The heat of dissolution of uranyl nitrate in aqueous nitrate solutions

Conclusions A model has been suggested to explain the observed relationship between the measured heats of dissolution of uranyl nitrate in aqueous nitrate solutions and the concentration of the salting-out agent. The model describes the change in the structure of water in the solution with change in its concentration. On the one hand, a destruction of the water structure by ions occurs, which is weakened with increase in the distance from the ion, and leads to such irregularity in the distribution of water molecules in the solution that the mean number of molecules of water in unit volume is increased with increase in the distance from the ions. In experiments on the heat of dissolution this increase leads to increased hydration of the uranyl cation and reduction in the endothermicity of the dissolution with increase in the concentration of the solution. On the other hand, an interaction occurs between the ions of the salting-out agent and the water molecules in the solution, leading to the opposite result: There is an increase in the mean number of water molecules of the solution in unit volume in the direction of these ions. In experiments on the heat of dissolution this is revealed in the dehydration of the uranyl cation, and correspondingly in an increase in the endothermicity of the dissolution with increase in the concentration of the solution. The proposed model is in harmony with data on vapor pressure above the solutions (the relationship between the activity coefficient of the water and the concentration of the solution).Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii. Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 143–150, March–April. 1962     

微波制样的应用

介绍了微波制样在分析化学中的应用，包括微波试样消解，微波加热水样测定CODcr，微波加热水解蛋白质测定各种氨基酸，以及微波萃取等。特别是对微波试样消解在应用中的一些问题，作了较详细的叙述。     

γ-irradiation of polypropylene in vacuum and in air

Polypropylene films were irradiated with ⁶⁰Co γ-rays in vacuum or in air and stored in air. Just after irradiation, the concentration of carbonyl group of the sample irradiated in air only increased with dose. The concentrations of both samples increased with storage time. The more the absorbed doses, the higher the increasing rates. The increasing rate of the concentration of carbonyl group during irradiation in air was higher than those during storage in air. Just after irradiation, the tensile strengths and the elongations of the both samples somewhat increased with dose at the doses less than 5 Mrad, but decreased at doses more than 13 Mrad. The tensile strength and the elongation of the sample irradiated in air decreased with storage time. Those of the sample irradiated in vacuum also decreased with storage time but the decreasing rates were much smaller than those in the sample irradiated in air. The gel fractions of the samples irradiated in vacuum and annealed in vacuum were somewhat higher than those irradiated in vacuum and not annealed. To elucidate high oxidation rate in the sample irradiated in air during and after irradiation, reaction mechanisms were discussed. To clarify the difference of mechanical properties between the samples irradiated in vacuum and in air, the effect of crosslink was considered, together with the oxidation.     

Extractable substances from human hair: a discussion about the origin of the holes

The existence of holes in the endocuticle, in the inter-macrofibrilar matrix and in the cell membrane complex of hair fibers is described. In this paper, we show that these holes are absent in the hair follicle. However, cell remnants found in young hair inside the follicle are located in the same regions and are of the same dimensions as the holes observed in mature fibers. Since holes in the endocuticle have been described to appear as a result of daily care actions, it is probable that the development of holes in the inter-macrofibrilar matrix and in the cell membrane complex is related to the removal of extractable substances. We discuss hole formation in terms of the nature of the extractable substances and the presence of cell remnants in the young fibers.     

Study of the mobility of lattice oxygen in complex oxide catalysts for partial oxidation of propylene to acrolein

The amount of oxygen in the lattice of solids that participates in the elementary stages of partial propylene oxidation is determined for two types of Co-Mo-Bi-Fe-Sb-K-O catalysts (I, II) differing in the method of introduction of antimony and potassium. Two independent methods are used: (1) on the basis of the yield of the oxygen-containing products of propylene oxidation by oxygen of the catalyst in a pulse regime and (2) with the use of Möessbauer spectroscopy. Coincidence of the results obtained by both methods indicates that the active oxygen of the catalyst lattice is formed during redox transformations of iron(III) molybdate entering the composition of the catalysts. Data on the reduction of the catalysts in a pulse regime at various temperatures, which were processed in the framework of the diffusion model, allowed the estimation of the rate constants for diffusion of the lattice oxygen. An increase in the mobility of the lattice oxygen in catalyst I, which is modified with a small amount of antimony as compared to catalyst II, results in an increase in the overall productivity of the sample and in a decrease in the selectivity of propylene oxidation to acrolein. This correlates with the increase in the total amount of the lattice oxygen participating in the process.     

Organization of mixed monomolecular layers formed with the xanthophyll pigments lutein or zeaxanthin and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine at the argon-water interface

Two-component monomolecular layers were formed with two xanthophyll pigments, lutein and zeaxanthin and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), at the argon-water interface. Analysis of the mean molecular area parameters versus molar fraction of the xanthophyll component shows large overadditivity (ca. 50 A2 in the case of zeaxanthin and 150 A2 in the case of lutein) in the region of low molar fractions of carotenoids (maximum at 5 mol% in the case of zeaxanthin and at 20 mol% in the case of lutein). The experimental values of a mean molecular area are in good agreement with the values expected, based on the additivity rule at high molar percentages of the xanthophylls. Absorption spectroscopy of a single monolayer at the argon-water interface in the UV-Vis region has also been applied to analyze the formation of molecular assemblies of lutein in monomolecular films. The differences in the organization of lutein-DPPC and zeaxanthin-DPPC monolayers are interpreted in terms of the aggregation of xanthophyll pigments in the layers and different orientation of both xanthophylls at the interface. The results are discussed in relation to possible physiological functions of lutein and zeaxanthin in the membranes of the retina of an eye.     

Sol-gel Transition of Methylcellulose Solution in the Coexistence of Hexadecyltrimethylammonium Bromide and Sodium Chloride

The sol-gel transition of methylcellulose (MC) solution in the presence of NaCl and hexade-cyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB), together with MC/NaCl solution in the presence of HTAB and MC/HATB solution in the presence of NaCl, was investigated by the rheolog-ical measurements. It has been found that the sol-gel transition temperature of MC solution decreases linearly with the concentration of NaCl in solution but increases linearly with the concentration of HTAB in solution, respectively. However, the sol-gel transition temperature of MC/NaCl solution in the presence of HTAB keeps the same value, independent of theconcentration of HTAB in solution. On the other hand, the sol-gel transition temperature of MC/HTAB solution decreases linearly with the concentration of NaCl in solution. The experimental results suggest that, for MC/NaCl solution in the presence of HTAB, the salt-induced spherical micelles of HTAB should have formed in bulk solution. For MC solution in the absence of NaCl, no spherical micelles have been formed in bulk solution, though the concentration of HTAB in our experiment is almost one order of magnitude higher than the critical micelle concentration of HTAB in polymer-free solution. In fact, due to adsorption of HTAB on MC chains, the realconcentration of HTAB in bulk solution, is much less than the apparent concentration of HTAB dissolved in MC solution.     

Alteration in photosystem II photochemistry of thylakoids isolated from senescing leaves of wheat seedlings

Wheat seedlings, grown for 7 days in the light, were allowed to senesce in the light or dark, and the change in the photosystem II (PS II) photochemistry of chloroplasts isolated from the primary leaves of these seedlings was investigated. The decrease in oxygen evolution and the fast fluorescence results indicated that the impairment of PS II in the leaves of seedlings senescing in the light was different from that in the leaves of seedlings senescing in the dark. Thermoluminescence studies showed a structural modification in the Q_B protein of chloroplasts isolated from leaves senescing in the light and an alteration in the S state transition of chloroplasts isolated from leaves senescing in the dark.     

Simultaneous liquid chromatographic determination of 39 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in indoor and outdoor air and application to a survey on indoor air pollution in Fuji, Japan

An analytical method was established for the simultaneous determination of 39 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air. The method was applied to a survey of gaseous and particulate PAHs in household indoor air. The survey was performed in 21 houses in the summer of 1999 and in 20 houses in the winter of 1999-2000 in Fuji, Japan. Thirty-eight PAHs were determined in indoor and outdoor air in the summer, and 39 PAHs were determined in indoor and outdoor air in the winter. The concentrations of gaseous PAHs in indoor air tended to be higher than those in outdoor air in the summer and winter. The concentrations of particulate PAHs in indoor air were the same as or lower than those in outdoor air in the summer and winter. PAH profiles, correlations between PAH concentrations, and multiple regression analysis were used to determine the factors affecting the indoor PAH concentrations. These results showed that gaseous PAHs in indoor air were primarily from indoor emission sources, especially during the summer, and that indoor particulate PAH concentrations were significantly influenced by outdoor air pollution.     

Histological study of some Echium vulgare, Pulmonaria officinalis and Symphytum officinale populations

Plants living in different ecological habitats can show significant variability in their histological and phytochemical characters. The main histological features of various populations of three medicinal plants from the Boraginaceae family were studied. Stems, petioles and leaves were investigated by light microscopy in vertical and transverse sections. The outline of the epidermal cells, as well as the shape and cell number of trichomes was studied in leaf surface casts. Differences were measured among the populations of Echium vulgare in the width and height of epidermis cells in the stem, petiole and leaf, as well as in the size of palisade cells in the leaves. Among the populations of Pulmonaria officinalis significant differences were found in the length of trichomes and in the slightly or strongly wavy outline of epidermal radial cell walls. Populations of Symphytum officinale showed variance in the height of epidermal cells in leaves and stems, length of palisade cells and number of intercellular spaces in leaves, and the size of the central cavity in the stem. Boraginaceae bristles were found to be longer in plants in windy/shady habitats as opposed to sunny habitats, both in the leaves and stems ofP. officinalis and S. officinale, which might be connected to varying levels of exposure to wind. Longer epidermal cells were detected in the leaves and stems of both E. vulgare and S. officinale plants living in shady habitats, compared with shorter cells in sunny habitats. Leaf mesophyll cells were shorter in shady habitats as opposed to longer cells in sunny habitats, both in E. vulgare and S. officinale. This combination of histological characters may contribute to the plant's adaptation to various amounts of sunshine. The reported data prove the polymorphism of the studied taxa, as well as their ability to adapt to various ecological circumstances.     

Polymerization of N-carboxy–amino acid anhydrides in the solid state. II. Relation between polymerizability and molecular arrangement in L-leucine NCA and L-alanine NCA crystals

The polymerizability of N-carboxy–amino acid anhydrides (NCAs) of L -leucine and L -alanine was examined in the solid state and in solution. L -leucine NCA shows much higher reactivity in the solid state (when immersed in hexane) than in solution (in acetonitrile), but the opposite is true for L -alanine NCA. However, the two NCAs give similar values of apparent activation energy in each polymerization system. Rather high-molecular-weight polypeptides were obtained in the polymerization of L -leucine NCA in the solid state compared with those obtained in solution, while the molecular weight of polymers obtained from L -alanine NCA was higher in solution than in the solid state. IR spectra showed that α helices form mainly in the polymerization of both L -leucine NCA and L -alanine NCA in the solid state; a small amount of the β structure forms in the latter polymerization. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy revealed that L -leucine NCA polymerizes predominantly along the c axis in the crystal, while the polymer chains grow in random directions in the crystal of L -alanine NCA. The difference can be explained by the molecular arrangement in the crystal. There are two requirements for high reactivity in the solid state: the five-membered rings of the monomer must form a layer structure and the polymer must occupy nearly the same space as the reacting monomer.     

POLARIZED TIME-RESOLVED FLUORESCENCE SPECTRA OF PHYCOBILISOMES ISOLATED FROM Tolypothrix tenuis EMBEDDED IN POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL) FILM

–Time-resolved fluorescence spectra in the ps time range were measured on phycobilisome (PBS) embedded in poly(vinyl alcohol) films. The cyanobacterium Tolypothrix tenuis was used as a source of PBS because the pigment composition and the structure of the PBS are well defined. Isotropic PBS in the unstretched film and PBS uniaxially oriented in the stretched film were investigated. Diameters of PBS hemidiscs were oriented parallel to the film-stretching direction. The time-resolved fluorescence spectra of the unstretched sample and of the two polarized components in the stretched samples showed several differences in the rise and decay. The delay time, estimated from the time span between the maximum laser pulse and maximal intensity of the phycocyanin and allophycocyanin fluorescence, was much longer than that reported in the aqueous media. This suggests occurrence of a higher thermal deactivation of PBS in polymer film than in aqueous media. The excitation energy transfer from excited phycocrythrin to allophycocyanin was more efficient in the unstretched than in the stretched samples, and it was greater in the parallel polarized component of the stretched sample than in the perpendicular component. The present results are in agreement with a previous suggestion which states that there are two independent pathways of excitation energy transfer in PBS and that there is more than one final emitter of fluorescence. The molecules taking part in various pathways of energy transfer differ in their orientation within PBS.     

Voltammetric determination of platinum in perfusate and blood: Preliminary data on pharmacokinetic study of arterial infusion with oxaliplatin

Because Platinum Group Elements have found widespread use in catalytic converters in cars and as chemotherapeutic agent, interest in the development of reliable analytical methods is carried out in order to monitor these analita in humans to protect the citizen's health.Considering that information on the levels of many trace elements in biological matrices is scarce and for many non-essential elements, baseline levels in the population, and especially in those particularly exposed to the risk are lacking, in this paper we optimize an analytical method for biological matrices, using a voltammetric technique to measure the concentration of Pt in blood and perfusate.The amount of Pt recovered from the blood and perfusate samples spiked with analita was observed to be meanly of 95% with 5–6% of R.S.D. These results indicated that proposed method for the determination of platinum in biological materials is accurate and reproducible.The amounts of platinum found in the blood samples of common ranged citizen were similar to quantification limit while in the patients the concentration ranged from 1.5 to 360 μg/L, in perfusate ranged from 0.7 to 9700 μg/l. The concentrations of Pt of populace and in patients before of infusion are in agreement with the level measured in the blood of unexposed patients.The proposed analytical method permits to determine the amount of Pt in the perfusate and subsequently absorbed by the target organs in order to determine the dose and timing of treatment and to avoid overdoses with related undesired effects.     

Photoelectric effects on chlorophyll fluorescence of photosystem II in vivo. Kinetics in the absence and presence of valinomycin

Fluorescence induction curves (F(t)) in low intensity 1s light pulses have been measured in leaf discs in the presence and absence of valinomycin (VMC). Addition of VMC causes: (i) no effect on the initial fluorescence level Fo and the initial (O-J) phase of F(t) in the 0.01-1 ms time range. (ii) An approximately 10% decrease in the maximal fluorescence Fm in the light reached at the P level in the O-J-I-P induction curve. (iii) Nearly twofold increase in the rate and extent of the F(t) rise in the J-I phase in the 1-50 ms time range. (iv) A 60-70% decrease in the rise (I-P phase) in the 50-1000 ms time range with no appreciable effect, if at all, on the rate. System analysis of F(t) in terms of rate constants of electron transfer at donor and acceptor sides have been done using the Three State Trapping Model (TSTM). This reveals that VMC causes: (i) no, or very little effect on rate constants of e-transfer reactions powered by PSII. (ii) A manifold lower rate constant of radical pair recombination (k(-1)) in the light as compared to that in the control. The low rate constant of radical pair recombination in the reaction center (RC) in the presence of VMC is reflected by a substantial increase in the nonzero trapping efficiency in RCs in which the primary quinone acceptor (Q(A)) is reduced (semi-open centers). This causes an increase in their rate of closure and in the overall trapping efficiency. Data suggest evidence that membrane chaotropic agents like VMC abolish the stimulation of the rate constant of radical pair recombination by light. This light stimulation that becomes apparent as an increase in Fo has been documented before [Biophys. J. 79 (2000) 26]. It has been ascribed to effects of (changes in) local electric fields in the vicinity of the RC. The decrease of the I-P phase is attributed to a decrease in the photoelectric trans-thylakoid potential in the presence of VMC. Such effects have been hypothesized and illustrated.     

Polymerization of α-amino acid N-carboxy anhydride. IX. Copolymerization of α-amino acid N-carboxy anhydride in heterogeneous system

Copolymerization of NCA's was undertaken in a heterogeneous system in acetonitrile, which is not a solvent of the polypeptides. The reactivity ratio was calculated by using the Lewis-Mayo equation. Further, the conversion rate in the copolymerization and the configuration of the copolymer produced were compared with those of the copolymerization in the homogeneous system in nitrobenzene, in which the copolypeptides are swollen. The rate of copolymerization in acetonitrile was between the rates of polymerization of the individual monomers. It has been reported that the configuration of the copolymer obtained in dimethylformamide, in which the copolypeptides are swollen, is of the block type. On the other hand, many polypeptides obtained in acetonitrile, which is not a solvent of the copolypeptides, had a random configuration near to an alternating configuration.     

Formation of benzenediols upon electron-beam distillation of lignin mixtures with alkanes

In the process of the electron-beam distillation of lignin, its conversion into benzenediols increases in the presence of alkanes in the irradiated sample. An increase in the yield of benzenediols is accompanied by a decrease in the fractions of guaiacol, creosol, ethylguaiacol, and vinylguaiacol in the tar distilled off. It has been noted that alkanes serve as an additional source of atomic hydrogen and alkyl radicals, which, in turn, play a key role in the formation of benzenediols. In the presence of alkanes in the irradiated sample, guaiacol can be the main precursor of catechols; the proportion of guaiacol in the tar is almost three times below that in the case of distillation of individual lignin. It has been hypothesized that the chain decomposition of lignin can occur with the participation of ?H and ?CH₃ radicals.     

The nature of permeability anisotropy and catalytic activity

The phenomena of permeability anisotropy and an increase in the rates of catalytic reactions in porous membranes modified with highly dispersed catalytic systems were analyzed. A model of stochastic gas motions was proposed; this model is based on the hypothesis of the specific interaction of molecules with the inner surface of pores resulting in a nonisotropic distribution of molecules over traveling directions. The effects of asymmetric gas transfer in porous and gradient-porous membranes were considered to explain differences in the rates of heterogeneous catalytic reactions in a nanoporous membrane reactor under changes in the direction of supplying a reaction mixture. From the model proposed, it follows that the transversal diffusion of gas molecules is most probable in the porous medium of a ceramic membrane with a pore-size distribution gradient from large to small pores along the flow direction. This diffusion results in an increase in the frequency of molecular collisions with the wall of a microchannel and, correspondingly, in an increase in the contact time. The model proposed explains the intensification of a number of heterogeneous catalytic reactions performed in the porous media of catalytic porous membranes.     

Radial structure and property relationship in the thermal stabilization of PAN precursor fibres

Here we report on the role of oxygen in the evolution of radial heterogeneity in the fibre structure and properties of PAN fibres stabilized in air and vacuum at different temperatures. Modulus mapping by Nano-indentation showed heterogeneous modulus distribution in the fibres treated in air, while no variation in modulus was observed in fibres processed in vacuum. Raman spectroscopy and elemental analysis revealed that the temperature dependent oxygen diffusion from skin to core of the fibres assisted in the evolution of higher extent of sp²-hybridized carbons in the skin compared to core of the air treated samples. Conversely, no radial structure variations were observed in the vacuum treated fibres. Higher modulus in the skin of air-treated fibres was due to the formation of compact structures which was associated with the enhanced intermolecular interactions facilitated by the formation of C=C bonds within the polymer backbone, promoted by oxidative-dehydrogenation reaction. Supporting these observations, the fracture morphology examined by SEM showed a brittle fracture in the skin and ductile fracture in the core.     

External electric field effects on absorption, fluorescence, and phosphorescence spectra of diphenylpolyynes in a polymer film

External electric field effects on absorption, fluorescence, and phosphorescence spectra of a series of unsubstituted diphenylpolyynes have been examined in a PMMA film. The analysis of the electroabsorption spectra indicates that the shorter diphenylpolyynes exhibit only the change in molecular polarizability, whereas the longer ones exhibit the change both in dipole moment and in molecular polarizability following absorption. The finding of the change in dipole moment following absorption of centrosymmetric diphenylpolyynes is interpreted in terms of the symmetry distortion upon doping a polymer film. When the external electric field is applied, the fluorescence yield is reduced and enhanced, respectively, in diphenylacetylene and diphenyloctatetrayne, indicating that the rate of the nonradiative process from the fluorescence state is accelerated in diphenylacetylene and decelerated in diphenyloctatetrayne by an external electric field. All of the diphenylpolyynes used in the present study exhibit the change in molecular polarizability following the phosphorescence process.     

Direct determination of horseradish peroxidase encapsulated in liposomes by using luminol chemiluminescence.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) encapsulated in liposomes was directly detected by using luminol chemiluminescence (CL) with H2O2 without lysis of liposomes. At a low concentration of H2O2, the initial rate of HRP-catalyzed luminol CL in liposomes was slower than that of HRP-catalyzed luminol CL in a lipid-free bulk solution. The decrease in the initial rate of the CL reaction in liposomes was due to the membrane permeation of luminol and H2O2. At a high concentration of H2O2, the initial rate of the CL reaction in liposomes was the same as that in a lipid-free bulk solution. The CL measurement conditions in both a lipid-free bulk solution and in liposomes were optimized in the concentrations of luminol and H2O2 by measuring the CL response curves, in which only one peak appeared and the CL intensity was maximal. The CL intensity observed in HRP-catalyzed luminol CL in liposomes was a factor of seven greater than that observed in a lipid-free bulk solution. The CL intensity was dependent on the amount of HRP-encapsulated liposomes used. The detection limit in the direct detection of HRP encapsulated in liposomes was sensitive by a factor of 3 compared with that in HRP-catalyzed luminol CL in a lipid-free bulk solution.