Now reaching beyond historic roles in building and agriculture, lime today has become just about the No. 1 chemical in both diversity and tonnage of uses. With remarkable effectiveness and cost-benefit ratios, among other things modern lime can:
ABSORB ALKALIZE BENEFICIATE
hydrolyzable. Hence, deep well and ocean disposal have been advocated. Present knowledge of the peculiar metabolic ability of cephalopods and the fact that these organisms are numerous and widespread in the oceans add weight to this position. However, the effects of nerve gases on other classes of animals are not as well known, Hoskin points out, and ocean dumping of nerve gas may prove to be undesirable. Even so, the metabolic ability of the cephalopods cannot be readily discounted. At the least, it is another remarkable example of the ability of the hydrosphere to cleanse itself. Of obvious practical interest is the possibility that a nerve gas antidote eventually may be developed based on an enzymic hydrolysis reaction like the squid's. If the possibility does exist, the search for an enzymic antidote will be long and probably arduous. It is not known, for example, if humans can retain an effective hydrolytic enzyme, or even tolerate it, in the form managed by the squid or other cephalopods. But the hope persists, and the squid probably will be subjected to even closer scrutiny in the future. D
CAUSTICIZE CLARIFY COAGULATE DEHYDRATE DISINFECT FLUX NEUTRALIZE PLASTICIZE PURIFY PRECIPITATE REFINE STABILIZE all this and more can be done with
Mass spec method used as biomedical tool Chemical ion mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that's barely more than a decade old. Yet, its comparatively gentle action on molecules coupled with high sensitivity is making it attractive, particularly for work on biomedical problems. Dr. Ajay K. Bose and his colleagues, Dr. Hideji Fujiwara and Dr. Birendra Pramanik, at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J., are applying CIMS to several classes of molecules from many biological sources. "CIMS allows us to see comparatively minor changes that occur in biological fluids and tissues," Bose says. "Once we learn what to look for, these slight changes could be used, for example, to diagnose disease. The body is 'willing* to yield more biochemical information—if we just know how to look at it." The Bose group, as well as several others, is looking at highly diverse molecules, including steroids, bile acids, prostaglandins, triglycerides, sugars, peptides, and pesticides. That list is not limiting, Bose says. Probably the most important limitation to CIMS so far is that 1000 is about the highest molecular weight that can be detected directly. Of course, like electron ionization mass spectrometry (EIMS), CIMS looks at ions that are generated from molecules by bombardment with an electron beam. But unlike EIMS, the newer technique does not use the electron beam directly to fragment the sample substance. Instead, another substance serves as the primary target of electrons. In breaking down, this substance ionizes the sample material, which can then be captured in the instrument's detector.
Marketing Notes
How does the readership of Chemical & Engineering Hews compare with that of other publications? Chemical & Engineering Hews now ranks in the top 5%. For 13 years, two independent research firms have studied the readership of Chemical Br Engineering News along with that of more than 100 other leading publications. Totally, 56 separate studies were conducted involving more than 5,600 faceto-face interviews with Chemical Br Engineering News subscribers. These studies have served as a continuing guide to the reading preferences of subscribers and play a major role in helping to fashion a balanced publication that appeals to the key interests of each segment of its audience.
As a result, Chemical & Engineering News now ranks among the top 5% of publications studied for readership. Check to make sure your firm is advertising in Chemical & Engineering News.
Centcom, Ltd. 25 Sylvan Rd. S., Westport, CT 06880 Advertising Management for ACS Publications
Oct. 10, 1977 C&EN 33
Davison's Catalyst Scale-up Capability can help turn your laboratory process into a commercial success. Success in the lab doesn't guarantee success in commercial production. Catalyst scale-up requires experience and know-how. The kind of experience and know-how Davison has in · secrecy agreements · project feasibility · duplication of your process in our labs · scale-up to pilot plant including OSHA and EPA considerations · cost evaluation · quality control · prototype production · full-scale commercialization. As a producer of silica gels, silica aluminas, alumina, and molecular sieves, Davison is unique among all manufacturers of custom catalysts. We offer complete control from the ground up. We can produce not only the catalyst but also its carrier. Davison Chemical historically a leader in catalyst and catalyst carrier development retains a client list that reads like a Who's Who in the chemical and petrochemical industry. This experience in varied catalyst development is yours for the asking. Write or call: Davison Chemical, Industrial Chemicals Department, P.O. Box 2117, Baltimore, Maryland 21203 Phone: 301 · 727-3900 Pacesetter in Industrial and Custom Catalysts
DAVISON CHEMICAL A GRACE DIVISION 20369
CIRCLE 5 2 O N READER SERVICE CARD
Required Reading from Waters \ψ the Liquid Chromatography People
New! Measuring Low-Level Organic Pollutants in WATER Easily measure non-volatile hydrocarbons in seawater a n d p e s t i c i d e residues in d r i n k i n g water at p p b levels by LC. This simple t e c h n i q u e facilitates high recovery. CIRCLE 37 ON READER SERVICE CARD
New! Measuring Low-Level Organic Pollutants from AIR Organic particulates f r o m w o r k i n g atmo spheres are analyzed w i t h i m p r o v e d sen sitivity and r e p r o d u c i b i l i t y , t u r n i n g a p r o b l e m analysis into a routine measure ment. CIRCLE 38 ON READER SERVICE CARD
Published Periodically
'Environmental Notes" This informative bulletin keeps y o u up dated on new applications of LC for en v i r o n m e n t a l analyses. Enter y o u r request n o w t o get issue # 1 and those t o f o l l o w . CIRCLE 39 ON READER SERVICE CARD
free from
WATERS ASSOCIATES 145 M a p l e S t r e e t , M i l f o r d , M A 01757 T e l e p h o n e (617) 478-2000
Various gases usually serve as the re agent, or primary target, Bose explains. For example, excess methane may be mixed with some steroid to be analyzed. Because methane is plentiful, the beam of electrons is more likely to collide with and ionize methane than the steroid. But the many methane ions so generated are un stable. Thus, they are likely to break down and donate charges to steroid molecules when the two species collide. This process is gentle, Bose says, and hence very little fragmentation of the steroid occurs. Because of that, much stronger peaks are seen than with con ventional MS, and with far less materi al. "In this same [CIMS] process," he adds, "one can produce low-energy electrons that tend to strip protons off of steroids.,, This forms negative ions. With a nega tive-ion detector in the instrument, the range and sensitivity can be extended because "this process is even milder than the one that produces positive ions." One disadvantage, however, is that negative ion detectors still "must be built to order." Another way of generating negative ions is to evolve chloride ions. They tend to be stripped off of organic chlorides readily, Bose says, and thus provide a way of putting a good-sized ion tag on sample molecules. Dr. Ralph C. Dougherty at the University of West Florida has used methylene chloride as a chloride source, and Bose recently has found that chlorofluorocarbons also serve this purpose. Chloride generated from chlorofluorocarbons enabled Bose's group to detect a tetrasaccharide fragment from a pentasaccharide-bearing antibiotic. "Enough chloride is floating around to give us such good sensitivity," he notes. The sensitivity of CIMS comes out in other ways. For example, a drop of deproteinated blood is sufficient to give a triglyceride profile. Blood triglycerides separate (when coupled to a gas chroma tography system) by virtue of their fatty acid content. Thus, the technique can detect the effects of drugs that reduce saturated fatty acids in blood triglycer ides. "With very little manual effort, we get detailed clinical chemistry data in very short times," Bose says. Another application in an early stage involves cholesterol analysis. "We've been looking at placque material [taken from blood vessels] and at gallstones," Bose says. In such samples, "homologs of cho lesterol with and without double bonds are found. This could lead to diagnostic methods," he notes. But CIMS also is valuable for moni toring chemicals in the environment. For instance, many halogenated compounds, such as polychlor- and polybrominated bfphenyls and pentachlorophenol (PCP), are detected readily in trace amounts by CIMS. PCP is rapidly metabolized by crabs, Bose says, and CIMS offers a way of following what happens to the pesti cide. Its presence alters lipids in crab tissues, attesting to its potency and po tential for harm, Bose asserts. D
Continuously monitor your valuable metals and chemicals! •r ^ f r f r
The Kevex 6500 Chemical Analyzer makes it possible to optimize the recovery of valu able metals and chemicals. It's capable of monitoring up to 19 elements simultaneously and providing a quantitative analysis of selected elements. Using the latest x-ray energy spectrometry technology, the 6500 is based on a pre programmed microprocessor. It rapidly and non-destructively measures chemical com pounds, either in liquid or solid form. Exceptionally versatile, the Kevex 6500 may be used for routine quality control batch sampling tests, or in a con tinuous on-line flow system with the option of closed loop control operation. For laboratory or batch opera tions, another function the 6500 handles with ease is : multiple least squares fit and automatic calculation of per cent concentration based on standards. To find out more about the 6500, and how it can aid you, call us or circle the reader service number below.
keVex Kevex Corporation 1101 Chess Drive Foster City, CA 94404 Phone (415) 573-5866 CIRCLE 17 ON READER SERVICE CARD Oct. 10, 1977 C&EN
35
