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In this study, a standardized experimental set-up with various combinations of herbs as odor sources was designed. Two training approaches for sniffer dogs were compared; first, training with a pure reference odor, and second, training with a variety of odor mixtures with the target odor as a common denominator. The ability of the dogs to identify the target odor in a new context was tested. Six different herbs (basil, St. John's wort, dandelion, marjoram, parsley, ribwort) were chosen to produce reference materials in various mixtures with (positive) and without (negative) chamomile as the target odor source. The dogs were trained to show 1 of 2 different behaviors, 1 for the positive, and 1 for the negative sample as a yes/no task. Tests were double blind with one sample presented at a time. In both training approaches, dogs were able to detect chamomile as the target odor in any presented mixture with an average sensitivity of 72% and a specificity of 84%. Dogs trained with odor mixture containing the target odor had more correct indications in the transfer task.

Three strategies to sample volatile organic compounds (VOC) from lung cancer cell lines cultured in vitro were compared. Headspace solid phase microextraction was applied in situ to culture flasks and alternatively to subsamples of headspace gas or to nutrient solution subsamples followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The direct quantification of 55 VOC in the headspace of cell cultures was validated and is discussed with respect to reproducibility and system-related interferences. The role of the VOC background from culture media and usually employed polystyrene culture vessels is examined and was seen to invoke potentially misleading conclusions. The commercial A549 and two further adenocarcinoma cell lines displayed largely similar VOC profiles with distinct differences regarding certain individual substances. There is evidence for the inappropriateness of the standard cell culturing methods in the search for volatile cancer markers.

Two different hair reference materials, one produced from authentic hair displaying an ethyl glucuronide (EtG) content of about 25 pg/mg and one obtained by fortification of blank hair to an EtG level of 85 pg/mg were submitted to accelerated aging between 4 °C and 60 °C for periods between one and 24 months. Subsequently, the EtG content was determined in the aged samples and untreated reference samples stored at -22 °C under repeatability conditions following the so-called isochronous approach. The EtG content remained stable even at 40 °C for 24 months and at 60 °C over six months. This is in contrast to many organic analytes contained in trace concentrations in diverse matrices. A slight but significant increase of the recovered EtG in case of authentic hair samples having been exposed for 24 months between 4 °C and 60 °C may be due to a temperature-driven process that allows increased recoveries of the physiologically embedded EtG.

The assessment of quantification results of the alcohol abuse marker ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair in comparison to the cut-off values for the drinking behavior may be complicated by cosmetic hair bleaching. Thus, the impact of increasing exposure to hydrogen peroxide on the EtG content of hair was investigated. Simultaneously, the change of absorbance in the range of 1000-1100 cm(-1) indicative for the oxidation of cystine was investigated non-destructively by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) using pulverized portions of the respective hair samples. Hair samples treated with hydrogen peroxide consistently displayed a significantly increased absorbance at 1040 cm(-1) associated with the formation of cysteic acid. The EtG content decreased significantly if the hair was treated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide as during cosmetic bleaching. It could be shown that ATR-FTIR is capable of detecting an exposure to hydrogen peroxide when still no brightening was visible and already before the EtG content deteriorated significantly. Thus, hair samples suspected of having been exposed to oxidative treatment may be checked non-destructively by a readily available technique. This assay is also possible retrospectively after EtG extraction and using archived samples.

This article describes a simple and quick in silico method for the prediction of cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated hydroxylation of drug-like compounds. Testosterone and progesterone, two known substrates of CYP3A4, are used to test the method. Further, we apply the procedure to predict sites of hydroxylation of isomers of the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane by CYP3A4. Within the method, the compound is rotated in the binding pocket of the cytochrome, so that each hydrogen under consideration is placed near the active centre. Afterwards, short molecular dynamics simulations are provided for each step of the rotation. All steps of the simulation are compared concerning the distances between the hydrogens and the active centre and the corresponding energies. The computational results correlate well with experimental results.

Process waters obtained from hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of wheat straw, a biogas digestate derived thereof, and four woody biomass feedstocks were quantified regarding the total organic carbon (TOC) and selected organic compounds. HTC runs revealed that TOC loads were largely unaffected by process severity or type of feedstock whereas the C2–C6 fatty acids, determined by GC, displayed clear effects of temperature and feedstock. HPLC demonstrated simultaneously the initial increase and subsequent consumption of cellulose-derived furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural as well as the increase of the lignin-derived 2-methoxyphenol. 2-Methylbenzofuran, an example for a substance potentially harmful to aquatic biota, was observed in high concentration in the HTC liquor from wheat straw-based feedstocks.

A combination of simultaneous milling and extraction known as micropulverized extraction was developed for the quantification of the alcohol marker ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair samples using a homogeneous reference material and a mixer mill. Best extraction results from 50 mg of hair were obtained with 2-mL plastic tubes containing two steel balls (∅ = 5 mm), 0.5 mL of water and with an oscillating frequency of 30 s(-1) over a period of 30 min. EtG was quantified employing a validated GC-MS procedure involving derivatization with pentafluoropropionic acid anhydride. This micropulverization procedure was compared with dry milling followed by separate aqueous extraction and with aqueous extraction after manual cutting to millimeter-size snippets. Micropulverization yielded 28.0 ± 1.70 pg/mg and was seen to be superior to manually cutting (23.0 ± 0.83 pg/mg) and equivalent to dry grinding (27.7 ± 1.71 pg/mg) with regard to completeness of EtG extraction. The option to process up to 20 samples simultaneously makes micropulverization especially valuable for the high throughput of urgent samples.

Aim: The objective of the study was to provide conclusive evidence for the effect of particle size reduction as by milling on the extractable content of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) of hair samples. Methods: A number of real case hair samples and two pooled hair materials with EtG contents in the range of 10–30 pg/mg were systematically compared with regard to the extraction yield of EtG after cutting to 2–3 mm length and pulverization with a ball mill. After the respective treatment the samples were submitted to aqueous extraction followed by quantification of EtG using HPLC-MS/MS. Results: It was unequivocally demonstrated that milling of hair samples prior to aqueous extraction significantly increases the extractable EtG content compared with cut hair. The effect ranged between 137 and 230% and was seen to occur regardless of the extent of pulverization. Cooling of samples was not necessary to prevent partial degradation of EtG during the grinding procedure. Conclusion: The options currently employed at choice in analytical practice (cutting or milling) were seen to significantly affect the extractable amount of EtG in hair. This is suspected to influence the degree of equivalence of quantification results obtained in different laboratories as well as their respective classification of a test subject's drinking behaviour on the basis of currently recommended cut-off values.

With the help of theoretical calculations we explain the phenomenon of nonplanarity of crystalline alternariol. We find out that the different orientations of the hydroxyl groups of alternariol influence its planarity and aromaticity and lead to different twists of the structure. The presence of the intramolecular hydrogen bond stabilizes the planar geometry while the loss of the bond results in a twist of over 14°. This effect is thought to be involved while cutting DNA strands by alternariol.

This paper outlines the design and performance of an observational study on the profiles of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath of 37 lung cancer patients and 23 healthy controls of similar age. The need to quantify each VOC considered as a potential disease marker on the basis of individual calibration is elaborated, and the quality control measures required to maintain reproducibility in breath sampling and subsequent instrumental trace VOC analysis using solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry over a study period of 14 months are described. Twenty-four VOCs were quantified on the basis of their previously suggested potential as cancer markers. The concentration of aromatic compounds in the breath was increased, as expected, in smokers, while lung cancer patients displayed significantly increased levels of oxygenated VOCs such as aldehydes, 2-butanone and 1-butanol. Although sets of selected oxygenated VOCs displayed sensitivities and specificities between 80% and 90% using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) with leave-one-out cross validation, the effective selectivity of the breath VOC approach with regard to cancer detection is clearly limited. Results are discussed against the background of the literature on volatile cancer marker investigations and the prospects of linking increased VOC levels in patients' breath with approaches that employ sniffer dogs. Experience from this study and the literature suggests that the currently available methodology is not able to use breath VOCs to reliably discriminate between cancer patients and healthy controls. Observational studies often tend to note significant differences in levels of certain oxygenated VOCs, but without the resolution required for practical application. Any step towards the exploitation of differences in VOC profiles for illness detection would have to solve current restrictions set by the low and variable VOC concentrations. Further challenges are the technical complexity of studies involving breath sampling and possibly the limited capability of current analytical procedures to detect unstable marker candidates.

Crystal structures and high resolution 1H and 13C NMR spectral data for methyl (alkyl 2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-β- d -glucopyranosid)uronates (alkyl = methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, i-propyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, i-butyl, n-pentyl, 2-methyl-1-butyl and 3-methyl-1-butyl) are presented.

The reliability in measurement results obtained during environmental monitoring is crucial for the assessment and further planning of remediation efforts on the respective contaminated sites by the responsible authorities. A case study concerned with groundwater contaminated with perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane including their degradation products which involves private contract laboratories and an independent provider of quality assurance (QA) is presented. The experience gained with biannual monitoring campaigns over 14 years indicates that the selection of contractors on basis of accreditation status and successful performance in interlaboratory comparisons are not sufficient. Rather the auditing of the contractors by the QA provider prior to each campaign and the crosschecking of selected monitoring samples by the QA provider led to a lasting improvement of reliability in the contractors' measurement results. A mean deviation of 20% from the reference value determined by the QA provider for the crosschecked samples was reached.

A procedure has been developed for the determination of arsenobetaine in fish matrix by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Hereby (trimethylarsonium)-1,2-(13)C-acetate (arsenobetaine) is used as internal calibration standard. Arsenobetaine was determined in a fish material (Sea Bass) with an expanded uncertainty of 3.8%.

Mycotoxins are important non-anthropogenic food and feed contaminants, which can be present on almost every agricultural commodity. Effective consumer protection therefore essentially depends on food surveillance by reliable quantitative analysis enabled by appropriate quality control. Certified (matrix) reference materials (CRMs) are versatile tools to support quality assurance. However, in the case of ochratoxin A (OTA), a hepato- and nephrotoxic mycotoxin, which is regulated in various foods, there is a lack of suitable CRMs. This lack has now been overcome by the development of two European Reference Materials (ERM®) for the determination of OTA in roasted coffee (ERM®-BD475) and red wine (ERM®-BD476). This article discusses the material preparation process as well as the results of homogeneity and stability testing. Furthermore, the results of the in-house certification studies carried out at BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing are presented and discussed. Interlaboratory comparison studies involving selected expert laboratories with documented expertise in the field of mycotoxin analysis were conducted to confirm the certified values determined by BAM. The certified ochratoxin A values and their corresponding expanded uncertainties (k = 2) were assigned in full compliance with the requirements of ISO Guide 35 and are as follows: (6.0 ± 0.6) μg kg−1 for roasted coffee, ERM®-BD475, and (0.52 ± 0.11) μg L−1 for red wine, ERM®-BD476.

Epidemiological and laboratory studies suggest that atmospheric particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have a strong association with cancer prevalence and risk. Health hazards from PAH inhalation emanate mainly if these compounds are bound to particulate matter, whereas the depth of penetration and retention in the human organism is greatly dependent on the size and morphology of the particle. We determined the distribution of 21 PAHs over different particle size fractions and investigated the influence of meteorological conditions on the partitioning between air and particle phase and the distribution over different size fractions. The highest PAH concentration was found in a size range from 0.35 to 1.2 μm. About two-thirds of the total PAH concentration were associated to respirable particles smaller than 1.2 μm, highlighting the importance of considering fine particles in cancer risk assessment. High temperature and sunshine duration were associated with decreased PAH contamination, while humidity was associated with increased PAH contamination. We found that high molecular weight compounds had an increased tendency to be sorbed to smaller particles. Approximately 30% of the overall carcinogenicity of the samples, determined by a dose addition model, was contributed by benzo[a]pyrene. However, the relative contribution of benzo[a]pyrene to the overall carcinogenicity varied greatly over different samples and size fractions, suggesting that benzo[a]pyrene alone is not an adequate indicator compound for assessment of carcinogenicity. Instead, we suggest integrating nine PAHs, which together contributed approximately 93% to the overall carcinogenicity, into a sum parameter serving as an indicator for carcinogenic potential.

1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant consisting of a mixture of diastereomeric pairs of enantiomers that is a known omnipresent, environmental contaminant. The present study investigated the possibility of bioisomerization of HBCD stereoisomers. Therefore, mirror carps (Cyprinus carpio morpha noblis) were exposed to pure (+)- and (-)-gamma-HBCD, randomly sampled biweekly over a period of three and a half months and the fillets were subjected to enantiomer-specific determination of HBCD. Considering the background contamination of the fish at the beginning of the feeding period, significant enrichment of the respectively fed gamma-enantiomer was already detectable after two weeks of exposure. However, no significant enrichment of the respectively expected alpha-enantiomer was observed within this period. Thus, no evidence for the isomerization of HBCD stereoisomers was found in mirror carp under the applied conditions.

Analyzing organic pollutants in forest soil is challenging because they are strongly physical and chemical bound to soil organic matter (SOM). Within the framework of a forest soil inventory, an analytical protocol for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and organochlorine pesticides (OCP) should be established and validated using one and the same extraction and cleanup procedure. The protocol should be applicable for reliable analysis of a high number of samples in a short timeframe. Two different soil samples representative for the humic layer from a typical mixed and coniferous forest soil had been used for the analysis. Three solvents of different polarity, namely cyclohexane (CH), ethylacetate (EA)/CH (1/1, v/v), and acetone (AC)/CH (2/1, v/v), and the six standard extraction techniques (pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), soxhlet extraction, fluidized bed extraction, sonication, shaking, and one-step extraction recommended for analyzing agricultural soil in Germany (VDLUFA 2008)) were compared concerning their extraction efficiency. For additional matrix separation, two different cleanup procedures (gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) with different sorbents) were tested. Quantification was carried out using gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and two different injection systems (split/splitless injection and programmable temperature vaporizer (PTV) injection). Labeled internal standards, added prior to extraction, were used for method evaluation. For the simultaneous extraction of PAH, PCB, and OCP from organic forest soil PLE with acetone/cyclohexane (2/1, v/v) provided the highest extraction efficiency. A two-step cleanup procedure consisting of GPC followed by SPE with silica gel was entirely sufficient for the separation of humic substances without discrimination of analytes. Recovery rates for the different extraction and cleanup steps ranged between 89% and 106%. For quantification, a GC–MS method was developed using two different injection systems and two capillary columns of different selectivity. By comparing six standard extraction techniques for PAH, PCB, and OCP from forest soil, we obtained the highest extraction efficiency when using PLE with AC/CH (2/1). For sample injection, we achieved best results using an optimized PTV injection system as it highly reduced the breakdown of thermolabile pesticides. Using this combination of technical equipment, it is possible to determine a concentration of the analytes in the trace level range of 1–2 μg kg−1 in humic soil.

Der Einsatz aktiver (Pumpprobennahme, Schopfprobennahme) und passiver (Diffusionsprobennahme) Probennahmetechniken zur Gehaltsbestimmung von LHKW sowie Ethen und Methan in Grundwasser wird aus ordnungsbehordlicher Sicht hinsichtlich der Vergleichbarkeit von Analysendaten untersucht. Am Beispiel einer Kontamination mit Trichlorethen sowie 1,2-Dichlorethen und Vinylchlorid kann deutlich gemacht werden, dass die Einsatzmoglichkeit der passiven Probennahme durch unzureichende Stromungsverhaltnisse im Aquifer sowie biologische Aktivitat im Pegelrohr begrenzt ist. Der aktiven Probennahme ist bei ungeklarten oder unzureichenden Stromungsverhaltnissen im Grundwasserleiter daher der Vorzug zu geben. Das gaschromatographische Verfahren fur Vinylchlorid mittels Dampfraumtechnik wird um die Quantifizierung von Methan und Ethen erweitert. Dabei werden fur die Bewertung von Altlasten relevante Bestimmungsgrenzen von 0,1 μg/l (Vinylchlorid, Ethen) sowie 5 μg/l (Methan) erreicht.

Tenuazonic acid (TA) is a major water soluble Alternaria mycotoxin. In the present work, a method for the quantification of TA in beer by liquid chromatography–ion-trap multistage mass spectrometry after derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine is described. The method is based on a rapid workup procedure and features a LOD of 2 μg/kg without preconcentration using 400 mg of sample. Validation was performed for a working range of 8–500 μg/kg. A total of 43 beers of different brewing styles (pilsener, wheat beer, bock beer, dark beer and alcohol free beer) was analysed. TA was detected in 37 samples, 16 samples were above the LOQ. An average content of 11 μg/kg was found, the highest incidence being 175 ± 13 μg/kg. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the occurrence of TA in beer and beverages in general.

The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Germany, has issued a series of large volume ethanol in water certified reference materials (CRMs), primarily developed for the calibration of evidential breath alcohol analyzers in Germany. The certified parameter is the ethanol mass concentration at 20 °C. When used in a wet bath simulator, the solutions deliver gas samples that meet the requirements set by the Organization of Legal Metrology for calibration of breathalyzers. The materials were prepared gravimetrically by spiking of ethanol into water in single 5 L units. A complete uncertainty budget for the preparation process has been established. The purity of the commercial ethanol stock solution was identified to be the main source of uncertainty. For stability and homogeneity measurements and for the verification of the gravimetric mass concentration of the CRMs, a robust high-precision gas chromatography, with flame-ionization detection method for ethanol determination in aqueous samples was developed and validated. The good performance of this method has been demonstrated in several international comparisons organized by the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance—Metrology in Chemistry at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

Certified reference materials (CRMs) are a versatile tool for quality assurance in the chemical laboratory. In the case of acrylamide analysis, the availability of appropriate materials was rather limited. This lack of acrylamide matrix CRMs has now been overcome by the development of two European reference materials (ERM) for the determination of acrylamide in food (crispbread, ERM-BD272, and rusk, ERM-BD274). This article describes the preparation of the materials, provides the results of the homogeneity and stability studies, and presents and discusses the outcome of the certification studies. Expert laboratories from different European countries took part in the certification studies using various analytical methods. The acrylamide mass fractions were certified to 980 microg kg(-1) for crispbread and 74 microg kg(-1) for rusk.

Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection has gained more importance for mycotoxin determination in recent years. In addition to instrumental improvements, the development of LC-MS-MS has also been a consequence of the availability of stable isotope internal standards, e.g., 13C-labelled mycotoxins. Thus, the LC-ESI-MS-MS method using a 13C15-deoxynivalenol internal standard as a state-of-the-art technique was selected as a reference procedure for an in-house method comparison study of the determination of deoxynivalenol (DON) in wheat materials. Alternative methods include LC-diode array detection, which is a frequently used routine procedure for DON-analysis, and gas chromatography after trimethylsilylation. For GC application, an electron capture detector and a negative chemical ionisation mass spectrometry detector were used, which have both been well described in the literature. The method comparison was conducted using t test statistics. Additionally, this study also calculates important method performance characteristics, including accuracy, linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, recovery, and variation coefficient. Furthermore, this is the first report of a GC-MS method for the determination of DON using a fully carbon-labelled 13C15-DON as an IS. The GC-MS using 13C15-DON as an IS has produced comparable results to the 13C-IS-LC-MS-MS reference method with a similar sensitivity. ECD detection was slightly less sensitive, but is also suited for DON analysis in wheat. Due to the high LOQ, the LC-DAD method seems highly applicable to the measurement of highly contaminated samples.

To investigate possible co-occurrences of type B trichothecenes and zearalenone within a Fusarium culmorum-infected wheat harvest lot, kernels were fractionated into six groups by visual criteria. The Fusarium-damaged kernels were subdivided into white, shrunken, and red kernel groups, and the remaining kernels were sorted into healthy, black spotted, and nonspecific groups. The distribution patterns of nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and ergosterol were determined for possible correlations. Significant correlations between the distribution patterns were found for the mycotoxins and ergosterol for the grouped kernels (r = 0.997-0.999, p < 0.0001). Additionally, remarkably outstanding levels of nivalenol (24-fold more than the mean at 1.16 mg/kg), deoxynivalenol (27-fold more than the mean at 0.16 mg/kg), zearalenone (25-fold more than the mean at 77 microg/kg), and ergosterol (17-fold more than the mean at 13.4 mg/kg) were found in the red kernel group. Further, detailed mycotoxin and ergosterol analyses were carried out on various segments (kernel surface, conidia, bran, and flour) of the red kernels. However, the mycotoxin and ergosterol distribution profiles revealed nonsignificant correlations for these kernel segments, with the exception of deoxynivalenol and nivalenol, which were moderately correlated (r = 0.948, p = 0.035).

A practical method for the quantification of total purgeable organic sulfur (POS) in highly contaminated groundwater is described. Volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSC) are purged from the water samples by a stream of oxygen and combusted. The emerging sulfur dioxide is absorbed in H2O2 and converted to sulfate which is quantified by ion chromatography and reported as mass sulfur equivalent. The overall limit of quantification is 0.03 mg l−1. The content of POS is balanced with the total VOSC determined by GC-AED after liquid–liquid extraction. Separate determination of the non-volatile organic sulfur compounds by direct combustion of the water sample and adsorption to charcoal yielded a mass balance of the total sulfur content. Semi-quantitative GC-MS after purge & trap accumulation revealed that the VOSC mixture is composed of C1–C4 alkyl sulfides. The implementation of the developed methodology for the quantification of VOSC as potential catalyst poison in a cleaning plant for groundwater contaminated with volatile haloorganics (VOX) is presented.

High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) can be used for simultaneous quantification of various mycotoxins in contaminated food samples. Therefore, multi-mycotoxin methods have been developed in the last couple of years. To enlarge these methods for further analytes, we have developed a LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of the mycotoxin aurofusarin. Additionally, further LC-MS n experiments were performed to demonstrate the fragmentation pattern of aurofusarin. Applicable multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions of aurofusarin were found and optimized by parameter variation of the tandem mass spectrometer. The applicability of the developed method was tested by analysis of naturally contaminated wheat.

The interconversion of the stereoisomers contained in technical 1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane, a major brominated flame retardant increasingly found in the environment and in biota, was investigated at elevated temperatures. The application of pure enantiomers of the three constituents alpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCD enabled the unambiguous elucidation of the individual isomerisation reactions as well as the quantification of all respective rate constants. At 160 degrees C the rate constants range over two orders of magnitude from 1.50x10(-3) to 1.88x10(-5)mol(%)s(-1). A preliminary mechanistic explanation for the differences of the rate constants which govern the composition of HBCD diastereomers at equilibrium is given.

The interlaboratory variability in the quantification of adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) in industrially contaminated soil is presented. Three consecutive rounds of a proficiency testing scheme, in which between 88 and 119 routine laboratories participated, yielded relative reproducibility standard deviations between 7 and 20% at AOX contents between 10.9 and 268 mg kg−1. Nineteen laboratories with established proficiency were invited to participate in the certification of the AOX content in three soil reference materials meant for the internal quality control in analytical laboratories. The certified values are (1349 ± 59) mg kg−1, (80 ± 7) mg kg−1 and (102 ± 8) mg kg−1, respectively.

1,2,5,6,9,10-Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a widely used flame retardant, which tends to persist in the environment and accumulates in biota. The six stereoisomers (three racemates named alpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCD) of the technical mixture were isolated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Direct separations were performed on a chiral stationary phase containing permethylated beta-cyclodextrin (NUCLEODEX beta-PM column) and the pure enantiomers of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCD were physically characterized for the first time. The absolute configurations of all six isomers were determined by anomalous dispersion using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Optical rotations alphaD in tetrahydrofuran were +4.2/-4.0 (alpha-HBCD), +26.1/-27.5 (beta-HBCD), and +68.0/-66.3 (gamma-HBCD). The sense of rotation could be correlated with the absolute configurations of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCD enantiomers and their order of elution on a chiral permethylated beta-cyclodextrin-bonded stationary phase. The diastereomersalpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCD displayed distinctly different melting points as well as (1)H-, (13)C NMR, and IR spectra.

In vitro cultured lung cancer cell lines were investigated regarding the possible identification of volatile organic compounds as potential biomarkers. Gas samples from the headspace of pure culture medium and from the cultures of human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and Lu7466 were exposed to polypropylene fleece in order to absorb odour components. Sniffer dogs were trained with loaded fleeces of both cell lines, and honey bees were trained with fleeces exposed to A549. Afterwards, their ability to distinguish between cell-free culture medium odour and lung cancer cell odour was tested. Neither bees nor dogs were able to discriminate between odours from the cancer cell cultures and the pure culture medium. Solid phase micro extraction followed by gas chromatography with mass selective detection produced profiles of volatiles from the headspace offered to the animals. The profiles from the cell lines were largely similar; distinct differences were based on the decrease of volatile culture medium components due to the cells' metabolic activity. In summary, cultured lung cancer cell lines do not produce any biomarkers recognizable by animals or gas chromatographic analysis.

A procedure for the quantification of the PCB marker congeners 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180 in plastic waste form the recycling of cables in the range of content between 0.1 mg kg−1 and 20 mg kg−1 was validated. Representative reference materials for laboratory analyses were produced using granulates from different recycling processes. The method development included aspects of grinding, sieving, homogenising as well as the comparison of extraction methods and chromatographic conditions. The validated procedure foresees grinding of the technical sample to an upper particle size limit of 0.50 mm followed by extraction with an unpolar solvent such as n-hexane and gas chromatographic determination. LOD and LOQ for individual congeners ranged between 0.01 mg kg−1 and 0.08 mg kg−1. Electron capture detection (ECD) and mass selective detection (MS) were equivalent if chromatographic conditions were appropriately selected. The application of MS was advantageous in presence of significant amounts of interfering components which have been found in some cables. Three reference materials containing the marker congeners in the range of 0.1 mg kg−1–5 mg kg−1 were submitted to a final validation intercomparison with 23 selected field laboratories using the developed method. Relative reproducibility standard deviations varied between 15% and 33%.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium verrucosum. It has been found and analysed in several foods and feeds. Owing to its toxicity and occurrence in food and feed, the European Community has issued directives and some countries have their own regulations for OTA contents in food, feed and beverages. This work describes a method for the determination of OTA in mulled and red wine. It is based on combined anion exchange/reversed-phase clean-up and was analysed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (multiple reaction monitoring). The method was validated with natural contaminated and spiked wine samples with OTA contents from 1.34 to 3.48 microg kg(-1). Owing to its accuracy, good reproducibility and repeatability, this easy method is a good alternative to liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection methods.

The role of matrix reference materials in the process of demonstrating the degree of equivalence of measurement results obtained from intercomparisons is outlined, reviewing exemplary selected experience gained at BAM regarding the determination of organic contaminants in environmental matrices. The specific characteristics of reference materials employed in the process of demonstrating equivalence between laboratories in the course of proficiency testing as well as the development, comparison and validation of methods are elaborated. The demand is for series of appropriately characterised samples which are fit for the purpose and it is seen from representative examples that the utilisation of such tailor-made RM designed to tackle the specific need of an analytical problem dominates over certified matrix reference materials in this context. Concluding, the role of certified matrix reference materials in quality assurance is briefly looked at both from the user’s and providers’ points of view.