末次冰盛期以来黑潮流域的古环境演化

2005年6月，中法国际合作在西太平洋海域执行IMAGES XII-MD147 Micro Polo1航次科学考察时，由法国极地研究所R/V Marine Dufresne极地考察船利用Calypso重力取样器于冲绳海槽南部钻取了34.2米长MD05-2908柱状样。本文利用AMS14C测年数据建立了该孔的年代模型，对该孔的浮游有孔虫动物群落进行了分析，并利用FP-12E浮游有孔虫转换函数和Q型因子分析方法对该孔浮游有孔虫数据进行了研究，对全新世以来的黑潮流系演化和古环境记录进行了讨论。 结果表明，中晚全新世存在着5次洪水爆发期，洪水爆发期与当时温暖气候相对应，而高海平面对洪水的爆发也产生了影响。进入全新世以来的6790～4000a B.P.期间，黑潮流一直有稳步增强的趋势，黑潮流始终位于冲绳海槽内；4000～3000a B.P.期间，黑潮强度减弱或者发生明显东偏，冲淡水影响增强；3000a B.P.以后黑潮强度逐渐增强，1650～0a B.P.为中晚全新世以来黑潮活动最强的时期,在600a B.P.和140a B.P.左右存在低值，黑潮强度短暂减弱。普林虫低值事件在MD05-2908孔中有很好的体现，对该事件进行了进一步定年，其发生时间为3900～2800a B.P.，持续时间为1100a，该事件的发生可能与东亚冬季风加强有关。 冲绳海槽中晚全新世气候变化可以分为四个阶段： 6790～4800a B.P.低温阶段，4800～4100a B.P.高温阶段，4100～2400a B.P.低温阶段，2400～0a B.P.波动高温阶段。通过与中国及世界其它地方对比可以识别出6.3～5.9、5.5、4.6～4.2、3.6～3.0、2.9～2.4、1.3～1.0、0.5～0.1ka B.P.六个降温事件，为全新世气候波动在深海高分辨率沉积记录中的响应提供了有力支持。该孔SST频谱分析结果显示，存在着3008a、1061a这种千年尺度的周期，以及215a、123a、103～107a、81～78a以及73～71a等周期，表明该孔SST变化与太阳活动强度是密切相关的。 中晚全新世以来，黑潮流在冲绳海槽逐步加强，到4000aB.P.左右达到最大，然后4000～3000a B.P.期间，黑潮强度明显减弱或者发生东偏，3000aB.P.以后，黑潮强度持续增强，在近1000aB.P.波动较大。 对冲绳海槽地区14个柱状样氧同位素以及P.obliquiloculata丰度进行研究，发现LGM以来，黑潮流可能仍然在冲绳海槽地区活动，并没有移出海槽外，但是由于其强度减弱，其流径发生了很大变化。

湘南瑶岗仙钨矿床成矿流体地球化学

瑶岗仙钨矿床位于湘东南后加里东隆起和湘、桂、粤北海西—印支坳陷带的交接部位，是南岭地区最典型的石英脉型钨矿床之一。为了深入研究瑶岗仙钨矿的成矿机制，本文在野外地质工作基础上，选取有代表性的样品，进行了氦、氩同位素以及碳、氧、硫稳定同位素研究，探讨了矿床成矿流体的来源，成岩成矿的关系，并初步讨论了矿床的成因模式。论文主要获得以下认识： （1）对瑶岗仙矿区不同硫化物中流体包裹体的氦、氩同位素系统测定表明，该矿床毒砂流体包裹体中3He/4He比值为0.58~2.60 Ra；黄铁矿和黄铜矿流体包裹体中3He/4He比值分别为0.41~1.26 Ra 和0.37~0.43 Ra，黑钨矿流体包裹体中氦同位素组成相对变化较大，其3He/4He比值为0.05~0.49 Ra，这些He同位素组成均明显高于地壳相应值；毒砂流体包裹体中的40Ar/36Ar变化范围在309.94~454.39；黄铁矿流体包裹体中的40Ar/36Ar变化范围在409.12~1822.31；黄铜矿和黑钨矿流体包裹体中的40Ar/36Ar变化范围分别为673~886和325~903，明显高于饱和大气雨水的40Ar/36Ar值。上述氦、氩同位素组成揭示瑶岗仙钨矿床中的成矿流体具有壳、幔两端元混合的特点。结合区域地质构造演化和成矿年代学的研究成果，本文认为瑶岗仙钨矿床的成矿流体是瑶岗仙花岗岩浆分异出的含有地幔He的岩浆流体与大气成因地下水二端元混合的产物。 （2）层解石和方解石的C、O同位素显示，该矿方解石的13CPDB和18OSMOW的变化范围为-2.2‰~ -7.0‰（均值为-4.8‰）和5.6‰~14.4‰（均值为11.3‰）；层解石的13CPDB和18OSMOW的变化范围为-5.5‰~ -6.3‰（均值为-5.8‰）和12.7‰~14.3‰（均值为13.8‰）；该矿方解石、层解石的C、O同位素组成与赣南西华山钨矿床非常类似。这些C、O同位素指示，该矿的成矿流体主要来自岩浆水，后期有少量大气降水的参与。 （3）对瑶岗仙矿区不同硫化物的硫同位素研究表明，该矿硫化物δ34S值的变化范围很窄，为-2.0‰~1.5‰之间，且具有明显的塔式分布。这些特征暗示，该矿的硫来源单一，主要来自岩浆。 （4）瑶岗仙花岗岩过去被视为典型的S型花岗岩，但本文研究发现该花岗岩普遍含有地幔He。结合区域构造背景的最新研究成果，本文认为，原来被认为“由地壳物质重熔形成的”瑶岗仙S型花岗岩体，实际上也是一种岩石圈伸展背景条件下壳幔相互作用的产物，地幔物质和能量的参与在该花岗岩的形成过程中发挥了重要作用。 （5）瑶岗仙钨矿床与矿区复式花岗岩体具有密切时空关系，而且该矿的主要成矿流体和成矿物质均来自矿区花岗岩，故两者亦应具成因联系。

大学生求职行为与社会关系对就业结果的影响

求职过程是人生的一个重要阶段，对大学生来说，毕业后的第一份工作具有不同寻常的意义。本研究在计划行为理论和社会资本理论指导下，6个月内，分3个阶段对全国5所高校的1200名（最终保留434名）大四毕业生进行追踪研究，总体研究结果证明，计划行为理论在中国大学生求职行为研究中具有适用性，通过完善主体规范与行为控制感的测量方法，TPB变量对中国大学生求职行为的方差解释率达到54%，并证明主体规范对求职行为有直接预测作用。 通过对比求职行为与社会关系对求职结果和就业质量的影响，结果表明，社会关系对求职期有显著的负向预测作用，对专业与职位的匹配度、工作满意度有显著的正向预测作用，而求职行为对这三项就业结果指标没有显著的预测作用，求职行为只在面试数量上的预测力强于社会关系的预测力。

A high throughput Nile red method for quantitative measurement of neutral lipids in microalgae

Isolation of high neutral lipid-containing microalgae is key to the commercial success of microalgae-based biofuel production. The Nile red fluorescence method has been successfully applied to the determination of lipids in certain microalgae, but has been unsuccessful in many others, particularly those with thick, rigid cell walls that prevent the penetration of the fluorescence dye. The conventional "one sample at a time" method was also time-consuming. In this study, the solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was introduced to microalgal samples as the stain carrier at an elevated temperature. The cellular neutral lipids were determined and quantified using a 96-well plate on a fluorescence spectrophotometer with an excitation wavelength of 530 nm and an emission wavelength of 575 run. An optimized procedure yielded a high correlation coefficient (R-2 = 0.998) with the lipid standard triolein and repeated measurements of replicates. Application of the improved method to several green algal strains gave very reproducible results with relative standard errors of 8.5%, 3.9% and 8.6%, 4.5% for repeatability and reproducibility at two concentration levels (2.0 mu g/mL and 20 mu g/mL), respectively. Moreover, the detection and quantification limits of the improved Nile red staining method were 0.8 mu g/mL and 2.0 mu g/mL for the neutral lipid standard triolein, respectively. The modified method and a conventional gravimetric determination method provided similar results on replicate samples. The 96-well plate-based Nile red method can be used as a high throughput technique for rapid screening of a broader spectrum of naturally-occurring and genetically-modified algal strains and mutants for high neutral lipid/oil production. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.

5-氟尿嘧啶-β-环糊精结肠靶向前体药物的研究

5-氟尿嘧啶(5-Fluorouracil， 5-FU)是一种抗代谢药物，广泛用于临床治疗结直肠癌、胃癌、乳腺癌等多种癌症，但其首过代谢显著、亲脂性较低，选择性差、毒副作用大。为克服这些缺点人们对5-FU进行了大量的修饰工作，包括小分子修饰以及与各种载体形成微球、微囊、纳米粒、共价前药等。 环糊精(Cyclodextrin，简称CD)，可被结肠中的糖苷酶特异性地降解成小分子糖，而胃和小肠中由于缺乏相应的酶而使环糊精不被降解，这一特性在结肠药物的靶向输送及释放中有重要应用价值。环糊精中含有丰富的羟基，易进行化学修饰，将药物与环糊精通过共价键结合制成前药，使其在胃和小肠中不降解，而在盲结肠中被特异性的酶降解释出药物，达到结肠靶向释药的目的。研究表明，环糊精作为一种前药载体为结肠靶向释药和缓释、控释系统提供了一种有效的手段。 本工作选择5-氟尿嘧啶为模型药物、β-环糊精作为载体，通过中间体5-FU羧酸衍生物的制备及其与β-环糊精的偶联，合成了系列5-FU-β-CD前体药物，并利用紫外、红外、质谱、核磁、元素分析、热分析等手段对其进行结构表征。同时，还研究了前体药物的体外释药性质。具体内容包括： 1. 含有羧基的5-FU衍生物中间体的合成：(5-氟尿嘧啶-1-基)-乙酸(FUAC)、3-(5-氟尿嘧啶-1-基)-丙酸(FUPC)、5-(5-氟尿嘧啶-1-基)-戊酸(FUVC)的合成。 2. 中间体5-FU的羧酸衍生物与β-CD的偶联：分别通过以6-OTs-β-CD为中间体的取代法和活化酯法，合成了第一面取代和第二面取代的5-FU-β-CD大分子前体药物。在二面取代的前体药物制备中，通过改变原料的比例，合成了系列不同取代度(DS)的2-[(5-氟尿嘧啶-1-基)-乙酰基] -β-环糊精结合物。 3. 对上述前体药物进行体外释放研究：分别考察了前体药物在不同pH缓冲溶液中的水解行为及其在小鼠胃肠道人工体液中的酶解行为，并通过UV-Vis及HPLC对前体药物释放情况进行检测分析。 5-Fluorouracil(5-Fu), commonly known as a broad-spectrum antineoplastic drug, has been widely used in the treatment of various kinds of cancer including colon cancer for 40 years. However, this antitumor agent exhibits serious adverse effects, such as their marrow toxicity, gastrointestinal reaction and low selectivity in their clinical use. In order to improve its antitumor activity and reduce its toxicity, the compound was modified in various ways, including the formation of conjugated prodrugs with kinds of carrier, microsphere and nanoparticles etc. Cyclodextrins(CDs) are known to be barely capable of being hydrolyzed and only slightly absorbed in passing through the stomach and small intestine; however they are fermented into small saccharides by colonic microflora and thus absorbed as small saccharides in the large intestine. This biodegradation property of CDs may be useful as a colon-targeting carrier, and thus CD prodrugs may serve as a source of site-specific delivery of drugs to colon. It was demonstrated that prodrugs of CDs can provide a versatile means for construction of not only colon targeted delivery systems, but also delayed release systems. 5-Fluorouracil was taken as a model drug and β-CD as the carrier in this study. Series prodrugs of 5-FU was prepared through the preparation of reactive 5-FU derivatives containing carboxyl group and coupling to hydroxyl groups of CD. The structures of the conjugates were charactered by using IR, UV–vis, ESI-MS, 1H, 13C-NMR spectra, elemental analyses, and thermal analysis. In vitro hydrolysis behavior in aqueous solution and in rat gastrointestinal tract contents of the conjugates were also investigated. The main content of this dissertation includes following aspects: 1. The preparation of 5-FU derivatives containing carboxyl group: 5-Fluorouracil- acetic acid(FUAC)、3-(5-FU-1)-propionic acid (FUPC)、and 5-(5-FU-1)-valeric acid(FUVC). 2. The coupling of 5-FU derivatives to β-CD: 5-FU was selectively conjugated onto the primary or secondary hydroxyl groups of β-CD through an ester linkage, by the substitution of 6-OTs-β-CD and the activated ester method respectively. For the secondary face conjugation, the degree of substitution(DS) can be controlled by changing the mole ratio of the starting materials(FUAC and β-CD). 3. In vitro release behavior of the conjugates in aqueous solution and in rat gastro- intestinal tract contents of the conjugates were investigated, and the reaction was monitored and analyzed by using UV-Vis and HPLC methods.

Synthesis, structure and photochromic properties of a novel 1,6-hexanediamine trimolybdate supramolecular compound

A novel supramolecular compound 1,6-hexanediamine trimolybdate ((C6H18N2[Mo3O10], denoted as HDAMo) has been synthesized by a hydrothermal method and its structure has been characterized by elemental analyses, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. This single crystal compound consists of protonated 1,6-hexanediamine (HDA) cations and polyoxometalate [Mo3O10](2-) anions. Its crystal structure belongs to monoclinic system (space group P2(1)/n) with a = 7.7508(14), b = 11.467(2), c = 16.167(3) angstrom, beta = 92.689(3)degrees, V = 143 5.3(5) angstrom(3), Z = 4 and D-ealc = 2.619 g cm(-3). The final statistics based on F-2 are GOF = 0.980, R-1 = 0.0261 and wR(2) = 0.0506 for I > 2 sigma(I). XRD analysis revealed that in the crystal structure of HDAMo, novel infinite [Mo3O10](2-) chains parallel to a axis are made up of distorted MoO6 octahedra connected by corners and edges. The protonated HDA cations occupy channels formed by [Mo(3)O3(10)](2-) Chains and exhibit strong hydrogen bond interactions to terminal and bridging oxo groups of the chains. The [Mo3O10](2-) chains linked through protonated HAD cations formed a one-dimensional network. The HDAMo compound shows novel photochromic properties, i.e., its color changes from white to reddish brown gradually under UV irradiation. XRD, FT-IR, ESR spectra and XPS are used to investigate the photochromic behavior of the compound.

Structure characterization and physical properties of a complex with supramolecular architectures Co-2(2,6-DPC2Co(H2O)5 center dot 2H(2)O (DPC=2,6-pyridinedicarboxylate)

Reaction of 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic with CoCl2 . 6H(2)O in aqueous solution give rise to a three-dimensional Complex CO2(2,6-DPC)(2)Co(H2O)(5).2H(2)O (DPC = 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylate) 1. It has been characterized by elemental analyses, infrared spectra (IR) spectrum, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, EPR spectrum, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The complex crystallizes in the P2(1)/c space group with a = 8.3906(3) Angstrom, b = 27.4005(8) Angstrom, c = 9.6192(4) A, alpha = 90.00degrees, beta = 98.327(2)degrees, gamma = 90.00degrees, V = 2188.20(14) Angstrom(3), Z = 4. There are two types of cobalt environments: Co(1) is coordinated by four oxygen atoms from four carboxyl groups and two nitrogen 2 atoms which are all from pdc(2). Co(2) is coordinated by six oxygen atoms, five from coordinated water molecules and one from a carboxyl of pdc(2) - of which the other oxygen atom is linked to the Co(1). The extensive intermolecular hydrogen bonds are formed in the crystal by means of the five coordinated water molecules.

Syntheses and properties of novel polyimides derived from 2-(4-aminophenyl)-5-aminopyrimidine

2-(4-Aminophenyl)-5-aminopyrimidine (4) is synthesized via a condensation reaction of vinamidium salts and amidine chloride salts, followed by hydrazine palladium catalyzed reduction. A series of novel homo- and copolyimides containing pyrimidine unit are prepared from the diamine and 1,4-phenylenediamine (PDA) with pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) or 3,3',4,4'-biphenyl tertracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) via a conventional two-step thermal imidization method. The poly(amic acid) precursors had inherent viscosities of 0.97-4.38 dL/g (c = 0.5 g/dL, in DMAc, 30 degrees C) and all of them could be cast and thermally converted into flexible and tough polyimide films. All of the polyimides showed excellent thermal stability and mechanical properties. The glass transition temperatures of the resulting polyimides are in the range of 307-434 degrees C and the 10% weight loss temperature is in the range of 556-609 degrees C under air. The polyimide films possess strength at break in the range of 185-271 MPa, elongations at break in the range of 6.8-51%, and tensile modulus in the range of 3.5-6.46 GPa. The polymer films are insoluble in common organic solvents, exhibiting high chemical resistance.

Determination of surface pK(a) of SAM using an electrochemical titration method

A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (HSCH2CH2COOH) was formed on a gold electrode. The effect of the charge of the end group on the electrochemical response of Fe(CN)(6)(3-) at the SAM modified electrode was studied by using cyclic voltammetry. At high pH, when the -COOH groups are dissociated, Fe(CN)(6)(3-) current is suppressed; as the solution pH is lowered, Fe(CN)(6)(3-) current increases. The electrochemical titration curve was obtained by correlating the currents to the different electrolyte pH values, from which the surface pK(a) was obtained to be 5.2+/-0.1. Furthermore, a calculation equation was presented to simulate the electrochemical titration. As comparison, the surface pK(a) was also measured by contact angle titration as 5.6+/-0.1. The surface pK(a) values determined by the two methods in our work are consistent and accurate.

Synthesis of a photochromic bisphenoxynaphthacenequinone compound by two-step method

A new photochromic bisphenoxynaphthacenequinone compound, 6,6'-[1-methylethylidenebis (4,1-phenyleneoxy)]bis (5,12-naphthacenequinone) (1), was synthesized by a two-step method, i.e., synthesis of 6-[4-(2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)isopropyl) phenoxy]-5, 12-naphthacenequinone (2) from 6-chloro-5, 12-naphthacenequinone (3) and bisphenol-A, and a further reaction of compound 2 in DMF/acetone mixed solvent in the presence of anhydrous potassium carbonate and potassium iodide. The crude product is obtained in a precipitate form and can easily be purified by recrystallization. The solvent composition has marked influence on the yield of the precipitated crude product in the second step.

4-羟基偶氮苯与6-氯-5,12-萘并萘醌反应产物的NMR分析

无水碳酸钾存在下6-氯-5,12-萘并萘醌与4-羟基偶氮苯在干燥DMF中反应的主要产物在某些反应条件下不是6[4-(苯基偶氮基)苯氧基]-5,12-萘并萘醌(1)。该未知反应产物2经核磁共振方法研究证实是6-(N,N-二甲氨基)-5,12-萘并萘醌。本文对化合物2的~1H-和~(13)C化学位移、偶合信息和结构作了详细归属,并推测其反应进程,实验结果表明,化合物2是由化合物1与溶剂DMF反应生成。

钴-4-(5-氯-2-吡啶偶氮)-1,3-二氨基苯-Triton X-100体系的析相富集及痕量钴的光度测定

本文研究了TritonX-100在浊点条件下对钴-4-(5-氯-2-吡啶偶氮)-1,3-二氨基苯(5-Cl-PADAB)络合物的析相条件,在pH4.0～6.0介质中,将胶束溶液加热到92±1℃,保持40min,络合物即被TritonX-100相富集。富集液在575nm测定吸光度,钴含量在0～4μg/5ml范围内服从比尔定律,干扰离子可在TritonX-100析相液中加入H_2SO_4消除。拟定的方法灵敏、简捷,已用于不经分离直接测定人发及自来水中痕量钴。

镧系金属杂—2,3,4,5—四苯基环戊二烯环状化合物的合成及其表征

二苯乙炔和金属锂在乙醚中反应得到1,4-二锂四苯基丁二烯,再与无水氧化希土反应得到了两种系金属条-2,3,4,5-四苯基环戊二烯环状化合物。通过元素分析、红外光谱、核磁共振谱、热失重及电子能谱的分析,对所合成的化合物进行了表征;并对化合物的水解产物作了红外光谱、质谱和核磁共振谱分析,确认下列两种化合物的存在:

Pretreatment Method for Nitrogen Isotopic Analysis of Nitrate in Seawater

A suitable method for the pretreutment of dissolved nitrate samples in seawaters for nitrogen isotopic analysis was established. First, the seawater samples were processed by removing nitrite and amonium. Then Devard's alloy was added in sample for conversion of dissolved nitrate to ammonium. The sample was distilled, and then the ammonium condensate was collected with zeolite. after distillation, the collected condensate was filtered and prepared for determining nitropic values. Some tests of the method were conducted. The distillation condition, the influence of salinity on nitrogen isotopic analysis, absorption of ammonium onto zeolite and an improved method on a large volume of seawater were discussed in this study. The results showed that the distillation step had an average recovery of (104.9 +/- 4.2) % (n = 6) when distillating every 300 mL aliquot of the sample under a strong alkaline condition with 0.5 g devard's alloy and a distillation time of 30 min. The nitrogen isotopic fractionation decreased markedly when salinity was increased from 0% to 0.5%; further increase(1% - 3.5%) showed little effect. The adsorption rate of ammonium onto zeolite had a high yield of (95.96 +/- 1.08) % (n = 6) in average. An improved collection method was used to process a large volume of seawater with several distillations, and had good effect on analysis. The method had been applied to analyze water samples collected from Changjiang estuary. The analytical results indicate that the method is suitable for delta N-15 analysis of dissolved nitrate in seawaters. The present method could provide valuable information about the source and cycle mechanism of dissolved nitrogen in estuary waters.

Development of a sensitive fluorescent derivatization reagent 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-ethyl chloroformate (BCEOC) and its application for determination of amino acids from seeds and bryophyte plants using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and identification with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A pre-column derivatization method for the sensitive determination of amino acids and peptides using the tagging reagent 1,2-benzo-3,4dihydrocarbazole-9-ethyl chloroformate (BCEOC) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been developed. Identification of derivatives was carried out by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS). The chromophore of 2-(9-carbazole)-ethyl chloroformate (CEOC) reagent was replaced by 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole functional group, which resulted in a sensitive fluorescence derivatizing reagent BCEOC. BCEOC can easily and quickly label peptides and amino acids. Derivatives are stable enough to be efficiently analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The derivatives showed an intense protonated molecular ion corresponding m/z (M + H)(+) under electrospray ionization (ESI) positive-ion mode with an exception being Tyr detected at negative mode. The collision-induced dissociation of protonated molecular ion formed a product at m/z 246.2 corresponding to the cleavage of C-O bond of BCEOC molecule. Studies on derivatization demonstrate excellent derivative yields over the pH 9.0-10.0. Maximal yields close to 100% are observed with a 3-4-fold molar reagent excess. Derivatives exhibit strong fluorescence and extracted detzvatization solution with n-hexane/ethyl acetate (10:1, v/v) allows for the direct injection with no significant interference from the major fluorescent reagent degradation by-products, such as 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-ethanol (BDC-OH) (a major by-product), mono- 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-ethyl carbonate (BCEOC-OH) and bis-(1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-ethyl) carbonate (BCEOC)(2). In addition, the detection responses for BCEOC derivatives are compared to those obtained with previously synthesized 2-(9-carbazole)-ethyl chloroformate (CEOC) in our laboratory. The ratios AC(BCEOC)/AC(CEOC) = 2.05-6.51 for fluorescence responses are observed (here, AC is relative fluorescence response). Separation of the derivatized peptides and amino acids had been optimized on Hypersil BDS C-18 column. Detection limits were calculated from 1.0 pmol injection at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, and were 6.3 (Lys)-177.6 (His) fmol. The mean interday accuracy ranged from 92 to 106% for fluorescence detection with mean %CV < 7.5. The mean interday precision for all standards was < 10% of the expected concentration. Excellent linear responses were observed with coefficients of > 0.9999. Good compositional data could be obtained from the analysis of derivatized protein hydrolysates containing as little as 50.5 ng of sample. Therefore, the facile BCEOC derivatization coupled with mass spectrometry allowed the development of a highly sensitive and specific method for the quantitative analysis of trace levels of amino acids and peptides from biological and natural environmental samples. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.