Speciation of selenium(IV) and selenium(VI) in environmental samples by the combination of graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric determination and solid phase extraction on Diaion HP-2MG

A simple solid phase extraction procedure for speciation of selenium(IV) and selenium(VI) in environmental samples has been proposed prior to graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The method is based on the solid phase extraction of the selenium(IV)-ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) chelate on the Diaion HP-2MG. After reduction of Se(VI) by heating the samples in the microwave oven with 4 mol l⁻¹ HCl, the system was applied to the total selenium. Se(VI) was calculated as the difference between the total selenium content and Se(IV) content. The experimental parameters, pH, amounts of reagents, eluent type and sample volume were optimized. The recoveries of analytes were found greater than 95%. No appreciable matrix effects were observed. The adsorption capacity of sorbent was 5.20 mg g⁻¹ Se (IV). The detection limit of Se (IV) (3sigma, n = 11) is 0.010 μg l⁻¹. The preconcentration factor for the presented system was 100. The proposed method was applied to the speciation of selenium(IV), selenium(VI) and determination of total selenium in natural waters and microwave digested soil, garlic, onion, rice, wheat and hazelnut samples harvested various locations in Turkey with satisfactory results. In order to verify the accuracy of the method, certified reference materials (NIST SRM 2711 Montana Soil, NIST SRM 1568a Rice Flour and NIST SRM 8418 Wheat Gluten) were analyzed and the results obtained were in good agreement with the certified values. The relative errors and relative standard deviations were below 6 and 10%, respectively.     

Potassium Sensing by Using a Newly Synthesized Squaraine Dye in Sol-Gel Matrix

Squaraines are a group of fluorescent dyes and pigments derived from squaric acid and dialkylanilines well known in applications such as photoreceptors, organic solar cells, optical recording media, and non-linear optics. Their very promising spectral properties, long wavelength absorption and emission, and high absorptivity and quantum yields have not been exploited so far in relation to optical sensor design. They exhibit excellent solubility in sol-gel matrices, and the ligand is an integral part of the fluorophore system, which makes the molecule a fluoroionophore. In this work, potassium-sensing agent, bis[4-N-(1-aza-4,7,10,13,16-pentaox acyclooctadecyl)-3,5-dihydroxyphenyl] squaraine has been used for potassium sensing in a sol-gel matrix. The spectrofluorimetric response of dye-doped tetraethyl ortosilicate (TEOS) film after exposure to certain concentrations of K⁺ has been investigated, and 62% of relative signal change was achieved. The dynamic working range of the sensor membrane has been found between 10^–9 and 10^–6 M K⁺, in other terms from nanomolar to micromolar levels, which is an advantage over flame emission spectroscopy, in view of detection limit. The sensor is fully reversible within the dynamic range and the response time (₉₀) is found to be 2 min under batch conditions. The cross-sensitivity of the molecule to Na⁺, Ba²⁺, Ca²⁺, and NH⁺ ₄ was also tested in separate solutions.     

A Long Wavelength Excitable Fluorophore; Chloro Phenyl Imino Propenyl Aniline (CPIPA) for Selective Sensing of Hg (II)

In this study, a very sensitive and highly selective irreversible optical chemical sensor (optode) for mercury ions was described. The sensing scheme was based on the interaction of Hg (II) with a newly synthesized fluoroionophore; chloro phenyl imino propenyl aniline (CPIPA) in plasticized PVC membrane. The sensor membranes were tested for the determination of mercury ion in aqueous solutions by batch and flow-through methods. The optodes allow determination of Hg (II) in the working range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁹–1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M with a detection limit of 4.3 ppb. The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity for Hg (II) with respect to several common alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal ions. The association constant of the 1:1 complex formation for Hg (II) was found to be K_a = 1.86 × 10⁵ M⁻¹. The CPIPA exhibited high fluorescence quantum yield, long excitation and emission wavelength and high Stokes’ shift values in the solid matrix which makes it compatible with solid state optics.     

Selective partial hydrogenation of hydroxy aromatic derivatives with palladium nanoparticles supported on hydrophilic carbon

Selective hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanol in the aqueous phase was achieved using a new catalytic system based on palladium particles supported on hydrophilic carbon prepared by one-pot hydrothermal carbonisation.     

Ratiometric sensing of CO2 in ionic liquid modified ethyl cellulose matrix

In this study emission-based ratiometric response of ion pair form of 1-hydroxy-3,6,8-pyrenetrisulfonate (HPTS) to gaseous CO(2) has been evaluated in ionic liquid (IL) containing ethyl cellulose (EC) matrix. The ionic liquid: 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIMBF(4)); provided longer storage time and highly stable microenvironment for the HPTS molecule due to the buffering effect. The utilization of ionic liquid in ethyl cellulose matrix resulted with superior spectral characteristics. The excitation spectra of HPTS exhibited an atypical isoemmissive point in modified EC matrix at 418 nm which allows ratiometric processing of the signal intensities. EMIMBF(4)-doped sensor films exhibited enhanced linear working range between 0 and 100% pCO(2). The signal changes were fully reversible and the shelf life of the EMIMBF(4)-doped films was extended from 15 to 95 days.     

Musical Isomorphisms and Problems of Lifts

Using the complete lift on tangent bundles, the authors construct the complete lift on cotangent bundles of tensor fields with the aid of a musical isomorphism. In this new framework, the authors have a new intrepretation of the complete lift of tensor fields on cotangent bundles.     

Characterization of a reservoir-type capillary optical microsensor for pCO(2) measurements

A reservoir type of capillary microsensor for pCO₂ measurements is presented. The sensor is based on the measurement of the fluorescence intensity of the anionic form of the pH indicator 1-hydroxy-3,6,8-pyrenetrisulfonate in the form of its ion pair with a quaternary ammonium base in an ethyl cellulose matrix. The glass capillary containing the reservoir sensor was prepared by immersing the tip of the optical fiber into the sensing agent very close to the sensor tip thus providing a very small volume for the sensing reaction. The purpose of the sensing approach is to regenerate the dye/buffer system by diffusion, which may be poisoned by interfering acids, or bleach by photolysis. The fresh cocktail from the reservoir takes the place of protonated form of the dye. The internal buffer system also makes the protonation-deprotonation equilibria reversible. The distal tip of the internal buffer containing reservoir is coated with a gas-permeable but ion-impermeable teflon membrane. The dynamic range for the detection of pCO₂ is between 1 and 20 hPa, which corresponds to the range of dissolved CO₂ in water. The response time is 15 s and the detection limit is 1 hPa of pCO_2. The recovery performance of this sensor can be improved by means of mechanical adjustment of the sensor tip in a micrometric scale.     

On a Cotangent Bundle with Deformed Riemannian Extension

The main purpose of this paper is to study deformed Riemannian extensions in the cotangent bundle. The curvature properties of metric connections for deformed Riemannian extensions are also investigated.