Chemische Charakterisierung und Spurenanalytik
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The knowledge of transformation pathways and identification of transformation products (TPs) of veterinary drugs is important for health, food and environmental matters. Monensin (MON) is an ionophore antibiotic widely used to cure and prevent coccidiosis by chicken especially in broiler farming. Residues are not only found in food products (chicken and eggs) but also in the environment (manure, soil or water). Several transformation processes can alter the parent compound MON, ranging from biotransformation in living organism to biotic/abiotic and microbial processes in environmental matters.
The main objective of this work was to investigate the potential of electrochemistry (EC) to simulate oxidative transformation processes and to predict TPs of MON. An electrochemical reactor was used consisting of a flow-through cell with a glassy carbon working electrode. Derived TPs were analyzed by online coupling of EC and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and LC-HRMS offline measurements. Among the generated TPs already known as well as unknown TPs of MON could be found.
Additionally, MON was subjected also to other transformation methods such as Fenton reaction, photochemical and hydrolysis experiments as well as metabolism tests with microsomes. As a result, different targeted and suspected TPs could be identified by analysis with LC-HRMS.
An overview of detected/identified TPs from this study will be presented in comparison to literature known metabolites and TPs.
Carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE) is a commonly applied technique for determination of hydrogen in weld joints using a thermal conductivity detector (TCD) for hydrogen measurement. The CGHE is based on the accelerated hydrogen effusion due to thermal activation at elevated temperatures. The ISO 3690 standard suggests different specimen geometries as well as necessary minimum extraction time vs. temperature. They have the biggest influence on precise hydrogen determination. The present study summarizes the results and experience of numerous test runs with different specimen temperatures, geometries (ISO 3690 type B and small cylindrical samples), and factors that additionally influence hydrogen determination. They are namely specimen surface (polished/as-welded), limited TCD sensitivity vs. specimen volume, temperature measurement vs. effects of PI-furnace controller, as well as errors due to insufficient data assessment. Summarized, the temperature is the driving force of the CGHE. Two different methods are suggested to increase the heating rate up to the desired extraction temperature without changing the experimental equipment. Suggestions are made to improve the reliability of hydrogen determination depended on the hydrogen signal stability during extraction accompanied by Evaluation of the recorded data. Generally, independent temperature measurement with dummy specimens is useful for further data analysis, especially if this data is used for calculation of trapping kinetics by thermal desorption analysis (TDA).
Digital holographic cytometry (DHC) is a state-of-the-art quantitative Phase imaging (QPI) method that permits time-lapse imaging of cells without induced cellular toxicity. DHC platforms equipped with semi-automated image segmentation and analysis software packages for assessing cell behavior are commercially available. In this study we investigate the possible uptake of nanoprobes in macrophages in vitro over time.
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is nowadays an established multi-elemental analysis and mapping technique. It was shown that LA-ICP-MS can visualize the elemental distribution within tissue thin sections or cell samples. Quantification is possible by using appropriate matrix-matched calibration samples. Besides naturally occurring elements and metals from contrast agents, biomolecules using metal-tagged antibodies were detected in different bio-medical samples. By combining the results with findings from histology, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other techniques disease related changes like alterations of the extracellular matrix can be investigated.
Single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (sp-ICP-MS) has become an effective tool for the detection and quantification of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs). While sizing of NPs suspended in water is relatively straightforward by sp-ICP-MS, accurate mass quantification of NPs in complex media, such as consumer products and natural systems still remains a challenge. When NPs are suspended in a complex medium, the matrix may affect the analyte sensitivity and lead to inaccurate NP sizing. Here, we investigate the use of an online microdroplet calibration system to size NPs in a single step. In this setup, microdroplets—which are used as the calibrant to determine elemental sensitivities—and nebulized NP-containing solutions are introduced concurrently into the ICP via a dual-inlet sample introduction system. Because calibrant microdroplets and analyte NPs experience the same plasma conditions, both the microdroplets and the NPs are subjected to the same matrix-related signal enhancement or suppression. In this way, the microdroplet calibration standards are automatically matrix matched with the NP-containing solution. The online microdroplet calibration system is combined with an ICP-TOFMS instrument for simultaneous measurement of multiple elements in microdroplets and NPs. We investigate the ability of online microdroplet calibration to compensate for matrix effects through a series of experiments, in which Ag and Au NPs are measured with variable plasma-sampling positions, varying concentrations of HCl and HNO3, varying concentrations of single element solutions, and high concentrations of a salt matrix, i.e. phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Through these experiments, we demonstrate that the online microdroplet calibration strategy provides a matrix-independent mass quantification of analyte NPs in the presence of several established types of matrix effects, including acid effects, space-charge effects, and ionisation suppression. In results presented here, we focus on the size determination of the NPs.
1,3,5-Tris-(2,3-dibromopropyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trione (TDBP-TAZTO) is an emerging brominated flame retardant which is widely used in several plastic materials (electric and electronic equipment, musical instruments, automotive components).
However, until today, no photochemical studies as well as the identification of possible phototransformation products (PTPs) were described in literature. Therefore, in this study, UV-(C) and simulated sunlight irradiation experiments were performed to investigate the photolytic degradation of TDBP-TAZTO and to identify relevant PTPs for the first time. The UV-(C) Irradiation experiments show that the photolysis reaction follows a first-order kinetic model. Based on this, the photolysis rate constant k as well as the half-life time t1/2 were calculated to be k = (41 ± 5 ×10−3) min−1 and t1/2=(17±2) min. In comparison, a minor degradation of TDBP-TAZTO and no formed phototransformation products were obtained under simulated sunlight. In order to clarify the photochemical behavior, different chemicals were added to investigate the influence on indirect photolysis: (i) H2O2 for generation of hydroxyl radicals and (ii) two quenchers (2-propanol, sodium azide) for scavenging oxygen species which were formed during the irradiation experiments. Herein, nine previously unknown PTPs of TDBP-TAZTO were detected under UV-(C) irradiation and identified by HPLC-(HR)MS. As a result, debromination, hydroxylation, and dehydrobromination reactions could be presumed as the main degradation pathways by high-resolution mass spectrometry. The direct as well as the OH radical-induced indirect photolysis were observed.
Mykotoxine in Lebensmitteln stellen weltweit Probleme dar, Zearalenon in Speiseöl ist ein solches. Neue Hydrazinbasierte Analyseverfahren können jetzt helfen, den EU-Grenzwert besser zu kontrollieren. Aber auch die Strukturaufklärung von Transformationsprodukten und verlässliche Kalibrierstandards sind aktuelle Herausforderungen.
We have efficiently produced collagen-rich microstructures in fibroblast multicellular spheroids (MCSs) as a three-dimensional in vitro tissue analog to investigate silver (Ag) nanoparticle (NP) penetration. The MCS production was examined by changing the seeding cell number (500 to 40,000 cells) and the growth period (1 to 10 days). MCSs were incubated with Ag NP suspensions with a concentration of 5 μg/mL for 24 h. For this study, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to visualize Ag NP localization quantitatively. Thin sections of MCSs were analyzed by LA-ICP-MS with a laser spot size of 8 μm to image distributions of 109Ag, 31P, 63Cu, 66Zn, and 79Br. A calibration using a NP suspension was applied to convert the measured Ag intensity into the number of NPs present. The determined numbers of NPs ranged from 30 to 7200 particles in an outer rim of MCS. The particle distribution was clearly correlated with the presence of 31P and 66Zn and was localized in the outer rim of proliferating cells with a width that was equal to about twice the diameter of single cells. Moreover, abundant collagens were found in the outer rim of MCSs. For only the highest seeding cell number, NPs were completely captured at the outer rim, in a natural barrier reducing particle transport, whereas Eosin (79Br) used as a probe of small molecules penetrated into the core of MCSs already after 1 min of exposure.
Plasmas as atomization and ionization/excitation sources have been used for more than 50 years. The term plasma spectrochemistry was introduced in the 1980s and is nowadays a topic of annual reviews and different conferences such as the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry (held in USA), the European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, and The Nordic conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry.
The development of advanced materials is inherently connected with improvements in analytical chemistry, and often is the driving force for method development in plasma-based spectrometry. Besides the determination of physical characteristics such as tensile strength, density, and conductivity, the investigation of their chemical constituents down to the trace and ultra-trace levels becomes more and more important and, therefore, the demand of sensitive and precise analytical methods is growing. In some cases, the determination of the average content is a sufficient result, for instance for the characterisation of raw material or waste management. However, lately laterally resolved analysis, depth profiling of layered materials and characterization of high purity materials are of growing importance. The aim of this article is to give an introduction into plasma spectrometry and its application in materials science. A theoretical overview of the used plasma techniques and a review on applications with a special focus on direct solid sampling will be presented.
The performance of glow discharge mass spectrometry (GD-MS) is investigated for the accurate quantification of metallic impurities and oxygen in solid samples using the fast flow source GD-MS instrument ELEMENT GD.
Different quantification approaches based on relative and absolute sensitivity factors are evaluated for the determination of metallic impurities using three sample matrixes (Al, Cu and Zn). The effect of the discharge conditions (voltage, current, discharge gas pressure/flow) on the sensitivity is investigated and the parameters are optimized to favour matrix independent calibrations. Improved standard relative sensitivity factors (StdRSFs) are calculated under optimal conditions based on multi-matrix calibrations. The sputtering rate corrected calibration is also presented as a multi-matrix calibration approach.
The capabilities of GD-MS for oxygen determination are also investigated using a set of new conductive samples containing oxygen with mass fractions in the percent range in three different matrices (Al, Mg and Cu) produced by a sintering process. Poor limits of detection (in the order of g/kg) were obtained as consequence of the reduced sensitivity of oxygen in GD-MS and high oxygen background signal intensity as well as its variations. The absolute sensitivity procedure is shown as a matrix-independent approach, which provides quantitative values consistent with those obtained by carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE).
Elemental impurities (EI) in medicinal products for human use are limited according to ICH guideline Q3D, which is in force since December 2017 in Europe and US.
As a consequenceconsequence, the relevant texts of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) have been modified to reflect and complement ICH Q3D, providing details on the analytical methods to be used. In those chapters (Ph. Eur. 2.4.20., USP <233>), it is stated that for the quantification of elemental impurities, certified reference materials (CRM) from a national metrology institute (NMI) or reference materials that are traceable to the CRM of an NMI should be used.
The Ph. Eur. has so far implemented elemental impurity standards of this type for the four most important elemental impurities i.e. those corresponding to ICH Q3D Class 1: lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic.
The poster provides details on the development of those four reference standards, which was undertaken in partnership with a major institute accredited CRM producer (JRC, European Commission), and a national metrology institute (BAM and PTB, Germany), and a Designated Institute and accredited CRM producer (BAM, Germany). The reference standards were established and characterised according to rigorous metrological principles and are supplied with extended supporting information as required for the intended use.
After successful completion of the project, the four reference standards have been added to the Ph.Eur. catalogue and are in distribution. It is expected that another three elemental impurity standards will be implemented and made available to users within the next three years.
Shortly after founding the CCQM in 1993, the first key comparison (CCQM-K2) about the determination of Cd and Pb content in river water was hosted by IRMM. It has been clear from the beginning that for the determination of an element mass fraction in a matrix, accurate reference solutions would be the key point for a metrologically sound analysis. Triggered by the not entirely satisfactory results it was decided to investigate the basis of all measurements: the reference solutions. Thus in 1999, CCQM-K8, hosted by EMPA/LNE, started the tedious but indispensable work on elemental solutions standards.
Additionally, PTB, BAM and Merck KGaA initiated a project to establish a traceability system for inorganic analysis based on accurate monoelemental solutions. Within this unique approach ten high purity reference materials were fully characterized, and solutions were prepared gravimetrically thereof. These materials (forming the primary standards of elemental analysis) are available for NMIs/DIs from BAM.
CCQM-P46 (Cu, Mg, Rh) demonstrated the actuality of the topic and the challenges to prepare elemental solutions for every element. The accurate preparation and use of monoelemental solutions is consequently reflected in the recurrent conduct of (key) comparisons: CCQM-P149 (purity of zinc), CCQM-K87 (Co, Cr, Pb), and the current CCQM-K143/P181 (Cu solutions), to name only a few in a long series.
Is it necessary to put so much effort into the preparation of reference solutions? It clearly is! An example outside the world of academia: Recently, EDQM*, PTB, BAM and JRC have developed monoelemental reference standards traceable to the SI for toxic elements in support of the chapters of the European Pharmacopoeia, related to the analysis of elemental impurities in medicinal products. A new ICP OES method has been established allowing the comparison of two 1 g/kg mercury solutions with an outstandingly small uncertainty of Urel(w(Hg)) = 0.16 %. However, this technical progress would not have been possible without the ongoing effort of the metrological community within 25 years of research in the field of high accuracy monoelemental solutions.
* EDQM: European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare
Since cereals constitute a staple food worldwide, monitoring of growth, storage and processing represent a perseverative challenge of analytical sciences. Especially during storage infested grains breed fungal clusters (“hot spots”) in which mycotoxins accumulate and can highly exceed allowed maximum levels. Because of their unpredictable presence, analytical procedures – including representative sampling - contain invasive and time intensive steps.
To avoid erroneously negative results in mycotoxin analysis in cereals, the samples´ homogeneous headspace might be investigated instead of analyzing subsamples of the grains. So-called microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC´s) provide information for instance about the fungal status of grains. Previous investigations revealed trichodiene to be a precursor of trichothecene mycotoxins which comprises more than 180 different compounds. Due to its non-functionalised sesquiterpene structure, quantification of trichodiene using Headspace GC-MS methods is possible. Thereby, it could be used as biomarker for trichothecene contamination of cereals.
Nevertheless, further investigations are necessary. To be able to draw conclusion about the trichothecene content in cereal samples, a possible correlation between trichodiene concentration in the gas phase and trichothecene concentration in the sample must be examined. Realizing this idea would widely extend the applicability of trichodiene and enormously simplify trichothecene detection. Hence, the first step of an ongoing study aims to develop a laboratory reference method using trichodiene as volatile biomarker to quantify trichothecenes in cereals. Both static headspace and SPME-enrichment coupled to gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were tested and compared. In a second step, this reference method is intended to validate new approaches for fast on-site screening of trichodiene in cereals.
Ball mass is an important parameter that is known to have an influence on the outcome of a mechanochemical reaction induced by ball-milling. A standard way of modifying the ball mass is to change the size of the ball made of the same material. In this case, however, a change in mass is accompanied by a simulatneous change in the ball size. It is therefore not possible to disentangle the effects of mass and Surface area in these cases. In the present work we report the results of experiments with specially designed and manufactured balls in which (1) milling ball mass is held constant, but their size differs, and (2) the ball mass is altered, with the diameter of the milling ball being held constant. Using the cocrystallisation of theophylline + nicotinamide as a case study it was found that both diameter and ball mass play crucial roles in determining the rate of a mechanochemical reaction. For comparison, we have also used milling balls with the same size (different mass), and others with the same mass (different size) made of different materials, as would be “traditional”. It was found that, despite having the same size, the lightest milling ball (nylon) was the most efficient in initiating the co-crystallisation, presumably due to the sorption of EtOH. Hence, the results of this manuscript also demonstrate how milling ball material can in fact be the most influential parameter, and potentially counterintuitive to classical mechanics.
Regardless of its ban in agricultural use, the triazine derivative terbutryn is still used as a biocide against biofouling in building materials, such as façade colors and roof tiles. From there, it is washed off and may contaminate soil and surface waters, where it shows ecotoxicological behavior. For understanding of these leaching processes, analytical methods that can detect terbutryn in traces are necessary. In contrast to separation methods (Gas (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC)) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS), enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) have proven to be adequate tools for environmental monitoring. Compared to GC-or LC-MS, they are cheap, require only limited time and experimental expertise and enable high throughput. For quantification of terbutryn, EIAs have been established, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 50 ng L-1. For leaching experiments however, a lower LOD would be advantageous.
For detection of terbutryn we developed a direct competitive ELISA based on a monoclonal antibody: Terbutryn and an enzyme-terbutryn conjugate (“tracer”) compete for the binding sites of the immobilized antibody. The bound tracer converts a colourless substrate into a blue-coloured product, which can be detected via spectrophotometry. For quantification of terbutryn, a sigmoidal calibration curve is used. For establishing of the EIA, a new tracer based on a terbutryn surrogate (“hapten”) was synthesized. After optimization of the experimental conditions, the immunoassay exhibited a more than ten-fold increased sensitivity (LOD: 3 ng L-1), high stability against sample compounds (Ca2+, NaCl) and lower cross-reactivities against structurally related compounds, than reported before. Analysis of spiked samples was possible with high precision (inter-assay CV: < 10 %) and accuracy (recoveries from spiked samples: 89 % ± 10%). We therefore propose it as quick and reliable method for leaching studies of terbutryn out of building materials.
Screening of one-bead-one-peptide libraries is a powerful analytical tool for the identification of protein ligands. However, the traditional peptide screening procedure involves tedious steps such as manual selection, sequencing, and characterization. We present a high-throughput “all in one chip” system, allowing the screening of a high number of resin beads in short time. Here, beads of a combinatorial one-bead one compound peptide library are immobilized on an in-house produced chip, on which every bead has a well-defined position. The chip is then incubated with a fluorophore-labeled protein, identifying suitable peptides by a high-resolution fluorescence scan. The screening is followed by MALDI-MS experiments directly on the respective glass chip. To circumvent the need for peptide fragmentation normally used for peptide de novo sequencing, which can result in incomplete sequence information, an approach based on ladder sequencing has been used. This allows the peptide sequence identification by fragmentation-free MS with almost 100 % accuracy. For this purpose, a software tool was developed automatically translating MALDI-MS spectra into the corresponding peptide sequences.
Increasing numbers of implant revisions are a current clinical issue. Interactions of the endoprosthesis biomaterial with the body affect implantation time by wear processes, i.e. corrosion and abrasion. Previously, cobalt-chrome implants were shown to cause high levels of cobalt ions being deposited in the bone matrix. To determine a poten- tial functional role of these ions on bone homeostasis, we have developed a non-destructive dual analysis of highly sensitive elemental analysis by synchrotron XRF directly in undecalcified histological bone thin sections (4 μm). In this study, samples from 28 bone samples from hip endoprosthesis carriers (Surface Replacement Arthroplasty, metal-on-metal bearing) with an implant lifetime of 17–1750 days were used. Results were compared to age- matched control specimens. The histological analysis identified areas of bone cell activity and assigned them for XRF measurements. Co-Cr wear particles were identified in the bone marrow. In addition, Co ions were highly enriched in the mineralized bone matrix. The cobalt deposits were not homogeneously distributed, and areas of high signal intensity were identified. Co was distinctly deposited in the newly formed osteoid layer, but also within deeper layers of the bone matrix, whereby the Co concentration increased with higher degrees of bone matrix mineralization. In the current study, we determined cobalt accumulations in the bone matrix and showed for the first time via synchrotron XRF with a high spatial resolution direct on histological slides, that cobalt deposits in the mineralized bone matrix in a mineral-specific way that is dependent upon the implant lifetime.
We present the optical sensing of phthalate Esters (PAEs), a group of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The sensing takes place as changes in the fluorescence emission intensity of aminopyrene covalently bound to the organic ligands of the metal−organic framework compound ZIF-8. In the presence of PAEs, a quenching of the fluorescence emission is observed. We evaluated strategies to engineer colloidal size distribution of the sensing particles to optimize the sensory response to PAEs. A thorough characterization of the modified ZIF-8 nanoparticles included powder X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, and photophysical characterization. The presented capability of the fluorophore-functionalized ZIF-8 to sense PAEs complements established methods such as chromatography-based procedures, which cannot be used on-site and paves the way for future developments such as hand-held quick sensing devices.
The primary screening of hybridoma cells is a time-critical and laborious step during the development of monoclonal antibodies. Often critical errors occur in this phase, which supports the notion that the generation of monoclonal antibodies with hybridoma technology is difficult to control and hence a risky venture. We think that it is crucial to improve the screening process to eliminate most of the immanent deficits of the conventional approach. With this new microarray-based procedure, several advances could be achieved: Selectivity for excellent binders, high throughput, reproducible signals, avoidance of misleading avidity (multivalency) effects, and simultaneous performance of competition experiments. The latter can directly be used to select clones of desired cross-reactivity properties. In this paper, a model system with two excellent clones against carbamazepine, two weak clones and blank supernatant has been designed to examine the effectiveness of the new system. The excellent clones could be detected largely independent of the IgG concentration, which is unknown during the clone screening since the determination and subsequent adjustment of the antibody concentration is not possible in most cases. Furthermore, in this approach, the enrichment, isolation, and purification of IgG for characterization is not necessary. Raw cell culture supernatant can be used directly, even when fetal calf serum (FCS) or other complex media had been used. In addition, an improved method for the oriented antibody-immobilization on epoxy-silanized slides is presented. Based on the results of this model system, we conclude that this approach should be preferable to most other protocols leading to many of false positives, causing expensive and lengthy confirmation steps to weed out the poor clones.
Spatial heterodyne spectroscopy (SHS) is an optical setup that combines both dispersive and interference based methods to obtain spectroscopic information. It has the high light throughput characteristic for interference based methods, but at the same time it has the high resolution typical of grated spectrometers. The basic SHS optical setup is similar to that of the Michelson interferometer, with the mirrors replaced by diffraction gratings positioned at fixed, equal distances from the beamsplitter and are slightly tilted. The resulting interference pattern is recorded by a digital camera and the spectrum is recovered by using Fourier Transformation. Although initially SHS was developed for astronomical and satellite-based atmospheric measurements, where spectroscopy of faint but large light sources are investigated, but in recent years the application of SHS spectroscopy is gaining popularity.
Our research group is active both in Raman-SHS and LIBS-SHS, due to the fact that there are many overlapping challenges for the two spectroscopies in terms of optical and optoelectronic optimization. In the present study, we investigated the possibility of using SH detection for the qualitative and quantitative Raman spectroscopy of liquid samples. We constructed our own compact spatial heterodyne spectrometer using 300 mm-1 gratings (Newport), a 50:50 cube beamsplitter (Thorlabs), dischroic mirrors, bandpass and notch filters (Semrock), a Tamron telelens and a Retiga R1 CCD camera. A DPSS laser (532 nm, 20 ns) with variable energy and repetition rate (up to 100 µJ and 80 kHz) was used for excitation, with its beam driven through a 10x microscope objective (Thorlabs) to focus the laser light inside the liquid samples. The evaluation of the recorded interference patterns was carried out by self-developed software written in Octave.
In the qualitative experiments, we investigated several oils and additives and employed principal component analysis (PCA) for their classification. It was found that the recorded spectra could be separated well in the subspace of just two principal components. The quantitative experiments were conducted with two sets of binary solvent mixtures (isopropanol-cyclohexane, glycerol-water). The simple univariate method based on the net intensity of one spectral peak did not give good results, but principal component regression (PCR) gave rise to fairly good and robust calibrations.
Our results therefore show that a relatively simple and robust SHS setup can be advantageously used for both quantitative and qualitative Raman spectroscopy.
High purity halides of III-VI group elements, especially chloride and fluorides, are used in gas phase technologies for obtaining high purity materials and coatings. The reduction of halides in hydrogen-halide mixtures can be achieved in various discharge plasmas, e.g. inductively coupled, ark, and even laser-induced plasmas. Existing models of such plasmas are not sufficiently accurate to predict a yield of the targeted compounds and to describe the plasma processes involved in formation of these compounds. Besides, a construction of costly plasma-chemical reactors can be alleviated by the prior modeling of plasma processes that may occur in such reactors.
A goal of this work is to extend the model, which was initially developed for laser induced Plasmas, to plasmas used in chemical reactors, in particular, the inductively-coupled-RF discharge Plasma. The model predicts equilibrium chemical compositions of reaction mixtures as functions of plasma temperature and stoichiometry of reactants. The mixtures investigated are BCl3/H2/Ar and BF3/H2/Ar where Ar serves as the plasma-forming gas and H2 as a binding agent which binds the active species Cl and F and Cl- and F-containing intermediates to produce gaseous B and its condensate. An additional goal is to obtain information about intermediate reaction products for different ratios of BCl3/H2 and BF3/H2 and at different temperatures and different Ar flow rates.
It is found that the desired components B and B2 appear at appreciable concentrations of >0.1% and ~0.01% respectively only at temperatures above 3000 K. It is also established that the effect of charged species on the reaction products is miniscule for temperatures below 5000 K. The expected yield of boron as a function of the original mole fraction H2/BCl3 and H2/BF3 is calculated. The mole fractions are varied in the range 0.1-1000 and the temperature in the range 1000-10000 K. It is shown that the yield of boron increases with increasing the molar ratio H2/BCl3 and H2/BF3 up to ~100 in the temperature range 2000-5000 K. At higher temperatures, T>5000 K, the boron concentration reaches its maximum and does not depend on the concentration of hydrogen; all molecules dissociate and chemical reactions proceed only between charged particles (mostly elemental ions) and electrons. The calculated plasma parameters and composition are compared with experimental data obtained by optical emission spectroscopy. The calculated plasma temperature and electron density are shown to be in good agreement with the measured ones.
A goal of this work is to extend the model, which was initially developed for laser induced plasmas, to plasmas used in chemical reactors, in particular, the inductively-coupled-RF discharge plasma. The model predicts equilibrium chemical compositions of reaction mixtures as functions of plasma temperature and stoichiometry of reactants. The mixtures investigated are BCl3/H2/Ar and BF3/H2/Ar where Ar serves as the plasma-forming gas and H2 as a binding agent which binds the active species Cl and F and Cl- and F-containing intermediates to produce gaseous B and its condensate. An additional goal is to obtain information about intermediate reaction products for different ratios of BCl3/H2 and BF3/H2 and at different temperatures and different Ar flow rates.
It is found that the desired components B and B2 appear at appreciable concentrations of >0.1% and ~0.01% respectively only at temperatures above 3000 K. It is also established that the effect of charged species on the reaction products is miniscule for temperatures below 5000 K. The expected yield of boron as a function of the original mole fraction H2/BCl3 and H2/BF3 is calculated. The mole fractions are varied in the range 0.1-1000 and the temperature in the range 1000-10000 K. It is shown that the yield of boron increases with increasing the molar ratio H2/BCl3 and H2/BF3 up to ~100 in the temperature range 2000-5000 K. At higher temperatures, T>5000 K, the boron concentration reaches its maximum and does not depend on the concentration of hydrogen; all molecules dissociate and chemical reactions proceed only between charged particles (mostly elemental ions) and electrons. The calculated plasma parameters and composition are compared with experimental data obtained by optical emission spectroscopy. The calculated plasma temperature and electron density are shown to be in good agreement with the measured ones.
Xenobiotics and their reactive metabolites are conjugated with native biomolecules such as glutathione and glucoside during phase II metabolism. Toxic metabolites are usually detoxified during this step. On the other hand, these reactive species have a potential health impact by disrupting many enzymatic functions. Thus, it is crucial to understand phase II conjugation reactions of xenobiotics in order to address their fate and possible toxicity mechanisms.
Additionally, conventional methods (in vivo and in vitro) have limitation due to matrix complexity and time-consuming. Hence, developing fast and matrix-free alternative method is highly demandable. In this work, oxidative phase I metabolites and reactive species of chlorpyrifos (insecticide) and fluopyram (fungicide) were electrochemically produced by using a boron-doped diamond electrode coupled online to electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Reactive species of the substrates were trapped by biomolecules (glutathione and glucoside) and phase II conjugative metabolites were identified using liquid chromatography (LC)-MS/MS, and/or Triple time of flight (TripleTOF)-MS. Glutathione conjugates and glucosylation of chlorpyrifos, trichloropyridinol, oxon, and monohydroxyl fluopyram were identified successfully. Glutathione and glucoside were conjugated with chlorpyrifos, trichloropyridinol, and oxon by losing a neutral HCl. In the case of fluopyram, its monohydroxyl metabolite was actively conjugated with both glutathione and glucoside. In summary, seven bioconjugates of CPF and its metabolites and two bioconjugates of fluopyram metabolites were identified using electrochemistry (EC)/MS for the first time in this work. The work could be used as an alternative approach to identify glutathione and glucosylation conjugation reactions of other organic compounds too. It is important, especially to predict phase II conjugation within a short time and matrix-free environment.
Screening of one-bead-one-compound (OBOC) libraries is a proven procedure for the identification of protein-binding ligands. The demand for binders with high affinity and specificity towards various targets has surged in the biomedical and pharmaceutical field in recent years. The traditional peptide screening involves tedious steps such as affinity selection, bead picking, sequencing, and characterization. Herein, we present a high-throughput “all-on-one chip” system to avoid slow and technically complex bead picking steps. On a traditional glass slide provided with an electrically conductive tape, beads of a combinatorial peptide library are aligned and immobilized by application of a precision sieve. Subsequently, the chip is incubated with a fluorophore-labeled target protein. In a fluorescence scan followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometry, high-affinity binders are directly and unambiguously sequenced with high accuracy without picking of the positive beads. The use of an optimized ladder sequencing approach improved the accuracy of the de-novo sequencing step to nearly 100%. The new technique was validated by employing a FLAG-based model system, identifying new peptide binders for the monoclonal M2 anti-FLAG antibody, and was finally utilized to search for IgG-binding peptides. In the present format, more than 30,000 beads can be screened on one slide.
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.
Two mixtures of polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) with comparable core sizes (20 nm and 50 nm) 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 and can obviouly improve separation resolution.
The presence of any aflatoxin contamination in exported figs needs to be monitored and measured through reliable and traceable methods, which require pure and matrix certified reference materials. On the other hand, certified reference materials (CRM) for determination of aflatoxins in dried fig are not yet available. Moreover, there is a lack of CRMs to be used in routine testing laboratories for method validation and quality control. The routine testing laboratories, participating in commercial proficiency testing (PT) programs, use the results available from consensus values to evaluate the performance of the participating laboratories, rather than metrologically traceable assigned values. This study initially proposed as a key comparison and presented at the EURAMET TC-MC SCOA meeting in Malta in 2015 and subsequently at the CCQM OAWG meeting in April 2015, proposes a CRM candidate for determination of levels of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 and their total in dried. Evidence of successful participation in formal, relevant international comparisons are needed to document measurement capability claims (CMCs) made by national metrology institutes (NMIs) and designated institutes (DIs).
In total nine NMI/DI participated in the Track C Key Comparison CCQM-K138 Determination of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2 and Total AFs) in Dried Fig. Participants were requested to evaluate the mass fractions expressed in ng/g units, of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 and total aflatoxin in a dried food matrix, dried fig. The CCQM-K138 results for the determination of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2 and total AFs) are ranging from 5.17 to 7.27 ng/g with an %RSD of 10.47 for AFB1, ranging from 0.60 to 0.871 ng/g with an %RSD of 11.69 for AFB2, ranging from 1.98 to 2.6 ng/g with an %RSD of 10.36 for AFG1, ranging from 0.06 to 0.32 ng/g with an %RSD of 35.6 for AFG2, and ranging from 8.29 to 10.31 ng/g with an %RSD of 7.69 for Total AFs. All participants based their analyses on LC-MS/MS, HPLC-FLD, HR-LC/MS, and IDMS. Brief descriptions of the analytical methods used by the participants, including sample preparation, analytical technique, calibrants, and quantification approach are summarized in Appendix F. Linear Pool was used to assign the Key Comparison Reference Values (KCRVs) for B1, B2, G1, G2 and total aflatoxins. Due to the traceability requirements for the calibrants not being met, results of KEBS, INTI, VNIIM and BAM were excluded from KCRV determination.
Successful participation in CCQM-K138 demonstrates the following measurement capabilities in determining mass fraction of organic compounds, with molecular mass of 100 g/mol to 500 g/mol, having high polarity (pKow > -2), in mass fraction range from 0.05 ng/g to 500 ng/g in dried food matrices.
Die Geräteentwicklungen im Bereich der Niederfeld-NMR-Spektroskopie im vergangenen Jahrzehnt ermöglichen den Einsatz kompakter, portabler Magnete mit geringen Streufeldern in Laborumgebungen und industriellen Produktionsanlagen. Somit werden neue Möglichkeiten für hochauflösende NMR-Experimente zur Reaktionsüberwachung eröffnet. Im Rahmen des EU-Projekts CONSENS wurden die Möglichkeiten dieser Methode umfassend anhand einer technisch bedeutenden Reaktion (elektrophile aromatische Substitutionsreaktionen) evaluiert.
Um die Flexibilität einer kontinuierlichen und modularen Pilotanlage durch Echtzeit- Qualitätskontrolle zu fördern, wurde ein vollständig automatisiertes Online- NMR-Modul entwickelt. Der Einsatz eines kommerziellen Niederfeld-NMR-Geräts im industriellen Umfeld wurde durch die entwickelten Lösungen der automatisierten Datenanlyse sowie durch ein zertifiziertes Sicherheitskonzept für den Betrieb in explosionsgefährdeten Zonen ermöglicht. Neben der Überwachung der Produktqualität wurden Online-NMR-Daten in einem neuen iterativen Optimierungsansatz zur Maximierung des Anlagenertrags eingesetzt und dienten als zuverlässige Referenz für die Kalibrierung eines Nahinfrarot-Spektrometers.
Für die Entwicklung einer robusten Datenauswertung der NMR-Spektren, die dem Anspruch der Flexibilität bei Produktwechseln genügt, wurden zunächst Versuche im Labormaßstab durchgeführt, um eine Datenbasis zu schaffen. In diesen Versuchen wurden die aromatischen Amine Anilin, p-Toluidin und p-Fluoranilin mit o-Fluornitrobenzol gekoppelt. Durch Zugabe einer Organolithium-Verbindung (Li- HMDS) findet ein Protonenaustausch zwischen dem primären Amin und Li-HMDS statt. Dies führt zu einer hohen Reaktionsenthalpie und instabilen Aryllithium-Verbindungen. Die Reaktionen wurden hinsichtlich anfallender Zwischenprodukte mittels Hochfeld-NMR-Spektroskopie analysiert.
Nachfolgend wurden die Reaktionen sowohl im Semi-Batch-Verfahren als auch im kontinuierlichen Laborbetrieb mit Online-Niederfeld-NMR-Spektroskopie und Online- Hochfeld-NMR-Spektroskopie untersucht. Da die gemessenen NMR-Spektren besonders im aromatischen Spektralbereich hohe Signalüberlappungen der Reaktanden aufweisen, wurden chemometrische Modelle entwickelt und anhand der Hochfeld-NMR-Methode validiert. Die verwendeten Durchflusszellen für die Niederfeld-NMR-Spektroskopie wurden hinsichtlich ihrer Anwendbarkeit für quantitative Messungen im kontinuierlichen Durchfluss untersucht. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass Messungen mit einer additiv gefertigten Keramikdurchflusszelle prinzipiell möglich sind.
Vortrag zur Bestimmung von Nichtmetallen in Carbiden halten.
Hierbei geht es um die Bestimmung von C, O und N in Vanadiumcarbid, Wolframcarbid und Niobcarbidmaterialien, einen hierzu durchgeführten Ringversuch mit Beteiligung der Kollegen des AK Sonderwerkstoffe und den Vergleich von Verfahrenskenngrößen.
Grasses accumulate silicon in the form of silicic acid, which is precipitated as amorphous silica in microscopic particles termed phytoliths. These particles comprise a variety of morphologies according to the cell type in which the silica was deposited. Despite the evident morphological differences, phytolith chemistry has mostly been analysed in bulk samples, neglecting differences between the varied types formed in the same species. In this work, we extracted leaf phytoliths from mature plants of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. Using solid state NMR and thermogravimetric analysis, we show that the extraction methods alter greatly the silica molecular structure, its condensation degree and the trapped organic matter. Measurements of individual phytoliths by Raman and synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopies in combination with multivariate analysis separated bilobate silica cells from prickles and long cells, based on the silica molecular structures and the fraction and composition of occluded organic matter. The variations in structure and composition of sorghum phytoliths suggest that the biological pathways leading to silica deposition vary between these cell types.
Unternehmen der chemischen Industrie müssen neuen Pfade beschreiten, um in einem veränderten Umfeld erfolgreich bestehen zu können. Dazu gehört insbesondere, das Potenzial digitaler Technologien zu nutzen. Die volle Integration und intelligente Vernetzung von Systemen und Prozessen kommt allerdings nur zögerlich voran. Dieser Beitrag ist ein Loblied auf die Feldebene. Er möchte dazu ermutigen, die Digitalisierung der Prozessindustrie auf Basis smarter Sensorik, Aktorik und Kommunikation ganzheitlicher zu denken und informiert über aktuelle technische Perspektiven, wie das Ein-Netzwerk-Paradigma, Ad-hoc-Vernetzungen, Edge-Computing, FPGAs, virtuelle Maschinen oder Blockchain. Diese geben smarter Sensorik, Aktorik und Kommunikation eine völlig neue Perspektive.
In many scientific fields, isotopic analysis can offer valuable information, e.g., for tracing the origin of food products, environmental contaminants, forensic and archaeological samples (provenance determination), for age determination of minerals (geochronological dating) or for elucidating chemical processes. Up to date, typically bulk analysis is aimed at measuring the isotopic composition of the entire elemental content of the sample. However, the analyte element is usually present under the form of different species. Thus, separating species of interest from one another and from matrix components prior to isotope ratio measurements can provide species-specific isotopic information, which could be used for tracing the origin of environmental pollutants and elucidation of (environmental) speciation. Using on-line hyphenations of separation techniques with multicollector-ICP-MS (MC-ICP-MS) can save time and effort and enables the analysis of different species during a single measurement.
In this work, we developed an on-line hyphenation of CE with multicollector-ICP-MS (CE/MC-ICP-MS) for isotopic analysis of sulfur species. With this method, the isotopic composition of sulfur in sulfate originating from river water could be analyzed without sample preparation. The results were compared with data from off-line analysis of the same samples to ensure accuracy. The precision of the results of the on-line measurements was high enough to distinguish the rivers from one another by the isotopic signature of the river water sulfate. Next to environmental applications, a future field could be species-specific isotopic analysis of biomolecules, as sulfur is the only covalently bound constituent of proteins which can be analyzed by MC-ICP-MS.
Warfarin als ein Vertreter der NSO-Hetereozyklen, ist seit den 1950er Jahren einer der bekanntesten Gerinnungshemmer. Beim Menschen wird es bis heute zur Vorbeugung von Thrombose und der Behandlung von Vorhofflimmern und Arrhythmie eingesetzt. Doch schon einige Jahre vor der FDA Zulassung als Medikament wurde es zur Bekämpfung von Nagetieren eingesetzt. Bis heute wurde es nur teilweise durch weitaus wirksamere antikoagulante Rodentizide (ARs) der zweiten Generation, sogenannte Superwarfarine, ersetzt. In der Fachliteratur finden sich zahlreiche Beispiele für sekundäre und tertiäre Vergiftung mit ARs bei Wildtieren und anderen Nichtzieltieren. Bisher ist relativ wenig über die Bioakkumulation, Persistenz und Toxizität von ARs und deren Transformationsprodukten (TPs) in der terrestrischen und aquatischen Umwelt, sowie der Nahrungskette bekannt.
Um Einblicke in mögliche Transformations- und Abbauprozesse von Warfarin zu erhalten und um Umwelteinflüsse zu simulieren, wurde es in einer elektrochemischen Reaktorzelle oxidativ umgesetzt und mittels Massenspektrometrie analysiert. Hinsichtlich der Wasseraufbereitung in Kläranlagen wurden technisch relevante Simulationsverfahren wie Chlorung, UV-Bestrahlung und Ozonung angewendet um potentielle Eliminierungswege aufzuklären. Gebildete Transformationsprodukte wurden daher mittels unterschiedlicher chromatografischer Verfahren getrennt, massenspektrometrisch analysiert und verglichen.
Gegenstand der vorzustellenden Arbeiten ist die Prüfung der Umwelt-beständigkeit und -verträglichkeit von Materialien und Produkten hinsichtlich der Emission von potenziellen Schadstoffen in die Umwelt. Hierzu werden chemisch-physikalische Einflüsse (Bewitterung) und mikrobielle Beanspruchungen an Modellmaterialien evaluiert. So werden die Freisetzungsraten von Schadstoffen in Abhängigkeit der Beanspruchung beschrieben. Als Modellmaterialien kommen die Polymere Polystyrol (PS) und Polypropylen (PP) zum Einsatz. Synergistische Effekte der Bewitterungsparameter und der mikrobiologischen Beanspruchung sollen dabei ebenso betrachtet werden, wie die gezielte Alterung. Auch findet eine Beschreibung des Verhaltens der ausgetragenen Schadstoffe (polybromierte Flammschutzmittel) in den Umweltkompartimenten Boden oder Wasser statt. Hier sind mit Hilfe der zu entwickelnden Screening- und non-Target-Analyseverfahren die Transformation und der Metabolismus durch Mikroorganismen zu beschreiben. Aus den Ergebnissen sollen Korrelationen zwischen den künstlichen Alterungsverfahren und realen Szenarien abgeleitet werden.
Die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Prozessindustrie basiert auf der Sicherung der geforderten Produktqualität bei einer optimalen Nutzung von Anlagen, Rohstoffen und Energie. Ein Weg zur wissensbasierten Produktion führt über die Betrachtung der wesentlichen Apparate-, Prozess- und Freigabedaten aus Betrieben und Labors. Das Potenzial dieser Daten wird heute vielfach noch nicht konsequent für ein umfassendes Verständnis der Produktion genutzt.
Neben Fragen zur Datenerfassung, Datenkonnektivität und Datenintegrität müssen solche Daten für eine ganzheitliche Prozessanalyse zunächst mit Kontextinformationen zusammengebracht werden. Datenquellen enthalten Zeitwertpaare, aber auch diskrete Daten aus LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) oder ELN (Electronic Laboratory Notebooks) und werden zunehmend durch 2D- und 3D-Daten aus der Chromatographie-Massenspektrometrie oder bildbasierter Analytik ergänzt.
Für die automatisierte Merkmalsextraktion, etwa zur Extraktion chemischer Informationen aus den oben genannten Datenquellen werden multivariate Werkzeuge und Algorithmen genutzt. Multivariate Statistiken wie PCA (Principle Component Analysis), PLS (Partial Least Squares) und LDA (Latent Discriminant Analysis) bilden die erste Grundlage für die Datenanalyse. Für diese Verfahren sind heute Datenvorbehandlungsschritte nötig. Die Modellbildung geschieht manuell und ist sehr aufwendig.
Können diese Daten im Zeitalter von ML (Machine Learning) und KI (Artificial Intelligence) anderweitig sinnvoll genutzt werden und ohne klassische Modellbildung? Die Bezeichnung „Big Data“ als Voraussetzung für datengetriebene Auswerteverfahren ist für die Prozessindustrie allerdings unpassend, denn auch bei mengenmäßig großen Datensätzen liegen für Kampagnen typischerweise nur Informationen über einige Batches mit einer Serie von Messdaten vor, die genügend Varianz für eine datengetriebene Auswertung aufweisen – nicht vergleichbar mit den Datenmengen im WWW oder von großen Internet-Konzernen.
Is it a parmesan cheese from Italy? Who painted the Mona Lisa? The determination of the place of origin is essential for consumer protection, detection of falsifications, and also to bring justice.
All the tangible possess an isotopic fingerprint. However, current technologies are too expensive. We work on the development of fast and low-cost optical instruments and methods for isotope analysis.
Simultaneous multielemental analysis of crude oils by high-resolutions absorption spectrometry
(2019)
When crude oil arrives at a refinery it needs a lot of processing before it is suitable for cracking into lighter fractions. Sulfur has to be extracted to meet ultra-low sulfur legislation for most of the fuel grades, and desalination is a crucial process as chlorine within salts is corrosive to refinery equipment. Measuring the amounts of sulfur and chlorine within crude oil is the first step in a complex clean-up process.
Heavy metals, such as vanadium, nickel and iron need to be removed too. These metals can poison the catalyst used to crack the oil into lighter fractions. This is costly as it reduces the useful life of the catalyst. Like chlorine, heavy metals also have a corrosive effect on the plant. There is some evidence that the presence of some metals in the final product can reduce performance.
A fast determination of elements and size of suspended particles is vital for diagnosis and safeguard of refinery equipment. However, sample preparation for current analytical methods consumes precious time and lost particle size information.
High-resolution continuum source graphite furnace absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFAS) is proposed as a fast analytical method for elemental determination in crude oils and potentially for simultaneous multielement and particle size analysis. This HR-CS-GFAS instrumentation is coupled to a modular simultaneous echelle spectrometer (MOSES) and provides a full optical window with high resolution (from 180 to 900 nm with bandwidth λ/170,000). By using this set-up, it is possible to generate a multiparameter 3D spectral image (atomic and molecular lines, isotopic shift, atomization delay, and intensities). The generated spectral images can be analyzed by multivariate regressions for the elemental and particle size analysis. Additionally, if several atomic and molecular lines are simultaneously measured, they may be used in multi-energy calibration (MEC), a method based on the use of many wavelengths of the same absorbing/emitting entity to improve the accuracy in analytical atomic spectrometry. This MEC approach combined with multivariate image analysis allows the quantification of selected elements (Si, Al, Ni, Fe, V, S, and Cl) and overcomes matrix effects.
Is it a parmesan cheese from Italy? Who painted the Mona Lisa? The determination of the place of origin is essential for consumer protection, detection of falsifications, and also to bring justice.
All the tangible possess an isotopic fingerprint. However, current technologies are too expensive. We work on the development of fast and low-cost optical instruments and methods for isotope analysis.
Magnesium is a major element in the hydrosphere and biosphere, and it is direct correlated with the carbon cycle. Therefore, the study of its isotopic fractionation in sediments and sea water helps to understand the earth’s climate and global warming. Mg has three stable isotopes, 24Mg, 25Mg and 26Mg, and traditionally isotope amount ratios are measured by mass spectrometric methods. Their drawbacks include the high costs for instruments and their operation, experienced operators and elaborate time-consuming chromatographic sample preparation. Recently, an optical spectrometric method has been proposed as faster and low-cost alternative for the analysis of isotope ratios: high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFMAS).
For the determination of Mg isotope ratios in selected rock reference materials, the high-resolution molecular absorption spectrum of in-situ generated MgF molecule was studied applying multivariate analysis and the results compared with MC-ICP-MS. Samples were dissolved by acid digestion and Mg isotopes analyzed with and without matrix extraction. The absorption spectra were recorded for MgF for the electronic transition X 2Σ → B 2Σ+. The MgF spectrum is described as the linear combination of their isotopic components or isotopologues: 24MgF, 25MgF, and 26MgF. The isotope analysis was done by deconvolution of the MgF spectrum by partial least square regression (PLS). A PLS model was built and calibrated with enriched isotope spikes and certified reference materials. Spectra data was preprocessed by a derivate of second order and venetian blinds cross-validation was employed for finding the optimum latent variables. Finally, the model was refined by a genetic algorithm which identified the best subset of variables for a precise and accurate regression. Results are compatible with those obtained by MC-ICP-MS with an accuracy of ± 0.3‰ with uncertainties ranging between 0.02 to 0.6‰. This accuracy and precision discriminate the isotope fractionation in geological samples, and it is suitable for earth’s climate studies.
Advances and Applications of Molecular Absorption Spectrometry: from Non-Metals to Isotope Analysis
(2019)
The present work covers two main aspects of high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFMAS), an analytical technique for elemental trace analysis.
First, a comprehensive mechanistic study of molecule formation in graphite furnaces is presented, which is a key step into the recovery of analytical signals. For this, the molecule formation of CaF was studied, which is used for the indirect analytical determination of fluorine in HR-CS-GFMAS. A zirconium coating catalyzes the CaF formation, and its structure was investigated. The kinetics of this reaction was established by monitoring its molecular spectrum at different atomisation temperatures. An Arrhenius plot showed a pseudo-first order reaction with respect to fluorine (n = 1). An intermediate state was isolated, and its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic methods: scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES and EXAFS), and Raman microspectroscopy. Here a mechanism is proposed, where ZrO2 works as a heterogeneous catalyst: after a pyrolytic step, an intermediate state of ZrO(OCaF) is activated, and at higher temperatures, CaF(g) is released from the zirconium-coated graphite surface.
Second, analytical methods were developed by using HR-CS-MAS as detector for non-metals and isotope analysis. Therefore, the determination of organic absorbable chlorine in water, the quantification of fluorine in consume care products with declared perfluorinated ingredients, and the determination of sulfur content in crude oils were investigated. Finally, the high resolution of the instrumentation allows to measure isotopic shifts with high precision in some observed molecular spectra. Consequently, the molecular spectra of enriched isotopes of boron and magnesium were investigated, establishing so the potential of HR-CS-MAS for the accurate and precise determination of isotopic amount ratios.
Zusammenfassung
Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit zwei zentralen Aspekten der High-Resolution-Continuum-Source-Molekülabsorptionsspektrometrie mit Graphitrohrtechnik (HR-CS-GFMAS), einer Analysetechnik für elementare Spurenanalyse.
Der erste Teil der Arbeit umfasst eine mechanistische Studie zur Molekülbildung auf Graphitoberflächen. Dies ist ein wichtiger Schritt, um analytische Signale zu entdecken. Dazu wurde die Molekülbildung von CaF analysiert, welches für die indirekte, analytische Bestimmung von Fluor in HR-CS-GFMAS genutzt wird. Die CaF Bildung wurde mittels einer Beschichtung aus Zirconium katalysiert und deren Struktur analysiert. Die Kinetik dieser Reaktion wurde durch Beobachtung des jeweiligen Molekülspektrums bei verschiedenen Atomisierungstemperaturen beobachtet. Ein Arrheniusplot zeigte für Fluor (n = 1) eine Reaktion Pseudo-erster Ordnung. Ein Übergangszustand wurde über die mit Zirconium überzogene Grafitoberfläche isoliert und seine Struktur mittels spektroskopischer Methoden Energiedispersive Rasterelektronenmikroskopie / Röntgenspektroskopie (REM-EDX), Röntgenphoto¬elektronenspektroskopie (XPS), Röntgenabsorptionsspektroskopie (XAS) und Raman Spektroskopie untersucht. Auf Grundlage dieser Ergebnisse wird ein Mechanismus vorgeschlagen, bei dem ZrO2 als heterogener Katalysator fungiert; in Folge einer Pyrolysestufe wird ein Übergangszustand des ZrO(OCaF) aktiviert, welcher bei höheren Temperaturen CaF(g) an der Zirconium-Graphitoberfläche freisetzt.
Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit werden Analysemethoden entwickelt, in dem HR-CS-MAS als Detektor für Nichtmetalle und Isotopanalyse angewandt wird. Hierfür wurde organisch gebundenes Chlor im Wasser bestimmt, der Fluorgehalt in Pflegeprodukten mit perfluorierten Inhaltsstoffen quantifiziert und der Schwefelgehalt in Erdöl untersucht. Weiterhin ermöglicht die hohe Auflösung der Messgeräte eine präzise Bestimmung der Isotopenverschiebung einiger untersuchter Molekülspektren. Daher wurden die Molekülspektren angereicherter Bor- und Magnesiumisotope untersucht. Auf diese Weise wurde das Potential von HR-CS-MAS für die akkurate und präzise Bestimmung von Isotop-Mengenverhältnissen nachgewiesen.