Graphene Oxide Nanosheets at the Water–Organic Solvent Interface: Utilization in One‐Pot Adsorption and Reactive Extraction of Dye Molecules

Graphene oxide (GO) is amphiphilic in nature, due to its structure, which consists of hydrophilic oxygen‐containing functional groups and a hydrophobic basal plane of polyaromatic benzene rings. Due to this amphiphilicity, GO can create stable bubbles at water–organic solvent interfaces. In this study, the formation of bubbles at aqueous–organic interfaces in the presence of GO is investigated with different organic solvents. Bubble formation and transfer of GO from water to the organic phase is more prominent in aromatic solvents compared to aliphatic solvents, due to π–π interactions. Maximum transfer of GO from the aqueous to the organic phase is achieved at pH 2, and decreases with rising pH of the aqueous phase. Based on this property, and the ability of GO to adsorb cationic and anionic dye molecules, its application as a carrier for reactive extraction of cationic and anionic dye molecules is explored in toluene, kerosene, and carbon tetrachloride at pH 2 and 25 °C. The kinetics of the adsorption of the dyes onto GO nanosheets that takes place in the aqueous phase is also evaluated with different models, and a pseudo‐second‐order (linear) model is found to be the best fit. The adsorption isotherm data are also analyzed with different isotherm models. The electrostatic interaction and π–π interaction between the dye molecules and GO nanosheets leads to dye extraction of up to 98.2 % using this technique. The dye extraction is maximum in toluene and at low dye concentration.     

AGGREGATION OF MONOVINYL- and DIVINYL-PROTOCHLOROPHYLLIDE IN ORGANICSOLVENTS*

Abstract— Two different protochlorophyllides (PChlide), PChlide 629/433 (absorption data in methanol) and PChlide 630/441 (the monovinyl (MV) and divinyl (DV) forms) were isolated from the pigment mutant C-2A'of Scenedesmus obliquus. Their spectroscopic behaviour in several organic solvents and their aggregation in toluene was investigated. In polar solvents such as ether, acetonitril or acetone, absorption maxima similar to those in methanol were observed, while in solvents such as tetrahydrofuran and pyridine a bathochromic shift of the blue absorption band compared to the spectra in methanol occurred. The absorption maxima of MV-PChlide shifted from 629 nm and 433 nm in methanol (monomeric form), to 631 nm and 443 nm in toluene (aggregated form). The absorption maxima of DV-PChlide shifted from 630 nm and 441 nm in methanol to 655 nm and 483 nm in toluene (aggregated form). The fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of the two protochlorophyllides yielded the according results. The aggregation process was faster for DV-PChlide than for MV-PChlide and was reversible upon addition of small amounts of polar solvents. The similarity of the spectral characteristics of the aggregated forms of the different protochlorophyllides after toluene treatment with those reported for “active”-PChlide in vivo are discussed.     

Extraction-spectrophotometric determination of anionic surfactants with a flow-injection system

Anionic surfactants are preconcentrated from 5-ml samples by extraction as the ion-pair with ethyl violet into toluene. The absorbance of aliquots of the toluene phase is measured at 610 nm in a flow-injection system. A phase converter is located prior to the injection valve to convert a water stream to, pumped with ordinary pump tubing, to a toluene stream. The working range was 0.01–1.0 mg l^?1 and the reproductibility (r.s.d, n = 10) was 2% for 0.4 mg l^?1 sodium dodecyl sulphate. The non-aqueous flow-injection system serves to miniaturize the extraction from separatory funnel (200 ml) to test tube (10 ml) scale without loss of precision or validity.     

Effect of trace amounts of water on organic solvent transport through gamma-alumina membranes with varying pore sizes

The transport behavior of toluene and n-hexane in gamma-alumina membranes with different pore diameters was studied. It was shown that the permeability of water-lean hexane and toluene is in agreement with Darcy's law down to membrane pore diameters of 3.5 nm. The presence of molar water fractions of 5-8 x 10(-4) in these solvents led to a permeability decrease of the gamma-alumina layer by a factor of 2-4 depending on pore size. In general, a lower permeability was found for hexane than for toluene. Moreover, in the presence of water a minimum applied pressure of 0.5-1.5 bar was required to induce net liquid flow through the membrane. These phenomena were interpreted in terms of capillary condensation of water in membrane pores with a size below a certain critical diameter. This is thought to lead to substantial blocking of these pores for transport, so that the effective tortuosity of the membrane for transport of hydrophobic solvents increases.     

Highly luminescent lead sulfide nanocrystals in organic solvents and water through ligand exchange with poly(acrylic acid)

Hydrophobic lead sulfide quantum dots (PbS/OA) synthesized in the presence of oleic acid were transferred from nonpolar organic solvents to polar solvents such as alcohols and water by a simple ligand exchange with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). Ligand exchange took place rapidly at room temperature When a colloidal solution of PbS/OA in tetrahydrofuran (THF) was treated with excess PAA, the PbS/PAA nanocrystals that formed were insoluble in hexane and toluene but could be dissolved in methanol or water, where they formed colloidal solutions that were stable for months. Ligand exchange was accompanied by a small blue shift in the band-edge absorption, consistent with a small reduction in particle size. While there was a decrease in quantum yield associated with ligand exchange and transfer to polar solvents, as is commonly found for colloidal quantum dots, the quantum yields determined were impressively high: PbS/OA in toluene (82%) and in THF (58%); PbS/PAA in THF (42%) and in water (24%). The quantum yields for the PbS/PAA solutions decreased over time as the solutions were allowed to age in the presence of air.     

Rapid Removal of Organics and Oil Spills from Waters Using Silicone Rubber “Sponges”

We have developed a simple, robust, and efficient technology utilizing cheap and recoverable materials based on commercially available silicone elastomer networks for removing organic solvents and crude oil from waters. Hydrophobic and oleophilic properties of silicone elastomers endow poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) with the capacity to absorb a large variety of organics, including benzene (B), toluene (T), ethylbenzene (E), and xylene (X), commonly referred to as BTEX, and also crude oils, while at the same time enabling the organic “sponges” to float on waters, which facilitates straightforward handling. We developed a method for generating PDMS particles with variable sizes (ranging from hundreds nanometers to few millimeters) by drop-wise depositing siloxane/cross-linker mixtures into warm water, a process which leads to the cross-linking of the PDMS components. We have tested the capability of the PDMS particles to remove toluene and benzene from water. We also performed similar experiments by utilizing PDMS sheets. In both instances we observed a rapid sorption of the organic phase into PDMS; the amount of absorbed organic solvent depended on the concentration in water and the total mass (volume) of PDMS and did not depend on the geometry of the PDMS “sponge.” In addition, we have examined the uptake of toluene and benzene from toluene/benzene (T/B) mixtures dissolved in water. Our results indicate that the amount of benzene absorbed from the T/B mixtures into PDMS increases relative to the uptake from pure benzene/water solutions. This behavior is associated with toluene acting as a “surfactant” that effectively replaces the more unfavorable PDMS/B contacts with less costly T/B ones. Finally, a simple experiment demonstrates qualitatively that PDMS is also capable of removing crude oils from oil-contaminated waters.     

Phase transfer of large gold nanoparticles to organic solvents with increased stability

In this paper, we describe a new procedure to phase transfer large gold nanoparticles (diameters > 45 nm) from aqueous solution to organic solvents. This is accomplished using a covalent amide coupling reaction that incorporates dicyclohexylamine (DCHA) headgroups on the surface of mercaptoacetic acid (MAA) functionalized gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles are first synthesized in aqueous solution by the citrate-reduction method, and nanoparticle size is controlled by the molar ratio of the reducing agent (sodium citrate) and the gold precursor (KAuCl4). MAA is then adsorbed to the surface of the gold nanoparticles followed by an amide-coupling reaction to covalently attach DCHA to the surface-immobilized MAA. The bulky dicyclohexyl groups entropically stabilize gold nanoparticles in organic solvents. This procedure was used to reliably transfer gold nanoparticles with diameters between 45 and 100 nm from aqueous solution to organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide and chloroform.     

Optimized solvent-exchange synthesis method for C60 colloidal dispersions

An existing solvent exchange method used to produce aqueous suspensions of fullerene C(60) aggregates (nC(60)) using the solvents toluene, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, and water, has been optimized for producing 75 nm diameter particles. Numerous synthesis parameters were evaluated for their effects on colloid yield and particle size distribution. Varying the relative volumes used of the intermediate solvents relative to the initial toluene volume allowed the controlled tuning of the resulting particle size up to a diameter of 210 nm. The resulting suspensions produced 10-20 ppm concentrations and reduced the residual organic solvents to less than the detection limit of 1 ppm.     

Fluorescence and light-scattering studies on the formation of stable colloidal nanoparticles made of sodium sulfonated polystyrene ionomers

The lightly sulfonated polystyrene ionomer is only soluble in some organic solvents, such as toluene and tetrahydrofurnan (THF). The mixture of its organic solution with water normally leads to macroscopic phase separation, namely precipitation. In this study, using the steady-state fluorescence, the nonradiative energy transfer and dynamic laser light scattering, we demonstrate that the sulfonated polystyrene ionomers can form stable colloidal nanoparticles if the THF solution of the ionomers is dropwisely added into an excessive amount of water, or vice verse, water is added in a dropwise fashion into the dilute ionomer THF solution under ultrasonification or fast stirring. The hydrophobic core made of the polystyrene backbone chains is stabilized by the ionic groups on the particle surface. Such formed stable nanoparticles have a relatively narrow size distribution with an average diameter in the range of 5–12 nm, depending on the degree of sulfonation, the initial concentration of the ionomer THF solution, and the mixing order. This study shows another way to prepare surfactant-free polystyrene nanoparticles. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 1593–1599, 1997     

Effects of solvent, pH and beta-cyclodextrin on the photophysical properties of 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde: intramolecular charge transfer associated with hydrogen bonding effect

The photophysical properties of 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde (HDMB) in various solvents, pH and in aqueous beta-cyclodextrin (CD) have been investigated. In non-polar solvents, HDMB gives only one emission maxima; whereas, in polar solvents it shows a dual luminescence. The increase in Stokes shift with increase in polarity is much more for longer wavelength (LW) than for a shorter wavelength (SW) band. This behaviour indicates the formation of an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state through relaxation from the normal excited state. Especially in water, the ICT emission is further red shifted to 430 nm with the normal emission band at 330 nm and the relative fluorescence intensities between 330 nm and 430 nm emission bands are affected by the excitation wavelength. However, this excitation wavelength dependence is not large in aqueous beta-CD solutions. These results suggest that the ICT state in polar solvents/water is stabilized through exciplex formation by the hydrogen-bonding interaction between the carbonyl group and polar solvents/water. The ground and excited state pK(a) values for the neutral-monoanion equilibrium have been measured and discussed. HDMB forms a 1:1 inclusion complex with beta-CD. A mechanism is proposed to explain the inclusion process.     

Polar bonded phase with the zwitterionic sulfobetaine functional group. Comparison to silica.

A new bonded phase has been prepared by the reaction of n-propylsultone with dimethylaminopropylsilane-modified silica. The resulting functional group is the zwitterionic ammonium propane sulfonate. Chromatographic solvents based on three strong solvents, methylene chloride, diisopropyl ether and acetonitrile, were prepared in hexane. Solutes, including substituted benzenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and low-molecular-weight species commonly used as solvents, were chromatographed on the zwitterionic phase and on silica from the same supplier of the dimethylamino phase. The zwitterionic phase is a weaker adsorbent than silica and retentions are less influenced by the type of strong solvent employed, compared to silica. The retention (log k') of solutes on the zwitterionic phase is highly correlated with the free energy of transfer of solute from the vapor phase to water.     

超临界苯类溶剂对聚苯乙烯降解的影响

在高压间歇反应器中,温度340~370℃,以苯、甲苯、乙苯和对二甲苯为超临界溶剂研究了聚苯乙烯(PS)的降解特性.苯类物质是聚苯乙烯的优良溶剂,在超临界条件下其优异的传质、传热性能使聚苯乙烯快速降解.聚苯乙烯在不同超临界溶剂中降解转化率相近,而降解产物组成差别很大,分析了不同超临界溶剂对聚苯乙烯降解过程的影响.结果表明超临界甲苯对降解过程影响最小,苯乙烯收率最高.聚苯乙烯降解过程中,高分子链断裂和解聚同时进行,结合连续分布理论建立了聚苯乙烯降解的动力学模型,得到在超临界甲苯中聚苯乙烯链端解聚活化能为138.4 kJ.mol-1.     

Solvent-assisted intramolecular proton transfer in thiopurinol: application of M06-2X functional

All available conformers of tisopurine as an important pharmaceutical molecule are optimized and frequency calculations calculated at M06-2X/6-311++G(2d,2p) level of theory. These conformers are classified in 22 different tautomers, tautomer Z showing the most stable tautomer in the gas phase. Effects of four different solvents on the most stable conformer of each tautomer is calculated. Solvents cause stabilization of all conformers and relative solvent stabilization is as follows: water > DMSO > acetone > toluene. Energy profile for such stabilization is illustrated and mechanism of proton transfer studied at the same level of theory. Solvent-assisted proton transfer performed when water and methanol used as solvents. Results indicate that explicit solvent effect has much more stabilization on tautomerization processes compared to implicit solvent effect.     

Electroacoustic and ultrasonic attenuation measurements of droplet size and zeta-potential of alkane-in-water emulsions: effects of oil solubility and composition

The effects of oil solubility and composition on the zeta potential and drop size of oil-in-water emulsions stabilised by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were studied by electroacoustics and ultrasonic attenuation. The zeta-potentials of toluene and alkane emulsions were found to decrease (be less negative) as the water solubility of the dispersed oil phase increased. The zeta-potentials also depended on the composition of mixed oils, becoming more negative with increasing mole fraction of an insoluble oil (hexadecane). As the water solubility of the dispersed oil phase increased, the conductance within the Stern layer relative to the diffuse layer (K/K) increased, which is interpreted as due to the displacement of the shear plane further into the diffuse layer. The shear plane was calculated to increase from approximately 0.50 nm at the insoluble oil-water interface (hexadecane) to approximately 2.5 nm at a soluble oil-water interface of toluene. The lowering of the zeta-potentials of the soluble oils is ascribed to the shift of the shear plane into the diffuse layer, resulting in a more diffuse interface. The total surface conductance of the mixed oils was related to the log of the oil solubility and decreased from approximately 7 x 10(-9) Omega(-1) to 3 x 10(-9) Omega(-1) with increasing oil solubility from hexadecane to toluene, respectively. The lower surface conductance at the soluble oil-water interface is attributed to a reduction in the dielectric constant of the water inside of the shear plane, caused by the presence of the soluble oil.     

基于轻质萃取剂的溶剂去乳化分散液-液微萃取-气相色谱法测定水样中多环芳烃

以密度小于水的轻质溶剂为萃取剂,建立了无需离心步骤的溶剂去乳化分散液-液微萃取-气相色谱(SD-DLLME-GC)测定水样中多环芳烃的新方法。传统分散液-液微萃取技术一般采用密度大于水的有机溶剂为萃取剂,并需要通过离心步骤促进分相。而本方法以密度比水小的轻质溶剂甲苯为萃取剂,将其与丙酮(分散剂)混合并快速注入水样,获得雾化体系;然后注入乙腈作为去乳化剂,破坏该雾化体系,无需离心,溶液立即澄清、分相;取上层有机相(甲苯)进行GC分析。考察了萃取剂、分散剂、去乳化剂的种类及其体积等因素对萃取率的影响。以40 μL甲苯为萃取剂,500 μL丙酮为分散剂,800 μL乙腈为去乳化剂,方法在20～500 μg/L范围内呈现出良好的线性(r2=0.9942～0.9999),多环芳烃的检出限(S/N=3)为0.52～5.11 μg/L。用所建立的方法平行测定5份质量浓度为40 μg/L的多环芳烃标准水样,其含量的相对标准偏差为2.2%～13.6%。本法已成功用于实际水样中多环芳烃的分析,并测得其加标回收率为80.2%～115.1%。     

Enrichment of phenols from water with in-situ derivatization by in-tube solid phase microextraction-solvent desorption prior to off-line gas chromatographic determination with large-volume injection

Sorption of phenols from water into the stationary phase of open tubular columns (named in-tube solid phase microextraction) as an enrichment method for gas chromatographic (GC) analysis of aqueous samples was studied. The effect of operating conditions (stationary phase polarity, swelling of the stationary phase by solvents, number of sampling cycles, salting-out effect, sampling velocity, flow rate of desorption solvent) on the process efficiency was evaluated. Real water samples were also used in this study. Swelling of the stationary phase by organic solvent enables the volume of the stationary phase to be increased and its properties to be modified. The use of toluene or tetrachloromethane for the purpose results in high extraction efficiencies for most phenols. The results demonstrated a direct relationship between the extracted amount of phenols and its initial concentration in the sample. The limit of detection in off-line analyses applying large-volume injection was lower than 0.04 μg L⁻¹.These results of the use of in-tube solid phase microextraction with solvent desorption as a non-exhaustive (equilibrium sorptive) enrichment method show a great potential for on-line chromatographic analysis of micropollutants in real water samples.     

Investigation of the interfacial properties of water-in-diluted-bitumen emulsions using micropipette techniques

The interfacial properties of water-in-diluted bitumen emulsions were studied using micropipette techniques. It was observed that, as bitumen concentration in the bulk phase (C0) increased, the interfacial tension on the water droplet surfaces decreased. In addition, there was a small effect on the interfacial tension when different solvent mixtures were used. Mixtures of toluene and heptane in different ratios were used as solvents for bitumen dilution. Crumpling of the interface was influenced by bitumen concentration and type of solvent. No crumpling was found for bitumen content less than 0.01% for all solvents used. Crumpling was observed at higher bitumen concentrations when deionized water (pH 5.4-5.6) was used. Setting "heptol[A]" to be the mixture of toluene and heptane, with the volume percent of toluene being A, the following were concluded. Crumpling disappeared at C0 > 1% and when heptol[100] was used, and also at C0 > 10% and when heptol[30] was used. Crumpling was strongly affected by the water pH. In the case of heptol[50], at a higher pH, the crumpling region that normally occurred at C0 > 0.01% disappeared. The micropipette technique proved to be useful in studying the interfacial properties of micrometer-sized emulsion drops.     

AOT/H2O/油微乳液体系的浊度、密度和微观结构

建立了通过精密测量密度、折射率和浊度研究微乳液滴微观性质的方法,获得水与表面活性剂的摩尔比r分别为10.5和12的AOT/H2O/甲苯微乳液体系液滴的微观结构及相互作用参数,得到AOT分子的长度L=1.07 nm,用液滴间的相互作用讨论了相变温度与r的关系.用L=1.07 nm,通过密度测量得到AOT/H2O/甲苯和AOT/H2O/环己烷两个微乳液体系不同r值下液滴的微观结构参数,与文献报导的数据吻合得很好.发现在微乳液滴中的水的密度明显大于自由水的密度,并随溶剂变化,而AOT分子的构型不变.     

Versatile phase transfer of gold nanoparticles from aqueous media to different organic media

A novel, simple, and very efficient method to prepare hydrophobically modified gold particles is presented. Gold nanoparticles of different sizes and polydispersities were prepared. The diameter of the gold particles ranges from 5 to 37 nm. All systems were prepared in aqueous solution stabilized by citrate and afterwards transferred into an organic phase by using amphiphilic alkylamine ligands with different alkyl chain lengths. The chain length was varied between 8 and 18 alkyl groups. Depending on the particle size and the alkylamine, different transfer efficiencies were obtained. In some cases, the phase transfer has a yield of about 100%. After drying, the particles can be redispersed in different organic solvents. Characterization of the particles before and after transfer was performed by using UV/Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. The effect of organic solvents with various refractive indices on the plasmon band position was investigated.     

A microfluidic device for open loop stripping of volatile organic compounds

The detection of volatile organic compounds is of great importance for assessing the quality of water. In this contribution, we describe a miniaturized stripping device that allows fast online detection of organic solvents in water. The core component is a glass microfluidic chip that facilitates the creation of an annular-flowing stream of water and nitrogen gas. Volatile compounds are transferred efficiently from the water into the gas phase along the microfluidic pathway at room temperature within less than 5 s. Before exiting the microchip, the liquid phase is separated from the enriched gas phase by incorporating side capillaries through which the hydrophilic water phase is withdrawn. The gas phase is conveniently collected at the outlet reservoir by tubing. Finally, a semiconductor gas sensor analyzes the concentration of (volatile) organic compounds in the nitrogen gas. The operation and use of the stripping device is demonstrated for the organic solvents THF, 1-propanol, toluene, ethylbenzene, benzaldehyde, and methanol. The mobile, inexpensive, and continuously operating system with liquid flow rates in the low range of microliters per minute can be connected to other detectors or implemented in chemical production line for process control.