John Chasse

Noureddine Melikechi of the Department of Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Massachusetts (Lowell, MA) saw an urgent need for the development of an untargeted and unbiased method to distinguish Gulf War illness (GWI) patients from non-GWI patients; he and his associates utilized laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in their efforts to meet that need.

Spray paint is often used by vandals for creating graffiti, as well as for criminals to leave signs, messages, and blots to conceal the left traces at the scene of their efforts. Rajinder Singh and his colleagues in the Department of Forensic Science at Punjabi University (Punjab, India) have used attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy for nondestructive analysis of 20 red spray paints of different manufacturers, which could possibly be encountered at a crime scene, particularly in case of vandalism. Singh spoke to Spectroscopy about the findings, and the paper that resulted from their efforts.

As global food supplies and security have been challenged by water scarcity and climate variations, the expected increase in food demand will require a corresponding increase in crop productivity and disruptive improvements in agricultural production systems, including implementing strategies to mitigate the degradation of crop yield caused by plant diseases. Several groups have explored the use of Raman spectroscopy for rapid diagnosis of such diseases.

A tutorial and spreadsheet for the validation and bottom-up uncertainty evaluation of quantifications performed by instrumental methods of analysis based on linear weighted calibrations were presented by Ricardo J.N. Bettencourt da Silva of the University of Lisbon in Lisbon, Portugal, and colleagues. This software tool was successfully applied to the determination of the mass concentration of Cd, Pb, As, Hg, Co, V, and Ni in a nasal spray by ICP-MS after samples dilution and acidification. Bettencourt da Silva spoke to Spectroscopy about applying this software tool and the implications for a better understanding of quantitative analytical results.

The limited availability of table-top extreme ultraviolet (XUV) sources with adequate fluxes and coherence properties has resulted in a lack of nonlinear XUV and X-ray spectroscopies to free-election lasers (FELs). Michael Zuerch of the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, along with colleagues from ten laboratories across three countries, has conducted the first extreme ultraviolet second harmonic generation (XUV-SHG) experiment above the Ti M edge (32.6 eV), also representing the first table-top demonstration of SHG at photon energies beyond the UV regime.

A tutorial and spreadsheet for the validation and uncertainty evaluation for ICP-MS analysis was successfully applied to determine multiple elements in a nasal spray.

Emmanuel Lalla of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as well as his co-authors, recently presented an in-depth characterization of a set of samples collected during a 28-day Mars analog mission conducted by the Austrian Space Forum in the Dhofar region of Oman. Lalla spoke to Spectroscopy about this research, as well as how various methods of spectroscopic analysis can complement each other in analysis.

Salvatore La Cavera III and his colleagues in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham, in Nottingham, United Kingdom have developed a novel measurement system consisting of two ultrafast lasers that excite and detect high-frequency ultrasound from a nano-transducer fabricated onto the tip of a single-mode optical fiber.

Mark Meyerhoff has been exploring chemical sensors for biomedical applications. Because of his work, Meyerhoff has been awarded the 2021 ANACHEM award. Meyerhoff spoke to us about his work, his career, and what being presented this award at this fall’s SciX event means to him.

Analytical chemists are continually striving to advance techniques to make it possible to observe and measure matter and processes at smaller and smaller scales. Professor Vartkess Ara Apkarian and his team at the University of California, Irvine have made a significant breakthrough in this quest: They have recorded the Raman spectrum of a single azobenzene thiol molecule. The approach, which breaks common tenets about surface-enhanced Raman scattering/spectroscopy (SERS) and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), involved imaging an isolated azobenzene thiol molecule on an atomically flat gold surface, then picking it up and recording its Raman spectrum using an electrochemically etched silver tip, in an ultrahigh vacuum cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope. For the resulting paper detailing the effort [1], Apkarian and his associates are the 2021 recipients of the William F. Meggers Award, given annually by the Society for Applied Spectroscopy to the authors of the outstanding paper appearing in the journal Applied Spectroscopy. We spoke to Apkarian about this research, and what being awarded this honor means to him and his team. This interview is part of an ongoing series with the winners of awards that are presented at the annual SciX conference. The award will be presented to Apkarian at this fall’s event, which will be held in person in Providence, Rhode Island, September 28–October 1.

Uwe Karst of the University of Münster in Germany explains the use of laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) imaging to provide spatially resolved quantification of trace elements in biological samples.

Uwe Karst of the University of Münster in Germany explains the use of laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) imaging to provide spatially resolved quantification of trace elements in biological samples.

Metallomics approaches based on mass spectrometry have become increasingly important in the support of developing metal-based anticancer drugs. This area is a key focus for Gunda Koellensperger and her colleagues at the University of Vienna (Austria) and they recently published an article discussing this state-of-the-art instrumentation, as well as highlighting recent analytical advances, focusing especially on the latest developments in inductively coupled plasma-–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Raman spectroscopy offers promise for the evaluation of breast cell lines and tissue. Rina Tannenbaum of Stony Brook University discusses this work.

In precious samples, effective methods for multielemental analysis could provide a deeper understanding of the essential role of elements as cofactors in biological and pathological processes. Tobias Konz of Nestlé Research explains.

Chemistry can help us understand the past.

Tobias Konz of Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland and various associates have developed and validated what they describe as a reliable, robust, and easy-to-implement quantitative method for multielemental analysis of low-volume samples. The ICP-MS-based method comprises the analysis of 20 elements (Mg, P, S, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Mo, I, Cs, and Ba) in 10 μL of serum and 12 elements (Mg, S, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn Se, Br, Rb, Mo, and Cs) in less than 250,000 cells, and involved the analysis of elemental profiles of serum and sorted immune T cells derived from naıv̈e and tumor-bearing mice. The results indicate a tumor systemic effect on the elemental profiles of both serum and T cells. Konz and his colleagues believe their approach highlights promising applications of multielemental analysis in precious samples such as rare cell populations or limited volumes of biofluids that could provide a deeper understanding of the essential role of elements as cofactors in biological and pathological processes. Konz spoke to us about this work.

A preview of this year’s ASMS conference, in its new on-line format.

Xiaoyun (Shawn) Chen of Dow Chemical solves a range of analytical problems in R&D and production processes using in situ spectroscopy and chemometrics.

SERS is a method that is receiving new attention in the detection, analysis, and identification of both natural and artificial food colorants. Lili He, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, recently spoke to Spectroscopy about this important analytical work.

Spectroscopy can be difficult to carry out outside a controlled laboratory environment. Imagine, then, the hurdles that would accompany performing spectroscopy in the extreme conditions of deep space or the ocean floor. Mike Angel, a professor of chemistry at the University of South Carolina, has taken on those challenges, working on new types of instruments for remote and in- situ laser spectroscopy, with a focus on deep-ocean, planetary, and homeland security applications of deep ultraviolet Raman, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to develop the tools necessary to work within these extreme environments.

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been applied as quantitative and qualitative analytical method for a variety of matrices. A paper published in the journal Applied Spectroscopy in 2018 (1) was chosen by from the North American Society for LIBS (NASLIBS) and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) as the best paper on the topic of LIBS. In this paper, a molten salt aerosol–laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument was used to measure the uranium (U) content in a ternary UCl3–LiCl–KCl salt matrix to investigate the development of a near real-time analytical method. We spoke with Ammon Williams, the primary author of this paper, who is currently with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), about this work.

The 2019 recipient of the Clara Craver award, Xiaoyun (Shawn) Chen, is a senior research scientist working in the Core R&D Analytical Sciences department of the Dow Chemical Company. Chen, who will receive this award this fall at SciX 2019 in Palm Springs, California, recently spoke to Spectroscopy about his work.

Lili He, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, focuses on developing and applying advanced analytical techniques to solve critical and emerging issues in food science. Recently, that focus has turned to using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in the detection, analysis, and identification of both natural and artificial food colorants. Dr. He recently spoke to Spectroscopy about that work.