Spectrophotometric determination of the acid dissociation constants for cacodylic acid and p-Nitrophenol at elevated temperatures

Using 2.5-dinitrophenol as an optical indicator, the pK_a of cacodylic acid were spectrophotometrically determined at elevated temperatures under saturation vapor pressures. The result is pK_a = -26.41 + 1296/T + 4.973 InT whereT is in Kelvin. In a similar way, the pK_a ofp-nitrophenol were obtained up to 200‡C giving pK_a = -24.82 + 2135/T + 4.353 InT From these results, several thermodynamic functions of cacodylic acid andp- nitrophenol were calculated.     

Factors affecting glycerol production byPichia farinosa under alkaline conditions

Glycerol is an important and valuable chemical that can be produced from renewable resources by fermentation. The desirable features of a successful process are high values of substrate conversions and high yields and concentrations of glycerol in the product broth, coupled with rapid fermentation cycles. Of the various osmophilic and nonosmophilic yeasts tested for their ability to produce glycerol in the presence and absence of steering agents (sodium sulfite or sodium carbonate), an osmophilic yeastPichia farinosa (ATCC 20210) was found to give attractive yields. Important variables influencing glycerol production by this strain under alkaline conditions using sodium carbonate have been investigated. A rapid fermentation (less than 120 h), coupled with high glycerol yields (45%), has been obtained.     

Certified reference materials to support a European thematic strategy for soil protection: the EUROSOILS (IRMM-443) experience

The recent proposal of thematic strategy for soil protection by the European Commission outlines that knowledge of problems associated with soil has increased considerably based on surveys, monitoring systems and data networks. Although this information is very useful, its value for the policy-making process is limited due to a lack of comparability. From this unsatisfying situation the need arises to develop an EU-wide monitoring system accompanied by suitable matrix reference materials. Experiences gained from the development and certification of IRMM-443 (The EUROSOILS) show how to approach the complex problem of providing suitable (i.e. representative) soil CRMs for the arising analytical needs to support existing and upcoming EU legislation.This paper presents briefly the quantitative findings of a certification exercise (adsorption coefficients for atrazine, lindane and 2,4-D, as well as pH in suspension). A comparison of these results with those of an intercomparison exercise organised in 1989 by the German UBA on very similar soils shows the significant improvement in the determination of soil adsorption coefficients that was induced by the EUROSOIL project. Indicative values of total and organic carbon content and nitrogen according to ISO Standards are also presented.Furthermore, the idea of reference soils and derived reference materials (for analytical purposes) as well as reference matrices (substrates for ecotoxicological testing) is highlighted and set into the context of horizontal standardisation of methods.     

Use of a poly(4,4′-diaminobiphenyl) chemically modified electrode as a pH sensor

A chemically modified electrode (CME) for use as a potentiometric pH sensor was constructed by electropolymerizing a poly(4,4′-diaminobiphenyl) coating on a platinum electrode. The resulting CME gave a linear response to pH in the range 1–12 with a slope of ?56 mV pH^?1. The CME functioned well in titration experiments and in pH measurements. No significant interference of a coexisting redox couple with the pH measurements was observed. The mechanism of the pH response of the CME is considered.     

Preparation and characterization of AgSt/AgC1 composite grains

AgSt/AgC1 composite gains were prepared by adding chloride ions to a mixed solvent in which silver stearate （AgSt） grains were dispersed under the condition of controlled pH value and characterized by SEM, XRD, UV and DSC. The results showed that AgSt/AgC1 composite grains were composed of plateqike AgSt grains with small face-centered cubic AgC1 particles formed on the surface of AgSt. UV spectra displayed a red shift of absorption for AgSt/AgC1 relative to pure AgSt or AgC1. DSC showed a new thermal phase transition of AgSt/AgC1 grains.     

Sol-gel法制备W/WO3 H+选择性电极的研究

利用Sol—gel法制备了W／WO3 pH电极，研究了电极的H^ 响应范围、响应灵敏度、响应时间与滞后效应；讨论了热处理温度与H^ 响应行为的关系及干扰离子和溶液温度对H^ 响应的影响；提出了氧化膜内H^ 迁移嵌入方式和响应机理。     

以聚阳离子三甲基烯丙基氯化铵与丙烯酰胺共聚物为基础的高分子复合物的合成和表征

以不同阳离子度及分子量的三甲基烯丙基氯化铵及丙烯酰胺共聚物［Ｐ（ＴＭ ｃｏ ＡＡｍ）］为基础与不同分子量的聚丙烯酸（ＰＡＡ）作用生成相应高分子复合物，进行了结构表征，探讨了ｐＨ值、组份聚合物分子量、阳离子度等对生成复合物的影响，阐述了其形成机制及ｐＨ敏感特性．     

The Effect of Crown Ethers on the Oxidation of Triethylamine by Ferricyanide Ion in Aqueous Solutions at Different pH Values

The effect of benzo-15-crown-5,15-crown-5 and 12-crown-4 on the oxidation of triethylamine by aqueous ferricyanide ion has been studied at pH 4, 7 and 11. The crown ethers retard the normal oxidation process at all pH values, the effect depending on the crown ether concentration. The three crown ethers show the same retardation effect at pH 4 and 7, while at pH 11 the retardation decreases in the order B15C5 > 12C4 > 15C5.     

Multivariate curve resolution applied to Fourier transform infrared spectra of macromolecules: structural characterisation of the acid form and the salt form of humic acids in interaction with lead

The significance of evolving mixtures structural spectroscopic studies might appear limited when the experimental spectra do not present a sufficient quality for a precise interpretation. It is the case when the chemical behaviour of macromolecules is studied on the basis of infrared spectra. If the effective resolution is low, the spectral profiles appear similar despite the applied chemical conditions change. This makes impossible the interpretation of the raw spectra and mathematical treatments are required to separate the different contributions that overlap.To determine the behaviour of the reactive sites of humic acids in the binding with heavy metals, infrared spectra are recorded under various chemical conditions. The cation to be considered is Pb²⁺ and the two chemical variables to be studied are pH and initial lead concentration. Four series of FTIR spectra are recorded, but no visible difference can be directly assigned to the different chemical states of the macromolecules. Multivariate self-modelling curve resolution is thus proposed as a tool for resolving these complex and strong overlapping datasets. First, initial estimates are obtained from pure variable detection methods: it comes out that two spectra are enough to reconstruct the experimental matrices. In a further step, the application of the multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) algorithm with additional constraints on each individual dataset, as well as on column-wise augmented matrices, allows to optimise the profiles and spectra that appear to be highly characterising the acid and the salt form of the molecule. Moreover, the concentrations profiles associated to these two limit spectral forms allow interpreting the analytical measurements made during the reactions between humic acids and H⁺ or Pb²⁺. Consequently, depending on the initial state of the humic acid, two distinct reactional mechanisms are proposed.     

Effect of pH on hydrophilicity and charge and their effect on the filtration efficiency of NF membranes at different pH

In this work the effect of pH on membrane structure, its permeability and retention was studied. In addition, we studied whether the possible changes in the membrane properties due to the pH change are reversible. This is important for understanding the performance of nanofiltration membranes at different conditions and for the selection of cleaning processes. Moreover, the results facilitate the choice of membrane for specific applications.

Several commercial NF membranes were studied at different pH values. Their retention and flux were explained by the charge and the hydrophilic characteristics of the membranes. The filtrations were made with uncharged sugar and salt solutions.

The lower the membrane contact angle (i.e., a more hydrophilic membrane) the higher was the change in apparent zeta potential when pH was increased from 4 to 7. As a result, the retention of ions with more hydrophilic membranes changed more than hydrophobic ones when the pH was increased in the feed solution. However, some membranes retained ions well at high pH although their apparent zeta potential or hydrophilicity was relatively low. These membranes had charge inside the pores and it was not detected by streaming potential measurement along the surface or by measuring the contact angle of the surface. Thus, the apparent zeta potential of the exterior membrane surface did not sufficiently describe the ionic transport through the membrane. In addition, some membranes became significantly more open at high pH (i.e., flux increased). This was explained by the chemical nature of the polymer chains in the membrane skin layer, i.e., dissociating groups in the polymer made the surface more hydrophilic and looser when charges of the polymer chains started to repel each other at elevated pH. Generally, the retention of uncharged glucose decreased more at high pH than the salt retention. The changes in permeabilities and retentions were found to be mostly reversible in the pH range studied (very slowly in some cases, however).