An Infrared Method,with Reduced Solvent Consumption,for the Determination of Chlorsulfuron in Pesticide Formulations

A simple method has been developed for the determination of Chlorsulfuron in pesticide formulations by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Samples were diluted with CHCl_3^? , and the FTIR spectra of the samples and standards were obtained at a nominal resolution of 4 cm^? 1 from 4000 to 900 cm^? 1 with the accumulation of 25 scans. Chlorsulfuron determination was based on the measurement of peak area values from 1373 to 1363 cm^? 1 which were corrected by use of a two points baseline defined from 1401 to 1302 cm^? 1. The limit of detection achieved, which was of the order of 6 µg g^? 1, was appropriate for the determination of Chlorsulfuron in commercially available formulations. FTIR results were statistically comparable with those found by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The procedure reduces organic solvent consumption per sample to less than 3 ml CHCl₃, reduces waste generation and increases the sample measurement frequency up to 60 h^? 1.     

A New FTIR Method for the Analysis of Low Levels of FFA in Refined Edible Oils

Abstract

This paper summarizes the application of stoichiometric analytical approaches to quantitative IR analysis and describes the development of a rapid and sensitive Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) method using such an approach for the determination of low levels (<0.005%) of free fatty acids (FFA) in refined edible oils. The method simply involves mixing the sample with methanol containing 2 g /L sodium carbodiimide (NaHNCN) on a vortex mixer for 30 s to convert the FFA to their salts, centrifuging the sample to separate the methanol phase containing the FFA salts from the oil, recording the FTIR spectrum of the upper methanol layer in a 100‐µm CaF₂ transmission flow cell, and ratioing this spectrum against that of the NaHNCN/methanol solution. The concentration of FFA salts is determined from the resulting differential spectrum by measurement of the v(COO^?) absorbance at 1573 cm^?1 relative to a reference wavelength of 1820 cm^?1. A calibration spanning the range 0–0.1% FFA (expressed as oleic acid) was devised by gravimetric addition of a defined, pure fatty acid to an acid‐free oil. Validation of the method by standard addition of palmitic acid to a variety of oils yielded an overall standard error of <±0.001% FFA. Comparison of triplicate FTIR and IUPAC titrimetric analyses of oils spiked with palmitic acid demonstrated that this FTIR method was more sensitive, accurate, and reproducible than the titration procedure, the latter having a significant positive bias of ～0.02%. Solvent/oil consumption in the FTIR method is 2 mL/10 g versus 150 mL/20 g for the titrimetric procedure. The FTIR method developed is particularly well suited for the determination of the low levels of FFA in refined oils but can readily be adapted with a simple adjustment of the oil/methanol ratio to cover FFA levels of up to 4.0%.     

The order of addition of corn starch/lithium perchlorate/glycerol affects the optical,mechanical, and electrical properties of a solid polymer electrolyte

Optical, mechanical, and electric properties of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) were affected by the order of addition of corn starch (S), lithium perchlorate (Li), and glycerol (G) during the preparation process. Four formulations were made based on whether Li was added prior to S gelatinization (simultaneous formulations SGLi and SLi+G) or whether it was added after S was gelatinized (sequential formulations SG+Li and S+LiG). Simultaneous formulations produced films with smaller elongation-at-break response (60–75%) relative to their sequential counterparts (75–82%). The simultaneous formulations exhibited higher electrical conductivity (～0.7 mS cm^?1) and capacitance (～0.017 F cm^?2) and electrochemical stability than the sequential formulations (～0.9 mS cm^?1 and ～0.012 F cm^?2) at room temperature. Results from FTIR and DSC analyses indicated that starch re-crystallization in casting phase could lead to variations on electrical properties for the different SPE formulations. It was postulated that Li cations replace hydrogen ions inside starch molecules, retarding the re-crystallization of starch molecules.     

Automated Online Preconcentration System for the Determination of Trace Amounts of Lead Using Pb‐Selective Resin and Inductively Coupled Plasma–Atomic Emission Spectrometry

Abstract

An automated sequential‐injection online preconcentration system was developed for the determination of lead by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP‐AES). The preconcentration of lead was performed with a minicolumn containing a lead‐selective resin, Analig Pb‐01, which was installed between a selection and a switching valve. In an acidic condition (pH 1), lead could be adsorbed on the resin. The concentrated lead was afterward eluted with 25 µL of 0.06 M nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) solution (pH 9) and was subsequently transported into the nebulizer of ICP‐AES for quantification. The selectivity of the resin toward lead was examined using a solution containing a mixture of 61 elements. When a sample volume of 5 mL was used, the quantitative collection of lead (≥97%) was achieved, along with an enrichment factor of 19, a sampling frequency of 12 samples hr^?1, a detection limit of 70 pg mL^?1, and a lowest quantification limit of 100 pg mL^?1. The linear dynamic range was 0.1 to 5 ng mL^?1, and the relative standard deviation (n=9) was 0.5% at a 5 ng mL^?1 Pb level. The detection limit of 30 pg mL^?1 and lowest quantification limit of 50 pg mL^?1 could be achieved when 10 mL of sample volume was used. The accuracy of the proposed method was validated by determining lead in the standard reference material of river water (SLRS‐4), and its applicability to the determination of lead in environmental river water samples was demonstrated.     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Ammonia in Estuarine Waters by Hybrid Reagent‐Injection Gas‐Diffusion Flow Analysis

Abstract

A flow‐injection gas‐diffusion technique is described for the online determination of ammonia in estuarine waters covering a salinity range of S=0 to 36. The flow analysis system, which is a hybrid of reagent injection and conventional sample‐injection flow systems, avoids the need for a rotary injection valve. Whereas gas‐diffusion techniques have been widely applied in conventional sample‐injection flow analysis, reagent‐injection flow analysis involving gas diffusion has been little used because it is susceptible to interference from dissolved gaseous species such as carbon dioxide coexisting with ammonia in the sample. This source of interference has been overcome by online adjustment of sample to pH 8.4 prior to the injection of the base that initiates gas diffusion of ammonia. The pore sizes of hydrophobic membranes used in gas diffusion were characterized by a bubble‐point test prior to use in the flow analysis system. These showed wide variation in pore size, and grading and careful selection was necessary in order to obtain reliable gas diffusion measurements of ammonia. The proposed flow‐injection system can be operated in a continuous flow mode, at a sample throughput of 135 measurements hr^?1 with a typical limit of detection (LOD) of 9 µg N L^?1, or in stopped‐flow mode at 60 measurements hr^?1 with a LOD of 3 µg N L^?1. The technique was validated using water samples containing a wide range of dissolved carbon dioxide concentrations, salinity, and pH. Excellent agreement (r=0.999) was observed between results obtained using the reagent‐injection system and an approved reference method.     

A Vibrational Spectroscopic Study of the Sulfate Mineral Glauberite

The mineral glauberite is one of many minerals formed in evaporite deposits. The mineral glauberite has been studied using a combination of scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis and infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Qualitative chemical analysis shows a homogeneous phase, composed by sulfur, calcium, and sodium. Glauberite is characterized by a very intense Raman band at 1002 cm^?1 with Raman bands observed at 1107, 1141, 1156, and 1169 cm^?1 attributed to the sulfate ν₃ antisymmetric stretching vibration. Raman bands at 619, 636, 645, and 651 cm^?1 are assigned to the ν₄ sulfate bending modes. Raman bands at 454, 472, and 486 cm^?1 are ascribed to the ν₂ sulfate bending modes. The observation of multiple bands is attributed to the loss of symmetry of the sulfate anion. Raman spectroscopy is superior to infrared spectroscopy for the determination of glauberite.     

Synthesis of Ge-Sn at high pressure and high temperature in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell

Ge–Sn compound is predicted to be a direct band gap semiconductor with a tunable band gap. However, the bulk synthesis of this material by conventional methods at ambient pressure is unsuccessful due to the poor solubility of Sn in Ge. We report the successful synthesis of Ge–Sn in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) at ~7.6 GPa &; ~2000 K. In situ Raman spectroscopy of the sample showed, apart from the characteristic Raman modes of Ge TO (Г) and β-Sn TO (Г), two additional Raman modes at ~225 cm^?1 (named Ge–Sn₁) and ~133 cm^?1 (named Ge–Sn₂). When the sample was quenched, the Ge–Sn₁ mode remained stable at ~215 cm^?1, whereas the Ge–Sn₂ mode had diminished in intensity. Comparing the Ge–Sn Raman mode at ~225 cm^?1 with the one observed in thin film studies, we interpret that the observed phonon mode may be formed due to Sn-rich Ge–Sn system. The additional Raman mode seen at ~133 cm^?1 suggested the formation of low symmetry phase under high P–T conditions. The results are compared with Ge–Si binary system.     

Surface and Bulk Structure Characterization of Proton (3 MeV) Irradiated Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate (Makrofol‐N) thin films were irradiated with protons (3 MeV) under vacuum at room temperature with the fluence ranging from 1×10¹⁴ to 1×10¹⁵ protons cm^?2. The change in surface morphology, optical properties, degradation of the functional groups, and crystallinity of the proton‐irradiated polymers were investigated with atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV‐VIS, and Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) techniques, respectively. AFM shows that the root mean square (RMS) roughness of the irradiated polycarbonate surface increases with the increment of ion fluence. The UV‐VIS analysis revealed that in Makrofol‐N the optical band gap decreased by 30% at highest fluence of 1×10¹⁵ protons cm^?2. The band gap can be correlated to the number of carbon atoms, M, in a cluster with a modified Robertson's equation. The cluster size in the proton‐irradiated Makrofol‐N increased from 112 to 129 atoms with the increase of fluence from 1×10¹⁴ to 1×10¹⁵ protons cm^?2. FTIR spectra of proton (3 MeV) irradiated Makrofol‐N showed a strong decrease of almost all absorption bands at about 1× 10¹⁴ protons cm^?2. However, beyond a higher critical dose an increase in intensity of almost all characteristic bands was noticed. The appearance of a new peak at 3,500 cm^?1 (‐OH groups) was observed at the higher fluences in the FTIR spectra of proton‐irradiated polycarbonate. XRD measurements showed an increase of full width at half maximum (FWHM) and the average intermolecular spacing of the main peak, which may be due to the increase of chain scission and the introduction of ‐OH groups in the proton irradiated polycarbonate.     

Vibrational spectroscopy investigation using ab initio and density functional theory on flucytosine

The FT Raman and FTIR spectra of flucytosine were recorded in the region 3500–100 cm⁻¹ and 4000–400 cm⁻¹, respectively. The optimized geometry, wavenumber and intensity of the vibrational bands of flucytosine were obtained by ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) levels with complete relaxation in the potential energy surface using the 6‐31G(d,p) and 6‐311G(d,p) basis sets. A complete vibrational assignment aided by the theoretical harmonic frequency analysis is proposed. The harmonic vibrational wavenumbers calculated are compared with experimental FTIR and FT Raman spectra. The observed and the calculated wavenumbers are found to be in good agreement. The experimental spectra also coincide satisfactorily with those of theoretically constructed bar‐type spectrograms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Raman and Infrared Spectroscopic Study of the Borate Mineral Kaliborite

We have studied the mineral kaliborite. The sample originated from the Inder B deposit, Atyrau Province, Kazakhstan, and is part of the collection of the Geology Department of the Federal University of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The mineral is characterized by a single intense Raman band at 756 cm^?1 assigned to the symmetric stretching modes of trigonal boron. Raman bands at 1229 and 1309 cm^?1 are assigned to hydroxyl in-plane bending modes of boron hydroxyl units. Raman bands are resolved at 2929, 3041, 3133, 3172, 3202, 3245, 3336, 3398, and 3517 cm^?1. These Raman bands are assigned to water stretching vibrations. A very intense sharp Raman band at 3597 cm^?1 with a shoulder band at 3590 cm^?1 is assigned to the stretching vibration of the hydroxyl units. The Raman data are complimented with infrared data and compared with the spectrum of kaliborite downloaded from the Arizona State University database. Differences are noted between the spectrum obtained in this work and that from the Arizona State University database. This research shows that minerals stored in a museum mineral collection age with time. Vibrational spectroscopy enhances our knowledge of the molecular structure of kaliborite.     

Vibrational Spectroscopy of the Borate Mineral Priceite—Implications for the Molecular Structure

ABSTRACT

Priceite is a calcium borate mineral and occurs as white crystals in the monoclinic pyramidal crystal system. We have used a combination of Raman spectroscopy with complimentary infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy with Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) to study the mineral priceite. Chemical analysis shows a pure phase consisting of B and Ca only. Raman bands at 956, 974, 991, and 1019 cm^?1 are assigned to the BO stretching vibration of the B₁₀O₁₉ units. Raman bands at 1071, 1100, 1127, 1169, and 1211 cm^?1 are attributed to the BOH in-plane bending modes. The intense infrared band at 805 cm^?1 is assigned to the trigonal borate stretching modes. The Raman band at 674 cm^?1 together with bands at 689, 697, 736, and 602 cm^?1 are assigned to the trigonal and tetrahedral borate bending modes. Raman spectroscopy in the hydroxyl stretching region shows a series of bands with intense Raman band at 3555 cm^?1 with a distinct shoulder at 3568 cm^?1. Other bands in this spectral region are found at 3221, 3385, 3404, 3496, and 3510 cm^?1. All of these bands are assigned to water stretching vibrations. The observation of multiple bands supports the concept of water being in different molecular environments in the structure of priceite. The molecular structure of a natural priceite has been assessed using vibrational spectroscopy.     

Raman Spectroscopic Study of the Molybdate Mineral Szenicsite and Comparison with Other Paragenetically Related Molybdate Minerals

Abstract

The molybdate‐bearing mineral szenicsite, Cu₃(MoO₄)(OH)₄, has been studied by Raman and infrared spectroscopy. A comparison of the Raman spectra is made with those of the closely related molybdate‐bearing minerals, wulfenite, powellite, lindgrenite, and iriginite, which show common paragenesis. The Raman spectrum of szenicsite displays an intense, sharp band at 898 cm^?1, attributed to the ν₁ symmetric stretching vibration of the MoO₄ units. The position of this particular band may be compared with the values of 871 cm^?1 for wulfenite and scheelite and 879 cm^?1 for powellite. Two Raman bands are observed at 827 and 801 cm^?1 for szenicsite, which are assigned to the ν₃(E _g ) vibrational mode of the molybdate anion. The two MO₄ ν₂ modes are observed at 349 (B _g ) and 308 cm^?1 (A _g ). The Raman band at 408 cm^?1 for szenicsite is assigned to the ν₄(E _g ) band. The Raman spectra are assigned according to a factor group analysis and are related to the structure of the minerals. The various minerals mentioned have characteristically different Raman spectra.     

Infrared and Raman Spectroscopic Characterization of the Silicate Mineral Gilalite Cu5Si6O17 · 7H2O

Gilalite is a copper silicate mineral with a general formula of Cu₅Si₆O₁₇ · 7H₂O. The mineral is often found in association with another copper silicate mineral, apachite, Cu₉Si₁₀O₂₉ · 11H₂O. Raman and infrared spectroscopy have been used to characterize the molecular structure of gilalite. The structure of the mineral shows disorder, which is reflected in the difficulty of obtaining quality Raman spectra. Raman spectroscopy clearly shows the absence of OH units in the gilalite structure. Intense Raman bands are observed at 1066, 1083, and 1160 cm^?1.

The Raman band at 853 cm^?1 is assigned to the –SiO₃ symmetrical stretching vibration and the low-intensity Raman bands at 914, 953, and 964 cm^?1 may be ascribed to the antisymmetric SiO stretching vibrations. An intense Raman band at 673 cm^?1 with a shoulder at 663 cm^?1 is assigned to the ν₄ Si-O-Si bending modes. Raman spectroscopy complemented with infrared spectroscopy enabled a better understanding of the molecular structure of gilalite.     

Experimental and theoretical FT‐IR and FT‐Raman spectroscopic analysis of N1‐methyl‐2‐chloroaniline

In this work, the experimental and theoretical vibrational spectra of N1‐methyl‐2‐chloroaniline (C₇H₈NCl) were studied. FT‐IR and FT‐Raman spectra of the title molecule in the liquid phase were recorded in the region 4000–400 cm^?1 and 3500–50 cm^?1, respectively. The structural and spectroscopic data of the molecule in the ground state were calculated by using density functional method (B3LYP) with the 6‐311++G(d,p) basis set. The vibrational frequencies were calculated and scaled values were compared with experimental FT‐IR and FT‐Raman spectra. The observed and calculated frequencies are found to be in good agreement. The complete assignments were performed on the basis of the total energy distribution (TED) of the vibrational modes, calculated with scaled quantum mechanics (SQM) method. ¹³C and ¹H NMR chemical shifts results were compared with the experimental values. The optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles) were given and are in agreement with the corresponding experimental values of aniline and p‐methyl aniline. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC DETERMINATION OF ZINC IN PHARMACEUTICAL SAMPLES USING DI-2-PYRIDYL KETONE SALICYLOYLHYDRAZONE

ABSTRACT

A highly sensitive procedure for spectrophotometric determination of zinc has been developed. At pH 4.5, in 50% (V/V) ethanol-water medium and in the presence of di-2-pyridyl ketone salicyloylhydrazone (DPKSH), zinc forms a yellow complex which has maximum absorption at 376 nm The molar absorptivity is 4.82×10⁴ L mol^?1 cm^?1. The detection limit of this method is 62.1 nM for Zn(II).

The method has been applied to the spectrophotometric determination of zinc in pharmaceutical formulations and the results comply with those obtained by AAS. The proposed method is simple, rapid and accurate.     

Vibrational Spectroscopic Characterization of the Arsenate Mineral Barahonaite: Implications for the Molecular Structure

The mineral barahonaite is in all probability a member of the smolianinovite group. The mineral is an arsenate mineral formed as a secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of sulphide deposits. We have studied the barahonaite mineral using a combination of Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The mineral is characterized by a series of Raman bands at 863 cm^?1 with low wavenumber shoulders at 802 and 828 cm^?1. These bands are assigned to the arsenate and hydrogen arsenate stretching vibrations. The infrared spectrum shows a broad spectral profile. Two Raman bands at 506 and 529 cm^?1 are assigned to the triply degenerate arsenate bending vibration (F ₂, ν₄), and the Raman bands at 325, 360, and 399 cm^?1 are attributed to the arsenate ν₂ bending vibration. Raman and infrared bands in the 2500–3800 cm^?1 spectral range are assigned to water and hydroxyl stretching vibrations. The application of Raman spectroscopy to study the structure of barahonaite is better than infrared spectroscopy, probably because of the much higher spatial resolution.     

Automated Flow Injection Method for Monitoring Total Cyanide Concentration in Petroleum Refinery Effluents Using Ninhydrin as Color Reagent

Abstract

An automated flow injection system was developed for monitoring cyanide concentration in effluents from petroleum refineries. The method takes advantage of the reaction of cyanide ions with ninhydrin in basic medium in a flow injection system. A linear range of 0.01 to 0.04 µg mL^?1 was obtained with a detection limit of 1.5 ng mL^?1 by using 500 µL sample injection, with an analytical throughput of 30 samples hr^?1, excluding sample pretreatment by distillation if required. Regarding interferences, cyanide can be determined in the presence of 100 mg L^?1 of thyocianate and sulfide, both species normally found in industrial effluents. For total cyanide determination, strong acid distillation is recommended due to the presence of cyano‐metallic complexes in the refinery effluents. The method was validated by analyte addition and results compared with the standard methodology proposed by the American Public Health Association (APHA). The more significant advantage of the proposed method is the lack of use of carcinogenic reagent such as pyridine and psychotropic compound such as barbituric acid, both used in the recommended method by APHA. Thus, the proposed method is really a friendly analytical procedure.     

Spectrophotometric Studies of the Reaction of Zinc(II) with Some Azo‐Triazol Compounds and Its Application to the Spectrophotometric Determination of Microamounts of Zinc(II)

Abstract

A new, simple, and sensitive quantitative spectrophotometric method for the rapid determination of zinc(II) using six azo compounds based on 3‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazole, namely {3‐(2,4‐dihydroxy‐1‐phenylazo)‐1,2,4‐triazole) (I), 3‐(2‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐1‐phenylazo)‐1,2,4‐triazole) (II), 3‐(2‐hydroxy‐5‐acetyl‐1‐phenylazo)‐1,2,4‐triazole) (III), 3‐(2‐hydroxy‐5‐ethylcarboxylate‐1‐phenylazo)‐1,2,4‐triazole) (IV), 3‐(2‐hydroxy‐5‐formyl‐1‐phenylazo)‐1,2,4‐triazole) (V), and 3‐(2‐hydroxy‐5‐bromo‐1‐phenylazo)‐1,2,4‐triazole) (VI), has been developed for use in aqueous media containing 40% (v/v) methanol. Linear calibration graphs are obtained up to 2.6, 5.9, 5.2, 5.2, 8.2 and 9.0 µg mL^?1 using ligands I, II, III, IV, V, and VI, respectively. Absorption maxima, molar absorptivities, and Sandell's sensitivities of 1:2 (M:L) complexes were found to be 490, 530, 505, 520, 550, and 510 nm, 4.86×10⁴, 2.10×10⁴, 1.26×10⁴, 0.10×10⁴, 0.19×10⁴, and 0.29×10⁴ L mol^?1 cm^?1, and 0.0014, 0.0031, 0.0052, 0.0662, 0.0348, and 0.0225 µg cm^?1 for ligands I, II, III, IV, V, and VI, respectively. Using the masking agents, the color reactions are free from interference by more than 30 ions investigated. The method has been applied to the spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of zinc in pharmaceutical formulations and human hair samples. A study of some zinc solid complexes showed that chelation takes place through one nitrogen atom of the azo group and proton displacement from the hydroxyl group.     

Identification of berberine in ancient and historical textiles by surface‐enhanced Raman scattering

The highly fluorescent natural dye berberine can be easily identified in microscopic textile samples by surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy employing citrate‐reduced Ag colloid. The ordinary Raman (OR) and SERS spectra of berberine are presented and discussed in the light of a DFT calculation. Using FT‐Raman and FT‐SERS we could reliably compare relative intensity shifts and investigate the adsorption geometry of berberine on Ag nanoparticles. The significant enhancement in the FT‐SERS spectrum of the out‐of‐plane ring system bending deformation mode at 729 cm⁻¹ relative to a group of in‐plane vibrations at around 1500 cm⁻¹ was interpreted as evidence of a ‘flat‐on’ adsorption geometry. SERS was successfully used to identify berberine in silk fiber samples coated with colloidal Ag following a pretreatment with HCl vapor. The SERS method allowed us to detect berberine in a microscopic sample of a single silk fiber from a severely degraded and soiled 17th Century Chinese textile fragment. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spectroscopic analysis of a dye–mineral composite–a Raman and FT‐IR study

In this investigation, we address the question of how organic thioindigo binds to inorganic palygorskite to form a pigment similar to Maya Blue. We also address how such binding, if it occurs, might be affected by varying the proportion of dye relative to that of the mineral, and by varying the length of heating time used in preparation of the pigment. In addition to samples of palygorskite and thioindigo both alone, four synthetic pigment samples were prepared; two samples of 8 wt.% dye, one heated at 170 °C for 3 h and one at 170 °C for 9 h, and two samples of 16 wt.% dye, one heated at 170 °C for 3 h and one at 170 °C for 9 h. All samples were examined using Fourier transform‐infrared (FT‐IR) and FT‐Raman spectroscopy. For the pigment samples, FT‐IR peaks at 1627 cm⁻¹ are attributed to a downshifted CO stretching mode of thioindigo due to dye–clay interaction. This interpretation is corroborated by FT‐Raman CO peaks with 14 cm⁻¹ shifts to lower wavenumber for the pigment relative to thioindigo alone. Additional Raman scattering between 550 cm⁻¹ and 650 cm⁻¹ also suggests dye–clay interaction through metal–oxygen bonding. We are thus led to the possibility of mostly hydrogen bonding between silanol and carbonyl at lower dye concentration, with a predominance of metal–oxygen bonding at higher dye concentration. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.