Oxidation of Activated Carbon in Liquid Phase. Study by FT-IR

Surface chemistry of a commercial activated carbon (AC) and of products oxidized in liquid phase using aqueous solutions of a series of oxidizing agents (H₂SO₄, HNO₃, HClO₄, H₂O₂, O₃, ClO₂, KlO₄ and KMnO₄) has been studied by FT-IR. Oxidation led to surface groups and structures which, and also the extend of formation, depended on the oxidizing agent and the pH and concentration of the solution used. Most oxidizing agents proved to be effective for the formation of surface C[dbnd]O groups. Variations in pH of solutions of H₂O₂, KlO₄ and KMnO₄ unequally affected the oxidation of AC. This was unfavourable with the increase in concentration of the solutions of HNO₃ and KMnO₄. The reverse was noted with KlO₄.     

Surface modification of carbon nanotubes for enhancing BTEX adsorption from aqueous solutions

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated by the catalytic chemical vapor deposition method and oxidized by HCl, H₂SO₄, HNO₃ and NaOCl solutions for enhancing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and p-xylene (BTEX) adsorption in an aqueous solution. The surface nature of CNTs was changed after the H₂SO₄, HNO₃ and NaOCl oxidation, which makes CNTs that adsorb more BTEX. The NaOCl-oxidized CNTs show the greatest enhancement in BTEX adsorption, followed by the HNO₃-oxidized CNTs, and then the H₂SO₄-oxidized CNTs. The adsorption mechanism of BTEX via CNTs is mainly attributed to the π-π electron-donor-acceptor interaction between the aromatic ring of BTEX and the surface carboxylic groups of CNTs. The NaOCl-oxidized CNTs have superior adsorption performance of BTEX as compared to many types of carbon and silica adsorbents reported in the literature. This suggests that the NaOCl-oxidized CNTs are efficient BTEX adsorbents and that they possess good potential applications for BTEX removal in wastewater treatment.     

Effects of vertical grid discretization in infrared transmission modeling

The vertical spacing of a discretization used to model transmission in the mid-infrared spectral range was investigated. The forward model employed in this study is a part of an algorithm used to retrieve trace gas profiles from high-resolution ground-based solar absorption Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, however, the results have general applicability. A finely spaced retrieval grid was constructed and made progressively more sparse in the troposphere and in the stratosphere. The effect was quantified in terms of transmission differences with respect to the most fine discretization for a suite of molecules (H₂O, O₃, CO, CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, NO, NO₂, HCl, HF, HNO₃, ClONO₂, and N₂) in microwindows commonly used in FTIR spectroscopy. Systematic differences in modeled transmissions are apparent when coarser grid schemes are used for all species and microwindows, though some are below random noise levels typical of spectra recorded at Toronto. The most significant are H₂O and O₃ at 0.30-0.73% and 0.10-0.34%, respectively. CO (0.13%), ClONO₂ (0.84%), and HF (1.03%) are also influenced by the interference of H₂O, which is sensitive to temperature interpolation errors via the lower state energy of the particular H₂O transition. O₃ is a significant interference in CO (0.42%) and ClONO₂ (0.31%) microwindows, but its influence is felt primarily via interpolation errors in the O₃ number concentration profile introduced by the coarser grids. HCl and HF themselves show the next most significant response in transmission to coarser stratospheric grids (∼0.18%). Finally, considering transmission differences >0.1% as significant in typical measurements, we identify maximum tropospheric and stratospheric layer widths that still lead to negligible transmission errors as, respectively, 0.6 and 2.0 km. These numbers can vary depending on the band or transition of interest, the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurement and the use of significantly different a priori volume mixing ratio profiles.     

Ions with strong symmetric H-bonds and their solvation in aqueous-ethanolic solutions of HCl

Ion-molecular interactions in the HCl-EtOH-H₂O system are studied by means of multiple frustrated total internal reflection IR spectroscopy over a wide range of concentrations of the components. It is demonstrated that, in the investigated solutions, the acid is fully bound into ions and uncharged complexes formed by strong symmetric or quasi-symmetric H-bonds. There is a competition between H₂O and EtOH molecules during the formation of the (H₅C₂(H)O…H…O(H)C₂H₅)⁺, (H₂O…H…OH₂)⁺, and (H₂O…H…O(H)C₂H₅)⁺ proton disolvates. In dilute solutions of HCl in 2: 1 and 1: 1 EtOH-H₂O mixtures, (H₂O…H…OH₂)⁺ proton dihydrates are mainly formed, whereas in concentrated HCl solutions, under conditions of a partial solvation of ions by solvent molecules, predominantly (H₂O…H…O(H)C₂H₅)⁺ mixed proton disolvates arise. In concentrated solutions of HCl in EtOH with low water content, the acid is partially bound into (H₅C₂(H)O…H⁺…Cl^?) uncharged complexes with the participation of the Cl^? anion.     

Multi-hydrogenated compounds monitoring in optical fibre manufacturing process by photoacoustic spectroscopy

Sub-ppm hydrogen chloride (HCl) and water vapour (H₂O) monitoring using photoacoustic spectroscopy in optical fibre manufacturing is reported. The development and performance of a sensor based on an acoustic resonant configuration is described, and on-site measurements are presented. Two DFB lasers emitting in the 1370 nm and 1740 nm range were used for the detection of H₂O and HCl, respectively. A detection limit (defined for a SNR=3) of 60 ppb for HCl and 40 ppb for H₂O was achieved. Contamination sources of the carrier gas used for the fibre preform manufacturing are identified and discussed. PACS 42.62.Fi; 43.35.Ud     

Ultrasound effects on restricted silica gelation during silica extraction from Pyro-Metallurgical copper slag under acidifying conditions

Pyro-metallurgical copper slag (CS) waste was used as the source material for ultrasound (US) silica extraction under acidification processes with 26 kHz with HCl, HNO₃, and H₂SO₄ at different concentrations at 100, 300, and 600 W. During acidifying extraction processes, US irradiation inhibited silica gel formation under acidic conditions, especially at lower acid concentrations of less than 6 M, whereas a lack of US irradiation led to enhanced gelation. When US stopped, gelation occurred to a considerable degree, suggesting that the gel particle size distribution was aggregated in the 3–400 µm size range. However, with US, the size was mainly in the 1–10 µm range. Results of elemental analysis indicated that US treatment decreased the co-precipitation of other metal ions such as Fe, Cu, and Al sourced from CS for lower acidic medium, whereas the higher concentration medium accelerated silica gelation and the co-precipitation of other metals. With acids of HCl and HNO₃, and H₂SO₄, the gelations were less likely to occur at 6 M and 3 M during US irradiation, but acidic extraction without US was efficient for silica gelation and co-precipitation of other metals in the purified silica. The silica extraction yield with H₂SO₄ concentration of 3 M was 80% with 0.04% of Fe, whereas the silica product from HCl 6 M had a 90% extraction yield with only 0.08% of Fe impurity. In contrast, even though the non-US system of HCl 6 M had a higher yield at 96%, the final product had 0.5% Fe impurity, which was much higher than the US system. Consequently, the US extraction process was quite noticeable for silica recovery from CS waste.     

Functionalization of carbon encapsulated iron nanoparticles

Carbon-encapsulated magnetic nanoparticles are a new class of materials where the core magnetic nanoparticle is protected from reactions with its environment by graphite shells. Having a structure similar to carbon nanotubes, these nanoparticles could be potentially functionalized using methods which are already applied to those structures. We present the effects of acidic treatments based on HCl, HNO₃, and H₂SO₄ on these nanoparticles highlighting the impact on their magnetic and surface properties. We show that acidic treatments based on HNO₃ can be successfully applied for the generation of carboxylic groups on the surface of the nanoparticles. Using methylamine as a model, we demonstrate that these functional groups can be used for further functionalization with amino-containing biomolecules via diimide-activated amidation.     

Penning ionization electron spectroscopy of H2O,D2O,H2S and SO2

Electron energy peak shifts and peak shapes were determined in the ionization of H₂O, D₂O, H₂S and SO₂ by Ne(³P₂) and He(2¹S, 2³S) metastable atoms. The shifts are large, especially in ionization of H₂O and D₂O into the ionic ground state and are probably mostly due to chemical interaction during the collision.In a previous paper the electron energy distribution curves for ionization of CO, HCl, HBr, N₂O, NO₂, CO₂, COS and CS₂ by helium, neon and argon metastables and the characteristics of this ionization were described¹. In this paper the series of triatomic molecules was extended to the molecules H₂O, D₂O, H₂S and SO₂. Because all these molecules have considerable dipole moments it could be expected that the peak shifts might be enhanced as compared with other triatomic molecules.     

The effect of acids on fluorescence of coumarin-6 in organic solvents

The effect of acids (HCl, HClO₄, HNO₃, and CH₃COOH) on the fluorescence of coumarin-6 in organic solvents (acetonitrile, acetone, butanol-1, and ethanol) is studied. The regions of acid (HCl, HClO₄, HNO₃) concentrations that lead to a change in the fluorescence spectra are determined for each of the solvents. It is shown that, for all the solvents studied, acetic acid with a concentration within the region 10^?1–10^?6 M causes no significant changes in the fluorescence spectrum of coumarin-6. A mechanism of the coumarin-6 protonation is proposed.     

The Studies of Enhanced Fluorescence in the Two Novel Ternary Rare-Earth Complex Systems

Two novel ternary rare-earth complexes SmL₅·L^’·(ClO₄)₂·7H₂O and EuL₅·L^’·(ClO₄)₂·6H₂O (the first ligand L = C₆H₅COCH₂SOCH₂COC₆H₅, the second ligand L^’ = C₆H₄OHCOO⁻) were synthesized and characterized by element analysis, molar conductivity, coordination titration analysis, IR, TG-DSC, ¹HNMR and UV spectra. The detailed luminescence studies on the rare-earth complexes showed that the ternary rare-earth complexes presented stronger fluorescence intensities, longer lifetimes, and higher fluorescence quantum efficiencies than the binary rare-earth materials. After the introduction of the second ligand salicylic acid group, the relative emission intensities and fluorescence lifetimes of the ternary complexes LnL₅·L^’·(ClO₄)₂·nH₂O (Ln = Sm, Eu; n = 7, 6) enhanced more obviously than the binary complexes LnL₅·(ClO₄)₃·2H₂O. This indicated that the presence of both organic ligand bis(benzoylmethyl) sulfoxide and the second ligand salicylic acid could sensitize fluorescence intensities of rare-earth ions, and the introduction of salicylic acid group was a benefit for the fluorescence properties of the ternary rare-earth complexes. The fluorescence spectra, fluorescence lifetime and phosphorescence spectra were also discussed.     

Synthesis and Luminescence Properties of Two Novel Lanthanide (III) Perchlorate Complexes with Bis(benzoylmethyl) Sulfoxide and Benzoic Acid

Two novel ternary rare earth complexes of Tb(III) and Dy(III) perchlorates with bis(benzoylmethyl) sulfoxide (L) and benzoic acid (L′) had been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, coordination titration analysis, molar conductivity, IR, TG-DSC, ¹HNMR and UV spectra. The results indicated that the composition of these complexes was REL₅L′(ClO₄)₂·nH₂O (RE= Tb(III), Dy(III); L=C₆H₅COCH₂SOCH₂COC₆H₅, L′=C₆H₅COO; n = 6,8). The fluorescence spectra illustrated that the ternary rare earth complexes presented stronger fluorescence intensities, longer lifetimes and higher fluorescence quantum efficiencies than the binary rare earth complexes REL₅·(ClO₄)₃·2H₂O. After the introduction of the second ligand benzoic acid group, the relative fluorescence emission intensities and fluorescence lifetimes of the ternary complexes REL₅L′(ClO₄)₂·nH₂O (RE= Tb(III), Dy(III)) enhanced more obviously than the binary complexes. This indicated that the presence of both organic ligands bis(benzoylmethyl) sulfoxide and the second ligand benzoic acid could sensitize fluorescence intensities of rare earth ions, and the introduction of benzoic acid group was resulted in the enhancement of the fluorescence properties of the ternary rare earth complexes. The phosphorescence spectra were also discussed.     

Reaction dynamics of Cl O ClO O

Applying the two photon laser induced fluorescence technique for nascent state resolved ClO() detection, the reaction dynamics of Cl+O ClO+O₂ is investigated. The ClO product is formed in its electronic ground state ClO(). A complete product state analysis in terms of vibration, rotation, spin-orbit and -states indicates that nascent ClO radicals are formed in v =0-6 vibrational states peaking at v =3. The ClO fragment shows a moderate rotational excitation, described by a Boltzmann distribution with a temperature parameter of 1300 K 200 K. The spin orbit ratio of :. Most of the excess energy is released as translational energy or as internal energy of the O₂ product. By comparing our results with the trajectory studies of Farantos and Murrell, we favour a reaction mechanism, where the transition complex is planar containing an essentially linear OOCl group. In order to determine the possible influence of vibrationally excited ClO on other trace components of the atmosphere, especially the reaction ClO(v >0)+ O₃, a rough estimate of the vibrational relaxation rate of ClO with the major atmospheric collision partner, N₂, has been performed. A measurement of the vibrational distribution of ClO at different N₂ pressures indicates a mean vibrational relaxation rate of . Received: 27 February 1998 / Revised: 1st April 1998 / Accepted: 15 April 1998     

Catalytic effect of water,water dimer,water trimer,HCOOH, H2SO4, CH3CH2COOH and HN(NO2)2 on the isomerisation of HN(NO2)2 to O2NNN(O)OH: a mechanism study

In this article, the isomerisation mechanisms of HN(NO₂)₂ to O₂NNN(O)OH without and with catalyst X (X = H₂O, (H₂O)₂, (H₂O)₃, HCOOH, H₂SO₄, CH₃CH₂COOH and HN(NO₂)₂) have been investigated theoretically at the CBS-QB3 level of theory. Our results show that the catalyst X (X = H₂O, (H₂O)₂, (H₂O)₃, HCOOH, H₂SO₄ and CH₃CH₂COOH) shows different positive catalytic effects on reducing the apparent activation energy of the isomerisation reaction processes. Such different catalytic effects are mainly related to the number of hydrogen bonds and the size of the ring structure in X (X = H₂O, (H₂O)₂ and (H₂O)₃)-assisted transition states, as well as different values of pK_a for H₂SO₄, HCOOH and CH₃CH₂COOH. Very interesting is also the fact that H₂SO₄-assisted reaction is the most favourable for the hydrogen transfer from HN(NO₂)₂ to O₂NNN(O)OH, due to the smallest pK_a (?3.0) value of H₂SO₄ than H₂O, HCOOH, H₂SO₄ and CH₃CH₂COOH, and also because of the largest ∠X???H???Y (the angle between the hydrogen bond donor and acceptor) involved in H₂SO₄-assisted transition state. Compared to the self-catalysis of the isomerisation mechanisms of HN(NO₂)₂ to O₂NNN(O)OH, the apparent activation energy of H₂SO₄-assisted channel also reduces by 9.6 kcal?mol^?1, indicating that H₂SO₄ can affect the isomerisation of HN(NO₂)₂ to O₂NNN(O)OH, most obvious among all the catalysts H₂O, (H₂O)₂, (H₂O)₃, HCOOH, H₂SO₄, CH₃CH₂COOH and HN(NO₂)₂.     

Behavior of coal-chlorine in chemical looping combustion

This work focuses on two aspects: (i) the behavior of coal-derived chlorine in chemical looping combustion (CLC); (ii) the potential adverse impacts of primary gaseous chlorine (i.e., HCl) on Cu-based oxygen carrier (OC). The inactivation mechanism of the sol-gel-derived CuO/Al₂O₃ OC is investigated. Systematic experiments are conducted in a batch fluidized reactor. First, in CLC of coal, chlorine distribution including HCl, Cl₂, Cl adsorbed in the outlet tube and Cl in solid phase is studied under various bed inventories, temperatures and gas atmospheres. The main gaseous Cl from coal is HCl, which shows a high reactivity towards CuO and is partially physically adsorbed by Al₂O₃. Unconverted HCl is 15.63 ± 0.20%, which could result in corrosion of the CO₂ transportation line and compression equipment. What's more, the coal ash exhibits a dechlorination function by forming KCl and CaCl₂. The CO₂ atmosphere and high temperature in fuel reactor show a promotion on the conversion of coal-Cl to HCl. Then, the corrosion of various OC components is evaluated by a mixture gas with 400 ppm HCl, i.e., Cu-Al (whole OC), CuO (active phase) and Al₂O₃ (inert support phase). It is found that a part of HCl is converted to Cl₂ via the Deacon reaction (4HCl + O₂ = 2H₂O + 2Cl₂) and oxidized by CuO (2CuO + 4HCl = 2CuCl + Cl₂ + 2H₂O). At the high concentration of HCl (400 ppm) atmosphere, CuO is partially lost from the OC, producing the gaseous copper chlorides, i.e., CuCl and (CuCl)₃, which are found to be condensed in the outlet tube. Besides, the solid-phase copper chlorides also degrade the oxygen donation capacity of the OC. Finally, the migration path of coal-chlorine during CLC is summarized. This work will contribute to the development of Cl-resistance OCs and control approaches for Cl emission.     

Fluorescence enhancement of lanthanide(III) perchlorate by 1,10-phenanthroline in bis(benzoylmethyl) sulfoxide complexes and luminescence mechanism

Two novel ternary rare earth complexes LnL₅L′(ClO₄)₃2H₂O (Ln=Eu(III), Tb(III); L=bis(benzoylmethyl) sulfoxide, L′=phen) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, coordination titration analysis, molar conductivity, IR, TG-DSC,¹H NMR and UV spectra. The fluorescence spectra illustrated that both the Eu(III) and Tb(III) ternary complexes displayed strong characteristic metal-centered fluorescence in solid state. After the introduction of the second ligand phen group, the relative emission intensities and fluorescence lifetimes of the ternary complex EuL₅L′(ClO₄)₃2H₂O (L=C₆H₅COCH₂SOCH₂COC₆H₅, L′=phen) enhanced more obviously than that of the binary complex EuL₅(ClO₄)₃3H₂O. This indicated that the presence of both organic ligands bis(benzoylmethyl) sulfoxide and the second ligand phen could sensitize fluorescence intensities of Eu(III) ions, and the introduction of phen group was resulted in the enhancement of the fluorescence properties of the Eu(III) ternary rare earth complexes. The phosphorescence spectra are also discussed.     

The calorimetric investigation of the graphite–HNO3–R system (R=CH3COOH,H2SO4)

The interactions of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite with HNO₃–R (R=CH₃COOH, H₂SO₄) solution were investigated by Calvet type calorimeter at 305.5 K and X-ray diffraction. It was shown that in the graphite–98% HNO₃–100% CH₃COOH system the enthalpy of the formation and the stage number of graphite nitrate depends on HNO₃ percentage in the solution. Calorimetric investigation of the graphite–98% HNO₃–96% H₂SO₄ system demonstrated that the shape of the heat flow curves corroborates the co-intercalation of HNO₃ and H₂SO₄ into graphite. It was established that the formation of the first stage of ternary compounds of variable composition takes place.     

Acid corrosion of amorphous and crystalline Cu-Zr alloys

Corrosion resistance of amorphous and crystalline Cu₄₅Zr₅₅, Cu₅₀Zr₅₀ and Cu₆₀Zr₄₀ alloys in strong acid (C_H⁺ = 1 M ℓ^-1) solutions was investigated with the use of potentiodynamic and gravimetric techniques. It was observed that the corrosion resistance of these alloys tested in H₂SO₄ and HNO₃ solutions was very high. However, amorphous Cu-Zr alloys exhibit a lack of resistance in HCl solutions where the corrosion rate increases with the rise of Cu content in the alloy (selective etching of Zr). Crystallization of alloys strongly improves their resistance to corrosion in HCl provided the Zr content in an alloy ⩾ 50 at%.     

New approach for understanding the fundamental chemistry of the oxidative sample digestion in spectrochemical analysis

The process known as “wet digestion” is widely used in analytical chemistry as the most common way of dissolving solid samples for elemental spectrochemical analysis. Wet digestion involves the use of oxidizing reagents and acids–mainly HNO₃, H₂O₂, H₂SO₄, HClO₄, and other complementary acid reagents such as HF, HCl, or their mixtures. Wet digestion has become popular and attractive to users in part owing to the application of modern equipment with new technologies such as temperature-controlled heating blocks, microwave systems, and automated digestion systems, among others. Nonetheless, the use of modern, sophisticated instruments does not change the physical and chemical foundations of the classic chemical process. Until now, simplified equations have been used to explain this process. However, fundamental chemical mechanisms and thermodynamic concepts have been commonly left aside. In this work, the acid digestion of samples has been approached based on the chemical reactions, detailing the role and the effect of main reagents and intermediaries. The reactions that can occur during the digestion process have been specified considering the fundamental thermodynamic properties of the reagents used, especially the oxidizing reagents HNO₃ and H₂O₂. This article will be a beneficial resource for students, instructors, and professionals alike.     

Wet chemical etching method for BST thin films annealed at high temperature

As a traditional etchant, pure buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF), does not possess the ability to etch BST thin films annealed at high temperature, even though it works greatly on as-deposited Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃ (BST) films. In this paper, we developed an etchant by mixing BHF and strong acid (HNO₃, HCl, H₂SO₄ and H₃PO₄) and use it successfully on BST films annealed with high temperature. The experimental results show that a 1-8 wt% of strong acid acts as an efficient catalyst and the etching speed is significantly improved. The etched BST films show little distortions and smooth etching edges were recorded.     

Solvent effects on guanidinium‐anion interactions and the problem of guanidinium Y‐aromaticity

We have calculated the complexes formed by guanidine/guanidinium and HCl/Cl^?, HNO₃/NO₃^? and H₂SO₄/HSO₄^? both in the gas and aqueous Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM) phase to understand the effect that solvation has on their interaction energies. In the gas phase, the cation–anion complexes are much more stable than the rest; however, when PCM‐water is considered, this energetic difference is not as large due to the extra stabilization that the ions suffer when in aqueous solution. All the complexes were analyzed in terms of their AIM and NBO properties. In all cases, water solvation seems to “dampen” those properties observed in the gas phase. The values of Nucleus Independent Chemical Shift (NICS)(1) and NICS(2) indicate a huge influence of the proximity of the carbon atom for short distances; thus, the 3D NICS values on the van der Waal isosurfaces have been used to evaluate the possible Y‐aromaticity of the guanidinium system. The isosurface in this system is more similar to cyclohexane than to benzene as indication of poor aromaticity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.