As of March 25, 2009

for international journal X-Ray Spectrometry (John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Synchrotron X-ray CT reveals a 300-million-year-old fossil brain (March 9, 2009)

A research team from the National Natural History Museum in Paris and the American Museum of Natural History in New York recently analyzed the 3D structure of a 300-million-year-old brain of a relative of sharks and ratfish at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF).  This is the first time that the soft tissue of such an old fossil brain has ever been found, and the sample studied was found in Kansas, United Sates.  The study was performed by combined use of absorption microtomography and a new holotomographic approach, which uses phase-contrasts.  The analysis indicated that the area where the brain-like structure reaches the surface of the sample reveals a high concentration of calcium phosphate, whereas the surrounding matrix is almost pure calcium carbonate. The mineralization of the brain might be due to the presence of bacteria that covered the brain shortly before decay and induced its phosphatization.  For information about the holotomographic approach, see the paper, "Mixed transfer function and transport of intensity approach for phase retrieval in the Fresnel region", P. Guigay et al., Opt Lett., 32, 1617 (2007).  For more information on this research, see the paper, "Skull and brain of a 300-million-year-old chimaeroid fish revealed by synchrotron holotomography", A. Pradela et al., Proceedings of National Academy of Science (published online before print March 9, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0807047106)

Snap shots of breathing myoglobin (February 24, 2009)

The use of short pulses of extremely bright synchrotron X-rays has opened up a new world.  In Japan, Dr. S. Adachi (KEK, Tsukuba Japan) and his colleagues recently succeeded in recording movies during changes in the molecule structures of myoglobin.  The samples used are frozen myoglobin crystals that had CO (carbon monoxide) stored inside before the start of the experiments.  Even at 100K, irradiating pulsed laser light gave the trigger for the migration of CO molecules.  To see changes in atomic scale, time-resolved X-ray diffraction measurements were performed.  The obtained movie tells us that the CO molecules penetrate into a number of cavities in the crystal and even expand their size.  The research group has obtained an important result suggesting some self-opening mechanism in the ligand migration channel.  For more information, see the paper, "Visualizing breathing motion of internal cavities in concert with ligand migration in myoglobin", A. Tomita et al., Proceedings of National Academy of Science, 106, 2612-2616 (2009) Published online before print February 9, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0807774106

X-ray spectra show evidence of unexpected substitutional alloying under high pressure (February 2, 2009)

In classical metallurgy, there exists a very famous rule known as Hume-Rothery’s rule, which describes the conditions necessary for the formation of a solid solution from two independent metals.  In order to have a substitutional crystalline solid solution in which the atoms of one element randomly substitute for atoms of another element in a crystal structure, the components must have an atomic size within 15% and electronegativity within 0.4 of each other.  According to this rule, a Ce-Al solid solution cannot be obtained.  Recently, a research team led by Professor H.K. Mao (Carnegie Institution of Washington) and Professor R. Ahuja (Uppsala University) found during high pressure research on the intermetallic compound of Ce₃Al that a solid solution is formed in a Ce-Al system.  The differences in radii and electronegativity of Ce and Al were diminished by applying pressure.  Both synchrotron X-ray studies (XRD and X-ray absorption spectroscopy) and ab initio calculations showed the same cause for bringing the two elements closer in radii and electronegativity, resulting in the new alloy phase.  Even after the release of pressure, this substitutional alloy remained.  During in-situ X-ray absorption measurements at the Ce LIII edge, conspicuous changes in the sharpness of the absorption, correlated to delocalization of 4f electrons, were observed.  For more information, see the paper, "Substitutional alloy of Ce and Al", Q-S.Zeng et al., Proceedings of National Academy of Science, 106, 2515-2518 (2009) Published online before print February 2, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0813328106
 

Time-resolved near edge X-ray absorption spectra in sub picosecond timescale (January 23, 2009)

X-ray absorption spectroscopy is one of the most powerful probes of molecular structures.  So far, applications have been limited to the steady state and/or quite slowly changing systems.  Recently, Professor M. Chergui (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, (EPFL), Switzerland) and his colleagues reported a very impressive ultrafast X-ray absorption experiment.  There is a large class of Fe(II)-based molecular complexes that show two electronic states closely spaced in energy: a low-spin (LS) singlet and a high-spin (HS) quintet state. They therefore exhibit spin crossover (SCO) behavior, wherein conversion from a LS ground state to a HS excited state (or the reverse) can be induced by small changes in temperature and pressure or by light absorption.  The studies were done for an aqueous solution of [Fe^II(bpy)₃]²⁺, which serves as a model system for the family of Fe(II)-based SCO complexes.  A 100-mm-thick free-flowing liquid jet of an aqueous solution of 50 mM [Fe^II(bpy)₃]²⁺ was excited by an intense 400-nm laser pulse (115-fs pulse width, repetition rate 1 kHz), and a tunable femtosecond hard X-ray pulse from the slicing source was used to probe the system in transmission mode at 2 kHz.  The X-ray flux was about 10 photons/pulse at 7 keV.  The time resolution was under 250 fs.  By recording the intensity of a characteristic near edge absorption spectral feature as a function of laser pump/X-ray probe time delay, the very early stages of photo excitation in Fe(II)-based complexes were clarified.  For more information, see the paper, "Femtosecond XANES Study of the Light-Induced Spin Crossover Dynamics in an Iron(II) Complex", Ch. Bressler et al., Science, 323, 489 (2009).


 

2009 Pittcon Heritage Award - A. Bader (March 8, 2009)

The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) has announced that Dr. Alfred Bader (Cofounder of Aldrich Chemical Company, former chairman of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation) has received the 2009 annual Pittcon Heritage Award.  Jointly sponsored by the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon) and CHF, this award recognizes outstanding individuals whose entrepreneurial careers have shaped the instrumentation community, inspired achievement, promoted public understanding of the modern instrumentation sciences, and highlighted the role of analytical chemistry in world economies.  Dr. Bader founded the Aldrich Chemical Company, a fine chemicals company that later would become the Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, the 80^th largest chemical company in the United States.  In 1995, he published his autobiography, "Adventures of a Chemist Collector", which details his experiences from Nazi-era refugee to chemist magnate to fine arts connoisseur.  In 2008, the second autobiography has been published, "Chemistry & Art: Further Adventures of a Chemist Collector".
 

Symposium on micro and trace X-ray analysis in Japan (February 14, 2009)

An international symposium on micro and trace X-ray analysis was held in Osaka, Japan, on February 12-14, with financial aid from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).  Professor K. Tsuji (Osaka City Univ.) organized the symposium, which had 102 participants including 12 scientists from outside Japan.  In addition to highly sophisticated analytical experiments with brilliant synchrotron radiation, recent progress regarding the instrumentation and applications of laboratory/mobile X-ray sources was extensively discussed.  The speakers were as follows; P. Wobrauschek (Atominstitut, TU Wien), K. Janssens (Antwerp Univ.), A. Hokura (Tokyo Univ. of Sci.), K. Nakano (Osaka City Univ.), A. von Bohlen (ISAS Institute for Anal. Sci.), S. Maeo (Osaka Electro-Comm. Univ.), Y. Kataoka (Rigaku), G. Havrilla (Los Alamos National Lab), C. Numako (Tokushima Univ.), K. Hayashi (Tohoku Univ.), T. Sakae (Nihon Univ.), K. Sakurai (National Inst. for Materials Sci.), S. Hayakawa (Hiroshima Univ.), K. Tsuji (Osaka City Univ.), S. B. Dabagov (INFN, Frascati), N. Gao (X-Ray Optical Systems, Inc.), H. Soejima (Shimadzu), K. Taniguchi (Inst. of X-ray Tech. Co., Ltd), J. E. Fernandez (Bologna Univ.),  H. Kumagai (Osaka City Univ.), A. Bando (Horiba Ltd.), K. Yamauchi (Osaka Univ.), B. De Samber (Ghent Univ.), Y. Kagoshima (Hyogo Univ.), C. Streli (Atominstitut, TU Wien), P. Pianetta (SLAC, Stanford), S. Shimoyama (Kibi International Univ.), R. Van Grieken (Antwerp Univ.).  The proceedings booklet is available from the organizer, Phone/Fax: +81-6-6605-3080, tsuji@a-chem.eng.osaka-cu.ac.jp
 

Obituary - Toshihisa Horiuchi (December 26, 2008)

Toshihisa Horiuchi, the co-author of the first total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) paper, has died from colorectal cancer at the age of 66 at a hospital in Fukuoka, Japan, where his son is a doctor.  Horiuchi was a student at Kurume National College of Technology. Immediately after finishing school, he started work as a technical staffer at Professor Y. Yoneda's lab, Kyushu University. He became convinced that the use of a new detector would be crucial for opening up new opportunities in X-ray spectroscopy, and he eagerly proposed that his supervisor purchase Si(Li) and Ge detectors, although they were too expensive for the university lab at that time.  One of the most important applications for the then new detectors was TXRF. The paper, "Optical Flats for Use in X-Ray Spectrochemical Microanalysis", Rev. Sci. Instrum. 42, 1069 (1971) is a very famous work. This reported the first successful results of TXRF. Horiuchi was aware of the significance of trace analysis of bio-medical specimens such as blood etc, and he wanted to employ TXRF for such applications. After the death of Professor Yoneda, he moved to another lab and worked in the field of organic thin films for electronic devices.  He contributed substantially to both research and teaching students.  On February 14, 2009 at Osaka City University, Japan, Professor K. Matsushige (Kyoto University), who had supervised Horiuchi for more than 18 years, gave a memorial speech, taking advantage of the opportunity of the international symposium on micro and trace X-ray analysis.  The participants offered a silent prayer for Horiuchi.

 

Novel low power X-ray source using carbon nano-structures (March 19, 2009)

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan has recently announced its successful development of an X-ray source with a cathode made of carbon nano-structures, which consist of a mixture of carbon nano-tubes, nano-walls and nano-diamonds.  The system requires very little power because of the extremely high efficiency of electron emissions.  The X-ray source can work with two AA dry cell batteries (1.5V×2).  For more information, phone: +81- 29-862-6216, FAX：+81-29-862-6212, presec@m.aist.go.jp
 

PANalytical’s new software module for standardless analysis (March 6, 2009)

PANalytical has launched its new standardless analysis package, Omnian.  This latest module in the company’s SuperQ software suite is designed to be used with the Axios sequential X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer.  For more information, visit the Web page, http://www.panalytical.com/
 

Portable X-ray units from GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies (February 23, 2009)

GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies has announced the release of the new ERESCO MF4 series of portable X-ray units for routine non-destructive inspection.  For more information, visit the Web page, http://www.geinspectiontechnologies.com/
 

Shimadzu releases new EDXRF spectrometer (February 5, 2009)

Shimadzu has released a new compact energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometer, the EDX-GP.  For more information, visit the Web page, http://www.shimadzu.com/
 

Oxford unveils new EDXRF spectrometer (January 30, 2009)

Oxford Instruments plc has released a new compact EDXRF spectrometer, the X-Supreme8000.  For more information, visit the Web page, http://www.oxford-instruments.com/

 

Oxford wins PLC award for Best Technology (March 12, 2009)

The PLC Awards event was founded in 1987 to reward excellence in the smaller quoted company sector. The winners of each of the eight award categories are presented with their awards at the annual PLC Awards Dinner, which is held in March. The PLC Awards Dinner is "the" City event of the year and is attended by 1,500 guests, including quoted companies, investment banks, fund managers, investment analysts, and corporate advisors.  This year’s dinner, presented by news personality Penny Smith, took place at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) in association with The London Stock Exchange. The winners are: BTG plc (Best Investor Communication), Asterand plc (Best Performing Share), Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust plc (Best Performing Smaller Company Fund), Marshalls plc (Achievement in Sustainability), Mears Group plc (New Company of the Year), Oxford Instruments plc (Best Technology), Robert Watson - Hilton Food Group plc (Entrepreneur of the Year), and Telecom plus plc (Company of the Year).  For more information, visit the Web page,
http://www.plc-awards.co.uk/index_2009.php

Bruker opens expanded demonstration facility in Yokohama (February 24, 2009)

Bruker Corporation has announced the opening of its expanded 3,000 square-meter demonstration facility, which is co-located with the R&D and manufacturing facility for X-ray analysis systems in Yokohama, Japan.  The new Yokohama facility is the single largest combined Bruker applications laboratory in the world, showcasing a wide selection of novel life science, materials research and industrial systems including NMR, research MRI, EPR, MALDI-TOF/TOF, ESI-ITMS and ESI-Qq-TOF mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and crystallography, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), EDS accessories for SEM, FT-IR and thermal analysis systems.  For more information, visit the Web page, http://www.bruker-axs.de/
 

XOS distributes lead analyzer in China (February 9, 2009)

XOS, Inc. has announced that it has reached a distribution and technical support agreement for its HDX 1000 Lead Analyzer with Skyray Instruments in China. Skyray is China’s leading analytical instrument manufacturer.  For more information, visit the Web page, http://www.xos.com/index.php

SpectroscopyNow.com

For additional news about X-ray analysis and other spectroscopy sciences, browse the Wiley website.

Kenji Sakurai
Director, X-Ray Physics Group, National Institute for
Materials Science (NIMS)
and Professor, Doctoral Program in Materials Science and
Engineering, Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences,
 University of Tsukuba
1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 Japan
Phone : +81-29-859-2821, Fax : +81-29-859-2801
sakurai@yuhgiri.nims.go.jp
http://www.nims.go.jp/xray/lab/