Atomic / Ezine
Combined effort singles out murder weapon
Date: Feb 15, 2007
Author: David Bradley
Combining results from inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and scanning electron microscope-energy disperse X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDX) could soon be used by forensics experts to discriminate between metallic implements that have injured or killed a person.
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Assessment of mercury concentrations in small mammals collected near Las Vegas
Date: Feb 5, 2007
Author:
Mercury concentrations in liver and hair tissue were determined for five species of small mammals captured near Las Vegas.
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Pigment problem solved with cotton bud
Date: Jan 15, 2007
Author: David Bradley
Canadian researchers have used atomic absorption and mass spectrometry to investigate the various pigments in two cultural objects, a painting and a map. Their findings reveal the nature of the inorganic pigments and provide clues as to why these objects are darkening with time. Such results could assist in their conservation.
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Bioaccumulation of metals in the common carp exposed to cadmium, mercury and lead
Date: Jan 10, 2007
Author:
The concentrations of mercury, cadmium and lead at various exposure periods were determined in the gill, kidney, liver and muscle of the common carp using the hyphenated technique of size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
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Polonium testing
Date: Dec 15, 2006
Author: David Bradley
Polonium unwittingly became element of the year in 2006, now researchers in Italy have devised a new simpler method for the determination of the highly toxic polonium-210 isotope as well as lead-210 in rock and soil samples.
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Arsenic, selenium and mercury in foods by ICP-OES
Date: Dec 1, 2006
Author:
The levels of arsenic, selenium and mercury were determined in natural and selenium-enriched rice by ICP multichannel-based emission spectrometry using chemical vapour generation as the sample introduction system. Detection limits down to ng/g levels were achieved.
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Gruelling problem of the death zone
Date: Nov 13, 2006
Author: David Bradley
Atomic absorption spectroscopy was key to research that really gets to the heart of the problem of arterial plaques. Xi-Ming Yuan of Linköping University, Sweden, and colleagues there and at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, have identified the toxic components of arterial plaques seen in atherosclerosis, that kill the white blood cells that would otherwise help the body break down the plaques.
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Sensitivity differences for organic and inorganic arsenic in ICP-MS and ICP-AES
Date: Nov 1, 2006
Author:
The sensitivity and behaviour of arsenobetaine in ICP-MS and ICP-AES were investigated using a BCR certified reference material, a commercially available synthetic arsenobetaine and an inorganic arsenic standard solution. The results were used to determine the differences in sensitivity for organic and inorganic arsenic.
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Moss side heavy metal
Date: Oct 16, 2006
Author: David Bradley
A bag of moss lying in an irrigation ditch in North East Italy does not conjure up an image of high-tech analytical science but the special characteristics of the moss Rhynchostegium riparioides make it the ideal environmental monitor according to researchers at the University of Trieste and their colleagues.
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Atomic spectroscopy samples the goodness in seeds
Date: Oct 3, 2006
Author:
The yield of wheat has greatly improved through breeding, but it is not known how this has affected seed micronutrient content. In this study, the iron, zinc, copper and selenium content of seed of 14 US hard red winter wheat varieties from production eras spanning more than a century was measured. by inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICPES) and hydride-generated atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS).
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