Development of analytical procedures for determination of total chromium by quadrupole ICP-MS and high-resolution ICP-MS, and hexavalent chromium by HPLC-ICP-MS, in different materials used in the automotive industry.

A European directive was recently adopted limiting the use of hazardous substances such as Pb, Hg, Cd, and Cr(VI) in vehicle manufacturing. From July 2003 a maximum of 2 g Cr(VI) will be authorised per vehicle in corrosion-preventing coatings of key components. As no standardised procedures are available to check if produced vehicles are in agreement with this directive, the objective of this work was to develop analytical procedures for total chromium and Cr(VI) determination in these materials.

On-line packed column supercritical fluid chromatography--microwave-induced plasma atomic emission.

Interfacing and evaluation of packed column supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC)-microwave-induced plasma atomic emission detection (AED) is described. Via a flow splitter and an integral restrictor, efficient transfer of solutes from column to detector without band broadening is obtained. Variation of CO2 flow-rate during pressure gradients has little influence on both AED signal and baseline drift while it provides similar sensitivity as in capillary SFC.

[Localized form of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in a child. Case report].

The authors report the case of a 4 1/2-year-old boy with a localized xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. Review of the literature shows that this rare condition is often misdiagnosed before surgery, a preoperative diagnosis of Wilms' tumor being proposed instead of the exact one which is of benign prognosis. The pathogenesis is unknown.