Chemische Charakterisierung und Spurenanalytik
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In dieser Arbeit wurden drei verschiedene Nanomaterialien auf ihre Bindungsfähigkeit zu Proteinen untersucht. Zu Beginn standen dabei die Herstellung stabiler Dispersionen der einzelnen Nanopartikel und die Stabilität der gebildeten Konjugate im Vordergrund. Der Nachweis einer erfolgreichen Konjugatbildung, sprich der Beschichtung von Nanopartikel mit Proteinen, wurde sowohl qualitativ mittels DLS-Messungen als auch über quantitative Protein-Bestimmungen erbracht. Für die Quantifizierung konnten verschiedene Methoden eingesetzt werden. Neben der klassischen Vorgehensweise, welche indirekt über die Quantifizierung von ungebundenem Protein im Überstand erfolgt, konnten ihm Rahmen dieser Arbeit verschiedene direkte Bestimmungsmethoden entwickelt werden. So wurden mittels kolorimetrischer Tests, wie dem BCA-Assay und dem Bradford-Assay, Nanodiamantdispersionen mit Hilfe einer Korrekturwellenlänge vermessen und quantifiziert. Ebenso zum Einsatz kam die Methode der Aminosäureanalytik, welche aufgrund ihrer guten Rückführbarkeit auf Aminosäurestandards Ergebnisse mit hoher Richtigkeit generieren kann und ebenso die Detektion kleiner Proteinmengen möglich macht.
Nach den erfolgten quantitativen Betrachtungen wurden die Protein-beschichteten Nanopartikel auf ihre Anwendbarkeit als Analoga von Virus-like Particles (VLP) bei einer Immunisierung zur Gewinnung von polyklonalen Antikörpern gegen humanes Ceruloplasmin in Kaninchen überprüft. Es konnte mittels ELISA gezeigt werden, dass die Konjugate erfolgreich für die Herstellung von Antikörpern eingesetzt werden können und im zeitlichen Verlauf einer Immunisierung eine Steigerung des Antikörper-Titers zu erreichen ist.
Quantifizierung der Schädigung von DNA in wässriger Lösung unter direkter Elektronenbestrahlung
(2018)
To cure cancer radiation therapy is used to kill tumor cells.
It is based on radiation induced damage to biomolecules.
Especially DNA damage is of key interest due to its central role in apoptosis and mutation.
Because of the high amount of water in biological tissue, most of the damage is caused by the secondary particles produced by the inelastic scattering of ionizing radiation and water.
A detailed understanding of the underlying molecular processes under physiological conditions is the prerequisite to develop more efficient therapies.
Goal of this work is to quantify the DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation in dependence of the inelastic scattering events and the energy deposit within the microscopic target volume of biological relevance.
The irradiations have to be performed in liquid, under consideration of the chemical environment.
Therefore, a new combination of experiment and Monte-Carlo simulations was developed and tested.
To make it possible to irradiate liquids with electrons within scanning electron microscopes a new sample holder was constructed incorporating an electron transparent nanomembrane.
It makes it possible to irradiate DNA, proteins or cells at different pH, salinity and in the presence of cosolutes.
%The most important results of this work are as follows:
The median lethal dose for a model system of plasmid DNA and water was determined by the combination of experimental data, particle scattering simulations (Geant4-DNA) and diffusion calculations as D0.5=(1.7+-0.3) Gy.
From the convolution of plasmid positions and the spatially resolved energy deposit, as determined by electron scattering simulations, the histogram of the energy deposit within the target volume of the plasmids and the microscopic median lethal energy deposit was calculated as E0.5=6+-4eV.
It could be deduced that on average less than two ionization events are sufficient to cause a single-strand-break.
The relation of single-strand-breaks (SSB) to double-strand-breaks (DSB), which is of importance for microdosimetric modeling, was determined as SSB:DSB = 12:1.
The presented method for the determination of microscopic dose-damage relations was further extended to be applicable for general irradiation experiments.
It becomes independent of the type of primary radiation used, the experimental geometry, and the diffusional properties of the molecules under investigation.
This way different experimental systems with varying, inhomogeneous energy deposit characteristics become comparable with each other, which is not possible when only macroscopic averaged values are taken into account.
In addition, the radiation protection properties of the compatible solute ectoine, as well as its influence on the water properties and biomolecules were investigated.
%In addition, the influence of the compatible solute ectoine on water, biomolecules and its radiation protection properties were investigated.
Raman spectroscopy revealed a concentration dependent increase of the collective water modes in the OH-stretching region, which was found to be independent of the sodium chloride concentration.
Molecular dynamic simulations showed that the zwitterionic properties of ectoine lead to its half-chair conformation.
The hydrogen bonds in the first hydration shell are more stable and have an increased lifetime compared to the bulk water.
Irradiation experiments with DNA in the presence of 1M ectoine revealed an increase of the survival rate by a factor of 1.41 as compared to the absence of ectoine.
The protective properties of ectoine result from the increase of the inelastic scattering probabilities of low energy electrons at the acoustic vibrational modes of water and its properties as OH-radical scavenger.
This was shown by Raman spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements (EPR).
Proline has been widely used for various cocrystallization applications, including pharmaceutical cocrystals. Combining enantiopure and racemic flurbiprofen and proline, we discovered 18 new crystal structures. Liquid-assisted grinding proved highly efficient to explore all the variety of crystal forms. A unique combination of stateof-the-art characterization techniques, comprising variable temperature in situ X-ray diffraction and in situ ball-milling, along with other physicochemical methods and density functional theory calculations, was indispensable for identifying all the phases. Analyzing the results of in situ ball-milling, we established a stepwise mechanism for the formation of several 1:1 cocrystals via an intermediate 2:1 phase. The nature of the solvent in liquidassisted grinding was found to significantly affect the reaction rate and, in some cases, the reaction pathway.
We designed and synthesized triphenylamine based and coumarin fused rhodamine hybrid dyes and characterized using 1H, 13C NMR and HR-LCMS analysis. Both the newly synthesized hybrid dyes were found to show red shifted absorption as well as emissions and large Stokes shift (40e68 nm) as compared to the small Stokes shift (25e30 nm) of reported dyes Rhodamine B and 101. Photophysical properties of these dyes were studied in different solvents and according to the solvents acidity or basicity they preferred to remain in their spirocyclic or open form in different ratio. We studied the spirocyclic as well as open form derivatives of these dyes for their viscosity sensitivity in three different mixture of solvents i.e. polar-protic [EtOH-PEG 400], polar-aprotic [toluene-PEG 400] and non-polaraprotic [toluene-paraffin]. They are found to show very high viscosity sensitivity in polar-protic mixture of solvents [EtOH-PEG 400] and hence concluded that both polarity as well as viscosity factor worked together for the higher emission enhancement rather than only viscosity factor. As these dyes showed very high viscosity sensitivity in their spirocyclic as well as open form, they can be utilized as viscosity sensors in visible as well as deep red region. We also correlated our experimental finding theoretically by using Density Functional theory computations.
A frequently studied environmental contaminant is the active substance diclofenac, which is removed insufficiently in sewage treatment plants. Since its inclusion in the watch list of the EU Water Framework Directive, the concentrations in surface waters will be determined throughout Europe. For this, still, more precise analytical methods are needed. As a reference, HPLC-MS is frequently employed. One of the major metabolites is 4’-hydroxydiclofenac (4’-OH-DCF). Also, diclofenac lactam is important for assessing degradation and transformation. Aceclofenac (ACF), the glycolic acid ester of diclofenac is used as a drug, too, and could potentially be cleaved to yield diclofenac again. In various sewage treatment plant influent samples, diclofenac, 4’-OH-DCF, DCF lactam and ACF could be determined with detection limits of 3 µg/L, 0.2 µg/L, 0.17 µg/L and 10 ng/L, respectively.
The overall interest in nanotoxicity, triggered by the increasing use of nanomaterials in the material and life sciences, and the synthesis of an ever increasing number of new functional nanoparticles calls for standardized test procedures1,2 and for efficient approaches to screen the potential genotoxicity of these materials. Aiming at the development of fast and easy to use, automated microscopic methods for the determination of the genotoxicity of different types of nanoparticles, we assess the potential of the fluorometric γH2AX assay for this purpose. This assay, which can be run on an automated microscopic detection system, relies on the detection of DNA double strand breaks as a sign for genotoxicity3. Here, we provide first results obtained with broadly used nanomaterials like CdSe/CdS and InP/ZnS quantum dots as well as iron oxide, gold, and polymer particles of different surface chemistry with previously tested colloidal stability and different cell lines like Hep-2 and 8E11 cells, which reveal a dependence of the genotoxicity on the chemical composition as well as the surface chemistry of these nanomaterials. These studies will be also used to establish nanomaterials as positive and negative genotoxicity controls or standards for assay performance validation for users of this fluorometric genotoxicity assay. In the future, after proper validation, this microscopic platform technology will be expanded to other typical toxicity assays.
The recently reported luminescent chromium(III) complex 13+ ([Cr(ddpd)2]3+; ddpd=N,N’-dimethyl-N,N’-dipyridine-2-yl-pyridine-2,6-diamine) shows exceptionally strong near-IR emission at 775 nm in water under ambient conditions (F=11%) with a microsecond lifetime as the ligand design in 13+ effectively eliminates non-radiative decay pathways, such as photosubstitution, back-intersystem crossing, and trigonal twists. In the absence of energy acceptors, such as dioxygen, the remaining decay pathways are energy transfer to high energy solvent and ligand oscillators, namely OH and CH stretching vibrations. Selective deuteration of the solvents and the ddpd ligands probes the efficiency of these oscillators in the excited state deactivation. Addressing these energytransfer pathways in the first and second coordination sphere furnishes a record 30% quantum yield and a 2.3 millisecond lifetime for a metal complex with an earth-abundant metal ion in solution at room temperature.
In der Berliner Sammlung "Manuscripta Americana" befinden sich Fragmente von Bilderhandschriften, die Alexander von Humboldt 1804 in Mexiko erwarb und der Königlichen Bibliothek schenkte. Die in der frühen Kolonialzeit hergestellten verschiedenartigen Codices waren damals schon nicht mehr an den Orten ihrer ursprünglichen Verwendung. Entsprechend ihres Seltenheitswertes gelangten einzelne Schriftstücke seit der Conquista in die Bestände bedeutender Persönlichkeiten. Hierzu fertigte man auch Abschriften oder Kopien an, oder zerstückelte sogar einzelne Blätter, so dass die Darstellungen auf den abgetrennten Fragmenten oft nur zum Teil abgebildet vorliegen.
Um herauszufinden, ob einige Schriftstücke der "Humboldt Codices" in Bezug zu einander stehen, werden die Dokumente, ihre Symbole und Schriftzeichen und das zur Herstellung verwendete Material miteinander verglichen.
Mit den für die Analyse von Manuskripten bewährten Untersuchungsmethoden werden Papier und Farbmittel identifiziert. Hierzu zählen Raman-, FTIR-, Röntgenfluoreszenz- und VIS- Spektroskopie. Charakteristisch für die Herstellung von schriftlichen Dokumenten in der Kolonialzeit von Amerika ist die Verwendung von indigenem Material wie Papier aus Baumrinde und Pflanzenfarben zusammen mit den aus Europa bekannten Materialien. Geklärt wird, inwieweit neben den bekanntesten Farbstoffen wie Cochenille, Mayablau oder Mischungen mit Tonmineralen auch mineralische Pigmente zum Einsatz kamen.
Vorgestellt werden die auf Tafel 36 in den "Vues des Cordillères et Monuments des Peuples Indigènes de l`Amerique, Voyage de Humboldt et Bonpland" abgebildeten Fragmente. Die hier von Humboldt vorgenommene Zusammenstellung wird mit der Farbpalette der in Berlin archivierten originalen Schriftstücke verglichen. Die Interpretation der Ergebnisse gibt einen Hinweis auf die Zuordnung oder auch Zusammengehörigkeit dieser einzigartigen Dokumente amerikanischer Geschichte. Hierbei wird die Frage aufgeworfen, inwiefern davon auszugehen ist, dass diese mit weiteren Fragmenten in Verbindung gebracht werden können, was für die Beleuchtung der kulturhistorischen Zusammenhänge von großer Bedeutung ist.
Certification of the mass fractions of trace elements in a medium purity graphite reference material
(2018)
The increasing application of graphite materials in various fields of technology and science enhances the demand for strictly controlled properties which are often directly correlated to the contents of trace element impurities. Therefore, the availability of powerful, rapid and reliable analytical methods for the determination of trace impurities is essential for process and quality control. Certified reference materials, indispensable for the development and validation of appropriate trace analytical methods for the characterization of special purity graphite materials are still lacking. Therefore, BAM in co-operation with the working group “Special Materials” of the committee of chemists of GDMB (Gesellschaft der Metallurgen und Bergleute e.V.) certified an industrially sourced graphite material with genuine elemental impurities.
The candidate material was a commercial product (NBG 18) taken from the customary production line of the producer SGL CARBON, Chedde (France). The homogeneity of the powdered material was assessed by means of ETV-ICP OES and DC Arc-OES. Certification of the candidate reference material was based on an inter-laboratory comparison involving 17 expert laboratories from Germany, France, Slovenia, USA, South Africa. A variety of different mineralization, digestion, leaching, fusion and combustion techniques prior to ICP OES and photometry, methods without sample preparation (INAA, k0-INAA) as well as typical solid sampling methods (ETV-ICP OES, ETV-ICP-MS, SS-ET AAS, DC Arc-OES, MF-DC Arc-OES) were used to characterise the material. Certified mass fractions and their expanded uncertainties (k = 2) were assigned for 27 elements (Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, Sr, Ti, V, W, Y, Zn, Zr), ranging from (0.00050 ± 0.00027) mg/kg for Be to (41 ± 6) mg/kg for Si. Additionally, informative values are given for the: trace element contents of Ag, As, Au, Bi, Cd, Cs, Dy, Eu, Ga, Gd, Hg, In, La, Nb, Rb, Re, Rh, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sn, Ta, Tb, Te, Th, U; method specific values obtained by ETV-ICP OES (BETV and SiETV) and the ash content of the material.
The certified material “BAM-S009 Medium Purity Graphite Powder” is available for purchase from BAM.
Cost-effective water cleaning approaches using improved Treatment technologies, for instance based on catalytic processes with high activity catalysts, are urgently needed. The aim of our study was to synthesize efficient Fenton-like photo-catalysts for rapid degradation of persistent organic micropollutants in aqueous medium. Iron-based nanomaterials were chemically synthesized through simple procedures by immobilization of either iron(II) oxalate (FeO) or iron(III) citrate (FeC) on magnetite (M) nanoparticles stabilized with polyethylene glycol (PEG). Various investigation techniques were performed in order to characterize the freshly prepared catalysts. By applying advanced oxidation processes, the effect of catalyst dosage, hydrogen peroxide concentration and UV-A light exposure were examined for Bisphenol A (BPA) conversion, at laboratory scale, in mild conditions. The obtained results revealed that BPA degradation was rapidly enhanced in the presence of low-concentration H2O2, as well as under UV-A light, and is highly dependent on the surface characteristics of the catalyst. Complete photo-degradation of BPA was achieved over the M/PEG/FeO catalyst in less than 15 minutes. Based on the catalytic performance, a hierarchy of the tested catalysts was established: M/PEG/FeO > M/PEG/FeC > M/PEG. The results of cytotoxicity assay using MCF-7 cells indicated that the aqueous samples after treatment are less cytotoxic.
For the first time, an international comparison was conducted on the determination of the purity of a high purity element. Participants were free to choose any analytical approach appropriate for their institute’s applications and services. The material tested was a high purity zinc, which had earlier been assessed for homogeneity and previously used in CCQM-K72 for the determination of six defined metallic impurities. Either a direct metal assay of the Zn mass fraction was undertaken by EDTA titrimetry, or an indirect approach was used wherein all impurities, or at least the major ones, were determined and their sum subtracted from ideal purity of 100 %, or 1 kg/kg. Impurity assessment techniques included glow discharge mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and carrier gas hot extraction/combustion analysis. Up to 91 elemental impurities covering metals, non-metals and semi-metals/metalloids were quantified. Due to the lack of internal experience or experimental capabilities, some participants contracted external laboratories for specific analytical tasks, mainly for the analysis of non-metals. The reported purity, expressed as zinc mass fraction in the high purity zinc material, showed excellent agreement for all participants, with a relative standard deviation of 0.011 %. The calculated reference value, w(Zn) = 0.999 873 kg/kg, was assigned an asymmetric combined uncertainty of + 0.000025 kg/kg and – 0.000028 kg/kg. Comparability amongst participating metrology institutes is thus demonstrated for the purity determination of high purity metals which have no particular difficulties with their decomposition / dissolution process when solution-based analytical methods are used, or which do not have specific difficulties when direct analysis approaches are used. Nevertheless, further development is required in terms of uncertainty assessment, quantification of non-metals and the determination of purity of less pure elements and/or for those elements suffering difficulties with the decomposition process.
Non-invasive Cereal Analysis by GC-MS detection of Trichodiene as a Volatile Mycotoxin Biomarker
(2018)
Due to the increasing consumption of cereals worldwide, the monitoring of growth, storage and processing is becoming more and more crucial. Particularly when stored, infested grains breed fungal clusters (“hot spots”) in which mycotoxins greatly exceed allowed maximum levels. Because of their unpredictable presence, current sample drawing and procedures for mycotoxin analysis represent a complex challenge for operators, involving invasive and cost intensive steps.
Therefore, new time- and labour-saving mycotoxin control methods including sampling and analysis steps are needed. A possible approach is the non-invasive analysis of the homogeneous gas phase above the crops, instead of analyzing random samples. However, this procedure requires microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC´s) being released by the samples and representing the present mycotoxins. Previous investigations revealed trichodiene to be a precursor in trichothecenes biosynthesis – one of the largest mycotoxin groups with over 180 compounds. Due to its non-functionalized sesquiterpene structure, trichodiene has already been quantified using Headspace GC-MS methods (for instance]). Thereby, it can possibly be used as a biomarker for trichothecene contamination in foodstuff.
However, further investigations are necessary. The correlation between trichodiene concentration in the gas phase and trichothecenes mass fraction in the sample must be examined closely to draw conclusions about the exact trichothecene content within samples. Realizing this idea, would widely extend the applicability of trichodiene and enormously simplify trichothecene quantification. Hence, this first step of an ongoing study aims to develop a laboratory reference method using trichodiene as volatile biomarker to quantify trichothecenes in cereals. Static headspace and SPME-enrichment coupled to gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were employed. In a second step, this reference method is intended to validate new approaches for fast on-site screening of trichodiene in cereals.
Non-invasive Cereal Analysis by GC-MS detection of Trichodiene as a Volatile Mycotoxin Biomarker
(2018)
Due to the increasing consumption of cereals worldwide, the monitoring of growth, storage and processing is becoming more and more crucial. Particularly when stored, infested grains breed fungal clusters (“hot spots”) in which mycotoxins greatly exceed allowed maximum levels. Because of their unpredictable presence, current sample drawing and procedures for mycotoxin analysis represent a complex challenge for operators, involving invasive and cost intensive steps.
Therefore, new time- and labour-saving mycotoxin control methods including sampling and analysis steps are needed. A possible approach is the non-invasive analysis of the homogeneous gas phase above the crops, instead of analyzing random samples. However, this procedure requires microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC´s) being released by the samples and representing the present mycotoxins. Previous investigations revealed trichodiene to be a precursor in trichothecenes biosynthesis – one of the largest mycotoxin groups with over 180 compounds. Due to its non-functionalized sesquiterpene structure, trichodiene has already been quantified using Headspace GC-MS methods (for instance). Thereby, it can possibly be used as a biomarker for trichothecene contamination in foodstuff.
However, further investigations are necessary. The correlation between trichodiene concentration in the gas phase and trichothecenes mass fraction in the sample must be examined closely to draw conclusions about the exact trichothecene content within samples. Realizing this idea, would widely extend the applicability of trichodiene and enormously simplify trichothecene quantification. Hence, this first step of an ongoing study aims to develop a laboratory reference method using trichodiene as volatile biomarker to quantify trichothecenes in cereals. Static headspace and SPME-enrichment coupled to gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were employed. In a second step, this reference method is intended to validate new approaches for fast on-site screening of trichodiene in cereals.
Zearalenone (ZEN) and its sulfate and glucoside conjugates have been detected in (a broad variety of) food and feed commodities1. Both conjugated derivatives are formed as part of fungal or plant secondary metabolism and thus, belong to the group of modified mycotoxins2. After consumption of contaminated foodstuff, the conjugates can be hydrolyzed by human intestinal microbiota leading to liberation of ZEN that implies an underestimation of the true ZEN exposure. In order to include ZEN conjugates in routine analysis, as well as for toxicological investigation reliable standards are needed.
The objective of the present study was to develop a simple and economic method for biosynthesis of ZEN conjugates. Preceding experiments on the biotransformation of ZEN by Rhizopus and Aspergillus species showed a mixed metabolite formation3. Therefore, these known ZEN conjugating fungal strains were screened for their potential to selectively synthesize the ZEN derivatives ZEN-14-sulfate (Z14S), ZEN-14-glucoside (Z14G) and ZEN-16-glucoside (Z16G). The screening was conducted by adding ZEN to liquid fungal cultures. Cultivation conditions and ZEN incubation time were varied. All media samples were analyzed for metabolite formation by HPLC-MS/MS. Z14S was exclusively formed by A. oryzae. Under optimized conditions a specific biosynthesis of Z14G by R. oryzae and Z16G by R. oligosporus was achieved. After liquid-liquid-extraction and preparative chromatographic cleanup 1H-NMR purities of ≥ 73% for Z14S, ≥ 82% for Z14G and ≥ 50% for Z16G were obtained. In addition, a consecutive biosynthesis was developed by first using Fusarium graminearum for ZEN biosynthesis on rice based liquid medium. After inactivation of Fusarium the subsequent conjugation reaction was conducted utilizing Aspergillus and Rhizopus species under the various optimized conditions.
In this study an easy and cost-efficient biosynthesis for Z14S, Z14G and Z16G was developed. The developed biosynthesis could be also used for other metabolites like ZEL conjugates. Our results of the in vitro screening indicate also the formation of a ZEL-glucoside and α ZEL-sulfate as major metabolites by R. oryzae. In sum, under optimized cultivation conditions fungi can be easily utilized for a targeted and stereospecific synthesis of ZEN conjugates.
Imaging of elemental distributions in single cell assays as well as tissue sections can be performed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). This powerful technique offers precise spatially resolved measurements at the trace and ultratrace level and has been established as an excellent tool to answer analytical, biological and biomedical questions. To date, imaging mass cytometry is already able to simultaneously detect up to 40 cellular targets due to conjugation of isotopically pure lanthanides to affinity binders, e.g. antibodies.
To further enhance the ability of multiparametric analysis to more than 100 analytes at once, we investigated lanthanide nanocrystals as new, highly sensitive metal tags for identification of targets in clinical cell assays and tissue samples. Multiparametric analysis will be possible by encoding the lanthanide composition of nanocrystals associated to the affinity binders. Nanocrystals showed remarkable potential for sensitive detection in MS due to high stability and signal amplification compared to e.g. polymer tags, carrying fewer metal atoms.
Synthesis of functionalized lanthanide nanocrystals for further bioconjugation was performed with high reproducibility and monodisperse size distribution. For proof of principle, the uptake and distribution of these nanocrystals within the monolayered cell line A549 were investigated by mapping the intensities at subcellular resolution using LA-ICP-MS. It could be shown, that the cells were efficiently labeled with the nanocrystals and mostly accumulate near the nucleus. Additionally, the bioconjugation of the nanocrystals to antibodies and particularly the preservation of the antibody specificity was investigated using Dot Blot experiments. All in all, the results imply high sensitivity and the possibility of multiparametric analysis by doting various lanthanides into the nanocrystals.
Due to their toxicity and widespread application for mining and industrial purposes, cyanides are ranking among the most important inorganic pollutants which should be tested and monitored not only in the aquatic environment, but also in soils and soil-like materials. Reference materials of soils with relevant contents of cyanide to ensure reliable test results of laboratories are rare today.
New certified reference material (CRM) BAM-U116/CGL306 “Cyanide in soil” was produced within a framework of cooperation between Central Geological Laboratory (CGL) of Mongolia and Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) of Germany in 2013-2017.
The CRM BAM-U116/CGL306 represents a mixture of a sandy soil collected from a contaminated former gasworks area in the Berlin region (Germany) and an unpolluted sandy soil from Nalaikh region (Mongolia). The bulk candidate material for this reference material was prepared at CGL CRM Laboratory exclusively destined to the preparation of reference materials and equipped with modern technical equipment. Homogeneity, stability and shelf life were studied in full compliance with ISO Guide 35. The CRM was evaluated as sufficiently homogeneous. Statistical evaluation of certification analysis was performed using software packages SoftCRM and ProLab Plus. Certified value of total cyanide of the CRM is 12.0 mg/kg and expanded uncertainty was assigned as 0.8 mg/kg.
The intended purpose of this material is the verification of analytical results obtained for the mass fraction of total cyanide in soils and soil-like materials applying the standardized procedure ISO 11262:2011. As any reference material, it can also be used for routine performance checks (quality control charts) or validation studies.
Probe 1, which contains an anilinopyridine chromophore and an azaoxa macrocyclic subunit, presented an absorption band centered at 340 nm in acetonitrile. Addition of Fe(III), Cr(III) and Hg(II) induced the growth of a new absorption band at 430 nm (with color change from colorless to yellow), whereas in the presence of Cu(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II), less marked changes were observed. The color changes observed upon addition of Fe(III), Cr(III) and Hg(II) were ascribed to the formation of 1:1 stoichiometry complexes with probe 1. Coordination of Fe(III), Cr(III) and Hg(II) with the pyridine fragment of 1 induced an enhancement of the charge transfer character accompanied with a marked bathochromic shift that was reflected in a color change from colorless to yellow. The strength of the interaction between probe 1 and Fe(III) cation was modulated upon interaction with anions. Of all the anions tested, only cyanide was able to induce the bleaching of the yellow 1·Fe(III) complex solution. This bleaching was ascribed to
the formation of 1·Fe(III)-CN complex that restored, to some extent, the optical features of the free probe allowing the chromogenic sensing of cyanide. Besides, 1·Fe(III) complex was used to detect
cyanide in acetonitrile-water 90:10 v/v mixtures with good recoveries.
Small-molecule oxoanions are often imprinted noncovalently as carboxylates into molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), requiring the use of an organic counterion. Popular species are either pentamethylpiperidine (PMP) as a protonatable cation or tetraalkylammonium (TXA) ions as permanent cations. The present work explores the influence of the TXA as a function of their alkyl chain length, from methyl to octyl, using UV/vis absorption, fluorescence titrations, and HPLC as well as MD simulations. Protected phenylalanines (Z-L/D-Phe) served as templates/analytes. While the influence of the counterion on the complex stability constants and anion-induced spectral changes shows a monotonous trend with increasing alkyl chain length at the prepolymerization stage, the cross-imprinting/rebinding studies showed a unique pattern that suggested the presence of adaptive cavities in the MIP matrix, related to the concept of induced fit of enzyme−substrate interaction. Larger cavities formed in the presence of larger counterions can take up pairs of Z-X-Phe and smaller TXA, eventually escaping spectroscopic detection. Correlation of the experimental data with the MD simulations revealed that counterion mobility, the relative distances between the three partners, and the hydrogen bond lifetimes are more decisive for the response features observed than actual distances between interacting atoms in a complex or the orientation of binding moieties. TBA has been found to yield the highest imprinting factor, also showing a unique dual behavior regarding the interaction with template and fluorescent monomer. Finally, interesting differences between both enantiomers have been observed in both theory and experiment, suggesting true control of enantioselectivity. The contribution concludes with suggestions for translating the findings into actual MIP development.
Due to the increasing consumption of cereals worldwide, monitoring of growth, storage and processing is becoming more crucial. Particularly when stored, infested grains breed fungal clusters (“hot spots”) in which mycotoxins greatly exceed allowed maximum levels. Because of their unpredictable presence, current sampling and procedures for mycotoxin analysis are complex and contain invasive and cost intensive steps.
A possible approach to avoid sampling inaccuracies is the non-invasive analysis of the homogeneous gas phase above the crops, instead of analyzing random samples. However, this procedure requires microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC´s) being released by the samples. Previous investigations revealed trichodiene to be a precursor in trichothecenes biosynthesis – one of the largest mycotoxin groups with more than 180 compounds. Due to its non-functionalized sesquiterpene structure, quantification of trichodiene using Headspace GC-MS methods is possible (e.g. [1]). Thereby, it could be used as biomarker for trichothecene contamination in foodstuff.
However, further studies are necessary. The correlation between trichodiene concentration in the gas phase and trichothecenes mass fraction in the sample must be examined closely to draw conclusions about the trichothecene content in samples. Realizing this idea, would widely extend the applicability of trichodiene and enormously simplify trichothecene quantification. Hence, this first step of an ongoing study aims to develop a laboratory reference method using trichodiene as volatile biomarker to quantify trichothecenes in cereals. Static headspace and SPME-enrichment coupled to gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were employed. In a second step, this reference method is intended to validate new approaches for fast on-site screening of trichodiene in cereals.
Statistic process control as well as process capability demand for calibrated determination of layer thicknesses in various industries, e.g. automotive, aerospace, microelectronics manufacturing. Calibration requires well know and well characterized samples. A calibration laboratory accredited according to DIN EN ISO 17025 has the objective to distribute standards traceable to SI units to industrial laboratories for quality control of manufacturing of various products. Especially, the thickness determination of thin metallic coatings e.g. from galvanic processes or layer deposition using X-Ray Fluorescence can be significantly improved by customized calibration samples. This is essential as the measurement uncertainty directly correlates to the capability performing reliable control of processes with high yield. For calibration laboratories, the validation of results using round robins and the direct comparison to national metrology institutes is a prerequisite to demonstrate the competence to perform calibration services.
In this paper a strategy to obtain traceability and validation for thin alloy layers as well as first results are presented. The combined use of the accredited method for determination of mass per area from measurement of mass and area combined with standard free X-Ray Fluorescence as well as chemical analysis of dissolved samples with thin layers is deployed for material systems as NixZn1-x as well as NixP1-x. The obtained results are compared to reference free X-Ray Fluorescence at the BESSY II laboratories of Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. An excellent agreement of the obtained measured values as mass per unit area and alloy concentrations from the different applied methods within the measurement uncertainty was observed for NixP1-x showing the successful performed traceability of the calibration samples to SI units in combination with a validation of results by national metrology institutes and the round robin approach.