Tetrakis(4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzene)porphyrinato]manganese(III) acetate as a novel carrier for a selective iodide PVC membrane electrode.

[5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzene)porphyrinato]Mn(III) acetate (MnTDPAc) was applied as an ionophore for an iodide-selective PVC membrane electrode. The influences of the membrane composition, pH of the test solution and foreign ions on the electrode performance were investigated. The sensor exhibited not only excellent selectivity to iodide ion compared to Cl- and lipophilic anions such as ClO4- and salicylate, but also a Nernstian response with a slope of -59.4 +/- 1.2 mV per decade for iodide ions over a wide concentration range from 1.0 x 10(-2) to 7.5 x 10(-6) M at 25 degrees C. The potentiometric response was independent of the pH of the solution in the pH range of 2 - 8. The electrode could be used for at least 2 months without any considerable divergence in the potential. Good selectivity for iodide ion, a very short response time, simple preparation and relatively long-term stability were the silent characteristics of this electrode. It was successfully used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of iodide ions, and also in the determination of iodide from seawater samples and drug formulations.     

Green route for selective gram‐scale oxidation of sulfides using tungstate/triazine‐based ionic liquid immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles as a phase‐transfer heterogeneous catalyst

Tungstate ions were successfully loaded onto triazine‐based ionic liquid‐functionalized magnetic nanoparticles through an anion exchange process. The use of triazine core for creating ionic liquid led to the immobilization of high amounts of WO₄^2?. The resulting catalyst showed high activity and selectivity in the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides with H₂O₂ as a green oxidant at room temperature. In addition, due to the presence of ammonium groups in the catalyst structure, water dispersibility of the catalyst was increased. More important, the catalyst was magnetically recovered and reused for up to six runs without any marked decrease of activity and selectivity. Finally, easy gram‐scale oxidation of methylphenyl sulfide as well as fast separation of catalyst and product makes the protocol economical and industrially applicable.     

Heat transfer enhancement in a counter-flow sinusoidal parallel-plate heat exchanger partially filled with porous media using metal foam in the channels’ divergent sections

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - This is a numerical study of heat transfer and flow in a counter-flow sinusoidal parallel-plate heat exchanger using metal foam in the channels’...     

Resonance energies and fusion rates of mass‐nonsymmetric dtμ* molecule

Several resonances in the molecular spectrum of the exotic dtμ* ion are obtained. We present a theoretical formulation for its energy levels together with the numerical calculations for the nuclear fusion rates. The calculations are performed with the coupled rearrangement channel method, but with a set of functions alternative to others. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Spin-polarized edge and magnetoresistance in graphene flake

We examine spin-polarized edge and magnetoresistance (MR) in Fe/graphene flake (GF)/Fe junctions. For simulating various edge designs, we use the tight-binding approximation, mean-field scheme for the Hubbard model and the Landauer-Büttiker formalism. The Fe electrodes strongly affect electronic states and magnetic properties of the GF and induce magnetism in the edge atoms even in case of armchair interfaces. Also, the edge magnetic moments of the zigzag interface rotate and couple antiferromagnetically with the Fe electrodes. The conductivity of the junctions strongly depend on the relative magnetic orientation of the Fe electrodes, so, the junctions show high MR ratios. Moreover, edge geometry and localized edge state in the GF alter the MR ratios and produce large (small) variation in the MR at low (high) bias voltages.     

Reversed‐phase vortex‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction: A new sample preparation method for the determination of amygdalin in oil and kernel samples

A novel, simple, and rapid reversed‐phase vortex‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography has been introduced for the extraction, clean‐up, and preconcentration of amygdalin in oil and kernel samples. In this technique, deionized water was used as the extracting solvent. Unlike the reversed‐phase dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, dispersive solvent was eliminated in the proposed method. Various parameters that affected the extraction efficiency, such as extracting solvent volume and its pH, vortex, and centrifuging times were evaluated and optimized. The calibration curve shows good linearity (r² = 0.9955) and precision (RSD < 5.2%) in the range of 0.07–20 μg/mL. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 0.02 and 0.07 μg/mL, respectively. The recoveries were in the range of 96.0–102.0% with relative standard deviation values ranging from 4.0 to 5.1%. Unlike the conventional extraction methods for plant extracts, no evaporative and re‐solubilizing operations were needed in the proposed technique.     

Semi-automated salt-assisted liquid–liquid extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography to determine three aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous samples

In this study, a new device for semi-automated salt-assisted liquid–liquid extraction was designed and coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine three aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous samples. In order to evaluate the performance of the designed device, three aromatic hydrocarbons including 2-naphthol, naphthalene and anthracene were selected as model analytes. Sample solution, extraction solvent and salt solution using separate channels were transferred to a sample holder, respectively. These three components were mixed using a magnetic stirrer. After stirrer stopping, the aqueous and organic phases were separated and organic layer transferred to the injection loop of HPLC system. Optimization process was achieved using response surface methodology by Design-Expert software. A central composite design was used to optimize the main parameters including pH (A), stirrer time (B), organic solvent volume (C) and salt concentration (D). The limit of quantitation for 2-naphthol, naphthalene and anthracene was 15.0, 25.0 and 1.0 ng mL^?1, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, obtained recoveries for three analytes were in the range of 76.0–96.2% with relative standard deviation less than 8.2%. The salt-assisted liquid–liquid extraction method using the proposed device has been successfully used for the analysis of real samples containing studied analytes in various matrices.     

Turbulent forced convection heat transfer of non-Newtonian nanofluids

Forced convection heat transfer of non-Newtonian nanofluids in a circular tube with constant wall temperature under turbulent flow conditions was investigated experimentally. Three types of nanofluids were prepared by dispersing homogeneously γ-Al₂O₃, TiO₂ and CuO nanoparticles into the base fluid. An aqueous solution of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was used as the base fluid. Nanofluids as well as the base fluid show shear-thinning (pseudoplastic) rheological behavior. Results indicate that the convective heat transfer coefficient of nanofluids is higher than that of the base fluid. The enhancement of the convective heat transfer coefficient increases with an increase in the Peclet number and the nanoparticle concentration. The increase in the convective heat transfer coefficient of nanofluids is greater than the increase that would be observed considering strictly the increase in the effective thermal conductivity of nanofluids. Experimental data were compared to heat transfer coefficients predicted using available correlations for purely viscous non-Newtonian fluids. Results show poor agreement between experimental and predicted values. New correlation was proposed to predict successfully Nusselt numbers of non-Newtonian nanofluids as a function of Reynolds and Prandtl numbers.     

Energy and exergy analysis and optimization of a gas turbine cycle coupled by a bottoming organic Rankine cycle

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this study, the numerical analysis of energy and exergy has been performed for a gas turbine cycle coupled with an ORC cycle. Validation of current...