Groundwater contaminated with arsenic has led to an epidemic of arsenic poisoning in parts of Bangladesh and India. Scientists in China have developed a sensor to detect arsenic quickly and accurately in water.

The sensor may help to produce clean drinking water as seen here © Paul Prescott/Shutterstock.com

Pei Zhou at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and colleagues’ sensor detects arsenic using an arsenic-binding aptamer, gold nanoparticles and a cationic surfactant.

Read the full article at Chemistry World.

Ultrasensitive aptamer biosensor for arsenic(III) detection in aqueous solution based on surfactant-induced aggregation of gold nanoparticles
Yuangen Wu, Le Liu, Shenshan Zhan, Faze Wang and Pei Zhou
Analyst, 2012, 137, 4171-4178
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35711A

Check out some of the HOT articles published last month in Analyst that you may have missed. These papers will be free to access for 2 weeks!

¹³C cell wall enrichment and ionic liquid NMR analysis: progress towards a high-throughput detailed chemical analysis of the whole plant cell wall
Marcus Foston, Reichel Samuel and Arthur J. Ragauskas
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3904-3909
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35344J

Transmission Raman measurement directly through packed corn kernels to improve sample representation and accuracy of compositional analysis
Kayeong Shin, Hoeil Chung and Chul-won Kwak
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3690-3696
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35443H

A water soluble Al³⁺ selective colorimetric and fluorescent turn-on chemosensor and its application in living cell imaging
Supriti Sen, Titas Mukherjee, Basab Chattopadhyay, Anuradha Moirangthem, Anupam Basu, Jaromir Marek and Pabitra Chattopadhyay
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3975-3981
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35560D

Silylated BODIPY dyes and their use in dye-encapsulated silica nanoparticles with switchable emitting wavelengths for cellular imaging
Xuehua Hong, Zhuyuan Wang, Jing Yang, Qingdong Zheng, Shenfei Zong, Yu Sheng, Deqin Zhu, Changquan Tang and Yiping Cui
Analyst, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35389J

Fourier transform infrared imaging analysis in discrimination studies of squamous cell carcinoma
J. D. Pallua, C. Pezzei, B. Zelger, G. Schaefer, L. K. Bittner, V. A. Huck-Pezzei, S. A. Schoenbichler, H. Hahn, A. Kloss-Brandstaetter, F. Kloss, G. K. Bonn and C. W. Huck
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3965-3974
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35483G

Fabrication of glutathione photoelectrochemical biosensor using graphene–CdS nanocomposites
Xiaomei Zhao, Shiwei Zhou, Qingming Shen, Li-Ping Jiang and Jun-Jie Zhu
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3697-3703
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35658A

BODIPY based colorimetric fluorescent probe for selective thiophenol detection: theoretical and experimental studies
Dnyaneshwar Kand, Pratyush Kumar Mishra, Tanmoy Saha, Mayurika Lahiri and Pinaki Talukdar
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3921-3924
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35524H

Quantification of low-polar small molecules using room temperature ionic liquids matrix-assisted desorption corona beam ionization
Hua Wang, Yongning Wu, Bin Guo, Wenjian Sun, Li Ding and Bo Chen
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3982-3988
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35508F

Silver nanoparticle aggregates on copper foil for reliable quantitative SERS analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with a portable Raman spectrometer
Xiaohong Jiang, Yongchao Lai, Min Yang, Heng Yang, Wei Jiang and Jinhua Zhan
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3995-4000
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35713E

A BODIPY-functionalized bimetallic probe for sensitive and selective color-fluorometric chemosensing of Hg²⁺
Hyunjong Son, Ji Ha Lee, Yang-Rae Kim, In Su Lee, Sanyang Han, Xiaogang Liu, Justyn Jaworski and Jong Hwa Jung
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3914-3916
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35704F

An illegal hormone used to promote milk production could soon be easy to detect in dairy herds, thanks to scientists in the Netherlands.

The hormone – recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) – is licensed in some countries, but, despite having no influence on human health, its use is banned in Europe due to concerns over the health and welfare of treated animals.

The direct detection of rbST is hindered by its similarity to the natural growth hormone produced by the animals, bST. Its blood serum concentration fluctuates significantly, and both bST and rbST are present at low concentrations. Measurements by methods such as liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry also suffer from a small detection window because of the short half-life of rbST in the blood.

The hormone recombinant bovine somatotropin is licensed in some countries, but its use is banned in EuropeT

To read the full article visit Chemistry World.

Multiplex flow cytometric immunoassay for serum biomarker profiling of recombinant bovine somatotropin

Nathalie Gabriëlle Esther Smits, Susann Ludwig, Grisha Van der Veer, Monique Bremer and Michel W F Nielen
Analyst, 2012, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35226E

A team working in the UK have demonstrated that spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) using short wave infrared can detect chemicals through physical barriers such as containers, which is a step forward in detection and security.

The performance of SORS compared to conventional Raman (CR) spectroscopy to detect the sub-surface layer beneath a barrier is better because of its ability to suppress fluorescence and Raman scattering from the target container. However, there is still a problem with the fluorescence of the target chemical beneath, as this can mask the useful Raman signature that can be used to identify the contents.

Schematic diagram of experimental configuration used for 1064nm SORS measurements

To read the full article visit Chemistry World.

Short-wave infrared excited spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) for through-barrier detection

Rebecca J. Hopkins ,  Suzanne H. Pelfrey and Neil C. Shand
Analyst, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35681C

Thomson Reuters has just released the 2011 Journal Citation Reports ^® and we have great news for Analyst.

Our impact factor* (IF) has increased from last year to 4.23!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our authors, readers and referees who have contributed towards this success. And of course a giant thank you to the Editorial and Advisory Boards for all their hard work and dedication to the journal!

Find out how other RSC journals are ranked in the latest Impact Factor release.

Why not submit your latest piece of high impact work with us here.

*The IF provides an indication of the average number of citations per paper. Produced annually, IFs are calculated by dividing the number of citations in a year, by the number of citeable articles published in the preceding two years.

2011 Journal Citation Reports ®, (Thomson Reuters, 2012).

In this month’s issue of Analyst, we have a paper from Norman Dovichi, from the University of Notre Dame, USA, who has recently been announced as the recipient of the Robert Boyle Prize for Analytical Science for 2012 by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The prize was awarded for his pioneering development of ultrasensitive separations, including the first separations at zepto- and yoctomole levels and capillary electrophoresis-based DNA sequencing for the human genome.

If you are interested to hear about his work, Norman will be speaking at the RSC Symposium at Pittcon 2013, which is being held March 17 – 21, 2013, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA USA.

His recent paper in Analyst, is on the new design of a sheath flow cuvette that uses an inexpensive quartz cuvette. The sensitivity and performance was then tested using capillary electrophoresis and a laser-induced fluorescence detector. Click on the title below to read more.

Simplified sheath flow cuvette design for ultrasensitive laser induced fluorescence detection in capillary electrophoresis
Oluwatosin O. Dada, Bonnie J. Huge and Norman J. Dovichi
Analyst, 2012, 137, 3099-3101
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35321K

Working out who fired the gun could get a lot easier

A group led by Joe Wang at the University of California-San Diego, USA has developed a new forensic technique that can detect gunshot residue at the scene of the crime.

Gunshot residue consists of a large mix of compounds including both inorganic metals from the cartridge, bullet and the gun, and more complex organic compounds from the primer and gunpowder.

However, although gunshot residue contains this mix (including antimony, lead, barium, nitroglycerin and dinitrotoluene) it is currently detected by measuring the presence of just one component, such as antimony, which is unreliable at low concentrations as there are other sources of contamination.

In addition, tests currently involve taking a swab and then analysing it back in the lab. Being able to take the equipment out to the crime scene and perform tests without the need for specialised personnel is the eventual goal of the research, says Wang. ‘We want to identify, in the field, individuals who have fired a weapon,’ he explains.

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Link to journal article

Simultaneous Electrochemical Measurement of Metal and Organic Propellant Constituents of Gunshot Residues
Joseph Wang
Analyst, 2012, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35379B, Paper

The Gordon F. Kirkbright bursary award is a prestigious annual award that enables a promising student/non-tenured young scientist of any nation to attend a recognised scientific meeting or visit a place of learning.
The fund for this bursary was established in 1985 as a memorial to Professor Gordon Kirkbright in recognition of his contributions to analytical spectroscopy and to science in general. Although the fund is administered by the Association of British Spectroscopists (ABS) Trust, the award is not restricted to spectroscopists.

Applications are invited for the 2013 Gordon Kirkbright Bursary.

For further information contact John Chalmers at, email: vibspecconsult@aol.com

The closing date for entries is 31 December 2012.