No abstract

A new approach on the use of mass spectrometry direct-insertion and a quadrupole detector for analysis of organic compounds supported in solid phase has been developed. This is a simple and efficient method based on cleavage due to the thermal-instability of the benzylic group of most commercial resins. The cleavage of supported compounds takes place in the spectrometer as a consequence of the high temperature in the instrument's chamber. These compounds are detected using a similar fragmentation pattern and a molecular ion corresponding to the same compound obtained by traditional synthesis. Polymer degradation fragments do not interfere with the spectrum interpretation, because only a few peaks and low intensities are detected. We report here the identification of different types of compounds supported in Merrifield resin, such as bis-o-aminobenzamides and simple aromatic and aliphatic compounds, using this new approach.

A síntese de materiais para retenção e/ou pré-concentração de espécies de interesse clínico e ambiental, como íons metálicos, constitui uma importante área de pesquisa atual. Neste trabalho, descrevemos a síntese de diferentes suportes sólidos de antraceno -sulfeto de fosfina para pré-concentração de Cu(II) e Pb(II). As propriedades sensoras destes materiais também foram avaliadas usando a abordagem optosensitiva em fluxo contínuo.The synthesis of sorption materials for retention and/or preconcentration of species of clinical and environmental interest, such as metal ions, is an important area of contemporary research. We report herein the synthesis of different solid supports of anthracene-phosphine sulfide for Cu(II) and Pb(II) preconcentration. Sensing properties of these materials were also evaluated using a flowthrough optosensing approach.

The Europan Molecular Indicators of Life Investigation (EMILI) is an instrument concept being developed for the Europa Lander mission currently under study. EMILI will meet and exceed the scientific and technical/resource requirements of the organic composition analyzer identified as a core instrument on the Lander. EMILI tightly couples two complementary analytical techniques, based on 1) liquid extraction and processing with capillary electrophoresis and 2) thermal and chemical extraction with gas chromatography, to robustly detect, structurally characterize, and quantify the broadest range of organics and other Europan chemicals over widely-varying concentrations. Dual processing and analysis paths enable EMILI to perform a thorough characterization of potential molecular biosignatures and contextual compounds in collected surface samples. Here we present a summary of the requirements, design, and development status of EMILI with projected scientific opportunities on the Europa Lander as well as on other potential life detection missions seeking potential molecular biosignatures in situ.

A combinatorial library of diverse alkyl-phosphine sulfides bound to Merrifield, Argopore, Argogel and Wang resins was synthesized and evaluated for their sensing properties. The library consists of 12 products with the anthranyl group as a fluorophore and phosphine sulfide alkyl derivatives as receptors of transition and heavy metal ions. The fluorescence spectral characteristics and the properties as sensing phase of these materials towards Pb(II) and Cu(II) were established.