Synthesis of tapioca cellulose-based poly(hydroxamic acid) ligand for heavy metals removal from water

A graft copolymerization was performed using free radical initiating process to prepare the poly(methyl acrylate) grafted copolymer from the tapioca cellulose. The desired material is poly(hydroxamic acid) ligand, which is synthesized from poly(methyl acrylate) grafted cellulose using hydroximation reaction. The tapioca cellulose, grafted cellulose and poly(hydroxamic acid) ligand were characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope. The adsorption capacity with copper was found to be good, 210 mg g^?1 with a faster adsorption rate (t_1/2 = 10.5 min). The adsorption capacities for other heavy metal ions were also found to be strong such as Fe³⁺, Cr³⁺, Co³⁺ and Ni²⁺ were 191, 182, 202 and 173 mg g^?1, respectively at pH 6. To predict the adsorption behavior, the heavy metal ions sorption onto ligand were well-fitted with the Langmuir isotherm model (R² > 0.99), which suggest that the cellulose-based adsorbent i.e., poly(hydroxamic acid) ligand surface is homogenous and monolayer. The reusability was checked by the sorption/desorption process for six cycles and the sorption and extraction efficiency in each cycle was determined. This new adsorbent can be reused in many cycles without any significant loss in its original removal performances.     

Exciton swapping in a twisted graphene bilayer as a solid-state realization of a two-brane model

It is shown that exciton swapping between two graphene sheets may occur under specific conditions. A magnetically tunable optical filter is described to demonstrate this new effect. Mathematically, it is shown that two turbostratic graphene layers can be described as a “noncommutative” two-sheeted (2 +?1)-spacetime thanks to a formalism previously introduced for the study of braneworlds in high energy physics. The Hamiltonian of the model contains a coupling term connecting the two layers which is similar to the coupling existing between two braneworlds at a quantum level. In the present case, this term is related to a K-K ^′ intervalley coupling. In addition, the experimental observation of this effect could be a way to assess the relevance of some theoretical concepts of the braneworld hypothesis.     

Metal-directed assembly of chiral bis-Zn(II) Schiff base structures

Tetra-Schiff bases derived from (chiral) bis-salphen ligand scaffolds furnish, upon metalation with appropriate metal reagents, their multinuclear structures with associated Zn(OAc)(2) or Zn(OH)(2) fragments. The tendency of retaining these salts was investigated using four different (chiral) bis-salphen scaffolds. The presence of the additional Zn ions was supported by NMR studies, mass determinations and X-ray crystallography showing in two cases the possible mode of coordination within these multinuclear structures. In one case, dimerization of the Zn(3) complex leads to a unique hexanuclear Zn(6) complex being a mixture of diastereoisomeric complexes as revealed by NMR spectroscopy.     

Deterministic schedules for robust and reproducible non-uniform sampling in multidimensional NMR

We show that a simple, general, and easily reproducible method for generating non-uniform sampling (NUS) schedules preserves the benefits of random sampling, including inherently reduced sampling artifacts, while removing the pitfalls associated with choosing an arbitrary seed. Sampling schedules are generated from a discrete cumulative distribution function (CDF) that closely fits the continuous CDF of the desired probability density function. We compare random and deterministic sampling using a Gaussian probability density function applied to 2D HSQC spectra. Data are processed using the previously published method of Spectroscopy by Integration of Frequency and Time domain data (SIFT). NUS spectra from deterministic sampling schedules were found to be at least as good as those from random schedules at the SIFT critical sampling density, and significantly better at half that sampling density. The method can be applied to any probability density function and generalized to greater than two dimensions.     

Rapid differentiation of Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

A matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS)-based method has been developed for rapid differentiation between Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius, two herbal medicines with similar chemical and physical properties but different therapeutic effects. This method required only a small quantity of samples, and the herbal medicines were analyzed by MALDI-MS either after a brief extraction step, or directly on the powder form or small pieces of raw samples. The acquired MALDI-MS spectra showed different patterns of ginsenosides and small chemical molecules between P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius, thus allowing unambiguous differentiation between the two Panax species based on the specific ions, intensity ratios of characteristic ions or principal component analysis. The approach could also be used to differentiate red ginseng or P. quinquefolius adulterated with P. ginseng from pure P. ginseng and pure Panax quinquefolium. The intensity ratios of characteristic ions in the MALDI-MS spectra showed high reproducibility and enabled quantitative determination of ginsenosides in the herbal samples and percentage of P. quinquefolius in the adulterated binary mixture. The method is simple, rapid, robust, and can be extended for analysis of other herbal medicines.     

Fourier transform infrared quantification of sugars in pretreated biomass liquors

The process of converting renewable lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol requires a number of steps, and pretreatment is one of the most important. Pretreatment usually in volves a hydrolysis of the easily hydrolyzed hemicellulosic component of biomass using some form of thermal/chemical/mechanical action that results in a product that can be further hydrolyzed by cellulase enzymes (the cellulosic portion). The sugars produced can then befermented to ethanol by fermentative microorganisms. If the pretreatment step is not severe enough, the resultant residue is not as easily hydrolyzed by the cellulase enzyme. More severe pretreatment conditions result in the production of degradation products that are toxic to the fermentative microorgan ism. In this article, wereport the quantitative analysis of glucose, mannose, xylose, and acetic acid using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy on liquors from dilute-acid-pretreated softwood and hard wood slurries. Comparison of FTIR and high-performance liquid chromatography quantitative analyses of these liquorsare reported. Recent developments in infrared probe technology has enabled the rapid quantification of these sugars by FTIR spectroscopy in the batch reactor during optimization of the pretreatment conditions, or interfaced to the computer controlling a continuous reactor for on-line monitoring and control.     

Two-stage dilute-acid pretreatment of softwoods

Whole treechips obtained from softwood forest thinnings were pretreated via single-and two-stage dilute-sulfuric acid pretreatment. Whole-tree chips were impregnated with dilute sulfuric acid and steam treated in a 4-L steam explosion reactor. In single-stage pretreatment, wood chips were treated using a wide range of severity. In two-stage pretreatment, the first stage was carried out at low severity tomaximize hemicellulose recovery. Solubilized sugars were recovered from the first-stage prehydrolysate by washing with water. In the second stage, water-insoluble solids from first-stage prehydrolysate were impregnated with dilute sulfuric acid, then steam treated at more severe conditions to hydrolyze a portion of the remaining cellulose to glucose and to improve the enzyme digestibility. The total sugar yields obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis of two-stage dilute acid-pretreated samples were compared with sugar yields from single-stage pretreatment. The overall sugar yield from two-stage dilute-acid pretreatment was approx 10% higher, and the net enzyme requirement was reduced by about 50%. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation using an adapted Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain further improved cellulose conversion yield and lowered the enzyme requirement.     

Influence of Porosity on the Electrical Sensing Zone and Laser Diffraction Sizing of Silicas. A collaborative study

The objective of a continuing study by the Belgian Particle Technology Group involves difficulties in practical size determinations. This part describes the behaviour of silicas with different porosities during sizing by electrical sensing zone and laser diffraction methods. Anisotropy and porosity were identified to be important particle characteristics in understanding the differences between the two methods. Especially large pore diameters and pore volumes were found to be responsible for shifts in size distribution of 50 to 100%. The use of optical values and optical models was shown to influence these shifts considerably. In the case of spherical silica particles with moderate porosity, no significant differences could be found between the two sizing methods.     

Electronic properties of ortho-polymer A1C60 (A = K,Rb) and related phases

1 C₆₀. Its singular structural, magnetic and electrical properties greatly enhanced the study of the AC₆₀ phases (A = Rb, K and \chem{Cs}). We report our continuous wave (cw) ESR results on the structural phase transformations, phase instabilities and the related kinetics of K₁C₆₀. We quantitatively explain the origin of the difference between Rb₁C₆₀ and K₁C₆₀ phase diagrams. The stability of OP-Rb₁C₆₀ together with the narrowness of its homogenous cw-ESR linewidth in the temperature range allow to perform pulsed ESR experiments. Pulsed ESR experiments measure precisely both the electronic spin-spin () and spin-lattice () relaxation times. Above , the equality of and , which are the only contributions to the cw-ESR linewidth, constitutes a convincing evidence of the metallic nature of OP-Rb₁C₆₀. The drastic increase (decrease) of the linewidth () below \valunit{40}{K} is interpreted in terms of an \qut{electronic dimerization}. Received: 12 September 1996/Accepted: 14 November 1996