To make jewellery of gold, gold is alloyed with other metals. It is of great importance to accurately determine the total amount of pure gold in alloys used for making the jewellery and in jewellery made of gold, because it determines its value on the market. Several analytical methods are used for this purpose. This study was based on comparison of results of analysis of gold alloy for 14-carat jewellery obtained by non-destructive fluorescent analysis method and destructive cupellation method. The null hypothesis with 95 % confidence level on equivalence in measurement precision of perecnt by percent mass of gold in three very similar gold alloy samples in reproducibility conditions (three measurement series) for standard cupellation method and the method compared (validated), XRF method, has been confirmed. F-test did not confirm null hypothesis on precision equivalence for two mentioned analysis methods. There is a significant difference in variance values. However, the t-test was carried out, which verified the null hypothesis on equivalence between mean values of results achieved in two compared values. In order to confirm applicabilty of two methods ,Zscore was calculated giving values of less than 2, using statistical data from inter-laboratory program with 62 participating laboratories applying cupellation method, and 60 laboratories applying XRF method for analysis of gold alloy used in production of 14-carat jewellery. Article info Received: 06/12/2011 Accepted: 25/01/2012

Environmental contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has caused increasing concern because of their known, or suspected, carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons occurring in the environment are usually the result of the incomplete combustion of carbon containing materials. The main sources of severe PAHs contamination in soil come from fossil fuels, i.e. production or use of fossil fuels or their products, such as coal tar and creosote. Creosote is used as a wood preservation for railway ties, bridge timbers, pilling and large-sized lumber. It consists mainly of PAHs, phenol and cresol compounds that cause harmful health effects. Research on biodegradation has shown that a special group of microorganisms, the white-rot fungi and brown-rot fungi, has a remarkable potential to degrade PAHs. This paper presents a study of the antifungal activity of 12 selected PAHs against two ligninolytic fungi Hypoxylon fragiforme (white rot) and Coniophora puteana (brown rot). The antifungal activity of PAHs was determined by the disc-diffusion method by measuring the diameter of the zone of inhibition. The results showed that the antifungal activity of the tested PAHs (concentration of 2.5 mmol/L) depends on the their properties such as molar mass, solubility in water, values of log Kow, ionization potential and Henry’s Law constant as well as number of aromatic rings, molecule topology or pattern of ring linkage. Among the 12 investigated PAHs, benzo(k) fluoranthene with five rings, and pyrene with four cyclic condensed benzene rings showed the highest antifungal activity.