Determination of free fatty acids and triglycerides by gas chromatography using selective esterification reactions.

A method for selectively determining both free fatty acids (FFA) and triacylglycerides (TAGs) in biological oils was investigated and optimized using gas chromatography after esterification of the target species to their corresponding fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). The method used acid catalyzed esterification in methanolic solutions under conditions of varying severity to achieve complete conversion of more reactive FFAs while preserving the concentration of TAGs. Complete conversion of both free acids and glycerides to corresponding FAMEs was found to require more rigorous reaction conditions involving heating to 120°C for up to 2 h.

Occurrence of tetraploidy in Nicotiana attenuata plants after Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is genotype specific but independent of polysomaty of explant tissue.

Genotypes of Nicotiana attenuata collected from Utah and Arizona were transformed with 17 different vectors (14 unpublished vectors based on 3 new backbone vectors) using an Agrobacterium-mediated procedure to functionally analyze genes important for plant-insect interactions. None of the 51 T1-T3 transgenic Utah lines analyzed by the flow cytometry were tetraploid, as opposed to 18 of 33 transgenic Arizona lines (55%). Analysis of T0 regenerants transformed with the same vector carrying an inverted repeat (IR) N.

Rapid determination of total sulfur in fuels using gas chromatography with atomic emission detection.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether gas chromatography (GC)-atomic emission detection (AED) can be used in a low-resolution mode for rapid, accurate determinations of total sulfur in fuels at trace levels to complement other popular methods of total sulfur analysis. A method for the rapid determination of total sulfur in fuels (called "fast GC-AED") is developed. The method is tested on gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, and diesel fuel with sulfur concentrations ranging from 125 mg/L down to 2.

Development of microwave-assisted drying methods for sample preparation for dried spot micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis.

Although dried spot micro X-ray fluorescence (MXRF) is an effective analytical technique for trace elemental analysis, the sample preparation procedures currently used suffer from a number of drawbacks. These drawbacks include relatively long preparation times, lack of control of the sample preparation environment, and possibility of loss of volatile analytes during the drying process. Microwave-assisted drying offers several advantages for dried spot preparation, including control of the environment and minimized volatility because of the differences between microwave heating and conventional heating.