Experimental measurement of absolute number of atoms vaporized in a graphite cuvette

A new method based on electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrometry is proposed for the experimental calculation of the product KN(0) where K is a constant which relates the instantaneous absorbance to the instantaneous number of atoms electrothermally atomized in a graphite cuvette, and N(0) is the number of atoms initially deposited in the graphite cuvette. The method is based on measurement of the integrated absorbance A(i) and the average residence time tau(R) of the atoms in the optical path, from an absorbance vs. time curve. The data so obtained can be used to compare the K values with those in the literature or, if K is known, to calculate N(0) under widely different experimental conditions. The ratio A(i)/tau(R) remains constant even if both A(i) and tau(R) change with different heating rates and the final constant temperature of the euvette surface, T(f).     

Electrophoresis of Spherical Particles with a Random Distribution of Zeta Potential or Surface Charge

Electrophoresis is often used to measure the "average" zeta (zeta) potential on particles. However, it has been found by previous researchers that in making predictions of colloidal forces and stability, the distribution of zeta potential on the particles is important. This paper provides a straightforward method for measuring charge nonuniformity on colloidal spheres. It is shown that if the charge or zeta potential is random on a group of spheres, each covered with N equal-area patches, then the average magnitude of the dipole moment on the spheres is 0.92sigma(zeta)/N, and the average magnitude of the quadrupole moment is 1.302sigma(zeta)/N, where sigma(zeta) is the standard deviation of zeta potential over the surface of individual spheres. This is true for any random distribution of zeta potential, and the results emphasize that "random" implies nonuniform. It is demonstrated that since typical translational mobility measurements are much less sensitive to random charge nonuniformity than rotational mobility measurements, the latter measurement is better suited for measuring the second moment (sigma(zeta)) of zeta potential. Monte Carlo simulations were done to confirm and extend the analytical results. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

螯合树脂研究——ⅩⅥ.以壳聚糖为母体的含硫、氮螯合树脂的合成及其吸附性能

 壳聚糖与环硫氯丙烷反应合成了一系列含S和N的交联型螫合树脂。这类树脂对贵金属离子如:金、银、钯、铂等具有优良的吸附性能。     

Nanoemulsion stability: Experimental evaluation of the flocculation rate from turbidity measurements

The coalescence of liquid drops induces a higher level of complexity compared to the classical studies about the aggregation of solid spheres. Yet, it is commonly believed that most findings on solid dispersions are directly applicable to liquid mixtures. Here, the state of the art in the evaluation of the flocculation rate of these two systems is reviewed. Special emphasis is made on the differences between suspensions and emulsions. In the case of suspensions, the stability ratio is commonly evaluated from the initial slope of the absorbance as a function of time under diffusive and reactive conditions. Puertas and de las Nieves (1997) developed a theoretical approach that allows the determination of the flocculation rate from the variation of the turbidity of a sample as a function of time. Here, suitable modifications of the experimental procedure and the referred theoretical approach are implemented in order to calculate the values of the stability ratio and the flocculation rate corresponding to a dodecane-in-water nanoemulsion stabilized with sodium dodecyl sulfate. Four analytical expressions of the turbidity are tested, basically differing in the optical cross section of the aggregates formed. The first two models consider the processes of: a) aggregation (as described by Smoluchowski) and b) the instantaneous coalescence upon flocculation. The other two models account for the simultaneous occurrence of flocculation and coalescence. The latter reproduce the temporal variation of the turbidity in all cases studied (380 ≤ [NaCl] ≤ 600 mM), providing a method of appraisal of the flocculation rate in nanoemulsions.     

Infrared studies of cryogenic transitions in poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Measurements of infrared absorbance as a function of temperature down to 77°K have been made on poly(ethylene terephthalate). Transitions observed by other techniques such as torsion pendulum measurements are reflected in the infrared measurements by an abrupt change in the slope of the absorbance versus temperature. The infrared measurements are made on bands of known structural origin so the structures contributing to each transition can be determined. The β transition is shown by infrared to be a composite of two peaks with the lower-temperature portion arising from the amorphous regions and the higher-temperature portion from the crystalline regions.     

邻苯二甲酰化壳聚糖中酰胺酸取代度的红外测定

室温条件下从完全脱乙酰化壳聚糖出发合成了不同酰胺酸取代度的邻苯二甲酰化壳聚糖，并以此为标样，标样的取代度由X射线光电子能谱（XPS）确定，研究了以FT－IR作为工具测定此系列衍生物的总取代度的方法，以2887cm^-1的吸收峰作为参比谱带，探针谱带可用1712cm^-1或749cm^-1的吸收峰，两种探针谱带所得曲线的斜率分别为1．13和0．12，相关系数分别为0．997和0．977，此结果表明：红外法是一种既准确可靠又方便可行的测定方法。     

Microgel Particles as a Matrix for Polymerization: A Study of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-Poly(N-methylpyrrole) Dispersions

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgel particles dispersed in water have been used as a matrix for the polymerization of a hydrophobic monomer, N-methylpyrrole (MPy). The presence of poly(MPy) (PMPy) within the dried composite particles has been confirmed using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements which show a characteristic free-radical signal at g=2.007. Electron microscopy data (TEM) show that the composite PNIPAM-xPMPy particles have a "raspberry-like" morphology. (The value for x represents the volume percent of MPy added during synthesis with respect to the total microgel volume.) PCS data indicate that PMPy occupies the majority of the collapsed composite particle volume. The maximum value of x consistent with colloid stability for PNIPAM-xPMPy dispersions is 4.5%. Higher values of x result in coagulation due to interparticle bridging by PMPy. Variable temperature PCS measurements of the PNIPAM-xPMPy dispersions have been used to study the thermally induced collapse of the composite particles. The extent of collapse becomes less with increasing values for x. The embedded PMPy particles restrict the extent of PNIPAM network contraction. The stability of the PNIPAM-4.5PMPy dispersions was investigated by means of turbidity measurements using aqueous 0.1 M NaCl solution. The upper critical flocculation temperatures (UCFT) for PNIPAM and PNIPAM-4.5PMPy dispersions were identical (38-39 degrees C). The flocculation observed was found to be fully reversible. The composite dispersion stability in the absence of salt was attributed to electrosteric stabilization afforded by the PNIPAM matrix. These results indicate that PNIPAM microgel particles may have application as a matrix for the polymerization of hydrophobic monomers in water. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of di-n-octyl disulfide in a straight oil metalworking fluid: application of differential permeation and Box-Cox transformation

The aim of this study was to identify and quantify an unknown peak in the chromatogram of a very complex mixture, a straight oil metalworking fluid (MWF). The fraction that permeated through a thin nitrile polymer membrane had less mineral oil background than the original MWF did at the retention time of the unknown peak, thus facilitating identification by total ion current (TIC) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The peak proved to be di-n-octyl disulfide (DOD) through retention time and mass spectral comparisons. Quantitation of DOD was by extracted ion chromatogram analysis of the DOD molecular ion (mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) 290), and of the m/z 71 ion for the internal standard, n-triacontane. Linear models of the area ratio (y) of these two ions versus DOD concentration showed a systematic negative bias at low concentrations, a common occurrence in analysis. The linear model of y(0.8) (from Box-Cox power transformation) versus DOD concentration showed negligible bias from the lowest measured standard of 1.51 mg/L to the highest concentration tested at 75.5 mg/L. The intercept did not differ statistically from zero. The concentration of DOD in the MWF was then calculated to be 0.398+/-0.034% (w/w) by the internal standard method, and 0.387+/-0.036% (w/w) by the method of standard additions. These two results were not significantly different at p < or = 0.05. The Box-Cox transformation is therefore recommended when the data for standards are non-linear.     

Two independent measurements of Debye lengths in doped nonpolar liquids

Electric current measurements were performed between 2.5 cm x 7.5 cm parallel-plate electrodes separated by 1.2 mm of heptane doped with 0-15% w/w poly(isobutylene succinimide) (PIBS) having a molecular weight of about 1700. The rapid (microsecond) initial charging of the capacitor can be used to infer the dielectric constant of the solution. The much slower decay of current arising from the polarization of electrodes depends on the differential capacitance of the diffuse clouds of charge carriers accumulating next to each electrode and on the ohmic resistance of the fluid. Using the Gouy-Chapman model for the differential capacitance, Debye lengths of 80-600 nm were deduced that decrease with increasing concentration of PIBS. Values of the Debye lengths were confirmed by performing independent measurements of double-layer repulsion between a 6 microm polystyrene (PS) latex sphere and a PS-coated glass plate using total internal reflection microscopy in the same solutions. The charge carriers appear to be inverted PIBS micelles having apparent Stokes diameters of 20-40 nm. Dynamic light scattering reveals a broad distribution of sizes having an intensity-averaged diameter of 15 nm. This smaller size might arise (1) from overestimating the electrophoretic mobility of micelles by treating them as point charges or (2) because charged micelles are larger on average than uncharged micelles. When Faradaic reactions and zeta potentials on the electrodes can be neglected, such current versus time experiments yield values for the Debye length and ionic strength with less effort than force measurements. To obtain the concentration of charge carriers from measurements of conductivity, the mobility of the charge carriers must be known.     

Relation between the particle size distribution and the kinetic performance of packed columns. Application to a commercial sub-2 microm particle material

To study the influence of the particle size distribution (PSD), we measured the chromatographic performance of a series of sub-2 microm particle high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns packed with four different particle mixtures having a purposely imposed different size distribution. Using the reduced kinetic plot representation by plotting the separation impedance (E(0)) versus the plate number ratio (N(opt)/N), the different columns could be classified according to their chromatographic performance without the need to specify a mean particle diameter or a molecular diffusion coefficient, as is needed in the classical reduced plate height and flow resistance analysis. The present analysis shows that it is not so much the width or span of the particle size distribution, but rather the presence of fines that greatly determines the chromatographic performance of particulate columns.     

Determination of hexavalent plutonium using differential spectrophotometry

A differential spectrophotometric method has been developed for plutonium in hexavalent state using a double beam spectrophotometer. The absorbance measurements were made at 835 nm in 4M sulfuric acid using a 5 cm cell. In the method developed the absorbance of six Pu(VI) standards, taken in the sample cell, were recorded against a molybdenum blue solution of appropriate intensity in the reference cell. A least-squares fit of data on absorbance and concentration of plutonium standards gave slope F and intercept Co which were used to determine the unknown concentrations using the relationship, C=C₀+F·Ar where Ar is the absorbance of a plutonium solution of unknown concentration C mg/g. Various parameters like choice of acid and acidity, slit width, oxidant etc. were studied and the conditions optimized. Plutonium in the concentration range of 0.1–0.3 mg/g could be determined with a precision of ±0.5%. Uranium does not interfere. The method is useful for the analysis of a large number of samples on a routine basis.     

Preparation of MMA－BA－DMAEMA Nanosized Latex

The terpolymer latex of methyl methacrylate (MMA)/butyl acrylate (BA)/ dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) with diameter of less than 100 nm was prepared by seeding semi-continuous emulsion copolymerization using APS (ammonium pcrsulfate) / TMEDA (N,N,N,N-tetramethylethylenediamine) as the redox initiators and SDS (sodium dodecylsulfate) and OP (P-octylpolyethylene glycol phenylether) as co-emulsifiers. The factors that influenced the process stability of the copolymerization and the particle size of the latex were investigated. The addition of aqueous ammonia as coagulation inhibitor provided better process stability of the copoly- merization. The addition of acetic acid as the acidification agent caused a remarkable reduction of the latex particle size.     

Determination of Vitamin A in Presence of its Degradation Product by First - Derivative U.V.- Spectrophotometry

Abstract

A rapid spectrophotometric method for the determination of retinol palmitate (vitamin A) in the presence of its oxidative degradation product is presented. The method is based on the first-derivative measurement of the peak-trough amplitude at 288 – 336 nm. The mean percentage recovery for mixtures of vitamin A with their respective degradation product was 100(1.0). Graphs of log 0% versus time for vitamin A in 0.1 N hydrochloric acid/isopropanol was a straight line with a slope of ?0.0007 min^?1. The method has been succesfuly applied to monitor the vitamin stability.     

螯合树脂研究——ⅩⅥ.以壳聚糖为母体的含硫、氮螯合树脂的合成及其吸附性能

壳聚糖与环硫氯丙烷反应合成了一系列含S和N的交联型螫合树脂。这类树脂对贵金属离子如:金、银、钯、铂等具有优良的吸附性能。     

Formation and stabilization of a biodegradable polymeric colloidal suspension of nanoparticles

The formation of a colloidal suspension of nanoparticles was obtained, in a very simple manner, by transferring a solution of poly--caprolactone in a good solvent (L1) into a non-solvent (L2). Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (PCS) measurements confirmed by microscopic observations were used to determine the morphological aspects of the preparations. The influence of several factors on nanoprecipitation was examined: polymer concentration, L1/L2 ratio, dielectric constant of the final mixture. An experimental model of the phenomenon, which takes into account the flocculation concentration and the L1/L2 ratio, is proposed. It allows the optimal conditions for nanoparticles formation to be determined.     

Stability of dispersions of colloidal hematite/yttrium oxide core-shell particles

The colloidal stability of suspensions of hematite/yttria core/shell particles is investigated in this work and compared with that of the pure hematite cores. The different electrical surface characteristics of yttrium and iron oxides, as well as the diameters of both types of spherical particles, dominate the overall process of particle aggregation. The aggregation kinetics of the suspensions was followed by measuring their optical absorbance as a function of time. By previously calculating the extinction cross section of particle doublets, it was demonstrated that for both core and core/shell particles the turbidity of the suspensions should increase on aggregation. Such an increase was in fact found in the systems in spite of the ever-present tendency of the particles to settle under gravity. The authors used the initial slope of the turbidity increment time plots as a measure of the ease of aggregation between particles. Thus, they found that the essential role played by pH on the charge generation on the two oxides and the shift of one pH unit between the isoelectric points of hematite and yttria manifest in two features: (i) the stability decreases on approaching the isoelectric point from either the acid or basic side and (ii) the maximum instability is found for hematite at pH 7 and for hematite/yttria at pH 8, that is, close to the isoelectric points of alpha-Fe(2)O(3) and Y(2)O(3), respectively. The role of added electrolyte is simply to yield the suspensions of either type more unstable. Using the surface free energy of the particles, the authors could estimate their Hamaker constants in water. From these and their zeta potentials, the DLVO theory of stability was used to quantitatively explain their results.     

Development of a fluorescent method for detecting the onset of coagulation in human plasma on microstructured lateral flow platforms

Microfluidic devices and microsystems have been used to develop blood coagulation monitoring devices for point of care diagnostic use. However, many of them suffer from inherent variability and imprecision, partly due to the fact that they only detect changes in bulk clotting properties and do not reflect the microscopic nature of blood coagulation. This work demonstrates microstructured lateral flow platforms used in combination with fluorescently labelled fibrinogen to detect microscopic clot formation. Plasma samples applied to platforms modified with coagulation activation reagents and fluorescent fibrinogen produced changes in fluorescence intensity due to incorporation of the fluorophore into the forming microclots. It was found that the change in the distribution of the fluorescence within the sample over time was an excellent predictor of the onset of coagulation, which could be used to determine the clotting time. The impact of various assay parameters was optimised and the assay was shown to be capable of measuring the effect of heparin concentration on blood clotting time from 0 to 1.5 U mL(-1).     

Cross-linking assessment after accelerated ageing of ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber

The ageing of filled and cross-linked ethylene propylene diene elastomer (EPDM) has been studied under accelerated UV irradiation (λ ≥ 290 nm) at 60 °C, thermal ageing at 100 °C and in nitric acid vapours for different time intervals. Hardness measurements were performed. DSC-thermoporosimetry was used to estimate the mesh size distribution and cross-linking densities for each ageing. The development of functional groups was monitored by ATR spectroscopy. An increase in oxidation with exposure time after the different types of ageing was observed. The thermal stability of EPDM was assessed by TGA and evolved volatile gases were identified using FTIR spectroscopy.     

A generalized model for the stability of polymer colloids

A generalized model has been proposed to describe the stability of polymer colloids stabilized with ionic surfactants by accounting simultaneously for the interactions among three important physicochemical processes: colloidal interactions, surfactant adsorption equilibrium, and association equilibria of surface charge groups with counterions at the particle-liquid interface. A few Fuchs stability ratio values, determined experimentally for various salt types and concentrations through measurements of the doublet formation kinetics, are used to estimate the model parameters, such as the surfactant adsorption and counterion association parameters. With the estimated model parameters, the generalized model allows one to monitor the dynamics of surfactant partitioning between the particle surface and the disperse medium, to analyze the variation of surface charge density and potential as a function of the electrolyte type and concentration, and to predict the critical coagulant concentration for fast coagulation. Three fluorinated polymer colloids, stabilized by perfluoropolyether-based carboxylate surfactant, have been used to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed colloidal stability model.