Molecular design of liquid crystalline poly(ester-amide)s with perfluoroalkyl spacers

We have introduced a series of perfluoroalkyl dicarboxylic acids with different lengths of fluorinated aliphatic segments into the 2,6-acetoxynaphthoic acid (ANA) and acetoxy acetanilide (AAA) systems; and their effects on the evolution of liquid crystal texture and liquid crystallinity have been investigated. The perfluoroalkyl dicarboxylic acids are tetrafluorosuccinic acid (TFSA, n=2), hexafluoroglutaric acid (HFGA, n=3), perfluorosuberic acid (PFSUA, n=6) and perfluorosebacic acid (PFSEA, n=8). Computational results based on the 'RIS' Metropolis Monte Carlo method indicate that the ANA/AAA/perfluoroalkyl system may form thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) because the calculated persistence ratios are greater than 6.42. Computational results also predict that the systems containing even-numbered perfluoroalkyl acids have greater persistence length and molar stiffness than that containing odd-numbered acids. Experiments were carried out using the in situ thin film polymerization technique under a polarizing optical microscope. We observed that systems containing short aliphatic units (n=2, 3) tend to remain in the LC phase, while systems containing a long aliphatic spacer (n=8) tend to crystallize during the late stage of the polycondensation reaction. The liquid crystal domain formed in the early stage has a disclination strength S of +1. Ternary phase diagrams were plotted to show the relationship among monomer structure, composition, anisotropic and crystalline phases. FTIR results confirm the formation of LCPs.     

pi-Indenyl tin(II) and lead(II) compounds

The syntheses and structures of the first indenyl-substituted tin(II) complexes, [Sn{1,3-(SiMe3)2C9H5}2] and [Sn(C5Me5)-{1,3-(SiMe3)2C9H5}], are described; the lead(II) analogue of the latter compound has also been prepared and structurally characterized.     

Liquid-liquid extraction of lead(II) with tributyl phosphate

Tributyl phosphate [30% solution in isobutyl methyl ketone (IBMK)] is used for the quantitative extraction of microgram amounts of lead from 3M hydrochloric acid containing lithium chloride (2M) as salting-out agent. It is then stripped from the organic phase with water and determined colorimetrically as its orange-red complex with 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol at 520 nm. TBP alone cannot quantitatively extract lead in the absence of salting-out agents. The IBMK used as diluent does not extract lead under the conditions used. The period of equilibration needed is 5 min. Lead can be extracted in the presence of up to 100 times as much of certain other ions. The method is found to be applicable to analysis of gun-metal.     

A lead(II) ion selective electrode via a metal complex of poly(hydroxamic acid)

A new lead(II) electrode has been constructed with poly(hydroxamic acid) (PHXA) as the active material and silicone rubber as the supporting material. The electrode gave near Nerstian response over the concentration range 4 × 10⁻⁵−1 × 10⁻²M lead(II). The detection limit of the electrode is approximately 4 × 10⁻⁶M and the electrode works well in the pH range 4.5–6.0. The response time was 50–120 sec over the whole concentration range and the electrode has a working life of at least 4 weeks. Iron(III) severely poisoned the electrode membrane. Nickel(II) and mercury(II) gave very strong interference compared to copper(II), silver(I), cobalt(II), sodium(I), potassium(I), zinc(II) and cadmium(II) which gave some or little interference. Values determined with atomic absorption (AAS) and a commercial lead(II) electrode were in good agreement with those measured with the lead(II) electrode reported here.     

Copper(II) coordination compounds with ferulic acid

The first two molecular structures of the ferulic acid (3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-propenoic acid, C₁₀H₁₀O₄) coordination compounds are presented, namely, [Cu₂(C₁₀H₉O₄)₄(CH₃CN)₂] 1 and [Cu₂(C₁₀H₉O₄)₄(C₆H₆N₂O)₂]·4CH₃CN (C₆H₆N₂O = nicotinamide) 2. Both compounds were synthesised from the starting mixture of Cu₂O and CuCl upon copper oxidation in the acetonitrile solution. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 and 2 reveals the binuclear structure of the ‘paddle–wheel’ type for both complexes. 1 and 2 are unstable outside mother liquid due to loosely bound acetonitrile molecules. The final products of decomposition are [Cu₂(C₁₀H₉O₄)₄] 1a and [Cu₂(C₁₀H₉O₄)₄(C₆H₆N₂O)₂] 2a, which were characterized by several physico-chemical methods. The triplet X-band EPR spectra of 1a and 2a, showing signals B_Z1  15 mT, B₂  460 mT and B_Z2  580 mT, are in agreement with the expected data for the binuclear tetracarboxylate units, found in the structures of the parent complexes 1 and 2. Together with the room temperature magnetic susceptibility data, μ_eff/B.M. 1.40 (1a), 1.48 (2a), the EPR spectra analysis confirm the antiferromagnetic interaction in 1a and 2a. This is suggesting preservation and stability of the paddle–wheel structures in 1a and 2a.     

Poly(n-butyl acrylate) based lead (II) selective electrodes

Poly(n-butyl acrylate) membranes for potentiometric ion-selective electrodes were developed and studied on example of lead-selective sensors. A novel approach resulting in Nernstian responses of tested sensor was proposed. Introduction of 5% (w/w) hydroxyethyl methacrylate into n-butyl acrylate moiety resulted in significant improvement of sensor analytical parameters. For the latter membrane material linear responses were obtained within lead activities range from 10⁻² to 10⁻⁹ mol/dm³, while for poly(n-butyl acrylate) based membranes pretreated in the same manner super-Nernstian behavior was obtained in a parallel experiment. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies did not reveal significant differences between these two membranes, also similar lead ions diffusion coefficients were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with laser ablation.The difference between two kinds of membranes was found to concern higher Pb(II) ions contents in the surface part of the membrane with hydroxyethyl methacrylate, resulting in balanced Pb ions fluxes from/to the membrane.     

Solvent extraction of copper(II) with chlorendic acid

The solvent extraction of Cu(II) with chlorendic acid has been studied The composition of the extracted species appears to be a function of pH. In the pH range 3.2-4.6, a monomeric species exists [Cu(II)(L(2-)], while at pH values greater than 4.5, a dimer in the form of [Cu(II)(L(2-)). H(2)L](2) and/or [Cu(II)(HL(-))(2)](2) is extracted.     

Silica gel surface modified with sulfanilamide for selective solid-phase extraction of Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II)

A new chelating matrix has been prepared by immobilising sulfanilamide (SA) on silica gel (SG) surface modified with 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane as a sorbent for the solid-phase extraction (SPE) Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II). The determination of metal ions in aqueous solutions was carried out by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Experimental conditions for effective sorption of trace levels of Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) were optimised with respect to different experimental parameters using the batch and column procedures. The presence of common coexisting ions does not affect the sorption capacities. The maximum sorption capacity of the sorbent at optimum conditions was found to be 34.91, 19.07 and 23.62 mg g^?1 for Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II), respectively. The detection limit of the method defined by IUPAC was found to be 1.60, 0.50 and 0.61 µg L^?1 for Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II), respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the method under optimum conditions was 4.0% (n = 8). The method was applied to the recovery of Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) from the certified reference material (GBW 08301, river sediment) and to the simultaneous determination of these cations in different water samples with satisfactory results.     

Solvent extraction of lead(II) with N-cyclohexyl-N-nitrosohydroxylamine into methyl isobutyl ketone

The distribution equilibrium of the lead-cnha complex in the water-methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) system has been studied at 25 degrees . From graphical treatment of the equilibrium data, it was deduced that PbL(2) is the complex extracted. By use of the program LETAGROP-DISTR, values for the distribution and the stability constants of PbL(2) have been calculated: log K(DC) = 1.84 +/- 0.11; log beta(1) = 6.68 +/- 0.09 and log beta(2) = 10.28 +/- 0.09. On the basis of these results and those of previous studies, a method for determination of lead(II), copper(II) and cadmium(II) by atomic-absorption spectrometry, after extraction with cnha and 4-methylpyridine into MIBK, is proposed.     

New coordination compounds of palladium(II) with iminodiacetic acid

Summary Iminodiacetic acid (IDA) forms 1:1 or 1:2 complexes with Pdll at room temperature and pH 6.0. The solid compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, titrimetry, magnetic measurements, i.r. spectroscopy and thermal studies. The far i.r. spectra show peaks that can be assigned to Pd-Cl, Pd-N and Pd-O vibrations. On the basis of these studies tentative structures for the isolated substances are proposed.     

DNAzyme-based fluorescent microarray for highly selective and sensitive detection of lead(II)

A facile microarray-based fluorescent sensor for the detection of lead (II) was developed based on the catalytic cleavages of the substrates by a DNAzyme upon its binding to Pb(2+). The release of the fluorophore labelled substrates resulted in the decrease of fluorescence intensity. The sensor had a quantifiable detection range from 1 nM to 1 μM and a selectivity of >20 fold for Pb(2+) over other metal ions.     

Coordination compounds of Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) with capric acid hydrazide

The reaction of aquo-ethanolic solutions of Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) salts and ethanolic solution of capric acid hydrazide (L) yielded paramagnetic, high-spin bis- and tris(ligand) chelate complexes. The tris(ligand) complexes, [ML ₃]X ₂·nH₂O [M=Co(II), Ni(II);X=NO ₃ ^– , ClO ₄ ^– , 1/2SO ₄ ^2– ], have an octahedral structure formed on account of the bidentate (NO) coordination of three neutral hydrazide molecules. In the bis(ligand) complexes,ML ₂(NCS)₂ [M=Co(II), Ni(II)] and CuL ₂ X ₂·nH₂O (X=NO ₃ ^– , ClO ₄ ^– and 1/2SO ₄ ^2– ), the oxoanions and NCS^– take also part in coordination. The complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, magnetic measurements, molar conductivity and TG analysis.

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Caprinsäurehydrazid-Komplexe von Co(II), Ni(II) und Cu(II)

Zusammenfassung Durch die Reaktion von wäßrig-ethanolischen Lösungen von Co(II)-, Ni(II)-und Cu(II)-Salzen mit einer ethanolischen Lösung von Caprinsäurehydrazid (L) wurden paramagnetische high-spin Bis- und Tris-Ligand-Chelatkomplexe erhalten. Tris-Ligand-Komplexe des Typs [ML ₃ X ₂·nH₂O [M=Co(II), Ni(II);X=NO ₃ ^– , ClO ₄ ^– , 1/2SO ₄ ^2– ], die eine oktaedrische Struktur besitzen, entstehen durch die Koordination von drei neutralen zweizähnigen (NO)-Hydrazidmolekülen. Bei den Bis-Ligand-KomplexenML ₂(NCS)₂ [M=Co(II), Ni(II)], sowie bei den Bis-Ligand-Komplexen CuL ₂ X ₂·nH₂O (X=NO ₃ ^– , ClO ₄ ^– , 1/2SO ₄ ^2– ) nehmen bei der Koordination außer Hydrazid auch die Säurereste teil. Die Komplexe wurden durch Elementaranalyse, IR-Spektren, magnetische Messungen, molare Leitfähigkeit und TG-Analysen charakterisiert.

     

Selective solid-phase extraction of lead(II) from biological and natural water samples using surface-grafted lead(II)-imprinted polymers

A new Pb(II)-imprinted amino-functionalized silica gel sorbent was synthesized by an easy one-step reaction by combining a surface imprinting technique for selective solid-phase extraction of trace Pb(II) prior to its determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The Pb(II)-imprinted amino-functionalized silica gel sorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Compared to non-imprinted polymer particles, the ion-imprinted polymers had higher selectivity and adsorption capacity for Pb(II). The maximum static adsorption capacity of the ion-imprinted and non-imprinted sorbent for Pb(II) was 19.66 and 6.20 mg g^?1, respectively. The largest selectivity coefficient of the Pb(II)-imprinted sorbent for Pb(II) in the presence of Cd(II) was over 450. The relative selectivity (α _r) values of Pb(II)/Cd(II) were 49.3 and 46.3, which were greater than 1. The distribution ratio (D) values of Pb(II)-imprinted polymers for Pb(II) were much larger than that for Cd(II). The detection limit (3σ) was 0.20 μg L^?1. The relative standard deviation was 2.0% for 11 replicate determinations. The method was validated for the analysis three certified reference materials (GBW 08301, GBW 08504, GBW 08511), and the results are in good agreement with standard values. The method was also successfully applied to the determination of trace lead in plants and water samples with satisfactory results.     

Kinetics study of selective removal of lead(II) in an aqueous solution containing lead(II), copper(II) and cadmium(II) across bulk liquid membrane

Transport of Pb(II) ion from equimolar aqueous solutions of Pb(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) as well as from aqueous solutions containing only Pb(II) source phase (C_metal = 1.0 × 10^?4 mol L^?1) through bulk liquid membranes containing crown ether and oleic acid as carrier has been investigated. The initial fluxes of transported metal ions depend on the hydrophile–lipophile balance (HLB) and molar volumes (Vx) of crown ethers. The initial fluxes of Pb(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) decrease with increase of HLB value for azacrown ether, i.e., tetraaza-14-crown-4 (A₄14C4), L1 > benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5), L2 > 4′-Aminobenzo-15C5, L3 > nitrobenzo-15-crown-5 (NB15C5), L4. The selectivity of the metal ions showed the following separation factors (SF): SF_Pb–Cu = 2.15, SF_Cu–Cd = 2.10, SF_Pb–Cd = 4.52. The highest transport recovery for Pb(II) was observed for L1 (99.3 %).     

Molecular modelling for coordination compounds: Cu(II)-amine complexes

The Ligand Field Molecular Mechanics (LFMM) method has been applied to 85 Cu(II)-amine complexes, eighteen of which were selected to form a training set. A single set of parameters yields Cu-N bond lengths for four-, five- and six-coordinate systems generally within 0.04 A of their X-ray crystallographic values. Larger deviations are indicative of counterion effects and/or crystallographic artefacts arising from Jahn-Teller averaging. The LFMM treatment is flexible and unbiased and for simple ligands, automatically gives planar CuN(4) and tetragonally elongated CuN(6) complexes. In agreement with experiment, square-pyramidal coordination is marginally favoured over trigonal bipyramidal coordination for CuN(5) species. However, if the ligand requirements dictate, the LFMM accommodates trigonal bipyramidal coordination for CuN(5) species, tetrahedral distortions of CuN(4) species and cis-elongated CuN(6) species.