UV/Vis Spectroscopy / Ezine
One from the vine
Date: Sep 1, 2009
Author: David Bradley
Kudzu is a weedy vine that has overgrown almost 10 million acres in the southeastern United States. However, it could one day sprout into a dietary supplement to helpe reduce metabolic syndrome in millions of people. Mass spectrometry and UV spectroscopy have now been used to identify and quantify the putatively active isoflavones in extracts of the vine by US scientists.
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Nonlinear optical spectroscopy of soft matter interfaces
Date: Aug 10, 2009
Author:
New developments that enable us to obtain detailed molecular structural changes in the topmost molecular layers of soft matter interfaces composed of complex bio-molecules are reviewed. In particular, the possibilities to probe interfaces of colloidal soft matter systems are discussed.
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Microbial nanotechnologists
Date: Aug 1, 2009
Author: David Bradley
The bacterium Bacillus licheniformis is an expert nanotechnologist, according to scientists in India. They have used the microbe to help them synthesise gold nanocubes, as verified by UV spectroscopy and other techniques. The approach offers an alternative approach to making these important nanoparticles without using high temperatures or toxic solvents.
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Optical spectroscopy of InGaN-GaN quantum dot ensembles
Date: Jul 13, 2009
Author:
InGaN-GaN quantum dots grown with variations in the deposition time to vary their properties were studied by atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy.
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Cast-iron protection racket
Date: Jul 1, 2009
Author: David Bradley
Little is known about how the haem group that carries oxygen in blood and is the active centre of several enzymes is transported from where it is made in the cell to its host protein assembly. Now, UV-Vis spectroscopy has helped identify an enzyme that also functions as a haem transporter.
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Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry in measuring activated caspases in human spermatozoa
Date: Jun 8, 2009
Author:
Staining of spermatozoa with fluorescein-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone using fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry to score activated caspases was compared in order to adopt the most accurate method for detection in human frozen-thawed testicular, epididymal and ejaculated spermatozoa.
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Bi-curious cylinders
Date: Jun 1, 2009
Author: David Bradley
A team in the US has produced micrometre-wide discs and elongated rods from bi-coloured and multicolored compartments. The researchers used fluorescent emission studies and scanning electron microscopy to characterise their products.
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Using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and PCA to monitor dissolved organic matter dynamics in a glacier system
Date: May 11, 2009
Author:
Principal components analysis (PCA) of synchronous fluorescence spectra was used to detect and describe changes in the dissolved organic matter in meltwater from a glacier system in the Coast Mountains of northern British Columbia, Canada
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Berries beat UV-B
Date: May 1, 2009
Author: David Bradley
Using hairless laboratory rodents, researchers in Korea have demonstrated that the antioxidant ellagic acid, which is found in certain fruits and berries, can protect against damage to the skin caused by incident ultraviolet-B radiation. Their work suggests that the compound could help protect people to some extent from the skin-aging effects of the sun.
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Evaluation of the photodegradation of crystal violet upon light exposure by mass spectrometric and spectroscopic methods
Date: Apr 13, 2009
Author:
The degradation pathways of pure crystal violet in water and ethanol upon exposure to xenon light were compared by UV/VIS spectrophotometry and laser desorption ionization.
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