Hydrolytic Behavior of La<Superscript>3+</Superscript> and Sm<Superscript>3+</Superscript> at Various Temperatures

The hydrolytic species of lanthanide ions, La³⁺ and Sm³⁺, in water at I = 0.1 mol·dm^?3 KCl ionic strength and temperatures of 298.15, 310.15 and 318.15 K were investigated by potentiometry. The hydrolytic species were modeled by the HySS simulation program. From the results, the hydrolytic species of each metal ion at different temperatures were calculated using the program HYPERQUAD2013. The hydrolysis constants (log₁₀ β) of [La(OH)]²⁺ and La(OH)₃ were calculated as ?8.52 ± 0.46, ?26.84 ± 0.48, and log₁₀ β values of [Sm(OH)]²⁺, [Sm(OH)₂]⁺, Sm(OH)₃ were calculated as ?7.11 ± 0.21, ?15.84 ± 0.25 and ?23.44 ± 0.52 in aqueous media at 298.15 K, respectively. The dependence of the hydrolysis constants on the temperature allowed us to calculate the enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy of hydrolysis values of each species.     

Bioaccumulation of <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs and <Superscript>60</Superscript>Co by bacteria isolated from spent nuclear fuel pools

This paper is focused on a characterization of bacterial contamination in pool water of the interim spent fuel storage (JAVYS Inc.) in Slovak Republic and on bioaccumulation of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁶⁰Co by isolated bacteria. Bacterial community in pool water is kept on very low level by extremely low concentration of solutes in deionized water and by the efficient water filtration system. Based on standard methods and sequencing of 16S rDNA four pure bacterial cultures were identified as Kocuria palustris, Micrococcus luteus, Ochrobactrum spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Isolated aerobic bacteria were able to bioaccumulate ¹³⁷Cs and ⁶⁰Co in laboratory experiments. The mechanism of Co and Cs binding involve rapid interactions with anionic groups of the components of cell surface and in the case of Cs⁺ ions is followed by transport processes across cytoplasm membranes and by intracellular distribution. The maximum specific uptake of Cs⁺ after 48 h cultivation in mineral medium (MM) reached 7.54 ± 0.48 μmol g^?1 dw (Ochrobactrum spp.), 19.6 ± 0.1 μmol g^?1 dw (M. luteus) and 20.1 ± 2.2 μmol g^?1 dw (K. palustris). The maximum specific uptake of Co²⁺ after 24 h cultivation in MM reached 31.1 ± 3.5 μmol g^?1 dw (Ochrobactrum spp.), 86.6 ± 12.2 μmol g^?1 dw (M. luteus) and 16.9 ± 1.2 μmol g^?1 dw (K. palustris). These results suggest that due to the long lasting uptake of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁶⁰Co and other radionuclides by biofilm in pool water high specific radioactivities (Bq m^?2) can be expected on stainless steel walls of pools.     

A perspective on <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc and <Superscript>125/131</Superscript>I labeled receptor targeted compounds and their in vitro/in vivo affinities

A novel quinoline derivative, 2,2′-[(5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinoline-7-yl) methylazanediyl] diacetic acid (CHQMADA) was labeled with ^99mTc using SnCl₂·2H₂O as a reducing agent to give a complex with a labeling yield 94 %. Also [^99mTc(H₂O)₃(CO)₃]⁺ was prepared by heating at 100 °C for 30 min using 2 mg CHQMADA at pH 8 to give a labeling yield >99 %. ^99mTc-(CO)₃ CHQMADA and ^99mTc-Sn(II)-CHQMADA showed tissue uptake (target to non target T/NT = 6.80 ± 0.22) and (T/NT = 5.65 ± 0.34) respectively in Escherichia coli induced infection, which is higher than the commercially available ^99mTc-ciprofloxacin (T/NT = 3.80 ± 0.80). In conclusion, both complexes were able to differentiate between septic and aseptic inflammation with superiority of [^99mTc-(CO)₃ CHQMADA].     

A new calix[4]arene Schiff base sensor for Hg<Superscript>2+</Superscript> and Au<Superscript>3+</Superscript>

This article reports the selective sensing ability of a newly synthesized calix[4]arene Schiff base (C4TSB) derivative. C4TSB exhibited strong turn-off fluorescence affinity for Hg²⁺ and Au³⁺. The selective sensing ability of receptor was investigated in the presence of different co-existing competing ions. The limit of detection for Hg²⁺ and Au³⁺ was determined as 1.9 × 10^?5 and 1.0 × 10^?6 M, respectively. Receptor forms 1:1 stoichiometric complex with both metals and their binding constants were calculated as 7.9 × 10³ M^?1 for Hg²⁺ and 5.7 × 10³ M^?1 for Au³⁺. Complexes were also characterized through FT-IR spectroscopy.     

Direct low-energy measurement of <Superscript>37</Superscript>Ar and <Superscript>127</Superscript>Xe in a radiotracer gas using low-background proportional counters

A radiotracer gas with a blend of ³⁷Ar and ¹²⁷Xe was created for a gas migration experiment and was characterized at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory using ultra-low-background proportional counters. This paper describes the direct low-energy measurement of ³⁷Ar and ¹²⁷Xe in a dual-isotope sample. Using this low-energy technique, the dual-isotope radiotracer gas was determined to have activity concentrations of 483 Bq/cc and 1435 Bq/cc for ³⁷Ar and ¹²⁷Xe, respectively, and a ratio of 1:3 on the reference date of 7/11/2016.     

Novel 1,8-naphthalimide dye for multichannel sensing of H<Superscript>+</Superscript> and Cu<Superscript>2+</Superscript>

A novel 1,8-naphthalimide dye with simple structure has been produced by a facile synthetic method for colorimetric and fluorescent sensing of H⁺ and Cu²⁺. In CH₃CN/H₂O (1/1, v/v), the dye could monitor H⁺ using dual channels (ratiometric absorbance and fluorescence intensity change) from pH 6.2 to 12.0. Meanwhile, in the pH range of 1.9–5.2, the dye could also be used to detect Cu²⁺ using triple channels [ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorption, fluorescence intensity reduction, as well as fluorescence blueshift]. The detection limits for Cu²⁺ evaluated by colorimetric and fluorescent titration were 6.10 × 10^?7 and 2.62 × 10^?7 M, respectively. The dye exhibited specific selectivity and sensitivity for H⁺ and Cu²⁺ over various coexisting metal ions. Moreover, the sensing mechanism of the dye for H⁺ and Cu²⁺ was carefully examined.     

Experimental and FLUKA study relevant to the production of <Superscript>124</Superscript>I through <Superscript>nat</Superscript>Te(p,xn) reaction at a medium-sized cyclotron

A radiochemical methodology for the determination of ⁹⁴Nb in low-level radioactive wastes from nuclear power plant was proposed. Although ⁹⁴Nb is a strong gamma emitter, its concentration in radioactive waste samples is usually several orders of magnitude lower than that of other β–γ emitters, whose emissions interferes in the detection of the emission lines of ⁹⁴Nb. The procedure involves acid digestion, precipitation, cation exchange chromatography by using Amberlite IRA120 resin, extraction chromatography by using TEVA resin to isolate the Nb and the gamma spectrometry to its measurement. The chemical yield was 70% in average. Samples of evaporator concentrate and spent resin were analyzed. For the samples of the evaporator concentrate, the results obtained were below L _D = 9.59 × 10^?4 Bq g^?1. For the spent resin an average result of 1.54 × 10² Bq g^?1 was obtained.     

High selective colorimetric detection of Cd<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ions using cysteamine functionalized gold nanoparticles with cross-linked DL-glyceraldehyde

This paper reports an ingenious colorimetric sensor probe for the detection of Cd²⁺ ions using cysteamine functionalized gold nanoparticles cross-linked with DL-glyceraldehyde (DL-G-CA-Au NPs). Rapid aggregation in DL-G-CA-Au NPs was observed by adding Cd²⁺ ions at PBS buffer pH 7.0, which results in an immediate color change of the solution from red to blue. A red-shift in the wavelength of absorption peak was measured from 520 to 736 nm using UV–visible spectroscopy. The surface functionalization and aggregation of Au NPs were also characterized by recoding FI-IR and DSL data. The colorimetric probe was analyzed in the concentration of Cd²⁺ ions ranging from 0.05 to 500 μM, and a good linearity was observed towards the lower concentration levels with a coefficient of correlation R ² = 0.9862. The limit of detection was found to be 21 nM, which best describes its superior performance over other reported colorimetric probes. Furthermore, the performance of the probe was not influenced by other metal ions, and the stability of DL-G-CA-Au NPs was maintained even after 30 days. The proposed method was successfully applied to various water samples collected from the environment, and an accuracy ≥ 98% was achieved.     

Measurement of isomeric yield ratios for the <Superscript>110</Superscript>Pd(γ,n)<Superscript>109m,g</Superscript>Pd reaction

We measured the isomeric yield ratios for the ¹¹⁰Pd(γ,n)^109m,gPd reaction by the activation method with the bremsstrahlung endpoint energies of 50-, 55-, 60-, 65-, and 70-MeV generated from an electron linear accelerator of Pohang accelerator laboratory. The induced γ-activities of the irradiated palladium foils were measured by a coaxial high purity germanium detector coupled to a PC-based multi-channel analyzer. The necessary corrections were made to improve the accuracy of the γ-activity measurements. The present experimental results measured with bremsstrahlung endpoint energies of 50-, 55-, 60-, 65-, and 70-MeV are 0.108 ± 0.007; 0.118 ± 0.008; 0.118 ± 0.007; 0.120 ± 0.008; 0.119 ± 0.008, respectively. The obtained results are compared with those existing in literature.     

Measurement of <Superscript>99</Superscript>Mo production cross-section from the <Superscript>100</Superscript>Mo(n,2n) reaction with quasi monoenergetic neutron based on the <Superscript>9</Superscript>Be(p,n) reaction

The production cross-section of the medical isotope, ⁹⁹Mo from the enriched ¹⁰⁰Mo(n,2n) reaction with the average neutron energies of 21.9 and 26.5 MeV has been determined for the first time by using an off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique. The average neutron energies were generated by using the ⁹Be(p,n) reaction with the proton energies of 35 and 45 MeV from the MC50 cyclotron of the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAMS) at Seoul, South Korea. The ¹⁰⁰Mo(n,2n) reaction cross-section as a function of neutron energy was also calculated theoretically by using the computer code TALYS-1.8 and EMPIRE-3.2 Malta. The experimental results are in close agreement with the theoretical values from TALYS-1.8. However, the present data at the neutron energy of 21.9 MeV is slightly lower and at 26.5 MeV is higher than the values from EMPIRE-3.2 Malta.     

Layered LiNi<Subscript>0.80</Subscript>Co<Subscript>0.15</Subscript>Al<Subscript>0.05</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> as cathode material for hybrid Li<Superscript>+</Superscript>/Na<Superscript>+</Superscript> batteries

LiNi_0.80Co_0.15Al_0.05O₂ (NCA) is explored to be applied in a hybrid Li⁺/Na⁺ battery for the first time. The cell is constructed with NCA as the positive electrode, sodium metal as the negative electrode, and 1 M NaClO₄ solution as the electrolyte. It is found that during electrochemical cycling both Na⁺ and Li⁺ ions are reversibly intercalated into/de-intercalated from NCA crystal lattice. The detailed electrochemical process is systematically investigated by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry, ex situ X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic cycling, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The NCA cathode can deliver initially a high capacity up to 174 mAh g^?1 and 95% coulombic efficiency under 0.1 C (1 C?=?120 mA g^?1) current rate between 1.5–4.1 V. It also shows excellent rate capability that reaches 92 mAh g^?1 at 10 C. Furthermore, this hybrid battery displays superior long-term cycle life with a capacity retention of 81% after 300 cycles in the voltage range from 2.0 to 4.0 V, offering a promising application in energy storage.     

Validation of <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr separation method using molecular recognition product AnaLig<Superscript>®</Superscript> Sr01 gel and extraction chromatography Sr<Superscript>®</Superscript> resin

Two separation techniques for strontium determination using AnaLig^® Sr01 molecular recognition technology and extraction chromatography Sr^®  resin were tested. The methods performance was investigated by analysis of NPL (High Alpha–Beta 2003) intercomparison sample. The results obtained for both procedures were compared in terms of activities and recoveries. Data analysis proved a good agreement with the reference values. The AnaLig^® Sr01 separation method for ⁹⁰Sr determination was successfully validated with the same performance as the Sr^® resin method.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of fatty acid derivatives for myocardial imaging containing [<Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc(CO)<Subscript>3</Subscript>]<Superscript>+</Superscript>

Radiolabeled fatty acids as myocardial metabolic agent are used for detecting ischemic heart disease, however, no ^99mTc-labeled fatty acids have potential use in clinical diagnosis. In this work, five fatty acid analogues labeled with ^99mTc were firstly synthesized and characterized, their biological behaviors were investigated. All Radiotracers had good stability when incubated in rat serum for 3 h at 37 °C. ^99mTc -CpT-12-ODPPA (8b) showed higher initial myocardial uptake (8.17% ID/g at 1 min postinjection) and good heart/blood ratio (2.58 at 30 min postinjection). ^99mTc-11-dpa-OUFA (2b) as positively charged lipophilic compounds had reasonable heart uptake (5.59% ID/g at 1 min postinjection) and good retention (1.89% ID/g at 60 min postinjection). Unfortunately, no great improvement was obtained by the five ^99mTc-labeled fatty acid analogues for the short myocardial retention and poor heart/liver ratios.     

A simple method for self-attenuation correction in <Superscript>210</Superscript>Pb activity measurement in a well-type HPGe detector

A simple method for ²¹⁰Pb determination in a well-type detector for matrix with apparent densities ranging from ρ = 0.430 g cm^?3 to ρ = 2.037 g cm^?3 is presented. Ten spiked samples of ²¹⁰Pb were prepared to obtain the detector efficiency as a quadratic function of the matrix density. Then this equation was validated and successfully used to measure ²¹⁰Pb concentration activity in other samples. The equation proposed in this work is specific for each germanium detector; however it is proposed an extrapolation of the method to other well-type germanium detector by preparing a spiked sample and determining the efficiency for ²¹⁰Pb.     

Variational grand-canonical electronic structure of Li+Li at ~10<Superscript>4</Superscript> K with second-order perturbation theory corrections

An ab initio variational grand-canonical electronic structure mean-field method, based on the Gibbs–Peierls–Bogoliubov minimum principle for the Gibbs free energy, is applied to the di-lithium (Li+Li) system at temperatures around T ≈ 10⁴ K and electronic chemical potential of μ ≈ ?0.1E _h . The method is an extension of the Hartree–Fock approach to finite temperatures. We first study the Li₂ molecule at a frozen inter-nuclear distance of R = 3 Å as a function of temperature. The mean-field electronic structure changes smoothly as temperature increases, up to 10⁴ K, where a sharp spontaneous spin-polarization emerges as the variational mean-field solution. Further increase in the temperature extinguishes this polarization. We analyze the mean-field behavior using a correlated single-site Hubbard model and show it arises from an attempt of the mean-field to mimic the polarization of the spin–spin correlation function of the exact solution. Next, we keep constant the temperature at 10⁴ K and examine the electronic structure as a function of inter-nuclear distance R. At R = 3.7 Å, a crossing between two free energy states occurs: One state is “spin-unpolarized” (becomes lower in energy when R > 3.7 Å), while the other is “spin polarized”. This crossing causes near-discontinuous jumps in calculated properties of the system and is associated with using the noninteracting electron character of our mean-field approach. Such problems will likely plague FT-DFT calculations as well. We use second-order perturbation theory (PT2) to study effects of electron correlation on the potential of mean force between the two colliding Li atoms. We find that PT2 correlation free energy at ~10⁴ K is larger than at 0 K and tends to restore the spin-polarized state as the lowest free energy solution.     

Atmospheric depositional fluxes of cosmogenic <Superscript>32</Superscript>P, <Superscript>33</Superscript>P and <Superscript>7</Superscript>Be in the Sevastopol region

⁹⁰Y was separated from ⁹⁰Sr using an extraction chromatographic resin consisting of 4, 4′(5′)-bis-t-butylcyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DtBuCH₁₈C₆), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) amide (C₂mimNTf₂), and a polymer (Amberlite XAD-7). Ionic liquid was introduced into the column to improve the separation efficiency. The column showed an excellent performance for the separation of Y from Sr. After the separation, the ratio of ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y was <2.0 × 10^?5; the column was recycled for >18 times. This study provides preliminary results on columns to produce ⁹⁰Y with a high purity in radiopharmaceuticals.     

The Sorben-Tec system for rapid dosimetric evaluation of <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs in drinking water

The Sorben-Tec system was developed for rapid evaluation of ¹³⁷Cs in drinking water using a domestic personal dosimeter or beta-radiometer. Linear calibration curves were obtained for dosimetric and beta-radiometric measurement of caesium. In case of 20 L drinking water sample, detection limits of ¹³⁷Cs were found to be 12.3 and 2.0 Bq L^?1 for dosimetric and beta-radiometric measurement respectively. This system is recommended for using by non-professionals who are living at radioactively contaminated areas or near nuclear power plants.     

Zirconium silicotungstate matrix as a prospective sorbent material for the preparation of <Superscript>113</Superscript>Sn/<Superscript>113m</Superscript>In generator

The zirconium silicotungstate (ZrSiW) was studied as an effective sorbent material to be used in the ¹¹³Sn/^113mIn generator. The results elucidated that the distribution coefficient of ¹¹³Sn (3700 mL/g) is greater than ^113mIn (275 mL/g) from 0.1 M HCl acid solution to the ZrSiW material. The maximum sorption capacity of Sn (IV) was found to be 33 mg per gram ZrSiW (~?0.3 mmol/g). The elution yield of ^113mIn was found to be >?78?±?6.4% with an acceptable purity of radionuclidic and radiochemical (≥?99.99 and 96.8%, respectively). The rigorous separation of ^113mIn from the ¹²⁵Sb was carried out due to its long half-life (2.758 years) and beta emission that causes tissue damage. Zr, W and Si levels are below the permitted limit in the ^113mIn eluate.     

Plutonium concentration and <Superscript>240</Superscript>Pu/<Superscript>239</Superscript>Pu isotopic ratio in the surface soils from the Jiuquan region in northwestern China

Surface soil samples collected in the Jiuquan region in the downwind area of the Chinese nuclear test site (CNTs) were analyzed for Pu isotopes. The ^239+240Pu activities ranged from 0.025 ± 0.009 to 0.89 ± 0.16 mBq g^?1, varying significantly with different sampling sites. The Dunhuang city that is located in the southwestern part of the Jiuquan region received the heaviest Pu deposition (^239+240Pu activities, 0.23–0.89 mBq g^?1). Most of the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu isotopic ratios were similar with that of the global fallout. However, the low values (0.080–0.147) observed in three sampling sites further supported the finding of Pu originated from CNTs in that region.     

Photocatalytic effect of nano-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> loaded cement on dye decolorization and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> inactivation under UV irradiation

In the present study, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nano-particles were synthesized by sol–gel technique and then used to provide nano-TiO₂ loaded cement samples at 1, 5, and 10 wt% for investigation of Malachite green pigment decomposition and Escherichia coli inactivation under UV irradiation. Surveys conducted on the synthesized TiO₂ nano-particles showed a 100 % anatase phase with a mean particle size of 66.5 nm, surface area of 64.352 m² g^?1, and a porosity volume of 0.1278 cm³ g^?1. Cement samples containing this catalyst exhibited stronger photocatalytic properties as compared to the same amount of pure catalyst. Considering both photocatalytic performance and cost of catalyst, 5 wt% titanium dioxide was suggested to be added to cement. By addition of 1 wt% polycarboxylic copolymer as super-plasticizer to the cement paste, the photocatalytic sample activities were reinforced so that a similar performance could be obtained at 1 wt% catalyst as compared to 5 wt% catalyst without super-plasticizer.