annealing time, weight pressure and cobalt doping on the electrical and magnetic behavior of barium titanate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Samuvel, K., E-mail: kssamuvel@gmail.com; Ramachandran, K., E-mail: ramach76@yahoo.com

2016-05-06

BaTi{sub 0.5}CO{sub 0.5}O{sub 3} (BTCO) nanoparticles were prepared by the solid state reaction technique using different starting materials and the microstructure examined by XRD, FESEM, BDS and VSM. X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction patterns showed that the nanoparticles were the tetragonal BTCO phase. The BTCO nanoparticles prepared from the starting materials of as prepared titanium-oxide, Cobalt -oxide and barium carbonate have spherical grain morphology, an average size of 65 nm and a fairly narrow size distribution. The nano-scale presence and the formation of the tetragonal perovskite phase as well as the crystallinity were detected using the mentioned techniques. Dielectric properties ofmore » the samples were measured at different frequencies. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy is applied to investigate the electrical properties of disordered perovskite-like ceramics in a wide temperature range. The doped BTCO samples exhibited low loss factor at 1 kHz and 1 MHz frequencies respectively.« less

Amplified solid-state electrochemiluminescence detection of cholesterol in near-infrared range based on CdTe quantum dots decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes@reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons.

PubMed

Huan, Juan; Liu, Qian; Fei, Airong; Qian, Jing; Dong, Xiaoya; Qiu, Baijing; Mao, Hanping; Wang, Kun

2015-11-15

An amplified solid-state electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for detection of cholesterol in near-infrared (NIR) range was constructed based on CdTe quantum dots (QDs) decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes@reduced graphene nanoribbons (CdTe-MWCNTs@rGONRs), which were prepared by electrostatic interactions. The CdTe QDs decorated on the MWCNTs@rGONRs resulted in the amplified ECL intensity by ~4.5 fold and decreased onset potential by ~100 mV. By immobilization of the cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) and NIR CdTe-MWCNTs@rGONRs on the electrode surface, a solid-state ECL biosensor for cholesterol detection was constructed. When cholesterol was added to the detection solution, the immobilized ChOx catalyzed the oxidation of cholesterol to generate H2O2, which could be used as the co-reactant in the ECL system of CdTe-MWCNTs@rGONRs. The as-prepared biosensor exhibited good performance for cholesterol detection including good reproducibility, selectivity, and acceptable linear range from 1 μM to 1mM with a relative low detection limit of 0.33 μM (S/N=3). The biosensor was successfully applied to the determination of cholesterol in biological fluid and food sample, which would open a new possibility for development of solid-state ECL biosensors with NIR emitters. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in KSC's Vertical Processing Facility prepare a solid state recorder for installation in a protective enclosure as part of the prelaunch preparations for STS-82, the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. The digital solid state recorder will replace one of three engineering/science tape recorders on Hubble. The solid state recorder has no moving parts to wear out. It also is more flexible than a reel-to-reel recorder and can store 10 times as much data. Liftoff aboard Discovery is targeted Feb. 11 with a crew of seven.

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-01-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in KSC's Vertical Processing Facility prepare a solid state recorder for installation in a protective enclosure as part of the prelaunch preparations for STS-82, the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. The digital solid state recorder will replace one of three engineering/science tape recorders on Hubble. The solid state recorder has no moving parts to wear out. It also is more flexible than a reel-to-reel recorder and can store 10 times as much data. Liftoff aboard Discovery is targeted Feb. 11 with a crew of seven.

Development and validation of a matrix solid-phase dispersion method to determine acrylamide in coffee and coffee substitutes.

PubMed

Soares, Cristina M Dias; Alves, Rita C; Casal, Susana; Oliveira, M Beatriz P P; Fernandes, José Oliveira

2010-04-01

The present study describes the development and validation of a new method based on a matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) sample preparation procedure followed by GC-MS for determination of acrylamide levels in coffee (ground coffee and brewed coffee) and coffee substitute samples. Samples were dispersed in C(18) sorbent and the mixture was further packed into a preconditioned custom-made ISOLUTE bilayered SPE column (C(18)/Multimode; 1 g + 1 g). Acrylamide was subsequently eluted with water, and then derivatized with bromine and quantified by GC-MS in SIM mode. The MSPD/GC-MS method presented a LOD of 5 microg/kg and a LOQ of 10 microg/kg. Intra and interday precisions ranged from 2% to 4% and 4% to 10%, respectively. To evaluate the performance of the method, 11 samples of ground and brewed coffee and coffee substitutes were simultaneously analyzed by the developed method and also by a previously validated method based in a liquid-extraction (LE) procedure, and the results were compared showing a high correlation between them.

Containerless electromagnetic levitation melting of Cu-Fe and Ag-Ni alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbaschian, G. J.; Ethridge, E. C.

1983-01-01

The feasibility of producing silver or copper alloys containing finely dispersed nickel or iron particles, respectively, by utilizing containerless electromagnetic levitation casting techniques was investigated. A levitation coil was designed to successfully levitate and melt a variety of alloys including Nb-Ge, Cu-Fe, Fe-C, and Ag-Ni. Samples of 70 Cu-30 Fe and 80 Ag-20 Ni (atomic %), prepared by mechanical pressing of the constituent powders, were levitated and heated either to the solid plus liquid range of the alloys or to the fully liquid region. The samples were then solidified by passing helium gas into the bell jar or they were dropped into a quenching oil. The structure of the samples which were heated to the solid plus liquid range consists of uniform distribution of Fe or Ni particle in their respective matrices. A considerable amount of entrapped gas bubbles were contained. Upon heating for longer periods or to higher temperatures, the bubbles coalesced and burst, causing the samples to become fragmented and usually fall out of the coil.

Study of the Effect on Ionic Conductivity and Structral Morphology of the SR Doped Lanthanum Gallate Solid Electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sood, Kapil; Singh, K.; Pandey, O. P.

2013-07-01

In the present study, lanthanum gallate and Sr-doped lanthanum gallate samples were prepared by conventional solid state reaction method. The phase conformation has been performed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) study. The elemental composition has been confirmed using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Ac conductivity of the samples has been measured in the frequency range 0.1-106 Hz and from 50-800 °C. The impedance plots among real and complex impedances at particular temperature have been discussed. The behavior shows the effect of bulk and grain boundary effects of the doped sample. The impedance plots with frequency have been analyzed. The plots have been well fitted to equivalent circuit model. The conductivity shows the Arrhenius type of behavior. The activation energy has been calculated from the plots and represents that the conductivity through the material is mainly ionic. The structural morphology of the samples has been investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The micrograph shows that the porosity and grain size both decreases with Sr-doping.

Interrelationships among Grain Size, Surface Composition, Air Stability, and Interfacial Resistance of Al-Substituted Li7La3Zr2O12 Solid Electrolytes.

PubMed

Cheng, Lei; Wu, Cheng Hao; Jarry, Angelique; Chen, Wei; Ye, Yifan; Zhu, Junfa; Kostecki, Robert; Persson, Kristin; Guo, Jinghua; Salmeron, Miquel; Chen, Guoying; Doeff, Marca

2015-08-19

The interfacial resistances of symmetrical lithium cells containing Al-substituted Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) solid electrolytes are sensitive to their microstructures and histories of exposure to air. Air exposure of LLZO samples with large grain sizes (∼150 μm) results in dramatically increased interfacial impedances in cells containing them, compared to those with pristine large-grained samples. In contrast, a much smaller difference is seen between cells with small-grained (∼20 μm) pristine and air-exposed LLZO samples. A combination of soft X-ray absorption (sXAS) and Raman spectroscopy, with probing depths ranging from nanometer to micrometer scales, revealed that the small-grained LLZO pellets are more air-stable than large-grained ones, forming far less surface Li2CO3 under both short- and long-term exposure conditions. Surface sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates that the better chemical stability of the small-grained LLZO is related to differences in the distribution of Al and Li at sample surfaces. Density functional theory calculations show that LLZO can react via two different pathways to form Li2CO3. The first, more rapid, pathway involves a reaction with moisture in air to form LiOH, which subsequently absorbs CO2 to form Li2CO3. The second, slower, pathway involves direct reaction with CO2 and is favored when surface lithium contents are lower, as with the small-grained samples. These observations have important implications for the operation of solid-state lithium batteries containing LLZO because the results suggest that the interfacial impedances of these devices is critically dependent upon specific characteristics of the solid electrolyte and how it is prepared.

Electrochemical slurry compositions and methods for preparing the same

DOEpatents

Doherty, Tristan; Limthongkul, Pimpa; Butros, Asli; Duduta, Mihai; Cross, III, James C.

2016-11-01

Embodiments described herein generally relate to semi-solid suspensions, and more particularly to systems and methods for preparing semi-solid suspensions for use as electrodes in electrochemical devices such as, for example batteries. In some embodiments, a method for preparing a semi-solid electrode includes combining a quantity of an active material with a quantity of an electrolyte to form an intermediate material. The intermediate material is then combined with a conductive additive to form an electrode material. The electrode material is mixed to form a suspension having a mixing index of at least about 0.80 and is then formed into a semi-solid electrode.

Preparation and Properties of New Inorganic Glasses and Gel-Derived Solids

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-01

route were examined, including the use of SiC and diamond powder as fillers and some triphasic , solids. Many ferroelectnic thin films were prepared...use of SiC and diamond powder as fillers and some triphasic solids. Many ferroelectric thin films were prepared and their properties measured. An...Exit Filter Mmrn Holder Filter He Gas Perforated Pyrolysis Reactor 00 0 00 00 00 00 0 0 0 0 Soutolution asWe Fi.8.Shmai darm fepeiena0yses I I I ci

[Determination of patulin in fruits and jam by solid phase extraction-ultra performance liquid chromatography].

PubMed

Lü, Weichao; Shen, Shuchang; Wang, Chao

2017-11-08

With magnesium silicate, silica gel, diatomite and calcium sulfate as raw materials, a new solid phase extraction column was prepared through a series of processes of grinding to ethanol homogenate, drying and packing into polypropylene tube. The sample was hydrolyzed by pectinase, extracted by acetonitrile and purified by solid phase extraction. The target compounds were separated on a C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.8 μm), using 0.8% (v/v) tetrahydrofuran solution as mobile phase with a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The detection wavelength was 276 nm. The effect of pectinase on extraction yield and purification effect of solid-phase extraction column were investigated. The optimum chromatographic conditions were selected. There was a good linear relationship between the peak heights and the mass concentrations of patulin in the range of 0.1 to 10 mg/L with the correlation coefficient ( R 2 ) of 1. The limit of detection for this method was 10.22 μg/kg. The spiked recoveries of samples were 86.58%-94.84% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.45%-2.28%. The results indicated that the self-made solid phase extraction column had a good purification efficiency, and the UPLC had a high separation efficiency. The method is simple, accurate and of great significance for the quality and safety control of fruit products.

Solid-State Division progress report for period ending March 31, 1983

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Green, P.H.; Watson, D.M.

1983-09-01

Progress and activities are reported on: theoretical solid-state physics (surfaces; electronic, vibrational, and magnetic properties; particle-solid interactions; laser annealing), surface and near-surface properties of solids (surface, plasma-material interactions, ion implantation and ion-beam mixing, pulsed-laser and thermal processing), defects in solids (radiation effects, fracture, impurities and defects, semiconductor physics and photovoltaic conversion), transport properties of solids (fast-ion conductors, superconductivity, mass and charge transport in materials), neutron scattering (small-angle scattering, lattice dynamics, magnetic properties, structure and instrumentation), and preparation and characterization of research materials (growth and preparative methods, nuclear waste forms, special materials). (DLC)

Dithizone modified magnetic nanoparticles for fast and selective solid phase extraction of trace elements in environmental and biological samples prior to their determination by ICP-OES.

PubMed

Cheng, Guihong; He, Man; Peng, Hanyong; Hu, Bin

2012-01-15

A fast and simple method for analysis of trace amounts of Cr(III), Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) in environmental and biological samples was developed by combining magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) with inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) detection. Dithizone modified silica-coated magnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (H(2)Dz-SCMNPs) were prepared and used for MSPE of trace amounts of Cr(III), Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II). The prepared magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The factors affecting the extraction of the target metal ions such as pH, sample volume, eluent, and interfering ions had been investigated and the adsorption mechanism of the target metals on the self-prepared H(2)Dz-SCMNPs was investigated by FT-IR and X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS). Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits of the developed method for Cr(III), Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) were 35, 11, 62, and 8ngL(-1), respectively, with the enrichment factor of 100. The relative standard deviations (RSDs, c=10μgL(-1), n=7) were in the range of 1.7-3.1% and the linear range was 0.1-100μgL(-1). The proposed method had been validated by two certified reference materials (GSBZ50009-88 environmental water and GBW07601 human hair), and the determined values were in good agreement with the certified values. The method was also applied for the determination of trace metals in real water and human hair samples with recoveries in the range of 85-110% for the spiked samples. The developed MSPE-ICP-OES method has the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, selectivity, high extraction efficiency and is suitable for the analysis of samples with large volume and complex matrix. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sample preparation and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for multiple steroids in mammalian and avian circulation.

PubMed

Koren, Lee; Ng, Ella S M; Soma, Kiran K; Wynne-Edwards, Katherine E

2012-01-01

Blood samples from wild mammals and birds are often limited in volume, allowing researchers to quantify only one or two steroids from a single sample by immunoassays. In addition, wildlife serum or plasma samples are often lipemic, necessitating stringent sample preparation. Here, we validated sample preparation for simultaneous liquid chromatography--tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) quantitation of cortisol, corticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), 17β-estradiol, progesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone and testosterone from diverse mammalian (7 species) and avian (5 species) samples. Using 100 µL of serum or plasma, we quantified (signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio ≥ 10) 4-7 steroids depending on the species and sample, without derivatization. Steroids were extracted from serum or plasma using automated solid-phase extraction where samples were loaded onto C18 columns, washed with water and hexane, and then eluted with ethyl acetate. Quantitation by LC-MS/MS was done in positive ion, multiple reaction-monitoring (MRM) mode with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source and heated nebulizer (500°C). Deuterated steroids served as internal standards and run time was 15 minutes. Extraction recoveries were 87-101% for the 8 analytes, and all intra- and inter-run CVs were ≤ 8.25%. This quantitation method yields good recoveries with variable lipid-content samples, avoids antibody cross-reactivity issues, and delivers results for multiple steroids. Thus, this method can enrich datasets by providing simultaneous quantitation of multiple steroids, and allow researchers to reimagine the hypotheses that could be tested with their volume-limited, lipemic, wildlife samples.

Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction in the analysis of agrochemicals.

PubMed

Yi, Ling-Xiao; Fang, Rou; Chen, Guan-Hua

2013-08-01

The molecular imprinting technique is a highly predeterminative recognition technology. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) can be applied to the cleanup and preconcentration of analytes as the selective adsorbent of solid-phase extraction (SPE). In recent years, a new type of SPE has formed, molecularly imprinted polymer solid-phase extraction (MISPE), and has been widely applied to the extraction of agrochemicals. In this review, the mechanism of the molecular imprinting technique and the methodology of MIP preparations are explained. The extraction modes of MISPE, including offline and online, are discussed, and the applications of MISPE in the analysis of agrochemicals such as herbicides, fungicides and insecticides are summarized. It is concluded that MISPE is a powerful tool to selectively isolate agrochemicals from real samples with higher extraction and cleanup efficiency than commercial SPE and that it has great potential for broad applications.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talcott, Stephen

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has many applications in food chemistry. Food components that have been analyzed with HPLC include organic acids, vitamins, amino acids, sugars, nitrosamines, certain pesticides, metabolites, fatty acids, aflatoxins, pigments, and certain food additives. Unlike gas chromatography, it is not necessary for the compound being analyzed to be volatile. It is necessary, however, for the compounds to have some solubility in the mobile phase. It is important that the solubilized samples for injection be free from all particulate matter, so centrifugation and filtration are common procedures. Also, solid-phase extraction is used commonly in sample preparation to remove interfering compounds from the sample matrix prior to HPLC analysis.

Synthesis and characterization of Zn-Mg ferrite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Shailndra; Barbar, S. K.; Ram, Sahi

2018-05-01

The Zn-Mg ferrite sample of general formula Zn0.5Mg0.5Fe2O4 have been prepared by standard solid state reaction technique using high purity oxides. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the formation of a zinc-magnesium ferrite cubic phase at room temperature with space group Fd3m. FTIR spectra show two significant absorption bands first at 665.15 cm-1 corresponding to tetrahedral (A) and second band at 434 cm-1 corresponding to octahedral (B) sites of the spinel. Morphology of the sample determined by the SEM measurement and EDS analysis has confirmed the composition of atoms in the sample.

Multiple stage MS in analysis of plasma, serum, urine and in vitro samples relevant to clinical and forensic toxicology.

PubMed

Meyer, Golo M; Maurer, Hans H; Meyer, Markus R

2016-01-01

This paper reviews MS approaches applied to metabolism studies, structure elucidation and qualitative or quantitative screening of drugs (of abuse) and/or their metabolites. Applications in clinical and forensic toxicology were included using blood plasma or serum, urine, in vitro samples, liquids, solids or plant material. Techniques covered are liquid chromatography coupled to low-resolution and high-resolution multiple stage mass analyzers. Only PubMed listed studies published in English between January 2008 and January 2015 were considered. Approaches are discussed focusing on sample preparation and mass spectral settings. Comments on advantages and limitations of these techniques complete the review.

Dual functional rhodium oxide nanocorals enabled sensor for both non-enzymatic glucose and solid-state pH sensing.

PubMed

Dong, Qiuchen; Huang, Yikun; Song, Donghui; Wu, Huixiang; Cao, Fei; Lei, Yu

2018-07-30

Both pH-sensitive and glucose-responsive rhodium oxide nanocorals (Rh 2 O 3 NCs) were synthesized through electrospinning followed by high-temperature calcination. The as-prepared Rh 2 O 3 NCs were systematically characterized using various advanced techniques including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, and then employed as a dual functional nanomaterial to fabricate a dual sensor for both non-enzymatic glucose sensing and solid-state pH monitoring. The sensing performance of the Rh 2 O 3 NCs based dual sensor toward pH and glucose was evaluated using open circuit potential, cyclic voltammetry and amperometric techniques, respectively. The results show that the as-prepared Rh 2 O 3 NCs not only maintain accurate and reversible pH sensitivity of Rh 2 O 3 , but also demonstrate a good electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation in alkaline medium with a sensitivity of 11.46 μA mM -1 cm -2 , a limit of detection of 3.1 μM (S/N = 3), and a reasonable selectivity against various interferents in non-enzymatic glucose detection. Its accuracy in determining glucose in human serum samples was further demonstrated. These features indicate that the as-prepared Rh 2 O 3 NCs hold great promise as a dual-functional sensing material in the development of a high-performance sensor forManjakkal both solid-state pH and non-enzymatic glucose sensing. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation of acryloyl β-cyclodextrin-silica hybrid monolithic column and its application in pipette tip solid-phase extraction and HPLC analysis of methyl parathion and fenthion.

PubMed

Chen, Ling; Dang, Xueping; Ai, Youhong; Chen, Huaixia

2018-05-07

An acryloyl β-cyclodextrin-silica hybrid monolithic column for pipette tip solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography determination of methyl parathion and fenthion have been prepared through a sol-gel polymerization method. The synthesis conditions, including the volume of cross-linker and the ratio of inorganic solution to organic solution, were optimized. The prepared monolithic column was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The eluent type, volume and flow rate, sample volume, flow rate, acidity and ionic strength were optimized in detail. Under the optimized conditions, a simple and sensitive pipette tip solid-phase extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of methyl parathion and fenthion in lettuce. The method yielded a linear calibration curve in the concentration ranges of 15-400 μg/kg for methyl parathion and 20-400 μg/kg for fenthion with correlation coefficients of above 0.9957. The limits of detection were 4.5 μg/kg for methyl parathion and 6.0 μg/kg for fenthion, respectively. The recoveries of methyl parathion and fenthion spiked in lettuce ranged from 96.0 to 104.2% with relative standard deviations less than 8.4%. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A study of the preparation and reactivity of potassium ferrate.

PubMed

Li, C; Li, X Z; Graham, N

2005-10-01

In the context of water treatment, the ferrate ([FeO(4)](2-)) ion has long been known for its strong oxidizing power and for producing a coagulant from its reduced form (i.e. Fe(III)). However, it has not been studied extensively owing to difficulties with its preparation and its instability in water. This paper describes an improved procedure for preparing solid phase potassium ferrate of high purity (99%) and with a high yield (50-70%). The characteristics of solid potassium ferrate were investigated and from XRD spectra it was found that samples of the solid have a tetrahedral structure with a space group of D(2h) (Pnma) and a=7.705A, b=5.863A, and c=10.36A. The aqueous stability of potassium ferrate at various pH values and different concentrations was investigated. It was found that potassium ferrate solution had a maximum stability at pH 9-10 and that ferrate solution at low concentration (0.25 mM) was more stable than at high concentration (0.51 mM). The aqueous reaction of ferrate with bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disrupter compound, was also investigated with a molar ratio of Fe(VI):BPA in the range of 1:1-5:1. The optimal pH for BPA degradation was 9.4, and at this pH and a Fe(VI):BPA molar ratio of 5:1, approximately 90% of the BPA was degraded after 60s.

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy of Glass and Crystal Samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Prakash; Sandoval, Alejandra; Carter, Michael; Kumar, Akshaya

2015-03-01

Different types of quartz crystals and rare earth ions doped glasses have been identified using the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. LIBS is a real time technique, can be used to identify samples in solid, liquid and gas phases. The advantage of LIBS technique is that no sample preparation is required and laser causes extremely minimal damage to the sample surface. The LIBS spectrum of silicate glasses, prepared by sol-gel method and doped with different concentration of rare earth ions, has been recorded. The limit of detection of rare earth ions in glass samples has been calculated. Total 10 spectrums of each sample were recorded and then averaged to get a final spectrum. The ocean optics LIBS2500 plus spectrometer along with a Q- switched Nd: YAG laser (Quantel, Big Sky) were used to record the LIBS spectrum. This spectrometer can analyze the sample in the spectral range of 200 nm to 980 nm. The spectrum was processed by OOILIBS-plus (v1.0) software. This study has application in the industry where different crystals can be easily identified before they go for shaping and polishing. Also, concentration of rare earth ions in glass can be monitored in real time for quality control.

Magnetic solid phase extraction coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the speciation of mercury in environmental water and human hair samples.

PubMed

Ma, Shishuai; He, Man; Chen, Beibei; Deng, Wenchao; Zheng, Qi; Hu, Bin

2016-01-01

In this work, γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (γ-MPTS) modified Fe3O4@SiO2 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was successfully prepared, and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The sorption performance of the prepared Fe3O4@SiO2@γ-MPTS MNPs towards methylmercury (CH3Hg(+)) and inorganic mercury (Hg(2+)) was investigated. It was found that CH3Hg(+) and Hg(2+) could be simultaneously retained on the prepared Fe3O4@SiO2@γ-MPTS MNPs, and the quantitative elution of CH3Hg(+) and total mercury (THg) was achieved by using 1.5 mol L(-1) HCl containing 0.01% and 3% thiourea (m/v), respectively. And the levels of Hg(2+) were obtained by subtracting CH3Hg(+) from THg. Based on the above facts, a method of magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed for the speciation of CH3Hg(+) and Hg(2+). Various experimental parameters affecting MSPE of CH3Hg(+) and Hg(2+) such as pH, eluent, sample volume, and co-existing ions have been studied. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) for CH3Hg(+) and THg were 1.6 and 1.9 ng L(-1), respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method was validated by analysis of a Certified Reference Material NRCC DORM-2 dogfish muscle, and the determined values are in good agreement with the certified values. The proposed method has also been successfully applied for the speciation of CH3Hg(+) and Hg(2+) in environmental water and human hair samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Preparation of a novel activated carbon coating fiber for solid phase micro-extraction and its application for halocarbon compound analysis in water].

PubMed

Wang, Shutao; Wang, Yan; You, Hong; Liang, Zhihua

2004-09-01

A novel activated carbon coating fiber used for solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) was prepared using activated carbon powder and silica resin adhesive. The extraction properties of the novel activated carbon coating fiber were investigated. The results indicate that this coating fiber has high concentration ability, with enrichment factors for chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in the range of 13.8 to 18.7. The fiber is stable at temperature as high as 290 degrees C and it can be used for over 140 times at 250 degrees C. The activated carbon coating fiber was then applied to the analysis of the four halocarbon compounds mentioned above. A linear correlation with correlation coefficients between 0.995 2 and 0.999 4 and the detection limits between 0.008 and 0.05 microg/L were observed. The method was also applied to a real water sample analysis and the recoveries of these halocarbon compounds were from 95.5% to 104.6%.

Na3Si2Y0.16Zr1.84PO12-ionic liquid hybrid electrolytes: An approach for realizing solid-state sodium-ion batteries?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de la Torre-Gamarra, Carmen; Appetecchi, Giovanni Battista; Ulissi, Ulderico; Varzi, Alberto; Varez, Alejandro; Passerini, Stefano

2018-04-01

Ceramic electrolytes are prepared through sintering processes which are carried out at high temperatures and require prolonged operating times, resulting unwelcome in industrial applications. We report a physicochemical characterization on hybrid, sodium conducting, electrolyte systems obtained by coating NASICON ceramic powders with the N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ionic liquid. The goal is to realize a ceramic-IL interface with improved sodium mobility, aiming to obtain a solid electrolyte with high ion transport properties but avoiding sintering thermal treatment. The purpose of the present work, however, is showing how simply combining NASICON powder and Py14TFSI does not lead to any synergic effect on the resulting hybrid electrolyte, evidencing that an average functionalization of the ceramic powder surface and/or ionic liquid is needed. Also, the processing conditions for preparing the hybrid samples are found to affect their ion transport properties.

How long can culturable bacteria and total DNA persist in environmental waters? The role of sunlight and solid particles.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Cacciabue, Dolores; Cid, Alicia G; Rajal, Verónica B

2016-01-01

In this work, sunlight inactivation of two indicator bacteria in freshwater, with and without solid particles, was studied and the persistence of culturable cells and total DNA was compared. Environmental water was used to prepare two matrices, with and without solid particles, which were spiked with Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis. These matrices were used to prepare microcosm bags that were placed in two containers: one exposed to sunlight and the other in the dark. During one month, samples were removed from each container and detection was done by membrane filter technique and real-time PCR. Kinetic parameters were calculated to assess sunlight effect. Indicator bacteria without solid particles exposed to sunlight suffered an immediate decay (<4h) compared with the ones which were shielded from them. In addition, the survival of both bacteria with solid particles varied depending on the situation analyzed (T99 from 3 up to 60days), being always culturable E. coli more persistent than E. faecalis. On the other side, E. faecalis DNA persisted much longer than culturable cells (T99>40h in the dark with particles). In this case active cells were more prone to sunlight than total DNA and the protective effect of solid particles was also observed. Results highlight that the effects caused by the parameters which describe the behavior of culturable microorganisms and total DNA in water are different and must be included in simulation models but without forgetting that these parameters will also depend on bacterial properties, sensitizers, composition, type, and uses of the aquatic environment under assessment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the photoprotective effect of β-cyclodextrin on the emission of volatile degradation products of ranitidine.

PubMed

Jamrógiewicz, Marzena; Wielgomas, Bartosz; Strankowski, Michał

2014-09-01

The process of the photo-excitation of ranitidine hydrochloride (RAN) in a solid state makes visible changes to its colour and generates an unpleasant odour. The purpose of the present study was to observe the protective effects of β-cyclodextrin (CD) complexation as well as the effect of the mixture of two stoichiometries 1:1 and 1:2 (RAN:CD, IC) on the photostability of samples in a solid state. Samples of inclusion complexes (IC) and physical mixtures (PM) were prepared and irradiated for 48h in a Suntest CPS+ chamber. Irradiated samples were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), the differential scanning calorimetry method (DSC) and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). Volatiles were monitored with the use of headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The protective effect of CD was noticed with respect to IC, and also PM. Achieved photostabilization of complexed RAN against photodegradation could be explained due to either the inclusion of the furan part of RAN into the CD cavity as shown by the (1)H NMR ROESY (rotation frame nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy) spectrum or the screening effect of CD. FT-IR spectra, DSC curves and microscope images of irradiated samples of protected RAN did not indicate any physical changes, such as phase transfer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interface Shape and Growth Rate Analysis of Se/GaAs Bulk Crystals Grown in the NASA Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bly, J. M.; Kaforey, M. L.; Matthiesen, D. H.; Chait, A.

1997-01-01

Selenium-doped gallium arsenide, Se/GaAs, bulk crystals have been grown on earth using NASA's crystal growth furnace (CGF) in preparation for microgravity experimentation on the USML-2 spacelab mission. Peltier cooling pulses of 50 ms duration, 2040 A magnitude, and 0.0033 Hz frequency were used to successfully demark the melt-solid interface at known times during the crystal growth process. Post-growth characterization included interface shape measurement, growth rate calculation, and growth rate transient determinations. It was found that the interface shapes were always slightly concave into the solid. The curvature of the seeding interfaces was typically 1.5 mm for the 15 mm diameter samples. This was in agreement with the predicted interface shapes and positions relative to the furnace determined using a numerical model of the sample/ampoule/cartridge assembly (SACA).

Carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polydimethylsiloxane, a new coating for 96-blade solid-phase microextraction for determination of phenolic compounds in water.

PubMed

Kueseng, Pamornrat; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2013-11-22

A new thin-film, carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polydimethylsiloxane (MWCNTs-COOH/PDMS) coating was developed for 96-blade solid-phase microextraction (SPME) system followed by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). The method provided good extraction efficiency (64-90%) for three spiked levels, with relative standard deviations (RSD)≤6%, and detection limits between 1 and 2 μg/L for three phenolic compounds. The MWCNTs-COOH/PDMS 96-blade SPME system presents advantages over traditional methods due to its simplicity of use, easy coating preparation, low cost and high sample throughput (2.1 min per sample). The developed coating is reusable for a minimum of 110 extractions with good extraction efficiency. The coating provided higher extraction efficiency (3-8 times greater) than pure PDMS coatings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sol-gel synthesis, phase composition, morphological and structural characterization of Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2: XRD, FTIR, SEM, 3D SEM and solid-state NMR studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kareiva, Simonas; Klimavicius, Vytautas; Momot, Aleksandr; Kausteklis, Jonas; Prichodko, Aleksandra; Dagys, Laurynas; Ivanauskas, Feliksas; Sakirzanovas, Simas; Balevicius, Vytautas; Kareiva, Aivaras

2016-09-01

Aqueous sol-gel chemistry route based on ammonium-hydrogen phosphate as the phosphorus precursor, calcium acetate monohydrate as source of calcium ions, and 1,2-ethylendiaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), or 1,2-diaminocyclohexanetetracetic acid (DCTA), or tartaric acid (TA), or ethylene glycol (EG), or glycerol (GL) as complexing agents have been used to prepare calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, CHAp). The phase transformations, composition, and structural changes in the polycrystalline samples were studied by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction analysis (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The local short-range (nano- and mezo-) scale effects in CHAp were studied using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The spatial 3D data from the SEM images of CHAp samples obtained by TA, EG and GL sol-gel routes were recovered for the first time to our knowledge.

High-Temperature Thermoelectric Properties of (1 - x) SrTiO3 - ( x) La1/3NbO3 Ceramic Solid Solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Deepanshu; Azough, F.; Molinari, M.; Parker, S. C.; Freer, R.

2015-06-01

Ceramics based on SrTiO3 are of growing interest as thermoelectric materials because of their high-temperature stability and non-toxicity. Substitution of La and Nb into the perovskite structure provides opportunities to control both the microstructure and properties. Ceramic solid solutions of (1 - x) SrTiO3 - ( x) La1/3NbO3 were prepared by the mixed oxide route, using compositional steps of x = 0.1. Pressed pellets were sintered at temperatures of 1573 K to 1723 K in air. Addition of aliovalent ions (La3+, Nb5+) on the A/B sites (Sr2+, Ti4+) led to A-Site cation deficiency in the stoichiometric compositions and other defect structures which increased carrier concentration. A maximum ZT of 0.004 was obtained for the x = 0.2 stoichiometric sample, although much higher ZT values are possible by sample reduction.

Zwitterion-functionalized polymer microspheres as a sorbent for solid phase extraction of trace levels of V(V), Cr(III), As(III), Sn(IV), Sb(III) and Hg(II) prior to their determination by ICP-MS.

PubMed

Jia, Xiaoyu; Gong, Dirong; Zhao, Junyi; Ren, Hongyun; Wang, Jiani; Zhang, Xian

2018-03-19

This paper describes the preparation of zwitterion-functionalized polymer microspheres (ZPMs) and their application to simultaneous enrichment of V(V), Cr(III), As(III), Sn(IV), Sb(III) and Hg(II) from environmental water samples. The ZPMs were prepared by emulsion copolymerization of ethyl methacrylate, 2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate and triethylene glycol dimethyl acrylate followed by modification with 1,3-propanesultone. The components were analyzed by elemental analyses as well as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The ZPMs were packed into a mini-column for on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) of the above metal ions. Following extraction with 40 mM NH 4 NO 3 and 0.5 M HNO 3 solution, the ions were quantified by ICP-MS. Under the optimized conditions, the enrichment factors (from a 40 mL sample) are up to 60 for the ions V(V), As(III), Sb(III) and Hg(II), and 55 for Cr(III) and Sn(IV). The detection limits are 1.2, 3.4, 1.0, 3.7, 2.1 and 1.6 ng L -1 for V(V), Cr(III), As(III), Sn(IV), Sb(III) and Hg(II), respectively, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) are below 5.2%. The feasibility and accuracy of the method were validated by successfully analyzing six certified reference materials as well as lake, well and river waters. Graphical abstract Zwitterion-functionalized polymer microspheres (ZPMs) were prepared and packed into a mini-column for on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) via pump 1. Then V(V), Cr(III), As(III), Sn(IV), Sb(III) and Hg(II) ions in environmental waters were eluted and submitted to ICP-MS via pump 2.

Magnetic solid-phase extraction of protein with deep eutectic solvent immobilized magnetic graphene oxide nanoparticles.

PubMed

Xu, Kaijia; Wang, Yuzhi; Ding, Xueqin; Huang, Yanhua; Li, Na; Wen, Qian

2016-01-01

As a new type of green solvent, four kinds of choline chloride (ChCl)-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been synthesized, and then a core-shell structure magnetic graphene oxide (Fe3O4-NH2@GO) nanoparticles have been prepared and coated with the ChCl-based DESs. Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) based Fe3O4-NH2@GO@DES was studied for the first time for the extraction of proteins. The characteristic results of vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) indicated the successful preparation of Fe3O4-NH2@GO@DES. The concentrations of proteins in studies were determined by a UV-vis spectrophotometer. The advantages of Fe3O4-NH2@GO@DES in protein extraction were compared with Fe3O4-NH2@GO and Fe3O4-NH2, and Fe3O4-NH2@GO@ChCl-glycerol was selected as the suitable extraction solvent. The influence factors of the extraction process such as the pH value, the temperature, the extraction time, the concentration of protein and the amount of Fe3O4-NH2@GO@ChCl-glycerol were evaluated. Desorption experimental result showed 98.73% of BSA could be eluted from the solid extractant with 0.1 mol/L Na2HPO4 solution contained 1 mol/L NaCl. Besides, the conformation of BSA was not changed during the elution by the investigation of circular dichromism (CD) spectra. Furthermore, the analysis of real sample demonstrated that the prepared magnetic nanoparticles did have extraction ability on proteins in bovine whole blood. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation and Evaluation of Solid Dispersion Tablets by a Simple and Manufacturable Wet Granulation Method Using Porous Calcium Silicate.

PubMed

Fujimoto, Yumi; Hirai, Nobuaki; Takatani-Nakase, Tomoka; Takahashi, Koichi

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to prepare and evaluate solid dispersion tablets containing a poorly water-soluble drug using porous calcium silicate (PCS) by a wet granulation method. Nifedipine (NIF) was used as the model poorly water-soluble drug. Solid dispersion tablets were prepared with the wet granulation method using ethanol and water by a high-speed mixer granulator. The binder and disintegrant were selected from 7 and 4 candidates, respectively. The dissolution test was conducted using the JP 16 paddle method. The oral absorption of NIF was studied in fasted rats. Xylitol and crospovidone were selected as the binder and disintegrant, respectively. The dissolution rates of NIF from solid dispersion formulations were markedly enhanced compared with NIF powder and physical mixtures. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) confirmed the reduced crystallinity of NIF in the solid dispersion formulations. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) showed the physical interaction between NIF and PCS in the solid dispersion formulations. NIF is present in an amorphous state in granules prepared by the wet granulation method using water. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and peak concentration (C(max)) values of NIF after dosing rats with the solid dispersion granules were significantly greater than those after dosing with NIF powder. The solid dispersion formulations of NIF prepared with PCS using the wet granulation method exhibited accelerated dissolution rates and superior oral bioavailability. This method is very simple, and may be applicable to the development of other poorly water-soluble drugs.

On the phase evolution of AlCoCrCuFeMnSix high entropy alloys prepared by mechanical alloying and arc melting route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Anil; Chopkar, Manoj

2018-05-01

Effect of Si addition on phase formation of AlCoCrCuFeMnSix (x=0, 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9) high entropy alloy have been investigated in this work. The alloys are prepared by mechanical alloying and vacuum arc melting technique. The X-ray diffraction results reveals the formation of mixture of face centered and body centered cubic solid solution phases in milled powders. The addition of Si favours body centered cubic structure formation during milling process. Whereas, after melting the milled powders, body centered phases formed during milling is partial transformed into sigma phases. XRD results were also correlated with the SEM elemental mapping of as casted samples. Addition of Si favours σ phase formation in the as cast samples.

Molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres prepared by Pickering emulsion polymerization for selective solid-phase extraction of eight bisphenols from human urine samples.

PubMed

Yang, Jiajia; Li, Yun; Wang, Jincheng; Sun, Xiaoli; Cao, Rong; Sun, Hao; Huang, Chaonan; Chen, Jiping

2015-05-04

The bisphenol A (BPA) imprinted polymer microspheres were prepared by simple Pickering emulsion polymerization. Compared to traditional bulk polymerization, both high yields of polymer and good control of particle sizes were achieved. The characterization results of scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements showed that the obtained molecularly imprinted polymer microsphere (MIPMS) particles possessed regular spherical shape, narrow diameter distribution (30-60 μm), a specific surface area (S(BET)) of 281.26 m(2) g(-1) and a total pore volume (V(t)) of 0.459 cm(3) g(-1). Good specific adsorption capacity for BPA was obtained in the sorption experiment and good class selectivity for BPA and its seven structural analogs (bisphenol F, bisphenol B, bisphenol E, bisphenol AF, bisphenol S, bisphenol AP and bisphenol Z) was demonstrated by the chromatographic evaluation experiment. The MIPMS as solid-phase extraction (SPE) packing material was then evaluated for extraction and clean-up of these bisphenols (BPs) from human urine samples. An accurate and sensitive analytical method based on the MIPMS-SPE coupled with HPLC-DAD has been successfully established for simultaneous determination of eight BPs from human urine samples with detection limits of 1.2-2.2 ng mL(-1). The recoveries of BPs for urine samples at two spiking levels (100 and 500 ng mL(-1) for each BP) were in the range of 81.3-106.7% with RSD values below 8.3%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Graphene oxide-based dispersive micro-solid phase extraction for separation and preconcentration of nicotine from biological and environmental water samples followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection.

PubMed

Mahpishanian, Shokouh; Sereshti, Hassan

2014-12-01

Graphene oxide (GO) has showed great potential to use as an adsorbent in sample preparation procedures. In this research, GO was used as an effective adsorbent in a simple GO-based dispersive micro-solid phase extraction (GO-D-µ-SPE) method for isolation and preconcentration of nicotine prior to gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The prepared GO was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy techniques. Various experimental parameters affecting the extraction recovery, including the amount of GO, extraction time, pH of the sample solution, salt concentration, and desorption conditions were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, a linear response was obtained in the concentration range of 5-2000 ng mL(-1) with a determination coefficient of 0.9987. The limit of detection (LOD) of the method at a signal to noise ratio of 3 was 1.5 ng mL(-1). The linearity was in the concentration range of 5-2000 ng mL(-1) with a determination coefficient of 0.9987. Intraday and inter-day precisions were obtained equal to 2.7% and 5.2%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the nicotine analysis in biological and water samples with the recoveries in the range of 88.7-109.7%. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bubble template synthesis of Sn2Nb2O7 hollow spheres for enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production.

PubMed

Zhou, Chao; Zhao, Yufei; Bian, Tong; Shang, Lu; Yu, Huijun; Wu, Li-Zhu; Tung, Chen-Ho; Zhang, Tierui

2013-10-28

Hierarchical Sn2Nb2O7 hollow spheres were prepared for the first time via a facile hydrothermal route using bubbles generated in situ from the decomposition of urea as soft templates. The as-obtained hollow spheres with a large specific surface area of 58.3 m(2) g(-1) show improved visible-light-driven photocatalytic H2 production activity in lactic acid aqueous solutions, about 4 times higher than that of the bulk Sn2Nb2O7 sample prepared by a conventional high temperature solid state reaction method.

Fabrication of a novel hydrophobic/ion-exchange mixed-mode adsorbent for the dispersive solid-phase extraction of chlorophenols from environmental water samples.

PubMed

Gao, Li; Wei, Yinmao

2016-08-01

A novel mixed-mode adsorbent was prepared by functionalizing silica with tris(2-aminoethyl)amine and 3-phenoxybenzaldehyde as the main mixed-mode scaffold due to the presence of the plentiful amino groups and benzene rings in their molecules. The adsorption mechanism was probed with acidic, natural and basic compounds, and the mixed hydrophobic and ion-exchange interactions were found to be responsible for the adsorption of analytes. The suitability of dispersive solid-phase extraction was demonstrated in the determination of chlorophenols in environmental water. Several parameters, including sample pH, desorption solvent, ionic strength, adsorbent dose, and extraction time were optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the proposed dispersive solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography showed good linearity range and acceptable limits of detection (0.22∽0.54 ng/mL) for five chlorophenols. Notably, the higher extraction recoveries (88.7∽109.7%) for five chlorophenols were obtained with smaller adsorbent dose (10 mg) and shorter extraction time (15 min) compared with the reported methods. The proposed method might be potentially applied in the determination of trace chlorophenols in real water samples. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Selective solid-phase extraction based on molecularly imprinted technology for the simultaneous determination of 20 triazole pesticides in cucumber samples using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhao, Fengnian; She, Yongxin; Zhang, Chao; Cao, Xiaolin; Wang, Shanshan; Zheng, Lufei; Jin, Maojun; Shao, Hua; Jin, Fen; Wang, Jing

2017-10-01

A selective analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 20 triazole fungicides and plant growth regulators in cucumber samples was developed using solid-phase extraction with specific molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as adsorbents. The MIPs were successfully prepared by precipitation polymerization using triadimefon as the template molecule, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate as the crosslinker, and acetonitrile as the porogen. The performance and recognition mechanism for both the MIPs and non-molecularly imprinted polymers were evaluated using adsorption isotherms and adsorption kinetics. Liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry was used to identify and quantify the target analytes. The solid-phase extraction using the MIPs was rapid, convenient, and efficient for extraction and enrichment of the 20 triazole pesticides from cucumber samples. The recoveries obtained at three concentration levels (1, 2, and 10μgL -1 ) ranged from 82.3% to 117.6% with relative standard deviations of less than 11.8% (n=5) for all analytes. The limits of detection for the 20 triazole pesticides were all less than 0.4μgL -1 , and were sufficient to meet international standards. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization of multiplexed PCR on an integrated microfluidic forensic platform for rapid DNA analysis.

PubMed

Estes, Matthew D; Yang, Jianing; Duane, Brett; Smith, Stan; Brooks, Carla; Nordquist, Alan; Zenhausern, Frederic

2012-12-07

This study reports the design, prototyping, and assay development of multiplexed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on a plastic microfluidic device. Amplification of 17 DNA loci is carried out directly on-chip as part of a system for continuous workflow processing from sample preparation (SP) to capillary electrophoresis (CE). For enhanced performance of on-chip PCR amplification, improved control systems have been developed making use of customized Peltier assemblies, valve actuators, software, and amplification chemistry protocols. Multiple enhancements to the microfluidic chip design have been enacted to improve the reliability of sample delivery through the various on-chip modules. This work has been enabled by the encapsulation of PCR reagents into a solid phase material through an optimized Solid Phase Encapsulating Assay Mix (SPEAM) bead-based hydrogel fabrication process. SPEAM bead technology is reliably coupled with precise microfluidic metering and dispensing for efficient amplification and subsequent DNA short tandem repeat (STR) fragment analysis. This provides a means of on-chip reagent storage suitable for microfluidic automation, with the long shelf-life necessary for point-of-care (POC) or field deployable applications. This paper reports the first high quality 17-plex forensic STR amplification from a reference sample in a microfluidic chip with preloaded solid phase reagents, that is designed for integration with up and downstream processing.

Comprehensive automation of the solid phase extraction gas chromatographic mass spectrometric analysis (SPE-GC/MS) of opioids, cocaine, and metabolites from serum and other matrices.

PubMed

Lerch, Oliver; Temme, Oliver; Daldrup, Thomas

2014-07-01

The analysis of opioids, cocaine, and metabolites from blood serum is a routine task in forensic laboratories. Commonly, the employed methods include many manual or partly automated steps like protein precipitation, dilution, solid phase extraction, evaporation, and derivatization preceding a gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS) or liquid chromatography (LC)/MS analysis. In this study, a comprehensively automated method was developed from a validated, partly automated routine method. This was possible by replicating method parameters on the automated system. Only marginal optimization of parameters was necessary. The automation relying on an x-y-z robot after manual protein precipitation includes the solid phase extraction, evaporation of the eluate, derivatization (silylation with N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide, MSTFA), and injection into a GC/MS. A quantitative analysis of almost 170 authentic serum samples and more than 50 authentic samples of other matrices like urine, different tissues, and heart blood on cocaine, benzoylecgonine, methadone, morphine, codeine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, dihydrocodeine, and 7-aminoflunitrazepam was conducted with both methods proving that the analytical results are equivalent even near the limits of quantification (low ng/ml range). To our best knowledge, this application is the first one reported in the literature employing this sample preparation system.

Effect of ca+2 addition on the properties of ce0.8gd0.2o2-δ for it-sofc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koteswararao, P.; Buchi Suresh, M.; Wani, B. N.; Bhaskara Rao, P. V.; Varalaxmi, P.

2018-03-01

This paper reports the effect of Ca2+ addition on the structural and electrical properties of Ce0.8Gd0.2O2-δ(GDC) electrolyte for low temperature solid oxide fuel cell application. The Ca (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mol %) doped GDC solid electrolytes have been prepared by solid state method. The sintered densities of the samples are greater than 95%. XRD study reveals the cubic fluorite structure. The microstructure of the samples sintered at 1400°C resulted into grain sizes in the range of 1.72 to 10.20 μm. Raman spectra show the presence of GDC single phase. AC impedance analysis is used to measure the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. Among all the compositions, the highest conductivity is observed in the GDC sample with 0.5 mol% Ca addition. Nyquist plots resulted in multiple redoxation process such as grain and grain boundary conductions to final conductivity. Estimated blocking factor is lower for the GDC electrolyte with 0.5mol% Ca, indicating that Ca addition was promoted grain boundary conduction. Activation energies were calculated from Arrhenius plot and are found in the range of 1eV.

Synthesis and characterization of core-shell magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for solid-phase extraction and determination of Rhodamine B in food.

PubMed

Su, Xiaomeng; Li, Xiaoyan; Li, Junjie; Liu, Min; Lei, Fuhou; Tan, Xuecai; Li, Pengfei; Luo, Weiqiang

2015-03-15

Core-shell magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) nanoparticles (NPs), in which a Rhodamine B-imprinted layer was coated on Fe3O4 NPs. were synthesized. First, Fe3O4 NPs were prepared by a coprecipitation method. Then, amino-modified Fe3O4 NPs (Fe3O4@SiO2-NH2) was prepared. Finally, the MIPs were coated on the Fe3O4@SiO2-NH2 surface by the copolymerization with functional monomer, acrylamide, using a cross-linking agent, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate; an initiator, azobisisobutyronitrile and a template molecule, Rhodamine B. The Fe3O4@MIPs were characterized using a scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, vibrating sample magnetometer, and re-binding experiments. The Fe3O4@MIPs showed a fast adsorption equilibrium, a highly improved imprinting capacity, and significant selectivity; they could be used as a solid-phase extraction material and detect illegal addition Rhodamine B in food. A method was developed for the selective isolation and enrichment of Rhodamine B in food samples with recoveries in the range 78.47-101.6% and the relative standard deviation was <2%. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Silica-based ionogels: nanoconfined ionic liquid-rich fibers for headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-barrier discharge ionization detection.

PubMed

Pena-Pereira, Francisco; Marcinkowski, Lukasz; Kloskowski, Adam; Namieśnik, Jacek

2014-12-02

In this work, hybrid silica-based materials with immobilized ionic liquids (ILs) were prepared by sol-gel technology and evaluated as solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coatings. High loadings of the IL 1-methyl-3-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C4MIM][TFSI]) were confined within the hybrid network. Coatings composition and morphology were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The obtained ionogel SPME fibers exhibited high extractability for aromatic volatile compounds, yielding good sensitivity and precision when combined with a gas chromatograph with barrier ionization discharge (GC-BID) detection. A central composite design was used for assessing the effect of experimental parameters on the extraction process. Under optimized conditions, the proposed ionogel SPME fiber coatings enabled the achievement of excellent enrichment factors (up to 7400). The limits of detection (LODs) were found in the range 0.03-1.27 μg L(-1), whereas the repeatability and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility were 5.6% and 12.0% on average, respectively. Water samples were analyzed by the proposed methodology, showing recovery values in the range of 88.7-113.9%. The results obtained in this work suggest that ionogels can be promising coating materials for future applications of SPME and related sample preparation techniques.

Solid-phase microfibers based on polyethylene glycol modified single-walled carbon nanotubes for the determination of chlorinated organic carriers in textiles.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei-Ya; Sun, Yin; Wang, Cheng-Ming; Wu, Cai-Ying

2011-09-01

Based on polyethylene glycol modified single-walled carbon nanotubes, a novel sol-gel fiber coating was prepared and applied to the headspace microextraction of chlorinated organic carriers (COCs) in textiles by gas chromatography-electron capture detection. The preparation of polyethylene glycol modified single-walled carbon nanotubes and the sol-gel fiber coating process was stated and confirmed by infrared spectra, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Several parameters affecting headspace microextraction, including extraction temperature, extraction time, salting-out effect, and desorption time, were optimized by detecting 11 COCs in simulative sweat samples. Compared with the commercial solid-phase microextraction fibers, the sol-gel polyethylene glycol modified single-walled carbon nanotubes fiber showed higher extraction efficiency, better thermal stability, and longer life span. The method detection limits for COCs were in the range from 0.02 to 7.5 ng L(-1) (S/N = 3). The linearity of the developed method varied from 0.001 to 50 μg L(-1) for all analytes, with coefficients of correlation greater than 0.974. The developed method was successfully applied to the analysis of trace COCs in textiles, the recoveries of the analytes indicated that the developed method was considerably useful for the determination of COCs in ecological textile samples.

Polydopamine-coated magnetic nanoparticles for isolation and enrichment of estrogenic compounds from surface water samples followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry determination.

PubMed

Capriotti, Anna Laura; Cavaliere, Chiara; La Barbera, Giorgia; Piovesana, Susy; Samperi, Roberto; Zenezini Chiozzi, Riccardo; Laganà, Aldo

2016-06-01

Estrogens, phytoestrogens, and mycoestrogens may enter into the surface waters from different sources, such as effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants, industrial plants, and animal farms and runoff from agricultural areas. In this work, a multiresidue analytical method for the determination of 17 natural estrogenic compounds, including four steroid estrogens, six mycoestrogens, and seven phytoestrogens, in river water samples has been developed. (Fe3O4)-based magnetic nanoparticles coated by polydopamine (Fe3O4@pDA) were used for dispersive solid-phase extraction, and the final extract was analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by a co-precipitation procedure, coated by pDA, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The sample preparation method was optimized in terms of extraction recovery, matrix effect, selectivity, trueness, precision, method limits of detection, and method limits of quantification (MLOQs). For all the 17 analytes, recoveries were >70 % and matrix effects were below 30 % when 25 mL of river water sample was treated with 90 mg of Fe3O4@pDA nanoparticles. Selectivity was tested by spiking river water samples with 50 other compounds (mycotoxins, antibacterials, conjugated hormones, UV filters, alkylphenols, etc.), and only aflatoxins and some benzophenones showed recoveries >60 %. This method proved to be simple and robust and allowed the determination of natural estrogenic compounds belonging to different classes in surface waters with MLOQs ranging between 0.003 and 0.1 μg L(-1). Graphical Abstract Determination of natural estrogenic compounds in water by magnetic solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis.

Molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction for simultaneous determination of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and its main metabolites by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in urine samples.

PubMed

Nestić, Marina; Babić, Sandra; Pavlović, Dragana Mutavdžić; Sutlović, Davorka

2013-09-10

In presented paper analytical method based on solid-phase extraction using molecularly imprinted polymer and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been developed and validated for the confirmation of THC, THC-OH and THC-COOH in urine samples. Non-covalent molecularly imprinted polymers of THC-OH were prepared using different functional monomers (methacrylic acid, 4-vinylpyridine, and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker and 2,2'-azobis-isobutyronitrile as an initiator of radical polymerization. Analytes were extracted from urine samples using prepared polymer sorbent with highest binding selectivity and capability. Before extraction, urine samples were hydrolyzed with alkaline. Elution was performed with chloroform:ethyl acetate (60:40, v/v). Dry extracts were silylated with BSTFA+1% TMCS. Detection and quantification were performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in single ion recording mode. The developed method was linear over the range from LOQ to 150 ng mL(-1) for all three analytes. For THC, THC-OH and THC-COOH LOD was 2.5, 1 and 1 ng mL(-1), and LOQ was 3, 2 and 2 ng mL(-1), respectively. The precision, accuracy, recovery and matrix effect were investigated at 5, 25 and 50 ng mL(-1). In the investigated concentration range recoveries were 71.9% for THC, 78.6% for THC-OH and 75.2% for THC-COOH. Matrix effect was not significant (<10%) for all analytes in the concentration range from 5 ng mL(-1) to 50 ng mL(-1). Extraction recovery on non-imprinted polymer was relatively high indicating high non-specific binding. Optimized and validated method was applied to 15 post-mortem urine samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry platform for both small neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in blood, with automatic and robust solid phase extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnsen, Elin; Leknes, Siri; Wilson, Steven Ray; Lundanes, Elsa

2015-03-01

Neurons communicate via chemical signals called neurotransmitters (NTs). The numerous identified NTs can have very different physiochemical properties (solubility, charge, size etc.), so quantification of the various NT classes traditionally requires several analytical platforms/methodologies. We here report that a diverse range of NTs, e.g. peptides oxytocin and vasopressin, monoamines adrenaline and serotonin, and amino acid GABA, can be simultaneously identified/measured in small samples, using an analytical platform based on liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The automated platform is cost-efficient as manual sample preparation steps and one-time-use equipment are kept to a minimum. Zwitter-ionic HILIC stationary phases were used for both on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography (capillary format, cLC). This approach enabled compounds from all NT classes to elute in small volumes producing sharp and symmetric signals, and allowing precise quantifications of small samples, demonstrated with whole blood (100 microliters per sample). An additional robustness-enhancing feature is automatic filtration/filter back-flushing (AFFL), allowing hundreds of samples to be analyzed without any parts needing replacement. The platform can be installed by simple modification of a conventional LC-MS system.

Multiresidue analysis of 24 Water Framework Directive priority substances by on-line solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in environmental waters.

PubMed

Rubirola, Adrià; Boleda, Mª Rosa; Galceran, Mª Teresa

2017-04-14

This paper reports the development of a fully multiresidue and automated on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) - liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the determination of 24 priority substances (PS) belonging to different classes (pesticides, hormones or pharmaceuticals) included in the Directive 2013/39/UE and the recent Watch List (Decision 2015/495) in water samples (drinking water, surface water, and effluent wastewaters). LC-MS/MS conditions and on-line SPE parameters such as sorbent type, sample and wash volumes were optimized. The developed method is highly sensitive (limits of detection between 0.1 and 1.4ngL -1 ) and precise (relative standard deviations lower than 8%). As part of the method validation studies, linearity, accuracy and matrix effects were assessed. The main advantage of this method over traditional off-line procedures is the minimization of tedious sample preparation increasing productivity and sample throughput. The optimized method was applied to the analysis of water samples and the results revealed the presence of 16 PS in river water and effluent water of wastewater treatment plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improved sample extraction and clean-up for the GC-MS determination of BADGE and BFDGE in vegetable oil.

PubMed

Brede, C; Skjevrak, I; Herikstad, H; Anensen, E; Austvoll, R; Hemmingsen, T

2002-05-01

A straightforward method was established for the determination of migration contaminants in olive oil with a special focus on the two can-coating migration compounds bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) and bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE). The preferred sample preparation was a single liquid-liquid extraction of compounds from the oil into 20% (v/v) methanol in acetonitrile, followed by clean-up with solid-phase extraction on aminopropyl bonded to silica. This purification procedure selectively removed all free fatty acids from the extracts without removing phenolic compounds of interest. The solid-phase extraction columns were used many times by implementing a procedure of washing out the strongly retained fatty acids with 2% acetic acid in methanol. Gas chromatography coupled with full scan (m/z 33-700) electron ionization mass spectrometry was used for the determination of several model compounds in olive oil samples. BADGE and BFDGE could be determined in the 0.05-2 mg kg(-1) range in oil samples with a relative SD of <6% (six replicates). The method was used in an enforcement campaign for the Norwegian Food Control Authority to analyse vegetable oil samples from canned fish-in-oil.

Effect of nano BiPb-2212 phase addition on BiPb-2223 phase properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammed, N. H.; Abou-Aly, A. I.; Barakat, M. Me.; Hassan, M. S.

2018-06-01

BiPb-2212 phase in nanoscale was added to BiPb-2223 phase with a general stoichiometry of (Bi1.7Pb0.4Sr2.1Ca1.1Cu2.1O8+δ)x/Bi1.8Pb0.4Sr2.0Ca2.0Cu3.2O10+δ, 0.0 ≤ x  ≤ 2.5 wt.%. All samples were prepared by the standard solid-state reaction method. The prepared nano BiPb-2212 phase was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The prepared samples were characterized by XRD and the scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD analysis indicated that the sample with x = 1.5 wt.% has the highest relative volume fraction for BiPb-2223 phase. Samples were examined by electrical resistivity and I-V measurements. There is no significant change in the superconducting transition temperature Tc for all samples. The highest critical current density Jc was recorded for the sample with x = 1.5 wt.%. The normalized excess conductivity (Δσ/σroom) was calculated according to Aslamazov-Larkin (AL) model. Four different fluctuating regions were recorded as the temperature decreased. The coherence length along the c-axis at 0 K ξc(0), interlayer coupling strength s, Fermi velocity vF of the carriers and Fermi energy EF were calculated for both samples with x = 0.0 wt.% and 1.5 wt.%.

A "special perspectives" issue: Recent achievements and new directions in biomolecular solid state NMR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tycko, Robert

2015-04-01

Twenty years ago, applications of solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods to real problems involving biological systems or biological materials were few and far between. Starting in the 1980s, a small number of research groups had begun to explore the possibility of obtaining structural and dynamical information about peptides, proteins, and other biopolymers from solid state NMR spectra. Progress was initially slow due to the relatively primitive state of solid state NMR probes, spectrometers, sample preparation methods, and pulse sequence techniques, coupled with the small number of people contributing to this research area. By the early 1990s, with the advent of new ideas about pulse sequence techniques such as dipolar recoupling, improvements in techniques for orienting membrane proteins and in technology for magic-angle spinning (MAS), improvements in the capabilities of commercial NMR spectrometers, and general developments in multidimensional spectroscopy, it began to appear that biomolecular solid state NMR might have a viable future. It was not until 1993 that the annual number of publications in this area crept above twenty.

Growth of self-textured Ga3+-substituted Li7La3Zr2O12 ceramics by solid state reaction and their significant enhancement in ionic conductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Shiying; Zhu, Xiaohong; Jiang, Yue; Ling, Ming'en; Hu, Zhiwei; Zhu, Jiliang

2018-03-01

A highly self-textured Ga2O3-substituted Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO-Ga) solid electrolyte with a nominal composition of Li6.55Ga0.15La3Zr2O12 is obtained by a simple and low-cost solid-state reaction technique, requiring no seed crystals to achieve grain orientation. The as-prepared self-textured LLZO-Ga shows a strong (420) preferred orientation with a high Lotgering factor of 0.91. Coherently, a terrace-shaped microstructure consisting of many parallel layers, indicating a two-dimensional-like growth mode, is clearly observed in the self-textured sample. As a result, the highly self-textured garnet-type lithium-ion conducting solid electrolyte of LLZO-Ga exhibits an extremely high ionic conductivity, reaching a state-of-the-art level of 2.06 × 10-3 S cm-1 at room temperature (25 °C) and thus shedding light on an important strategy for improving the structure and ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes.

The importance of the solids loading on confirming the dielectric nanosize dependence of BaTiO₃ powders by slurry method.

PubMed

Zhou, Wei; Nie, Yi Mei; Li, Shu Jing; Liang, Hai Yan

2013-01-01

The dielectric nanosize dependence of BaTiO₃ powders was investigated by the slurry method, where two series of BaTiO₃ slurries with 10 vol% and 30 vol% solids loadings were prepared as model samples. Applying the Bruggeman-Hanai equation, the high-frequency limiting permittivity (ε(h)) of the slurries was extracted from the dielectric spectra. The ε(h) of the 10 vol% slurry showed abnormal size independence in the range from 100 nm to 700 nm, and the ε(h) of the 30 vol% slurry exhibited good agreement with the previous prediction. Through analysing quantitatively the response of ε(h) to the changing permittivity of the powders under different solids loading, it was found that the ε h of the slurry with lower solids loading is more inclined to be interfered by the systematic and random errors. Furthermore, a high permittivity value was found in the BaTiO₃ powders with 50 nm particle size.

TiO2 Hollow Spheres: One-Pot Synthesis and Enhanced Photocatalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Changchao; Cao, Yongqiang; Yang, Ping

2013-04-01

Hollow TiO2 microspheres were successfully fabricated by metal salts with low solubility in ethanol acting as intelligent templates using a simple one-pot solvothermal method. Hollow spheres with large diameter were obtained using CuSO4ṡ5H2O as templates while small ones were obtained using Sr(NO3)2 as templates. It is found that titanium precursor plays an important role for the morphology of samples. Solid TiO2 microspheres were prepared by using titanium tetrabutoxide (TBT). In contrast, bowl-like hollow microspheres were obtained by using titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4). Furthermore, the amount of H2O can stimulate the hydrolysis rate of TiCl4 to form solid spheres. Compared with solid microspheres, hollow TiO2 microspheres depending on their interior cavity structure exhibited enhanced photocatalysis efficiency for the UV-light photodegradation of methyl orange. Quantificationally, the apparent photocatalytic degradation pseudo-first-rate constant of the hollow microspheres is 1.25 times of that of the solid ones.

Microstructure and characterization of W-type hexaferrite Ba1-xLaxFe22+Fe163+O27 prepared by solid state method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jin; Liu, Xiansong; Mehmood Ur Rehman, Khalid; Li, Dan; Li, Mingling; Yang, Yujie

2018-04-01

We report a successful preparation of Ba1-xLaxFe22+Fe163+O27 (x = 0.00-0.10) W-type hexagonal ferrites by standard ceramic method in a reduced oxygen atmosphere. In this work, the effect of the substitution La3+ rare-earth ions for Ba2+ ions on the structural and magnetic properties of the prepared samples have been studied. The phase identification of magnetic powders was performed by X-ray diffraction. The results of XRD show that the single phase was observed in the W-type ferrites with different La content. The SEM micrographs showed that the ferrites have formed the hexagonal structure. The magnetic properties of the samples were metric by a vibrating sample magnetometer. The coercivity (Hc) of the particles decreases with the increase of La content(x), while the saturation magnetization (Ms) of the particles first increases with x from 0 to 0.05, and then begins to decrease when x continues to increase. The monotonic dependence of the magnetic anisotropy field Ha and coercivity Hc on the La3+ doping amount is found to be mainly dominated by the competition between Ms and Keff.

Methods of Analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory - Determination of Moderate-Use Pesticides and Selected Degradates in Water by C-18 Solid-Phase Extraction and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sandstrom, Mark W.; Stroppel, Max E.; Foreman, William T.; Schroeder, Michael P.

2001-01-01

A method for the isolation and analysis of 21 parent pesticides and 20 pesticide degradates in natural-water samples is described. Water samples are filtered to remove suspended particulate matter and then are pumped through disposable solid-phase-extraction columns that contain octadecyl-bonded porous silica to extract the analytes. The columns are dried by using nitrogen gas, and adsorbed analytes are eluted with ethyl acetate. Extracted analytes are determined by capillary-column gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring of three characteristic ions. The upper concentration limit is 2 micrograms per liter (?g/L) for most analytes. Single-operator method detection limits in reagent-water samples range from 0.00 1 to 0.057 ?g/L. Validation data also are presented for 14 parent pesticides and 20 degradates that were determined to have greater bias or variability, or shorter holding times than the other compounds. The estimated maximum holding time for analytes in pesticide-grade water before extraction was 4 days. The estimated maximum holding time for analytes after extraction on the dry solid-phase-extraction columns was 7 days. An optional on-site extraction procedure allows for samples to be collected and processed at remote sites where it is difficult to ship samples to the laboratory within the recommended pre-extraction holding time. The method complements existing U.S. Geological Survey Method O-1126-95 (NWQL Schedules 2001 and 2010) by using identical sample preparation and comparable instrument analytical conditions so that sample extracts can be analyzed by either method to expand the range of analytes determined from one water sample.

Large scale synthesis of nanostructured zirconia-based compounds from freeze-dried precursors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gomez, A.; Villanueva, R.; Vie, D.

2013-01-15

Nanocrystalline zirconia powders have been obtained at the multigram scale by thermal decomposition of precursors resulting from the freeze-drying of aqueous acetic solutions. This technique has equally made possible to synthesize a variety of nanostructured yttria or scandia doped zirconia compositions. SEM images, as well as the analysis of the XRD patterns, show the nanoparticulated character of those solids obtained at low temperature, with typical particle size in the 10-15 nm range when prepared at 673 K. The presence of the monoclinic, the tetragonal or both phases depends on the temperature of the thermal treatment, the doping concentration and themore » nature of the dopant. In addition, Rietveld refinement of the XRD profiles of selected samples allows detecting the coexistence of the tetragonal and the cubic phases for high doping concentration and high thermal treatment temperatures. Raman experiments suggest the presence of both phases also at relatively low treatment temperatures. - Graphical abstract: Zr{sub 1-x}A{sub x}O{sub 2-x/2} (A=Y, Sc; 0{<=}x{<=}0.12) solid solutions have been prepared as nanostructured powders by thermal decomposition of precursors obtained by freeze-drying, and this synthetic procedure has been scaled up to the 100 g scale. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Zr{sub 1-x}A{sub x}O{sub 2-x/2} (A=Y, Sc; 0{<=}x{<=}0.12) solid solutions have been prepared as nanostructured powders. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The synthetic method involves the thermal decomposition of precursors obtained by freeze-drying. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The temperature of the thermal treatment controls particle sizes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The preparation procedure has been scaled up to the 100 g scale. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This method is appropriate for the large-scale industrial preparation of multimetallic systems.« less

Community-Level Physiological Profiling of Microbial Communities in Constructed Wetlands: Effects of Sample Preparation.

PubMed

Button, Mark; Weber, Kela; Nivala, Jaime; Aubron, Thomas; Müller, Roland Arno

2016-03-01

Community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) using BIOLOG® EcoPlates™ has become a popular method for characterizing and comparing the functional diversity, functional potential, and metabolic activity of heterotrophic microbial communities. The method was originally developed for profiling soil communities; however, its usage has expanded into the fields of ecotoxicology, agronomy, and the monitoring and profiling of microbial communities in various wastewater treatment systems, including constructed wetlands for water pollution control. When performing CLPP on aqueous samples from constructed wetlands, a wide variety of sample characteristics can be encountered and challenges may arise due to excessive solids, color, or turbidity. The aim of this study was to investigate the impacts of different sample preparation methods on CLPP performed on a variety of aqueous samples covering a broad range of physical and chemical characteristics. The results show that using filter paper, centrifugation, or settling helped clarify samples for subsequent CLPP analysis, however did not do so as effectively as dilution for the darkest samples. Dilution was able to provide suitable clarity for the darkest samples; however, 100-fold dilution significantly affected the carbon source utilization patterns (CSUPs), particularly with samples that were already partially or fully clear. Ten-fold dilution also had some effect on the CSUPs of samples which were originally clear; however, the effect was minimal. Based on these findings, for this specific set of samples, a 10-fold dilution provided a good balance between ease of use, sufficient clarity (for dark samples), and limited effect on CSUPs. The process and findings outlined here can hopefully serve future studies looking to utilize CLPP for functional analysis of microbial communities and also assist in comparing data from studies where different sample preparation methods were utilized.

Trace elemental analysis of glass and paint samples of forensic interest by ICP-MS using laser ablation solid sample introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almirall, Jose R.; Trejos, Tatiana; Hobbs, Andria; Furton, Kenneth G.

2003-09-01

The importance of small amounts of glass and paint evidence as a means to associate a crime event to a suspect or a suspect to another individual has been demonstrated in many cases. Glass is a fragile material that is often found at the scenes of crimes such as burglaries, hit-and-run accidents and violent crime offenses. Previous work has demonstrated the utility of elemental analysis by solution ICP-MS of small amounts of glass for the comparison between a fragment found at a crime scene to a possible source of the glass. The multi-element capability and the sensitivity of ICP-MS combined with the simplified sample introduction of laser ablation prior to ion detection provides for an excellent and relatively non-destructive technique for elemental analysis of glass fragments. The direct solid sample introduction technique of laser ablation (LA) is reported as an alternative to the solution method. Direct solid sampling provides several advantages over solution methods and shows great potential for a number of solid sample analyses in forensic science. The advantages of laser ablation include the simplification of sample preparation, thereby reducing the time and complexity of the analysis, the elimination of handling acid dissolution reagents such as HF and the reduction of sources of interferences in the ionization plasma. Direct sampling also provides for essentially "non-destructive" sampling due to the removal of very small amounts of sample needed for analysis. The discrimination potential of LA-ICP-MS is compared with previously reported solution ICP-MS methods using external calibration with internal standardization and a newly reported solution isotope dilution (ID) method. A total of ninety-one different glass samples were used for the comparison study using the techniques mentioned. One set consisted of forty-five headlamps taken from a variety of automobiles representing a range of twenty years of manufacturing dates. A second set consisted of forty-six automotive glasses (side windows and windshields) representing casework glass from different vehicle manufacturers over several years was also characterized by RI and elemental composition analysis. The solution sample introduction techniques (external calibration and isotope dilution) provide for excellent sensitivity and precision but have the disadvantages of destroying the sample and also involve complex sample preparation. The laser ablation method was simpler, faster and produced comparable discrimination to the EC-ICP-MS and ID-ICP-MS. LA-ICP-MS can provide for an excellent alternative to solution analysis of glass in forensic casework samples. Paints and coatings are frequently encountered as trace evidence samples submitted to forensic science laboratories. A LA-ICP-MS method has been developed to complement the commonly used techniques in forensic laboratories in order to better characterize these samples for forensic purposes. Time-resolved plots of each sample can be compared to associate samples to each other or to discriminate between samples. Additionally, the concentration of lead and the ratios of other elements have been determined in various automotive paints by the reported method. A sample set of eighteen (18) survey automotive paint samples have been analyzed with the developed method in order to determine the utility of LA-ICP-MS and to compare the method to the more commonly used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) method for elemental characterization of paint layers in forensic casework.

Application of NaClO-treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes as solid phase extraction sorbents for preconcentration of trace 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in aqueous samples.

PubMed

Lu, Ping; Deng, Dayi; Ni, Xiaodan

2012-09-01

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes functionalized by oxidation of original multiwalled carbon nanotubes with NaClO were prepared and their application as solid phase extraction sorbent for 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was investigated systemically, and a new method was developed for the determination of trace 2,4-D in water samples based on extraction and preconcentration of 2,4-D with solid phase extraction columns packed with NaClO-treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes prior to its determination by HPLC. The optimum experimental parameters for preconcentration of 2,4-D, including the column activating conditions, the amount of the sorbent, pH of the sample, elution composition, and elution volume, were investigated. The results indicated 2,4-D could be quantitatively retained by 100 mg NaClO-treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes at pH 5, and then eluted completely with 10 mL 3:1 (v/v) methanol-ammonium acetate solution (0.3 mol/L). The detection limit of this method for 2,4-D was 0.15 μg/L, and the relative standard deviation was 2.3% for fortified tap water samples and 2.5% for fortified riverine water sample at the 10 μg/L level. The method was validated using fortified tap water and riverine water samples with known amount of 2,4-D at the 0.4, 10, and 30 μg/L levels, respectively. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Application of an ETV-ICP system for the determination of elements in human hair*1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plantikow-Voβgätter, F.; Denkhaus, E.

1996-01-01

When determining element contents in hair samples without sample digestion it is necessary to analyze large sample volumes in order to minimize problems of inhomogeneity of biological sample materials. Therefore an electrothermal vaporization system (ETV) is used for solid sample introduction into an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) for the determination of matrix and trace elements in hair. This paper concentrates on the instrumental aspects without time consuming sample preparation. The results obtained for optimization tests, ETV operating parameters and ICP operating parameters, are shown and discussed. Standard additions are used for calibration for the determination of Zn, Mg, and Mn in human hair. Studies including reproducibility and detection limits for chosen elements have been carried out on certified reference materials (CRMs). The determination of reproducibility (relative standard deviation (RSD) of n = 10) and detection limits (DLs) of Zn (RSD < 8.5%, DL < 0.8 μ g -1), Mn (RSD < 14.1%, DL < 0.3 μ g -1), and Mg (RSD < 7.4%, DL < 6.6 μ g -1) are satisfactory. The concentration values found show good agreement with the corresponding certified values. Further sample preparation steps, including hair sampling, washing procedure and homogenization for hair, relating to measurements of real hair samples are described.

The contribution of grain boundary and defects to the resistivity in the ferromagnetic state of polycrystalline manganites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagdeo, P. R.; Anwar, Shahid; Lalla, N. P.; Patil, S. I.

2006-11-01

In the present study we report the precise resistivity measurements for the polycrystalline bulk sample as well as highly oriented thin-films of La 0.8Ca 0.2MnO 3. The poly crystalline sample was prepared by standard solid-state reaction route and the oriented thin film was prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The phase purity of these samples was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and the back-scattered electron imaging using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The oxygen stoichiometry analysis was done by iodimetry titration. The resistivities of these samples were carried out with four-probe resistivity measurement setup. The observed temperature dependence of resistivity data for both the samples was fitted using the polaron model. We have found that polaronic model fits well with the experimental data of both polycrystalline and single crystal samples. A new phenomenological model is proposed and used to estimate contribution to the resistivity due to grain boundary in the ferromagnetic state of polycrystalline manganites and it has been shown that the scattering of electrons from the grain boundary (grain surface) is a function of temperature and controlled by the effective grain resistance at that temperature.

Structural analysis and ferroelectric properties of Fe doped BaTiO{sub 3}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mishra, Ashutosh, E-mail: a.mansuri14@gmail.com, E-mail: amishra1960@yahoo.co.in; Mansuri, Amantulla, E-mail: a.mansuri14@gmail.com, E-mail: amishra1960@yahoo.co.in; Dwivedi, J. P.

2016-05-23

The polycrystalline samples of Fe doped BaTiO{sub 3} (BTO) with compositional formula BaTi{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x}O{sub 3} (x = 0, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05) were prepared by solid-state reaction route. The influence of the Fe content on the structural, vibrational and electric properties of BaTiO{sub 3} was investigated using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and Polarization techniques. XRD analysis indicates the formation of single-phase tetragonal structure for all the prepared samples. Tetragonal cubic structure with space group P4mm of all samples is further approved by Rietveld refinement. Room temperature Raman spectra of pure BaTiO{sub 3} show four active modes ofmore » vibration whose intensity decreases with increasing Fe doping. Small shift in Raman modes and increment in the line width has been observed with the doping ions. The hysteresis loop is very well performed with regular sharp characteristic of ferroelectric materials.« less

Patterning of ultrathin polymethylmethacrylate films by in-situ photodirecting of the Marangoni flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elashnikov, Roman; Fitl, Premysl; Svorcik, Vaclav; Lyutakov, Oleksiy

2017-02-01

Laser heating and Marangoni flow result in the formation of surface structures with different geometries and shape on thin polymer films. By laser beam irradiation combined with a sample movement the solid polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) films are heated and undergo phase transition which leads to a material flow. Since the laser beam has a non-linear distribution of energy, the PMMA film is heated inhomogeneously and a surface tension gradient in a lateral direction is introduced. During this procedure additional phenomena such as "reversible" or cyclic polymer flow also take place. The careful choice of experimental conditions enables the preparation of patterns with sophisticated geometries and with hierarchical pattern organization. Depending on initial PMMA film thickness and speed of the sample movement line arrays are created, which can subsequently be transformed into the crimped lines or system of circular holes. In addition, the introduction of a constant acceleration in the sample movement or a laser beam distortion enables the preparation of regularly crimped lines, ordered hexagonal holes or overlapped plates.

Development of coatings for automated 96-blade solid phase microextraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system, capable of extracting a wide polarity range of analytes from biological fluids.

PubMed

Mirnaghi, Fatemeh S; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2012-10-26

This work presents the development and evaluation of biocompatible polyacrylonitrile-polystyrene-divinylbenzene (PAN-PS-DVB) and polyacrylonitrile-phenylboronic acid (PAN-PBA) coatings for automated 96-blades (thin-film) solid phase microextraction (SPME) system, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The SPME condition was optimized for 60 min equilibrium extraction and 40 min desorption for PAN-PS-DVB, and 120 min equilibrium extraction and 60 min desorption for PAN-PBA for parallel sample preparation of up to 96 samples. The thin film geometry of the SPME blades provided good extraction efficiency due to the larger surface area of the coating, and simultaneous sample preparation provided fast and accurate analysis. The PAN-PS-DVB and PAN-PBA 96-blade SPME coatings were evaluated for extraction of analytes in a wide range of polarity (log P=2.8 to -3.7), and they demonstrated efficient extraction recovery (3.5-98.9% for PAN-PS-DVB and 4.0-74.1% for PAN-PBA) for both polar and non-polar groups of compounds. Reusability, reproducibility, and reliability of the system were evaluated. The results demonstrated that both coatings presented chemical and mechanical stability and long-lasting extraction efficiency for more than 100 usages in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and human plasma. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel ionic liquid-modified organic-polymer monolith as the sorbent for in-tube solid-phase microextraction of acidic food additives.

PubMed

Wang, Ting-Ting; Chen, Yi-Hui; Ma, Jun-Feng; Hu, Min-Jie; Li, Ying; Fang, Jiang-Hua; Gao, Hao-Qi

2014-08-01

A novel ionic liquid-modified organic-polymer monolithic capillary column was prepared and used for in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of acidic food additives. The primary amino group of 1-aminopropyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride was reacted with the epoxide group of glycidyl methacrylate. The as-prepared new monomer was then copolymerized in situ with acrylamide and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-8000 and PEG-10,000 as porogens. The extraction performance of the developed monolithic sorbent was evaluated for benzoic acid, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, cinnamic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and 3-(trifluoromethyl)-cinnamic acid. Such a sorbent, bearing hydrophobic and anion-exchange groups, had high extraction efficiency towards the test compounds. The adsorption capacities for the analytes dissolved in water ranged from 0.18 to 1.74 μg cm(-1). Good linear calibration curves (R(2) > 0.99) were obtained, and the limits of detection (S/N = 3) for the analytes were found to be in the range 1.2-13.5 ng mL(-1). The recoveries of five acidic food additives spiked in Coca-Cola beverage samples ranged from 85.4 % to 98.3 %, with RSD less than 6.9 %. The excellent applicability of the ionic liquid (IL)-modified monolithic column was further tested by the determination of benzoic acid content in Sprite samples, further illustrating its good potential for analyzing food additives in complex samples.

Effect of hydroxypropylcellulose and Tween 80 on physicochemical properties and bioavailability of ezetimibe-loaded solid dispersion.

PubMed

Rashid, Rehmana; Kim, Dong Wuk; Din, Fakhar Ud; Mustapha, Omer; Yousaf, Abid Mehmood; Park, Jong Hyuck; Kim, Jong Oh; Yong, Chul Soon; Choi, Han-Gon

2015-10-05

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of the HPC (hydroxypropylcellulose) and Tween 80 on the physicochemical properties and oral bioavailability of ezetimibe-loaded solid dispersions. The binary solid dispersions were prepared with drug and various amounts of HPC. Likewise, ternary solid dispersions were prepared with different ratios of drug, HPC and Tween 80. Both types of solid dispersions were prepared using the solvent evaporation method. Their aqueous solubility, physicochemical properties, dissolution and oral bioavailability were investigated in comparison with the drug powder. All the solid dispersions significantly improved the drug solubility and dissolution. As the amount of HPC increased in the binary solid dispersions to 10-fold, the drug solubility and dissolution were increased accordingly. However, further increase in HPC did not result in significant differences among them. Similarly, up to 0.1-fold, Tween 80 increased the drug solubility in the ternary solid dispersions followed by no significant change. However, Tween 80 hardly affected the drug dissolution. The physicochemical analysis proved that the drug in binary and ternary solid dispersion was existed in the amorphous form. The particle-size measurements of these formulations were also not significantly different from each other, which showed that Tween 80 had no impact on physicochemical properties. The ezetimibe-loaded binary and ternary solid dispersions gave 1.6- and 1.8-fold increased oral bioavailability in rats, respectively, as compared to the drug powder; however, these values were not significantly different from each other. Thus, HPC greatly affected the solubility, dissolution and oral bioavailability of drug, but Tween 80 hardly did. Furthermore, this ezetimibe-loaded binary solid dispersion prepared only with HPC would be suggested as a potential formulation for oral administration of ezetimibe. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of 15 marker constituents in various radix Astragali preparations by solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Qi, Lian-Wen; Yu, Qing-Tao; Yi, Ling; Ren, Mei-Ting; Wen, Xiao-Dong; Wang, Yu-Xia; Li, Ping

2008-01-01

An improved quality control method was developed to simultaneously determine 15 major constituents (eight flavonoids and seven saponins) in various radix Astragali preparations, using SPE for pretreatment of samples, HPLC with diode-array and evaporative light scattering detectors (DAD-ELSD) for quantification in one run, and HPLC-ESI-TOF/MS for definite identification of compounds in preparations. Optimum separations were obtained with a ZORBAX C(18) column, using a gradient elution with 0.3% aqueous formic acid and ACN. This established method was fully validated with respect to linearity, precision, repeatability, and accuracy, and was successfully applied to quantify the 15 compounds in 19 commercial samples, including 3 dosage forms, i. e., oral solution, injection, concentrated granule, and its processed products of radix Astragali. The results demonstrated that many factors might result in significant differences in quality of the final preparations, including crude drugs, pretreatment processes, manufacturing procedure, storage conditions, etc. Then the developed method provided a reasonable and powerful manner to ensure the efficacy, safety, and batch-to-batch uniformity of radix Astragali products by standardizing each procedure, and thus should be proposed as quality control for the clinical use and modernization of herbal preparations.

Supercritical fluid chromatography applied to the highly selective isolation of urinary steroid hormones prior to GC/MS analysis.

PubMed

Doué, Mickael; West, Caroline; Bichon, Emmanuelle; Le Bizec, Bruno; Lesellier, Eric

2018-06-01

To assess the presence of prohibited anabolic substances used to promote growth in livestock, calf urine is the most relevant matrix. However, the sample preparation methods (required to remove unwanted matrix components and fractionate isobaric species that may be unresolved by gas chromatography- mass spectrometry GC/MS) are long and complex. In this context, semi-preparative supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) was considered to possibly simplify the sample preparation in reducing the number of procedures. Fifteen stationary phases were screened with SFC combined with UV and evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD), among which two columns (Cosmosil π-NAP and Princeton DIOL) were retained for their ability to isolate steroid hormones from other matrix components and, for the second column, for the additional possibility to fractionate steroid hormones into different families (estrogens, mono-hydroxylated and di-hydroxylated androgens). The fractions were further analysed with GC/MS showing the benefit of class fractionation. The final method allows for significant time, solvent and money savings compared to the previously widely used method (solid-phase extraction combined with semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Solubilization of the poorly water soluble drug, telmisartan, using supercritical anti-solvent (SAS) process.

PubMed

Park, Junsung; Cho, Wonkyung; Cha, Kwang-Ho; Ahn, Junhyun; Han, Kang; Hwang, Sung-Joo

2013-01-30

Telmisartan is a biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) class II drug that has extremely low water solubility but is freely soluble in highly alkalized solutions. Few organic solvents can dissolve telmisartan. This solubility problem is the main obstacle achieving the desired bioavailability. Because of its unique characteristics, the supercritical anti-solvent (SAS) process was used to BCS class II drug in a variety of ways including micronization, amorphization and solid dispersion. Solid dispersions were prepared using hydroxypropylmethylcellulose/polyvinylpyrrolidone (HPMC/PVP) at 1:0.5, 1:1, and 1:2 weight ratios of drug to polymer, and pure telmisartan was also treated using the SAS process. Processed samples were characterized for morphology, particle size, crystallinity, solubility, dissolution rate and polymorphic stability. After the SAS process, all samples were converted to the amorphous form and were confirmed to be hundreds nm in size. Solubility and dissolution rate were increased compared to the raw material. Solubility tended to increase with increases in the amount of polymer used. However, unlike the solubility results, the dissolution rate decreased with increases in polymer concentration due to gel layer formation of the polymer. Processed pure telmisartan showed the best drug release even though it had lower solubility compared to other solid dispersions; however, because there were no stabilizers in processed pure telmisartan, it recrystallized after 1 month under severe conditions, while the other solid dispersion samples remained amorphous form. We conclude that after controlling the formulation of solid dispersion, the SAS process could be a promising approach for improving the solubility and dissolution rate of telmisartan. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Towards reconstruction of overlapping fingerprints using plasma spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jun-Ho; Choi, Soo-Jin; Yoh, Jack J.

2017-08-01

Chemical analysis is commonly used in the field of forensic science where the precise discrimination of primary evidence is of significant importance. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) exceeds other spectroscopic methods in terms of the time required for pre- and post-sample preparation, the insensitivity to sample phase state be it solid, liquid, or gas, and the detection of two-dimensional spectral mapping from real time point measurements. In this research, fingerprint samples on various surface materials are considered in the chemical detection and reconstruction of fingerprints using the two-dimensional LIBS technique. Strong and distinct intensities of specific wavelengths represent visible ink, natural secretion of sweat, and contaminants from the environment, all of which can be present in latent fingerprints. The particular aim of the work presented here is to enhance the precision of the two-dimensional recreation of the fingerprints present on metal, plastic, and artificially prepared soil surface using LIBS with principal component analysis. By applying a distinct wavelength discrimination for two overlapping fingerprint samples, separation into two non-identical chemical fingerprints was successfully performed.

A direct immersion solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous detection of levamisole and minor cocaine congeners in hair samples from chronic abusers.

PubMed

Fucci, Nadia; Gambelunghe, Cristiana; Aroni, Kyriaki; Rossi, Riccardo

2014-12-01

Because levamisole has been increasingly found as a component of illicit drugs, a robust method to detect its presence in hair samples is needed. However, no systematic research on the detection of levamisole in hair samples has been published. The method presented here uses direct immersion solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (DI-SPME-GC/MS) to detect levamisole and minor cocaine congeners in hair samples using a single-extraction method. Fifty hair samples taken in the last 4 years were obtained from cocaine abusers, along with controls taken from drug-free volunteers. Sampling was performed using direct immersion with a 30-μm polydimethylsiloxane fused silica/stainless steel fiber. Calibration curves were prepared by adding known amounts of analytes and deuterated internal standards to the hair samples taken from drug-free volunteers. This study focused on the adulterant levamisole and some minor cocaine congeners (tropococaine, norcocaine, and cocaethylene). Levamisole was detected in 38% of the hair samples analyzed; its concentration ranged from 0.2 to 0.8 ng/mg. The limit of quantification and limit of detection for levamisole, tropococaine, norcocaine, and cocaine were 0.2 and 0.1 ng/mg, respectively. DI-SPME-GC/MS is a sensitive and specific method to detect the presence of levamisole and cocaine congeners in hair samples.

Results of Characterization and Retrieval Testing on Tank 241-C-109 Heel Solids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Callaway, William S.

Eight samples of heel solids from tank 241-C-109 were delivered to the 222-S Laboratory for characterization and dissolution testing. After being drained thoroughly, one-half to two-thirds of the solids were off-white to tan solids that, visually, were fairly evenly graded in size from coarse silt (30-60 μm) to medium pebbles (8-16 mm). The remaining solids were mostly strongly cemented aggregates ranging from coarse pebbles (16-32 mm) to fine cobbles (6-15 cm) in size. Solid phase characterization and chemical analysis indicated that the air-dry heel solids contained ≈58 wt% gibbsite [Al(OH){sub 3}] and ≈37 wt% natrophosphate [Na{sub 7}F(PO{sub 4}){sub 2}·19H{sub 2}O].more » The strongly cemented aggregates were mostly fine-grained gibbsite cemented with additional gibbsite. Dissolution testing was performed on two test samples. One set of tests was performed on large pieces of aggregate solids removed from the heel solids samples. The other set of dissolution tests was performed on a composite sample prepared from well-drained, air-dry heel solids that were crushed to pass a 1/4-in. sieve. The bulk density of the composite sample was 2.04 g/mL. The dissolution tests included water dissolution followed by caustic dissolution testing. In each step of the three-step water dissolution tests, a volume of water approximately equal to 3 times the initial volume of the test solids was added. In each step, the test samples were gently but thoroughly mixed for approximately 2 days at an average ambient temperature of 25 °C. The caustic dissolution tests began with the addition of sufficient 49.6 wt% NaOH to the water dissolution residues to provide ≈3.1 moles of OH for each mole of Al estimated to have been present in the starting composite sample and ≈2.6 moles of OH for each mole of Al potentially present in the starting aggregate sample. Metathesis of gibbsite to sodium aluminate was then allowed to proceed over 10 days of gentle mixing of the test samples at temperatures ranging from 26-30 °C. The metathesized sodium aluminate was then dissolved by addition of volumes of water approximately equal to 1.3 times the volumes of caustic added to the test slurries. Aluminate dissolution was allowed to proceed for 2 days at ambient temperatures of ≈29 °C. Overall, the sequential water and caustic dissolution tests dissolved and removed 80.0 wt% of the tank 241-C-109 crushed heel solids composite test sample. The 20 wt% of solids remaining after the dissolution tests were 85-88 wt% gibbsite. If the density of the residual solids was approximately equal to that of gibbsite, they represented ≈17 vol% of the initial crushed solids composite test sample. In the water dissolution tests, addition of a volume of water ≈6.9 times the initial volume of the crushed solids composite was sufficient to dissolve and recover essentially all of the natrophosphate present. The ratio of the weight of water required to dissolve the natrophosphate solids to the estimated weight of natrophosphate present was 8.51. The Environmental Simulation Program (OLI Systems, Inc., Morris Plains, New Jersey) predicts that an 8.36 w/w ratio would be required to dissolve the estimated weight of natrophosphate present in the absence of other components of the heel solids. Only minor amounts of Al-bearing solids were removed from the composite solids in the water dissolution tests. The caustic metathesis/aluminate dissolution test sequence, executed at temperatures ranging from 27-30 °C, dissolved and recovered ≈69 wt% of the gibbsite estimated to have been present in the initial crushed heel solids composite. This level of gibbsite recovery is consistent with that measured in previous scoping tests on the dissolution of gibbsite in strong caustic solutions. Overall, the sequential water and caustic dissolution tests dissolved and removed 80.3 wt% of the tank 241-C-109 aggregate solids test sample. The residual solids were 92-95 wt% gibbsite. Only a minor portion (≈4.5 wt%) of the aggregate solids was dissolved and recovered in the water dissolution test. Other than some smoothing caused by continuous mixing, the aggregates were essentially unaffected by the water dissolution tests. During the caustic metathesis/aluminate dissolution test sequence, ≈81 wt% of the gibbsite estimated to have been present in the aggregate solids was dissolved and recovered. The pieces of aggregate were significantly reduced in size but persisted as distinct pieces of solids. The increased level of gibbsite recovery, as compared to that for the crushed heel solids composite, suggests that the way the gibbsite solids and caustic solution are mixed is a key determinant of the overall efficiency of gibbsite dissolution and recovery. The liquids recovered after the caustic dissolution tests on the crushed solids composite and the aggregate solids were observed for 170 days. No precipitation of gibbsite was observed. The distribution of particle sizes in the residual solids recovered following the dissolution tests on the crushed heel solids composite was characterized. Wet sieving indicated that 21.4 wt% of the residual solids were >710 μm in size, and laser light scattering indicated that the median equivalent spherical diameter in the <710-μm solids was 35 μm. The settling behavior of the residual solids following the large-scale dissolution tests was also studied. When dispersed at a concentration of ≈1 vol% in water, ≈24 wt% of the residual solids settled at a rate >0.43 in./s; ≈68 wt% settled at rates between 0.02 and 0.43 in./s; and ≈7 wt% settled slower than 0.02 in./s.« less

Synthesis and Thermal Degradation Studies of Melamine Formaldehyde Resins

PubMed Central

Ullah, Sami; Bustam, M. A.; Nadeem, M.; Tan, W. L.; Shariff, A. M.

2014-01-01

Melamine formaldehyde (MF) resins have been synthesized at different reaction temperature and pH values. Different molar ratios of melamine and formaldehyde were used to synthesize the corresponding resins. The prepared resin samples were characterized by using molecular weight determination viscometry and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The maximum percentage of solid content (69.7%) was obtained at pH 8.5 and 75°C temperature. The molecular weight of MF resin was increased with an increase of melamine monomer concentration. The highest residual weight 14.125 wt.% was obtained with sample 10. PMID:25436237

PROCESS OF PREPARING ZIRCONIUM OXYCHLORIDE

DOEpatents

Wilhelm, H.A.; Andrews, M.L.

1960-06-28

A process is given for preparing zirconyl chloride by mixing solid zirconyl chloride octahydrate and solid zirconium tetrachloride at room temperature whereby both chlorides are converted to zirconyl chloride trinydrate and hydrogen chloride is formed and volatilized by the reaction heat.

The Preparation and Characterization of Materials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wold, Aaron

1980-01-01

Presents several examples illustrating different aspects of materials problems, including problems associated with solid-solid reactions, sintering and crystal growth, characterization of materials, preparation and characterization of stoichiometric ferrites and chromites, copper-sulfur systems, growth of single crystals by chemical vapor…

A comparison of sample preparation methods for extracting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from equine faeces using HS-SPME.

PubMed

Hough, Rachael; Archer, Debra; Probert, Christopher

2018-01-01

Disturbance to the hindgut microbiota can be detrimental to equine health. Metabolomics provides a robust approach to studying the functional aspect of hindgut microorganisms. Sample preparation is an important step towards achieving optimal results in the later stages of analysis. The preparation of samples is unique depending on the technique employed and the sample matrix to be analysed. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) is one of the most widely used platforms for the study of metabolomics and until now an optimised method has not been developed for equine faeces. To compare a sample preparation method for extracting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from equine faeces. Volatile organic compounds were determined by headspace solid phase microextraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GCMS). Factors investigated were the mass of equine faeces, type of SPME fibre coating, vial volume and storage conditions. The resultant method was unique to those developed for other species. Aliquots of 1000 or 2000 mg in 10 ml or 20 ml SPME headspace were optimal. From those tested, the extraction of VOCs should ideally be performed using a divinylbenzene-carboxen-polydimethysiloxane (DVB-CAR-PDMS) SPME fibre. Storage of faeces for up to 12 months at - 80 °C shared a greater percentage of VOCs with a fresh sample than the equivalent stored at - 20 °C. An optimised method for extracting VOCs from equine faeces using HS-SPME-GCMS has been developed and will act as a standard to enable comparisons between studies. This work has also highlighted storage conditions as an important factor to consider in experimental design for faecal metabolomics studies.

Energetics of a uranothorite (Th 1–xU xSiO 4) solid solution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guo, Xiaofeng; Szenknect, Stephanie; Mesbah, Adel

High-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetric measurements were completed to determine the enthalpies of formation of the uranothorite, (USiO 4) x–(ThSiO 4) 1–x, solid solution. Phase-pure samples with x values of 0, 0.11, 0.21, 0.35, 0.71, and 0.84 were prepared, purified, and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry coupled with in situ mass spectrometry, and high-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry. This work confirms the energetic metastability of coffinite, USiO 4, and U-rich intermediate silicate phases with respect to a mixture of binary oxides. Furthermore, variations in unit cell parameters and negative excess volumesmore » of mixing, coupled with strongly exothermic enthalpies of mixing in the solid solution, suggest short-range cation ordering that can stabilize intermediate compositions, especially near x = 0.5.« less

Isolation and recovery of selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers from human serum and sheep serum: coupling reversed-phase solid-phase disk extraction and liquid-liquid extraction techniques with a capillary gas chromatographic electron capture negative ion mass spectrometric determinative technique.

PubMed

Loconto, Paul R; Isenga, David; O'Keefe, Michael; Knottnerus, Mark

2008-01-01

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are isolated and recovered with acceptable percent recoveries from human serum via liquid-liquid extraction and column chromatographic cleanup and fractionation with quantitation using capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with electron capture negative ion and selected ion monitoring. PBDEs are found in unspiked serum. An alternative sample preparation approach is developed using sheep serum that utilizes a formic acid pre-treatment followed by reversed-phase solid-phase disk extraction and normal-phase solid-phase cleanup using acidified silica gel that yields>50% recoveries. When these percent recoveries are combined with a minimized phase ratio for human serum and very low instrument detection limits, method detection limits below 500 parts-per-trillion are realized.

Energetics of a uranothorite (Th 1–xU xSiO 4) solid solution

DOE PAGES

Guo, Xiaofeng; Szenknect, Stephanie; Mesbah, Adel; ...

2016-10-11

High-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetric measurements were completed to determine the enthalpies of formation of the uranothorite, (USiO 4) x–(ThSiO 4) 1–x, solid solution. Phase-pure samples with x values of 0, 0.11, 0.21, 0.35, 0.71, and 0.84 were prepared, purified, and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry coupled with in situ mass spectrometry, and high-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry. This work confirms the energetic metastability of coffinite, USiO 4, and U-rich intermediate silicate phases with respect to a mixture of binary oxides. Furthermore, variations in unit cell parameters and negative excess volumesmore » of mixing, coupled with strongly exothermic enthalpies of mixing in the solid solution, suggest short-range cation ordering that can stabilize intermediate compositions, especially near x = 0.5.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nata, Iryanti Fatyasari, E-mail: yanti_tkunlam@yahoo.com; Irawan, Chairul; Mardina, Primata

Highly sulfonated carbonaceous spheres with diameter of 100–500 nm can be generated by hydrothermal carbonization of glucose in the presence of hydroxyethylsulfonic acid and acrylic acid at 180 °C for 4 h. The acidity of the prepared carbonaceous sphere C4-SO{sub 3}H can reach 2.10 mmol/g. It was used as a solid acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cornstarch. Total reducing sugar (TRS) concentration of 19.91 mg/mL could be obtained by hydrolyzing 20 mg/mL cornstarch at 150 °C for 6 h using C4-SO{sub 3}H as solid acid catalyst. The solid acid catalyst demonstrated good stability that only 9% decrease in TRSmore » concentration was observed after five repeat uses. The as-prepared carbon-based solid acid catalyst can be an environmentally benign replacement for homogeneous catalyst. - Highlights: • Carbon solid acid was successfully prepared by one-step hydrothermal carbonization. • The acrylic acid as monomer was effectively reduce the diameter size of particle. • The solid acid catalyst show good catalytic performance of starch hydrolysis. • The solid acid catalyst is not significantly deteriorated after repeated use.« less

Copper, gold, and silver decorated magnetic core-polymeric shell nanostructures for destruction of pathogenic bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padervand, Mohsen; Karanji, Ahmad Kiani; Elahifard, Mohammad Reza

2017-05-01

Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by co-precipitation method. The nanoparticles were silica coated using TEOS, and then modified by the polymeric layers of polypropylene glycol (PPG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Finally, the core-shell samples were decorated with Ag, Au, and Cu nanoparticles. The products were characterized by vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), TGA, SEM, XRD, and FTIR methods. The antibacterial activity of the prepared samples was evaluated in inactivation of E. coli and S. aureus microorganisms, representing the Gram-negative and Gram-positive species, respectively. The effect of solid dosage, bacteria concentration and type of polymeric modifier on the antibacterial activity was investigated. TEM images of the bacteria were recorded after the treatment time and according to the observed changes in the cell wall, the mechanism of antibacterial action was discussed. The prepared nanostructures showed high antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. This was due to the leaching of metal ions which subsequently led to the lysis of bacteria. A theoretical investigation was also done by studying the interaction of loaded metals with the nucleotide components of the microorganism DNA, and the obtained results were used to explain the experimental data. Finally, based on the observed inactivation curves, we explain the antibacterial behavior of the prepared nanostructures mathematically.

Optimization of food materials for development of nutritious pasta utilizing groundnut meal and beetroot.

PubMed

Mridula, D; Gupta, R K; Bhadwal, Sheetal; Khaira, Harjot; Tyagi, S K

2016-04-01

Present study was undertaken to optimize the level of food materials viz. groundnut meal, beetroot juice and refined wheat flour for development of nutritious pasta using response surface methodology. Box-benken design of experiments was used to design different experimental combinations considering 10 to 20 g groundnut meal, 6 to 18 mL beetroot juice and 80 to 90 g refined wheat flour. Quality attributes such as protein content, antioxidant activity, colour, cooking quality (solid loss, rehydration ratio and cooking time) and sensory acceptability of pasta samples were the dependent variables for the study. The results revealed that pasta samples with higher levels of groundnut meal and beetroot juice were high in antioxidant activity and overall sensory acceptability. The samples with higher content of groundnut meal indicated higher protein contents in them. On the other hand, the samples with higher beetroot juice content were high in rehydration ratio and lesser cooking time along with low solid loss in cooking water. The different level of studied food materials significantly affected the colour quality of pasta samples. Optimized combination for development of nutritious pasta consisted of 20 g groundnut meal, 18 mL beetroot juice and 83.49 g refined wheat flour with overall desirability as 0.905. This pasta sample required 5.5 min to cook and showed 1.37 % solid loss and rehydration ratio as 6.28. Pasta sample prepared following optimized formulation provided 19.56 % protein content, 23.95 % antioxidant activity and 125.89 mg/100 g total phenols with overall sensory acceptability scores 8.71.

Fine-Scale Mechanical Properties of Sliding Solids.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-02-28

experiments to be described, the tip was prepared by chemical polishing or electropolishing and welded to a loop of wire that could be resistively heated in...attach the sample to a wire mesh that could be resistively heated itself to high temperatures. Where neither of these methods were appropriate...section welded to the tip wire . The reflected beam is focussed onto an optical detector (also outside the chamber) which is sensitive to small changes

A solid phase microextraction coating based on ionic liquid sol-gel technique for determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and o-xylene in water samples using gas chromatography flame ionization detector.

PubMed

Sarafraz-Yazdi, Ali; Vatani, Hossein

2013-07-26

Ionic liquid mediated sol-gel sorbents for head-space solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) were developed for the extraction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and o-xylene (BTEX) compounds from water samples in ultra-trace levels. The analytes were subsequently analyzed with gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Three different coating fibers were prepared including: poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), coating prepared from poly(dimethylsiloxane) in the presence of ionic liquid as co-solvent and conditioned at a higher temperature than decomposition temperature of ionic liquid (PDMS-IL-HT) and coating prepared from poly(dimethylsiloxane) in the presence of ionic liquid as co-solvent and conditioned at a lower temperature than decomposition temperature of ionic liquid (PDMS-IL-LT). Prepared fibers demonstrate many advantages such as high thermal and chemical stabilities due to the chemical bonding of the coatings with the silanol groups on the fused-silica surface fiber. These fibers have shown long life time up to 180 extractions. The scanning electron micrographs of the fibers surfaces revealed that addition of ionic liquid into the sol solution during the sol-gel process increases the fiber coating thickness, affects the form of fiber structure and also leaves high pores in the fiber surface that cause high surface area and therefore increases sample capacity of the fibers. The important parameters that affect the extraction efficiency are desorption temperature and time, sample volume, extraction temperature, extraction time, stirring speed and salt effect. Therefore these factors were investigated and optimized. Under optimal conditions, the dynamic linear range with PDMS-IL-HT, PDMS and PDMS-IL-LT fibers were 0.3-200,000; 50-200,000 and 170-150,000pgmL(-1) and the detection limits (S/N=3) were 0.1-2 and 15-200 and 50-500pgmL(-1), and limit of quantifications (S/N=10) were 0.3-8 and 50-700 and 170-1800, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSD) for one fiber (repeatability) (n=5), were obtained from 3.1 up to 5.4% and between fibers or batch to batch (reproducibility) (n=3) in the range of 3.8-8.5% for three fibers. The developed method was successfully applied to the real water samples while the relative recovery percentages obtained for the spiked water samples at 20pgmL(-1) were from 91.2 to 103.3%. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of the main solid-state form of albendazole in bulk drug, employing Raman spectroscopy coupled to multivariate analysis.

PubMed

Calvo, Natalia L; Arias, Juan M; Altabef, Aída Ben; Maggio, Rubén M; Kaufman, Teodoro S

2016-09-10

Albendazole (ALB) is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic, which exhibits two solid-state forms (Forms I and II). The Form I is the metastable crystal at room temperature, while Form II is the stable one. Because the drug has poor aqueous solubility and Form II is less soluble than Form I, it is desirable to have a method to assess the solid-state form of the drug employed for manufacturing purposes. Therefore, a Partial Least Squares (PLS) model was developed for the determination of Form I of ALB in its mixtures with Form II. For model development, both solid-state forms of ALB were prepared and characterized by microscopic (optical and with normal and polarized light), thermal (DSC) and spectroscopic (ATR-FTIR, Raman) techniques. Mixtures of solids in different ratios were prepared by weighing and mechanical mixing of the components. Their Raman spectra were acquired, and subjected to peak smoothing, normalization, standard normal variate correction and de-trending, before performing the PLS calculations. The optimal spectral region (1396-1280cm(-1)) and number of latent variables (LV=3) were obtained employing a moving window of variable size strategy. The method was internally validated by means of the leave one out procedure, providing satisfactory statistics (r(2)=0.9729 and RMSD=5.6%) and figures of merit (LOD=9.4% and MDDC=1.4). Furthermore, the method's performance was also evaluated by analysis of two validation sets. Validation set I was used for assessment of linearity and range and Validation set II, to demonstrate accuracy and precision (Recovery=101.4% and RSD=2.8%). Additionally, a third set of spiked commercial samples was evaluated, exhibiting excellent recoveries (94.2±6.4%). The results suggest that the combination of Raman spectroscopy with multivariate analysis could be applied to the assessment of the main crystal form and its quantitation in samples of ALB bulk drug, in the routine quality control laboratory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Applications of derivatization reactions to trace organic compounds during sample preparation based on pressurized liquid extraction.

PubMed

Carro, Antonia M; González, Paula; Lorenzo, Rosa A

2013-06-28

Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) is an exhaustive technique used for the extraction of analytes from solid samples. Temperature, pressure, solvent type and volume, and the addition of other reagents notably influence the efficiency of the extraction. The analytical applications of this technique can be improved by coupling with appropriate derivatization reactions. The aim of this review is to discuss the recent applications of the sequential combination of PLE with derivatization and the approaches that involve simultaneous extraction and in situ derivatization. The potential of the latest developments to the trace analysis of environmental, food and biological samples is also analyzed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation of a deuterated polymer: Simulating to produce a solid tritium radioactive source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Rui; Kan, Wentao; Xiong, Xiaoling; Wei, Hongyuan

2017-08-01

The preparation of a deuterated polymer was performed in order to simulate the production of the corresponding tritiated polymer as a solid tritium radioactive source. Substitution and addition reaction were used to introduce deuterium into the polymer. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance and FT-IR spectroscopy were used to investigate the extent and location of deuterium in the polymer, indicating an effectively deuterated polymer was produced. The thermal analysis showed that the final polymer product could tolerate the environmental temperature below 125 °C in its application. This research provides a prosperous method to prepare solid tritium radioactive source.

A green synthesis of a layered titanate, potassium lithium titanate; lower temperature solid-state reaction and improved materials performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ogawa, Makoto, E-mail: waseda.ogawa@gmail.com; Department of Earth Sciences, Waseda University, 1-6-1 Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8050; Morita, Masashi, E-mail: m-masashi@y.akane.waseda.jp

2013-10-15

A layered titanate, potassium lithium titanate, with the size range from 0.1 to 30 µm was prepared to show the effects of the particle size on the materials performance. The potassium lithium titanate was prepared by solid-state reaction as reported previously, where the reaction temperature was varied. The reported temperature for the titanate preparation was higher than 800 °C, though 600 °C is good enough to obtain single-phase potassium lithium titanate. The lower temperature synthesis is cost effective and the product exhibit better performance as photocatalysts due to surface reactivity. - Graphical abstract: Finite particle of a layered titanate, potassiummore » lithium titanate, was prepared by solid-state reaction at lower temperature to show modified materials performance. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Potassium lithium titanate was prepared by solid-state reaction. • Lower temperature reaction resulted in smaller sized particles of titanate. • 600 °C was good enough to obtain single phased potassium lithium titanate. • The product exhibited better performance as photocatalyst.« less

Supercritical antisolvent versus coevaporation: preparation and characterization of solid dispersions.

PubMed

Majerik, Viktor; Horváth, Géza; Szokonya, László; Charbit, Gérard; Badens, Elisabeth; Bosc, Nathalie; Teillaud, Eric

2007-09-01

The objective of this work was to improve the dissolution rate and aqueous solubility of oxeglitazar. Solid dispersions of oxeglitazar in PVP K17 (polyvinilpyrrolidone) and poloxamer 407 (polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer) were prepared by supercritical antisolvent (SAS) and coevaporation (CoE) methods. Drug-carrier formulations were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, gas chromatography, UV/VIS spectroscopy and in vitro dissolution tests. The highest dissolution rate (nearly 3-fold higher than raw drug) was achieved by preparation of drug/PVP K17 coevaporate. Oxeglitazar/PVP K17 solid dispersions were stabilized by hydrogen bonding but contained higher amount of residual dichloromethane (DCM) than poloxamer 407 formulations regardless of the method of preparation. SAS prepared oxeglitazar/poloxamer 407 dissolved more than two times faster than raw drug. However, unlike PVP K17, poloxamer 407 did not form a single phase amorphous solid solution with oxeglitazar which has been manifested in higher degrees of crystallinity, too. Among the two techniques, evaluated in this work, conventional coevaporation resulted in higher amorphous content but SAS reduced residual solvent content more efficiently.

Preparation of Nickel Aluminum-Manganese Spinel Oxides Ni xAl 1- xMn 2O 4 for Oxygen Electrocatalysis in Alkaline Medium: Comparison of Properties Stemming from Different Preparation Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponce, Jilberto; Ríos, Edmundo; Rehspringer, Jean-Luc; Poillerat, Gérard; Chartier, Pierre; Gautier, Juan Luis

1999-06-01

Two different procedures were used to prepare spinel-type NixAl1-xMn2O4 (0≤x≤1) compounds to study the effects of solid state properties of mixed oxides on their electrocatalytic properties. The oxalic route, coprecipitation of metal oxalates dissolved in propanol or ethanol, and the propionic route, hydrolysis of metal carboxylates in propionic acid, have been used. In both routes, thermal decomposition produces the corresponding oxides. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the oxides crystallize in a cubic spinel phase with a unit cell parameter a that increases as aluminum is replaced by nickel. At low x values, compounds prepared by the propionic route showed a larger variation for parameter a than compounds prepared by the oxalic route, probably due to oxygen stoichiometric deficiency. This effect was estimated from the tetrahedral force constant (kt) values, which showed a fast decrease as x varied from 0 to 1. Electrical conductivity, conduction activation energy, hole mobility, and pHz of oxides prepared by the propionic route were also higher than those from oxides prepared by the oxalic route. Crystallinity grade and particle size were nearly 50‧ higher in propionic-route samples than in oxalic-route samples. The apparent and real electrocatalytic activities of both types of oxides were compared for O2 evolution.

Chemical Characterization of an Envelope A Sample from Hanford Tank 241-AN-103

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hay, M.S.

2000-08-23

A whole tank composite sample from Hanford waste tank 241-AN-103 was received at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and chemically characterized. Prior to characterization the sample was diluted to {approximately}5 M sodium concentration. The filtered supernatant liquid, the total dried solids of the diluted sample, and the washed insoluble solids obtained from filtration of the diluted sample were analyzed. A mass balance calculation of the three fractions of the sample analyzed indicate the analytical results appear relatively self-consistent for major components of the sample. However, some inconsistency was observed between results where more than one method of determination wasmore » employed and for species present in low concentrations. A direct comparison to previous analyses of material from tank 241-AN-103 was not possible due to unavailability of data for diluted samples of tank 241-AN-103 whole tank composites. However, the analytical data for other types of samples from 241-AN-103 we re mathematically diluted and compare reasonably with the current results. Although the segments of the core samples used to prepare the sample received at SRTC were combined in an attempt to produce a whole tank composite, determination of how well the results of the current analysis represent the actual composition of the Hanford waste tank 241-AN-103 remains problematic due to the small sample size and the large size of the non-homogenized waste tank.« less

Barley husk carbon as the fiber coating for the solid-phase microextraction of twelve pesticides in vegetables prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometric detection.

PubMed

Liang, Weiqian; Wang, Juntao; Zang, Xiaohuan; Dong, Wenhuan; Wang, Chun; Wang, Zhi

2017-03-31

In this work, a barley husk biomaterial was successfully carbonized by hydrothermal method. The carbon had a high specific surface area and good stability. It was coated onto a stainless steel wire through sol-gel technique to prepare a solid-phase microextraction fiber for the extraction of trace levels of twelve pesticides (tsumacide, fenobucarb, indoxacarb, diethofencarb, thimet, terbufos, malathion, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, buprofezin, acetamiprid, thiamethoxam) from vegetable samples prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) detection. The main experimental parameters that could influence the extraction efficiency such as extraction time, extraction temperature, sample pH, sample salinity, stirring rate, desorption temperature and desorption time, were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the linearity was observed in the range of 0.2-75.0μgkg -1 for tomato samples, and 0.3-60.0μgkg -1 for cucumber samples, with the correlation coefficients (r) ranging from 0.9959 to 0.9983. The limits of detection of the method were 0.01-0.05μgkg -1 for tomato samples, and 0.03-0.10μgkg -1 for cucumber samples. The recoveries of the analytes for the method from spiked samples were in the range of 76%-104%, and the precision, expressed as the relative standard deviations, was less than 12%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimal formation and enhanced superconductivity of Tl-1212 phase (Tl0.6Pb0.4)(Ba,Sr)CaCu2O7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranjbar, M. G.; Ghoranneviss, Mahmood; Abd-Shukor, R.

2018-06-01

The effect of heating temperature on the formation of Tl-1212 phase with nominal starting composition (Tl0.6Pb0.4)(Ba,Sr)CaCu2O7 (Tl-1212) is reported. The Ba-bearing Tl-1212 phase is normally prepared at around 900 °C while with Sr-bearing sample is prepared at a much higher temperature of around 1000 °C. This work was conducted to determine the optimal temperature to synthesis the Tl-1212 phase when the sample contains Ba and Sr with 1:1 ratio. (Tl0.6Pb0.4)(Ba,Sr)CaCu2O7 samples were prepared using the solid-state reaction method via the precursor route. In the final preparation stage, the samples were heated at 850, 870, 900, 920, 950, 970 and 1000 °C in oxygen flow. X-Ray diffraction patterns showed that most samples consisted of a mixed (Tl0.6Pb0.4)(Ba,Sr)Ca2Cu3O9 (Tl-1223) and Tl-1212 phase except for the sample heated at 970 °C which showed a single Tl-1212 phase and the sample heated at 850 °C which showed the Tl-1223 phase. The transition temperature measured by four-probe method showed that the sample heated at 970 °C exhibited the highest onset temperature of 118 K and zero-resistance temperature of 100 K. This transition temperature is higher than the usually reported value for the Tl-1212 phase. AC susceptibility measurements also showed the 970 °C heated sample with the highest transition temperature T c χ' = 109 K. The interplay of ionic radius (Ba2+ and Sr2+) decreases of the unit cell volume and changes in the internal lattice strain enhanced the transition temperature and the formation of the Tl-1212 phase.

Analysis of alternariol and alternariol monomethyl ether in foodstuffs by molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Rico-Yuste, A; Walravens, J; Urraca, J L; Abou-Hany, R A G; Descalzo, A B; Orellana, G; Rychlik, M; De Saeger, S; Moreno-Bondi, M C

2018-03-15

Molecularly imprinted porous polymer microspheres selective to Alternaria mycotoxins, alternariol (AOH) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), were synthesized and applied to the extraction of both mycotoxins in food samples. The polymer was prepared using 4-vinylpiridine (VIPY) and methacrylamide (MAM) as functional monomers, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as cross-linker and 3,8,9-trihydroxy-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyran-6-one (S2) as AOH surrogate template. A molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) method has been optimized for the selective isolation of the mycotoxins from aqueous samples coupled to HPLC with fluorescence (λ ex =258nm; λ em =440nm) or MS/MS analysis. The MISPE method was validated by UPLC-MS/MS for the determination of AOH and AME in tomato juice and sesame oil based on the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Method performance was satisfactory with recoveries from 92.5% to 106.2% and limits of quantification within the 1.1-2.8µgkg -1 range in both samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of sulfonamides in milk by capillary electrophoresis with PEG@MoS2 as a dispersive solid-phase extraction sorbent.

PubMed

An, Jianxin; Wang, Xuan; Ming, Meiting; Li, Jian; Ye, Nengsheng

2018-05-01

A synthetic polyethylene glycol-molybdenum disulfide (PEG@MoS 2 ) composite was prepared using a simple method, and the application of this material in dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) was investigated for the enrichment of eight sulfonamides (SAs) in milk samples. The composite was characterized by energy dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. The results showed that the MoS 2 synthesized in the presence of PEG has the advantage of a larger surface area and that the adsorption effect of this MoS 2 was enhanced. After extraction, the eight SAs were separated by capillary zone electrophoresis with a good linear relationship ( R 2  > 0.9902) in the range of 0.3-30 µg ml -1 and good precision (between 0.32% and 9.83%). Additionally, good recoveries (between 60.52% and 110.91%) were obtained for the SAs in the milk samples. The developed PEG@MoS 2 -based DSPE method could be applied for the enrichment of SAs in real milk samples.

Gas chromatographic determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and smoked rice samples after solid-phase microextraction using multiwalled carbon nanotube loaded hollow fiber.

PubMed

Matin, Amir Abbas; Biparva, Pourya; Gheshlaghi, Mohammad

2014-12-29

A novel solid-phase microextraction fiber was prepared based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) loaded on hollow fiber membrane pores. Stainless steel wire was used as unbreakable support. The major advantages of the proposed fiber are its (a) high reproducibility due to the uniform structure of the hollow fiber membranes, (b) high extraction capacity related to the porous structure of the hollow fiber and outstanding adsorptive characteristics of MWCNTs. The proposed fiber was applied for the microextraction of five representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from aqueous media (river and hubble-bubble water) and smoked rice samples followed by gas chromatographic determination. Analytical merits of the method, including high correlation coefficients [(0.9963-0.9992) and (0.9982-0.9999)] and low detection limits [(9.0-13.0ngL(-1)) and (40.0-150.0ngkg(-1))] for water and rice samples, respectively, made the proposed method suitable for the ultra-trace determination of PAHs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of four plant hormones in bananas by molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Yan, Hongyuan; Wang, Fang; Han, Dandan; Yang, Gengliang

2012-06-21

A highly selective molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) combined with liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection was developed for the simultaneous isolation and determination of four plant hormones including indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) in banana samples. The new molecularly imprinted microspheres (MIMs) prepared by aqueous suspension polymerization using 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid and 1-methylpiperazine as mimic templates performed with high selectivity and affinity for the four plant hormones, and applied as selective sorbents of solid-phase extraction could effectively eliminate the interferences of the banana matrix. Good linearity was obtained in a range of 0.04-4.00 μg g(-1) and the recoveries of the four plant hormones at three spiked levels ranged from 78.5 to 107.7% with the relative standard deviations (RSD) of less than 4.6%. The developed MISPE-HPLC protocol obviously improved the selectivity and eliminated the effect of template leakage on quantitative analysis, and could be applied for the determination of plant hormones in complicated biological samples.

Method of preparing (CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiNSO and byproducts thereof

DOEpatents

Spicer, Leonard D.; Bennett, Dennis W.; Davis, Jon F.

1984-01-01

(CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiNSO is produced by the reaction of ((CH.sub.3).sub.3 Si).sub.2 NH with SO.sub.2. Also produced in the reaction are ((CH.sub.3).sub.3 Si).sub.2 O and a new solid compound [NH.sub.4 ][(CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiOSO.sub.2 ]. Both (CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiNSO and [NH.sub.4 ][(CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiOSO.sub.2 ] have fluorescent properties. The reaction of the subject invention is used in a method of measuring the concentration of SO.sub.2 pollutants in gases. By the method, a sample of gas is bubbled through a solution of ((CH.sub.3).sub.3 Si).sub.2 NH, whereby any SO.sub.2 present in the gas will react to produce the two fluorescent products. The measured fluorescence of these products can then be used to calculate the concentration of SO.sub.2 in the original gas sample. The solid product [NH.sub.4 ][(CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiOSO.sub.2 ] may be used as a standard in solid state NMR spectroscopy.

Quick and selective extraction of Z-ligustilide from Angelica sinensis using magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Zeng, Qiong; Jia, Yan-Wei; Xu, Pei-Li; Xiao, Meng-Wei; Liu, Yi-Ming; Peng, Shu-Lin; Liao, Xun

2015-12-01

A facile and highly efficient magnetic solid-phase extraction method has been developed for Z-ligustilide, the major therapeutic agent in Angelica sinensis. The solid-phase adsorbent material used was prepared by conjugating carbon nanotubes with magnetic Fe3 O4 nanoparticles via a hydrothermal reaction. The magnetic material showed a high affinity toward Z-ligustilide due to the π-π stacking interaction between the carbon nanotubes and Z-ligustilide, allowing a quick and selective exaction of Z-ligustilide from complex sample matrices. Factors influencing the magnetic solid-phase extraction such as the amount of the added adsorbent, adsorption and desorption time, and desorption solvent, were investigated. Due to its high extraction efficiency, this method was proved highly useful for sample cleanup/enrichment in quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The proposed method had a linear calibration curve (R(2) = 0.9983) over the concentration between 4 ng/mL and 200 μg/mL Z-ligustilide. The accuracy of the method was determined by the recovery, which was from 92.07 to 104.02%, with the relative standard deviations >4.51%. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Characterization of bottom-sediment, water, and elutriate chemistry at selected stations at Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee

USGS Publications Warehouse

Broshears, R.E.

1991-01-01

To better-understand and predict the potential effect of dredging on water quality at Reelfoot Lake, chemical analyses were conducted on samples of lake water, bottom sediment, and elutriate water. Chemical analyses were conducted on samples of lake water, bottom sediment, and elutriate water collected at five stations in the lake during November 1988. Lake water was of the calcium magnesium bicarbonate type with an average dissolved-solids concentration of 120 milligrams per liter. Trace constituents were present in bottom sediments at concentrations representative of their average relative abundance in the earth?s crust. Elutriate waters prepared by mixing bottom sediment and lake water had suspended-solids concentrations as high as 2,000 milligrams per liter which exerted significant oxygen demand Trace constituents in the unfiltered elutriate waters were elevated with respect to lake water; elevated concentrations were attributable to the increased suspended-solids concentrations. Concentrations of total-recoverable copper, lead., and zinc in many elutriate waters exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s water-quality criteria for the protection of freshwater aquatic life. The toxicity of elutriate waters, as measured by a 48-hour bioassay with Ceriodaphnia dubia, was low.

Preparation of Mo-Re-C samples containing Mo7Re13C with the β-Mn-type structure by solid state reaction of planetary-ball-milled powder mixtures of Mo, Re and C, and their crystal structures and superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh-ishi, Katsuyoshi; Nagumo, Kenta; Tateishi, Kazuya; Takafumi, Ohnishi; Yoshikane, Kenta; Sugiyama, Machiko; Oka, Kengo; Kobayashi, Ryota

2017-01-01

Mo-Re-C compounds containing Mo7Re13C with the β-Mn structure were synthesized with high-melting-temperature metals Mo, Re, and C powders using a conventional solid state method with a planetary ball milling machine instead of the arc melting method. Use of the ball milling machine was necessary to obtain Mo7Re13C with the β-Mn structure using the solid state method. Almost single-phase Mo7Re13C with a trace of impurity were obtained using the synthesis method. By XRF and lattice parameter measurements on the samples, Fe element existed in the compound synthesized using the planetary ball milling machine with a pot and balls made of steel, though Fe element was not detected in the compound synthesized using a pot and balls made of tungsten carbide. The former compound containg the Fe atom did not show superconductivity but the latter compound without the Fe atom showed superconductivity at 6.1 K.

Optimization of cloud point extraction and solid phase extraction methods for speciation of arsenic in natural water using multivariate technique.

PubMed

Baig, Jameel A; Kazi, Tasneem G; Shah, Abdul Q; Arain, Mohammad B; Afridi, Hassan I; Kandhro, Ghulam A; Khan, Sumaira

2009-09-28

The simple and rapid pre-concentration techniques viz. cloud point extraction (CPE) and solid phase extraction (SPE) were applied for the determination of As(3+) and total inorganic arsenic (iAs) in surface and ground water samples. The As(3+) was formed complex with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC) and extracted by surfactant-rich phases in the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114, after centrifugation the surfactant-rich phase was diluted with 0.1 mol L(-1) HNO(3) in methanol. While total iAs in water samples was adsorbed on titanium dioxide (TiO(2)); after centrifugation, the solid phase was prepared to be slurry for determination. The extracted As species were determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The multivariate strategy was applied to estimate the optimum values of experimental factors for the recovery of As(3+) and total iAs by CPE and SPE. The standard addition method was used to validate the optimized methods. The obtained result showed sufficient recoveries for As(3+) and iAs (>98.0%). The concentration factor in both cases was found to be 40.

Preparation of molecular imprinted microspheres based on inorganic-organic co-functional monomer for miniaturized solid-phase extraction of fluoroquinolones in milk.

PubMed

Wang, Hui; Wang, Ruiling; Han, Yehong

2014-02-15

An inorganic-organic co-functional monomer, methacrylic acid-vinyltriethoxysilan (MAA-VTES) was designed for the synthesis of molecularly imprinted microspheres (MIMs). By virtue of the aqueous suspension polymerization and dummy template (pazufloxacin), the obtained MAA-VTES based MIMs exhibited good recognition and selectivity to fluoroquinolones (FQs), and were successfully applied as selective sorbents of a miniaturized home-made solid phase extraction device for the determination of ofloxacin (OFL), lomefloxacin (LOM) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) in milk samples. Under the optimum conditions of the miniaturized molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (mini-MISPE) coupled with liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector (LC-UV), good linearities were obtained for three FQs in a range of 0.2-20.0μgmL(-1) and the average recoveries at three spiked levels were ranged from 87.2% to 106.1% with the relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 5.4%. The presented co-functional monomer based mini-MISPE-LC-UV protocol introduced the rigidity and flexibility of inorganic silicon materials, exhibited excellent extraction performance towards targets, and could be potentially applied to the determination of FQs in milk samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Critical Review on Clinical Application of Separation Techniques for Selective Recognition of Uracil and 5-Fluorouracil.

PubMed

Pandey, Khushaboo; Dubey, Rama Shankar; Prasad, Bhim Bali

2016-03-01

The most important objectives that are frequently found in bio-analytical chemistry involve applying tools to relevant medical/biological problems and refining these applications. Developing a reliable sample preparation step, for the medical and biological fields is another primary objective in analytical chemistry, in order to extract and isolate the analytes of interest from complex biological matrices. Since, main inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) diagnosable through uracil analysis and the therapeutic monitoring of toxic 5-fluoruracil (an important anti-cancerous drug) in dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficient patients, require an ultra-sensitive, reproducible, selective, and accurate analytical techniques for their measurements. Therefore, keeping in view, the diagnostic value of uracil and 5-fluoruracil measurements, this article refines several analytical techniques involved in selective recognition and quantification of uracil and 5-fluoruracil from biological and pharmaceutical samples. The prospective study revealed that implementation of molecularly imprinted polymer as a solid-phase material for sample preparation and preconcentration of uracil and 5-fluoruracil had proven to be effective as it could obviates problems related to tedious separation techniques, owing to protein binding and drastic interferences, from the complex matrices in real samples such as blood plasma, serum samples.

Molecularly imprinted polymer-sol-gel tablet toward micro-solid phase extraction: II. Determination of amphetamine in human urine samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

El-Beqqali, Aziza; Andersson, Lars I; Jeppsson, Amin Dadoun; Abdel-Rehim, Mohamed

2017-09-15

Amphetamine selective molecularly imprinted sol-gel polymer tablets, MIP-tablets, for solid-phase microextraction of biofluid samples were prepared. An acetonitrile solution of deuterated amphetamine template and silane precursor, 3-(propylmethacrylate) trimethoxysilane, was soaked into the pores of polyethylene tablet substrates and polymerized by an acid-catalysed sol-gel process. Application of the resultant MIP-tablets to extract amphetamine from human urine samples followed by LC-MS/MS analysis was investigated. The extraction protocol was optimised with respect to pH of sample, addition of sodium chloride, extraction time, desorption solvent and desorption time. The final analysis method determined amphetamine in human urine with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.0ng/mL and a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 5ng/mL. Validation demonstrated accuracy of the method was 91.0-104.0% and inter-assay precision was 4.8-8.5% (RSD). Extraction recovery was 80%. The MIP-tablets could be re-used and the same tablet could be employed for more than twenty extractions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction combined with high performance liquid chromatography for analysis of phenolic compounds from environmental water samples.

PubMed

Feng, Qin-Zhong; Zhao, Li-Xia; Yan, Wei; Lin, Jin-Ming; Zheng, Zhi-Xia

2009-08-15

The molecularly imprinted bulk polymer with 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) as the template molecule and methylacrylic acid (MAA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as functional monomer and the crosslinker, respectively, has been prepared and applied to the molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) procedure for selective preconcentration of phenolic compounds from environmental water samples. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the polymer have been evaluated to optimize the selective preconcentration of the phenolic compounds from aqueous samples. The characteristics of the MISPE method were validated by HPLC. The recoveries ranged between 90% and 98% (RSD: 0.9-2.3%, n=3) for tap water, between 85% and 105% (RSD: 2.6-4.9%, n=3) for river water, between 78% and 98% (RSD: 2.6-5.4%, n=3) for sewage water fortified with 0.4 mg L(-1) of phenol, 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), pentachlorophenol (PCP). It was demonstrated that this MISPE-HPLC method could be applied to direct preconcentration and determination of phenolic compounds in environmental water samples.

Molecularly imprinted polymer as sorbent in micro-solid phase extraction of ochratoxin A in coffee, grape juice and urine.

PubMed

Lee, Tien Ping; Saad, Bahruddin; Khayoon, Wejdan Shakir; Salleh, Baharuddin

2012-01-15

A simple, environmental friendly and selective sample preparation technique employing porous membrane protected micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE) loaded with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) is described. After the extraction, the analyte was desorbed using ultrasonication and was analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits of OTA for coffee, grape juice and urine were 0.06 ng g(-1), 0.02 and 0.02 ng mL(-1), respectively while the quantification limits were 0.19 ng g(-1), 0.06 and 0.08 ng mL(-1), respectively. The recoveries of OTA from coffee spiked at 1, 25 and 50 ng g(-1), grape juice and urine samples at 1, 25 and 50 ng mL(-1) ranged from 90.6 to 101.5%. The proposed method was applied to thirty-eight samples of coffee, grape juice and urine and the presence of OTA was found in eighteen samples. The levels found, however, were all below the legal limits. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resolution of rare earth element interferences in fossil energy by-product samples using sector-field ICP-MS

DOE PAGES

Thompson, Robert L.; Bank, Tracy; Roth, Elliot; ...

2016-07-30

Here, the supply and price of rare earth elements (REEs) have become a concern to many countries in the world, which has led to renewed interest in exploration and recovery of REEs from secondary or waste sources. Potential high REE waste sources that are of particular interest are coal mining, preparation, combustion, and other fossil energy by-products, including those from natural gas production. In this work, we have examined a set of five solid samples from the treatment of produced and flowback water containing elevated concentrations of barium. In order to confirm the correct concentrations of Eu, we studied thesemore » materials using sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS), which is capable of resolving species of nearly identical masses, including Eu and BaO. While the use of quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS) for the REE analysis of most geological sample matrices should pose no problem, the presence of large amounts of Ba, as encountered in water treatment solids from natural gas produced and flowback samples may require SF-ICP-MS for accurate determination of all REEs.« less

Atmospheric Solid Analysis Probe Coupled to Ion Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry, a Fast and Simple Method for Polyalphaolefin Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendes Siqueira, Anna Luiza; Beaumesnil, Mathieu; Hubert-Roux, Marie; Loutelier-Bourhis, Corinne; Afonso, Carlos; Bai, Yang; Courtiade, Marion; Racaud, Amandine

2018-05-01

Polyalphaolefins (PAOs) are polymers produced from linear alpha olefins through catalytic oligomerization processes. The PAOs are known as synthetic high-performance base stock fluids used to improve the efficiency of many other synthetic products. In this study, we report the direct characterization of PAOs using atmospheric solid analysis probe (ASAP) coupled with ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS). We studied different PAOs grades exhibiting low- and high-viscosity index. Specific adjustments of the ASAP source parameters permitted the monitoring of ionization processes as three mechanisms could occur for these compounds: hydride abstraction, nitrogen addition, and/or the formation of [M-2H]+• ions. Several series of fragment ions were obtained, which allowed the identification of the alpha olefin used to synthesize the PAO. The use of the ion mobility separation dimension provides information on isomeric species. In addition, the drift time versus m/z plots permitted rapid comparison between PAO samples and to evidence their complexity. These 2D plots appear as fingerprints of PAO samples. To conclude, the resort to ASAP-IMS-MS provides a rapid characterization of the PAO samples in a direct analysis approach, without any sample preparation.

Design and development of molecularly imprinted polymers for the selective extraction of deltamethrin in olive oil: An integrated computational-assisted approach.

PubMed

Martins, Nuno; Carreiro, Elisabete P; Locati, Abel; Ramalho, João P Prates; Cabrita, Maria João; Burke, Anthony J; Garcia, Raquel

2015-08-28

This work firstly addresses the design and development of molecularly imprinted systems selective for deltamethrin aiming to provide a suitable sorbent for solid phase (SPE) extraction that will be further used for the implementation of an analytical methodology for the trace analysis of the target pesticide in spiked olive oil samples. To achieve this goal, a preliminary evaluation of the molecular recognition and selectivity of the molecularly imprinted polymers has been performed. In order to investigate the complexity of the mechanistic basis for template selective recognition in these polymeric matrices, the use of a quantum chemical approach has been attempted providing new insights about the mechanisms underlying template recognition, and in particular the crucial role of the crosslinker agent and the solvent used. Thus, DFT calculations corroborate the results obtained by experimental molecular recognition assays enabling one to select the most suitable imprinting system for MISPE extraction technique which encompasses acrylamide as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinker. Furthermore, an analytical methodology comprising a sample preparation step based on solid phase extraction has been implemented using this "tailor made" imprinting system as sorbent, for the selective isolation/pre-concentration of deltamethrin from olive oil samples. Molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) methodology was successfully applied for the clean-up of spiked olive oil samples, with recovery rates up to 94%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Speciation analysis of Mn(II)/Mn(VII) using Fe3O4@ionic liquids-β-cyclodextrin polymer magnetic solid phase extraction coupled with ICP-OES.

PubMed

Chen, Songqing; Qin, Xingxiu; Gu, Weixi; Zhu, Xiashi

2016-12-01

Ionic liquids-β-cyclodextrin polymer (ILs-β-CDCP) was attached on Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles to prepare magnetic solid phase extraction agent (Fe 3 O 4 @ILs-β-CDCP). The properties and morphology of Fe 3 O 4 @ILs-β-CDCP were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), size distribution and magnetic analysis. A new method of magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) coupled to ICP-OES for the speciation of Mn(II)/Mn(VII) in water samples was established. The results showed that Mn(VII) and total manganese [Mn(II)+Mn(VII)] were quantitatively extracted after adjusting aqueous sample solution to pH 6.0 and 10.0, respectively. Mn(II) was calculated by subtraction of Mn(VII) from total manganese. Fe 3 O 4 @ILs-β-CDCP showed a higher adsorption capacity toward Mn(II) and Mn(VII). Several factors, such as the pH value, extraction temperature and sample volume, were optimized to achieve the best extraction efficiency. Moreover, the adsorption ability of Fe 3 O 4 @ILs-β-CDCP would not be significantly lower after reusing of 10 times. The accuracy of the developed method was confirmed by analyzing certified reference materials (GSB 07-1189-2000), and by spiking spring water, city water and lake water samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation of Mo-Re-C samples containing Mo{sub 7}Re{sub 13}C with the β-Mn-type structure by solid state reaction of planetary-ball-milled powder mixtures of Mo, Re and C, and their crystal structures and superconductivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oh-ishi, Katsuyoshi, E-mail: oh-ishi@kc.chuo-u.ac.jp; Nagumo, Kenta; Tateishi, Kazuya

Mo-Re-C compounds containing Mo{sub 7}Re{sub 13}C with the β-Mn structure were synthesized with high-melting-temperature metals Mo, Re, and C powders using a conventional solid state method with a planetary ball milling machine instead of the arc melting method. Use of the ball milling machine was necessary to obtain Mo{sub 7}Re{sub 13}C with the β-Mn structure using the solid state method. Almost single-phase Mo{sub 7}Re{sub 13}C with a trace of impurity were obtained using the synthesis method. By XRF and lattice parameter measurements on the samples, Fe element existed in the compound synthesized using the planetary ball milling machine with amore » pot and balls made of steel, though Fe element was not detected in the compound synthesized using a pot and balls made of tungsten carbide. The former compound containg the Fe atom did not show superconductivity but the latter compound without the Fe atom showed superconductivity at 6.1 K. - Graphical abstract: Temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility measured under 10 Oe for the superconducting PBM-T samples without Fe element and non-superconducting PBM-S with Fe element. The inset is the enlarged view of the data for the PBM-S sample.« less

Innovative processing of dense LSGM electrolytes for IT-SOFC's

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rambabu, B.; Ghosh, Samrat; Zhao, Weichang; Jena, Hrudananda

This paper reports for the first time the attempted synthesis of SrO- and MgO-doped LaGaO 3 (La 1- xSr xGa 1- yMg yO 3-0.5(x+ y), LSGM) perovskite by an aqueous 'regenerative' solution route. This novel technique enabled recycling of the undesired product and subsequently yielded product with much better phase purity and density than that obtained from the solid-state route. La 0.8Sr 0.2Ga 0.85Mg 0.15O 2.825 (LSGM-2015) and LaGaO 3 were prepared using both the regenerative sol-gel (RSG) and conventional solid-state route at 1400 °C. Series of La 0.8Sr 0.2Ga 0.83Mg 0.17O 2.815 (LSGM-2017) pellets were also prepared by the RSG method at different sintering temperature (1200-1500 °C) and time. The effect of conventional and microwave sintering of samples obtained from both solid-state and regenerative route was also investigated. Microwave heating was carried out using SiC as a microwave susceptor. The LSGM pellets prepared by using different synthetic methods were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and pellet density was determined by pycnometry. The LSGM-2015 prepared by RSG route exhibited conductivity σ t = 0.066 and 0.029 S cm -1 at 800 and 700 °C, respectively, and activation energy of the bulk, grain-boundary, and total are E b = 0.97 eV, E gb = 1.03 eV and E t = 1.01 eV, respectively. The sintering temperature severely affected the grain size (<0.1-10 μm) and also the grain-boundary resistance (3-175 kΩ). The unique aspect of this RSG technique is that the final product can be recycled which makes the process cost effective and time saving compared to the solid-state ceramic technique and this technique would allow optimization of processing parameters in a cost effective and time saving manner for obtaining well sintered LSGM as an electrolyte for IT-SOFC's.

Preparation of nitrogen-doped carbon tubes

DOEpatents

Chung, Hoon Taek; Zelenay, Piotr

2015-12-22

A method for synthesizing nitrogen-doped carbon tubes involves preparing a solution of cyanamide and a suitable transition metal-containing salt in a solvent, evaporating the solvent to form a solid, and pyrolyzing the solid under an inert atmosphere under conditions suitable for the production of nitrogen-doped carbon tubes from the solid. Pyrolyzing for a shorter period of time followed by rapid cooling resulted in a tubes with a narrower average diameter.

In vivo microsampling to capture the elusive exposome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bessonneau, Vincent; Ings, Jennifer; McMaster, Mark; Smith, Richard; Bragg, Leslie; Servos, Mark; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2017-03-01

Loss and/or degradation of small molecules during sampling, sample transportation and storage can adversely impact biological interpretation of metabolomics data. In this study, we performed in vivo sampling using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in combination with non-targeted liquid chromatography and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to capture the fish tissue exposome using molecular networking analysis, and the results were contrasted with molecular differences obtained with ex vivo SPME sampling. Based on 494 MS/MS spectra comparisons, we demonstrated that in vivo SPME sampling provided better extraction and stabilization of highly reactive molecules, such as 1-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-palmitoleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine, from fish tissue samples. This sampling approach, that minimizes sample handling and preparation, offers the opportunity to perform longitudinal monitoring of the exposome in biological systems and improve the reliability of exposure-measurement in exposome-wide association studies.

In vivo microsampling to capture the elusive exposome

PubMed Central

Bessonneau, Vincent; Ings, Jennifer; McMaster, Mark; Smith, Richard; Bragg, Leslie; Servos, Mark; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2017-01-01

Loss and/or degradation of small molecules during sampling, sample transportation and storage can adversely impact biological interpretation of metabolomics data. In this study, we performed in vivo sampling using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in combination with non-targeted liquid chromatography and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to capture the fish tissue exposome using molecular networking analysis, and the results were contrasted with molecular differences obtained with ex vivo SPME sampling. Based on 494 MS/MS spectra comparisons, we demonstrated that in vivo SPME sampling provided better extraction and stabilization of highly reactive molecules, such as 1-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-palmitoleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine, from fish tissue samples. This sampling approach, that minimizes sample handling and preparation, offers the opportunity to perform longitudinal monitoring of the exposome in biological systems and improve the reliability of exposure-measurement in exposome-wide association studies. PMID:28266605

Application of Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe Mass Spectrometry (ASAP-MS) in Petroleomics: Analysis of Condensed Aromatics Standards, Crude Oil, and Paraffinic Fraction.

PubMed

Tose, Lilian V; Murgu, Michael; Vaz, Boniek G; Romão, Wanderson

2017-11-01

Atmospheric solids analysis probe mass spectrometry (ASAP-MS) is a powerful tool for analysis of solid and liquid samples. It is an excellent alternative for crude oil analysis without any sample preparation step. Here, ASAP-MS in positive ion mode, ASAP(+)-MS, has been optimized for analysis of condensed aromatics (CA) standards, crude oil, and paraffinic fraction samples using a Synapt G2-S HDMS. Initially, two methodologies were used to access the chemical composition of samples: (1) using a temperature gradient varying from 150 to 600 °C at a heating rate of 150 °C min -1 , and (2) with constant temperature of 300 and 400 °C. ASAP(+)-MS ionized many compounds with a typical petroleum profile, showing a greater signals range of m/z 250-1300 and 200-1400 for crude oil and paraffin samples, respectively. Such performance, mainly related to the detection of high molecular weight compounds (>1000 Da), is superior to that of other traditional ionization sources, such as ESI, APCI, DART, and DESI. Additionally, the CA standards were identified in both forms: radicals, [M] +• , and protonated cations, [M + H] + , with minimum fragmentation. Therefore, ASAP was more efficient in accessing the chemical composition of nonpolar and polar compounds. It is promising in its application with ultrahigh resolution MS instruments, such as FT-ICR MS and Orbitrap, since molecular formulas with greater resolution and mass accuracy (<1 ppm) would be assigned. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Batcheller, Thomas Aquinas; Taylor, Dean Dalton

Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center 300,000-gallon vessel WM-189 was filled in late 2001 with concentrated sodium bearing waste (SBW). Three airlifted liquid samples and a steam jetted slurry sample were obtained for quantitative analysis and characterization of WM-189 liquid phase SBW and tank heel sludge. Estimates were provided for most of the reported data values, based on the greater of (a) analytical uncertainty, and (b) variation of analytical results between nominally similar samples. A consistency check on the data was performed by comparing the total mass of dissolved solids in the liquid, as measured gravimetrically from a dried sample,more » with the corresponding value obtained by summing the masses of cations and anions in the liquid, based on the reported analytical data. After reasonable adjustments to the nitrate and oxygen concentrations, satisfactory consistency between the two results was obtained. A similar consistency check was performed on the reported compositional data for sludge solids from the steam jetted sample. In addition to the compositional data, various other analyses were performed: particle size distribution was measured for the sludge solids, sludge settling tests were performed, and viscosity measurements were made. WM-189 characterization results were compared with those for WM-180, and other Tank Farm Facility tank characterization data. A 2-liter batch of WM-189 simulant was prepared and a clear, stable solution was obtained, based on a general procedure for mixing SBW simulant that was develop by Dr. Jerry Christian. This WM-189 SBW simulant is considered suitable for laboratory testing for process development.« less

Application of Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe Mass Spectrometry (ASAP-MS) in Petroleomics: Analysis of Condensed Aromatics Standards, Crude Oil, and Paraffinic Fraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tose, Lilian V.; Murgu, Michael; Vaz, Boniek G.; Romão, Wanderson

2017-08-01

Atmospheric solids analysis probe mass spectrometry (ASAP-MS) is a powerful tool for analysis of solid and liquid samples. It is an excellent alternative for crude oil analysis without any sample preparation step. Here, ASAP-MS in positive ion mode, ASAP(+)-MS, has been optimized for analysis of condensed aromatics (CA) standards, crude oil, and paraffinic fraction samples using a Synapt G2-S HDMS. Initially, two methodologies were used to access the chemical composition of samples: (1) using a temperature gradient varying from 150 to 600 °C at a heating rate of 150 °C min-1, and (2) with constant temperature of 300 and 400 °C. ASAP(+)-MS ionized many compounds with a typical petroleum profile, showing a greater signals range of m/z 250-1300 and 200-1400 for crude oil and paraffin samples, respectively. Such performance, mainly related to the detection of high molecular weight compounds (>1000 Da), is superior to that of other traditional ionization sources, such as ESI, APCI, DART, and DESI. Additionally, the CA standards were identified in both forms: radicals, [M]+•, and protonated cations, [M + H]+, with minimum fragmentation. Therefore, ASAP was more efficient in accessing the chemical composition of nonpolar and polar compounds. It is promising in its application with ultrahigh resolution MS instruments, such as FT-ICR MS and Orbitrap, since molecular formulas with greater resolution and mass accuracy (<1 ppm) would be assigned. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Preparation of Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for Chlorpyrifos Adsorption and Enrichment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, M.; Ma, X.; Sheng, J.

2017-11-01

Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) for chlorpyrifos was prepared and characterized. The adsorption performance of MMIP for chlorpyrifos was evaluated under various conditions. The results showed that the adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 1 h, the adsorption capacity was 16.8 mg/g, and the adsorption process could be well described by Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The MMIP was used as the selective sorbent for solid-phase extraction of chlorpyrifos from environmental water and vegetable samples. Combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, a LOD of 30 ng/L, spiked recovery of 89.6%-107.3% and RSD of 1.9%-3.8% for chlorpyrifos were obtained.

Preparation and characterization of hierarchical porous carbons derived from solid leather waste for supercapacitor applications.

PubMed

Konikkara, Niketha; Kennedy, L John; Vijaya, J Judith

2016-11-15

Utilization of crust leather waste (CLW) as precursors for the preparation of hierarchical porous carbons (HPC) were investigated. HPCs were prepared from CLW by pre-carbonization followed by chemical activation using KOH at relatively high temperatures. Textural properties of HPC's showed an extent of micro-and mesoporosity with maximum BET surface area of 716m(2)/g. Inducements of graphitic planes in leather waste derived carbons were observed from X-ray diffraction and HR-TEM analysis. Microstructure, thermal behavior and surface functional groups were identified using FT-Raman, thermo gravimetric analysis and FT-IR techniques. HPCs were evaluated for electrochemical properties by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) by three electrode system. CLC9 sample showed a maximum capacitance of 1960F/g in 1M KCl electrolyte. Results achieved from rectangular curves of CV, GCD symmetric curves and Nyquist plots show that the leather waste carbon is suitable to fabricate supercapacitors as it possess high specific capacitance and electrochemical cycle stability. The present study proposes an effective method for solid waste management in leather industry by the way of converting toxic leather waste to new graphitic porous carbonaceous materials as a potential candidate for energy storage devices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis of hypromellose 2910 free films.

PubMed

Cespi, Marco; Bonacucina, Giulia; Mencarelli, Giovanna; Casettari, Luca; Palmieri, Giovanni Filippo

2011-10-01

It is common practice to coat oral solid dosage forms with polymeric materials for controlled release purposes or for practical and aesthetic reasons. Good knowledge of thermo-mechanical film properties or their variation as a function of polymer grade, type and amount of additives or preparation method is of prime importance in developing solid dosage forms. This work focused on the dynamic mechanical thermal characteristics of free films of hypromellose 2910 (also known as HPMC), prepared using three grades of this polymer from two different manufacturers, in order to assess whether polymer chain length or origin affects the mechanical or thermo-mechanical properties of the final films. Hypromellose free films were obtained by casting their aqueous solutions prepared at a specific concentrations in order to obtain the same viscosity for each. The films were stored at room temperature until dried and then examined using a dynamic mechanical analyser. The results of the frequency scans showed no significant differences in the mechanical moduli E' and E″ of the different samples when analysed at room temperature; however, the grade of the polymer affected material transitions during the heating process. Glass transition temperature, apparent activation energy and fragility parameters depended on polymer chain length, while the material brand showed little impact on film performance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanofibers mat-based solid-phase extraction method for the pretreatment of urine samples and its application in the primary study on the disposition of nonylphenol after long-term low-level exposure in rats.

PubMed

Qian, Liangliang; Li, Ruixian; Di, Qiannan; Shen, Yang; Xu, Qian; Li, Jian

2017-09-01

A method was established for the analysis of nonylphenol (NP) in rat urine samples based on a solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure with an amino functionalized polyacrylonitrile nanofibers mat (NH 2 -PAN NF S M) as sorbent coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The calibration curves prepared in three different days showed good linearity over a wide range of NP concentrations from 0.1 to 100.0ng/mL. It was remarkable that the proposed NH 2 -PAN NFsM based SPE method showed superior extraction efficiency with the consumption of only 4mg of sorbent and 500μL of eluent. The eluent without any further concentration was directly analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS. As a result, a simple and effective sample preparation was achieved. In addition, the notable lower detection limit (LOD) of 0.03ng/mL revealed the excellent sensitivity of the proposed method in comparison with that in literatures. The recoveries ranged from 85.0% to 114.8% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 7.5% to 13.7%, which were better than or comparable to those from the published methods, suggesting high accuracy of the proposed method. The proposed method was applied in primary study on the disposition of nonylphenol after long-term low-level exposure in rats, providing information for health risk assessment on the real scenarios of NP exposure. NH 2 -PAN NFsM shows great potential as a novel SPE sorbent for the analysis of biological samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for the selective determination of bromhexine in human serum and urine with high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Javanbakht, Mehran; Namjumanesh, Mohammad Hadi; Akbari-Adergani, Behrouz

2009-11-15

In this work, a novel method is described for the determination of bromhexine in biological fluids using molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction as the sample cleanup technique combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared using methacrylic acid as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker, chloroform as porogen and bromhexine as the template molecule. The novel imprinted polymer was used as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for the extraction of bromhexine from human serum and urine. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the polymer have been evaluated. The optimal conditions for molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) consisted of conditioning 1 mL methanol and 1 mL of deionized water at neutral pH, loading of 5 mL of the water sample (25 microg L(-1)) at pH 6.0, washing using 2 mL acetonitrile/acetone (1/4, v/v) and elution with 3x 1 mL methanol/acetic acid (10/1, v/v). The MIP selectivity was evaluated by checking several substances with similar molecular structures to that of bromhexine. Results from the HPLC analyses showed that the calibration curve of bromhexine using MIP from human serum and urine is linear in the ranges of 0.5-100 and 1.5-100 microg L(-1) with good precisions (3.3% and 2.8% for 5.0 microg L(-1)), respectively. The recoveries for serum and urine samples were higher than 92%.

Evaluation of the immunomodulatory and DNA protective activities of the shoots of Cynodon dactylon.

PubMed

Mangathayaru, K; Umadevi, M; Reddy, C Umamaheswara

2009-05-04

Fresh juice of Cyanodon dactylon known as 'durva' grass is employed in India as a rejuvenator and for wound healing. To validate the traditional use of the herb through evaluation of DNA protective activity in vitro and immunomodulatory activity in vivo. Fresh juice of the grass was prepared as indicated for use in traditional medicine and standardized for solid content. Its total phenol content was estimated by Folin-Ciocalteau method. Freshly prepared juice was investigated for its effect on doxorubicin-induced DNA damage in vitro. Its immunomodulatory activity was tested on balb/c mice by the humoral antibody response which was determined by haemagglutination antibody titer and spleen cell assay. Fresh juice of Cyanodon dactylon of 1.46% (w/w) solid content had a phenolic content of 47+/-0.33 mg/kg GAE. At doses equivalent to 50, 100 and 200mg total solids/kg body weight the juice protected human DNA against doxorubicin-induced DNA damage as demonstrated in DNA spectral studies, where the ratio of absorbance of DNA at 260 and 280 nm in samples pretreated with the juice was 1.66, 1.53 and 1.63 respectively, while it was 1.37 for DNA treated with doxorubicin only. This indicates nucleic acid purity in the Cynodon dactylon treated samples. Oral administration of the juice at 250 and 500 mg/kg in balb/c mice increased humoral antibody response upon antigen challenge, as evidenced by a dose-dependent, statistically significant increase in antibody titer in the haemagglutination antibody assay and plaque forming cell assay. The present report demonstrated the DNA protective activity and immunomodulatory property of the fresh juice of Cynodon dactylon validating the traditional use of the herb as a 'rasayana' in ayurvedic system of medicine.

[Multiply upconversion emission in oxyfluoride ceramics].

PubMed

Xiao, Si-guo; Yang, Xiao-liang; Liu, Zhen-wei

2003-02-01

Oxyfluoride ceramics with the host composition of SiO2 and PbF2 have been prepared. X-ray diffraction analysis of the ceramics revealed that fluoride type beta-PbF2 solid solution regions are precipitated in the glass matrix. Rare earth ions in the beta-PbF2 solid solution show highly efficient upconversion performance due to the very small multi-phonon relaxation rates. Eight upconversion emission bands whose central wavelength are 846, 803, 665, 549, 523, 487, 456 and 411 nm have been observed when the sample was excited with 930 nm diode light. Four possible energy transfer processes between Er3+ and Yb3+ cause the electronic population of high energy level of Er3+ and realize the abound upconversion luminescence bands.

Compositional control of continuously graded anode functional layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCoppin, J.; Barney, I.; Mukhopadhyay, S.; Miller, R.; Reitz, T.; Young, D.

2012-10-01

In this work, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC's) are fabricated with linear-compositionally graded anode functional layers (CGAFL) using a computer-controlled compound aerosol deposition (CCAD) system. Cells with different CGAFL thicknesses (30 um and 50 um) are prepared with a continuous compositionally graded interface deposited between the electrolyte and anode support current collecting regions. The compositional profile was characterized using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic mapping. An analytical model of the compound aerosol deposition was developed. The model predicted compositional profiles for both samples that closely matched the measured profiles, suggesting that aerosol-based deposition methods are capable of creating functional gradation on length scales suitable for solid oxide fuel cell structures. The electrochemical performances of the two cells are analyzed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

Solid-state synthesis of nano-sized Ba(Ti1- x Sn x )O3 powders and dielectric properties of corresponding ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ansaree, Md. Jawed; Kumar, Upendra; Upadhyay, Shail

2017-06-01

Powders of a few compositions of solid solution BaTi1- x Sn x O3 ( x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.40) have been synthesized at 800 °C for 8 h using Ba(NO3)2, TiO2 and SnCl4·5H2O as starting materials. The thermogravimetric (TG) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis of mixture in the stoichiometric proportion for sample BaTi0.80Sn0.20O3 have been carried out to understand the formation of solid solutions. Single-phase pure compounds (except x = 0.40) of the samples have been obtained at a lower calcination temperature (800 °C) than that of those reported in the literature for traditional solid-state synthesis making use of oxides and or carbonates as starting material (≥1200 °C). Tetragonal symmetry for compositions x = 0.0 and 0.10, cubic for x = 0.2 and 0.30 were found by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis confirmed that calcined powders have a particle size between 30 and 50 nm. Ceramics of these powders were prepared by sintering at 1350 °C for 4 h. Properties of ceramics obtained in this work have been compared with properties reported in the literature.

Solid-phase extraction with the metal-organic framework MIL-101(Cr) combined with direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry for the fast analysis of triazine herbicides.

PubMed

Li, Xianjiang; Xing, Jiawei; Chang, Cuilan; Wang, Xin; Bai, Yu; Yan, Xiuping; Liu, Huwei

2014-06-01

MIL-101(Cr) is an excellent metal-organic framework with high surface area and nanoscale cavities, making it promising in solid-phase extraction. Herein, we used MIL-101(Cr) as a solid-phase extraction packing material combined with fast detection of direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) for the analysis of triazine herbicides. After systematic optimization of the operation parameters, including the gas temperature of DART, the moving speed of the 1D platform, solvent for desorption, amount of MIL-101(Cr) extraction time, eluent volume and salt concentration, this method can realize the simultaneous detection of five kinds of triazine herbicides. The limits of detection were 0.1∼0.2 ng/mL and the linear ranges covered more than two orders of magnitude with the quantitation limits of 0.5∼1 ng/mL. Moreover, the developed method has been applied for the analysis of lake water samples and the recoveries for spiked analytes were in the range of 85∼110%. These results showed that solid-phase extraction with metal-organic frameworks is an efficient sample preparation approach for DART-MS analysis and could find more applications in environmental analysis. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

New immobilisation protocol for the template used in solid-phase synthesis of MIP nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lu; Muhammad, Turghun; Yakup, Burabiye; Piletsky, Sergey A.

2017-06-01

As a novel imprinting method, solid-phase synthesis has proven to be a promising approach to prepare polymer nanoparticles with specific recognition sites for a template molecule. In this method, imprinted polymer nanoparticles were synthesized using template immobilized on a solid support. Herein, preparation of immobilized templates on quartz chips through homogeneous route was reported as an efficient alternative strategy to heterogeneous one. The template molecule indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) was reacted with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to produce silylated template (IBA-APTES), and it was characterized by IR, 1H NMR and GC-MS. Then, the silylated template molecule was grafted onto the activated surfaces of quartz chip to prepare immobilized template (SiO2@IBA-APTES). The immobilization was confirmed by contact angle, XPS, UV and fluorescence measurement. Immobilization protocol has shown good reproducibility and stability of the immobilized template. MIP nanoparticles were prepared with high selectivity toward the molecule immobilized onto the solid surface. This provides a new approach for the development of molecularly imprinted nanoparticles.

Preparation and screening of crystalline inorganic materials

DOEpatents

Schultz, Peter G [La Jolla, CA; Xiang, Xiaodong [Danville, CA; Goldwasser, Isy [Palo Alto, CA; Brice{hacek over }o, Gabriel; Sun, Xiao-Dong [Fremont, CA; Wang, Kai-An [Cupertino, CA

2008-10-28

Methods and apparatus for the preparation and use of a substrate having an array of diverse materials in predefined regions thereon. A substrate having an array of diverse materials thereon is generally prepared by delivering components of materials to predefined regions on a substrate, and simultaneously reacting the components to form at least two materials. Materials which can be prepared using the methods and apparatus of the present invention include, for example, covalent network solids, ionic solids and molecular solids. More particularly, materials which can be prepared using the methods and apparatus of the present invention include, for example, inorganic materials, intermetallic materials, metal alloys, ceramic materials, organic materials, organometallic materials, non-biological organic polymers, composite materials (e.g., inorganic composites, organic composites, or combinations thereof), etc. Once prepared, these materials can be screened for useful properties including, for example, electrical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic, chemical, or other properties. Thus, the present invention provides methods for the parallel synthesis and analysis of novel materials having useful properties.

Preparation and screening of crystalline zeolite and hydrothermally-synthesized materials

DOEpatents

Schultz, Peter G.; Xiang, Xiaodong; Goldwasser, Isy; Briceno, Gabriel; Sun, Xiao-Dong; Wang, Kai-An

2005-03-08

Methods and apparatus for the preparation and use of a substrate having an array of diverse materials in predefined regions thereon. A substrate having an array of diverse materials thereon is generally prepared by delivering components of materials to predefined regions on a substrate, and simultaneously reacting the components to form at least two materials. Materials which can be prepared using the methods and apparatus of the present invention include, for example, covalent network solids, ionic solids and molecular solids. More particularly, materials which can be prepared using the methods and apparatus of the present invention include, for example, inorganic materials, intermetallic materials, metal alloys, ceramic materials, organic materials, organometallic materials, non-biological organic polymers, composite materials (e.g., inorganic composites, organic composites, or combinations thereof), etc. Once prepared, these materials can be screened for useful properties including, for example, electrical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic, chemical, or other properties. Thus, the present invention provides methods for the parallel synthesis and analysis of novel materials having useful properties.

Review of in situ derivatization techniques for enhanced bioanalysis using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Baghdady, Yehia Z; Schug, Kevin A

2016-01-01

Accurate and specific analysis of target molecules in complex biological matrices remains a significant challenge, especially when ultra-trace detection limits are required. Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry is often the method of choice for bioanalysis. Conventional sample preparation and clean-up methods prior to the analysis of biological fluids such as liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, or protein precipitation are time-consuming, tedious, and can negatively affect target recovery and detection sensitivity. An alternative or complementary strategy is the use of an off-line or on-line in situ derivatization technique. In situ derivatization can be incorporated to directly derivatize target analytes in their native biological matrices, without any prior sample clean-up methods, to substitute or even enhance the extraction and preconcentration efficiency of these traditional sample preparation methods. Designed appropriately, it can reduce the number of sample preparation steps necessary prior to analysis. Moreover, in situ derivatization can be used to enhance the performance of the developed liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry-based bioanalysis methods regarding stability, chromatographic separation, selectivity, and ionization efficiency. This review presents an overview of the commonly used in situ derivatization techniques coupled to liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry-based bioanalysis to guide and to stimulate future research. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fabrication of polyaniline-coated halloysite nanotubes by in situ chemical polymerization as a solid-phase microextraction coating for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in aqueous solutions.

PubMed

Abolghasemi, Mir Mahdi; Arsalani, Naser; Yousefi, Vahid; Arsalani, Mahmood; Piryaei, Marzieh

2016-03-01

We have synthesized an organic-inorganic polyaniline-halloysite nanotube composite by an in situ polymerization method. This nanocomposite is immobilized on a stainless-steel wire and can be used as a fiber coating for solid-phase microextraction. It was found that our new solid-phase microextraction fiber is an excellent adsorbent for the extraction of some volatile organic compounds in aqueous samples in combination with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The coating can be prepared easily, is mechanically stable, and exhibits relatively high thermal stability. It is capable of extracting phenolic compounds from water samples. Following thermal desorption, the phenols were quantified by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The effects of extraction temperature, extraction time, sample ionic strength, stirring rate, pH, desorption temperature and desorption time were studied. Under optimal conditions, the repeatability for one fiber (n = 5), expressed as the relative standard deviation, is between 6.2 and 9.1%. The detection limits range from 0.005 to 4 ng/mL. The method offers the advantage of being simple to use, with a shorter analysis time, lower cost of equipment and higher thermal stability of the fiber in comparison to conventional methods of analysis. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Characterization of the Particle Size and Polydispersity of Dicumarol Using Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Dempah, Kassibla Elodie; Lubach, Joseph W; Munson, Eric J

2017-03-06

A variety of particle sizes of a model compound, dicumarol, were prepared and characterized in order to investigate the correlation between particle size and solid-state NMR (SSNMR) proton spin-lattice relaxation ( 1 H T 1 ) times. Conventional laser diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used as particle size measurement techniques and showed crystalline dicumarol samples with sizes ranging from tens of micrometers to a few micrometers. Dicumarol samples were prepared using both bottom-up and top-down particle size control approaches, via antisolvent microprecipitation and cryogrinding. It was observed that smaller particles of dicumarol generally had shorter 1 H T 1 times than larger ones. Additionally, cryomilled particles had the shortest 1 H T 1 times encountered (8 s). SSNMR 1 H T 1 times of all the samples were measured and showed as-received dicumarol to have a T 1 of 1500 s, whereas the 1 H T 1 times of the precipitated samples ranged from 20 to 80 s, with no apparent change in the physical form of dicumarol. Physical mixtures of different sized particles were also analyzed to determine the effect of sample inhomogeneity on 1 H T 1 values. Mixtures of cryoground and as-received dicumarol were clearly inhomogeneous as they did not fit well to a one-component relaxation model, but could be fit much better to a two-component model with both fast-and slow-relaxing regimes. Results indicate that samples of crystalline dicumarol containing two significantly different particle size populations could be deconvoluted solely based on their differences in 1 H T 1 times. Relative populations of each particle size regime could also be approximated using two-component fitting models. Using NMR theory on spin diffusion as a reference, and taking into account the presence of crystal defects, a model for the correlation between the particle size of dicumarol and its 1 H T 1 time was proposed.

Preparation and characterization of molecularly imprinted polymer for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate: application to sample clean-up prior to gas chromatographic determination.

PubMed

Shaikh, Huma; Memon, Najma; Khan, Hamayun; Bhanger, M I; Nizamani, S M

2012-07-20

The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) selective for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) an environmental endocrine disruptor was prepared by suspension polymerization using methacrylamide as functional monomer and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide as cross-linker. The imprinted polymer was employed for solid-phase extraction of DEHP from water samples of environmental importance and characterized by FT-IR and SEM. The adsorption properties of the imprinted polymer were demonstrated by equilibrium rebinding experiments, Pseudo-second-order kinetic model, Sips isotherm and Scatchard analysis. The reusability of MIP was checked for at least six repeated batch adsorption cycles and the results showed almost no deterioration in the adsorption capacity. The competitive recognition studies were performed with DEHP and structurally similar compounds; dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). The imprinting factor (IF) of DEHP was found to be 12.86 which was much higher than the imprinting factors (IF) of other phthalates. A method constituted by molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) with GC-FID was developed for DEHP analysis in water samples under very simple conditions. Sample loading and desorption conditions were also optimized. The MISPE method's linearity ranged from 0.035 to 3.0 μg ml⁻¹ with r² = 0.9998. Intra-assay, interassay precision and accuracy ranged from 0.0168% to 1.017%, 1.130% to 4.799% and 94.98% to 99.35%, respectively. The LOD and LOQ were found to be 0.011 and 0.035 μg ml⁻¹, respectively. Synthesized MIP was employed in MISPE for cleaning up the spiked river water samples prior to gas chromatographic analysis. The river samples were found to contain DEHP in the range of 1.4 × 10⁻³ to 0.349 μg ml⁻¹. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Manufacturing Amorphous Solid Dispersions with a Tailored Amount of Crystallized API for Biopharmaceutical Testing.

PubMed

Theil, Frank; Milsmann, Johanna; Anantharaman, Sankaran; van Lishaut, Holger

2018-05-07

The preparation of an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) by dissolving a poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in a polymer matrix can improve the bioavailability by orders of magnitude. Crystallization of the API in the ASD, though, is an inherent threat for bioavailability. Commonly, the impact of crystalline API on the drug release of the dosage form is studied with samples containing spiked crystallinity. These spiked samples possess implicit differences compared to native crystalline samples, regarding size and spatial distribution of the crystals as well as their molecular environment. In this study, we demonstrate that it is possible to grow defined amounts of crystalline API in solid dosage forms, which enables us to study the biopharmaceutical impact of actual crystallization. For this purpose, we studied the crystal growth in fenofibrate tablets over time under an elevated moisture using transmission Raman spectroscopy (TRS). As a nondestructive method to assess API crystallinity in ASD formulations, TRS enables the monitoring of crystal growth in individual dosage forms. Once the kinetic trace of the crystal growth for a certain environmental condition is determined, this method can be used to produce samples with defined amounts of crystallized API. To investigate the biopharmaceutical impact of crystallized API, non-QC dissolution methods were used, designed to identify differences between the various amounts of crystalline materials present. The drug release in the samples manufactured in this fashion was compared to that of samples with spiked crystallinity. In this study, we present for the first time a method for targeted crystallization of amorphous tablets to simulate crystallized ASDs. This methodology is a valuable tool to generate model systems for biopharmaceutical studies on the impact of crystallinity on the bioavailability.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction and solid-phase extraction for the simultaneous determination of five amide herbicides in fish samples by gas chromatography with electron capture detection.

PubMed

Qu, Zhipeng; Bai, Xiuzhi; Zhang, Ting; Yang, Zhaoguang

2017-03-01

An efficient sample extraction and clean-up method was developed for simultaneous determination of five amide herbicides (alachlor, acetochlor, propisochlor, metazachlor, and butachlor) in fish samples. The protocol consisted of ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction and solid-phase extraction clean-up. In detail, aliquots of homogenized fish flesh were thoroughly mixed with 20 mL of n-hexane and then extracted with ultrasonication for 40 min. Each sample was centrifuged and the supernatant was collected for the subsequent clean-up. For the sample preparation, the above supernatant was processed with a C 18 column with 3 mL of dichloromethane/n-hexane (1:1, v/v) as the eluant. Then the samples were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The correlation coefficients of the five calibration curves were 0.9976-0.9998 (n = 3). The limits of detection (S/N = 3, n = 11) and limits of quantification (S/N = 10, n = 11) were 0.19-0.42 and 0.63-1.39 μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of this method were 71.2-92.6% with good precision (<4.7% relative standard deviations, n = 6). The developed method was successfully applied to monitor the five amide herbicides in fish samples collected from different cities. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Preparation of polycrystalline FeTe1- x S x ( x = 0.00-0.30) via solid-state reaction method at ambient pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Edmund H. H.; Liew, Josephine Y. C.; Awang Kechik, M. M.; Halim, S. A.; Chen, S. K.; Tan, K. B.; Qi, X.

2017-06-01

Polycrystalline samples with nominal composition FeTe1- x S x ( x = 0.00-0.30) were synthesized via solid state reaction method with intermittent grinding in argon gas flow. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the tetragonal structure (space group P4/nmm) of the samples with the presence of impurities Fe3O4 and FeTe2. By substitution with S, the a and c lattice parameters shrink probably due to the smaller ionic radius of S2- compared to Te2-. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the samples developed plate-like grains with increasing S substitution. Substitution of Te with S suppresses the structural transition of the parent compound FeTe as shown by both the temperature dependence of resistance and magnetic moment measurements. All of the S-substituted samples showed a rapid drop of resistance at around 9-10 K but zero resistance down to 4 K was not observed. In addition, negative magnetic moment corresponds to diamagnetism was detected in the samples for x = 0.25 and 0.30 suggesting the coexistence of magnetic and superconducting phase in these samples. The magnetization hysteresis loops measured at room temperature showed ferromagnetic behavior for the pure and S substituted samples. However, the magnetization, rentivity and coercivity decreased with S content.

Optimization for Peptide Sample Preparation for Urine Peptidomics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sigdel, Tara K.; Nicora, Carrie D.; Hsieh, Szu-Chuan

2014-02-25

Analysis of native or endogenous peptides in biofluids can provide valuable insights into disease mechanisms. Furthermore, the detected peptides may also have utility as potential biomarkers for non-invasive monitoring of human diseases. The non-invasive nature of urine collection and the abundance of peptides in the urine makes analysis by high-throughput ‘peptidomics’ methods , an attractive approach for investigating the pathogenesis of renal disease. However, urine peptidomics methodologies can be problematic with regards to difficulties associated with sample preparation. The urine matrix can provide significant background interference in making the analytical measurements that it hampers both the identification of peptides andmore » the depth of the peptidomics read when utilizing LC-MS based peptidome analysis. We report on a novel adaptation of the standard solid phase extraction (SPE) method to a modified SPE (mSPE) approach for improved peptide yield and analysis sensitivity with LC-MS based peptidomics in terms of time, cost, clogging of the LC-MS column, peptide yield, peptide quality, and number of peptides identified by each method. Expense and time requirements were comparable for both SPE and mSPE, but more interfering contaminants from the urine matrix were evident in the SPE preparations (e.g., clogging of the LC-MS columns, yellowish background coloration of prepared samples due to retained urobilin, lower peptide yields) when compared to the mSPE method. When we compared data from technical replicates of 4 runs, the mSPE method provided significantly improved efficiencies for the preparation of samples from urine (e.g., mSPE peptide identification 82% versus 18% with SPE; p = 8.92E-05). Additionally, peptide identifications, when applying the mSPE method, highlighted the biology of differential activation of urine peptidases during acute renal transplant rejection with distinct laddering of specific peptides, which was obscured for most proteins when utilizing the conventional SPE method. In conclusion, the mSPE method was found to be superior to the conventional, standard SPE method for urine peptide sample preparation when applying LC-MS peptidomics analysis due to the optimized sample clean up that provided improved experimental inference from the confidently identified peptides.« less

Solid State Reaction Synthesis of Si-HA as Potential Biomedical Material: An Endeavor to Enhance the Added Value of Indonesian Mineral Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartatiek; Yudyanto; Ratnasari, S. D.; Windari, R. Y.; Hidayat, N.

2017-05-01

In recent years, one of the most prominently investigated materials is hydroxyapatite (HA). It is because of its excellent properties for medical applications, essentially related to orthopedic. Also, the introduction of other materials to HA becomes another research focus of many leading scientists. In this present study, silicon with various concentrations was introduced, by means of solid state reaction route, to HA forming Si-HA. The crystal structure properties of the as-prepared samples were evaluated by X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectroscopy data collection and analysis were done to investigate the functional groups within the samples. The microstructural characteristics as well as elemental mapping of the samples were captured by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). Vickers hardness test was also conducted to investigate the hardness properties of the samples. Furthermore, in vitro characterization-based bio resorbability of the samples in a simulated body fluid were also described. This study revealed that Indonesian limestone can be utilized as the raw material for synthesizing HA. The silicon has been successfully incorporated into phosphate site of the HA crystal. Conclusively, the Si-HA reported in this study shows good bioresorbability characteristic.

Molecularly imprinted polymer cartridges coupled on-line with high performance liquid chromatography for simple and rapid analysis of dextromethorphan in human plasma samples.

PubMed

Moein, Mohammad Mahdi; Javanbakht, Mehran; Akbari-Adergani, Behrouz

2011-04-01

In this paper, a novel method is described for automated determination of dextromethorphan in biological fluids using molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) as a sample clean-up technique combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared using methacrylic acid as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker, chloroform as porogen and dextromethorphan as template molecule. These imprinted polymers were used as solid-phase extraction sorbent for the extraction of dextromethorphan from human plasma samples. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the MIP cartridges were evaluated. The high selectivity of the sorbent coupled to the high performance liquid chromatographic system permitted a simple and rapid analysis of this drug in plasma samples with limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of 0.12 ng/mL and 0.35 ng/mL, respectively. The MIP selectivity was evaluated by analyzing of the dextromethorphan in presence of several substances with similar molecular structures and properties. Results from the HPLC analyses showed that the recoveries of dextromethorphan using MIP cartridges from human plasma samples in the range of 1-50 ng/mL were higher than 87%. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Solid phase extraction of metal ions in environmental samples on 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol impregnated activated carbon cloth.

PubMed

Alothman, Zeid A; Yilmaz, Erkan; Habila, Mohamed; Soylak, Mustafa

2015-02-01

1-(2-Pyridylazo)-2-naphthol impregnated activated carbon cloth (PAN-imp-ACC) was prepared as a solid phase sorbent and, for the first time, was used for the simultaneous separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of lead, cadmium and nickel in water, soil and sewage sludge samples prior to determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The parameters governing the efficiency of the method were optimized, including the pH, the eluent type and volume, the sample and eluent flow rates, diverse ions effects and the sample volume. A preconcentration factor of 100 was achieved for all the metal ions, with detection limits of 0.1-2.8 µg L(-1) and relative standard deviations below 6.3%. The adsorption capacity of the PAN-imp-ACC for Pb(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions was found to be 45.0 mg g(-1), 45.0 mg g(-1) and 43.2 mg g(-1), respectively. The method was validated by the analysis of the certified reference materials TMDA-64.2 fortified Lake Ontario water and BCR-146R Sewage Sludge Amended Soil (Industrial Origin). The procedure was applied to determine the analytes content in real samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The SOLID (Signs Of LIfe Detector) instrument concept: an antibody microarray-based biosensor for life detection in astrobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parro, V.; Rivas, L. A.; Rodríguez-Manfredi, J. A.; Blanco, Y.; de Diego-Castilla, G.; Cruz-Gil, P.; Moreno-Paz, M.; García-Villadangos, M.; Compostizo, C.; Herrero, P. L.

2009-04-01

Immunosensors have been extensively used since many years for environmental monitoring. Different technological platforms allow new biosensor designs and implementations. We have reported (Rivas et al., 2008) a shotgun approach for antibody production for biomarker detection in astrobiology and environmental monitoring, the production of 150 new polyclonal antibodies against microbial strains and environmental extracts, and the construction and validation of an antibody microarray (LDCHIP200, for "Life Detector Chip") containing 200 different antibodies. We have successfully used the LDCHIP200 for the detection of biological polymers in extreme environments in different parts of the world (e.g., a deep South African mine, Antarctica's Dry valleys, Yellowstone, Iceland, and Rio Tinto). Clustering analysis associated similar immunopatterns to samples from apparently very different environments, indicating that they indeed share similar universal biomarkers. A redundancy in the number of antibodies against different target biomarkers apart of revealing the presence of certain biomolecules, it renders a sample-specific immuno-profile, an "immnuno-fingerprint", which may constitute by itself an indirect biosignature. We will present a case study of immunoprofiling different iron-sulfur as well as phylosilicates rich samples along the Rio Tinto river banks. Based on protein microarray technology, we designed and built the concept instrument called SOLID (for "Signs Of LIfe Detector"; Parro et al., 2005; 2008a, b; http://cab.inta.es/solid) for automatic in situ analysis of soil samples and molecular biomarkers detection. A field prototype, SOLID2, was successfully tested for the analysis of grinded core samples during the 2005 "MARTE" campaign of a Mars drilling simulation experiment by a sandwich microarray immunoassay (Parro et al., 2008b). We will show the new version of the instrument (SOLID3) which is able to perform both sandwich and competitive immunoassays. SOLID3 consists of two separate functional units: a Sample Preparation Unit (SPU), for ten different extractions by ultrasonication, and a Sample Analysis Unit (SAU), for fluorescent immunoassays. The SAU consists of ten different flow cells each of one allocate one antibody microarray (up to 2000 spots), and is equipped with an unique designed optical package for fluorescent detection. We demonstrate the performance of SOLID3 for the detection of a broad range of molecular size compounds, from the amino acid size, peptides, proteins, to whole cells and spores, with sensitivities at the ppb level. References Parro, V., et al., 2005. Planetary and Space Science 53: 729-737. Parro, V., et al., 2008a. Space Science Reviews 135: 293-311 Parro, V., et al., 2008b. Astrobiology 8:987-99 Rivas, L. A., et al., 2008. Analytical Chemistry 80: 7970-7979

Customizing model membranes and samples for NMR spectroscopic studies of complex membrane proteins.

PubMed

Sanders, C R; Oxenoid, K

2000-11-23

Both solution and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for structural determination are advancing rapidly such that it is possible to contemplate bringing these techniques to bear upon integral membrane proteins having multiple transmembrane segments. This review outlines existing and emerging options for model membrane media for use in such studies and surveys the special considerations which must be taken into account when preparing larger membrane proteins for NMR spectroscopic studies.

Laser Induced Polymerization Reactions in Solid Propellant Binders.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-18

were -then evacuated in a glass vacuum desiccatbr to remove dissolved air and then opened to the atmosphere. Some samples were run under a nitrogen or...diacetate solution was prepared using acetonitrile as solvent. Molar absorbtivities at 266 and 355 nm for l,l’-ferrocenedicarboxylic acid were obtained with...increasing order of the electron withdrawing ability of the groups attached to the ferrocene ring. The order is as shown. r l,l’-Ferrocenedicarboxylic Acid

Microwave surface resistance of bulk YBa2Cu3O6+x material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathy, A.; Kalokitis, D.; Belohoubek, E.; Sundar, H. G. K.; Safari, A.

1988-10-01

Superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O samples were prepared by conventional solid-state reaction. The microwave surface resistance of 1:2:3 compound superconductor material was measured in a special disk resonator structure at 10 GHz. At liquid-nitrogen temperatures the microwave surface resistance is comparable to that of Au. At lower temperature (~10 K) the surface resistance is an order of magnitude lower than that of Au at the same temperature.

Mechanistic Studies of Superplasticity of Structural Ceramics

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-02-01

green compact, with a higher density and and most of Ine heavier transition-metal fewer defects and agglomerates, has a cations of the third row, is very...between 60% to 65% of the theoretical defects is merely one which mediates the above solid "elec- density. Samples of 2Y-TZP and other TZPs were prepared...trolyte," although any tendency toward binding between similarly, except for a smaller dopant concentration ot 0.6% point defects and dopants to form

One-pot preparation of magnetic carbon adsorbent derived from pomelo peel for magnetic solid-phase extraction of pollutants in environmental waters.

PubMed

Huang, Youfang; Peng, Jinghe; Huang, Xiaojia

2018-04-20

In this work, magnetic carbon material derived from pomelo peels (MCMPs) was conveniently fabricated utilizing one-pot synthesis method and employed as adsorbent of magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE). Several characterized measures including infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer were used to investigate the morphology, spectroscopic and magnetic properties of prepared adsorbent. Apolar parabens and polar fluoroquinolones (FQs) were used to investigate the extraction performance of MCMPs. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the MCMPs displayed satisfactory extraction performance for target analytes. At the same time, the MCMPs/MSPE was combined with HPLC-DAD for the sensitive determination of parabens and FQs in real-life water samples. Results showed that the limits of detection (S/N = 3) for parabens and FQs were in the ranges of 0.011-0.053 μg/L and 0.012-0.46 μg/L, respectively. The spiked recoveries were in the range of 76.6-116% for parabens and 80.2-114% for FQs with good repeatability (relative standard deviations less than 10%). In comparison to reported methods, the developed MCMPs/MSPE-HPLC-DAD showed some merits including low-cost, simplicity, satisfactory sensitivity and green non-pollution. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Selective extraction of bisphenol A from water by one-monomer molecularly imprinted magnetic nanoparticles.

PubMed

Lin, Zhenkun; Zhang, Yanfang; Su, Yu; Qi, Jinxia; Jia, Yinhang; Huang, Changjiang; Dong, Qiaoxiang

2018-01-15

One-monomer molecularly imprinted magnetic nanoparticles were prepared as adsorbents for selective extraction of bisphenol A from water in this study. A single bi-functional monomer was adopted for preparation of the molecularly imprinted polymer, avoiding the tedious trial-and-error optimizations as traditional strategy. Moreover, bisphenol F was used as the dummy template for bisphenol A to avoid the interference from residual template molecules. These nanoparticles showed not only large adsorption capacity and good selectivity to the bisphenol A but also outstanding magnetic response performance. Furthermore, they were successfully used as magnetic solid-phase extraction adsorbents of bisphenol A from various water samples, including tap water, river water, and seawater. The developed method was found to be much more efficient, convenient, and economical for selective extraction of bisphenol A compared with the traditional solid-phase extraction. Separation of these nanoparticles can be easily achieved with an external magnetic field, and the optimized adsorption time was only 15 min. The recoveries of bisphenol A in different water samples ranged from 85.38 to 93.75%, with relative standard deviation lower than 7.47%. These results showed that one-monomer molecularly imprinted magnetic nanoparticles had the potential to be popular adsorbents for selective extraction of pollutants from water. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.