A simple gas chromatography method for the determination of ethylcarbamate in spirits

Summary Ethylcarbamate is a toxic component of certain spirits. For its determination, the spirit is concentrated to one-fifth of its volume, extracted with ethylacetate and analysed by capillary gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection (FID). The method saves time and material and has proved to be a reliable test in different laboratories. The ethylcarbamate concentrations in 170 samples of Swiss origin are presented. the mean values were 1.0 mg/l in cherry brandies, 1.5 mg/l in plum brandies and 0.4 mg/l in Williams pear brandies. Ethylcarbamate concentrations may increase during storage, especially under the influence of daylight.

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Eine einfache gaschromatographische Methode zur Bestimmung von Ethylcarbamat in Spirituosen

Zusammenfassung Ethylcarbamat ist ein cancerogener Inhaltsstoff von gewissen Spirituosen. Zu dessen Bestimmung wird die Probe auf 1/5 ihres Volumens eingeengt, mit Ethylacetat extrahiert und durch Capillar-GC mit FID nachgewiesen. Die Methode ist zeitund materialsparend und hat sich bei einem Vergleich mit mehreren Laboratorien als zuverlässig erwiesen. Die Ethylcarbamatgehalte von 170 Spirituosenproben aus der Innerschweiz werden angegeben. Dabei liegen die Mittelwerte für Kirschwasser bei 1,0 mg/l, für Zwetschgen- und Pflümliwasser bei 1,5 mg/1 und für Williamsbranntweine bei 0,4 mg/1. Die Ethylcarbamatgehalte von Spirituosen können bei der Lagerung stark zunehmen, dies vor allem unter dem Einfluß von Tageslicht.

     

A simple gas chromatography method for the determination of ethylcarbamate in spirits

Ethylcarbamate is a toxic component of certain spirits. For its determination, the spirit is concentrated to one-fifth of its volume, extracted with ethylacetate and analysed by capillary gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection (FID). The method saves time and material and has proved to be a reliable test in different laboratories. The ethylcarbamate concentrations in 170 samples of Swiss origin are presented. The mean values were 1.0 mg/l in cherry brandies, 1.5 mg/l in plum brandies and 0.4 mg/l in Williams pear brandies. Ethylcarbamate concentrations may increase during storage, especially under the influence of daylight.     

Phonon emission from a discrete sine-Gordon breather

Phonon emission from a large-amplitude discrete sine-Gordon breather was studied numerically for a small degree of discreteness. In contrast to the case of highly discrete system investigated by Boesch and Peyrard (Phys. Rev. B 43 (1991) 8491), it was found that the resonance between the breather's oscillation and the phonons of the lower phonon band edge (κ=0) takes place for a small degree of discreteness.     

Permanent-magnet trap for ultracold neutron storage

The design of a permanent-magnet trap for ultracold neutron (UCN) storage is described. This trap excludes neutron collisions with the walls and, hence, eliminates anomalous losses. Used in the experiments on the neutron lifetime determination such UCN traps remove the main systematic error related to the anomalous neutron losses on the walls.     

Tunneling Through a Single Quench-condensed Cluster

Quench-condensed bismuth films of 3–5 nm thickness have beenused as a cluster source to prepare Single ElectronTransistors (SET) based on a single cluster with high chargingenergy. We used electron-beam defined shadow evaporation masksto pattern 10 nm wide constrictions in these films. Byincremental depositions through these masks controlled by insitu sample conductance measurements, we obtained a SETgeometry for clusters with charging energies up to 90 meV. Ourexperiment showed that the SET geometry can be achieved inevery sample preparation run, despite the apparent randomnature of cluster formation in granular films. The resultingcharging energy of the transistor varied from experiment toexperiment. Its value, however, was always higher than 10 meV.     

Investigation of solidification cracking susceptibility during laser beam welding using an in-situ observation technique

In recent years, laser beam welding has found wide applications in many industrial fields. Solidification cracks are one of the most frequently encountered welding defects that hinder obtaining a safe weld joint. Decades of research have shown that one of the main causes of such cracks are the strain and the strain rate. Obtaining meaningful measurements of these strains has always been a major challenge for scientists, because of the specific environment of the measurement range and the many obstacles, as well as the high temperature and the plasma plume. In this study, a special experimental setup with a high-speed camera was employed to measure the strain during the welding process. The hot cracking susceptibility was investigated for 1.4301 stainless steel, and the critical strain required for solidification crack formation was locally and globally determined.     

The ecological peculiarities of the testate amoebae population in the Middle Ob flood plain

The biodiversity and distribution of testate amoebae in the Middle Ob flood plain soils have been studied. The biodiversity of Testacea in the soils consists of 83 species and varieties from 12 families. The population of Testacea in flood plain habitats is rich in water forms, especially in the flood plain part of the catena, because of annual floods. The study showed that the density of Testacea in the forest plots is approximately 10 times higher than in the meadow ones. The species diversity of Testacea in the meadows of the flood plain includes 40 species and varieties. It was found that there is an enrichment of the fauna of Testacea in the flood plain meadows with water forms and a decrease in the population of Testacea in the soil according to the depth. The decrease in the diversity and number down the soil profile is related to the decrease in the amount of the oxygen available and general induration of soil. On the whole, the population composition of Testacea in the soils of the pine forest consists of typical representatives of humus substrates with low values of pH, small stock of humus and mineral nutrition. The soils of mature pine forests are rich in Testacea; they have a similar complex of morphological types, mainly because of the moss cover and forest litter thickness.