Single reaction chamber microwave digestion coupled with ICP-MS for the determination of ultra-trace mercury in rocks.

In this study, a method for rock digestion using a single reaction chamber (SRC) microwave system was established. Nitric acid (HNO) and hydrofluoric acid (HF) were used as digestion agents, and the determination of mercury (Hg) in rocks was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The optimal conditions for the SRC microwave system were achieved at 260 °C and 70 bar, with a mixture of 3 mL of 65-68 wt% HNO and 1 mL of 49 wt% HF when the sample weight is in the range of 0.

Determination of lithium in the blood of the deceased by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in a case of lithium-ion battery fire.

In this study, a case of lithium-ion battery fire is presented. The blood of the deceased was analyzed for lithium (Li) using ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry). When compared to normal individuals in the same region, the deceased had much higher levels of Li in their blood.

Comparison of different analytical methods for speciation of seven gadolinium-based magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents and the applications in wastewater and whole blood.

Three methods, high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and ion chromatography, were compared for simultaneous speciation of seven commercial gadolinium-based contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. Optimizations of experimental conditions for individual method were conducted, respectively. Methods of high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry showed the capability of speciation for all seven target compounds, whereas ion chromatography was only suitable for three of them when using electronic conductivity detector.

Inhibition of the crystal growth and aggregation of calcium oxalate by elemental selenium nanoparticles.

Chemical modulation of calcium oxalate (CaC(2)O(4)) crystals morphologies by elemental selenium nanoparticles (nanoSe(0)) was investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The coordination between nanoSe(0) and C(2)O(4)(2-) had great effect on the formation of CaC(2)O(4) crystals. NanoSe(0) inhibited the growth of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals, prevented the aggregation of COM crystals and induced the formation of the spherical calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD) crystals containing selenium, which are the thermodynamically less stable phase and has a weaker affinity to the cell membranes than COM crystals.