New application of microwave digestion-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for multi-element analysis in komatiites.

A new method using microwave digestion combined with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was studied to analyze the elemental composition of a variety of komatiites samples. Microwave digestion consisted in two-stage heating and pressurizing acid treatments for maximum dissolution of the samples. We report here different quality control measurements (external and internal calibration, monitoring of reference materials) which involve standard deviation calculations and recovery examinations in order to test the precision and accuracy of the analytical procedure.

Functionalization of carbon nanotubes via nitrogen glow discharge.

We have exposed single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) to microwave-generated N2 plasma with the aim to functionalize the nanotubes. The results strongly depend on the distance between the discharge source and the sample, since nitrogen atoms generated can be lost due to recombination. No functionalization was observed when this distance was 7.

Nitrogen fixation by corona discharge on the early precambrian Earth.

We report the first experimental study of nitrogen fixation by corona discharge on the anoxic primitive Earth. The energy yields of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) were experimentally determined over a wide range of CO(2)-N(2) mixtures simulating the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere during the Hadean and Archean eras (from 4.5 ba to 2.