Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenqiang Lv, Tianli Zhan, Mahmoud A. Abdelhafiz, Xinbin Feng, Bo Meng
Summary: The study showed that the addition of biochar and sodium selenite-amended biochar can reduce MeHg generation in paddy soil and effectively mitigate MeHg accumulation in rice. The 5% BC + Se treatment had the most significant impact on reducing MeHg levels in rice grains.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yuping Xiang, Ailing Zhu, Yingying Guo, Guangliang Liu, Baowei Chen, Bin He, Yong Liang, Yongguang Yin, Yong Cai, Guibin Jiang
Summary: Iron sulfide nanoparticles (FeSNp) have shown to significantly reduce the bioavailability of both Hg(II) and MeHg in aquatic environments, inhibiting MeHg production and integration into food webs, although there is a potential risk of release when the sorbed contaminants are oxidized, increasing exposure risk to aquatic organisms. These findings provide valuable information for the development of in situ Hg remediation systems.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Magdalena Borowska, Krzysztof Jankowski
Summary: A new PCVG technique utilizing UVC irradiation combined with HS SPME has been developed for the unified separation and preconcentration of mercury species, followed by determination through TD-MIP-OES. The method provides clean and convenient one-step extraction without tedious sample pretreatments, resulting in low limits of detection for all mercury species. Validation studies confirmed the method's performance for the determination of mercury in various samples.
MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Eric Capo, Caiyan Feng, Andrea G. Bravo, Stefan Bertilsson, Anne L. Soerensen, Jarone Pinhassi, Moritz Buck, Camilla Karlsson, Jeffrey Hawkes, Erik Bjorn
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between hgc genes and MeHg in the redox-stratified water columns of the Baltic Sea. The findings showed that hgc transcript abundance and the concentration of dissolved Hg-II-sulfide species were strong predictors of Hg-II methylation rate and MeHg concentration. The study also highlighted the versatility of putative Hg-II methylators in the water column of the Baltic Sea through genome reconstruction.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shaun T. Lancaster, Gabriela Peniche, Ali Alzahrani, Magdalena Blanz, Jason Newton, Mark A. Taggart, Warren T. Corns, Eva M. Krupp, Joerg Feldmann
Summary: Understanding the uptake and fate of mercury compounds in biota is crucial for understanding the global mercury cycling and its transfer through food chains. This study analyzed mercury concentrations in Scottish birds of prey and found the presence of mercury selenide nanoparticles in the liver of some golden eagles, which has not been observed in terrestrial birds of prey before. The study suggests that these nanoparticles may be formed as a detoxification mechanism or accumulated through foraging on stranded cetaceans or seabirds.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Miyuki Iwai-Shimada, Yayoi Kobayashi, Tomohiko Isobe, Shoji E. Nakayama, Makiko Sekiyama, Yu Taniguchi, Shin Yamazaki, Takehiro Michikawa, Masako Oda, Hiroshi Mitsubuchi, Masafumi Sanefuji, Shouichi Ohga, Nathan Mise, Akihiko Ikegami, Reiko Suga, Masayuki Shimono
Summary: Prenatal exposure to methylmercury can impact child development. This study compared two high-throughput methods for mercury speciation and found relatively good agreement between them. MeHg and IHg concentrations were determined in maternal and cord blood samples, highlighting the importance of analyzing different chemical forms for health effects.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tao Sun, Qing Xie, Chuxian Li, Jinyong Huang, Caipeng Yue, Xuejie Zhao, Dingyong Wang
Summary: Both inorganic and organic fertilizers increase the concentration of methylmercury (MeHg) in rice grains, but through different mechanisms. Inorganic fertilizers enhance mercury methylation by increasing the bioavailability of mercury and the relative amount of Hg-methylating microbes. In contrast, organic matter in organic fertilizers is the main driver for the increase in MeHg concentrations in rice grains and can also immobilize mercury in soil.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Dian-Bing Zhou, Ya-Bing Xiao, Fang Han, Ya-Ning Lv, Lei Ding, Wei Song, Yu-Xin Liu, Ping Zheng, Da Chen
Summary: A novel magnetic metal-organic framework (Fe3O4@UiO-66-SH) was prepared for the magnetic solid-phase extraction of mercury in water and fish samples. Under optimized conditions, the method showed effective determination of Hg2+ and MeHg+ in water samples, with good agreement between determined values and certified values, and high recoveries in spiked water and fish samples.
JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY A
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Poul Bjerregaard, Lise Marianne Moller
Summary: The laboratory experiments showed that sea stars accumulated the highest concentrations of methylmercury and inorganic mercury in their digestive glands and pyloric caeca after being fed contaminated mussels for 49 days. Steady states were reached for both mercury forms in the sea stars during the 7-week feeding period, with concentrations approximately 1/2 and 1/4 of the levels found in the mussel food. Additionally, the sea stars eliminated inorganic mercury faster than methylmercury during a 140-day elimination period following the feeding period.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Siu Chung Anson So, Man Fung Tsoi, Adrian Justin Cheung, Tommy Tsang Cheung, Bernard M. Y. Cheung
Summary: The study found that organic mercury levels in the blood of the US population, including children and pregnant women, increased significantly from 1999 to 2016. However, there was a steady decline in both blood inorganic mercury and urine mercury levels during the same period.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ting Sun, Zoe Lindo, Brian A. A. Branfireun
Summary: Climate change-driven ground warming will alter mercury cycling processes in high boreal and subarctic peatlands, particularly increasing MeHg production in subarctic peatlands. Increased soil temperature promotes microbial metabolism and organic matter turnover, resulting in higher concentrations of MeHg in the water.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
V Mangal, W. Y. Lam, H. Huang, E. J. S. Emilson, R. W. Mackereth, C. P. J. Mitchell
Summary: This study investigates the molecular composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its relationship with mercury transport and transformations. High-resolution mass spectrometry is used to characterize DOM compound classes, DOM aromaticity, and the nominal oxygenation state of carbon across thirteen small boreal forest streams in central Canada. The results show significant differences in the abundance and classes of DOM compounds correlated with inorganic mercury and methylmercury concentrations across seasons and between mercury forms. Nitrogen and sulfur containing DOM compounds are most often positively correlated with inorganic mercury concentrations in late spring, while low-oxidized lignins are more important in fall. Low-oxidized lignins and hydrolysable tannins account for a large proportion of DOM-MeHg correlations, regardless of season. The study also reveals that the strongest correlations between inorganic mercury and DOM occur across a wide range of carbon oxygenation states, suggesting that DOM involved in inorganic mercury transport encompasses a wide range of polarities and thermodynamic stabilities. In contrast, DOM molecules exclusively correlated with MeHg concentrations have more positive carbon oxygenation states and aromatic qualities, indicating preferential transport of MeHg with more stable and aromatic DOM molecules. DOM molecules correlated with both inorganic mercury and MeHg concentrations are only found in late spring.
Article
Limnology
Johannes West, Diana Babi, Alyssa Azaroff, Sofi Jonsson
Summary: This paper evaluates and develops different analytical and experimental approaches to quantify and use dimethylmercury (DMHg) in laboratory studies. It demonstrates that DMHg can be analyzed using specific derivatization and masking methods. Additionally, suitable subsampling techniques for DMHg-containing solutions and experimental data on long-term stability are presented.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY-METHODS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wei Zhang, Fen Li, Lingjian Gao, Guangyi Sun, Zikang Cui, Fengfeng Chen, Ping Li, Xinbin Feng, Lihai Shang
Summary: This study compared the differences between hair and fingernails as biomarkers and found that hair is a more sensitive biomarker for assessing human mercury exposure levels. Additionally, the study found that the excretion of mercury through hair is 70 to 226 times higher than through fingernails, indicating the greater importance of hair in the elimination of mercury from the human body.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Teodor Stoichev, Aubin Thibaut de Chanvalon, Sandrine Veloso, Jonathan Deborde, Emmanuel Tessier, Laurent Lanceleur, David Amouroux
Summary: Total and dissolved concentrations of inorganic mercury (IHg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in water were analyzed in Adour Estuary. Factors such as sampling time and sample type were considered, and the results showed that the estuary has experienced historical anthropogenic contamination, but decreased emissions have led to reduced Hg concentrations. The concentrations of IHg and MeHg were influenced by suspended particulate matter and particulate organic carbon, with higher concentrations detected near specific discharge points.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Editorial Material
Instruments & Instrumentation
Patricia Grinberg, Zoltan Mester, Patricia Gatti, Osvaldo Acosta, Mabel Puelles, Mabel Delgado, Rodrigo Caciano de Sena, Marcelo Dominguez de Almeida, Marcia Silva da Rocha, Soraya Sandoval
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Tomas Matousek, Jan Kratzer, Ralph E. Sturgeon, Zoltan Mester, Stanislav Musil
Summary: Hydride generation coupled with cryotrapping was used to introduce four gaseous organoarsenic compounds into a direct analysis in real-time source for high-resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HR-MS). The study showed that numerous arsenic ion species were formed in the DART source, but did not accurately reflect their origin due to oxidation, hydride abstraction, methyl group(s) loss, and formation of oligomer ions. This complicates the identification of original species in both detection modes, potentially leading to misinterpretation.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Stephanie Gagne, Martin Couillard, Zuzana Gajdosechova, Ali Momenimovahed, Greg Smallwood, Zoltan Mester, Kevin Thomson, Prem Lobo, Joel C. Corbin
Summary: The study presents the detailed microstructure of ash internally mixed with soot from various marine and aviation engines, operated on different fuels and lubrication oils. It discusses the presence of two different structures of ash - decorated and painted soot, with painted soot only observed in residual-fuel soot. The study also highlights the potential influence of fuel and lubrication oil on the composition and mixing trends of ash with soot.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Delphine Yeghicheyan, Patricia Grinberg, Laurent Y. Alleman, Moustafa Belhadj, Lea Causse, Jerome Chmeleff, Laure Cordier, Irina Djouraev, David Dumoulin, Jean Dumont, Remi Freydier, Helene Mariot, Christophe Cloquet, Paramee Kumkrong, Bruno Malet, Catherine Jeandel, Aurelie Marquet, Jean Riotte, Mickael Tharaud, Gabriel Billon, Guillaume Trommetter, Fabienne Seby, Abel Guihou, Pierre Deschamps, Zoltan Mester
Summary: The Isotrace CNRS workgroup, in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, characterized trace element mass fractions and isotope ratios in the AQUA-1 natural drinking water reference material. The study expands the material's use as a tool for environmental quality control and method validation. Additionally, analysis of SLRS-6 river water was conducted for quality control and comparison with treated water from the same area.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jean-Francois Helie, Agnieszka Adamowicz-Walczak, Paul Middlestead, Michelle M. G. Chartrand, Zoltan Mester, Juris Meija
Summary: This study reports the analysis of 25 reference materials with isotope ratio combustion mass spectrometry, showing discrepancies between the values measured against the new IAEA reference materials and those currently assigned to the VPDB2006. It provides a link to transfer these materials onto the new VPDB2020 scale.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ruoxi Zhang, Kenny Nadeau, Eduardo Amilcar Gautier, Paola Alejandra Babay, Jose Luis Ramella, Marian Virgolici, Andreea Elena Serban, Viorel Fugaru, Yoshiki Kimura, Celia Venchiarutti, Stephan Richter, Yetunde Aregbe, Zsolt Varga, Maria Wallenius, Klaus Mayer, Hana Seo, Jung Youn Choi, Csaba Tobi, Mostafa Fayek, Ryan Sharpe, Kyle M. Samperton, Victoria D. Genetti, Rachel E. Lindvall, Jeremy D. Inglis, Joanna S. Denton, Andrew A. Reinhard, Barbara Francisco, Xiaolei Zhao, William Kieser, Juan He, Ying Gao, Juris Meija, Ali El-Jaby, Lu Yang, Zoltan Mester
Summary: This study presents data from thirteen laboratories worldwide for the successful certification of uranium isotope ratios in uranium ore concentrate (UOC) certified reference materials. The study found significant variation in uranium isotope ratios among the three candidate UOC CRMs, with uncertainties of the proposed certified values superior to available reference materials.
GEOSTANDARDS AND GEOANALYTICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Enea Pagliano, Kenny Nadeau, Ovidiu Mihai, Indumathi Pihillagawa Gedara, Zoltan Mester
Summary: This study addresses the drawbacks of liquid-based seawater certified reference materials (CRMs) by developing a salt-based seawater proxy that can be reconstituted in water. The proxy demonstrates good stability for nutrients and has reduced costs compared to traditional CRMs.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
J. S. F. Pereira, R. Alvarez-Fernandez Garcia, M. Corte-Rodriguez, A. Manteca, J. Bettmer, K. L. LeBlanc, Z. Mester, M. Montes-Bayon
Summary: This study used SELTM-1 as a certified reference material to compare the selenium concentrations in intra- and extracellular regions using different experimental procedures. The sequential procedure involving cell washing and freeze drying provided the most accurate results for quantifying the selenium content in both regions.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Michelle M. G. Chartrand, Juris Meija, Jean-Francois Helie, Paul Middlestead, Malarvili Ramalingam, Azharuddin Abd Aziz, Zoltan Mester
Summary: Stable carbon isotope ratio measurements are used to investigate the origin of vanillin. This study analyzed commercial vanillin samples and vanilla products to establish a reference range of carbon isotope delta values in different vanillin samples. Two synthetic vanillin reference materials, VANA-1 and VANB-1, were developed for calibration purposes. The certified carbon isotope delta values of VANA-1 and VANB-1 were determined through characterization and testing using nine reference materials. The results are traceable to the VPDB.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Phuong Mai Le, Estelle Martineau, Serge Akoka, Gerald Remaud, Michelle M. G. Chartrand, Juris Meija, Zoltan Mester
Summary: This study presents a workflow that combines carbon isotope ratio combustion mass spectrometry with quantitative carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (C-13-qNMR) to obtain carbon isotope measurements traceable to the Vienna Peedee Belemnite (VPDB), which can be used to authenticate the authenticity of vanillin.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Kelly L. LeBlanc, Kenny Nadeau, Juris Meija, Lu Yang, Paola A. Babay, Marta A. Bavio, Carrie Boome, Don Chipley, Roxana S. Cristaldo Leguizamon, Joanna Denton, Dana L. Drew, Mauricio A. Fernandez, Viorel Fugaru, Victoria D. Genetti, Florencia Gonzalez, Jeremy D. Inglis, Slobodan Jovanovic, Elizabeth Keegan, Tara Kell, Yoshiki Kimura, William Kinman, Stephen Kiser, Rachel E. Lindvall, Elaine Loi, Klaus Mayer, Jean-Francois Mercier, Robert Millar, Adrian Nicholl, Liana Orlovskaya, Jose Luis Ramella, Andreea Serban, Michael A. Sharp, Youqing Shi, Csaba Tobi, Lautaro Valenzuela, Zsolt Varga, Anna Vesterlund, Marian Virgolici, Hitoshi Yamazaki, Erica N. Zubillaga, Ali El-Jaby, Zoltan Mester
Summary: This article discusses the certification campaign for three new UOC CRMs from the National Research Council Canada, involving 15 laboratories from 10 countries and using sector-field and quadrupole inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry to analyze 64 trace element impurities.
JOURNAL OF RADIOANALYTICAL AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jan Labuda, Jiri Barek, Zuzana Gajdosechova, Heidi Goenaga-Infante, Linda J. Johnston, Zoltan Mester, Sergei Shtykov
Summary: Analytical chemistry is essential for understanding the behavior of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Various techniques are used for isolation, identification, and quantification of nanomaterials in different samples. Physicochemical characterization of ENMs is also important for assessing their properties. This report provides an overview of ENMs, their properties, and analytical scenarios. It also evaluates the current status of nanomaterial identification and characterization for regulatory purposes and presents an overview of nanomaterial metrology and available reference materials.
PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Enea Pagliano, Elizabeth Keegan, Zsolt Varga, Kenny Nadeau, Juris Meija, Henri Wong, Christopher Vardanega, Maria Wallenius, Klaus Mayer, Chris Cochrane, Ali El-Jaby, Zoltan Mester
Summary: This study quantified the inorganic anions in three uranium ore concentrates, which is useful for nuclear forensics to establish sample provenance.
JOURNAL OF RADIOANALYTICAL AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Kelly L. LeBlanc, Gregoire Horndli, Marc-Antoine Bergeron, Zhigen Zhang, Patrick Denoncourt, Zoltan Mester
Summary: Selenized yeast is widely used as a source of selenium in dietary supplements and research due to its high bioavailability and formation of selenium-containing metabolites. Accurate quantitation of selenomethionine, the major form of selenium in selenized yeasts, is challenging and time-consuming. The National Research Council Canada has developed an 82-Se-enriched selenized yeast Certified Reference Material, SEEY-1, which can be used as a matrix-matched spike for the analysis of selenomethionine. SEEY-1 enables reliable analysis of Se amino acid content in under an hour compared to the conventional hydrolysis method.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Kelly L. LeBlanc, Tantima Kumlung, Andres Suarez Priede, Paramee Kumkrong, Thippaya Junvee, Suladda Deawtong, Jorg Bettmer, Maria Montes-Bayon, Zoltan Mester
Summary: Mushrooms are considered a valuable food source due to their high protein and fiber and low fat content. This study showed that selenium-enriched Lingzhi mushrooms contained low levels of selenium, with selenomethionine being the most abundant form. The mycelium of these mushrooms showed significant selenium accumulation and the presence of selenium nanoparticles, which could have potential medicinal value.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Michelle Buoso, Beatrice Campanella, Massimo Onor, Emanuela Pitzalis, Alessandro D'Ulivo
Summary: The use of BH intermediates as derivatization reagents significantly improves the tolerance to interference from transition metal ions in the generation of SbH3 and BiH3, and shows high tolerance in a wide range of acidity. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of Sb and Bi in complex samples, providing further understanding of the chemical behavior of borohydrides.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Chao-Feng Li, Xuan-Ce Wang, Zhu-Yin Chu, Peng Peng
Summary: Thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) is the standard method for obtaining precise Sr-87/Sr-86 isotopic ratios. However, our developed hydrofluoric acid coprecipitation method offers a low-cost, rapid, simple, and high-throughput alternative for analyzing red wine samples, effectively eliminating isobaric interference and matrix element inhibition.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Ivan B. Krstic, Bratislav M. Obradovic, Milorad M. Kuraica
Summary: This paper presents the spatio-temporal dynamics of a Grimm-type microsecond pulsed glow discharge (mu PGD) in argon at 6 mbar. The occurrence of a high current peak during the discharge ignition is analyzed and the importance of displacement current is emphasized. The development of electron excitation temperature for argon atoms and ions at various distances from the cathode is measured. The spatio-temporal evolution of selected spectral lines of argon and copper atoms and ions is analyzed during different phases of the discharge. The results suggest that the behavior of spectral line emissions differs between the pre-peak and afterglow periods, with different lines reaching maximum intensity during these phases. The appearance time and decay time of the afterpeak are shorter for ions than for atoms. These findings are explained in terms of three-body recombination processes and ion mobilities.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Qiuyun Wang, Anmin Chen, Xun Gao
Summary: In this paper, the combination of Tesla coil discharge (TCD) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used to enhance the emission of Al atomic lines and AlO molecular bands. The optimized distance between the TCD tip and the sample surface was found to be 5 mm, and the optimal laser energy was 25.1 mJ. Furthermore, TCD-SELIBS showed lower limits of detection (LoDs) for Cr and Pb elements compared to surface enhanced LIBS (SELIBS). The combination of TCD and LIBS is a promising technology for high-sensitivity analysis of heavy metals in water, with the advantages of simplicity, low cost, ease of operation, industrialization, and commercialization.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yanwen Tang, Tingguang Lan, Jianfeng Gao, Zhongjie Bai, Xiaowen Huang, Junjie Han, Na Liu
Summary: Titanium is an important metal widely used in various industries. Ilmenite minerals are the main source of titanium metal and can be found in igneous and metamorphic rocks as well as different types of deposits. To accurately determine U-Pb ages of ilmenite, a new calibration method and appropriate reference materials are urgently needed. Laser ablation sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has been used to minimize matrix effects and zircon 91500 has been identified as a suitable reference material for measuring the Pb/U ratio in ilmenite. The direct calibration method using zircon 91500 as an external standard has been found to be effective for in situ U-Pb dating of ilmenite samples under different ablation settings.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY
(2024)
