Article
Environmental Sciences
Debatosh B. Partha, Andrea E. Cassidy-Bushrow, Yaoxian Huang
Summary: Epidemiological studies have shown that long-term exposure to toxic volatile organic compounds, known as BTEX, is associated with preterm births. This study used a global chemical transport model and an epidemiological model to quantify the country-specific preterm birth rate attributable to long-term BTEX exposure in 2015. The study found that there were 2.01 million preterm births globally due to BTEX exposure, with the largest contributions from India.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ines C. Weber, Pascal Ruedi, Petr Sot, Andreas T. Guntner, Sotiris E. Pratsinis
Summary: This study introduces a compact, battery-powered device for detecting benzene concentration in gas mixtures, with high selectivity and sensitivity to various organic compounds. The device can accurately and rapidly detect benzene in indoor air, meeting the strictest legal limits while showing good agreement with mass spectrometry results.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hosna Moradkhani, Mostafa Leili, Jalal Puralajal, Ashraf Mazaheri Tehrani, Ayat Hossein Panahi, Mohammd Taghi Samadi, Sara Beheshtifar
Summary: The study in Assaluyeh city, Iran found a correlation between high BTEX concentrations in ambient air and human biomarkers, increasing the risk of respiratory dysfunction in residents.
HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
In-Keun Shim, Jeonghoon Kim, Jin Kyu Lee, Jae-Min Oh, Jin Kuen Park
Summary: Surfactant-extracted porous silica nano particles with wrinkled structures were modified with three different organosilanes, which significantly enhanced their adsorption performance for hazardous indoor air chemicals. The dispersion forces between the adsorbates and the adsorbents played a crucial role in determining the absorption capacity of the surface-modified silica nanoparticles.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Huan Wang, Yudao Chen, Wei Meng, Yaping Jiang, Yaping Cheng
Summary: This study investigated the batch experiment with different aquifer materials using persulfate as a chemical oxidant to oxidize organic contaminants. The results showed that BTEX could be preferentially removed with the addition of persulfate, while ethanol could compete with sulfate radical and potentially inhibit the biodegradation of BTEX.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Seyed Arman Hosseini, Mehrnoosh Abtahi, Sina Dobaradaran, Hossein Hassankhani, Ali Koolivand, Reza Saeedi
Summary: The health risk and burden of disease caused by exposure to BTEX in the outdoor air in Tehran in 2019 were assessed. The concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were measured, and the non-carcinogenic risk, carcinogenic risk, and disease burden were determined. The results showed that the corrective measures such as controlling road traffic and improving the quality of vehicles and gasoline could reduce the burden of disease from BTEX and other outdoor air pollutants.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Saeed Bagherzadeh, Hakim Faraji, Hamid Reza Shahbaazi, Fariborz Azizinejad
Summary: In this study, a gas flow-assisted headspace-single drop microextraction method was developed for the extraction, pre-concentration and measurement of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes compounds in aqueous samples. The method is simple, cost-effective and environmentally friendly, requiring minimal amounts of organic solvents. The method effectively interacts the target analytes with gas molecules at the liquid-gas interface. The method showed satisfactory recovery rates for goal compounds in aqueous samples.
MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cameron J. Davidson, John H. Hannigan, Scott E. Bowen
Summary: Combined exposure to BTEX poses clear risks to public health, with more research needed to explore the health and neurobehavioral impacts of these exposures.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Amir Hossein Khoshakhlagh, Masoud Askari Majdabadi, Saeid Yazdanirad, Lars Carlsen
Summary: This study assessed the non-cancer and cancer risks associated with BTEX in a composite manufacturing plant for the first time. Air samples were collected and analyzed, and the US EPA method was used for risk evaluation. The concentrations of BTEX were found to be lower than the threshold limit values, but the non-carcinogenic risks of benzene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were higher than the acceptable levels. Additionally, there was a specific risk of cancer for workers exposed to benzene and ethylbenzene in this industry.
HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiaxing Song, Jun Wang, Yuhan Pan, Xudong Du, Jingyuan Sima, Chenxi Zhu, Fangfang Lou, Qunxing Huang
Summary: The increasing demand for plastics has led to accumulation of plastic waste and environmental pollution. Catalytic pyrolysis is an effective method for treating plastic waste and recovering high-value oil products. In this study, Ga-modified HZSM-5 catalyst was used for pyrolysis of waste polyethylene (PE) to produce BTEX-enriched oil. The effects of different parameters on product selectivity and coke yield were investigated. NTP regeneration of the catalyst showed similar performance to thermal regeneration. The results suggest that NTP synergistic catalytic pyrolysis is a promising strategy for plastic waste management and upgrading oil product quality.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Kaan Isinkaralar, Aydin Turkyilmaz, Sanaz Lakestani
Summary: In this study, activated carbon was prepared from Pinus nigra cones as a precursor and used to adsorb harmful gases such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) in industrial processes. The activated carbon activated with zinc chloride (ZnCl2) showed high BTEX adsorption capacity and efficient removal of BTEX in indoor air.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Xiaohui Qiao, Xue Sun, Hansen Yang, Hualiang An, Fang Li, Wei Xue, Yanji Wang
Summary: In this study, seven deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were examined for their solubility of benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene, showing an increase in solubility with temperature. Both hydrogen bond acceptors and donors in the DESs were found to affect solubility, with tetrabutylammonium bromide having the greatest impact. Empirical equations provided a better correlation for the solubilities of the aromatic compounds in the DESs.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING DATA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hossein Kamani, Marzieh Baniasadi, Hossein Abdipour, Leili Mohammadi, Shahla Rayegannakhost, Hossein Moein, Ali Azari
Summary: This study investigated the concentration of BTEX pollutants in indoor environments, including restaurants, laundries, hair salons, and photocopying centers. The results showed that the average concentration of these compounds exceeded the recommended limit, with benzene and ethylbenzene posing a higher carcinogenic risk. Toluene exposure alone may have adverse effects on human health, while xylene exposure alone does not. The hazard index indicated that both toluene and xylene pollutants may have adverse effects on human health.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jason E. Colley, Dylan S. Orr, Michael A. Duncan
Summary: Gas-phase ion-molecule complexes of silver cation with benzene or toluene are generated and photodissociated via laser vaporization. The photodissociation process produces the organic cation as the only fragment via a metal-to-ligand charge transfer process. The electronic spectra of the charge-transfer process and other transitions are examined using tunable UV-visible lasers.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qilong Liao, Rui Du, Rui Ma, Xin Liu, Yan Zhang, Zhaorui Zhang, Penglei Ji, Minghui Xiao, Ying Cui, Xiumei Xing, Lili Liu, Shanfeng Dang, Qifei Deng, Yongmei Xiao
Summary: This study identified benzene and styrene as key factors contributing to the decline in small airways function and suggested that exposure to BTEXS mixtures may pose potential risks to the lungs. The findings of this study are important for the control and prevention of chronic respiratory diseases.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Lucas J. Szalwinski, L. Edwin Gonzalez, Nicolas M. Morato, Brett M. Marsh, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: In this study, the growth of E. coli was monitored using desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and changes in lipids were observed. The study also demonstrated the potential of desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for rapid sampling of complex mixtures.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Samadhi C. Kulathunga, Nicolas M. Morato, Qing Zhou, R. Graham Cooks, Andrew D. Mesecar
Summary: A novel label-free assay based on high-throughput DESI-MS and a fluorometric coupled-enzyme method were developed for quantitation and kinetic analysis of the sulfonation reaction catalyzed by SULT2B1b. Both methods provided consistent kinetic data and indicated the affinity trend of SULT2B1b with its substrates. The DESI-MS assay has promising potential for identifying SULT2B1b inhibitors as prostate cancer therapeutics and can be applied to other drug discovery efforts.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kai-Hung Huang, Jyotirmoy Ghosh, Shiqing Xu, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: Late-stage functionalization is an approach to generate modified molecules that retain functional groups present in the active drugs. This study characterizes the potential value of high-throughput desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HT DESI-MS) for small-scale rapid late-stage functionalization.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Moujun Luan, Zhuanghao Hou, Buchun Zhang, Likun Ma, Siming Yuan, Yangzhong Liu, Guangming Huang
Summary: In this study, the dumbbell-shaped calmodulin was chosen as a multi-domain protein model to investigate the structural evolution during electrospray ionization (ESI) process. The results showed that the protein followed the classical charge residue model and the apo-calmodulin underwent unfolding during the early evaporation stage. This study proposed a novel ESI mechanism called the domain repulsion model, which provides new mechanistic insights for the exploration of proteins with more domains.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kai-Hung Huang, Nicolas M. Morato, Yunfei Feng, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: Late-stage diversification of drug molecules is facilitated by reaction screening using high-throughput experimentation. In this study, a rapid method for functionalizing bioactive molecules based on accelerated reactions in microdroplets is presented. Using this method, an opioid agonist and an antagonist were diversified and characterized by tandem mass spectrometry after screening over 500 reactions.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical
Eric T. Dziekonski, Thomas C. Sams, Lucas J. Szalwinski, L. Edwin Gonzalez, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: Two-dimensional tandem mass spectrometry (2D-MS/MS) is employed to characterize each sample in an array by creating ion populations from complex mixtures using desorption electrospray ionization. Automated high-throughput examination of each sample in the array is achieved through integrated movement of the sample array and automated data acquisition. Position control is accomplished using an Arduino microprocessor, a RAMPS control board, two stepper motors, and a custom MATLAB graphical user interface. Data processing improvements are made to enhance visual discrimination of peaks from the background in local regions of the 2D spectrum.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
R. Graham Cooks, Yunfei Feng, Kai-Hung Huang, Nicolas M. Morato, Lingqi Qiu
Summary: The article argues that mass spectrometry (MS) can be used sequentially for the three key steps in drug discovery: reaction screening, synthesis scale-up, and bioactivity assessment. The chosen ionization method, desorption electrospray ionization (DESI), is both an analytical technique and a procedure for small-scale synthesis. DESI is highly compatible with automation, allowing for high throughput in both synthesis and analysis.
ISRAEL JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Liujuan Zhan, Huimin Liu, Zhuanghao Hou, Yiwen Gao, Baoyou Chu, Guangming Huang
Summary: Heterogeneity is a common phenomenon in individual bacterium of bacterial populations even with the same gene and environment. Metabolites, as the basis for maintaining biological activities, provide a more direct and dynamic picture of cell function. Single bacterium metabolic analysis techniques, including RNA sequencing, fluorescent probes, Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, have been summarized in this review.
TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Jyotirmoy Ghosh, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: Mass spectrometry (MS), a century-old analytical technique, is now being used as a preparative method. Electrospray deposition (ESD) of charged droplets generated by electrospray ionization (ESI) is an efficient way to form nanomaterials, including catalysts. By using mass-analyzed ions and performing ion soft landing (SL), higher chemical specificity in surface modification can be achieved, although this vacuum-based method is slow due to low ion currents. MS-based synthesis by ESD or SL provides advantages over traditional approaches, allowing control over material properties and surface patterning without the need for additives or reducing agents.
TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nicolas M. Morato, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: Mass spectrometry (MS) is widely used in the chemical sciences for various applications such as monitoring reaction products, identifying disease biomarkers, and measuring thermodynamic parameters. Electrospray ionization (ESI) is a commonly used method to ionize polar compounds from solution. Desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) is a technique that directly generates ions from objects in the ambient environment. The simplicity and wide applicability of DESI revolutionized the analysis of complex materials for their organic components, particularly for in situ applications.
ACCOUNTS OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lingqi Qiu, Mousumi Saha, Stefan Kraft, Eric T. Dziekonski, Christopher J. Welch, Yumin Dai, Andreas Kaerner, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: This study employs a rapid tandem mass-spectrometry method for determining water content in complex organic solutions, with a focus on trace-water analysis. Water is captured using a charge-labeled molecular probe, which selectively binds to the strongly electrophilic aldehyde site. This method allows for quantitative determinations over a wide concentration range with high accuracy and short analysis times.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical
Eric T. Dziekonski, Gregory S. Eakins, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: In this study, an Arduino Uno microcontroller is used to control several electrical/electromechanical switches and the timing of all experimental subsystems in response to the instrument trigger output and a user selected operating mode. By calibrating and measuring the RF amplitude control signal in 1D mode, it is possible to calculate the applied RF amplitude in 2D mode, thereby allowing the user to determine relevant quadrupole operating parameters for a particular sample.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sangeeta Pandey, Yanyang Hu, Peter L. Anderson, Jennifer J. Kiser, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: We validate the concept of point-of-care assessment of long-term alcohol consumption by measuring phosphatidylethanol in blood/dried blood spots using nano-electrospray ionization and MS/MS with a miniature mass spectrometer. The levels of "abstinence", "moderate", and "chronic" consumption can be rapidly distinguished for both sample types, and quantitative analysis is achieved with blood samples (LoQ-100 ng mL(-1)).
Letter
Cell Biology
Cai-Rong Sun, Da Xu, Fengrui Yang, Zhuanghao Hou, Yuyao Luo, Chen-Yu Zhang, Ge Shan, Guangming Huang, Xuebiao Yao, Yuxing Chen, Qiong Li, Cong-Zhao Zhou
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
L. Edwin Gonzalez, Lucas J. Szalwinski, Thomas C. Sams, Eric T. Dziekonski, R. Graham Cooks
Summary: The lipidomic and metabolomic profiles of sporulated and vegetative Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus thuringiensis were analyzed using a modified quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of 2D MS/MS as a rapid screening method to identify spore-forming biological agents.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
