Comparative analysis of allantoin quercetin, and 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid in Nitraria tangutorum Bobr. Seed by HPLC-APCI-MS and CE

This paper describes the simultaneous determination of allantoin, quercetin, and 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (MTCCA) in Nitraria tangutorum Bobr seed by HPLC-APCI-MS and CE (capillary electrophoresis) methods. The final optimized chromatographic conditions were investigated in a reversed-phase Eclipse XDB-C8 column (150 x 4.6 mm, 5 mu m). A seventeen-minute gradient elution, (A: aqueous acetonitrile 20% (v/v); B: aqueous acetonitrile 60% (v/v); C: pure acetonitrile 100%) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min was selected for the separation of three natural products with diode array detection (DAD) at 220 nm. A CE experiment was carried out in a fused silica capillary with 32 mmol/L boric acid (pH 10), 32 mmol/L SDS and acetonitrile (10.0%, v/v). The applied potential and temperature was, respectively, set at 19 kV and 25 degrees C. After development, the validation was performed in parallel for HPLC and CE, with the same standards and sample to avoid differences due to the manipulation. The validation parameters of both techniques were adequate for the intended purpose.

Resolution deterioration in emission electron microscopy due to object roughness

In the present paper a general analytic expression has been obtained and confirmed by a computer simulation which links the surface roughness of an object under study in an emission electron microscope and it's resolution. A quantitative derivation was made for the model case when there is a step on the object surface. It was shown that the resolution is deteriorated asymmetrically relative to the step. The effect sets a practical limit to the ultimate lateral resolution obtainable in an emission electron microscope.