JAAS News

Issue 2 of JAAS for 2012 is now online!

The front cover this month features work by Magdalena Szczerbowska-Boruchowska and colleagues from the AGH University of Science and Technology and Jagiellonian University, Poland.  They present a synchroton radiation micro-X-ray absorption near edge structure study of sulfur speciation in human brain tumor cells.  The authors looked at both the experimental and methodological aspects of 2D imaging of sulfur species in tumor cells, and developed procedures to eliminate disrupting effects in the imaging distribution.

The inside front cover highlights work by Michael Krachler and Detlef  Wegen from the European Commission-Joint Research Centre in Germany, on the promises and pitfalls in the reliable determination of ²³³U using high resolution ICP-OES.  They show that the current analytical approach for determining ²³³U at λ = 385.950 nm is not specific to that particular uranium isotope for reliable quantification.  The authors show instead that analysis at λ = 411.585 nm is potentially a better option for reliable determination of ²²³U using HR-ICP-OES.

This issue of JAAS also features…

…the Atomic Spectroscopy Update by Owen Butler and colleagues – the 27th annual review of the application of atomic spectrometry to the chemical analysis of environmental samples:

Atomic spectrometry update. Environmental analysis, Owen T. Butler, Warren R. L. Cairns, Jennifer M. Cook and Christine M. Davidson, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2012, 27, 187-221

…and the following hot articles…

Theoretical calculations of the influence of resonant Raman scattering on the quantification of XRF spectrochemical analysis, Héctor Jorge Sánchez, María Cecilia Valentinuzzi and Juan José Leani, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2012, 27, 232-238

Reference-free quantification of particle-like surface contaminations by grazing incidence X-ray fluorescence analysis, Falk Reinhardt, János Osán, Szabina Török, Andrea Edit Pap, Michael Kolbe and Burkhard Beckhoff, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2012, 27, 248-255

All these articles are free to access until the 20th February 2012, so why not take a look!

JAAS, 2012, 27(1): 1-176

We may be a few weeks away from the New Year, but JAAS has an early present for you: the first issue of 2012, which is now online.

We are looking forward to another successful year publishing the best research related to analytical atomic spectrometry, and begin with some excellent cover articles.

Our celestial front cover features work from Martin Schiller, Chad Paton and Martin Bizzarro from the Centre for Star and Planet Formation, which is based within the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen.

They present a novel approach for the chemical purification of calcium from silicate rocks by ion-exchange chromatography, and a highly-precise method for its isotopic analysis.  By using high-resolution multiple collector inductively coupled plasma source mass spectrometry (HR-MC-ICPMS) in combination with thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), they have even tackled the smallest isotope ⁴⁶Ca, which has an abundance of just 0.003 %

The resolution of their data shows significant improvement compared to previous methods, which allows for a better understanding of the mass fractionation laws responsible for the mass-dependent fractionation of Ca present in natural samples and synthetic standards.

Their work also provides insight into a better reference material to study the calcium isotope composition of terrestrial and non-terrestrial materials.

We highlighted this work when it was first published as an Advance Article, and are delighted to feature it on the front cover of this issue!

Calcium isotope measurement by combined HR-MC-ICPMS and TIMS
Martin Schiller, Chad Paton and Martin Bizzarro
J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2012, 27, 38-49
DOI: 10.1039/C1JA10272A

Featured on the inside front cover, work from Efthymios Kapellios and Spiros Pergantis of the University of Crete, Greece.

They provide the first demonstration of the combined use of nanoelectrospray ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) with off-line inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for determining engineered nanoparticles in aqueous solution.

Coupling the resolving power of IMS with the sensitivity of ICP-MS, make this an attractive approach for nanoparticle analysis.  The technique shows capabilities to determine size and metal content, and could, in principle, be used to determine nanoparticle concentration.

Communication: Size and elemental composition of nanoparticles using ion mobility spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Efthymios A. Kapellios and Spiros A. Pergantis
J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2012, 27, 21-24
DOI: 10.1039/C1JA10237K

Don’t forget these cover articles will be free to access for 6 weeks, so enjoy them and let your colleagues know.

JAAS, 2011, 26(12): 2309-2536

The last issue of 2011 is now online!

On the front cover, Cerutti and colleagues from Argentina present their work on a novel on-line scandium preconcentration system implemented with chemical vapor generation associated to inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (VG-ICP-OES).

On-line preconcentration and vapor generation of scandium prior to ICP-OES detection
S. Cerutti, L. A. Escudero, J. A. Gasquez, R. A. Olsina and L. D. Martinez
J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2011, 26, 2428-2433
DOI: 10.1039/C1JA10175G

Highlighted on the inside front cover, Joerg Hippler of the University of Duisburg-Essen and co-workers have developed a methodology to speciate and quantify the unconjugated intracellular arsenic species in hepatocytes and urothelial cells.

Intracellular, time-resolved speciation and quantification of arsenic compounds in human urothelial and hepatoma cells
Joerg Hippler, Ricarda Zdrenka, Robin A. D. Reichel, Daniel G. Weber, Peter Rozynek, Georg Johnen, Elke Dopp and Alfred V. Hirner
J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2011, 26, 2396-2403
DOI: 10.1039/C1JA10150A

Both these articles are free for 6 weeks, so take a look and do let your colleagues know.

We’d like to thank all our cover authors for 2011 and look forward to bringing you more excellent papers and images in 2012.