Functional groups instrumental techniques

The detection of metals and metalloids no longer present major analytical problems. The instrumental techniques are both sensitive and specific for most elements. In contrast, the usual techniques for the detection of biological molecules respond to functional groups and consequently, they are relatively non-specific. However, it is possible to apply more specific methods when some information is available about the likely identity of the molecule. 

Consideration must be given to the quantity of sample needed for the minimum detection ]imits of the instrumental technique used. A number of techniques have been ranked in order of increasing amounts of material needed as follows mass spectroscopy (1 - 10 yg), chemical spot tests (1 - 100 yg), infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy (10 - 200 yg), melting point (0.1 -1 mg), elemental analysis (0.5 - 5 mg), boiling point (1 - 10 mg), functional group analysis (1 - 20 mg), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1-25 mg). 

The responsibilities for suitable validated analytical methods, however, do not rest solely in the analytical method development group. Today the analytical function uses new and sophisticated chromatographic and other instrumental techniques that require a high level of technical expertise. It is the responsibility of quality control management to ensure that its staff is adequately trained and its laboratories properly equipped so that new analytical methods can be properly transferred from an analytical methods group to the quality control department. A mutual understanding of each other s responsibilities and limitations is... 

An integrated GC/IR/MS instrument is a powerful tool for rapid identification of thermally generated aroma compounds. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (GC/IR) provides a complementary technique to mass spectrometry (MS) for the characterization of volatile flavor components in complex mixtures. Recent improvements in GC/IR instruments have made it possible to construct an integrated GC/IR/HS system in which the sensitivity of the two spectroscopic detectors is roughly equal. The combined system offers direct correlation of IR and MS chromatograms, functional group analysis, substantial time savings, and the potential for an expert systems approach to identification of flavor components. Performance of the technique is illustrated with applications to the analysis of volatile flavor components in charbroiled chicken. 

Vibrational spectroscopy is a very versatile and, chemically, well-resolved technique for the characterization of carbon-oxygen functional groups. The immense absorption problems of earlier experiments seems to be overcome in present times with modem FT-IR, DRIFTS or photoacoustic detection instruments. 

Now we move on to consider the analysis of copolymers. There are usually two things we would like to know. First, the composition of the copolymer and, second, some measure of sequence distributions. Again, in the early years, before the advent of commercial NMR instruments, infrared spectroscopy was the most widely used tool. The problem with the technique is that it requires that the spectrum contain bands that can be unambiguously assigned to specific functional groups, as in the (transmission) spectrum of an acrylonitrile/methyl methacrylate copolymer shown in Figure 7-43 (you can tell this is a really old spectrum, not only because it is plotted in transmission, but also because the frequency scale is in microns). 

For protein microarrays, several label detection techniques are already used because of their simplicity, broad availability of fluorescence dyes and chemical functional groups for conjugation, and scanning instruments. 

Raman spectroscopy is by no means a new technique, although it is not as widely known or used by chemists as the related technique of infrared spectroscopy. However, following developments in the instrumentation over the last 20 years or so Raman spectroscopy appears to be having something of a rebirth. Raman, like infrared, may be employed for qualitative analysis, molecular structure determination, functional group identification, comparison of various physical properties such as crystallinity, studies of molecular interaction and determination of thermodynamic properties. 

PTR-MS combines the concept of Cl with the swarm technique of the flow tube and flow-drift-tube mentioned above. In a PTR-MS instrument, we apply a Cl system which is based on proton-transfer reactions, and preferentially use HsO" " as the primary reactant ion. As discussed earlier, HsO" " is a most suitable primary reactant ion when air samples containing a wide variety of trace gases or VOCs are to be analyzed. HsO" " ions do not react with any of the natural components of air, as these have proton affinities lower than that of H2O molecules this is illustrated in Table 1. This table also shows that common VOCs containing a polar functional group or unsaturated bonds (e.g. alkenes, arenes) have proton affinities larger than that of H2O and therefore proton transfer occurs between H30" and any of these compounds (see Equation 4). The measured thermal rate constants for proton transfer to VOCs are nearly identical to calculated thermal, collisional limiting values (Table 1), illustrating that proton transfer occurs on every collision. 

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