Flotation-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method for preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of cobalt: Orthogonal array design

A simple, rapid, and efficient flotation-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method was developed for preconcentration of trace amount of cobalt(II) ions. In this technique, a mixture of toluene and methanol (20: 80, v/v) was injected through the septum in the bottom of a narrow-bore tube containing cobalt solution. Afterwards, the fine droplets of extraction solvent were formed and cobalt (as 1-nitroso-2- naphtol complex) was collected on the surface of solution by aeration. The effect of different variables on the extraction efficiency of cobalt such as pH of solution, ligand concentration and injection volume was investigated using orthogonal array design. At optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear over the range of 10–1000 μg/L. The detection limit, relative standard deviation and enrichment factor were 3 μg/L, 3.9% (n = 10) and 120, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of cobalt in water and drug samples.     

Removal of divalent nickel cations from aqueous solution by multi-walled carbon nano tubes: equilibrium and kinetic processes

Release of heavy metals into water as a result of industrial activity may pose a serious threat to the environment. In this study, the potential of multi-walled carbon nano tubes (MWCNT) to remove Ni²⁺ cations from aqueous solutions was investigated in a batch reactor under different experimental conditions. The effects on the removal process of conditions such as initial concentration of Ni²⁺ ions, temperature, and adsorbent mass were investigated. Nickel uptake was quantitatively evaluated by use of the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin?CKaganer?CRadushkevich isotherm models. For 20?mg/L initial Ni²⁺ cation concentration, adsorption capacity increased from 8.12 to 11.75?mg/g when the temperature was increased from 25 to 65?°C, an indication of the endothermic nature of adsorption process. In addition, the adsorption equilibrium was well described by the Langmuir isotherm model; maximum adsorption capacity was 17.86?mg/g Ni²⁺ cations on HNO₃-treated MWCNT (t-MWCNT). The results obtained in this study show that adsorption of Ni²⁺ on t-MWCNT is a spontaneous and endothermic process. By use of second-order kinetic constants and the Arrhenius equation, the activation energy of adsorption (E _a) was determined as 5.56?kJ?mol^?1.     

Complexation study of dibenzo-18-crown-6 with UO2 2+ cation in binary mixed non-aqueous solutions

The complexation reaction of macrocyclic ligand, dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) with UO₂ ²⁺ cation was studied in ethylacetate-1,2-dichloroethane (EtOAc/DCE), acetonitrile-1,2-dichloroethane (AN/DCE), methanol-1,2-dichloroethane (MeOH/DCE) and ethanol-1,2-dichloroethane (EtOH/DCE) binary solutions at different temperatures using the conductometric method. The conductance data show that the stoichiometry of the complex formed between DB18C6 and UO₂ ²⁺ cation is affected by the nature of the solvent systems. A non-linear behaviour was observed for changes of log K _f of (DB18C6.UO₂)⁺² complex versus the composition of the binary mixed solvents. The values of thermodynamic quantities (?S°_c, ?H°_c) for formation of (DB18C6.UO₂)⁺² complex were obtained from temperature dependence of the stability constant using the van’t Hoff plots. The results show that in most cases, the complex is enthalpy stabilized and in all cases entropy stabilized and both parameters are affected by the nature and composition of the mixed solvents. In addition, the complex formation between dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 (DCH18C6) and UO₂ ²⁺ cation was studied in pure AN and the results were compared with those of the (DB18C6.UO₂)⁺² complex.     

Proteomics of cypress pollen allergens using double and triple one-dimensional electrophoresis

Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens, Cups) pollen causes allergic diseases in inhabitants of many of the cities surrounding the Mediterranean basin. However, allergens of Cups pollen are still poorly known. We introduce here a novel proteomic approach based on double one‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (D1‐DE) as an alternative to the 2‐DE immunoblot, for the specific IgE screening of allergenic proteins from pollen extracts. The sequential one‐dimensional combination of IEF and SDS‐PAGE associated with IgE immunoblotting allows a versatile multiplexed immunochemical analysis of selected groups of allergens by converting a single protein spot into an extended protein band. Moreover, the method appears to be valuable for MS/MS identification, without protein purification, of a new Cups pollen allergen at 43 kDa. D1‐DE immunoblotting revealed that the prevalence of IgE sensitization to this allergen belonging to the polygalacturonase (PG) family was 70% in tested French allergic patients. In subsequent triple one‐dimensional gel electrophoresis, the Cups pollen PG was shown to promote lectin‐based protein‐protein interactions. Therefore, D1‐DE could be used in routine work as a convenient alternative to 2‐DE immunoblotting for the simultaneous screening of allergenic components under identical experimental conditions, thereby saving considerable amounts of sera and allergen extracts.     

Thermal Degradation Kinetics and Modeling Study of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWP)/Graphene Nanocomposite

The incorporation of nanofillers such as graphene into polymers has shown significant improvements in mechanical characteristics, thermal stability, and conductivity of resulting polymeric nanocomposites. To this aim, the influence of incorporation of graphene nanosheets into ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) on the thermal behavior and degradation kinetics of UHMWPE/graphene nanocomposites was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that graphene nanosheets were uniformly spread throughout the UHMWPE’s molecular chains. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) data posited that the morphology of dispersed graphene sheets in UHMWPE was exfoliated. Non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies identified a more pronounced increase in melting temperatures and latent heat of fusions in nanocomposites compared to UHMWPE at lower concentrations of graphene. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) revealed that UHMWPE’s thermal stability has been improved via incorporating graphene nanosheets. Further, degradation kinetics of neat polymer and nanocomposites have been modeled using equations such as Friedman, Ozawa–Flynn–Wall (OFW), Kissinger, and Augis and Bennett’s. The "Model-Fitting Method” showed that the auto-catalytic nth-order mechanism provided a highly consistent and appropriate fit to describe the degradation mechanism of UHMWPE and its graphene nanocomposites. In addition, the calculated activation energy (E_a) of thermal degradation was enhanced by an increase in graphene concentration up to 2.1 wt.%, followed by a decrease in higher graphene content.     

Influence of hybrid system of nanofillers on the functional properties of postconsumer PET‐G–based nanocomposites

In this article, postconsumer poly (ethylene glycol‐co‐1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol terephthalate) (PET‐G) foils have been modified with three types of carbon nanofillers that differ in size and shape, ie, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), and nanosized carbon black (nCB), thus enabling the reusage of recyclate in receiving new functional materials. The series of polymer hybrid nanocomposites have been prepared via a two‐stage polycondensation process, be means of glycolysis of postconsumer PET‐G foil, followed by polycondensation in the presence of carbon nanofillers. The scanning electron microscopy revealed that nanoadditives were uniformly dispersed into the whole volume of polymer matrix. The results present the synergistic effect of hybrid system of nanofillers in improving tensile properties of PET‐G. It has been found that the incorporation of three types of carbon nanofillers has not affected the glass transition temperature of the polymer matrix. Moreover, the incorporation of carbon nanofillers, and the mixture of two, or even three of those, caused an improvement in thermal conductivity and thermal stability.     

Spectroscopic,thermal and electrochemical characterization of synthesized divalent transition metal complexes with cysteine and 4-substituted thiosemicarbazides

Mixed ligand complexes of Co^II, Ni^II and Cu^II with cysteine and 4-substituted thiosemicarbazides (l ¹–l ³) have been synthesized. The elemental analyses, molar conductance, spectra [electronic, i.r., ¹H-n.m.r., mass] and thermal studies were used to characterize the isolated complexes. Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the electrochemical behaviour of the Ni^II complexes. The i.r. and ¹H-n.m.r. showed that cysteine is deprotonated in the complex and acts as a binegative ligand coordinating through thiol sulphur and COOH groups. Also, thiosemicarbazides act as a bidentate ligand, coordination via NH₂ and (C=S) groups. Square-planar geometry has been proposed for Co^II, Ni^II and Cu^II ternary complexes.     

Cellulose nanocrystals from bleached rice straw pulp: acidic deep eutectic solvent versus sulphuric acid hydrolyses

The present work aims to investigate the feasibility of oxalic acid-choline chloride deep eutectic solvent (OA-ChCl DES), which serves as a promising green solvent that utilized in the acidic deep eutectic solvent (DES) hydrolysis. Oxalic acid-choline chloride DES cellulose nanocrystal (OA-ChCl DES CNC) was isolated from the bleached DES treated pulp (BP) through the acidic DES hydrolysis using 1:1 molar ratio of OA-ChCl DES. The functional groups, crystallinity index, morphological structure, particle size, zeta potential, thermal stability and surface chemistry of the OA-ChCl DES CNC were compared with the sulphuric acid cellulose nanocrystal (SA-CNC) that prepared via sulphuric acid hydrolysis. The findings revealed the presence of negatively charged carboxyl groups on OA-ChCl DES CNC surface after the acidic DES hydrolysis. The physicochemical analyses verified that the OA-ChCl DES CNC was in nano-sized range with polydispersity index (PdI) of 0.56, indicating slightly monodispersed nanoparticles. A stable OA-ChCl DES CNC colloidal suspension with zeta potential value of ?52.1?±?5.2 mV was obtained. The OA-ChCl DES CNC outweighed the SA-CNC in term of thermal stability (288 °C) despite having a slightly lower crystallinity index (76.7%). In fact, the OA-ChCl DES CNC with a yield of 55.1% was achieved through the acidic DES hydrolysis, suggesting that the OA-ChCl DES was capable of promoting efficient cleavage of strong hydrogen bonds in BP.

Graphic abstract