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Bei der Entwicklung pharmazeutischer Wirkstoffe werfen Substanzen mit einer geringen Löslichkeit, Auflösungsrate und damit einhergehend schlechten Bioverfügbarkeit immer größere Probleme auf. Diese Eigenschaften und nicht etwa toxikologische Eigenschaften oder schlechte Wirksamkeit sorgen dafür, dass es weniger als 1 % aller Wirkstoffe bis in die Markteinführung schaffen. Eine Reihe von Ansätzen zur Verbesserung der schlechten Wasserlöslichkeit konnten bereits etabliert werden. Hierunter zählen die gezielte Salzbildung bzw. Salzscreening, Solubilisierung mit Cosolventien oder die Nutzung von Polymeren als mögliche Transportwege. Eine weitere Möglichkeit bietet die Bildung verschiedener polymorpher Formen, sowohl der Einzelkomponente als auch von den verschiedenen Mehrkomponentenverbindungen.
Particle-based assays are becoming versatile analytical tools due to their cost-effectiveness, speed, straightforward and diverse functionalization chemistries, especially when polystyrene particles are used. The introduction of functional groups (–COOH, –NH2, etc.) to the surface of such polystyrene particles promotes their application in bioanalytics. However, the traditional method to determine the amount of surface carboxylate groups is conductivity titration, which is usually time- and resources-consuming and discontinuous. Here, we synthesized polystyrene microparticles with different contents of carboxylate groups, and then investigated a simpler and potentially continuous approach to determine the amount of surface carboxylate groups by Zeta potential measurements. The results were compared to the traditional titration method and to actual coupling efficiencies of the functionalized particles with a model oligonucleotide probe as determined by flow cytometry. All quantification methods revealed good agreement.
Two sets of polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) with comparable core sizes but different carboxyl group densities were made and separated using asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF4), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and the off-line hyphenation of both methods. Our results revealed the significant potential of two-dimensional off-line AF4-CE hyphenation to improve the separation and demonstrated for the first time, the applicability of CE to determine the functional group density of nanoparticles (NPs). Compared to the result acquired with conductometric titration, the result obtained with synthesized 100 nm sized PSNPs revealed only a slight deviation of 1.7%. Commercial 100 nm sized PSNPs yielded a deviation of 4.6 %. For 60 nm sized PSNPs, a larger deviation of 10.6 % between both methods was observed, which is attributed to the lower separation resolution.
The successful off-line coupling of asymmetrical flow field flow fractionation (AF4) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for separation of nanoparticles (NPs) with different surface coatings was shown. We could successfully demonstrate that, in a certain NP size range, hyphenation of both techniques significantly improved the separation of differently coated NPs. Three mixtures of polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) with comparable core sizes but different coatings (no coating/carboxyl-coated) were studied. Separation in either method resulted in non-baseline resolved or non-separated peaks. In contrast, two-dimensional off-line coupling of AF4 and CE resulted in clearly separated regions in their 2 D plots in case of 20 and 50 nm particle mixtures, whereas the 100 nm NP mixture could not be separated at all. Various factors affecting the separation like hydrodynamic diameter or SDS concentration were discussed.
To establish the methodical basis for the development and certification of fluorescence quantum yield standards, we determined the fluorescence quantum yield Φf of rhodamine 6G (R6G) with two absolute methods with complementary measurement principles, here optical spectroscopy using an integrating sphere setup and pulsed laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS). For the assessment of aggregation- and reabsorption-induced distortions of measured fluorescence quantum yields and procedures for the reliable consideration of such effects, this systematic comparison was performed in ethanol and in water employing different concentrations of R6G. In addition, the relative and absolute fluorescence quantum yields of these solutions were obtained with a calibrated spectrofluorometer and a commercialized integrating sphere setup. Based upon this systematic comparison, experimental advantages and systematic sources of variation were identified for both methods.
During the mineralisation of metal carbonates MCO3 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Mn, Cd, Pb) liquid-like amorphous intermediates emerge. These intermediates that form via a liquid/liquid phase separation behave like a classical emulsion and are stabilized electrostatically. The occurrence of these intermediates is attributed to the formation of highly hydrated networks whose stability is mainly based on weak interactions and the variability of the metal-containing pre-critical clusters. Their existence and compositional freedom are evidenced by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Liquid intermediates in non-classical crystallisation pathways seem to be more common than assumed.
An alternative method for lithium isotope amount ratio analysis based on a combination of high-resolution atomic absorption spectrometry and spectral data analysis by machine learning (ML) is proposed herein. It is based on the well-known isotope shift of approximately 15 pm for the electronic transition 22P←22S at around the wavelength of 670.8 nm, which can be measured by the state-of-the-art high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. For isotope amount ratio analysis, a scalable tree boosting ML algorithm (XGBoost) was employed and calibrated using a set of samples with 6Li isotope amount fractions, ranging from 0.06 to 0.99 mol mol–1, previously determined by a multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS). The calibration ML model was validated with two certified reference materials (LSVEC and IRMM-016). The procedure was applied toward the isotope amount ratio determination of a set of stock chemicals (Li2CO3, LiNO3, LiCl, and LiOH) and a BAM candidate reference material NMC111 (LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2), a Li-battery cathode material. The results of these determinations were compared with those obtained by MC-ICP-MS and found to be metrologically comparable and compatible. The residual bias was −1.8‰, and the precision obtained ranged from 1.9 to 6.2‰. This precision was sufficient to resolve naturally occurring variations, as demonstrated for samples ranging from approximately −3 to +15‰. To assess its suitability to technical applications, the NMC111 cathode candidate reference material was analyzed using high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry with and without matrix purification. The results obtained were metrologically compatible with each other.
The therapeutic dose of lithium (Li) compounds, which are widely used for the treatment of psychiatric and hematologic disorders, is close to its toxic level; therefore, drug monitoring protocols are mandatory. Herein, we propose a fast, simple, and low-cost analytical procedure for the traceable determination of Li concentration in human serum, based on the monitoring of the Li isotope dilution through the partially resolved isotope shift in its electronic transition around 670.80 nm using a commercially available high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. With this technique, serum samples only require acidic digestion before analysis. The procedure requires three measurements—an enriched 6Li spike, a mixture of a certified standard solution and spike, and a mixture of the sample and spike with a nominal 7Li/6Li ratio of 0.82. Lanthanum has been used as an internal spectral standard for wavelength correction. The spectra are described as the linear superposition of the contributions of the respective isotopes, each consisting of a spin-orbit doublet, which can be expressed as Gaussian components with constant spectral position and width and different relative intensity, reflecting the isotope ratio in the sample. Both the spectral constants and the correlation between isotope ratio and relative band intensity have been experimentally obtained using commercially available materials enriched with Li isotopes. The Li characteristic mass (mc) obtained corresponds to 0.6 pg. The procedure has been validated using five human serum certified reference materials. The results are metrologically comparable and compatible to the certified values. The measurement uncertainties are comparable to those obtained by the more complex and expensive technique, isotope dilution mass spectrometry.
Three methods for direct solid sampling of bulk material namely IR laser ablation, glow discharge and spark OES, were compared with respect to analytical figures of merit obtained for elemental analysis with atomic spectrometry. Matrices investigated were copper, pressed doped copper powder, and magnesium alloys. For the vast majority of analytes, statistical equivalence regarding precision (usually ≤ 5%) and the performance of the calibrations between the compared methods was demonstrated.
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-timeof-flight (MALDI-TOF) imaging of polystyrenes with various molecular masses was applied to study spatial molecular mass distribution of polymers in sample spots prepared by the 'dried droplet' method. When different solvents and target surfaces were examined, a segregation of single homologous polymers was observed depending upon the evaporation rate of the solvent. For the observed Patterns left by the evaporating droplet, a hypothesis is offered taking into account different hydrodynamic interactions and diffusion.
The results illustrate that spot preparation using the conventionally 'dried droplet' method is prone to artifacts and should be avoided for reliable and reproducible MALDI mass spectrometry experiments with regards to the Determination of molecular masses and mass distributions.
An ionization scheme for fast online mass spectrometric interrogation of levitated droplets is presented. That renewed method comprises the output of an a Er:YAG laser at λ = 2.94 µm which is in resonance with the OH stretch vibration band of solvents like water and alcohols. A temporal pulse width larger than the time needed for pressure redistribution and also above the temperature redistribution time constant was found to lead to soft evaporation/ionization. Despite these mild desorption conditions, no additional postionization is found to be needed. Accordingly, the ionization is found to be very soft resulting in entirely intact analyte ions and concentration dependent cluster ions. Resulting mass spectra of small amino acids and large antibiotics are presented showing the versatility of the introduced technique. Above a critical mass of m ≈ 1 kDa, the formed ions carry multiple charges as it is typical for thermospray or electrospray ionization. The detection technique enables fast contactless analysis of the chemical composition of levitated microreactors and, thus, paves the way for future contactless reaction monitoring.
Triacetone triperoxide (TATP), an improvised explosive, is a potential security threat because of its cost-efficient synthesis and the difficulty in detecting it. A highly selective antibody could provide the necessary specificity to the detection process. To obtain antibodies, a hapten made from acetone, hydrogen peroxide, and 7-oxooctanoic acid has been designed, synthesized, and confirmed by NMR that displays the utmost similarity to the analyte. The single-crystal X-ray structures of the solvated species TATP·methanol (1:1) and the TATP derivate were determined. In both compounds, the molecules exhibit D3 symmetry and adopt a twisted boat-chair conformation. The hapten was coupled to bovine serum albumin, and mice were immunized. An immune response against TATP was elicited, and selective antibodies were detected in the mouse serum, which should be very useful for the development of a TATP biosensor system. An ELISA with a limit of detection for TATP of 65 µg L-1 is shown.
Triacetone triperoxide (TATP) is a primary explosive, which was used in various terrorist attacks in the past. For the development of biosensors, immunochemical µ-TAS, electronic noses, immunological test kits, or test strips, the availability of antibodies of high quality is crucial. Recently, we presented the successful immunization of mice, based on the design, synthesis, and conjugation of a novel TATP derivative. Here, the long-term immunization of rabbits is shown, which resulted in antibodies of extreme selectivity and more than 1,000 times better affinity in relation to the antibodies from mice. Detection limits below 10 ng L-1 (water) were achieved. The working range covers more than four decades, calculated from a precision profile. The cross-reactivity tests revealed an extraordinary selectivity of the antibodies—not a single compound could be identified as a relevant cross-reactant. The presented immunoreagent might be a major step for the development of highly sensitive and selective TATP detectors particularly for security applications.
Solution-doped metal powder pellets as well as aspirated liquids were used as calibration samples to analyze pure copper and zinc certified reference materials (CRMs) by femtosecond laser ablation ICP-MS. It was demonstrated that calibration by copper pellets resulted in relative deviations up to 20%, whereas fs-LA-ICP-MS among copper-based CRMs led to inaccuracies in the same range unless nominal mass fractions were chosen to be <3 mg/kg. Calibration by zinc pellets generally provided better accuracy. Depending on the analyte considered, deviations below 10% were obtained even for mass fractions close to the limit of quantification. Our data, therefore, indicate solution-doped metal powder pellets to be suitable as calibration samples for fs-LA-ICP-MS of metals. Furthermore, the utilization of liquid standards for calibration was found to result in stronger deviations of up to 50% for both copper and zinc samples which, in addition, turned out to be dependent on the plasma conditions.
In this work, different calibration strategies for the determination of trace elements in pure copper metal by nanosecond laser ablation ICP-MS were investigated. In addition to certified reference materials (CRMs), pellets of doped copper powder were used for calibration. The micro homogeneity of the CRMs as well as the solution-doped pellets was sufficient to use them as calibration samples in combination with a laser spot size of 200 µm. In contrast, pellets doped with analytes in solid form showed a significant heterogeneity. For most of the investigated analytes and copper CRMs the measured mass fractions were within ± 20% of their certified values when other copper CRMs were used as calibration samples. When solution-doped powder pellets were used as calibration samples a systematic trend towards mass fractions below the certified values was observed for nearly all elements determined in the analysed CRMs. Thermal fractionation effects during the ablation of the solution-doped pellets were suspected as the extent of the fractionation depends on the irradiance, whereas fractionation is reduced at higher irradiance.
Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) has been proposed several years ago as an approach for quantitative analysis of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra. Recently developed refinement of the spectral processing method is described in the present work. Accurate quantitative results have been demonstrated for several metallic alloys. However, the degree of accuracy that can be achieved with Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy analysis of generic samples still needs to be thoroughly investigated. The authors have undertaken a systematic study of errors and biasing factors affecting the calculation in the Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra processing. These factors may be classified in three main groups: 1) experimental aberrations (intensity fluctuations and inaccuracy in the correction for spectral efficiency of a detection system), 2) inaccuracy in theoretical parameters used for calculations (Stark broadening coefficients and partition functions) and 3) plasma non-ideality (departure from thermal equilibrium, spatial and temporal inhomogeneities, optical thickness, etc.). In this study, the effects of experimental aberrations and accuracy of spectral data were investigated, assuming that the analytical plasma is ideal. Departure of the plasma conditions from ideality will be the object of future work. The current study was based on numerical simulation. Two kinds of metallic alloys, iron-based and aluminum-based, were studied. The relative weight of the error contributions was found to depend on the sample composition. For the here-investigated samples, the experimental aberrations contribute to the overall uncertainty on the quantitative results more than theoretical parameters. The described simulation method can be applied to the Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy analysis of any other kind of sample.
A reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (HPLC-ICP-MS) approach in combination with isotope dilution analysis (IDA) for the separation and parallel quantification of nanostructured and ionic silver (Ag) is presented. The main focus of this work was the determination of the ionic Ag concentration. For a sufficient stabilization of the ions without dissolving the nanoparticles (NPs), the eluent had to be initially optimized. The determined Ag ion concentration was in a good agreement with results obtained using ultrafiltration. Further, the mechanism of the NP separation in the HPLC column was investigated. Typical size exclusion effects were found by comparing results from columns with different pore sizes. Since the recovery rates decreased with increasing Ag NP size and large Ag NPs did not elute from the column, additional interactions of the particles with the stationary phase were assumed. Our results reveal that the presented method is not only applicable to Ag NPs, but also to gold and polystyrene NPs. Finally, IDA-HPLC-ICP-MS experiments in single particle mode were performed to determine the particle cut-off size. The comparison with conventional spICP-MS experiments resulted in a similar diameter and particle size distribution.
In this work, sample losses of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) have been systematically investigated with the main focus on instrumental conditions like focusing and cross-flow parameters as well as sample concentration and buffer composition. Special attention was drawn to the AF4 membrane. For monitoring possible silver depositions on the membrane, imaging laser ablation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used. Our results show that the sample residue on the membrane was below 0.6% of the total injected amount and therefore could be almost completely avoided at low sample concentrations and optimized conditions. By investigation of the AF4 flows using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we found the recovery rate in the detector flow under optimized conditions to be nearly 90%, while the cross-flow, slot-outlet flow and purge flow showed negligible amounts of under 0.5%. The analysis of an aqueous ionic Ag standard solution resulted in recovery rates of over 6% and the ionic Ag content in the sample was found to be nearly 8%. Therefore, we were able to indicate the ionic Ag content as the most important source of sample loss in this study.
A reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled to an inductively coupled Plasma mass spectrometer (HPLC–ICP-MS) approach in combination with isotope dilution analysis (IDA) for the separation and parallel quantification of nanostructured and ionic silver (Ag) is presented. The main Focus of this work was the determination of the ionic Ag concentration. For a sufficient stabilization of the Ions without dissolving the nanoparticles (NPs), the eluent had to be initially optimized. The determined Ag ion concentration was in a good agreement with results obtained using ultrafiltration. Further, the mechanism of the NP separation in the HPLC column was investigated. Typical size exclusion effects were found by comparing results from columns with different pore sizes. Since the recovery rates decreased with increasing Ag NP size and large Ag NPs did not elute from the column, additional interactions of the particles with the stationary phase were assumed. Our results reveal that the presented method is not only applicable to Ag NPs, but also to gold and polystyrene NPs. Finally, IDA-HPLC-ICP-MS experiments in single particle mode were performed to determine the particle cut-off size. The comparison with conventional spICP-MS experiments resulted in a similar diameter and particle size distribution.
Single particle ICP-MS (spICP-MS) has gained great influence in the analysis of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) due to its simplicity, speed and ability to obtain a particle number size distribution. Despite its many advantages, the method is hampered by matrix effects affecting the sensitivity of the instruments.
Consequently, over- or underestimated particle sizes might be obtained. To overcome these challenges, we present in this work the detection of both Ag isotopes with a quadrupole mass spectrometer for the application of isotopic dilution analysis (IDA) in combination with spICP-MS. Here, the isotopes are measured sequentially using the conventional spICP-MS integration time of 10 ms. Citrate stabilized Ag NPs of a spherical shape with the nominal diameters of 30, 40, 50 and 80 nm have been investigated.
The experimental concept of adding ¹⁰⁹Ag+ solutions to the NP suspensions resulted in the NP Spikes being only visible in the ¹⁰⁷Ag trace. Therefore, a maximum of 45% of the particles was detected compared to that by conventional spICP-MS. A modified mass flow equation was applied to determine the particle sizes, particle size distributions and particle number concentrations of various Ag NPs. The addition of different spike concentrations between 0.5 and 4 mg L⁻¹ ¹⁰⁹Ag resulted in similar particle diameters, suggesting that the calculated diameter might be independent of the spike concentration.
This would have the advantage that no size information would be needed before the analysis. By analyzing Ag NP suspensions in a simulated seawater matrix, we demonstrate its significant influence on the particle size determination using conventional spICP-MS. A lower transport efficiency of 6.1% was found in the matrix compared to 7.3% without the matrix. In our approach, the addition of the Matrix influenced the NP intensity stronger than the spike signal, resulting in slightly smaller diameters using IDA–spICP-MS with the matrix compared to the results without the matrix. On the other hand, the IDA–spICP-MS approach with the matrix can result in equivalent results for the particle sizes compared with
conventional spICP-MS using suspensions without the matrix. Due to the lower instrument sensitivity in the matrix, a diameter of 30 nm was found to be close to the detection limit of the instrument.
A commercially available airbrush gun as a new source for spray ionization is presented. It is best operated employing moderate stagnation pressures, resulting in a sonic gas flow. A mass spectrometric investigation on the amino acid lysine and several peptides reveals that this inexpensive approach results in reproducible mass spectra. The ion patterns strongly resemble the results from other studies obtained with custom made sonic spray vaporizers. The patterns as well resemble the mass spectra recorded with electrospray devices. For a better understanding of the vaporization process, the mass spectrometry experiments are accompanied by laser induced fluorescence experiments. Inverse Abel transform of the obtained fluorescence maps allows the determination of the full 3D distribution of the spray cone. Furthermore, via exploitation of the solvatochromism of the used dye the solvation state distribution can be visualized. In addition, expansion parameters like droplet size and velocity are obtained by laser stroboscopy. The experiments demonstrate that the analyte is hardly desolvated throughout the expansion. This indicates a subsequent vaporization of the residual solvent in the intermediate pressure region of the mass spectrometer.
For many analytical purposes, direct laser ionization of liquids is desirable. Several studies on supported droplets, free liquid jets, and ballistically dispensed microdroplets have been conducted, yet detailed knowledge of the underlying mechanistics in ion formation is still missing. This contribution introduces a simple combination of IR-MALDI mass spectrometry and an acoustical levitation device for contactless confinement of the liquid sample. The homebuilt ultrasonic levitator supports droplets of several millimeters in diameter. These droplets are vaporized by a carbon dioxide laser in the vicinity of the atmospheric pressure interface of a time of flight mass spectrometer. The evaporation process is studied by high repetition rate shadowgraphy experiments elucidating the ballistic evaporation of the sample and revealing strong confinement of the vapor by the ultrasonic field of the trap. Finally, typical mass spectra for pure glycerol/water matrix and lysine as an analyte are presented with and without the addition of trifluoracetic acid, and the ionization mechanism is briefly discussed. The technique is a promising candidate for a reproducible mass spectrometric detection scheme for the field of microfluidics.
A novel method for predictions of the sound pressure distribution in acoustic levitators is based on a matrix representation of the Rayleigh integral. This method allows for a fast calculation of the acoustic field within the resonator. To make sure that the underlying assumptions and simplifications are justified, this approach was tested by a direct comparison to experimental data. The experimental sound pressure distributions were recorded by high spatially resolved frequency selective microphone scanning. To emphasize the general applicability of the two approaches, the comparative studies were conducted for four different resonator geometries. In all cases, the results show an excellent agreement, demonstrating the accuracy of the matrix method.
A micro-droplet generator (µDG) sample introduction system was coupled to a sector field ICP-MS instrument to investigate the analytical figures of merit with respect to single cell analysis. The sector field instrument was operated for the first time in a fast scanning mode (E-scan) with the shortest time resolution of 100 µs to measure the single droplet time resolved and using the original detector in a pulse counting mode without modification of the existing electronics. For reduction of the droplet diameter a triple pulse mode of the droplet generator was applied and a droplet diameter down to 23 µm has been achieved for this investigation with a 100% transport efficiency of droplets. Signal duration times of single droplets of less than 500 µs have been measured. Overall detection efficiencies in the range of 10-3 counts per atom have been achieved and absolute limits of detection range between 120 ag for Fe and 1.1 ag for Mg as a mean value from 1000 droplet events.
We have applied a micro droplet generator (µDG) for sample introduction of single selenized yeast cells into a sector field ICP-MS, which was operated in a fast scanning mode with sampling rates of up to 10 kHz, to measure single cells time resolved with 100 µs integration time. Selenized yeast cells have been used as a model system for preliminary investigation. The single cells to be measured have been embedded into droplets and it will be shown that the time duration of a single cell event always is about 400 to 500 µs, and thus comparable to the time duration of a droplet without a cell. A fixed droplet generation rate of 50 Hz produced equidistant signals in time of each droplet event and was advantageous to separate contribution from background and blank from the analytical signal. Open vessel digestion and a multielement analysis were performed with washed yeast cells and absolute amounts per single cell were determined for Na (0.91 fg), Mg (9.4 fg), Fe (5.9 fg), Cu (0.54 fg), Zn (1.2 fg) and Se (72 fg). Signal intensities from single cells have been measured for the elements Cu, Zn and Se, and histograms were calculated for about 1000 cell events. The mean elemental sensitivities measured here range from 0.7 counts per ag (Se) to 10 counts per ag (Zn) with RSD's from 49% (Zn) to 69% (Se) for about 1000 cell events.
Temperature is one of the most important physical parameters of plasmas induced by a focused laser beam on solid targets, and its experimental evaluation has received considerable attention. An intriguing approach, first proposed by Kunze (H.-J. Kunze, Experimental check of local thermodynamic equilibrium in discharges, Appl. Opt., 25 (1986) 13–13.) as a check of the existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium, is based upon the simultaneous measurement of the thermal emission and the optically saturated fluorescence of the same selected atomic transition. The approach, whose appealing feature is that neither the calibration of the set-up nor the spontaneous radiative probability of the transitions is needed, has not yet been applied, to our knowledge, to analytical flames and plasmas. A critical discussion of the basic requirements for the application of the method, its advantages, and its experimental limitations, is therefore presented here. For our study, Ba+ transitions in a plasma formed by focusing a pulsed Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) on a glass sample containing BaO are selected. At various delay times from the plasma initiation, a pulsed, excimer-pumped dye laser tuned at the center of two Ba transitions (6s ²S1/2 → 6p ²P°3/2; 455.403 nm and 6p ²P°1/2 → 6d ²S1/2; 452.493 nm) is used to enhance the populations of the excited levels (6p ²P°3/2 and 6d ²S1/2) above their thermal values. The measured ratio of the emission and direct line fluorescence signals observed at 614.171 nm (6p ²P°3/2 → 5d ²D5/2) and 489.997 nm (6d ²S1/2 → 6p ²P°3/2) is then related to the excitation temperature of the plasma. Our conclusion is that the approach, despite being indeed attractive and clever, does not seem to be easily applicable to flames and plasmas, in particular to transient and inhomogeneous plasmas such as those induced by lasers on solids.
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) has been suggested as a promising tool for the investigation of pollen, but the usefulness of this approach for classification and identification of pollen species has to be proven by an application to samples of varying taxonomic relations.
The processes associated with pollen germination were studied in vitro for two tree species, Salix caprea and Fraxinus excelsior under different nutrient conditions. The results provide evidence of changes in chemical composition of the pollen grains during germination. From the comparison of spectra of the pollen grain body and the growing pollen tube, it can be concluded that there are major chemical differences between these two morphological units. Comparison of germinated and ungerminated pollen grains reveals alterations in the metabolism. Composition of the germinating pollen grain and its morphological units depends on the plant species, but also on the nutrient conditions. The results suggest species-specific utilization of metabolite storage, and potential alterations of the pollen outer coat. Furthermore, discharge of molecules into the nutrient medium may depend on the nutrient conditions in the germination experiments. This has implications for further experiments on dynamic processes in pollen and related plant materials.
Raman signatures of the carotenoid component are studied in individual pollen grains from different species of trees. The information is obtained as differences in the strong pre-resonant Raman spectra measured before and after photodepletion of the carotenoid molecules. The results provide the first in situ evidence of interspecies differences in pollen carotenoid content, structure, and/or assembly between plant species without prior purification. The analysis of carotenoids in situ is confirmed by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC)-supported resonance Raman data measured directly on the HPTLC plates after separation of carotenoids in pollen extracts. Utilization of the in situ, extraction-free procedure in carotenoid analysis will improve sensitivity and structural selectivity and provides insight into carotenoid structure and composition in single pollen grains.
We report on the in situ characterization of tree pollen molecular composition based on Raman spectroscopy. Different from purification-based analysis, the nondestructive approach allows (i) to analyze various classes of molecules simultaneously at microscopic resolution and (ii) to acquire fingerprint-like chemical information that was used for the classification of pollen from different species. Hierarchical cluster analysis of spectra from fresh pollen samples of 15 species partly related at the genus level and family level indicates separation of species based on the complete Raman spectral signature and yields classification in accord with biological systematics. The results have implications for the further elucidation of pollen biochemistry and also for the development of chemistry-based online pollen identification methods.
Raman microscopy allows a non-destructive characterisation of inorganic and organic painting materials such as pigments and organic dyestuffs. The objectives of this study are the more recent organic pigments typically present in paintings and other art works from the 20th century. More than 20 organic synthetic pigments from different chemical classes could be identified by Raman spectroscopy using different excitation wavelengths (457.9, 476.5, 487.9, 514.5, 632.8, and 1064 nm). To evaluate the performance for real paint samples, varying paint mixtures of the Hansa Yellow pigment PY 3 and the binding medium Mowilith, a polyvinyl acetate (PVAC) compound, were characterised; PY 3 was determined at a 1 wt% level in the binder. In addition, commercial tube paints containing the quinacridone violet PV 19 were studied. The pigment was clearly identified in all of these more complex oil and acrylic paints. Finally, alizarin (PR 83) and a green copper phthalocyanine pigment (PG 7) could unambiguously be identified by Raman microscopy in the painting Woman with mandolin in yellow and red of Max Beckmann dating 1950. The discovery of a red naphthol AS pigment by Raman spectroscopy in a sample from the Three field workers by Georg Baselitz (1964/1965) demonstrated that in some cases complementary chromatographic methods are needed for a comprehensive identification of the organic pigments.
Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) was used to monitor changes of the molecular masses of thermoplastic polyether – and polyester urethane (TPU) exposed to thermal, hydrolytic, and photo-oxidative (UV) Degradation conditions for several days. The thermal treatment was performed at elevated temperatures (100–200 °C) under oxidative (air) as well as non-oxidative (nitrogen) conditions to evaluate the specific influence of oxygen on the degradation. At higher temperatures (≥175 °C) a fast decrease of the molecular masses of both PU accompanied by a high degree of crosslinking was found. At lower temperatures (≤150 °C) the polymers remained widely unaffected by thermal degradation within the investigated degradation interval of up to two weeks. Surprisingly, the influence of oxygen (air) was found to be less distinct. In contrast to that, UV treatment at 25 °C at less than 10% rel. humidity (RH) resulted in a fast crosslinking, whereas the molecular masses of both PU decreased slower than for thermal treatments. The depth of penetration of the UV radiation was estimated using 3D printed PU samples with different thicknesses. Hydrolysis based degradation effects were less significant. Only slight molecular mass changes were detected at temperatures ≤80 °C within a time span of 14 days, while no crosslinking could be measured. Considering the degradation results at the investigated exposure parameters, it could be shown that esterbased PU in general exhibits a significant higher stability compared to ether-based materials.
Acoustic levitation represents the physical background of trapping a sample in a standing acoustic wave with no contact to the wave generating device. For the last three decades, sample holders based on this effect have been commonly used for contact free handling of samples coupled with a number of analytical techniques. In this study, a wall-free climate unit is presented, which allows the control of the environmental conditions of suspended samples. The insulation is based on a continuous cold/hot gas flow around the sample and thus does not require any additional isolation material. This provides a direct access to the levitated sample and circumvents any influence of the climate unit material to the running analyses.
Höchst dynamische Hydratationsprozesse in den ersten Sekunden bei der Entstehung eines Bauwerkes lassen sich mithilfe von Synchrotron-Röntgenbeugung mit einer sehr hohen Zeitauflösung nachverfolgen. Der Schwerpunkt lag dabei auf der Beeinflussung der Bildung erster kristalliner Hydratationsprodukte während des Frühstadiums der Zementhydratation.
Setting cement: Highly dynamic hydration processes that occur during the first seconds of cement hydration were studied by time-resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Polycarboxylate ether additives were found to influence the formation of the initial crystalline hydration products on a molecular level.
Deciphering the sulfate attack of cementitious materials by high-resolution micro-x-ray diffraction
(2011)
The durability of cementitious materials depends, among others, on their resistance against chemical attack during the service life of a building. Here, we present an approach to analyze changes in the phase composition due to chemical attack in the form of sulfate ingress within the microstructure. Micro-X-ray (µX-ray) diffraction using synchrotron radiation in Debye–Scherrer (transmission) geometry allowed a spatial resolution of 10 µm. Phase transformations in the wake of damaging processes were observed in a detailed high-resolution imaging study. In comparison, samples containing supplementary cementitious materials were investigated and used to reconstruct the influence of different degeneration processes in detail. Additionally, reaction fronts within the bulk were localized by micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis. The experimental setup provided the possibility for analyzing the phase assemblage of a given sample without destroying the microstructure. The specimens for phase analysis are thick sections of the primary material and can be used for further microscopic analysis of the microstructure and microchemistry, e.g., scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX) or Raman spectroscopy.
Spatially resolved analysis of complex multi-phase systems can be validated through different analytical methods. This study compares investigations by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis and high resolution X-ray diffraction. The studied sulfate attacked cement paste containing fly ashes consists of different interacting crystalline and amorphous phases. The complementary methods revealed in detail changes in phase composition due to the chemical attack. The advantages and disadvantages of both methods are discussed and suggestions are given for combining them with additional methods to maximize the information content.
Pathway of a damaging mechanism - Analyzing chloride attack by synchrotron based X-ray diffraction
(2015)
Typically, the changes of the phase compositions due to the chemical attack are studied in-situ only by chemical analysis or microscopy. In this study, the chloride transport and binding in the cement matrix in different cementitious materials was analyzed by synchrotron based X-ray diffraction (SyXRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Sample materials consisting of cement paste were embedded in high concentrated sodium chloride solution over different time spans. Afterwards, the phase and chemical compositions were determined. The high spatial resolution and the information about the chloride distribution offer a detailed view of chloride binding in the cement matrix and allow the conclusions about the degradation mechanisms. The results are discussed related to the influence of different supplementary cementitious materials on the damaging mechanism.
The influence of a humid or dry atmosphere on acoustically levitated ionic liquid droplets was studied by volumetric analysis and vibrational spectroscopy. Imidazolium-based ionic liquids with two types of anions, fluorinated (BF4 and PF6) and alkylsulfate anions, were investigated. The amount of absorbed water was correlated with structural differences of the ionic liquids and analyzed in terms of equilibrium mole fraction as well as absorption rate. The type of anion had the most significant influence on the amount of adsorbed water from the atmosphere. Furthermore, spectral changes in the in situ Raman spectra due to absorbed water were studied for all investigated ionic liquids. For 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, an exemplary detailed analysis of the intermolecular interactions between cations, anions and water was carried out based on the spectroscopic data. The observed band shifts were explained with a hydrogen bond between the anion and water.
The formation and growth of hydroxylamine reduced silver nanoparticles were investigated by simultaneous Raman and UV/Vis spectroscopy coupled to an acoustic levitator as a sample holder. Based on the UV/Vis spectra, a two step particle formation mechanism with fast initial formation and adjacent coalescence can be proposed for the reduction of silver nitrate with hydroxylamine. The presence of the analyte adenine during particle formation resulted in differences in the adenine SERS signature compared to experiments, where adenine was added after particle synthesis. It was possible to monitor the adenine and sodium chloride induced aggregation of the nanoparticles and its dynamics based on both the extinction spectra and the SERS data. Correlating the information from the extinction spectra with the SERS intensity, the maximum SERS signals were observed at maximum extinction of the aggregated nanoparticle solution at the Raman excitation wavelength.
A systematic crystal morphology study on the pharmaceutical model compound caffeine has been conducted on different surfaces: silicon, silver, soda lime glass, and silver subsurface ion-exchanged soda-lime silicate (SIMO) glasses. The morphology of the solid caffeine deposits has been investigated using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Needle-shaped caffeine crystals have been observed by drop-casting and also by applying the rapid expansion of supercritical solutions (RESS) technique using supercritical carbon dioxide. The aspect ratio of the crystalline needles typically vary between 10 and 100, but have been observed as large as 500. The XRD data of the RESS products indicate unambiguously the presence of the thermodynamically most stable polymorph of caffeine known as the β-form. Under defined conditions we observe a unique, surface-mediated morphology for caffeine crystals with nearly perfect hexagonal shape. The relative fraction of the hexagons was seen to strongly increase especially when SIMO glasses were used. These hexagons have a distinct upper size limit depending on the solvent and substrate being used. The size distribution analysis of the hexagons yielded an average perimeter of typically 10 µm. The mechanism of the formation process of this new hexagonal motif is explained in terms of the spinodal dewetting of the thin film of caffeine solution on the surface.
Determining the influence of impurities on the fixed-point emperatures
of the ITS-90 requires the completion of several tasks. In this paper, the Progress made at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and BAMFederal Institute for Materials Research and Testing is presented and remaining questions are discussed.
The projected characterization procedure at PTB, which is based on the established SIE method (sum of the individual estimates), using a new indium fixed-point cell is described as an example. This procedure includes an SI-traceable chemical Analysis of the material in the fixed-point cell with sufficiently low uncertainties, the individual experimental determination of the influence of the quantified impurities on the fixed-point temperature, and the establishment of direct links to the phase-transition temperatures of the national standard and of an assumed material of ideal purity.
A characteristic difference to the common practice is the chemical analysis of the fixed-point metal being done after determining the cells freezing temperature. This allows for the detection and consideration of contamination and purification effects due to the filling process, or due to the contact with the carbon crucible and other parts of the fixed-point cell. A chemical analysis of an indium fixed-point was carried out by BAM with relative measurement uncertainties below 30 % which have not been previously achieved. The results provide evidence for the precipitation of some impurities,
which is apparently inconsistent with the corresponding binary phase diagrams, but was explained in a recent publication. Implications for the use of the SIE method shall be described briefly at the end.
This study reports on the development of a single-particle (sp) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique suitable for the multi-mode determination of nanoparticle (NP) metal mass fraction and number concentration. The described technique, which is based on a dual inlet System consisting of a pneumatic nebulizer (PN) and a microdroplet generator (MDG), allows for the sequential introduction of ionic metal calibrant solutions and nanoparticle suspensions via all combinations of the two inlets; thus allowing for a combination of three independent modes of analysis. A novel interface, assembled using standard analytical components (a demountable quartz ICP-MS torch, flexible nonconducting silicon tubing and various connectors), was used to interface the dual inlet system to an ICP-MS. The interface provided improved functionality, compared to a previous design. It is now possible to conveniently exchange and introduce standard solutions and samples via all inlet combinations, analyze them, and also wash the sample inlet systems while the whole setup is still connected to an operating ICP-MS. This setup provided seamless and robust operation in a total of three analysis modes, i.e. three ways to independently determine the metal mass fraction and NP number concentration. All three analyses modes could be carried out within a single analytical run lasting approximately 20 min.
The unique feature of the described approach is that each analysis mode is based on a different.
Metal-containing nanoparticles (NP) can be characterized with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (ICP-MS) in terms of their size and number concentration by using the single-particle mode of the instrument (spICP-MS). The accuracy of measurement depends on the setup, operational conditions of the instrument and specific parameters that are set by the user. The transport efficiency of the ICP-MS is crucial for the quantification of the NP and usually requires a reference material with homogenous size distribution and a known particle number concentration.
Currently, NP reference materials are available for only a few metals and in limited sizes. If particles are characterized without a reference standard, the results of both size and particle number may be biased. Therefore, a dual-inlet Setup for characterizing nanoparticles with spICP-MS was developed to overcome this problem. This setup is based on a conventional introduction system consisting of a pneumatic nebulizer (PN) for nanoparticle solutions and a microdroplet Generator (μDG) for ionic calibration solutions. A new and flexible interface was developed to facilitate the coupling of μDG, PN and the ICP-MS system. The interface consists of available laboratory components and allows for the calibration, nanoparticle (NP) characterization and cleaning of the arrangement, while the ICP-MS instrument is still running.
Three independent analysis modes are available for determining particle size and number concentration. Each mode is based on a different calibration principle.
While mode I (counting) and mode III (μDG) are known from the literature, mode II (sensitivity), is used to determine the transport efficiency by inorganic ionic Standard solutions only. It is independent of NP reference materials. The μDG based inlet system described here guarantees superior analyte sensitivities and, therefore, lower detection limits (LOD). The size dependent LODs achieved are less than 15 nm for all NP (Au, Ag, CeO2) investigated.
Determination of tributyltin in whole water matrices under the European water framework directive
(2016)
Monitoring of water quality is important to control water pollution. Contamination of the aquatic systemhas a large effect on human health and the environment. Under the European Water Framework Directive(WFD) 2000/60/EC and the related directive on environmental quality standards (EQS) in the field of waterpolicy 2008/105/EC, the need for sensitive reference methods was highlighted. Since tributyltin (TBT) isone of the WFD listed priority substances a method was developed which is capable to qualify and quantifythe pollutant at the required low WFD EQS of 0.2 ng L⁻¹ in whole water bodies, i.e. in non-filtered watersamples with dissolved organic carbon and suspended particulate matter. Therefore special attention waspaid on the interaction of TBT with the suspended particulate matter and humic substances to obtain acomplete representation of the pollution in surface waters. Different water samples were investigatedvarying the content of organic dissolved and suspended matter. Quantification was performed usingspecies-specific isotope dilution (SSID) and gas chromatography with inductively coupled plasma massspectrometry (GC-ICP-MS). Different sample treatment strategies were evaluated and compared. Theprocess of internal standard addition was investigated and optimized, hence the equilibrium betweeninternal standards and matrix is of primary importance to perform accurate SSID. Samples spiked at EQSlevel were analyzed with a recovery between 95 and 105 %. Additionally real surface water samples wereinvestigated and the TBT concentration for the whole water body was determined and compared withconventional routine analysis method.