trends in analytical chemistry, vo1,4, no. 9,1985

phy). The principle of the method and the set-up for its realization have been invented in Hungary, and even the separation power of some newly developed TLC instruments is widely compared to that of the OPLC (e.g. by Camag, Muttenz, Switzerland).

The basis of OPLC and the novel results reached by this technique were detailed by Harsanyi and Vara- di (Hungary) while several aspects of the stationary phases employed by OPLC, the application of OPLC for separation of serum lipids and the ad- ditivity of isocratic developments to multistep gradient by OPLC were shown by Zsemberi et al., Zalka et al.

and Vajda et al. (all from Hungary), respectively.

Each American-Eastern Euro- pean symposium on liquid chromato- graphy has devoted special attention to the investigation on the action and fate of drugs in the human and ani- mal organisms. Several lectures were dealing with the effect of the drugs on the level of some endogenous sub- stances giving useful information in the mechanism of the drug action. These methods usually exploit the

separation power of HPLC and the possibility of application of sensitive monitoring (e.g. fluorescence or electrochemical detection), as re- ported by Kerecsen et al. (Hungary) and Wagner et al. (France), while the binding and metabolism of drugs were reported upon by Sun and Wong (U.S.A.), Burdats et al.

(Czechoslovakia), Gerlai et al.

(Hungary), Palosi-Szantho et al.

(Hungary), Shukla and Sinibaldi (Italy), Rurak and Melzacka (Po- land), Singin and Serebyakov (U.S.S.R.) and others.

Numerous other papers brought their novelty on the fields of theory, methodology and application of chromatography, including gas chro- matography, gas chromatography- mass spectrometry, affinity chroma- tography, high-voltage thin-layer chromatography, etc. in addition to HPLC, TLC and HPTLC. The limit- ed place for this report prevents me from detailing these presentations. A volume of ‘Abstracts of Presenta- tions’, edited by L. Kerecsen and M. Bathori, was published, and most of the material of the posters and oral

.

lectures will be published. In addition to the scientific pro-

gram, several other possibilities were offered spend the time in Budapest. There was an exhibition of the sta- tionary phases, instruments and equipments used in chromatogra- phy, analytical chemistry and medi- cine. The social program helped the participants to learn more about the capital of Hungary and to enjoy the sojourn in Budapest.

The site of Budapest Chromato- graphy Symposium was the building of research and teaching depart- ments of the Semmelweis University of Medicine, adequately installed for medium size conferences, and easily reached by car or public transport.

The organization was mainly in the hands of by Congress Bureau MO- TESZ (Budapest, Hungary) headed by Ms. Rubanyi.

HUBA KALASZ

Huba Kal6s.z is at the Department of Pharmacology, Semmelweis C’niversity of Medicine, Budapest, Hungary, 1445.

Analytical chemistry of pollutants

posium on the Analytical Chemis-

The Symposium was organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the University of Georgia, Divisions of the American Chemical Society, and the International Asso- ciation of Environmental Analytical Chemistry. Dr. Rosemarie Russo, E.P.A. Athens (GA, U.S.A.) wel- comed 29 lecturers, 23 poster pres- entators, and more than 100 other participants. She emphasized that analytical chemistry is fundamental to the understanding of environ- mental chemistry (sources, trans- ports, transformation, interaction, and fate). Perhaps more than in the

01659936/851$02.00.

preceding symposia, subjects dis- cussed were related to the latest ana- lytical techniques (besides some pa- pers dealing with acid deposition, quality control and assurance, and interpretation of data). The partici- pants paid tribute to Professor Hans Wolfgang Niirnberg, an esteemed colleague. Professor Ntirnberg did much for analytical chemistry and would have opened the Symposium with a lecture on ‘Studies of the De- position by Rain and Snow of Acid and Ecotoxic Heavy Metals in the Federal Republic of Germany’.

Acid rain, acidification of lakes, monitoring of anions

C. Riordan discussed the conflict between the short-term wishes of policy makers, and research which requires time to answer critical ques- tions, such as what is the extent of

‘sensitive’ and ‘acidified’ waters (a N.A.S. model tries to detect lakes at risk) and what are the relationships between acidification and biological processes. J. N. Galloway and H. Puxbaum determined the contribu- tions of sulphate, nitrate, chloride, formate and acetate to the acidity of atmospheric water in urban and rural areas. W. Haerdi and M. E. Meyer- hoff described the latest devel- opments in ion chromatography (using a conductivity detector) and in the application of polymer ion selec- tive electrodes to selectively quantify anions.

Aerosol research, multiphases, reactions in boundaries, measurement of hydrogen peroxide

D. Klockow has studied the role of liquid phases in multiphase atmo- spheric chemistry. Hydrogen perox- ide (highest reactivity), ozone and oxygen [needing hydrogen sulphite, iron(II1) or manganese(I1) for acti-

0 Elsevier Science Publishers B .V.

trends in analytical chemistry, vol. 4, no. 9,1985 .

vation] were compared in their oxi- dative capability for dissolved sul- phur dioxide in liquid phases. From 25 000 to 100 years ago Greenland ice contained practically no hydro- gen peroxide, but is now heavily ‘pol- luted’ with this agent. To differen- tiate metal species [e.g. nickel(II), nickel sulfides, nickel oxides and nickel] in atmospheric particulates the author uses a microchemical ap- proach with a Weisz ring oven. N. H. Velthorst described a solid state che- miluminiscence detector to deter- mine hydrogen peroxide in rain wa- ter.

inorganic (elemental) analytical chemistry (e.g., AAS, ICP and IDMS)

E. S. Yeung demonstrated that laser-based high resolution AAS leads to narrower peaks, and even copper isotopes in blood can easily be quantified. G. M. Hieftje report- ed on ICP, including coupling with MS, and especially on a new system ‘MINDAP’ with a new source and advantages over ICP. Fiber optics promise improvements. According to H. E. Taylor mass filters and lenses (ring lenses improve cadmium analysis) are crucial in ICP-MS. K. Heumann determined lead, cadmi- um and thallium in waters. R. W. Linton used surface and microbeam spectroscopy to study bioavailability of toxic species in geochemical sam- ples.

Organic analytical chemistry of hydrocarbons and nitrohydrocarbons

R. D. Smith elaborated a more ef- ficient extracting technique, using supercritical fluids (compressed gas- es - such as carbon dioxide-me- thane or pentane-ethanol - above their critical temperature) with liquid and gas properties.

I. H. Suffet and Ch. H. Lochmul- ler lectured on broad spectrum anal- ysis (looking for chemical groups out of hundred of individuals) using spe- cial combinations of phases for ex- traction and for LC, while J. Al- baiges discussed the acceptability of hydrocarbon measurements (results of interlaboratory comparisons), which is still relatively low. He and

several other authors compared de- velopments of detectors.

Organic analytical chemistry of polyhalogenated hydrocarbons

Volatile compounds (chloroform, trichloroethene, etc.) may be deter- minated with purge and trap tech- niques, dibromoethane - e.g. in ce- real samples -with activation analy- sis (quantifying bromine). A few presentations discussed PCBs and TCDD: J. Tarradellas studied sources and flows of PCBs in waters from sewers with varying retention capacity. Fingerprinting is capable of identifying possible sources, e.g. 4- chlorobiphenyl from toilet paper, PCBs from rain or urban runoff wa- ters from atmospheric origin, or from industrial uses. Other authors dis- cussed the determination of PCBs in sediments of which about 40-50% are readily desorbable, and of TCDD in adipose tissue or fish using preconcentration and GC-HRMS or HPLC.

Analytical chemistry of polar organic compounds (including phenols, pesticides, drugs, dyes), new developments in LC (including detectors) and MS

R. W. Frei described automated HPLC techniques for various herbi- cides and anilines, the decomposi- tion products of herbicides, in waste water. Having developed new pre- columns with new solid phases solid- liquid extraction, selective precon- centration and clean-up were espec- ially stressed. He also described the advantages of electrochemical detec- tors. Various other authors, espec- ially scientists from the University of Georgia, Athens (with L. A. Carrei- ra and his group) and from the E.P.A. Environmental Research Laboratory, Athens, also discussed the latest improvements in liquid chromatography. For the clean-up of samples, steam distillation vapor- vapor solvent extraction and gel per- meation chromatography are also used. Fluorescence detectors (espec- ially for polycyclic hydrocarbons), electrochemical detectors, combined detectors (for combustion studies), photothermal deflection detectors, infrared detectors (improved by Fou-

XI

rier transformation), and mass spec- trometry are all nowadays combined with LC. Instrumental im- provements were demonstrated and R. F. Browner has developed an aerosol based interface providing a truly versatile LC-MS. A. L. Bur- lingame has used MS in studies of chemical reactions between xeno- biotics and cellular constituents (pro- teins), and D. M. Hercules has ap- plied laser mass spectrometry for surface analysis, for instance to de- termine organophosphorus pesti- cides on grass. R. A. Yost has had a great deal of experience with MS-MS with its.vast selectivity. In complex mixtures, as they occur in the environment and in biological samples, it is for instance possible to measure substances at the ppt level.

Quality assurance, reference standards

G. Hidy, St. M. Blacker, R. E. Thompson, L. H. Keith, and L. B. Rogers discussed management issues in implementing quality assurance. Too much is spent for collecting data, which are often not good enough. Measurement methods must be es- tablished. Quality needs vary of course on use.

The 16th Annual Symposium on the Analytical Chemistry of Pollu- tants will take place (under the Chairmanship of Dr. Joseph Tarra- dellas) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015 Lausanne 17-19 March 1986, and the 17th An- nual Symposium is scheduled for May 1987 in Athens, GA 30602, U.S.A.

ERNEST MERIAN

Ernest Merian is the Secretary of the Inter- national Association of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, lm Kirsgarten 22, CH-4106 Therwil, Switzerland.

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