Zoran Zdravkovski

Jean-Jacques Aaron Fontainebleau, 1939 – Skopje, 2025

This study presents a semi-quantitative characterization of volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations and their emission sources in indoor and outdoor environments across four residential and laboratory sites in Milan, Italy, during the summer of 2024. Radiello® passive samplers (Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri in Padova, Italy) were employed for VOC collection, followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. The semi-quantitative mean total VOC (TVOC) concentration was 220.8 ± 195.4 µg/m3 for the outdoor air and slightly higher at 243.6 ± 134.3 µg/m3 for the indoor air, resulting in an indoor-to-outdoor relative ratio of 1.10. The outdoor VOC profile was dominated by hydrocarbons, accounting for 80.3% ± 4.6% (173.2 ± 143.8 µg/m3) of TVOCs, followed by aromatic hydrocarbons at 13.3% ± 5.5% (37.2 ± 49.7 µg/m3). Indoors, hydrocarbons also predominated, representing 34.1% ± 15.2% (95.2 ± 80.1 µg/m3) of the TVOCs, followed by terpenes at 20.7% ± 15.5% (49.0 ± 46.4 µg/m3). Other VOC groups contributed smaller fractions in both environments. The emission profiles from cleaning and personal care products were assessed semi-quantitatively to determine their relative percentage contributions to the indoor VOCs. Source attribution was further supported by diagnostic relative ratios—benzene/toluene, toluene/benzene, and (m + p)-xylene/ethylbenzene—which provided insight into dominant emission sources and photochemical aging.

Humans are exposed to various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact, potentially leading to adverse health consequences. In this study, the distribution of vari-ous VOCs in indoor air in North Macedonia and Kosovo was investigated for the first time. From March to December 2023, the monthly relative abundance of VOCs was monitored using Radiello® pas-sive/diffusive samplers, followed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC MS) analysis.A total of 60 samples were collected from 17 sites, where over 70 individual VOCs belonging to several classes were identified. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) compounds were the most abundant in the chemical stockroom, contributing up to 77.84 % of the total VOC relative abun-dance. In the printing store/workplace, alkylbenzenes were predominant, comprising 69.72 %. Alcohols and ethers were primarily detected in the coffee shop, whereas organosiloxanes were dominant in the hair salon, accounting for 33.87 % and 54.46 % of the total VOCs, respectively. Terpenes were a significant component in the meat factory, representing 65.78 % of the total VOCs, while hydrocarbons were most prevalent in the oil & lubricants store, accounting for 58.23%. Halogenated compounds were primarily found in the superstore, constituting 20.42 % of total VOCs. The VOC composition results indicate that their presence in indoor environments may pose both acute and chronic health risks.

The aim of the study was to monitor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in outdoor air in nine cities/towns across the Republic of N. Macedonia and the Republic of Kosovo for nine consecutive months, using the Radiello® passive and diffusive samplers, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In parallel, employing static headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SHS-GC-MS) technique, VOCs from different types of commercially available gasoline and diesel fuels in the monitored cities were analyzed in order to obtain the chemical profiles and to evaluate the presence of their components in ambient air. GC-MS analyses indicate that the gasoline fuel components (BTEX: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) and diesel fuel components (n-undecane, n-dodecane, n-tridecane, n-tetradecane, and other linear alkanes) account for approximately 60% of VOCs in the outdoor air in the sampling sites. The bulk of the VOCs in the all-sampling locations regardless of the season come from fossil fuels (automotive fuels) and only minor fraction comes from biogenic emission which is dominated by monoterpenes. Furthermore, the ratios of benzene to toluene (B/T) and xylenes to ethylbenzene (X/E) were used to assess the origins of VOCs emissions in the outdoor urban air at the monitored sites.

A unique collection of samples of the chemical elements has been created and displayed at our Institute of Chemistry. Although whole collections are now commercially available, we decided to use, as much as possible, samples from local resources. The general idea was for each item to have a story, making it more interesting for the students and visitors. We were able to acquire elemental samples mined in Macedonia. Other samples were from our student and research labs, as well as donations from colleagues, and the rest were obtained from commercial sources. A web page was created with all the information on each sample, some of them containing videos. Next to the noble gases, mini Tesla coils were mounted to light up the gases.

Правилата опишани во овој прилог се од општо значење при именување на типови и индивидуални соединенија. За да се добијат од IUPAC претпочитани имиња како и имињатаза општа употреба, мора тие строго да се почитуваат. Во овој дел ќе стане збор за следниве поими и нивна примена:3.1. сврзувачки број3.2. мултипликативни префикси3.3. локанти

Во номен­кла­турата на хемиските соединенија се користат следниве операции:Супститутивна операцијаЗаменска операцијаАдитивна операцијаСуптракивна операцијаконјуктивна операцијамултипликативна операцијаоперација на фузијапосени операции при именување на природните продукти.

The development and availability of personal computers and software as well as printing techniques in the last twenty years have made a profound change in the publication of scientific journals. Additionally, the Internet in the last decade has revolutionized the publication process to the point of changing the basic paradigm of printed journals. The Macedonian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in its 40-year history has adopted and adapted to all these transformations. In order to keep up with the inevitable changes, as editor-in-chief I felt my responsibility was to introduce an electronic editorial managing of the journal. The choice was between commercial and open source platforms, and because of the limited funding of the journal we chose the latter. We decided on Open Journal Systems, which provided online submission and management of all content, had flexible configuration - requirements, sections, review process, etc., had options for comprehensive indexing, offered various reading tools, had email notification and commenting ability for readers, had an option for thesis abstracts and was installed locally. However, since there is limited support it requires a moderate computer knowledge/skills and effort in order to set up. Overall, it is an excellent editorial platform and a convenient solution for journals with a low budget or journals that do not want to spend their resources on commercial platforms or simply support the idea of open source software.

Првите системски правила за именување на органските соединенија се донесени на Конгресот на хемичарите во Женева во 1892 година и се познати како Женевска номенклатура. Тие се надополнети со Правилата од Лиеж во 1930 година, Луцерн 1936 година и Рим 1938 година. Во 1947 година при Меѓународната унија за чиста и применета хемија (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry – IUPAC) е формирана Комисија за номенклатура која ги објавува првите правила на IUPAC во 1957 година (секции А и В), ги проширува во 1969 година (секции А, В и С) и во 1979 година (секции A, B, C, D, F, G и H) [1]. Пред дваесет години, во 1993 година, измените излегоа во едно мало, но значајно издание под наслов A Guide to IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Compounds – за жал користењето не беше многу практично затоа што мораше да се користи заедно со изданието од 1979 година [2]. Оваа година излезе ново издание Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry: IUPAC Recom­mendations and Preferred Names 2013, или скратено Препораки 2013, на повеќе од 1500 страници [3]. Правилата од 1979 и препораките од 1993 се модифицирани за да се постигне доследност на целиот систем. Во случај на разлики меѓу разните препораки, предимство имаат најновите од 2013.