Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Quantification of 1,1-Dimethylhydrazine Transformation Products in Aqueous Solutions: Accelerated Water Sample Preparation

The use of highly toxic rocket fuel based on 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) in many types of carrier rockets poses a threat to environment and human health associated with an ingress of UDMH into wastewater and natural reservoirs and its transformation with the formation of numerous toxic nitrogen-containing products. Their GC-MS quantification in aqueous samples requires matrix change and is challenging due to high polarity of analytes. To overcome this problem, accelerated water sample preparation (AWASP) based on the complete removal of water with anhydrous sodium sulfate and transferring analytes into dichloromethane was used. Twenty-nine UDMH transformation products including both the acyclic and heterocyclic compounds of various classes were chosen as target analytes. AWASP ensured attaining near quantitative extraction of 23 compounds with sample preparation procedure duration of no more than 5 min. Combination of AWASP with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and using pyridine-d5 as an internal standard allowed for developing the rapid, simple, and low-cost method for simultaneous quantification of UDMH transformation products with detection limits of 1–5 μg L−1 and linear concentration range covering 4 orders of magnitude. The method has been validated and successfully tested in the analysis of aqueous solutions of rocket fuel subjected to oxidation with atmospheric oxygen, as well as pyrolytic gasification in supercritical water modelling wastewater from carrier rockets launch sites.

Penggunaan Gel Lidah Buaya (Aloe vera) Sebagai Koagulan Alami Dalam Penjernihan Air Sumur Di Desa Sausu Tambu Kecamatan Sausu

Research on the use of aloe vera gel (aloe vera) as a natural coagulant in water purification village wells Sausu Tambu has been done. This study aims to determine whether aloe vera gel can be used as a natural coagulant and determine the optimum ratio of aloe vera gel in water (V/V) which is used in the purification of water wells in the village Sausu Tambu. Research was conducted on the water sample preparation, natural production of aloe vera gel, water treatment and analysis of water quality parameters, namely turbidity, hardness, color, pH and temperature. The results showed that aloe vera gel can be used as a coagulant to purify the water with an optimum ratio of 0.3 mL aloe vera gel in 500 mL water sample. Aloe vera gel can reduce 72.22% of turbidity, 63.48% hardness, 68.62% color with a pH of 5.5 and a temperature of 30 oC. It can be concluded that the aloe vera gel has the ability as a coagulant to purify water.

Research and Development of the Artemis 14C AMS Facility: Status Report

The Artemis accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) facility is dedicated to high-precision radiocarbon measurements. It routinely measures over 4500 samples a year for French laboratories. This paper is a status report, showing the measurements of standard, blank, and FIRI intercomparison samples. Since 2008, research and development programs have been established by the Artemis team. During the collaborations with other research laboratories, intercomparisons on archaeological samples were performed and are listed here to show the quality of the Artemis measurements. Three areas of specific research and development are investigated: technical development, beam optic simulations, and specific archaeological studies. The technical developments of the facility are based on the setup of a new bench for water sample preparation and routine microsample preparation and measurement. Beam optic simulations are carried out to control the quality of the measurement related to the tuning of the facility. International collaborations are always in progress. In 2012, the programs include improving the accuracy of reigns for the dynastic Egypt period and the 14C dating of ancient iron.

A Simplified Method for Plasma Zinc Determination by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

A modified method is described for zinc determination in plasma by atomic absorption spectrophotometry using the Boling three-slot burner. Accurate analysis for the element was accomplished after merely diluting the plasma with deionized water (1 part plasma to 1 part water). Sample preparation time was thus greatly decreased. It was found that standards made up in water resulted in an error of 33%. However, standards prepared in 3% dextran solution gave results similar to those obtained with trichloracetic acid filtrates and water standards. Dextran was found not to be contaminated with zinc. The recovery of zinc added to plasma averaged 98.9%. Because of the simplicity of the method, sources of error and possibilities for contamination were reduced.