HOT articles from Analytical Methods this April

Analytical Methods Issue 4 Front coverIt’s been a busy month with so many great papers, so here are some HOT articles from Analytical Methods that you might have missed this April!

Why not take a look, they will be free to read for 2 weeks.

Non-invasive monitoring of temperature stress in Arabidopsis thaliana roots, using ion amperometry
Y. Sulaiman, Marc R. Knight and R. Kataky
Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05747F

Graphene oxide as a nano-platform for ATP detection based on aptamer chemistry
Wen Dan Pu, Li Zhang and Cheng Zhi Huang
Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY25166C

Analytical Methods Issue 4 Inside Front coverElectrochemical detection of dopamine in the presence of epinephrine, uric acid and ascorbic acid using a graphene-modified electrode
Xinying Ma, Mingyong Chao and Zhaoxia Wang
Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY25040C

Sulfite recognition and sensing using Au nanoparticles as colorimetric probe: a judicious combination between anionic binding sites and plasmonic nanoparticles
Jia Zhang, Yue Yuan, Xiaolei Wang and Xiurong Yang
Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY25181G

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Top ten most accessed articles in March

This month sees the following articles in Analytical Methods that are in the top ten most accessed:-

Capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection on microfluidic systems—ten years of development 
Wendell Karlos Tomazelli Coltro ,  Renato Sousa Lima ,  Thiago Pinotti Segato ,  Emanuel Carrilho ,  Dosil Pereira de Jesus ,  Claudimir Lucio do Lago and José Alberto Fracassi da Silva  
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 25-33 DOI: 10.1039/C1AY05364G  
   

Highly sensitive fluorescent chemosensor for hypochlorite anion based on a novel irreversible ring-opening strategy 
Fangfang Wei ,  Yan Lu ,  Song He ,  Liancheng Zhao and Xianshun Zeng  
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 616-618 DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05788C     

A simple and sensitive colorimetric method for detection of mercury ions based on anti-aggregation of gold nanoparticles 
Tingting Lou ,  Ling Chen ,  Chunrong Zhang ,  Qi Kang ,  Huiyan You ,  Dazhong Shen and Lingxin Chen  
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 488-491 DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05764F     

Anatase TiO2 nanoparticle–graphene nanocomposites: One-step preparation and their enhanced direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin 
Qingming Shen ,  Shiwei Zhou ,  Xiaomei Zhao ,  Li-Ping Jiang ,  Wenhua Hou and Jun-Jie Zhu 
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 619-622 DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05781F    

Let there be chip—towards rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices: one-step manufacturing processes 
Ansgar Waldbaur ,  Holger Rapp ,  Kerstin Länge and Bastian E. Rapp  
Anal. Methods, 2011, 3, 2681-2716 DOI: 10.1039/C1AY05253E     

Polyaniline/polyacrylic acid/multi-walled carbon nanotube modified electrodes for sensing ascorbic acid 
Ida Tiwari ,  Karan Pratap Singh ,  Manorama Singh and Craig E. Banks  
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 118-124 DOI: 10.1039/C1AY05415E     

A graphene oxide–rhodamine 6G nanocomposite as turn-on fluorescence probe for selective detection of DNA 
Xue Wang ,  Shuhua Zhong ,  Yu He and Gongwu Song  
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 360-362 DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05827H     

Visual detection of copper(ii) based on the aggregation of gold nano-particles via click chemistry 
Zhenyu Lin ,  Sen Gao ,  Jing Lin ,  Wenlie Lin ,  Suyan Qiu ,  Longhua Guo ,  Bin Qiu and Guonan Chen  
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 612-615 DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05765D     

Sample preparation of tropical and subtropical fruit biowastes to determine antioxidant phytochemicals 
Mónica González and Venerando González  
Anal. Methods, 2010, 2, 1842-1866 DOI: 10.1039/C0AY00361A    
 
Extraction of neonicotinoid insecticides from environmental water samples with magnetic graphene nanoparticles as adsorbent followed by determination with HPLC 
Weina Wang ,  Yunpeng Li ,  Qiuhua Wu ,  Chun Wang ,  Xiaohuan Zang and Zhi Wang 
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 766-772 DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05734D  
   

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

Fancy submitting an article to Analytical Methods? Then why not submit to us today or alternatively email us your suggestions.

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Analytical methods for forensic science

Forensic kitBy definition, forensic science is the use of science to answer questions that are of interest to a legal system. Today the average person is far more familiar with forensics thanks to popular televisions series, books and films where the pivotal clue is usually discovered by the scientist. Forensic science has also been in the headlines a lot lately in the UK with the recent closure of the Forensic Science Service.

Specialties in forensics can include the analysis of blood, DNA, drugs, arson residues, documents, fibres, hair and explosives, just to name a few.

Analytical Methods presents an excellent forum for such work, and below is a sample of the high-quality work we have published in this area.  These articles are free to access until the 30th May 2012 so make the most of this and take a look!

Development and validation of an analytical method for hydrocarbon residues using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
Aree Choodum and Niamh Nic Daeid
Anal. Methods, 2011, 3, 1136-1142, DOI: 10.1039/C0AY00702A

A method based on time domain nuclear magnetic resonance for the forensic differentiation of latex gloves
Michele Mauri, Lucio Mauri, Valerio Causin and Roberto Simonutti
Anal. Methods, 2011, 3, 1802-1809, DOI: 10.1039/C1AY05131H

Crime scene investigation III: Exploring the effects of drugs of abuse and neurotransmitters on Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
Bethany A. J. Larkin, Meerna El-Sayed, Dale A. C. Brownson and Craig E. Banks
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 721-729, DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05762J

Comparison of extraction methods for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in sorbents used for human scent evidence collection
Paola A. Prada, Allison M. Curran and Kenneth G. Furton
Anal. Methods, 2010, 2, 470-478, DOI: 10.1039/B9AY00239A

Separation and identification of anions using porous graphitic carbon and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: Application to inorganic explosives and their post blast residues
Josh Cummins, Jason Hull, Kelley Kitts and John V. Goodpaster
Anal. Methods, 2011, 3, 1682-1687, DOI: 10.1039/C1AY05143A

Handprint with chemical structure behindDetermination of some banned aromatic amines in waste water using micellar liquid chromatography
Sandeep-Kumar Mourya, Devasish Bose, Abhilasha Durgbanshi, Josep Esteve-Romero and Samuel Carda-Broch
Anal. Methods, 2011, 3, 2032-2040, DOI: 10.1039/C0AY00602E

Identification of fluid and substrate chemistry based on automatic pattern recognition of stains
Namwon Kim, Zhenguo Li, Cedric Hurth, Frederic Zenhausern, Shih-Fu Chang and Daniel Attinger
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 50-57, DOI: 10.1039/C1AY05338H

Optimization of micellar LC conditions for separation of opium alkaloids and their determination in pharmaceutical preparations
Artem U. Kulikov, Alexander P. Boichenko and Aleksey G. Verushkin
Anal. Methods, 2011, 3, 2749-2757, DOI: 10.1039/C1AY05389B

Multivariate analyses of UV-Vis absorption spectral data from cachaça wood extracts: a model to classify aged Brazilian cachaças according to the wood species used
Alexandre Ataide da Silva, Denis De Keukeleire, Daniel Rodrigues Cardoso and Douglas Wagner Franco
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 642-646, DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05670D

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy for rapid identification of different types of paper for forensic application
Arnab Sarkar, Suresh K. Aggarwal and D. Alamelu
Anal. Methods, 2010, 2, 32-36, DOI: 10.1039/B9AY00145J

Polymers on the crime scene: How can analytical chemistry help to exploit the information from these mute witnesses?
Valerio Causin
Anal. Methods, 2010, 2, 792-804, DOI: 10.1039/C0AY00115E

Crime scene investigation: The effect of drug contaminated bloodstains on bloodstain pattern analysis
Dale A. C. Brownson and Craig E. Banks
Anal. Methods, 2010, 2, 1885-1889, DOI: 10.1039/C0AY00537A

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HOT Article: Examining arsenic levels in rice

There are a number of countries around the world that use groundwater that is rich in arsenic (As) to flood their rice fields. It is believed that this practice is responsible for the high levels of As found in rice, compared to other crops. The bioavailability and toxicity of As is determined by its speciation, therefore it is necessary to have an appropriate analytical tool to characterize As contaminated food. Pradeep Alava and Gijs Du Laing, along with their colleagues from Ghent University, Belgium, have been studying the sample preparation techniques used for assessing the levels of As in rice. They have looked at the affect of various methods on the speciation of the As removed from samples, including extraction, microwave extraction, and grinding.

Extensive grinding and pressurized extraction with water are key points for effective and species preserving extraction of arsenic from rice

Alava et al., Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article

This article will be free to access for 2 weeks, so click through here and take a look!

Extensive grinding and pressurized extraction with water are key points for effective and species preserving extraction of arsenic from rice
Pradeep Alava, Tom Van de Wiele, Filip Tack and Gijs Du Laing
Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY25094B

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HOT Article: Identifying works of art

In the following paper, Tomasz Gierczak and colleagues from Warsaw University, Poland, present a simple, fast and reliable procedure for identifying the proteinaceous binders in works of art. The procedure consisted of an ammonia extraction in order to suppress any pigment interferences, acidic hydrolysis and finally quantification of underivatized amino acids using reversed phase liquid chromatography coupled with ESI-MS/MS. In this way, the composition of the amino acids of the proteins found in the paint binding media, such as eggs, casein and animal glues, was determined. The procedure was tested on paintings from the 13th, 18th and 19th centuries. Click through here to read more.

Identifying works of art

Gierczak et al., Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article

Proteinaceous binders identification in the works of art using ion-pairing free reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry
Bartłomiej Witkowski ,  Magdalena Biesaga and Tomasz Gierczak
Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05605D

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HOT Article: Phosphopeptide enrichment and fractionation

Protein phosphorylation is an important post-translational modification that plays a vital role in cellular processes. It is necessary to separate phosphopeptides from complex mixtures and enrich the samples before mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Xiuling Li, Xinmiao Liang and colleagues from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, China, have developed a way to improve phosphopeptide enrichment efficiency, using a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) based material, cyclodextrin (CD) bonded silica (Click OEG-CD), which was synthesized and applied to phosphopeptide enrichment and fractionation.

Phosphopeptide enrichment and fractionation by using Click OEG-CD matrix

Li and Liang et al., Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article

Phosphopeptide enrichment and fractionation by using Click OEG-CD matrix
Yanyan Zhao, Xiuling Li, Jingyu Yan, Zhimou Guo and Xinmiao Liang
Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05915K

This paper will be free to access for 2 weeks, click through to read the full article here.

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HOT Article: Growth and formation of silver nanoparticles

Simultaneous UV/Vis spectroscopy and surface enhanced Raman scattering of nanoparticle formation and aggregation in levitated droplets

Albrecht et al., Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article

In this HOT article Merwe Albrecht and co-workers from BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Germany, have studied the formation and growth of hydroxylamine reduced silver nanoparticles using simultaneous Raman and UV/Vis spectroscopy. Based on these results, a mechanism for the particle formation was proposed.

This paper will be free to access for 2 weeks, so click through and read the full article here.

Simultaneous UV/Vis spectroscopy and surface enhanced Raman scattering of nanoparticle formation and aggregation in levitated droplets
Jonas Schenk, Lisa Tröbs, Franziska Emmerling, Janina Kneipp, Ulrich Panne and Merwe Albrecht
Anal. Methods, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05744A

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Symposium on Advances in Raman Spectroscopy in Pharmaceutical Analysis – Registration now open!

Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies FACSS in conjunction with JPAG, RSC MSG & the IRDG present a Joint Symposium
on “Advances in Raman Spectroscopy in Pharmaceutical Analysis” on 17 May 2012: London, UK.

Registration is now open!

Jointly organised with: Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS), the Joint Pharmaceutical Analysis Group (JPAG), the Royal Society of Chemistry Molecular Spectroscopy Group (MSG) and the Infrared & Raman Discussion Group (IRDG).

Raman spectroscopy has found favor in pharmaceutical analysis because it is nondestructive, requires minimal sample preparation, and gives clear spectra for identification.  This 1-day symposium demonstrates a breadth of successful Raman applications spanning the R&D field, API development, scale-up, and manufacturing, as well as drug product formulation development, characterization, and product assay.  Poster presentations, a student prize, and an exhibition of Raman instruments add to the value of the symposium.

Additional information about this symposium is available here.

This meeting represents one of the first “FACSS present” events.  FACSS participation in this meeting is in support of several of the member organizations of FACSS and the charter of FACSS.

Programme topics include:
• The use of Raman in characterising amorphous and crystalline forms of APIs
• Moving PAT from laboratory to production and getting FDA approval
• Raman spectral imaging to characterise individual particles
• Removing the effects of packaging to identify raw materials with Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy [SORS]
• Reverse engineering studies with Raman imaging to defend patents
• Why transmission Raman spectroscopy is the future: case studies
• Comparison of NIR, Raman backscattering and transmission spectroscopy for the analysis of polymorphs
• Laboratory vs hand-held instruments: what you gain and what you lose
• Vendors’ showcase exhibition

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Analytical Methods Issue 4 online!

Issue 4 of Analytical Methods in now available online.

Analytical Methods, 2012, Issue 4, Outside front cover

Schneider et al, Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 901

On the front cover is an interesting picture from Rudolf Schneider of the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Germany. Together with colleagues, their paper is on the study of the influence of temperature deviations on assay parameters. They tested parameters such as signal variation coefficients, limit of detection and measurement ranges by testing for two anthropogenic markers, caffeine and carbamazepine, at a variety of temperatures.

Quality assurance in immunoassay performance-temperature effects
Julia Grandke, Ute Resch-Genger, Wolfram Bremser, Leif-Alexander Garbe and Rudolf J. Schneider
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 901-905
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05918E

Analytical Methods, 2012, Issue 4, Inside front cover

Jang et al., Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 913

On the inside front cover is some artwork from Jyongsik Jang and colleagues from Seoul National University, Korea. They have fabricated a new type of fluorescent boronic acid-modified polyacrylonitrile (B-PAN) nanoparticle that can be used for an enantioselective monosaccharide sensor.  Using a fluorescent polymer nanomaterial for sensors offers advantages, such as low toxicity, environmental safety, diverse functionality, and easy surface modification.

Fluorescent boronic acid-modified polymer nanoparticles for enantioselective monosaccharide detection
Wan-Kyu Oh, Yoon Seon Jeong, Kyung Jin Lee and Jyongsik Jang
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 913-918
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05800F

These articles have been made free to access for 6 weeks so make the most of this and take a look!

This issue also features the following HOT articles:

Separation of dansyl-DL-amino acids by open tubular capillary chromatography based on tube radial distribution phenomenon of the ternary mixed carrier solvents
Yudai Kudo, Hyo Kan, Naoya Jinno, Masahiko Hashimoto and Kazuhiko Tsukagoshi
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 906-912
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05813H

Copper-promoted probe for nitric oxide based on o-phenylenediamine: Large blue-shift in absorption and fluorescence enhancement
Xiaolong Sun, Yufang Xu, Weiping Zhu, Chunsheng He, Lin Xu, Youjun Yang and Xuhong Qian
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 919-922
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY25039J

End point detection of precipitation titration by scanometry method without using indicator
Abdolkarim Abbaspour and Abdolreza Khajehzadeh
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 923-932
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05492B

Quantitative monitoring of the progress of organic reactions using multivariate image analysis-thin layer chromatography (MIA-TLC) method
Bahram Hemmateenejad, Morteza Akhond, Zahra Mohammadpour and N. Mobaraki
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 933-939
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY25023C

Rapid measurement of antioxidant activity in dark soy sauce by NIR spectroscopy combined with spectral intervals selection and nonlinear regression tools
Qin Ouyang, Jiewen Zhao, Quansheng Chen, Hao Lin and Zongbao Sun
Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 940-946
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY05766B

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HOT Article: Colorimetric detection of chromium ion

A colorimetric assay that detects Cr3+ has been developed by Aiguo Wu, from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, and colleagues. By using tripolyphosphate functionalized gold nanoparticles a colour change from red to violet was observed. The test showed excellent selectivity, even when samples contained many other ions. Real water samples were tested with good agreement on tested results by ICP-AES.

Colorimetric detection of Cr3+ using tripolyphosphate modified gold nanoparticles in aqueous solutions

Colorimetric detection of Cr3+ using tripolyphosphate modified gold nanoparticles in aqueous solutions
Junwei Xin, Lijing Miao, Shougang Chen and Aiguo Wu
Anal. Methods
, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY25061F

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