MASCAL

Results

• Method for heavy metal traces determination in water by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

ICP-MS is a relative new technic for the determination of elemental traces in solutions. In a typical application, metals are introduced in solution by acid digestion. The solution is nebulized in a carrier gas (Ar) and carried in a plasma heated and inductively maintained by a radio-frequency electro-magnetic field. The temperature in the core of this discharge rises up to 10000^oC. At this temperature the sample is atomized and ionized, the plasma becoming a rich source of exited and ionized atoms. In the Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, the positive ions are driven towards the mass analyzer (most often a quadrupole, but also TOF - Varian -, or double focusing analysers with magnetic and electrostatic field sectors - Thermo Finnigan). From the mass spectrum obtained one can get data concerning almost the entire Mendeleev's Table and detection limits under 0.01µg/l can be reached.

• Volatile organic compunds determination method by Gas Cromatography - Mass Spectrometry coupling

The research in the field of organic pollutants assumes the development and the application of inovative analytical technics, in order to study the fate of chemicals of industrial origin and waste water pollutants to be currently found in surface and underground waters. Some questions for which an answer has to be found are:

1. How quickly and in what manner are these substances degrading?,
2. What are the main prejudices these compounds inflict to the environment?,
3. How the environment conditions influence the persistence and the mobility of these contaminants? and
4. Do these compounds represent any concern from the eco-toxicological point of view?

• Wine authentication method by Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometry

For the first time in our country a tentative for the introduction and the acreditation of a method fot the authentication of wine, based on the determination by mass spectrometric means of isotopic ratios, is made. The determination of the content of stable isotopoes D, ¹⁸O, ¹³C in wine implies the separation of major components: water and ethanol. Once the water and the ethanol separated, one proceeds to the determination of the isotopic composition D/H, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O, ¹³C/¹². One can get the following information concerning the wine: the coformity of the wine quality with the grape variety, the year of the vintage, the captalisation degree, the classification of wines function of their geographical origin, the influence of environmental factors on the vine plants, identification of fraudes on the wine market. All this differecies are possible because the climatic factors, the grape variety, the geogrphical zone where the vine was cultivated, as well as the possible introduction of sinthetic compound to give taste or aroma lives isotopic fingerprints on the beverage.