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Soils are essential components of terrestrial ecosystems that experience strong pollution pressure. Microplastic contamination of soils is being increasingly documented, with potential consequences for soil biodiversity and function. Notwithstanding, data on effects of such contaminants on fundamental properties potentially impacting soil biota are lacking. The present study explores the potential of microplastics to disturb vital relationships between soil and water, as well as its consequences for soil structure and microbial function. During a 5-weeks garden experiment we exposed a loamy sand soil to environmentally relevant nominal concentrations (up to 2%) of four common microplastic types (polyacrylic fibers, polyamide beads, polyester fibers, and polyethylene fragments). Then, we measured bulk density, water holding capacity, hydraulic conductivity, soil aggregation, and microbial activity. Microplastics affected the bulk density, water holding capacity, and the functional relationship between the microbial activity and water stable aggregates. The effects are underestimated if idiosyncrasies of particle type and concentrations are neglected, suggesting that purely qualitative environmental microplastic data might be of limited value for the assessment of effects in soil. If extended to other soils and plastic types, the processes unravelled here suggest that microplastics are relevant long-term anthropogenic stressors and drivers of global change in terrestrial ecosystems.
Nach einer Erläuterung der international üblichen Definitionen von Referenzmaterialien und Matrix-Referenzmaterialien erfolgt eine Zusammenfassung der spezifischen Anforderungen bei Herstellung und Charakterisierung. Weiterhin werden die unterschiedlichen Anforderungen an die Durchführung von Ringversuchen im Sinne eines Methodenvergleiches, einer Eignungsprüfung von Laboratorien und der Zertifizierung von Matrix-Referenzmaterialien gegenübergestellt. Für den aktuell geplanten ersten Ringversuch zur Quantifizierung von Mikroplastik in Schwebstoffen mittels thermischer Verfahren werden die konkreten technischen Bedingungen zur Herstellung entsprechender Referenzmaterialien einschließlich der Homogenitätsprüfung ihrer Mikroplastikgehalte dargestellt. Die Besonderheiten des Ringversuches vor dem Hintergrund einer Normung der eingesetzten Verfahren werden diskutiert.
The pollution of marine, limnic and terrestrial environments with plastic waste and the potential impact especially on biota and humans has received increasing attention in recent years. Special focus is on particles smaller than 5 mm, the so-called microplastics. Consequently, possible regulations of emission and remediation efforts require sound information on the occurrence and fate of microplastics in the respective environmental compartments.
Microplastics (MP) differ from classical organic pollutants in biota or the environment in that they do not consist of clearly defined low-molecular weight compounds but of polymer particulates with varying sizes and chemical compositions. This leads to specific challenges regarding the analytical techniques to be employed for their identification and quantification.
Microplastics are defined as polymer particle in the size range between 1 µm and 5 mm and cover a wide range of polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate in variable geometric shapes. Properties relevant for environmental microplastics are polymer type, particle form and size distribution, surface morphology (aging status) and total mass fraction contained in a given sample. Polymer identification and particle size estimation using optical methods (IR and Raman spectroscopy) are time consuming and complicated by surface characteristics as a result of weathering, soiling, and microbial colonisation. Total mass fractions of MP in environmental samples can be determined by thermo-analytical methods.
There are currently no standardised methods for sampling, sampling preparation, or detection of MP in environmental samples. So far, qualitative and quantitative investigations are done by research institutes and have not reached the routine laboratory community. The near future will see harmonisation efforts of MP mass fraction determination in environmental matrices by thermo-analytical procedures.
The immediate need for reference materials during method development and comparison is outlined with regard to relevant matrix/polymer compositions, existing regulations and currently achievable detection limits. Examples for solid environmental matrix reference materials are discussed regarding the challenges encountered with matrices and polymer types as well as homogeneity testing and property value characterisation.
Die Präsenz von Mikroplastik in aquatischen Ökosystemen ist ein globales Problem und steht zunehmend im Fokus der Öffentlichkeit. In mehreren Studien konnten Anreicherungen hydrophober, organischer Schadstoffe an MP nachgewiesen werden. Der Einfluss des Alterungszustandes der MP-Partikel auf das Sorptionsverhalten von hydrophoben organischen Substanzen ist nicht hinreichend geklärt.
Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Untersuchung des Sorptionsverhaltens von Schadstoffen mit Bedeutung für limnische Gewässer an künstlich gealterten Partikeln relevanter Polymere. Das Modell verwendete die Aromaten Benzol, Toluol, Ethylbenzol und Xylol (BTEX) sowie Etherverbindungen. Diese Substanzen sind oder waren Bestandteile in unterschiedlichen Kraftstoffen und finden sich daher in vielen aquatischen Ökosystemen weltweit. Als Sorbentien kamen teilkristallines Polypropylen (PP) und amorphes Polystyrol (PS) in Form von Industriepellets zum Einsatz. Die Pellets wurden jeweils sowohl unbehandelt als auch mittels UV-Bestrahlung künstlich gealtert verwendet und mikroskopisch sowie mittels XPS, FTIR und DSC charakterisiert. Die Alterung führte bei PS zu einer verringerten Sorptionskapazität, während bei PP keine Veränderung im Sorptionsverhalten beobachtet wurde.
Präsentation der Ergebnisse eines Ringversuchs zur Kompetenzbewertung von Prüflaboratorien auf dem Gebiet der anorganischen und organischen Bodenanalytik: Polyzyklische aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe (PAK) in Boden, Mineralölkohlenwasserstoffe (MKW) in Boden, Elemente in Sediment und Gesamtcyanid in Boden.
The key comparison CCQM-K102: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sediment was coordinated by the JRC, Directorate F - Health, Consumers & Reference Materials, Geel (Belgium) under the auspices of the Organic Analysis Working Group (OAWG) of the Comité Consultatif pour la Quantité de Matière (CCQM). Thirteen National Metrology institutes or Designated Institutes and the JRC participated. Participants were requested to report the mass fraction (on a dry mass basis) of BDE 47, 99 and 153 in the freshwater sediment study material. The sediment originated from a river in Belgium and contained PBDEs (and other pollutants) at levels commonly found in environmental samples. The comparison was designed to demonstrate participants' capability of analysing non-polar organic molecules in abiotic dried matrices (approximate range of molecular weights: 100 to 800 g/mol, polarity corresponding to pKow < −2, range of mass fraction: 1–1000 μg/kg). All participants (except one using ultrasonic extraction) applied Pressurised Liquid Extraction or Soxhlet, while the instrumental analysis was performed with GC-MS/MS, GC-MS or GC-HRMS. Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry approach was used for quantification (except in one case). The assigned Key Comparison Reference Values (KCRVs) were the medians of thirteen results for BDE 47 and eleven results for BDE 99 and 153, respectively. BDE 47 was assigned a KCRV of 15.60 μg/kg with a combined standard uncertainty of 0.41 μg/kg, BDE 99 was assigned a KCRV of 33.69 μg/kg with a combined standard uncertainty of 0.81 μg/kg and BDE 153 was assigned a KCRV of 6.28 μg/kg with a combined standard uncertainty of 0.28 μg/kg. The k-factor for the estimation of the expanded uncertainty of the KCRVs was chosen as k = 2.
Odor Perception by Dogs: Evaluating Two Training Approaches for Odor Learning of Sniffer Dogs
(2017)
In this study, a standardized experimental set-up with various combinations of herbs as odor sources was designed. Two training approaches for sniffer dogs were compared; first, Training with a pure reference odor, and second, training with a variety of odor mixtures with the target odor as a common denominator. The ability of the dogs to identify the target odor in a new context was tested. Six different herbs (basil, St. John’s wort, dandelion, marjoram, parsley, ribwort) were chosen to produce reference materials in various mixtures with (positive) and without (negative)chamomile as the target odor source. The dogs were trained to show 1 of 2 different behaviors, 1 for the positive, and 1 for the negative sample as a yes/no task. Tests were double blind with one sample presented at a time. In both training approaches, dogs were able to detect chamomile as the target odor in any presented mixture with an average sensitivity of 72% and a specificity of 84%. Dogs trained with odor mixture containing the target odor had more correct indications in the transfer task.
In recent years, an increasing trend towards investigating and monitoring the contamination of the environment by microplastics (MP) (plastic pieces < 5 mm) has been observed worldwide. Nonetheless, a reliable methodology that would facilitate and automate the monitoring of MP is still lacking. With the goal of selecting practical and standardized methods, and considering the challenges in microplastics detection, we present here a critical evaluation of two vibrational spectroscopies, Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and two extraction methods: thermal extraction desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS) and liquid extraction with subsequent size exclusion chromatography (SEC) using a soil with known contents of PE, PP, PS and PET as reference material. The obtained results were compared in terms of measurement time, technique handling, detection limits and requirements for sample preparation. The results showed that in designing and selecting the right methodology, the scientific question that determines what needs to be understood is significant, and should be considered carefully prior to analysis. Depending on whether the object of interest is quantification of the MP particles in the sample, or merely a quick estimate of sample contamination with plastics, the appropriate method must be selected. To obtain overall information about MP in environmental samples, the combination of several parallel approaches should be considered.
The design and operation of an observational study on the profiles of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the breath of 37 lung cancer patients and 23 healthy controls of similar age is outlined. The necessity to quantify each VOC considered as potential disease marker on basis of individual calibration is elaborated and the quality control measures required to maintain reproducibility in breath sampling and subsequent instrumental trace VOC analysis using SPME-GC-MS over a study period of 14 months are described. 24 VOC were quantified on basis of their previously suggested potential as cancer markers. The breath concentration levels of aromatic compounds was expectedly increased in smokers while lung cancer patients displayed significantly increased levels of oxygenated VOC such as aldehydes, 2-butanone and 1-butanol. Though sets of selected oxygenated VOC displayed sensitivities and specificities between 80 and 90% using linear discriminant analysis with leave-one-out cross validation the effective selectivity of the breath VOC approach with regard to cancer detection is clearly limited. Results were discussed against the background of the literature on volatile cancer marker investigations and the prospects to link increased VOC levels in patients’ breath with approaches to employ sniffer dogs. Experiences from this study and the literature suggest that the current state of breath VOC based discrimination between cancer patients and healthy controls is hardly improvable. Observational studies tend to observe significant differences mostly in levels of certain oxygenated VOC but without resolution required for practical application. Any step towards practicable exploitation of VOC profile differences for illness detection would have to solve current restrictions set by the low and variable VOC concentrations. Further challenges are the technical complexity of studies involving breath sampling and possibly the limited capability of current analytical procedures to detect instable marker candidates.
Due to the increasing presence of microplastic particles (MP) in the Environment and the unknown risks arising from them, there is an urgent need for analytical methods that allow for an efficient identification and quantification of microplastics (MP), i.e. particles < 5 mm, in environmental samples. So far, mostly timeconsuming (micro) infrared or micro-Raman spectroscopic methods are applied. Here an faster alternative Approach is presented based on a Raman processspectrometer with fiber-optical probes in combination with multivariate data analysis.
Towards the standardization of biochar analysis: the COST action TD1107 interlaboratory comparison
(2016)
Biochar produced by pyrolysis of organic residues is increasingly used for soil amendment and many other applications. However, analytical methods for its physical and chemical characterization are yet far from being specifically adapted, optimized, and standardized. Therefore, COST Action TD1107 conducted an interlaboratory comparison in which 22 laboratories from 12 countries analyzed three different types of biochar for 38 physical–chemical parameters (macro- and microelements, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pH, electrical conductivity, and specific surface area) with their preferential methods. The data were evaluated in detail using professional interlaboratory testing software. Whereas intralaboratory repeatability was generally good or at least acceptable, interlaboratory reproducibility was mostly not (20% < mean reproducibility standard deviation < 460%). This paper contributes to better comparability of biochar data published already and provides recommendations to improve and harmonize specific methods for biochar analysis in the future.
Präsentation der Ergebnisse eines Ringversuchs zur Kompetenzbewertung von Prüflaboratorien auf dem Gebiet der anorganischen und organischen Bodenanalytik: Polyzyklische aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe (PAK) in Boden, Mineralölkohlenwasserstoffe (MKW) in Boden, Elemente in Sediment und Gesamtcyanid in Boden.
This article describes a simple and quick in silico method for the prediction of cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated hydroxylation of drug-like compounds. Testosterone and progesterone, two known substrates of CYP3A4, are used to test the method. Further, we apply the procedure to predict sites of hydroxylation of isomers of the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane by CYP3A4. Within the method, the compound is rotated in the binding pocket of the cytochrome, so that each hydrogen under consideration is placed near the active centre. Afterwards, short molecular dynamics simulations are provided for each step of the rotation. All steps of the simulation are compared concerning the distances between the hydrogens and the active centre and the corresponding energies. The computational results correlate well with experimental results.
In vitro cultured lung cancer cells are not suitable for animal-based breath biomarker detection
(2015)
In vitro cultured lung cancer cell lines were investigated regarding the possible identification of volatile organic compounds as potential biomarkers. Gas samples from the headspace of pure culture medium and from the cultures of human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and Lu7466 were exposed to polypropylene fleece in order to absorb odour components. Sniffer dogs were trained with loaded fleeces of both cell lines, and honey bees were trained with fleeces exposed to A549. Afterwards, their ability to distinguish between cell-free culture medium odour and lung cancer cell odour was tested. Neither bees nor dogs were able to discriminate between odours from the cancer cell cultures and the pure culture medium. Solid phase micro extraction followed by gas chromatography with mass selective detection produced profiles of volatiles from the headspace offered to the animals. The profiles from the cell lines were largely similar; distinct differences were based on the decrease of volatile culture medium components due to the cells' metabolic activity. In summary, cultured lung cancer cell lines do not produce any biomarkers recognizable by animals or gas chromatographic analysis.
Wie viele Forschergruppen, haben auch wir uns das langfristige Ziel gesetzt, einen Beitrag bei der Beantwortung der Frage zu leisten, was Hunde riechen, wenn sie Krebs erschnüffeln.
Dabei sollen die Hunde nicht nur anzeigen, ob eine Atemluftprobe positiv oder negativ ist, sondern sie sollen auch aktiv eingebunden werden in den systematischen Suchprozess nach detektierbaren Biomarkern. So ist geplant, dass mittels eines präparativen Fraktionssammlers definierte Schnitte des Gaschromatogramms einzeln oder in möglichen Kombinationen auf das Adsorbervlies gebracht werden, um im Hundetraining eingesetzt zu werden. In analoger Weise könnte auch mit spezifischen Kandidatensubstanzen verfahren werden.
Three strategies to sample volatile organic compounds (VOC) from lung cancer cell lines cultured in vitro were compared. Headspace solid phase microextraction was applied in situ to culture flasks and alternatively to subsamples of headspace gas or to nutrient solution subsamples followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The direct quantification of 55 VOC in the headspace of cell cultures was validated and is discussed with respect to reproducibility and system-related interferences. The role of the VOC background from culture media and usually employed polystyrene culture vessels is examined and was seen to invoke potentially misleading conclusions. The commercial A549 and two further adenocarcinoma cell lines displayed largely similar VOC profiles with distinct differences regarding certain individual substances. There is evidence for the inappropriateness of the standard cell culturing methods in the search for volatile cancer markers.
Two different hair reference materials, one produced from authentic hair displaying an ethyl glucuronide (EtG) content of about 25 pg/mg and one obtained by fortification of blank hair to an EtG level of 85 pg/mg were submitted to accelerated aging between 4 degrees C and 60 degrees C for periods between one and 24 months. Subsequently, the EtG content was determined in the aged samples and untreated reference samples stored at -22 degrees C under repeatability conditions following the so-called isochronous approach. The EtG content remained stable even at 40 degrees C for 24 months and at 60 degrees C over six months. This is in contrast to many organic analytes contained in trace concentrations in diverse matrices. A slight but significant increase of the recovered EtG in case of authentic hair samples having been exposed for 24 months between 4 degrees C and 60 degrees C may be due to a temperature-driven process that allows increased recoveries of the physiologically embedded EtG.
A combination of simultaneous milling and extraction known as micropulverized extraction was developed for the quantification of the alcohol marker ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair samples using a homogeneous reference material and a mixer mill. Best extraction results from 50 mg of hair were obtained with 2-mL plastic tubes containing two steel balls (Ø = 5 mm), 0.5 mL of water and with an oscillating frequency of 30 s-1 over a period of 30 min. EtG was quantified employing a validated GC-MS procedure involving derivatization with pentafluoropropionic acid anhydride. This micropulverization procedure was compared with dry milling followed by separate aqueous extraction and with aqueous extraction after manual cutting to millimeter-size snippets. Micropulverization yielded 28.0±1.70 pg/mg and was seen to be superior to manually cutting (23.0±0.83 pg/mg) and equivalent to dry grinding (27.7±1.71 pg/mg) with regard to completeness of EtG extraction. The option to process up to 20 samples simultaneously makes micropulverization especially valuable for the high throughput of urgent samples.
Als Folge der industriellen Produktion und der vielfältigen industriellen Nutzung von organischen Lösungsmitteln sind eine Vielzahl von Edukten, Zwischen- und Endprodukten in die Umwelt eingetragen worden und führen zu massiven Verunreinigungen des Bodens und des Grundwassers. Die Untersuchung und Sanierung des Grundwassers stellt einen aktuellen Schwerpunkt in der Altlastenbearbeitung dar. Vielfach werden klassische pump & treat-Verfahren zur Grundwassersanierung verwendet. Diese aktiven Sicherungs- und Sanierungsmaßnahmen werden jedoch unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Verhältnismäßigkeit häufig als ineffizient eingeschätzt. Als Alternative sollen die natürlichen Abbauprozesse im Grundwasserleiter genutzt oder gezielt verstärkt werden, um auf diesem Weg eine in-situ-Sanierung des Grundwasserleiters zu erreichen. In den letzten Jahren haben sich verschiedene Sanierungsverfahren etabliert, bei denen durch die Zugabe von Hilfsstoffen die mikrobiologische Aktivität des Aquifers erhöht wird bzw. Stoffe zugeführt werden, die mit den Schadstoffen reagieren (in-situ chemische Oxidation bzw. Reduktion, ISCO). An ausgewählten Standorten ist auch die aktive Sanierung (pump & treat, on-site- Sanierung) mit biologischem Schadstoffabbau (Bio-Filter) kombiniert worden. Um den Sanierungsverlauf zu verfolgen und zu optimieren, ist die Beprobung von Grundwasser aus dem Grundwasserleiter oder aus laufenden Anlagen erforderlich. In Fällen der gesteigerten mikrobiologischen Aktivität des Grundwassers treten gehäuft Probleme bei der Stabilisierung der Wasserproben auf. Die forcierten Abbauprozesse der Schadstoffe gehen nach der Probenahme in der Probenflasche weiter, bis die Energiebasis der Mikrobiologie aufgebraucht ist. Durch eine geringe Temperaturerhöhung beschleunigen sich diese Prozesse zusätzlich. In der Folge können die Schadstoffgehalte teilweise innerhalb weniger Stunden stark reduziert werden. Im Analysenlabor wird dann ein Schadstoffgehalt nachgewiesen, der nicht mehr die Verhältnisse im Aquifer bzw. im Ablauf der Reinigungsstufen widerspiegelt. Eine Einschätzung des Sanierungsfortschritts oder der Reinigungsleistung ist unter diesen Bedingungen stark fehlerbehaftet und kann zu groben Fehlinterpretationen führen. Grundwasserproben, die einem Aquifer mit hoher natürlicher oder initiierter mikrobiologischer Abbauaktivität entstammen, müssen daher zusätzlich stabilisiert werden, um den Ist-Zustand zum Zeitpunkt der Probenahme zu erfassen. Die Konservierung von Wasserproben bei der Probenahme von Grundwasser ist in der Normung umfangreich beschrieben: Die EN ISO 5667-3 von 2004 ist im Normausschuss (NA 119-01-03-01-01) überarbeitet und 2012 als Norm verabschiedet worden (EN ISO 5667-3, 03.12, deutsche Fassung DIN EN ISO 5667-3, 03-2013) [1], In Einzelfällen hat sie sich nicht als ausreichend erwiesen, um die Stabilität der organischen Schadstoffe in den oben beschriebenen Wasserproben zu gewährleisten.
Process waters obtained from hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of wheat straw, a biogas digestate derived thereof, and four woody biomass feedstocks were quantified regarding the total organic carbon (TOC) and selected organic compounds. HTC runs revealed that TOC loads were largely unaffected by process severity or type of feedstock whereas the C2–C6 fatty acids, determined by GC, displayed clear effects of temperature and feedstock. HPLC demonstrated simultaneously the initial increase and subsequent consumption of cellulose-derived furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural as well as the increase of the lignin-derived 2-methoxyphenol. 2-Methylbenzofuran, an example for a substance potentially harmful to aquatic biota, was observed in high concentration in the HTC liquor from wheat straw-based feedstocks.
The assessment of quantification results of the alcohol abuse marker ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair in comparison to the cut-off values for the drinking behavior may be complicated by cosmetic hair bleaching. Thus, the impact of increasing exposure to hydrogen peroxide on the EtG content of hair was investigated. Simultaneously, the change of absorbance in the range of 1000–1100 cm-1 indicative for the oxidation of cystine was investigated non-destructively by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) using pulverized portions of the respective hair samples. Hair samples treated with hydrogen peroxide consistently displayed a significantly increased absorbance at 1040 cm-1 associated with the formation of cysteic acid. The EtG content decreased significantly if the hair was treated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide as during cosmetic bleaching. It could be shown that ATR-FTIR is capable of detecting an exposure to hydrogen peroxide when still no brightening was visible and already before the EtG content deteriorated significantly. Thus, hair samples suspected of having been exposed to oxidative treatment may be checked non-destructively by a readily available technique. This assay is also possible retrospectively after EtG extraction and using archived samples.
An interlaboratory comparison for the determination of aniline, nine methylated anilines and chlorinated anilines in contaminated groundwater (each compound between 1 µg L-1 and 750 µg L-1) was conducted as proficiency test for the selection of contract laboratories for a groundwater monitoring campaign. For the 13 participants, two different test sample series were prepared from a stabilized real case groundwater. Series A was the groundwater as sampled in the field and series B was prepared from series A by spiking with selected anilines. Homogeneity and stability investigations revealed that contaminated groundwater provides a viable basis for the preparation of ring test samples for the determination of anilines. Analytical procedures were limited to the standardized liquid–liquid extraction or solid-phase extraction in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (DIN 38407-16:1999). The robust consensus values were evaluated according to the standardized protocol of DIN 38402-45:2013. Robust reproducibility standard deviations ranged largely between 20?% and 60?% depending on the analyte. The proficiency assessment of individual participants combined the qualitative aspect of correct peak identification with the quantitative determination of individual concentrations within set limits in a unified approach. It could be shown that the accreditation status of laboratory and the existence of a standardized analytical procedure do not substitute a problem-related proficiency assessment of potential contractors.
The validation of a robust quantification procedure for EtG in hair using GC–NCI–MS is presented. Aqueous extraction is followed by complete lyophylization of the extract and derivatization with pentafluoropropionic anhydride (PFPA) under controlled temperature and duration. Clean-up of extracts was dispensable and standard single quadrupole MS displayed sufficient selectivity and sensitivity. The method displayed a wide linearity range and enabled LOD of 0.68 pg/mg, LOQ of 2.4 pg/mg, and precision below 8.12%. Since EtG was seen to display prolonged stability in the aqueous extracts and after derivatization with PFPA this straightforward procedure allows a routine throughput of large quantities of samples with little proneness to procedural scatter of results. The method was applied to demonstrate the homogeneity of two hair reference materials with mean EtG contents of 8.48 pg/mg and 22.0 pg/mg. Aside from the application in homogeneity studies of hair reference materials predominantly in the concentration range of 10–50 pg/mg the method was also designed for daily routine quantification of real-world sample with regard to drinking behavior assessment.
Aim: The objective of the study was to provide conclusive evidence for the effect of particle size reduction as by milling on the extractable content of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) of hair samples. Methods: A number of real case hair samples and two pooled hair materials with EtG contents in the range of 1030 pg/mg were systematically compared with regard to the extraction yield of EtG after cutting to 23 mm length and pulverization with a ball mill. After the respective treatment the samples were submitted to aqueous extraction followed by quantification of EtG using HPLC-MS/MS. Results: It was unequivocally demonstrated that milling of hair samples prior to aqueous extraction significantly increases the extractable EtG content compared with cut hair. The effect ranged between 137 and 230% and was seen to occur regardless of the extent of pulverization. Cooling of samples was not necessary to prevent partial degradation of EtG during the grinding procedure. Conclusion: The options currently employed at choice in analytical practice (cutting or milling) were seen to significantly affect the extractable amount of EtG in hair. This is suspected to influence the degree of equivalence of quantification results obtained in different laboratories as well as their respective classification of a test subject's drinking behaviour on the basis of currently recommended cut-off values.
The title compound, {2-[(2-carbamoylethyl)amino]-3-methylpentanoic acid}, C9H18N2O3, is of interest with respect to its biological activity. It was formed during an addition reaction between acrylamide and the amino acid isoleucine. The crystal structure is a three-dimensional network built up by intermolecular N–H···O and O–H···N hydrogen bonds.
The title compound [systematic name: (2R,3R,4S,5R,6R) 2-(acetoxymethyl)-6-propoxytetrahydro-2H-pyran-3,4,5-triyl triacetate], C17H26O10, was formed by a Koenigs-Knorr reaction of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl bromide and n-propanol. The central ring adopts a chair conformation. The crystal does not contain any significant interactions such as hydrogen bonds.
The nature and concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in chars generated by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is of concern considering their application as soil amendment. Therefore, the presence of VOCs in solid HTC products obtained from wheat straw, biogas digestate and four woody materials was investigated using headspace gas chromatography. A variety of potentially harmful benzenic, phenolic and furanic volatiles along with various aldehydes and ketones were identified in feedstock- and temperature-specific patterns. The total amount of VOCs observed after equilibration between headspace and char samples produced at 270 °C ranged between 2000 and 16,000 µg/g (0.2–1.6 wt.%). Depending on feedstock 50–9000 µg/g of benzenes and 300–1800 µg/g of phenols were observed. Substances potentially harmful to soil ecology such as benzofurans (200–800 µg/g) and p-cymene (up to 6000 µg/g in pine wood char) exhibited concentrations that suggest restrained application of fresh hydrochar as soil amendment or for water purification.
The concentration of contaminants in groundwater samples can be decreased by degradation in the time course between field sampling and quantification in the laboratory, especially in samples from sites where degradation activity is enhanced by remediation measures. The sampling sites covered a variety of priority organic pollutants such as volatile aromatic and chlorinated compounds, phenols and petroleum hydrocarbons and different remediation strategies such as anaerobic and aerobic microbial in situ degradation, in situ chemical oxidation, and on-site purification with biological treatment. The stability of the contaminants' concentration was investigated over a time range of several hours without cooling in the autosampler of the analytical equipment (short term) and over several days of storage until analysis (long term). A number of stabilisation techniques suggested in international standards ISO 5667-3:2013 and ASTM D6517:2000 were compared both with regard to short term and long term stabilisation of the contaminants and their practicability for field sampling campaigns. Long term storage turned out to be problematic for most compound groups even under cooling. Short term stability was problematic also for volatiles such as benzenic aromates, naphthalene and volatile organic halogenated compounds to be analysed by headspace gas chromatography. Acidification (pH <2) was sufficient to prevent degradation of benzenic aromates, naphthalene, phenols and petrol hydrocarbons for up to seven days. The use of acids was not applicable to stabilise volatiles in waters rich in carbonates and sulphides due to stripping of the volatiles with the liberated gases. The addition of sodium azide was successfully used for stabilisation of volatile organic halogenated compounds.
The reliability in measurement results obtained during environmental monitoring is crucial for the assessment and further planning of remediation efforts on the respective contaminated sites by the responsible authorities. A case study concerned with groundwater contaminated with perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane including their degradation products which involves private contract laboratories and an independent provider of quality assurance (QA) is presented. The experience gained with biannual monitoring campaigns over 14 years indicates that the selection of contractors on basis of accreditation status and successful performance in interlaboratory comparisons are not sufficient. Rather the auditing of the contractors by the QA provider prior to each campaign and the crosschecking of selected monitoring samples by the QA provider led to a lasting improvement of reliability in the contractors' measurement results. A mean deviation of 20% from the reference value determined by the QA provider for the crosschecked samples was reached.
Solid and liquid products of hydrothermal carbonizsation: Patterns of volatile organic compounds
(2012)
A novel approach for the simulation of host.guest systems by systematically scanning the host moleculefs orientations within the guest cavity is presented along with a thermodynamic strategy for determining preferential binding modes and corresponding optimal interaction energies between host and guest molecules. By way of example, the elution order of hexabromocyclododecane stereoisomers from high performance liquid chromatography separation on a permethylated β-cyclcodextrin stationary phase has been computed using classical molecular dynamics simulations with the explicit solvents water and acetonitrile. Comparison of estimated with experimental separation data reveals remarkable squared coefficients of correlation with R2=0.87 and a very high correlation RLOO2 . 0:72 using the leaveone-out cross-validation method and water as solvent. In particular, the approach presented shapes up as very robust in terms of the evaluated time range under consideration, reflecting well thermodynamic equilibria. These and further observations correlating with experimental results suggest the suitability of the underlying force fields and our multi-mode approach for the estimation of relative binding affinities for host–guest systems with unknown binding modes.
Hexabromocyclododecane enantiomers: microsomal degradation and patterns of hydroxylated metabolites
(2011)
The degradation of the enantiomers of α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) by phase I metabolism was investigated using induced rat liver microsomes. HBCD isomers were quantified using HPLC-MS/MS (ESI-) after separation on a combination of a reversed phase and a chiral analytical column. The degradation of all six isomers followed first-order kinetics and the estimated half-lives ranged from 6.3 min for both β-HBCD enantiomers to 32.3 min in case of (+)-γ-HBCD. (+)-α- and (–)-γ-HBCD displayed significantly shorter half-lives than their corresponding antipodes. It could be shown that this degradation led to a significant enrichment of the first eluting enantiomers (–)-α- and (+)-γ-HBCD. Individual patterns of mono- and dihydroxylated derivatives obtained from each α- and γ-HBCD enantiomer were seen to be distinctly characteristic. The patterns of monohydroxylated HBCD derivatives detected in liver and muscle tissues of pollack, mackerel and in herring gull eggs were largely similar to those observed in the in vitro experiments with rat liver microsomes. This enabled individual hydroxy-HBCDs to be assigned to their respective parent HBCD enantiomers.
The ecotoxicological characterization of waste is part of its assessment as hazardous or non-hazardous according to the European Waste List. For this classification 15 hazard criteria are derived from the Council Directive 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste. Some of the hazard criteria are based on the content of dangerous substances. The criterion H14 'ecotoxic' lacks of an assessment and testing strategy and no specific threshold values have been defined so far. Based on the recommendations of CEN guideline 14735 (2005), an international round robin test (ring test) was organized by the German Federal Environment Agency in order to define suitable test methods for the biological assessment of waste and waste eluates. A basic test battery, consisting of three aquatic and three terrestrial tests, was compiled. In addition, data were submitted for ten additional tests (five aquatic (including a genotoxicity test) and five terrestrial ones). The tests were performed with three representative waste types: an ash from an incineration plant, a soil containing high concentrations of organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and a preserved wood waste. The results of this ring test confirm that a combination of a battery of biological tests and chemical residual analysis is needed for an ecotoxicological characterization of wastes. With small modifications the basic test battery is considered to be well suitable for the hazard and risk assessment of wastes and waste eluates. All results and documents are accessible via a web-based data bank application.
Levels of α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) were determined in pooled eggs from herring gulls (Larus argentatus) sampled on three bird sanctuaries near the German North Sea coast between 1988 and 2008 (Mellum and Trischen) and the German Baltic Sea coast between 1998 and 2008 (Heuwiese) and archived by the German Environmental Specimen Bank. Pressurized fluid extraction, gel permeation chromatography, and LCMS/MS using 13C12-labelled isotope standards and a chiral column were applied. α-HBCD was the dominating diastereomer and ranged between 3.7 and 107 ng g-1 lw while β- and γ-HBCD were throughout close to LOQ. The highest α-HBCD concentration was found in eggs from Mellum sampled in the year 2000. Interestingly, HBCD in eggs from the three islands displayed similar time courses with levels increasing to a peak contamination around 2000 and decreasing levels ever since. Chiral signatures of α-HBCD in eggs differed among the islands but indicated a preferential enrichment of the first eluting enantiomer (-)-α-HBCD.
Technical 1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) consists largely of three diastereomers (α-, β-, and γ-HBCD) produced by the trans addition of bromine to cis,trans,trans-cyclododeca-1,5,9-triene (CDT). However, another seven diastereomers are theoretically possible and may be produced by trans addition of bromine across the double bonds of the other three isomers of 1,5,9-CDT. There are indications that small amounts of the minor HBCD isomers may be present in commercial HBCD mixtures or in products containing this brominated flame retardant (BFR). Such minor components may indeed derive from traces of other 1,5,9-CDTs in the cis, trans, trans starting material, however their formation may also be possible through isomerizations during the processing of this BFR or by bioisomerization subsequent to its release into the environment. Two of the seven additional diastereomers (δ- and ε-HBCD) were synthesized previously from trans,trans,trans-CDT. We now report the preparation of the remaining five diastereomers, ζ-, η-, and θ-HBCD from cis,cis,trans-CDT and ι- and κ-HBCD from cis,cis,cis-CDT, and their characterization by 1H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The availability of these further diastereomers of HBCD should aid in determining if the minor isomers are present in commercial samples of this BFR, in products containing HBCDs, or in environmental samples. We have also carried out an X-ray crystal structure determination on ε-HBCD, so that crystal structures are now available for all 10 HBCD diastereomers.
Im vorliegenden Forschungsbericht werden die Ergebnisse zum LFP Projekt „Ableitung validierter Probenahme- und Analysenmethoden für Zwischen- und Endprodukte der anaeroben Stoffverwertungsprozesse von LCKW im Grundwasser im Rahmen von Altlastenuntersuchungen“ (Länderfinanzierungsprogramm, Projekt B2/08, Laufzeit vom 01.09.2008 – 31.08.2009) zusammengefasst. Es werden verschiedene Verfahren der Probenahme und Analytik zur Bestimmung von Wasserstoff, Methan, Ethen und Vinylchlorid (VC) im Grundwasser untersucht und validiert. Für die Probenahme werden folgende Ansätze beschrieben und diskutiert: i. aktive Probenahme: Pumpprobe und Probenahme von in Grundwasser gelösten Gasen in Gasbeprobungsrohren (Gasmaus) ii. passive Probenahme: Diffusionsprobenahme in Polyethylenbeuteln (PDB) und Kunststoffspritzen als Diffusionssammler für gelöste Gase Der Einsatz aktiver (Pumpprobenahme, Schöpfprobenahme) und passiver (Diffusionsprobenahme) Probenahmetechniken zur Gehaltsbestimmung von LHKW sowie Ethen und Methan in Grundwasser wird aus ordnungsbehördlicher Sicht hinsichtlich der Vergleichbarkeit von Analysendaten untersucht. Am Beispiel einer Kontamination mit Trichlorethen sowie 1,2-Dichlorethen und Vinylchlorid kann deutlich gemacht werden, dass die Einsatzmöglichkeit der passiven Probenahme durch unzureichende Strömungsverhältnisse im Aquifer sowie biologische Aktivität im Pegelrohr begrenzt ist. Der aktiven Probenahme ist bei ungeklärten oder unzureichenden Strömungsverhältnissen im Grundwasserleiter daher der Vorzug zu geben. Die chromatographischen Verfahren zur Bestimmung der Analyte werden umfänglich validiert und mit anderen geeigneten Analysenverfahren verglichen: I. Headspace-GC-FID zur Bestimmung von Methan, Ethen und VC aus der wässrigen Probenmatrix der Pumpprobe (i.) und des PDB (ii.) II. Direktinjektion-GC-PDD zur Bestimmung von Wasserstoff aus den gesammelten Gasproben der Gasmaus (i.) und der Kunststoffspritzen (ii.) Für die Bestimmung von Ethen und VC in Grundwasserproben (I.) werden Bestimmungsgrenzen von 0,1 μg/L erreicht. Methan kann aus wässrigen Proben nur ab 5 μg/L quantifiziert werden. Mit den Verfahren zur Bestimmung von Methan aus der Gasmaus (i.-II.) werden 0,1 μg/L im Grundwasser erreicht. Die Bestimmung von im Grundwasser gelösten Wasserstoff (II.) ist bis zu einer Konzentration von 1 nM möglich. Die Reproduzierbarkeit für die Bestimmung von Wasserstoff in Grundwasser liegt konzentrationsabhängig zwischen 10 bis 20% bei der aktiven Probenahme (i.-II.) und 10 bis 70% bei der passiven Probenahme (ii.-II.). Aus der Validierung der Analysenmethode und den Ergebnissen verschiedener Probenahmen werden Toleranzbereiche für die Ergebnisse eines Grundwassermonitorings abgeschätzt. Diese Streubreiten von Monitoring-Ergebnissen sollten von Ingenieurbüros und zuständige Ordnungsbehörden bei der Bewertung der komplexen Abbauprozesse eines LHKW-Grundwasserschadens beachtet werden.
HBCD ISOMERS: Degradation rates and hydroxylated Products from Microsome Incubation Experiments
(2010)
High-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) was applied to sterospecifically quantify the content of α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in six fish species from the Norwegian Etnefjorden. A combination of a β-PM cyclodextrin and an achiral column enabled the paired chromatographic separation of the stereoisomers in the order (-)-α-, (+)-α-, (-)-β-, (+)-β-, (+)-γ- and, (-)-γ-HBCD. The limits of detection were in the range of 6–21 pg g-1 depending on the stereoisomer and the concentrations of α-, β-, and γ-HBCD in fillets ranged from <5.4 ng g-1 to 11.1 µg g-1 lipid weight. α-HBCD enantiomers were throughout dominating, and in most cases the accumulation of the respective first eluted enantiomers ((-)-α-, (-)-β- and (+)-γ-HBCD) was observed. Deviations from the racemic EF-value were considered to be significant if it was outside of the expanded uncertainty range for each of the racemic HBCD-ratios. The composition of HBCD isomers varied between the investigated fish species and the relative high values for the γ-HBCD concentrations for the bottom-dwellers flounder and thorny skate seems to echo the HBCD pattern of ocean sediments.
The resource-saving utilisation of recovered
waste wood is a matter of growing concern. In several
European countries, this utilisation is governed by regulations
and is dependent on the contents of certain trace
elements and organic compounds. Thus, for decisionmaking
with respect to waste wood management (recycling
or combustion), reliable analytical data are needed and, due
to their great economic and environmental impact, must be
assured by appropriate quality control. To support the
improvement in quality assurance in waste wood analysis,
for the first time, a wood reference material was certified
for its mass fractions of arsenic, cadmium, chromium,
copper, lead, mercury, and pentachlorophenol (PCP).
These analytes were selected because they represent typical
constituents of wood preservatives most widely used in the
past. Material preparation and testing of homogeneity and
stability were carried out by BAM Federal Institute for
Materials Research and Testing. The certification measurements
were performed involving selected laboratories
with documented expertise in the field of waste wood
analysis. The certified values and their corresponding
uncertainties were assigned in full compliance with the
requirements of ISO Guide 35. The certified mass fractions
and their expanded uncertainties (k/i> = 2) are as follows:
(3.1 ± 0.5) mg/kg for As, (3.02 ± 0.24) mg/kg for Cd,
(36.4 ± 2.6) mg/kg for Cr, (22.9 ± 1.7) mg/kg for Cu,
(0.60 ± 0.14) mg/kg for Hg, (39 ± 4) mg/kg for Pb, and
(7.9 ± 0.6) mg/kg for PCP. The certified material is
available as European Reference Material ERM®-CD100.
Time courses of HBCD levels and enantiomeric signatures in herring gull eggs from the German coast
(2010)
HBCD isomers: degradation rates and hydroxylated products from microsome incubation experiments
(2010)
HBCD stereoisomer pattern in mirror carps following dietary exposure to pure Gamma-HBCD enantiomers
(2010)
Time courses of HBCD levels and enantiomeric signatures in herring gull eggs from the German coast
(2010)
An international intercomparison involving eight national metrology institutes (NMIs) was conducted to establish their current measurement capabilities for determining five selected congeners from the brominated flame retardant classes polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polybrominated biphenyls. A candidate reference material consisting of polypropylene fortified with technical mixtures of penta-, octa- and decabromo diphenyl ether and decabromo biphenyl, which was thoroughly assessed for material homogeneity and stability, was used as study material. The analytical procedures applied by the participants differed with regard to sample pre-treatment, extraction, clean-up, employed calibrants and type of calibration procedure as well as regarding analytical methods used for separation, identification and quantification of the flame retardant congeners (gas chromatography coupled to an electron capture detector (GC-ECD), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the electron ionisation mode (GC-EI-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the electron capture negative ionisation mode (GC-ECNI-MS), and liquid chromatography-inductive coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS)). The laboratory means agreed well with relative standard deviations of the mean of means of 1.9%, 4.8%, 5.5% and 5.4% for brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) 47, 183 and 209 and for the brominated biphenyl (BB) congener 209, respectively. For BDE 206, a relative standard deviation of 28.5% was obtained. For all five congeners, within-laboratory relative standard deviations of six measurements obtained under intermediate precision conditions were between 1% and 10%, and reported expanded measurements uncertainties typically ranged from 4% to 10% (8% to 14% for BDE 206). Furthermore, the results are in good agreement with those obtained in the characterization exercise for determining certified values for the flame retardant congeners in the same material. The results demonstrate the state-of-the-art measurement capabilities of NMIs for quantifying representative BDE congeners and BB 209 in a polymer. The outcome of this intercomparison (pilot study) in conjunction with possible improvements for employing exclusively calibrants with thoroughly assessed purity suggests that a key comparison aiming at underpinning calibration and measurement capability (CMC) claims of NMIs can be conducted.
Enantiomerenspezifischer Vergleich von HBCD-Gehalten maritimer Lebewesen zweier norwegischer Fjorde
(2010)
Der Einsatz aktiver (Pumpprobennahme,
Schöpfprobennahme) und passiver (Diffusionsprobennahme)
Probennahmetechniken zur Gehaltsbestimmung von
LHKW sowie Ethen und Methan in Grundwasser wird aus
ordnungsbehördlicher Sicht hinsichtlich der Vergleichbarkeit
von Analysendaten untersucht. Am Beispiel einer Kontamination
mit Trichlorethen sowie 1,2-Dichlorethen und
Vinylchlorid kann deutlich gemacht werden, dass die Einsatzmöglichkeit
der passiven Probennahme durch unzureichende
Strömungsverhältnisse im Aquifer sowie biologische
Aktivität im Pegelrohr begrenzt ist. Der aktiven Probennahme
ist bei ungeklärten oder unzureichenden Strömungsverhältnissen
im Grundwasserleiter daher der Vorzug
zu geben. Das gaschromatographische Verfahren für Vinylchlorid
mittels Dampfraumtechnik wird um die Quantifizierung
von Methan und Ethen erweitert. Dabei werden für
die Bewertung von Altlasten relevante Bestimmungsgrenzen
von 0,1 µg/l (Vinylchlorid, Ethen) sowie 5 µg/l (Methan)
erreicht.
Aus der Validierung der Analysenmethode und den
Ergebnissen verschiedener Probennahmen werden Toleranzbereiche
für die Ergebnisse eines Grundwassermonitorings
abgeschätzt. Diese Streubreiten von Monitoring-
Ergebnissen sollten von Ingenieurbüros und zuständigen
Ordnungsbehörden bei der Bewertung der komplexen Abbauprozesse
eines LHKW-Grundwasserschadens beachtet
werden.
A number of currently recommended sampling techniques for the determination of hydrogen in contaminated groundwater were compared regarding the practical proficiency in field campaigns. Key characteristics of appropriate sampling procedures are reproducibility of results, robustness against varying field conditions such as hydrostatic pressure, aquifer flow, and biological activity. Laboratory set-ups were used to investigate the most promising techniques. Bubble stripping with gas sampling bulbs yielded reproducible recovery of hydrogen and methane which could be verified for groundwater sampled in two field campaigns. The methane content of the groundwater was confirmed by analysis of directly pumped samples thus supporting the trueness of the stripping results. Laboratory set-ups and field campaigns revealed that bubble stripping of hydrogen may be restricted to the type of used pump. Concentrations of dissolved hydrogen after bubble stripping with an electrically driven submersible pump were about one order of magnitude higher than those obtained from diffusion sampling. The gas chromatographic determination for hydrogen and methane requires manual injection of gas samples and detection by a pulsed discharge detector (PDD) and allows limits of quantification of 3 nM dissolved hydrogen and 1 µg L-1 dissolved methane in groundwater. The combined standard uncertainty of the bubble stripping and GC/PDD quantification of hydrogen in field samples was 7% at 7.8 nM and 18% for 78 nM.
The binding affinities of the six main hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) stereoisomers and all of their possible 48 allylic pentabromocyclododecene (PBCD) metabolites to the endocrinous human transthyretin receptor (hTTR) were investigated and compared to the natural binder thyroxine, and the two brominated diphenyl ethers BDE-47 and 3-hydroxy-BDE-47. The endocrine disrupting potency was approximated by a combination of two methods: a surface matching with the natural binder thyroxine (T4) followed by approximation of free binding energies for various binding modes within hTTR. The results indicate slightly higher binding affinities for both BDE structures than for T4 itself and similarly high affinities for two trans-configurated PBCD isomers. For many other PBCD isomers, intermediate values were computed, whereas all HBCD diastereomers yielded significantly lower binding affinities.
1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), a widely used flame retardant, is an ubiquitous contaminant in
the environment. Still, only little is known about the distribution and behavior in the environment such as
bioaccumulation or biotransformation of HBCD stereoisomers. In order to investigate enrichment and possible
bioisomerization of HBCD stereoisomers, Mirror Carps were exposed to pure (+)- and (-)-γ-HBCD, randomly
sampled after a predefined specific period and subjected to enantiomer-specific determination of α-, β-, and γ-
HBCD. No evidence for the isomerization of HBCD stereoisomers was observed in Mirror Carp fillets.
A practical method for the quantification of
total purgeable organic sulfur (POS) in highly contaminated
groundwater is described. Volatile organic sulfur
compounds (VOSC) are purged from the water samples by
a stream of oxygen and combusted. The emerging sulfur
dioxide is absorbed in H2O2 and converted to sulfate which
is quantified by ion chromatography and reported as mass
sulfur equivalent. The overall limit of quantification is
0.03 mg l1. The content of POS is balanced with the total
VOSC determined by GC-AED after liquidliquid extraction.
Separate determination of the non-volatile organic
sulfur compounds by direct combustion of the water sample
and adsorption to charcoal yielded a mass balance of
the total sulfur content. Semi-quantitative GC-MS after
purge & trap accumulation revealed that the VOSC mixture
is composed of C1C4 alkyl sulfides. The implementation
of the developed methodology for the quantification of
VOSC as potential catalyst poison in a cleaning plant
for groundwater contaminated with volatile haloorganics
(VOX) is presented.
The interconversion of the stereoisomers contained in technical 1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane, a major brominated flame retardant increasingly found in the environment and in biota, was investigated at elevated temperatures. The application of pure enantiomers of the three constituents α-, β-, and γ-HBCD enabled the unambiguous elucidation of the individual isomerisation reactions as well as the quantification of all respective rate constants. At 160 °C the rate constants range over two orders of magnitude from 1.50 × 10-3 to 1.88 × 10-5 mol(%) s-1. A preliminary mechanistic explanation for the differences of the rate constants which govern the composition of HBCD diastereomers at equilibrium is given.
Certified reference materials for organic contaminants in sewage sludge - a feasibility study
(2008)
As an answer to the re-evaluation of the European sludge directive, two novel reference materials for organic components in municipal sludge have been produced and test certified for AOX (absorbable organic halogens), PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), NPE (nonylphenol and nonylphenolethoxylates), DEHP (di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate), bisphenol A, and BFR (brominated flame retardants). The materials were prepared from raw sludge without spiking or mixing of different sludges. The study demonstrated that the technique for the preparation of a suitable reference material, sufficiently homogenous and stable, and with concentration levels that answer the needs of the laboratories and the relevant authorities, can now be presented in detail. The results, furthermore, show there is a need for method validation and standardisation of the measurements of NPEs and certain BFR congeners, and that the development of the laboratory structure in Europe, with fewer and more specialised laboratories, might become a major obstacle when trying to find a sufficient number of laboratories being appropriately proficient for this kind of study in the future.
The interlaboratory variability in the quantification of adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) in industrially contaminated soil is presented. Three consecutive rounds of a proficiency testing scheme, in which between 88 and 119 routine laboratories participated, yielded relative reproducibility standard deviations between 7 and 20% at AOX contents between 10.9 and 268 mg kg-1. Nineteen laboratories with established proficiency were invited to participate in the certification of the AOX content in three soil reference materials meant for the internal quality control in analytical laboratories. The certified values are (1349 ± 59) mg kg-1, (80 ± 7) mg kg-1 and (102 ± 8) mg kg-1, respectively.
Delta-Hexabromocyclododecane
(2007)
Decabromodiphenylethane
(2007)
Decabromodiphenylethane [systematic name: 1,1'-ethane-1,2-diylbis(pentabromobenzene)], C14H4Br10 (DBDPE), was crystallized from toluene. The molecule shows crystallographic inversion symmetry. The CBr distances are in the range 1.873 (7)1.891 (6) Å; intermolecular BrBr contacts contribute to the formation of ribbons.
1,2,5,6,9,10-Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a widely used flame retardant, which tends to persist in the environment and accumulates in biota. The six stereoisomers (three racemates named α-, β-, and γ-HBCD) of the technical mixture were isolated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Direct separations were performed on a chiral stationary phase containing permethylated -cyclodextrin (NUCLEODEX -PM column) and the pure enantiomers of α-, β-, and γ-HBCD were physically characterized for the first time. The absolute configurations of all six isomers were determined by anomalous dispersion using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Optical rotations αD in tetrahydrofuran were +4.2/-4.0 (α-HBCD), +26.1/-27.5 (β-HBCD), and +68.0/-66.3 (γ-HBCD). The sense of rotation could be correlated with the absolute configurations of α-, β-, and γ-HBCD enantiomers and their order of elution on a chiral permethylated β-cyclodextrin-bonded stationary phase. The diastereomers α-, β-, and γ-HBCD displayed distinctly different melting points as well as 1H-, 13C NMR, and IR spectra.
Isomerism of HBCD
(2007)
In this paper, we investigate the interconversion processes of the major flame retardant - 1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) - by the means of statistical thermodynamics based on classical force-fields. Three ideas will be presented. First, the application of classical hybrid Monte-Carlo simulations for quantum mechanical processes will be justified. Second, the problem of insufficient convergence properties of hybrid Monte-Carlo methods for the generation of low temperature canonical ensembles will be solved by an interpolation approach. Furthermore, it will be shown how free energy differences can be used for a rate matrix computation. The results of our numerical simulations will be compared to experimental results.
The title compounds Zn2[S2CN(n-C4H9)2]4 1 and Zn2[(S(SO)CN(n-C4H9)2)(S2CN(n-C4H9)2)]2 3 build mixed crystals in the ratio 0.42: 0.58. Each compound forms dimers, in which the monomer moieties are related via a two-fold axis, coinciding with that of the monoclinic space group C2/c. The lattice parameters are a = 23.581(9), b = 17.112(5), c = 16.372(9) Å, and β = 128.33(3)°.
The X-ray crystallographic study of the macrocyclic tetrakis-N[N-2-hydroxyethyl-piperazino]calix[4]resorcinarene·3CH3CH2OH·H2O (3) reveals a self-assembled dimeric capsule-like complex held together by an array of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Pairs of concave molecules associate directly in bowl-to-bowl fashion and enclose an accessible supramolecular cavity of Å3 hosting one water and three ethanol molecules. The supramolecular arrangement displays alternating layers of facing bowls and interlocking lower rim aliphatic moieties. The helical conformation of the 2-hydroxyethyl piperazinomethyl moieties displays chirality of a bimolecular capsule frozen in the solid state. 3 crystallises in the triclinic space group P-1 with two symmetry independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. Two enantiomeric capsules form a racemic pair in the unit cell.
A method for the determination of the novel brominated flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2,3-dibromopropylether), 1,1'-(isopropylidene)bis[3,5-dibromo-4-(2,3-dibromo-propoxy)-benzene] (TBBPA-dbpe), was developed. Technical TBBPA-dbpe was purified and the results of a thorough physical characterisation are reported. The application of APCI-MS is discussed and the fragmentation patterns are described. Quantification of TBBPA-dbpe was done by HPLC-DAD using external calibration. The validation of the method was accomplished using sediment and sewage sludge samples spiked with defined amounts of authentic TBBPA-dbpe. The average recovery rates of TBBPA-dbpe from spiked samples ranged from 35 to 91% (sediment) and from 57 to 98% (sewage sludge) depending on the respective extraction method. Pressurised fluid extraction (PFE) and fluidised bed extraction were superior to classical Soxhlet and sonication procedures and yielded recovery rates between 90 and 98% with relative standard deviations of 2%. The limits of detection (DTC), identification (ID) and determination (DTM) using HPLC-DAD were 10, 21 and 30 ng g-1 in sediment and 22, 44 and 72 ng g-1 in sewage sludge, respectively.
A procedure for the quantification of the PCB marker congeners 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180 in plastic waste form the recycling of cables in the range of content between 0.1 mg kg-1 and 20 mg kg-1 was validated. Representative reference materials for laboratory analyses were produced using granulates from different recycling processes. The method development included aspects of grinding, sieving, homogenising as well as the comparison of extraction methods and chromatographic conditions. The validated procedure foresees grinding of the technical sample to an upper particle size limit of 0.50 mm followed by extraction with an unpolar solvent such as n-hexane and gas chromatographic determination. LOD and LOQ for individual congeners ranged between 0.01 mg kg-1 and 0.08 mg kg-1. Electron capture detection (ECD) and mass selective detection (MS) were equivalent if chromatographic conditions were appropriately selected. The application of MS was advantageous in presence of significant amounts of interfering components which have been found in some cables.
Three reference materials containing the marker congeners in the range of 0.1 mg kg-15 mg kg-1 were submitted to a final validation intercomparison with 23 selected field laboratories using the developed method. Relative reproducibility standard deviations varied between 15% and 33%.
ISO Guide 35 deals with RM stability issues and scrutinizes the evaluation of stability testing results under the assumption that either there is no trend at all (a rather rare situation), or any observed deterministic change is insignificant and thus can be neglected. However, market demands for reliable reference materials are obviously not limited to stable or at least seemingly stable materials. In many analytical applications, analytes and measurands under consideration are known, or at least suspected, to be unstable on time scales that may vary widely from measurand to measurand. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) has developed (and successfully uses) an integrated approach in its certification practice. The approach is based on an initial stability study and subsequent post-certification monitoring. Data evaluation is model-based and takes advantage of all information collected in the stability testing scheme(s). It thus allows one to deal with any kind of instability observed, to assess limiting time intervals at any stress condition in the range tested, to estimate a final expiry date for materials with detected instabilities or the maximum admissible re-testing interval for seemingly stable materials, and to assess maximum admissible stress loads during delivery of the material to the customer. The article describes (and exemplifies) typical study layout, the model selection, and the integrated data assessment.
The performance of twelve laboratories with previously established proficiency in the determination of the mineral oil content in a fresh water sediment is described. The summation parameter total petrol hydrocarbon (TPH) is defined according to ISO 16703:2004 with regard to the sample preparation to be applied, the flame ionisation detection (FID) and the boiling range of C10C40 to be integrated. Comprehensive tests of homogeneity and stability have been carried out on the candidate material using appropriate models. The outcome of the study served as the basis for the certification of the candidate reference material as ERM-CC015a. The certified mass fraction is 1,820±130mgkg-1 and traceability was established by using an appropriate calibration standard certified for the mass fraction of C10C40. The interlaboratory scatter of measurement results in this exercise can largely be explained by the variability of the individual calibrations based on this common calibration standard.
Im Rahmen eines vom Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit (BMWA) geförderten Projektes wird in Kooperation mit dem Verband deutscher Metallhändler (VDM) ein Verfahren zur Quantifizierung der PCB-Kongenere 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180 im Gehaltsbereich von 0,1 bis 20 mg in Kunststoffabfällen aus dem Altkabelrecycling entwickelt und validiert. Dazu werden repräsentative Referenzmaterialien für die Laboranalytik aus Granulaten verschiedener Kabelzerlegeprozesse hergestellt und charakterisiert. Die Methodenentwicklung umfasst mahl-, sieb- und schüttguttechnologische Aspekte sowie den Vergleich unterschiedlicher Extraktionsverfahren und chromatographischer Bedingungen. Das validierte Verfahren sieht die Mahlung der technischen Probe auf eine Kornobergrenze von 0,50 mm gefolgt von Extraktion mit einem unpolaren Lösungsmittel bei einer Einwaage von 4 g und gaschromatographischer Bestimmung vor. Die Bestimmungsgrenzen liegen zwischen 0,01 und 0,08 mg/kg. Bei sorgfältiger Wahl der chromatographischen Bedingungen sind Elektroneneinfang- und massenselektive Detektion (MS) gleichwertig. In Gegenwart größerer Mengen bestimmter Komponenten, die in einigen Kabeln enthalten sind, kann der Einsatz eines MS von Vorteil sein. Drei Referenzmaterialien mit Gehalten der genannten Kongenere zwischen 0,1 bis 5 mg/kg werden in einem abschließenden Ringversuch zur Validierung dieser Methode mit 23 ausgewählten Laboratorien eingesetzt. Dabei ergeben sich für die Quantifizierung dieser Kongenere relative Vergleichsstandardabweichungen zwischen 15 und 33 %. Das Verfahren wird in die europäische Normung (CEN 292 „Characterisation of Waste“) eingebracht.