A New Differential Pulse Voltammetric Method for the Determination of Nitrate at a Copper Plated Glassy Carbon Electrode

 A differential pulse voltammetric method for the determination of nitrate has been described, which is applicable to the analysis of natural water samples with nitrate levels greater than 2.8 × 10⁻⁶ M. A reduction peak for the nitrate ions at a freshly copper plated glassy carbon electrode was observed at about −0.50 V vs Ag ∣AgCl∣KCl_satd electrode in a solution of 2.0 × 10⁻² M Cu²⁺, 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and 1.0 × 10⁻³ M KCl and exploited for analytical purposes. The working linear range was established by regression analysis and found to extend from 2.8 ×10⁻⁶ M to 8.0 × 10⁻⁵ M. The proposed method was applied for the determination of nitrate in natural waters. The detection limit of the method was 2.8 × 10⁻⁶ M and the sensitivity was 0.9683 A·L/mol. The possible interferences by some ions such as phosphate, nitrite and some halides were determined and found to lead to shifts of the peak position and increasing the peak heights. Received March 15, 1999. Revision July 9, 1999.     

Potentiometric determination of ultratrace amounts of fluoride enriched by zirconia in a flow system

A satisfactory method was described for separation and preconcentration of ultratrace amounts of fluoride ions enriched by zirconia (ZrO₂) as an inorganic ion exchanger. Fluoride ions can be adsorbed rapidly and selectively on zirconia from an acidic solution (pH 4.8) then reversibly desorbed by increasing pH up to 13. A flow system consisting of a column packed with zirconia impregnated on cellulose fibers and an ion-selective electrode was used for the determination of fluoride. The RSD was found to be 1.6% and the detection limit defined by S/N = 3 was 3 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The interference effects of various ions, such as nitrate, sulfate, halides, alkaline, and alkaline earth ions, which may be found in the environmental water, were studied, and it was found that they were tolerated even at high concentrations. The method was applied to determine fluoride in drinking water, which contains ultratrace amounts of fluoride. The concentration of fluoride was found to be 42 μg L⁻¹, which is confirmed by spiking 2 μmol fluoride to the drinking water with a recovery of 99%. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Analiticheskoi Khimii, 2006, Vol. 61, No. 2, pp. 179–183. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Dissolving of cellulose in PEG/NaOH aqueous solution

Here, a new solvent system for cellulose is reported. The solvent is a mixed aqueous solution of 1.0 wt.% poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and 9.0 wt.% of NaOH. Cellulose powder was added into the mixture at room temperature at first, and freezing it at −15 °C for 12 h following a thaw of the mixture at room temperature under strong stirring. There formed a clean solution of cellulose, and the optical microscopy was used to record the dissolving process. ¹³C-NMR, FT-IR, XRD, and intrinsic viscosity measurements revealed that there forms a homogeneous solution of cellulose in the new solvent system. The maximum solubility of cellulose with average molecular weight of 1.32 × 10⁵ g mol⁻¹ in the solvent system is 13 wt.%. The cellulose solution in the new solvent system is stable, even for 30 days storage at room temperature.     

Reduction of silver nitrate by polyaniline nanotubes to produce silver-polyaniline composites

Polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes were prepared by oxidation of aniline in 0.4 M acetic acid. They were subsequently used as a reductant of silver nitrate in 1 M nitric acid, water or 1 M ammonium hydroxide at various molar ratios of silver nitrate to PANI. The resulting PANI-silver composites contained silver nanoparticles of 40–60 nm size along with macroscopic silver flakes. Under these experimental conditions, silver was always produced outside the PANI nanotubes. Changes in the molecular structure of PANI were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. Silver content in the composites was determined as a residue by thermogravimetric analysis, and confirmed by density measurements. The highest conductivity of a composite, 68.5 S cm⁻¹, was obtained at the nitrate to PANI molar ratio of 0.67 in water. Also, the best reaction yield was obtained in water. Reductions performed in an acidic medium gave products with conductivity of 10⁻⁴–10⁻² S cm⁻¹, whereas the reaction in alkaline solution yielded non-conducting products.     

Polyaniline-coated cellulose fibers decorated with silver nanoparticles

Cellulose fibers of 20 μm in diameter and aspect ratio of 2 or 10 were coated with protonated polyaniline (PANI) during the oxidation of aniline hydrochloride with ammonium peroxydisulfate in an aqueous medium. The presence of PANI has been proved by FTIR spectroscopy. The conductivity increased from 4.0 × 10⁻¹⁴ S cm⁻¹ to 0.41 S cm⁻¹ after coating the fibers with PANI. The percolation threshold in the mixture of original uncoated and PANI-coated fibers was reduced from 10 mass % PANI to 6 mass % PANI, as the aspect ratio changed from 2 to 10. The subsequent reaction with silver nitrate results in the decoration of PANI-coated cellulose fibers with silver nanoparticles of about 50 nm average size. The content of silver of up to 10.6 mass % was determined as a residue in thermogravimetric analysis. FTIR spectra suggest that the protonated emeraldine coating changed to the pernigraniline form during the latter process and, consequently, the conductivity of the composite was reduced to 4.1 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, despite the presence of silver.     

Effects of temperature and molecular weight on dissolution of cellulose in NaOH/urea aqueous solution

Dissolution of cellulose having different viscosity-average molecular weight (M _η ) in 7 wt%NaOH/12 wt%urea aqueous solution at temperature from 60 to −12.6°C was investigated with optical microscope, viscosity measurements and wide X-ray diffraction (WXRD). The solubility (S_a) of cellulose in NaOH/urea aqueous solution strongly depended on the temperature, and molecular weight. Their S_a values increased with a decrease in temperature, and cellulose having M _η below 10.0 × 10⁴ could be dissolved completely in NaOH/urea aqueous solution pre-cooled to −12.6°C. The activation energy of dissolution (E_a,s) of the cellulose dissolution was a negative value, suggesting that the cellulose solution state had lower enthalpy than the solid cellulose. The cellulose concentration in this system increased with a decrease of M _η to achieve about 8 wt% for M _η of 3.1 × 10⁴. Moreover, cellulose having 12.7 × 10⁴ could be dissolved completely in the solvent pre-cooled to −12.6°C as its crystallinity (χ _c) decreased from 0.62 to 0.53. We could improve the solubility of cellulose in NaOH/urea aqueous system by changing M _η , χ _c and temperature. In addition, the zero-shear viscosity (η ₀ ) at 0°C for the 4 wt% cellulose solution increased rapidly with an increase of M _η , as a result of the enhancement of the aggregation and entanglement for the relatively long chains.     

Study of valence state of iodine in simulated fuel solution of medical isotope production reactor

The effects of temperature, heating-time, concentration of HNO₃ and γ-ray irradiation on the valence states of iodine in a simulated fuel solution of a medical isotope production reactor (MIPR) were investigated. About 83% of I⁻ was oxidized to IO₃ ⁻ and 10% of I⁻ was oxidized to I₂ in uranyl nitrate solution after heating at 70 °C for 6 hours. Heating and existence of oxidant, U and ionizing radiation accelerate the oxidation process of iodine, and results in most of the iodine being produced in high oxidation states such as in IO₃ ⁻ and IO₄ ⁻. The results indicate that the production of ¹³¹I by MIPR can be carried out by extraction of iodine in high oxidation states from the fuel solution.     

Influence of coagulation temperature on pore size and properties of cellulose membranes prepared from NaOH–urea aqueous solution

The morphology and structure of the regenerated cellulose membranes prepared from its NaOH–urea aqueous solution by coagulating with 5 wt% H₂SO₄–10 wt% Na₂SO₄ aqueous solution with different temperatures and times were investigated. The pore size, water permeability and physical properties of the membranes were measured with scanning electron micrograph (SEM), wide X-ray diffraction (WXRD), Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), flow rate method, and tensile testing. The SEM observation revealed that the structure and pore size of the membranes changed drastically as a function of the coagulation temperature. The membranes coagulated at lower temperatures tended to form the relatively small pore size than those at higher temperatures. On the contrary, the membranes coagulated at different times exhibited similar pore size. Interestingly, the mean pore size and water permeability of the membranes increased from 110 nm with standard deviation (SD) of 25 nm and 12 ml h⁻¹ m⁻² mmHg⁻¹ respectively to 1,230 nm with SD of 180 nm and 43 ml h⁻¹ m⁻² mmHg⁻¹ with an increase in coagulation temperature from 10 to 60°C. However, the membranes regenerated below 20°C exhibited the dense structure as well as good tensile strength and elongation at break. The result from FTIR and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy indicated that the relatively strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds exist in the cellulose membranes prepared at lower coagulation temperatures. This work provided a promising way to prepare cellulose materials with different pore sizes and physical properties by controlling the coagulation temperature.     

The study of regenerated cellulose films toughened with thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers

Regenerated cellulose blend film with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was successfully prepared by coagulating cellulose/TPU solution with water in the presence of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). Compared with pristine regenerated cellulose film, the toughness and thermal stability of the blend film was significantly improved. For example, the elongation at break was increased from 11% of pristine cellulose film to 51% of blend film with 20 wt. % TPU. The 50% weight loss temperature of this blend film was increased by 33 °C compared to neat cellulose. The relaxation transition temperature of cellulose was decreased with the addition of TPU through dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The oxygen permeability was decreased from 2.3 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ cm/cm² s Pa of pristine cellulose film to 0.08 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ cm/cm² s Pa of the blend film with 20 wt.%. TPU The X-ray diffraction spectra showed that the crystallinity of cellulose decreased with incorporation of TPU. The images of scanning electron microscope discovered that there was good compatibility between cellulose and TPU. TPU was nano-dispersed in cellulose matrix. The blend film still maintained quite good transparency.     

Surface modification in natural fluorapatite after uranyl solution treatment

Natural fluorapatite samples were contacted with uranyl nitrate solutions (from 10⁻² to 10⁻⁶M), adjusted to pH 6.0, then, shaken for times varying between 15 minutes to 72 hours, at room temperature. After that, the solid and liquid phases were separated by centrifugation and the solid was dried at 80°C overnight. The uranium analysis of the solid samples and solutions revealed that uranium was incorporated over fluorapatite. Selected solid samples produced by contacting treatments were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. XRD patterns showed the growth of uranyl species in the fluorapatite. Imaging by SEM at 20000x showed the location of uranyl compounds in a crystalline layer in the surface of fluorapatite grains. This layer was well defined for the 10⁻² M of U-contacting solution, but a saturation value was attained at 64% of uranium uptake yield. In the case of 10⁻⁴ M and lower U-contacting solution, the uranium uptake yield was near of 90% after 45 minutes. This fact suggests that natural fluorapatite has excellent properties to immobilize uranium compounds in a solution. Afterwards, the pregnant fluorapatite mineral was regenerated using an alkaline-leaching process. The uranium separated in this way is concentrated and can be handled to a final disposition.     

Application of rhodamine B hydrazide as a new fluorogenic indicator in the highly sensitive determination of hydrogen peroxide and glucose based on the catalytic effect of iron(III)-tetrasulfonato-phthalocyanine

A sensitive, selective and rapid spectrofluorimetric method is proposed for the determination of hydrogen peroxide using rhodamine B hydrazide as a fluorogenic substrate catalyzed by iron(III)-tetrasulfonatophthalocyanine. It is based on the oxidation of rhodamine B hydrazide, a colorless, non-fluorescent spirolactam hydrazide, by hydrogen peroxide which generates the highly fluorescent product rhodamine B. Under optimum conditions, the responses for hydrogen peroxide were linear from 2.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 3.7 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ in a 3.5 min reaction period. It can easily be incorporated into the determination of biochemical substances that produce hydrogen peroxide under catalytic oxidation in the presence of their oxidase. The possibility has been tested for the determination of glucose in human sera as an example.     

Determination of trace rare earth elements by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after preconcentration with immobilized nanometer titanium dioxide

A simple and sensitive method is presented for the determination of dopamine with a nanoscale ceria ion-selective CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose) membrane electrode by means of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky oscillating chemical reaction. The electrode exhibits excellent potential response. If the concentration of dopamine is in the range of 4.9 × 10⁻⁵ to 2.4 × 10⁻⁷ mol · L⁻¹, the change in oscillating amplitude is proportional to the concentration of dopamine, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9987 and a standard deviation of 0.17%. A recovery of 97.5–105.0% was obtained. Interference was also studied. The use of a nanoscale ceria ion-selective membrane-working electrode improved the sensitivity of the determination method.     

Chemiluminescence determination of gossypol at trace levels using flow injection as sample introduction techniques

A simple and sensitive flow injection method with chemiluminescence (CL) detection is developed for the determination of gossypol at trace levels. The method is based on the reaction of luminol with ferricyanid in a sodium hydroxide medium sensitized by gossypol. Under the optimum conditions, the CL intensity is proportional to the concentration of gossypol over the range of 1.11 × 10⁻¹⁷ − 2.78 × 10⁻¹⁶ M in an acidic solution and 8.00 × 10⁻¹¹ − 7.39 × 10⁻⁸ M in a neutral solution with correlation coefficients of 0.9983 and 0.9905, respectively. The detection limit is 1.48 × 10⁻¹⁸ M (3σ). The proposed method has been applied to the determination of gossypol in cottonseeds and pharmaceutical preparations with satisfactory results. The CL mechanism is discussed by examining the CL emission spectrum and the effect of various free radical scavengers on the CL emission intensity. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Fabrication of PbS Nanoparticles Embedded in Silica Gel by Reverse Micelles and Sol-Gel Routes

PbS doped-silica gels showing a visible absorption onset were prepared by the sol-gel method. PbS nanoparticles with strong quantum-confinement effect were obtained from sodium sulfide and lead nitrate by the reverse micelle method. Chemical parameters such as the water/surfactant and the [Pb²⁺]/[S²⁻] ratios play a very important role in the PbS particle size and in their absorption threshold. The PbS nanoparticles were dispersed in a hydrolyzed solution of TEOS and converted to homogeneous gels after heating. The absorption threshold of PbS doped-gel is blue shifted compared to the one of the as-prepared PbS particles. The non-linear optical properties of the PbS nanoparticle solution were measured by degenerate four-wave mixing and theX ⁽³⁾ value was estimated to be 1.95 10⁻¹¹ esu.     

Simultaneous determination of silicic acid, Ca, Mg and Al in mineral water and composite tablets by Ion chromatography

Summary A simple, selective and sensitive ion-chromatography method was investigated for simultaneously determining silicic acid, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺ and anions (Cl⁻ and NO ₃ ⁻ ) in real samples. It involved a single-column ion-chromatograph with sodium hydroxide-methanol-water eluent and conductometric detection. Cations were converted to complex anions by adding EDTA to the sample solution. A set of well-defined peaks of silicic acid, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺, Cl⁻ and NO ₃ ⁻ were obtained. Detection limits using 3.3σ (σ=standard deviation of blank solution) were 1.25×10⁻⁶ M for H₃SiO ₄ ⁻ , 1.32×10⁻⁶ M for Ca²⁺, 1.28×10⁻⁶ M for Mg²⁺, 1.33×10⁻⁶ M for Al³⁺, 1.31×10⁻⁶ M for Cl⁻ and 1.24×10⁻⁶ M for NO ₃ ⁻ . The method was successfully applied to analysis of mineral water and composite tablets.     

Determination of silver traces in air by neutron activation analysis

A non-destructive system for determination of silver traces in air particulates collected on cellulose filters is described, based on neutron activation followed by¹¹⁰Ag β⁻ counting instead of the 657.7 keV γ-ray. The determination limit (for 10% confidence limit) is estimated to be about 10⁻⁹ g. The method is easily applicable to the determination of silver in cloud seeding experiments, since the filters themselves provide a consistent and fairly uniform source and samples are collected in general far from industrial areas, where the concentration of possible interfering elements in air is reasonably low.     

Preconcentration technique for manganese by adsorption onto a tantalum wire for tungsten tube atomizer electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry

A multi-pumping flow system for the spectrophotometric determination of nitrite and nitrate is described. The determination of nitrite is based on the Griess-Ilosvay reaction. Nitrate can be determined after its on-line reduction to nitrite using hydrazine sulphate in alkaline medium. Calibration was linear up to 3 mg NO₂ ⁻ L⁻¹ with a limit of detection (3s_b/S) of 0.013 mg NO₂ ⁻ L⁻¹ an injection throughput of 55 injections h⁻¹ and a repeatability (RSD) of 0.5% for the direct determination of nitrite. Two calibration graphs within the ranges 0.039–7 mg NO₃ ⁻ L⁻¹ and 0.026–5 mg NO₂ ⁻ L⁻¹ were run for the determination of nitrate and nitrite under reducing conditions, respectively. A limit of detection of 0.039 mg NO₃ ⁻ L⁻¹ was obtained. An injection throughput of 27 injections h⁻¹ and an RSD lower than 1.5% were achieved. The method was successfully applied to the determination of nitrite and nitrate in water samples. Correspondence: Víctor Cerdà, Department of Chemistry, University of the Balearic Islands, Carretera de Valldemossa Km7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain     

Temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity of orthophosphoric acid in porous glass

Temperature dependence of the proton conductivity of a 85 wt % solution of orthophosphoric acid in a set of porous glasses with predominant channel radii of 4.5, 9, 19, and 74 nm was studied. A method for saturating a wide-pore glass with a dehydrated acid is suggested. This method provides a conductivity on the order of 10⁻⁴–10⁻³ ohm⁻¹ cm⁻¹ in the temperature range 373–473 K.     

Chemiluminescence determination of chromium(III) and total chromium in water samples using the periodate-lucigenin reaction

A new chemiluminescence (CL) method combined with flow injection technique is described for the determination of Cr(III) and total Cr. It is found that a strong CL signal is generated from the reaction of Cr(III), lucigenin and KIO₄ in alkaline condition. The determination of total Cr is performed by pre-reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) by using H₂SO₃. The CL intensity is linearly related to the concentration of Cr in the range 4.0 × 10⁻¹⁰–1.0 × 10⁻⁶ g mL⁻¹. The detection limit (3s _b) is 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ g mL⁻¹ Cr and the relative standard deviation is 1.9% (5.0 × 10⁻⁸ g mL⁻¹ of Cr(III) solution, n = 11). The method was applied to the determination of Cr(III) and total Cr in water samples and compared satisfactorily with the official method.     

Interpretation of relaxation and swelling phenomena in lyocell regenerated cellulosic fibres and textiles associated with the uptake of solutions of sodium hydroxide

The uptake of solutions of sodium hydroxide by lyocell fibre results in a phenomenon in textiles described as swelling–shrinkage. The response of woven fabrics in a tensile stress–relaxation experiment shows two time-dependent processes, corresponding to different mechanisms of pressure development. Rapid diffusion has been assigned to osmotic swelling through the interconnected pore structure of the fibre (D = 6–15 × 10⁻¹² m²/s), which is influenced by the extent of ionization of hydroxyl groups at the pore surfaces. A ratio for the cellulose and water dissociation constants (K_cell/K_w) of 70 provides best agreement with experimental data. A second slower diffusion process (D = 2–10 × 10⁻¹⁴ m²/s) is assigned to transport through the cellulose polymer structure, associated with the Na-cellulose transition. This can be modeled assuming an ion-exchange equilibrium, where the cellulose gel converts reversibly between compact hydrogen and expanded sodium forms, with K = 1.04 × 10¹⁴, in favour of the hydrogen form. The model successfully predicts the concentration dependence of the transition and the movement to higher concentration with external constraint. The slow diffusion process only becomes apparent at high alkali concentrations, as the pores in the fibre collapse due to the expansion of the gel. Continued gel-diffusion is only possible through the polymer phase, which then dominates over fast pore-diffusion.