Dietary exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs of Hong Kong adults: results of the first Hong Kong Total Diet Study.

Dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) covered by the Stockholm Convention on POPs. To assess the associated health risk of the Hong Kong population, the dietary exposure of the Hong Kong population and various age-gender subgroups to dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs was estimated in the first Hong Kong Total Diet Study (TDS), where food samples were collected and prepared "as consumed". A total of 142 composite food samples, mainly foods of animal origin and their products and oily food, were analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like PCBs by the high-resolution gas chromatograph/high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRGC/HRMS) system.

Determination of inorganic arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) in water samples by ion chromatography/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

A method was validated for the direct determination of As(III) and As(V) in water samples by ion chromatography/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Sample preservation required only dilution with a mobile phase containing a sufficient amount of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and acetic acid. Analyses of 6 certified reference materials (CRMs) of various water matrixes, including seawater, demonstrated good method accuracy.

Determination of cadmium in oyster tissue using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: comparison of results obtained in the standard and He/H2 cell modes.

An inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an octopole collision/reaction cell was used for the determination of cadmium in oyster tissue samples using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The oyster samples in question were found to contain Mo and Zr. In our feasibility study on a Cd standard solution (10 microg L(-1)) containing a matrix of Mo (1000 microg L(-1)) or Zr (250 microg L(-1)), the potentially interfering species (MoO(+) or ZrO(+)) present at the analytical mass of cadmium concerned (m/z 111, 112 or 114) was reduced effectively through the use of a mixture of He and H(2) as cell gases.

High-throughput determination of seven trace elements in food samples by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

A method was developed for high-throughput determinations of 7 elements in food samples, namely antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and tin (Sn). The samples were digested by closed-vessel microwave-assisted digestion using concentrated nitric acid (HNO3) as the medium, followed by microwave- assisted evaporation to concentrate the sample solutions before dilution to the desired volume. The microwave-assisted evaporation procedure effectively reduced the final acid concentration to around 8% before analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Diastereoselective Epoxidation of Cyclohexene Derivatives by Dioxiranes Generated in Situ. Importance of Steric and Field Effects.

In this paper, diastereoselective epoxidation of substituted cyclohexenes (substrates 1-7) by dioxiranes generated in situ from ketones and Oxone was systematically investigated. The results revealed that the diastereoselectivity was determined by the steric and field effects of both dioxiranes and substrates, and high diastereoselectivity can be achieved by tuning the ketone structure. Among the ketones tested, 12 and 19 gave the best diastereoselectivities.