Interpretation of the Metabolic Enthalpy Change, ΔHmet,Calculated for Microbial Growth Reactions in Soils

The microcalorimetric method was used to calculate the metabolic enthalpy change per mol of glucose degraded by soil microorganisms, ΔH _met. This parameter has been calculated by microcalorimetry for many organic, inorganic and biochemical reactions, but there is only some information about its quantification for microbial growth reactions in soils. Values of ΔH _met were calculated for different soil samples collected in Galicia (Spain) and Campinas (Săo Paolo, Brazil). Exponential microbial growth was stimulated in all soil samples by the addition of glucose and power-time curves were recorded. Results showed changes in the values of ΔH _met calculated for all the soil samples, suggesting a dependence of this value with the microbial growth rate constant, with the percentage of growth, with the initial number of microorganisms of soil samples, with the quantity of glucose added and with the strain of bacteria growing in soil. The interpretation of variations of ΔH _met provides important qualitative and quantitative information. It reports data that allow to interpret from a qualitative point of view, the increase in biomass as a consequence of the degradation of the organic matter in soil, to understand changes in the percentages of soil organic matter and to know if the microbial population growing in differential soil samples is homogeneous. Therefore, to report that value would be very important in ecological studies, but beforehand, it is necessary to solve some problems that can appear in the experiments done to make the quantification . This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermochemical studies on the thioproline

The combustion energy of thioproline was determined by the precision rotating-bomb calorimeter at 298.15 K to be Δ_c U= –2469.30±1.44 kJ mol^–1. From the results and other auxiliary quantities, the standard molar enthalpy of combustion and the standard molar enthalpy of formation of thioproline were calculated to be Δ_c H _m ^θC₄H₇NO₂S, (s), 298.15 K= –2469.92±1.44 kJ mol^–1 and Δ_f H _m ^θC₄H₇NO₂S, (s), 298.15K= –401.33±1.54 kJ mol^–1.     

Thermochemical study of the solid complex Ho(PDC)3 (o-phen)

A novel solid complex, formulated as Ho(PDC)₃ (o-phen), has been obtained from the reaction of hydrate holmium chloride, ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC) and 1,10-phenanthroline (o-phen·H₂O) in absolute ethanol, which was characterized by elemental analysis, TG-DTG and IR spectrum. The enthalpy change of the reaction of complex formation from a solution of the reagents, Δ_rH_m^θ (sol), and the molar heat capacity of the complex, c_m, were determined as being –19.161±0.051 kJ mol^–1 and 79.264±1.218 J mol^–1 K^–1 at 298.15 K by using an RD-496 III heat conduction microcalorimeter. The enthalpy change of complex formation from the reaction of the reagents in the solid phase, Δ_rH_m^θ(s), was calculated as being (23.981±0.339) kJ mol^–1 on the basis of an appropriate thermochemical cycle and other auxiliary thermodynamic data. The thermodynamics of reaction of formation of the complex was investigated by the reaction in solution at the temperature range of 292.15–301.15 K. The constant-volume combustion energy of the complex, Δ_cU, was determined as being –16788.46±7.74 kJ mol^–1 by an RBC-II type rotating-bomb calorimeter at 298.15 K. Its standard enthalpy of combustion, Δ_cH_m^θ, and standard enthalpy of formation, Δ_fH_m^θ, were calculated to be –16803.95±7.74 and –1115.42±8.94 kJ mol^–1, respectively.     

Thermodynamic investigation of effect of salt concentrations on denatured α-Amylase adsorbed onto a moderately hydrophobic surface

The displacement adsorption enthalpies (ΔH) of denatured α-Amylase (by 1.8 mol L⁻¹ GuHCl) adsorbed onto a moderately hydrophobic surface (PEG-600, the end-group of polyethylene glycol) from solutions (x mol L⁻¹ (NH₄)₂SO₄, 0.05 mol L⁻¹ KH₂PO₄, pH 7.0) at 298 K are determined by microcalorimeter. Further, entropies (ΔS), Gibbs free energies (ΔG) and the fractions of ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG for net adsorption of protein and net desorption of water are calculated in combination with adsorption isotherms of α-Amylase based on the stoichiometric displacement theory for adsorption (SDT-A) and its thermodynamics. It is found that the displacement adsorptions of denatured α-Amylase onto PEG-600 surface are exothermic and enthalpy driven processes, and the processes of protein adsorption are accompanied with the hydration by which hydrogen bond form between the adsorbed protein molecules favor formation of β-sheet and β-turn structures. The Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis shows that the contents of ordered secondary structures of adsorbed α-Amylase increase with surface coverages and salt concentrations increment.     

Molecular interpretation of the linear relationship between the entropy and the enthalpy of activation of charge transfer reactions in polar liquids

The well-known linear relationship (TΔS# =αΔH# +β, where 1 >α > 0,β > 0) between the entropy (ΔS#) and the enthalpy (ΔH#) of activation for reactions in polar liquids is investigated by using a molecular theory. An explicit derivation of this linear relation from first principles is presented for an outersphere charge transfer reaction. The derivation offers microscopic interpretation for the quantitiesα andβ. It has also been possible to make connection with and justify the arguments of Bell put forward many years ago     

Thermochemistry of europium and dithiocarbamate complex Eu(C5H8NS2)3(C12H8N2)

A solid complex Eu(C₅H₈NS₂)₃(C₁₂H₈N₂) has been obtained from reaction of hydrous europium chloride with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC) and 1,10-phenanthroline (o-phen⋅H₂O) in absolute ethanol. IR spectrum of the complex indicated that Eu³⁺ in the complex coordinated with sulfur atoms from the APDC and nitrogen atoms from the o-phen. TG-DTG investigation provided the evidence that the title complex was decomposed into EuS. The enthalpy change of the reaction of formation of the complex in ethanol, Δ_r H _m ^θ(l), as –22.214±0.081 kJ mol^–1, and the molar heat capacity of the complex, c _m, as 61.676±0.651 J mol^–1 K^–1, at 298.15 K were determined by an RD-496 III type microcalorimeter. The enthalpy change of the reaction of formation of the complex in solid, Δ_r H _m ^θ(s), was calculated as 54.527±0.314 kJ mol^–1 through a thermochemistry cycle. Based on the thermodynamics and kinetics on the reaction of formation of the complex in ethanol at different temperatures, fundamental parameters, including the activation enthalpy (ΔH _≠ ^θ), the activation entropy (ΔS _≠ ^θ), the activation free energy (ΔG _≠ ^θ), the apparent reaction rate constant (k), the apparent activation energy (E), the pre-exponential constant (A) and the reaction order (n), were obtained. The constant-volume combustion energy of the complex, Δ_c U, was determined as –16937.88±9.79 kJ mol^–1 by an RBC-II type rotating-bomb calorimeter at 298.15 K. Its standard enthalpy of combustion, Δ_c H _m ^θ, and standard enthalpy of formation, Δ_f H _m ^θ, were calculated to be –16953.37±9.79 and –1708.23±10.69 kJ mol^–1, respectively.     

Thermodynamics of Silicon Nitride. Standard molar enthalpy of formation of amorphous Si3N4 at 298.15 K

The standard molar enthalpy of formation Δ_f H _m ⁰=–760±12 kJ for amorphous silicon nitride a-Si₃N₄ has been determined from fluorine combustion calorimetry measurements of the massic energy of the reaction: a-Si₃N₄(s)+6F₂(g)=3SiF₄(g)+2N₂(g). This value combined with Δ_f H _m ⁰= –828.9±3.4 kJ for a-Si₃N₄ indicates that determined for the first time molar enthalpy change for the transition from amorphous to α-crystalline form Δ_trs H _m ⁰=69±13 kJ is very evident, in spite of its large uncertainty range resulting from impurity corrections. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Standard molar enthalpies of formation and sublimation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-phenylphthalimide

The standard (p ⁰=0.1 MPa) molar enthalpy of formation, Δ_f H ⁰ _m, for crystalline N-phenylphthalimide was derived from its standard molar enthalpy of combustion, in oxygen, at the temperature 298.15 K, measured by static bomb-combustion calorimetry, as –206.0±3.4 kJ mol^–1. The standard molar enthalpy of sublimation, Δ^g _cr H ⁰ _m , at T=298.15 K, was derived, from high temperature Calvet microcalorimetry, as 121.3±1.0 kJ mol^–1. The derived standard molar enthalpy of formation, in the gaseous state, is analysed in terms of enthalpic increments and interpreted in terms of molecular structure.     

Dependence of the solution and transfer enthalpies of DL-α-alanyl-DL-α-asparagine on the composition of water-amide binary solvents at 298.15 K

Solution enthalpies of DL-α-alanyl-DL-α-asparagine (AlaAsn) in water-formamide, water-N-methylformamide, water-N,N-dimethylformamide, and water-N,N-dimethylacetamide mixtures were measured in the range of amide mole fractions x ₂ = 0–0.3. The standard enthalpies of solution (Δ_sol H°) and transfer (Δ_tr H°) of AlaAsn from water to the binary solvent and enthalpy coefficients of pair-wise interactions (h _xy ) of AlaAsn with amide molecules were calculated. The influence of the composition of the water-organic mixture on the enthalpy characteristics of AlaAsn is discussed. It is shown that the enthalpy characteristics of solution and transfer of AlaAsn are related to the structure of amides.     

Study on the thermodynamic properties of cholesterol

The standard molar enthalpy of combustion of cholesterol was measured at constant volume. According to value of Δ_r U _m^θ(−14358.4±20.65 kJ mol⁻¹), Δ_r H _m^θ(−14385.7 kJ mol⁻¹) of combustion reaction and Δ_f H _m^θ(2812.9 kJ mol⁻¹) of cholesterol were obtained from the reaction equation. The enthalpy of combustion reaction of cholesterol was also estimated by the average bond enthalpies. By design of a thermo-chemical recycle, the enthalpy of combustion of cholesterol were calculated between 283.15∼373.15 K. Besides, molar enthalpy and entropy of fusion of cholesterol was obtained by DSC technique.     

Changes induced in the thermal properties of Galizian soils by the heating in laboratory conditions

The soil properties can be strongly affected by wildfires, causing direct effects on ecosystem productivity and sustainability. These effects depend, among other things, on the soil type and on the temperature reached during the fire. The variations of thermal properties of several Galizian soils heated in an oven in laboratory conditions at different temperatures (200–500 °C) during 15 min have been examined in this study. The measured properties are heat of combustion of soil organic matter, ignition temperature, specific heat and mass loss, determined using DSC 2920 TA Instruments and a TGA 7 Perkin Elmer under dry air gas flow. In agreement with other authors, this study establishes three temperature intervals with different effects on the soil: up to 200 °C, low intensity heating, with no significant changes in thermal properties; between 200 and 350 °C, medium intensity heating, with losses of organic matter up to 50%; and high intensity heating to temperature higher than 350 °C, with harmful effects on the soil organic matter. On the other hand and taking into account that the sampled soils had been affected by forest fires, the variations of thermal soil properties with the laboratory heating temperatures allowed for an estimation of the temperature reached by the soil in the real fire.     

Thermodynamics of Nicotinic Acid Interactions with Some Saccharides

The interactions of nicotinic acid with α-D-glucose and maltose, and with α-, β-, hydroxypropyl-α- and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrins were studied by using solution calorimetry at T = 298.15 K and pH = 3.4. The thermodynamic parameters (log₁₀ K, Δ G∘_c, Δ H∘_c and Δ S∘_c) were calculated for the systems in which complex formation was observed. Systems with weak interparticle interactions lacking complex formation were characterized by enthalpic virial coefficients calculated on the basis of the McMillan–Mayer theory. It was found that the complexation affinity of α-cyclodextrin to nicotinic acid is stronger in comparison to β-cyclodextrin and the mono- and disaccharides. The influence of different factors, such as the availability of the macrocyclic hydrophobic cavity, the relationship of the sizes of guest molecule to the host cavity, the presence of bulky hydroxypropyl substitutes and their structure, and the solvation of guest molecules on the stability of complexes and their thermodynamic parameters of interaction is discussed.     

Effect of amyloid beta peptides Aβ<Subscript>1–28</Subscript> and Aβ<Subscript>25–40</Subscript> on model lipid membranes

To investigate the molecular interaction of amyloid beta peptides Aβ_1–28 or Aβ_25–40 with model lipid membranes differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and DPH and TMA DPH fluorescence anisotropy approaches were used. The main transition temperature (T _m) and enthalpy change (ΔH) of model lipid membranes composed of DMPC/DPPG on addition of Aβ_25–40 or Aβ_25–40 at 10:1 (w/w) phospholipid/peptide ratio either non-aggregated or previously aggregated were examined. The effect of Aβ_1–28 and Aβ_25–40 on the membrane fluidity of liposomes made of DMPC/DPPG (98:2 w/w) was determined by fluorescence anisotropy of incorporated DPH and TMA DPH. The results of this study provide information that Aβ_1–28 preferentially interacts with the hydrophilic part of the model membranes, while Aβ_25–40 rather locates itself in the hydrophobic core of the bilayer where it reduces the order of the phospholipids packing.     

A temperature study on critical micellization concentration (CMC), solubility, and degree of counterion binding of α-sulfonatomyristic acid methyl ester in water by electroconductivity measurements

 For a sodium salt of α-sulfonatomyristic acid methyl ester (14SFNa), one of the α-SFMe series surfactants, critical micellization concentration (CMC), solubility and degree of counterion binding (β) were determined by means of electrocon-ductivity measurements at different temperatures (at every 5 °C) ranging from 15 to 50 °C. The phase diagram of 14SFNa in pure water was constructed from the CMC- and solubility-temperature data, in which the Krafft temperature (critical solution temperature) was found around 0 °C. The changes in the Gibbs energy, ΔG ⁰ _m, enthalpy, ΔH ⁰ _m, and entropy, ΔS ⁰ _m, upon micelle formation as a function of temperature were evaluated taking βvalues into calculation. Received: 28 August 1996 Accepted: 5 November 1996     

Thermodynamic characteristics of hydrated acrylamide and polyacrylamide complexes of cobalt nitrate at <Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis> → 0 to 380 K

The temperature dependences of the heat capacities of hydrated acrylamide and poly(acrylamide) complexes of cobalt nitrate are studied via high-precision adiabatic calorimetry at 6 to 300–380 K. The energy of combustion is estimated via isothermic calorimetry. This evidence makes it possible to calculate thermodynamic functions C _p ^ℴ(T), H ^ℴ(T) − H ^ℴ(0), S ^ℴ(T), G ^ℴ(T) − H ^ℴ(0) at 0 to 300–380 K; the standard enthalpy of combustion, ΔcH ^ℴ; and the thermodynamic parameters of formation, Δ _f H ^ℴ, Δ _f S ^ℴ, and Δ _f G ^ℴ, of monomer and polymer complexes composed of simple compounds at 298.15 K. The results are used for the estimation of enthalpy Δ_pol H ^ℴ, entropy Δ_pol S ^ℴ, and Gibbs function Δ_pol G ^ℴ of bulk polymerization for hydrated acrylamide complexes of cobalt nitrate at 0–300 K.     

Vapor pressure and crystal lattice energy of volatile palladium(II) β-iminoketonates

Volatile palladium(II) β-iminoketonates of the general formula Pd(R–C(NH)–CH–CO–R¹),where R and R¹ are CH₃, CF₃, C(CH₃)₃ in various combinations, were synthesized and identified. Thermal properties of the resulting palladium(II) complexes in the solid phase were studied by thermogravimetric analysis under an argon atmosphere. The temperature dependence of the saturated vapor pressure was measured for the compounds by the flow method and thermodynamic characteristics of vaporization processes, enthalpy ΔH _T and entropy ΔS _T^o, were determined. The atom-atomic potential calculation of the van der Waals energy (E _cryst) of the crystal lattice was performed and the results were compared to the experimental values of the sublimation enthalpy for the complexes under study.     

The analysis of seasonal air pollution pattern with application of neural networks

Air pollution monitoring includes measuring the concentrations of air contaminants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), suspended particulate matter (PM) and tar substances. The purpose of this study was to determine the possibility of using artificial neural networks for identification of any patterns occurring during heating and nonheating seasons. The samples included in the study were collected over a period of 5 years (1997–2001) in the area of the city of Gdansk and the levels of pollutants measured in the samples collected were used as inputs to two different types of neural networks: multilayer perceptron (MLP) and self-organizing map (SOM). The MLP was used as a tool to predict in what heating season a certain sample was collected, and the SOM was applied for mapping all samples to recognize any similarities between them. This study also presents the comparison between two projection methods—linear (principal component analysis, PCA) and nonlinear (SOM)—in extracting valuable information from multidimensional environmental data. In the research the MLP model with 13-12-1 topology was developed and successfully trained for classification of air samples from different seasons. The sensitivity analysis on the inputs to the MLP indicated benz[α]anthracene, benzo[α]pyrene, PM₁, SO₂, tar substances and PM₁₀ as the most distinctive variables, while PCA pointed to PAHs and PM₁.     

The Role of Bound Water on the Energetics of DNA Duplex Melting

A combination of common and low-temperature differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques was used to detect the thermodynamic parameters of heat denaturation and of ice-water phase transitions for native and denaturated DNA, at different low water contents. We suggest that the main contribution to the enthalpy of the process of the heat denaturation of DNA duplex (35±5 kJ/mol bp) is the enthalpy of disruption of the ordered water structure in the hydration shell of the double helix (26±1 kJ/mol bp). It is possible that this part of the energy composes the non-specific general contribution (70%) of the enthalpy of transition of all type of duplexes. For DNA in the condensed state the ratioα=ΔC _p/ΔS ~2 is smaller than for DNA in diluted aqueous solutions (α≅2–4). This means that there are other sources for the large heat capacity change in diluted solutions of DNA – for example the hydrophobic effects and unstacking(unfolding) of single polynucleotide chains. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The effect of firesorb as a fire retardant on the thermal properties of a heated soil

The DSC technique was used to characterise under laboratory conditions, the effect of a polymer substance, Firesorb, that tries to be used as a flame retardant in forest fires, over two different Galician soils (NW Spain). Samples of these soils with different doses of this retardant were heated in an oven at 230 and 350°C to simulate medium and high intensity fires, respectively. The effect of the retardant was determined as a result of the comparison between the enthalpy of combustion of the organic matter and the ignition temperature of these subsamples and the corresponding unheated and untreated ones. Both parameters, enthalpy of combustion and ignition temperature, were determined directly from the DSC experiments. The results showed that the effect of the retardant remains clear in heating at 230°C and the content of organic matter of the soil was a determining factor in its quantification. However the effect of the retardant in heating at high temperatures is almost null in both soils.     

Phase transition of YBO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Yttrium orthoborate crystallizes in the vaterite-type structure and has two polymorphous forms, viz. a low- und a high temperature one. DTA measurements of YBO₃ confirmed a reversible phase transition with a large thermal hysteresis. The phase transition has been accurately characterized by the application of different heating and cooling rates (β). Consequently, the extrapolation of the experimental data to zero β yields the transition points at 986.9°C for the heating up and at 596.5°C for the cooling down cycle. These values correspond to samples just after treatment at 1350°C. For samples with a different ‘thermal history’ other phase transition temperatures are observed, (e.g. after having performed several heating and cooling cycles). The linear relationship between the associated DTA signal ΔT=T _onset–T _offset and the square root of the heating rate β was confirmed, but the relation between T _onset and square root of β is not found here. From the empirical data a good linear fitting between T _onset and ln(β+1) can be derived. From the kinetic analysis (Kissinger method) of the phase transformation of YBO₃ an apparent activation energy of about 1386 kJ mol^–1 for heating and of about 568 kJ mol^–1 for cooling can be determined