Thermodynamic characteristics of the complexation between Pb<Superscript>2+</Superscript> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-Bis(carboxymethyl)aspartic acid in aqueous solution

The enthalpies of complexation between N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)aspartic acid (H₄Y) and the Pb²⁺ ion at 298.15 K were determined from calorimetric data for a wide range of the ionic strengths (KNO₃). The thermodynamic characteristics ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS, of formation of the complexes PbHY⁻ and PbY²⁻ were calculated for zero and fixed ionic strengths. The results obtained were interpreted.     

Scale up and Application of Biosurfactant from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis> in Enhanced Oil Recovery

There is a lack of fundamental knowledge about the scale up of biosurfactant production. In order to develop suitable technology of commercialization, carrying out tests in shake flasks and bioreactors was essential. A reactor with integrated foam collector was designed for biosurfactant production using Bacillus subtilis isolated from agricultural soil. The yield of biosurfactant on biomass (Y _p/x), biosurfactant on sucrose (Y _p/s), and the volumetric production rate (Y) for shake flask were obtained about 0.45 g g⁻¹, 0.18 g g⁻¹, and 0.03 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. The best condition for bioreactor was 300 rpm and 1.5 vvm, giving Y _x/s, Y _p/x, Y _p/s, and Y of 0.42 g g⁻¹, 0.595 g g⁻¹, 0.25 g g⁻¹, and 0.057 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. The biosurfactant maximum production, 2.5 g l⁻¹, was reached in 44 h of growth, which was 28% better than the shake flask. The obtained volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (K _L a) values at optimum conditions in the shake flask and the bioreactor were found to be around 0.01 and 0.0117 s⁻¹, respectively. Comparison of K _L a values at optimum conditions shows that biosurfactant production scaling up from shake flask to bioreactor can be done with K _L a as scale up criterion very accurately. Nearly 8% of original oil in place was recovered using this biosurfactant after water flooding in the sand pack.     

Thermodynamic Aspects of the Vaterite-Calcite Phase Transition

Although vaterite is the least stable anhydrous calcium carbonate polymorph, it is formed as a metastable phase in some normal and pathological biomineralisation processes. In this work, thermodynamic aspects of the vaterite-calcite phase transition were comprehensively studied. Vaterite samples were prepared by different methods and characterised for the composition, crystal structure, specific surface and grain size. All products were identified to be pure vaterite by careful X-ray diffraction measurements. The enthalpy and Gibbs energy of transition were determined by precise calorimetric and potentiometric measurements. The reliability of the thermodynamic data for the vaterite-calcite phase transition derived from this work was shown by the use of different calorimetric methods to determine the enthalpy of transition and the independent measurements of heat capacity and entropy of vaterite. Our recommended values are Δ_trs G*=−2.9±0.2 kJ mol⁻¹ , Δ _trs H *=−3.4±0.2 kJ mol−1 and Δ _trs S *=−1.7±0.9 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ , where the uncertainties are given as twice the standard deviations. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Heat capacity at constant pressure and thermodynamic properties of phase transitions in PbMO<Subscript>3</Subscript> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>=Ti,Zr and Hf)

The heat capacity of PbMO₃ (M=Ti, Zr and Hf) at constant pressure was measured using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) from room temperature up to 870 K. Large anomalies were found in the heat capacity curves, corresponding to the ferroelectricparaelectric phase transition in PbTiO₃ (PT), the antiferroelectric-paraelectric phase transitions in PbZrO₃ (PZ) and PbHfO₃ (PH). The transition entropies were estimated as 7.3 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ (PT), 9.9 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ (PZ) and 9.3 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ (PH). These values of transition entropies are much larger than that of a typical displacive-type phase transition.     

Speciation of Phytate Ion in Aqueous Solution. Thermodynamic Parameters for Zinc(II) Sequestration at Different Ionic Strengths and Temperatures

Results of an investigation on phytate interactions with zinc(II) cation in NaNO_3aq at different ionic strengths (0.1≤I/mol⋅L⁻¹≤1.0) are reported. Stability constants of various Zn _i H _j Phy^{(12−2i−j)−} species were determined by potentiometry (ISE-H⁺ glass electrode) and the corresponding formation enthalpies by direct calorimetric titrations. Data obtained were used to provide an exhaustive speciation scheme of zinc(II) in the presence of phytate, as well as a comprehensive representation of the binding ability of phytate toward zinc(II) in different conditions. Different pL₅₀ values [an empirical parameter already proposed, expressed as the −log ₁₀ C _Phy, where C _Phy is the total phytate concentration necessary to bind 50% zinc(II)] were calculated in several conditions, and equations were formulated to model its dependence on different variables, such as ionic strength, temperature and pH. Other empirical predictive relationships are also proposed. Previous contributions to this series reviewed in ref. [1].     

Activation and reaction volumes of the reactions of <Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-and <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-nitrophenylsulfenyl chlorides with styrene and cyclohexene in some solvents

The effect of hydrostatic pressure below 1000 kg cm⁻² on the rate of reactions of o-and p-nitrophenylsulfenyl chlorides with styrene and cyclohexene was studied. The activation and reaction volumes (cm³ mol⁻¹) for the reactions of o-nitrophenylsulfenyl chloride with styrene in acetonitrile (−23.1 and −23.6), 1,2-dichloroethane (−29.2 and −24.7), chlorobenzene (no, −20.2), and anisole (−25.1 and −21.2) and for the reaction of p-nitrophenylsulfenyl chloride with styrene in carbon tetrachloride (−39.5±1.5 and −22.0) were determined. In carbon tetrachloride the activation volumes for the reactions of cyclohexene with o-and p-nitrophenylsulfenyl chlorides (−37.7±2.0 and −40.9±1.2 cm³ mol⁻¹, respectively) are almost the same and coincide with the data for the reactions with styrene. The considerable decrease in the volume of the transition state in the nonpolar solvent is considered as a consequence of the enhanced electrostriction of carbon tetrachloride in the solvate sphere of the transition state of the reaction, which excludes the nonpolar transition state of the sulfuran type. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 477–480, March, 2007.     

Catalytic and Thermodynamic Characterization of Endoglucanase (CMCase) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus oryzae</Emphasis> cmc-1

Monomeric extracellular endoglucanase (25 kDa) of transgenic koji (Aspergillus oryzae cmc-1) produced under submerged growth condition (7.5 U mg⁻¹ protein) was purified to homogeneity level by ammonium sulfate precipitation and various column chromatography on fast protein liquid chromatography system. Activation energy for carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) hydrolysis was 3.32 kJ mol⁻¹ at optimum temperature (55 °C), and its temperature quotient (Q ₁₀) was 1.0. The enzyme was stable over a pH range of 4.1–5.3 and gave maximum activity at pH 4.4. V _max for CMC hydrolysis was 854 U mg⁻¹ protein and K _m was 20 mg CMC ml⁻¹. The turnover (k _cat) was 356 s⁻¹. The pK _a1 and pK _a2 of ionisable groups of active site controlling V _max were 3.9 and 6.25, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters for CMC hydrolysis were as follows: ΔH* = 0.59 kJ mol⁻¹, ΔG* = 64.57 kJ mol⁻¹ and ΔS* = −195.05 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively. Activation energy for irreversible inactivation ‘E _a(d)’ of the endoglucanase was 378 kJ mol⁻¹, whereas enthalpy (ΔH*), Gibbs free energy (ΔG*) and entropy (ΔS*) of activation at 44 °C were 375.36 kJ mol⁻¹, 111.36 kJ mol⁻¹ and 833.06 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively.     

Effect of Constant Glucose Feeding on the Production of Exopolysaccharides by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tremella fuciformis</Emphasis> Spores

A fed-batch culture system with constant feeding (glucose 80 g L⁻¹, 0.25 ml min⁻¹) was used to study the influence of glucose on cell dry weight and exopolysaccharides production from submerged Tremella fuciformis spores in a 5-L stirred-tank bioreactor. The results showed that high levels of cell mass (9.80 g L⁻¹) and exopolysaccharides production (3.12 g L⁻¹) in fed-batch fermentation were obtained after 1 h of feeding, where the specific growth rate (μ) and exopolysaccharides yield on substrate consumed (YP/S) were 0.267 d⁻¹ and 0.14 g g⁻¹. Unlike batch fermentation, maximal cell mass and exopolysaccharides production merely reached 7.11 and 2.08 g L⁻¹; the specific growth rate (μ) and exopolysaccharides yield on substrate consumed (YP/S) were 0.194 d⁻¹ and 0.093 g g⁻¹, respectively. It is concluded that the synthesis of exopolysaccharides can be promoted effectively when feeding glucose at a late exponential phase.     

Synthesis,structure, and electric properties of oxygen-deficient perovskites Ba<Subscript>3</Subscript>In<Subscript>2</Subscript>ZrO<Subscript>8</Subscript> and Ba<Subscript>4</Subscript>In<Subscript>2</Subscript>Zr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>11</Subscript>

Perovskite phases Ba₃In₂ZrO₈ and Ba₄In₂Zr₂O₁₁ with the nominal concentration of structural oxygen vacancies 1/9 and 1/12, respectively, were synthesized by solid-phase and solution methods. X-ray diffraction showed cubic symmetry of both phases with the unit cell parameter a = 0.4193(2) and 0.4204(3) nm, respectively. The absence of superstructural lines resulted in the conclusion on statistical arrangement of oxygen vacancies. Thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry proved that both phases can reversibly absorb water from gas phase (pH₂O = 2 × 10⁻² atm) with observed correlation between the concentration of oxygen vacancies and amount of absorbed water. The total water amount was up to 0.9 mol per formula unit or, if recalculated for perovskite unit ABO₃, 0.3 and 0.23 mol H₂O, respectively. The temperature curves of coductivity in the atmosphere with various partial water vapor pressures (pH₂O = 3 × 10⁻⁵ and 2 × 10⁻² atm) showed significantly higher conductivity and lower activation energy (0.52 eV) in humid atmosphere due to proton transfer. The proton conductivity is up to 5 × 10⁻⁴ Ohm⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 300°C for Ba₃In₂ZrO₈ specimen. IR spectrometry showed that protons in the structure exist primarily in OH-groups.     

Critical Evaluation of Protonation Constants. Literature Analysis and Experimental Potentiometric and Calorimetric Data for the Thermodynamics of Phthalate Protonation in Different Ionic Media

The protonation constants of phthalate were determined in aqueous NaCl (0.1 ≤ I ≤ 5,mol⋅L⁻¹) and in aqueous Me₄NCl (0.1 mol⋅L⁻¹ ≤ I ≤ 3,mol⋅L⁻¹) at t = 25,^∘C. Experimental data were employed in conjunction with literature data from studies in different ionic media (Et₄NI: 0 ≤ I ≤ 1,mol⋅L⁻¹; NaClO₄: 0.05 mol⋅L⁻¹ ≤ I ≤ 2,mol⋅L⁻¹)to study the dependence on ionic strength using different models, such as the SIT and Pitzer equations, and an Extended Debye-Hückel type equation. Experimental calorimetric data in NaCl and protonation constants at different temperatures in Et₄NI (5 ≤ t ≤ 45^∘C) and in NaClO₄ (15 ≤ t ≤ 35 ^∘C) were also used to study their dependence on temperature. Recommended equilibrium data are reported together with a short discussion of a prospective protocol for drawing these data.     

Mechanistic study of the oxidation of N-phenyldiethanolamine by <Emphasis Type="Italic">bis</Emphasis>(hydrogen periodato)argentate(III) complex anion

The kinetics of oxidation of phenyldiethanolamine (PEA) by a silver(III) complex anion, [Ag(HIO₆)₂]⁵⁻, has been studied in an aqueous alkaline medium by conventional spectrophotometry. The main oxidation product of PEA has been identified as formaldehyde. In the temperature range 20.0–40.0 °C , through analyzing influences of [OH⁻] and [IO ₄ ⁻ ]_tot on the reaction, it is pseudo-first-order in Ag(III) disappearance with a rate expression: k _obsd = (k ₁ + k ₂[OH⁻]) K ₁ K ₂[PEA]/{f([OH⁻])[IO ₄ ⁻ ]_tot + K ₁ + K ₁ K ₂ [PEA]}, where k ₁ = (0.61 ± 0.02) × 10⁻² s⁻¹, k₂ = (0.049 ± 0.002) M⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 25.0 °C and ionic strength of 0.30 M. Activation parameters associated with k ₁ and k ₂ have also been derived. A reaction mechanism is proposed involving two pre-equilibria, leading to formation of an Ag(III)-periodato-PEA ternary complex. The ternary complex undergoes a two-electron transfer from the coordination PEA to the metal center via two parallel pathways: one pathway is spontaneous and the other is assisted by a hydroxide ion.     

Variable Volume Fed-Batch Fermentation for Nisin Production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactococcus lactis</Emphasis> subsp<Emphasis Type="Italic">. lactis W28</Emphasis>

A feeding technology that was suitable for improving the nisin production by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis W28 was established. The effects of initial sucrose concentration (ISC) in the fermentation broth, feeding time, and feeding rate on the fermentation were studied. It was observed that a fed-batch culture (ISC = 10 g l⁻¹) with 100 ml sucrose solution (190 g l⁻¹) being evenly fed (9–10 ml h⁻¹) into the fermenter after 3-h fermentation gave the best performance in terms of biomass and nisin yield. Under these conditions, the total biomass and the total nisin yield were approximately 23% and 51% higher than those in batch fermentation, respectively. When the sucrose concentration was controlled at 5–10 g l⁻¹ in variable volume intermittent fed-batch fermentation (VVIF) with ISC = 10 g l⁻¹, the total biomass and the total nisin yield were 29% and 60% above those in batch fermentation, respectively. The VVIF proved to be effective to eliminate the substrate inhibition by maintaining sucrose at appropriate levels. It is also easy to be scaled up, since various parameters involved in industrial production were taken into account.     

Determination of the rate constants for the reaction Fe + O<Subscript>2</Subscript> = FeO + O in the forward and reverse directions

The results of our experimental studies and an analysis of the published data on the rate constant for the reaction Fe + O₂ = FeO + O in the forward (I) and reverse (−I) direction are reported. The data obtained in this work are described by the expressions k ₁ = 6.2 × 10¹⁴exp(−11100 K/T) cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ and k ₋₁ = 6.0 × 10¹³exp(−588 K/T) cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ (T = 1500–2500 K). The generalized expressions for the temperature dependences of these rate constants derived by combining our results with the literature data can be presented as k ₁ = 9.4 × 10¹⁴(T/1000)^0.022exp(−11224 K/T) cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ (T = 1500–2500 K) and k ₋₁ = 1.8 × 10¹⁴(1000/T)^0.37exp(−367 K/T) cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ (T = 200–2500 K).     

A facile and fast electrochemical method for the simultaneous determination of <Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-dihydroxybenzene and <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-dihydroxybenzene using a surfactant

A fast and convenient analytical technique has been suggested to detect dihydroxybenzene (DHB) isomers directly and simultaneously. In 0.1 M HAc-NaAc buffer solution (pH 5.6), the reduction peaks of p -DHB and o -DHB were partly separated by differential pulse voltammetry at the glassy carbon electrode. By adding a surfactant (cetyl pyridinium chloride) to enhance the detection sensitivity and using a semi-derivative technique to improve the separation, p-DHB and o-DHB were detected simultaneously. The linear calibration ranges were 1.2 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M for p -DHB and 8.2 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M for o -DHB, with detection limits of 3.6 × 10⁻⁷ and 2.4 × 10⁻⁷ M, respectively. The proposed method has been applied to the direct determination of DHB isomers in water sample, and the results were excellent. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Determination of metoprolol tartrate by capillary isotachophoresis

This paper describes two isotachophoretic methods of metoprolol tartrate (MT) determination in pure and dosage forms. The first method was used for direct analysis where the following electrolyte system was applied: 10 mmol dm⁻³ 3-morpholino-2-hydroxypropanesulfonic acid, 10 mmol dm⁻³ NaCl, 2 % hydroxyethylocelulose as leading (LE) and 10 mmol dm⁻³ glycyl-glycine as terminating (TE) electrolytes. The second method was used for indirect analysis of MT as tartrate ions. In this case, the leading electrolyte consisted of 10 mmol dm⁻³ HCl, β-alanine (BALA), pH 4-5, and the terminating one of 5 mmol dm⁻³ glutamic acid, 10 mmol dm⁻³ β-alanine. Calibration curves were calculated as follows: for system A: y = (0.52 ± 0.05)x − (0.9 ± 0.2) (LOD = 13.0 mg dm⁻³, LOQ = 31.7 mg dm⁻³); and for system B: y = (0.240 +- 0.001)x + (0.18 ± 0.06) (LOD = 1.8 mg dm⁻³, LOQ = 4.4 mg dm⁻³). The isotachophoretic method was compared with the pharmacopoeial one by statistical tests.     

A kinetic investigation of the oxidation of <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">dl</Emphasis>-pipecolinate by bis(hydrogenperiodato)argentate(III) complex anion

Kinetics of oxidation of dl-pipecolinate by bis(hydrogenperiodato)argentate(III) complex anion, [Ag(HIO₆)₂]⁵⁻, has been studied in aqueous alkaline medium in the temperature range of 25–40 °C. The oxidation kinetics is first order in the silver(III) and pipecolinate concentrations. The observed second-order rate constant, decreasing with increasing [periodate] is virtually independent of [OH⁻]. α-Aminoadipate as the major oxidation product of pipecolinate has been identified by chromatographic analysis. A reaction mechanism is proposed that involves a pre-equilibrium between [Ag(HIO₆)₂]⁵⁻ and [Ag(HIO₆)(H₂O)(OH)]²⁻, a mono-periodate coordinated silver(III) complex. Both Ag(III) complexes are reduced in parallel by pipecolinate in rate-determining steps (described by k ₁ for the former Ag(III) species and k ₂ for the latter). The determined rate constants and their associated activation parameters are k ₁ (25 °C) = 0.40 ± 0.02 M⁻¹ s⁻¹, ∆H ₁^≠ = 53 ± 2 kJ mol⁻¹, ∆S ₁^≠ = −74 ± 5 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ and k ₂ (25 °C) = 0.64 ± 0.02 M⁻¹ s⁻¹, ∆H ₂^≠ = 41 ± 2 kJ mol⁻¹, ∆S ₂^≠ = −110 ± 5 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹. The time-resolved spectra, a positive dependence of the rate constants on ionic strength of the reaction medium, and the consistency of pre-equilibrium constants derived from different reaction systems support the proposed reaction mechanism.     

Calculations of thermodynamic stability of CpCoC<Subscript>2</Subscript>B<Subscript>9</Subscript>H<Subscript>11</Subscript> cobaltacarborane isomers

Quantum-chemical calculations of the geometry and energies of nine possible isomers of 12-vertex cobaltacarborane CpCoC₂B₉H₁₁ (1) were carried out by the DFT method (PBEPBE/DGDZVP/DGA1). Thermodynamic stability of the isomers increases with increasing distance between the carbon atoms in the cage and is virtually independent of the position of the CpCo vertex. The relative stabilities of the 1,2,3-(17.57 kcal mol⁻¹), 1,2,4-(3.72 kcal mol⁻¹), and 1,2,9-isomers of 1 (0 kcal mol⁻¹) are similar to the corresponding values for the ortho (17.61 kcal mol⁻¹), meta (3.21 kcal mol⁻¹), and para isomers (0 kcal mol⁻¹) of carborane C₂B₁₀H₁₂. The results of the present study confirm a close similarity of the CpCo and BH fragments in metallacarborane chemistry. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1557–1559, July, 2005.     

Theoretical study of bifurcated bent blue-shifted hydrogen bonds CH<Subscript>2</Subscript>···Y

Ab initio quantum chemistry methods were applied to study the bifurcated bent hydrogen bonds Y··· H₂CZ (Z = O, S, Se) and Y···H₂CZ₂ (Z = F, Cl, Br) (Y = Cl⁻, Br⁻) at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) and MP2/6-311++G(2df,2p) levels. The results show that in each complex there are two equivalent blue-shifted H-bonds Y···H-C, and that the interaction energies and blue shifts are large, the energy of each Y···H-C H-bond is 15–27 kJ/mol, and Δr(CH) = −0.1 − −0.5 pm and Δv(CH) = 30 − 80 cm⁻¹. The natural bond orbital analysis shows that these blue-shifted H-bonds are caused by three factors: large rehybridization; small direct intermolecular hyperconjugation and larger indirect intermolecular hyperconjugation; large decrease of intramolecular hyperconjugation. The topological analysis of electron density shows that in each complex there are three intermolecular critical points: there is one bond critical point between the acceptor atom Y and each hydrogen, and there is a ring critical point inside the tetragon YHCH, so these interactions are exactly H-bonding.     

A low-temperature heat capacity study of natural lithium micas

Low-temperature heat capacity of natural zinnwaldite was measured at temperatures from 6 to 303 K in a vacuum adiabatic calorimeter. An anomalous behavior of heat capacity function C _p(T) has been revealed at very low temperatures, where this function does not tend to zero. Thermodynamic functions of zinnwaldite have been calculated from the experimental data. At 298.15 K, heat capacity C _p(T) = 339.8 J K⁻¹mol⁻¹, calorimetric entropy S ^o(Т) – S ^o(6.08) = 329.1 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, and enthalpy Н ^o(Т) − Н ^o(6.08) = 54,000 J mol⁻¹. Heat capacity and thermodynamic functions at 298.15 K for zinnwaldite having theoretical composition were estimated using additive method of calculation.     

Bioaccumulation and biosorption of stable strontium and <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oscillatoria homogenea</Emphasis> cyanobacterium

The ability of living filamentous cells of the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria homogenea to separate stable strontium and ⁹⁰Sr from aqueous solution is demonstrated in this study. On a basis of filamentous cell biovolume, the removal were 43.78 nM·ml·(mm³)⁻¹ and 3129.48 mBq·ml·(mm³)⁻¹ after 240 hour incubation. The optimum pH for strontium uptake is 9±0.3. The increasing biovolume of the blue-green alga elevates sorption. In the liquid culture containing 21.2 mm³·ml⁻¹ filamentous cells and 1000 nM·ml⁻¹ initial strontium concentration, the maximum strontium removal was 455.34 nM·ml·(mm³)⁻¹. At 1200 Lux illumination, the maximum removal value was 58.62 nM·ml·(mm³)⁻¹, and at the initial strontium concentration of 6590 nM·ml⁻¹, 235.40 nM·ml·(mm³)⁻¹ removal was observed. The experimental data fitted to Langmuir isotherm and the model parameters and correlation coefficient (R ²) were q _max = 7.143 μg·(mm³)⁻¹, b = 0.003 and 0.99, respectively.