Subcritical water extraction of organic matter from sedimentary rocks

Subcritical water extraction of organic matter containing sedimentary rocks at 300 °C and 1500 psi produces extracts comparable to conventional solvent extraction. Subcritical water extraction of previously solvent extracted samples confirms that high molecular weight organic matter (kerogen) degradation is not occurring and that only low molecular weight organic matter (free compounds) are being accessed in analogy to solvent extraction procedures. The sedimentary rocks chosen for extraction span the classic geochemical organic matter types. A type I organic matter-containing sedimentary rock produces n-alkanes and isoprenoidal hydrocarbons at 300 °C and 1500 psi that indicate an algal source for the organic matter. Extraction of a rock containing type II organic matter at the same temperature and pressure produces aliphatic hydrocarbons but also aromatic compounds reflecting the increased contributions from terrestrial organic matter in this sample. A type III organic matter-containing sample produces a range of non-polar and polar compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and oxygenated aromatic compounds at 300 °C and 1500 psi reflecting a dominantly terrestrial origin for the organic materials. Although extraction at 300 °C and 1500 psi produces extracts that are comparable to solvent extraction, lower temperature steps display differences related to organic solubility. The type I organic matter produces no products below 300 °C and 1500 psi, reflecting its dominantly aliphatic character, while type II and type III organic matter contribute some polar components to the lower temperature steps, reflecting the chemical heterogeneity of their organic inventory. The separation of polar and non-polar organic compounds by using different temperatures provides the potential for selective extraction that may obviate the need for subsequent preparative chromatography steps. Our results indicate that subcritical water extraction can act as a suitable replacement for conventional solvent extraction of sedimentary rocks, but can also be used for any organic matter containing mineral matrix, including soils and recent sediments, and has the added benefit of tailored extraction for analytes of specific polarities.     

Development of microwave-assisted extraction followed by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for quantification of camphor and borneol in Flos Chrysanthemi Indici

In the work, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) followed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for quantitative analysis of the bioactive components of camphor and borneol in a traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) of Flos Chrysanthemi Indici. After systematical investigation, the optimal experimental parameters microwave power (400 W), irradiation time (4 min), fiber coating (PDMS/DVB fiber), extraction temperature (40 °C), extraction time (20 min), stirring rate (1100 rpm), and salt effect (no salt added) were investigated. The optimized method provided satisfactory precision (RSD values less than 12%), good recovery (from 86% to 94%), and good linearity (R² > 0.999). The proposed method was applied to quantitative analysis of camphor and borneol in Flos Chrysanthemi Indici samples from 11 different growing areas. To demonstrate the method feasibility, steam distillation was also used to analyze camphor and borneol in Flos Chrysanthemi Indici samples from these different growing areas. The very close results were obtained by the two methods. It has been shown that the proposed ME-HS-SPME-GC-MS is a simple, rapid, solvent-free and reliable method for quantitative analysis of camphor and borneol in TCM, and a potential tool for quality assessment of Flos Chrysanthemi Indici.     

Pressurized liquid extraction and anticholinesterase activity-based thin-layer chromatography with bioautography of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids

Modern extraction technique-pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was optimised for extraction of lycorine and galanthamine (Amaryllidaceae alkaloids) from Narcissus jonquilla ‘Pipit’. Crude extracts were purified on Oasis MCX cartridges, and the alkaloids eluted with 80-100% recoveries using methanol-10% ammonia solution (3:1, v/v). Quantitative results were obtained by both HPTLC-densitometry on silica gel plates and RP-HPLC with diode array (DAD) on XTerra C₁₈ stationary phase. Both methods were fully validated in terms of specificity, precision (including intra- and inter-day measurements), LOD and LOQ values, correlation of UV spectra and linearity of calibration curves. The methods were also well correlated each other with correlation coefficients (r) 0.98823 and 0.99081, respectively, for the mean values of galanthamine and lycorine.Among the investigated solvents methanol and 1% tartaric acid methanolic solution at default conditions (120 °C, p = 60 bar, time: 10 min, one static cycle) permit the highest yields of the total sum of the alkaloids, whereas for toluene the lowest amounts were measured. Lycorine to galanthamine mean ratios were dependant on the type of solvent used, and in toluene galanthamine and related alkaloids were preferably extracted.In temperature experiments for galanthamine, the levels of this compound increased from the temperature of 20 till 150 °C in the investigated solvent systems, then decreased with slight increase from the temperature of 175 to 200 °C in 1% tartaric acid methanolic solution. When lycorine was analysed, similar trends were observed, however the maximum of the concentration was measured at a temperature about 125 °C. The ratios of the mean values of these two compounds differed in temperature-dependant experiments in both solvent systems.Further more, two TLC with bioautography approaches were used in screening for anticholinesterese properties of the extracts. No qualitative differences were found among the different solvent extracts, and AChE inhibition was correlated with galanthamine and related compounds.In conclusion, optimised PLE was much more effective than previously applied hot-solvent extraction, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) or ultrasound-assisted extraction (USAE).     

Evaluation of the solid-phase microextraction fiber coated with single walled carbon nanotubes for the determination of benzene,toluene, ethylbenzene,xylenes in aqueous samples

A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coated with single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was prepared by electrophoretic deposition and treated at 500 °C in H₂ stream. In order to evaluate the characteristics of the obtained fiber, it was applied in the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) from water sample and quantification by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The results indicated that the thermal treatment with H₂ enhanced the extraction of the SWCNTs fiber for BTEX significantly. Thermal stability and durability of the fiber were also investigated, showing excellent stability up to 350 °C and life time over 120 times. In the comparison with the commercial CAR–PDMS fiber, the SWCNTs fiber showed similar and higher extraction efficiencies for BTEX. Under the optimized conditions, the linearity, LODs (S/N = 3) and LOQs (S/N = 10) of the method based on the SWCNTs fiber were 0.5–50.0, 0.005–0.026 and 0.017–0.088 μg/L, respectively. Repeatability for one fiber (n = 3) was in the range of 1.5–5.6% and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility (n = 3) was in the range of 4.2–8.3%. The proposed method was successfully applied in the analysis of BTEX compounds in seawater, tap water and wastewater from a paint plant.     

Thermodynamics of 2D polymerized tetragonal phase of fullerene C60 in the range from T→0 to 650 K at standard pressure

By dynamic calorimetry the temperature dependence of heat capacity for two-dimensional (2D) polymerized tetragonal phase of C₆₀ has been determined over the 300-650 K range at standard pressure mainly with an uncertainty ±1.5%. In the range 490-550 K, an irreversible endothermic transition of the phase, caused by the depolymerization of the polymer, has been found and characterized. Based on the experimental data obtained and literature information, the thermodynamic functions of 2D polymerized tetragonal phase of C₆₀, namely, the heat capacity C°_p(T), enthalpy H°(T)−H°(0), entropy S°(T), and Gibbs function G°(T)−H°(0), have been calculated over the range from T→0 to 490 K. From 150 to 330 K in an adiabatic vacuum calorimeter and between 330 and 650 K in a dynamic calorimeter the thermodynamic properties of the depolymerization products have been examined and compared with the corresponding data for the monomeric phase C₆₀.     

Rapid analysis of Fructus forsythiae essential oil by ionic liquids-assisted microwave distillation coupled with headspace single-drop microextraction followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

A rapid, green and effective miniaturized sample preparation and analytical technique, i.e. ionic liquids-assisted microwave distillation coupled with headspace single-drop microextraction (ILAMD-HS-SDME) followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was developed for the analysis of essential oil (EO) in Fructus forsythiae. In this work, ionic liquids (ILs) were not only used as the absorption medium of microwave irradiation but also as the destruction agent of plant cell walls. 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C₂mim]OAc) was chosen as the optimal ILs. Moreover, n-heptadecane (2.0 μL) was selected as the appropriate suspended solvent for the extraction and concentration of EO. Extraction conditions of the proposed method were optimized using the relative peak area of EO constituents as the index, and the optimal operational parameters were obtained as follows: irradiation power (300 W), sample mass (0.7 g), mass ratio of ILs to sample (2.4), temperature (78 °C) and time (3.4 min). In comparison to previous reports, the proposed method was faster and required smaller sample amount but could equally monitor all EO constituents with no significant differences.     

Comparison of supercritical fluid and Soxhlet extractions for the quantification of hydrocarbons from Euphorbia macroclada

This study compares conventional Soxhlet extraction and analytical scale supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) for their yields in extracting of hydrocarbons from arid-land plant Euphorbia macroclada. The plant material was firstly sequentially extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide, modified with 10% methanol (v/v) in the optimum conditions that is a pressure of 400 atm and a temperature of 50 °C and then it was sonicated in methylene chloride for an additional 4 h. E. macroclada was secondly extracted by using a Soxhlet apparatus at 30 °C for 8 h in methylene chloride. The validated SFE was then compared to the extraction yield of E. macroclada with a Soxhlet extraction by using the Student’s t-test at the 95% confidence level. All of extracts were fractionated with silica-gel in a glass column to get better hydrocarbon yields. Thus, the highest hydrocarbons yield from E. macroclada was achieved with SFE (5.8%) when it compared with Soxhlet extractions (1.1%). Gas chromatography (GC) analysis was performed to determine the quantitative hydrocarbons from plant material. The greatest quantitative hydrocarbon recovery from GC was obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extract (0.6 mg g⁻¹).     

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous samples by microwave assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography/flame ionization detection

The novel pretreatment technique, microwave-assisted heating coupled to headspace solid-phase microextraction (MA-HS-SPME) has been studied for one-step in situ sample preparation for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous samples before gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC/FID). The PAHs evaporated into headspace with the water by microwave irradiation, and absorbed directly on a SPME fiber in the headspace. After being desorbed from the SPME fiber in the GC injection port, PAHs were analyzed by GC/FID. Parameters affecting extraction efficiency, such as SPME fiber coating, adsorption temperature, microwave power and irradiation time, and desorption conditions were investigated.Experimental results indicated that extraction of 20 mL aqueous sample containing PAHs at optional pH, by microwave irradiation with effective power 145 W for 30 min (the same as the extraction time), and collection with a 65 μm PDMS/DVB fiber at 20 °C circular cooling water to control sampling temperature, resulted in the best extraction efficiency. Optimum desorption of PAHs from the SPME fiber in the GC hot injection port was achieved at 290 °C for 5 min. The method was developed using spiked water sample such as field water with a range of 0.1-200 μg/L PAHs. Detection limits varied from 0.03 to 1.0 μg/L for different PAHs based on S/N = 3 and the relative standard deviations for repeatability were <13%. A real sample was collected from the scrubber water of an incineration system. PAHs of two to three rings were measured with concentrations varied from 0.35 to 7.53 μg/L. Recovery was more than 88% and R.S.D. was less than 17%. The proposed method is a simple, rapid, and organic solvent-free procedure for determination of PAHs in wastewater.     

Microwave-assisted cycloadditions of 2-alkynylbenzonitriles with sodium azide: selective synthesis of tetrazolo[5,1-a]pyridines and 4,5-disubstituted-2H-1,2,3-triazoles

Under microwave irradiation (75 W), treatment of 2-alkynylbenzonitriles with 1.5 equiv of sodium azide in DMSO at 140 °C gave 4,5-disubstituted-2H-1,2,3-triazoles in 60-99% yields. Additionally, adding 8 equiv of ZnBr₂ and using 8 equiv of sodium azide in DMF at 100 °C lead to the formation of tetrazolo[5,1-a]isoquinolines up to 87% yield.     

Synthesis and anhydrous proton conductivity of poly(5-vinyltetrazole) prepared by free radical polymerization

5-Vinyltetrazole (VT)-based polymer is mainly produced by ‘click chemistry’ from polyacrylonitrile due to the unavailability of 5-vinyltetrazole monomer, which usually produces copolymers of VT and acrylonitrile rather than pure poly(5-vinyltetrazole) (PVT). In present work, VT was synthesized from 5-(2-chloroethyl)tetrazole via dehydrochlorination. A series of PVT with different molecular weight were synthesized by normal free radical polymerization. The chemical structures of VT and PVT were characterized by ¹H NMR and FTIR. PVT without any doped acid exhibits certain proton conductivity at higher temperature and anhydrous state. The proton conductivity of PVT decreases at least 2 orders of magnitude after methylation of tetrazole. PVT and PVT/H₃PO₄ composite membranes are thermally stable up to 200 °C. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of PVT/xH₃PO₄ composite membranes is shifted from 90 °C for x = 0.5 to 55 °C for x = 1. The temperature dependence of DC conductivity for pure PVT exhibits a simple Arrhenius behavior in the temperature range of 90–160 °C, while PVT/xH₃PO₄ composite membranes with higher H₃PO₄ concentration can be fitted by Vogel–Tamman–Fulcher (VTF) equation. PVT/1.0H₃PO₄ exhibits an anhydrous proton conductivity of 3.05 × 10⁻³ at 110 °C. The transmission of the PVT/xH₃PO₄ composite membrane is above 85% in the wavelength of visible light and changes little with acid contents. Thus, PVT/xH₃PO₄ composite membranes have potential applications not only in intermediate temperature fuel cells but also in solid electrochromic device.     

Optimization of a microwave-assisted extraction of secondary metabolites from crustose lichens with quantitative spectrophotodensitometry analysis

A focused and rapid microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) process was carried out and optimized for secondary metabolites from crustose lichens using Taguchi experimental design and quantitative analysis on TLC by a Camag^® spectrophotodensitometer. The procedure was improved by quantitative determination of norstictic acid (NA), a common depsidone isolated from Pertusaria pseudocorallina (Sw.) Arn. Various experimental parameters that can potentially affect the NA extraction yields including extraction time, irradiation power, volume and the percentage of tetrahydrofuran (THF) were optimized. Results suggest that THF percentage and solvent volume were statistically the most significant factors. The optimal conditions were determined as follows: THF level of 100%, solvent volume of 15 mL, microwave power of 100 W and extraction time of 7 min. Compared to the reflux method, MAE showed a drastic reduction of extraction time (7 min vs. 3 h) and solvent consumption (15 mL vs. 30 mL). The NA in total yield was 90% using the two methods. The optimal conditions were applied to other crustose lichens, Aspicilia radiosa, Diploicia canescens and Ochrolechia parella for the extraction of NA, diploicine (DP) and variolaric acid (VA), with 83%, 90% and 95% of recovery, respectively.     

Solid phase microextraction using new sol–gel hybrid polydimethylsiloxane-2-hydroxymethyl-18-crown-6-coated fiber for determination of organophosphorous pesticides

A new sol–gel hybrid coating, polydimethylsiloxane–2-hydroxymethyl-18-crown-6 (PDMS–2OHMe18C6) was prepared in-house for use in solid phase microextraction (SPME). The three compositions produced were assessed for its extraction efficiency towards three selected organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) based on peak area extracted obtained from gas chromatography with electron capture detection. All three compositions showed superior extraction efficiencies compared to commercial 100 μm PDMS fiber. The composition showing best extraction performance was used to obtain optimized SPME conditions: 75 °C extraction temperature, 10 min extraction time, 120 rpm stirring rate, desorption time 5 min, desorption temperature 250 °C and 1.5% (w/v) of NaCl salt addition. The method detection limits (S/N = 3) of the OPPs with the new sol–gel hybrid material ranged from 4.5 to 4.8 ng g⁻¹, which is well below the maximum residue limit set by Codex Alimentarius Commission and European Commission. Percentage recovery of OPPs from strawberry, green apple and grape samples with the new hybrid sol–gel SPME material ranged from 65 to 125% with good precision of the method (%RSD) ranging from 0.3 to 7.4%.     

Determination of four major saponins in the seeds of Aesculus chinensis Bunge using accelerated solvent extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray-time of flight mass spectrometry

A new method based on accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) followed by a reliable high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and positive ion electrospray-time of flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF/MS) analysis has been developed for the characterization and quantification of four major saponins in extracts of the seeds of Aesculus chinensis Bunge (Semen Aesculi). The saponins escin Ia, escin Ib, isoescin Ia and isoescin Ib were extracted from seeds of A. chinesis Bunge via ASE, and the operational parameters of ASE were optimized, such as extraction solvent, extraction temperature, static extraction time and extraction cycles. The optimized procedure employed 70% MeOH as extraction solvent, 120 °C of extraction temperature, 7 min of static extraction time, 60% flush volume and the extraction recoveries of the four compounds were nearly to 100% for two cycles. The HPLC conditions are as follows: SinoChrom ODS BP C₁₈ (4.6 mm × 200 mm, 5 μm) column, acetonitrile and 0.10% phosphoric acid solution as mobile phase, flow rate is 1.0 mL min⁻¹, detection length of UV is 203 nm, injection volume is 10 μL. The results indicated that the developed HPLC method is simple, sensitive and reliable for the determination of four major saponins in seeds of A. chinesis Bunge with a good linearity (r² > 0.9994), precision (relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) <1.5%) and the recovery ranges of 95.2-97.3%. The limits of detection (LOD) of the four compounds were in the range of 0.40-0.75 μg mL⁻¹. This assay can be readily utilized as a quality control method for Semen Aesculi and other related medicinal plants.     

Effect of the pre-treatment of the samples on the natural substances extraction from Helianthus annuus L. using supercritical carbon dioxide

The extraction of bioactive compounds from sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) with supercritical carbon dioxide has been studied. The samples were treated in four different ways and the effects of two factors (pressure and temperature) were investigated at 100, 500 bar and 35, 50 °C. The best yields were obtained using a high temperature and a high pressure (50 °C and 500 bar). The dry samples produced better extraction yields than the moist samples. The bioactivities of the extracts were compared for the samples treated in different ways. The best activity profiles were obtained for the moist samples extracted at 35 °C and 500 bar.     

Determination of 28 selected elements in textiles by axially viewed inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A simple, robust and reliable analytical procedure for the determination of 28 selected elements, namely Al, As, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Hg, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sc, Si, Se, Sn, Sm, Sr, Tl, V, and Zn in textile materials by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after microwave digestion of samples was optimized and validated in this work. The total amount of elements present in textile samples was determined after microwave digestion of materials in 7 mol/L nitric acid within the optimal working program: 5 min at 150 °C (power 250 W), 15 min 180 °C (300 W) and 20 min at the maximum temperature of 200 °C (350 W). For the quality control reasons, which were ascertained by analysis of the certified cotton trace elements reference material IAEA-V9, the ICP-OES method was optimized through several parameters: by comparing Meinhard and Gemcone Low Flow nebulizers efficiency, ranging nebulizer gas flows from 0.6 to 1.0 L/min, ranging sample flows from 0.8 to 1.2 mL/min, testing RF power from 1200 to 1400 W, detecting data acquisition time (read time) from 0 to 527 s, ranging washing (delay) time from 0 to 408 s, as well as by checking the occurring interferences for the optimal line selection. Validation included determination of linearity, selectivity, accuracy, reproducibility, precision and limits of detection calculated for all 28 selected elements of interest. The developed analytical procedure was successfully applied on textile fibers (cotton, flax and hemp) as well as on standard knitted textile sample materials (cotton and wool).     

Hyphenated technique for the extraction and determination of isoflavones in algae: Ultrasound-assisted supercritical fluid extraction followed by fast chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

New hyphenated technique for the extraction and determination of isoflavones in sea and freshwater algae and cyanobacteria was developed. The method consists of sonication sample pretreatment, extraction by supercritical CO₂ modified by 3% (v/v) of MeOH/H₂O mixture (9:1, v/v) at 35 MPa and 40 °C for 60 min, fast chromatography analysis by the means of Agilent 1200 Series Rapid Resolution and MS/MS determination. Agilent 1200 Series RRLC was used with Zorbax SB-CN chromatographic column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, particle size 3.5 μm), 3 μl injection volume, mobile phase consisting of 0.2% (v/v) acetic acid in water (solvent A) and acetonitrile (solvent B) and used with linear gradient (30% B at 0 min, from 0 min to 3 min up to 50% B, from 3 to 6 min up to 80% B and from 6 to 10 min down to 30% B). The flow-rate was 0.4 mL/min, column oven temperature 35 °C. MS detector Agilent Technologies 6460 Triple quadrupole LC/MS with Agilent Jet Stream was used in a negative ESI mode under following conditions: gas temperature 350 °C, gas flow 13 L/min, nebulizer gas pressure 50 psi, sheath gas temperature 400 °C, sheath gas flow 12 L/min, capillary voltage was 4 kV. Samples were analysed in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Eight isoflavone compounds were found for the first time in seven real samples of sea algae and in three control samples of freshwater algae and cyanobacteria. Usual optimisation study of extraction parameters was performed. Pressure and temperature optima for algae matrix are different from those obtained sooner for other matrices for most of the analytes, but the results of modifier optimisation study are in good accordance with those obtained sooner for spiked samples and red clover matrix. It seems that matrix has very small or no effect on the modifier selection. Two different approaches of sonication pretreatment were tested: sonication bath and the thorn instrument. In longer extraction time experiments, thorn sonication was more efficient and recovery of following supercritical fluid extraction was higher.     

Isolation of flavonoids from aspen knotwood by pressurized hot water extraction and comparison with other extraction techniques

Pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) conditions (time, temperature, pressure) were optimized for the extraction of naringenin and other major flavonoids (dihydrokaempferol, naringin) from knotwood of aspen. Extracts were analysed by GC-FID, GC-MS, HPLC-UV and HPLC-MS. The results were compared with those obtained by Soxhlet, ultrasonic extraction and reflux in methanol. Flavonoids were most efficiently extracted with PHWE at 150 °C and 220 bar with 35 min extraction time. Soxhlet with methanol gave slightly higher recoveries, but an extraction time of 48 h was required. Naringenin concentration was highest in knotwood (1.15% dry weight) and much lower in the sapwood. PHWE proved to be cheap, fast and effective for the isolation of biofunctional flavonoids from aspen knotwood, producing higher recoveries than 24 h Soxhlet extraction, sonication or 24 h reflux.     

Pentacene precursors for solution-processed OFETs

15-Acetoxy- and 15-hydroxy-6,13-dihydro-6,13-ethanopentacenes sublimed over 300 °C and no pentacene was formed below the temperature. The precursors bearing chlorinated epithiomethano bridges suffered complicated decomposition to give oligomeric pentacene derivatives. The precursor bearing an epithio-oxomethano bridge underwent smooth and clean conversion to pentacene by heat or light. An organic field-effect transistor fabricated by the spin-coating method of the precursor followed by light irradiation at 120 °C showed a good FET performance of μ=2.5×10⁻² cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and on/off ratio=3.8×10⁴.     

Synthesis of pyrroloazepinones: platinum- and gold-catalyzed cyclization reactions of alkynes

The synthesis of potentially bioactive pyrroloazepinones based on the catalytic intramolecular cyclization of alkyne-substituted 1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid amides has been developed. In the presence of either H₂PtCl₆·6H₂O at 120 °C or AuCl₃ at room temperature pyrrolo[3,2-c]azepin-4-ones are formed.     

The effects of thermal treatment on the antioxidant activity of polyaniline

The thermal stability of chemically synthesized polyaniline (PANI) was examined, including granular (G) polyaniline powders formed conventionally in an HCl medium, and nanorod (NR) samples prepared using a falling-pH synthesis. The samples were examined before and after dedoping (dd) using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which showed small mass losses in the 200-300 °C temperature range, and greater mass losses due to oxidative degradation at higher temperatures. Furthermore, samples were treated thermally at 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 250 and 300 °C for 30 min in air. SEM images did not show any pronounced effect on the morphologies of the samples from thermal treatment up to 300 °C. The ratios of the intensities (Q/B) of the predominantly quinonoid (Q) and benzenoid peaks (B) from FTIR spectroscopic analysis revealed that NR-PANI and NR-PANIdd underwent cross-linking upon thermal treatment up to 175 °C and were oxidized after treatment above 175 °C. G-PANI and G-PANIdd also underwent the same chemical changes with oxidation occurring above 200 °C. The free radical scavenging capacity of the samples was evaluated using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and was found to be independent of the spin concentrations of the samples. All samples exhibited a rapid decline in free radical scavenging capacity when exposed to temperatures above 200 °C, indicating that any polymer processing should be undertaken at temperatures less than this value to achieve high antioxidant activity.