Sorption of 241Am by Aspergillus nigerspore and hyphae

Biosorption of ²⁴¹Am by a fungus A. niger, including the spore and hyphae, was investigated. The preliminary results showed that the adsorption of ²⁴¹Am by the microorganism was efficient. More than 96% of the total ²⁴¹Am could be removed from ²⁴¹Am solutions of 5.6-111 MBq/l (C _o) by spore and hyphaeof A. niger, with adsorbed ²⁴¹Am metal (Q) of 7.2-142.4 MBq/g biomass, and 5.2-106.5 MBq/g, respectively. The biosorption equilibrium was achieved within 1 hour and the optimum pH range was pH 1-3. No obvious effects on ²⁴¹Am adsorption by the fungus were observed at 10-45 °C, or in solutions containing Au³⁺ or Ag⁺, even 2000 times above the ²⁴¹Am concentration. The ²⁴¹Am biosorption by the fungus obeys the Freundlich adsorption equation. There was no significant difference between the adsorption behavior of A. nigerspore and hyphae. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Biosorption of <Superscript>241</Superscript>Am by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis>: Preliminary investigation on mechanism

As an important radioisotope in nuclear industry and other fields, ²⁴¹Am is one of the most serious contamination concerns due to its high radiation toxicity and long half-life. The encouraging biosorption of ²⁴¹Am from aqueous solutions by free or immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) has been observed in our previous experiments. In this study, the preliminary evaluation on mechanism was further explored via chemical or biological modification of S. cerevisiae, and using europium as a substitute for americium. The results indicated that the culture times of more than 16 hours for S. cerevisiae was suitable and the efficient adsorption of ²⁴¹Am by the S. cerevisiae was able to achieve. The pH value in solutions decreased gradually with the uptake of ²⁴¹Am in the S. cerevisiae, implying that H⁺ released from S. cerevisiae via ion-exchange. The biosorption of ²⁴¹Am by the decomposed cell wall, protoplasm or cell membrane of S. cerevisiae was same efficient as by the intact fungus. However, the adsorption ratio for ²⁴¹Am by the deproteinized or deacylated S. cerevisiae dropped obviously, implying that protein or carboxyl functional groups of S. cerevisiaece play an important role in the biosorption of ²⁴¹Am. Most of the investigated acidic ions have no significant influence on the ²⁴¹Am adsorption, while the saturated EDTA can strong inhibit the biosorption of ²⁴¹Am on S. cerevisiae. When the concentrations of coexistent Eu³⁺, Nd³⁺ were 100 times more than that of ²⁴¹Am, the adsorption ratios would decrease to 65% from more than 95%. It could be noted by transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis that the adsorbed Eu is almost scattered in the whole fungus, while Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) analysis indicated that Ca in S. cerevisiae have been replaced by Eu via ion-exchange. All the results implied that the adsorption mechanism of ²⁴¹Am on S. cerevisiae is very complicated and at least involved in ion exchange, complexation process as well as well as nonspecific adsorption in cell wall because of static electricity.     

Preliminary investigation on biosorption mechanism of 241Am by Rhizopus arrhizus

As an important radioisotope in nuclear industry and other fields, ²⁴¹Am is one of the most serious contamination concerns due to its high radiation toxicity and long half-life. Encouraging biosorption of ²⁴¹Am from aqueous solutions by free or immobilized Rhizopus arrhizus (R. arrhizus) has been observed in our experiments. In this study, the preliminary evaluation on the mechanism was further explored via chemical or biological modification of R. arrhizus using europium as a substitute for americium. The results indicated that in approximately 48 hours R. arrhizus was able for efficient adsorption of ²⁴¹Am. The pH value of solutions decreased gradually with the uptake of ²⁴¹Am by R. arrhizus, implying that H⁺ was released from R. arrhizus via ion-exchange. The biosorption of ²⁴¹Am by the decomposed cell wall of R. arrhizus was as efficient as by the intact fungus. The adsorption ratio for ²⁴¹Am by deacylated R. arrhizus dropped, implying that carboxyl functional groups of R. arrhizus play an important role in the biosorption of ²⁴¹Am. Most of the investigated acidic ions have no significant influence on the adsorption of ²⁴¹Am, while saturated EDTA can strongly inhibit the biosorption of ²⁴¹Am by R. arrhizus. When the concentrations of coexistent Eu³⁺, Nd³⁺ were 300 times more than that of ²⁴¹Am, the adsorption ratios would decrease to about 86% from more than 99%. It could be noted by transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis that the adsorbed Eu is scattered almost in the whole fungus, while Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) indicated that Ca in R. arrhizus have been replaced by Eu via ion-exchange. The change of the absorption peak structure in the IR spectra implied that there was complexation between metals and microorganism. The results implied that the adsorption mechanism of ²⁴¹Am by R. arrhizus is very complicated involved ion-exchange, complexation process as well as nonspecific adsorption in the cell wall by static electricity.     

239,240Pu,241Am and137Cs in soils from several areas in China

This paper gives the first data on^239,240Pu and²⁴¹Am in Chinese soils. Surface soil samples with a set of 0–5 cm and 5–20 cm depth were collected from Beijing, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang and Jinang of China in 1990, and^239,240Pu,²⁴¹Am and¹³⁷Cs, including naturally occurring radionuclides, in these samples were measured to evaluate their present levels and distributions. From these results, the average accumulated depositions were estimated roughly to be 24±13 MBq/km² for^239,240Pu, 10±5 MBq/km² for²⁴¹Am and 1.2±0.7 GBq/km² for¹³⁷Cs. The activity ratios of^239,240Pu/¹³⁷Cs and²⁴¹Am/^239,240Pu ranged from 0.016 to 0.026 with a mean value of 0.020±0.004 and 0.35 to 0.49 with a mean value of 0.43±0.05, respectively.     

Adsorption and migration of <Superscript>241</Superscript>Am in aerated zone soil

As an important radioisotope in nuclear industry and other fields, ²⁴¹ Am is one of the most serious contamination concerns due to its high toxicity and long half-life. In order to supply useful reference for disposal of ²⁴¹Am waste with low-medium radioactivity, the adsorption and migration behavior of ²⁴¹Am on aerated zone soil were investigated by the static experimental method and column experiments. The results showed that more than 98% of the total ²⁴¹Am could be adsorbed from ²⁴¹Am solution of 0.32·10⁻⁷−1.1·10⁻⁷ mol/l by the soil at pH 4–9. The adsorption of ²⁴¹Am on the soil was a pH-dependent process at pH<4, but for pH>4, the adsorption rate of ²⁴¹Am on the soil changed minutely. The adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 24 hours and no significant effect on adsorption of ²⁴¹Am was observed at liquid-solid ratios of 50:1–500:1. The relationship between concentration of ²⁴¹Am and adsorption capacities of ²⁴¹Am can be described by the Freundlich adsorption equation. Adsorption of ²⁴¹Am on the soil can be inhibited by humic acid, ferric hydroxide colloid, or some anions, such as citric acid anion, saturated EDTA solution, C₂O₄ ²⁻ and CO₃ ²⁻. It was also noted that the adsorption rate of ²⁴¹Am drops in solutions containing Eu³⁺ or Nd³⁺, even 0.5 times above the ²⁴¹Am concentration. A migration distance of 8 mm for ²⁴¹Am(III) is observed only in the aerated zone soil containing ferric colloid, while a migration distance of less than 2 mm is noted in other soil samples after more than 250 days. All these results indicate that the aerated zone soil is an efficient sorbent for ²⁴¹Am and can inhibit the migration of ²⁴¹Am.     

Concentration and vertical distribution of plutonium and americium in Italian mosses and lichens

The plutonium and americium concentration and vertical distribution in some Italian mosses and lichens have been determined. The^239,240Pu,²³⁸Pu and²⁴¹Am concentration ranges in tree trunk lichens 0.83–1.87, 0.052–0.154 and 0.180–0.770 Bq/kg, respectively. The corresponding values in tree mosses are higher and more scattered ranging from 0.321 to 4.96, from 0.029 to 0.171 and from 0.200 to 1.93 Bq/kg. The mean²³⁸Pu/^239,240Pu and²⁴¹Am/^239,240Pu ratios are 0.088±0.037 and 0.38±0.13 in lichens and 0.091±0.072 and 0.54±0.16 in tree mosses. The Pu and Am concentrations are relatively low in terrestrial mosses. The^239,240Pu,²³⁸Pu and²⁴¹Am vertical distributions in a terrestrial moss core (Neckera Crispa) collected near Urbino (central Italy) show an exponential decrease with the height. On the contrary the²⁴¹Am vertical distribution in another terrestrial moss core (Sphagnum Compactum) collected in the Alps (northern Italy) shows an interesting peak at 16 cm which corresponds to the deposition of fallout from the nuclear weapon tests in 1960's. The²⁴¹Am movement upward and downward in the moss core is also studied. The results show once again that both mosses and lichens are very effective accumulators of Pu and Am and that they can be used as good biological indicators of the radionuclide airbome pollution from nuclear facilities and nuclear weapon tests. They can play a very impotant role in cycling naturally or artificially enhanced radionuclides in the atmosphere over long time scales.     

Chromatographische Trennung von Curium-242 und Americium-241 und die spektroskopische Überprüfung ihrer α-Aktivität

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine Trennung von²⁴²Cm und²⁴¹Am am Kationenaustauscher Dowex 50 W×8 mittels -Hydroxyisobutyratlösungen beschrieben, wobei Sm und Pm zur Markierung der Elutionspositionen von Cm und Am zugesetzt werden. Die Elemente werden in der Folge Sm–Cm–Pm–Am eluiert.Die Messung der -Aktivitäten mit Halbleiterdetektoren wurde an Tropf- und Molekularplatingproben vorgenommen.Aus etwa 2·10^–6 g²⁴¹Am, welches 400 Stdn. lang bestrahlt wurde, konnten etwa 4·10^–9 g²⁴²Cm, entsprechend 99,5% der beobachteten Gesamtaktivität, gewonnen werden.

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The separation of²⁴²Cm and²⁴¹Am with -hydroxyisobutyric solutions on the ion exchange resin Dowex 50 W×8 is described. Sm and Pm are used as indicators in order to mark the elution positions of Cm and Am. The elements are eluted in the order Sm–Cm–Pm–Am.Drop- and molecular plating samples were prepared for measuring the -activities with semiconductor detectors.About 2·10^–6 g²⁴¹Am yielded on activation for a period of 400 hours 4·10^–9 g²⁴²Cm corresponding to 99,5% of the observed total activity.

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Mit 2 Abbildungen     

Effects of Fe(III) ions on the electrodeposition of trace amounts of plutonium and americium

The electrodeposition of Pu and Am onto stainless steel discs from 3.2M ammonium chloride solution is strongly affected by the iron concentration of the electrolyte. At Fe(III) concentrations of more than 0.1mM (30 g Fe in 5 ml) only 30–40% of²³⁶Pu and 6% of²⁴¹Am can be deposited. Tracer experiments with⁵⁹Fe suggest that exchange processes take place between Fe from the surface layer of the cathode and from the electrolyte. Double tracer studies show increasing²³⁶Pu/⁵⁹Fe- and decreasing²⁴¹Am/⁵⁹Fe-ratios with increasing iron content of the electrolyte, which may be due to different sorption properties on colloidal iron hydroxides formed at pH<3.6.     

Separation of Am from lanthanides by a synergistic mixture of purified Cyanex 301 and TBP

The dependence of the distribution ratios of ²⁴¹Am and lanthanides between purified Cyanex 301 (HBTMPDTP)–TBP–kerosene/nitrate solution on pH, lanthanide concentration in aqueous phase and degree of saponification of HBTMPDTP was investigated. The distribution ratios of ²⁴¹Am and lanthanides increase with pH and degree of saponification of HBTMPDTP and decrease with lanthanides concentration. Countercurrent multistage extraction consisting of 7 extraction, 3 washing and 2 stripping stages showed that more than 99.99% of ²⁴¹Am and less than 0.04% of lanthanides were extracted. The pH_1/2 value of Am was 2.45 compared to 3.16 in case of HBTMPDTP–kerosene extraction.     

Biosorption of radioactive thorium by Sargassum filipendula

In the present work, the biosorption of radioactive thorium was investigated using a dry biomass of Sargassum filipendula as the biosorbent material. Radioactive solutions containing between 2.0 and 500.0μg thorium were tested by biosorption with S. filipendula, yielding uptake capacities from 20 to 100%, depending on the concentration of the solution. Kinetic studies indicated that equilibrium between the thorium solution and the solid fraction was achieved after three hours of contact and that a second-order model could express the equilibrium kinetics. In order to investigate the maximum biosorption capacity of the biomass an isotherm was done, based on the experimental data, which revealed the maximum uptake capacity to be 2.59 μmol thorium/g biomass. The experimental data fitted well to a Langmuir model, which provided a good correlation between the experimental and predicted thorium uptake values.     

Kinetics and Isotherms of Cationic Polyelectrolyte Adsorption on Quartz

The kinetics of the formation of quartz surface charge in the solutions of a cationic polyelectrolyte, poly(styrene-co-dimethyl aminopropylmaleimide) with the molecular mass M = 20000 is studied in the concentration range from 10^–5 to 0.5 g/l in 10^–4 M KCl background solution at pH 6.5. Quartz capillaries with the radius from 5 to 10 m and molecularly smooth surface are used as model systems. Characteristic times of the formation of the surface charge at equilibrium with the solution are calculated from the data on the kinetics of adsorption; these times are equal to 40–50 min for the region of electrostatic adsorption (before the surface charge reversal) and 20–25 min, for the region of hydrophobic adsorption upon the formation of the second adlayer. Based on the steady values of the surface charge, the isotherms and potentials of adsorption of cationic polyelectrolyte are calculated. Electrostatic adsorption isotherm is described by the Langmuir equation with the energy of molecular adsorption of 25.4kT. It is shown that, at polymer concentration above 10^–2 g/l, the conformation of adsorbed molecules ceases to be planar. However, even in this case, we succeed in calculating the surface charge using the Helmholtz and Gouy equations and applying the pressure drops at the capillary ends higher than 10 atm, when under the loading of increasing shear stress in the surface layer the conformation of adsorbed molecules approaches the planar shape. Based on the two-layer model of the formation of surface charge developed earlier, it is shown that the energy of hydrophobic adsorption is smaller than that of electrostatic adsorption and is equal to 17.7kT. Possible physical mechanisms of electrostatic and hydrophobic adsorption of cationic polyelectrolyte molecules on quartz are discussed.     

Distribution of global fallout237Np,Pu isotopes,and241Am in lake and sea sediments

In order to investigate the sedimentary behaviour of neptunium,²³⁷Np together with Pu isotopes and²⁴¹Am have been measured for the sediment cores collected from Lake Mikata (freshwater) and from Lake Kugushi (brakish water) both belonging to the Mikata Five Lakes, and from Nyu Bay (sea water). In all sediment core samples²³⁷Np was detected, and its concentrations were far below those of^239,240Pu and²⁴¹Am measured for the same samples. Inventories of²³⁷Np in Lake Mikata, Lake Kugushi and Nyu Bay were estimated to be 0.53, 0.29 and 0.34 MBq/km², respectively. The activity ratio of²³⁷Np/^239,240Pu calculted from the inventories in each sediment core was 0.29% for Lake Mikata, 0.15% for Lake Kugushi and 0.10% for Nyu Bay. These values except for the value for Lake Mikata are two or three times lower than the value of 0.3–0.4% observed for surface soils of 0–20 cm depth, suggesting that Np is more soluble compared with Pu.     

Physicochemical Speciation of Americium in Soils from Rocky Flats, Colorado, USA

The objective of the research was to characterize the ²⁴¹Am distribution in six operationally defined chemical and mineralogical phases of soil samples taken from the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS). Soil samples were subjected to selective sequential fractionation procedures to determine ²⁴¹Am association with the soluble, exchangeable, carbonate, organic, sesquioxide and silicate fractions. The highest percentage of ²⁴¹Am was found to be associated with the sesquioxide (hydrous oxide) fraction (39–47%), with lesser amounts in the soluble (14–17%), exchangeable (4–9%), carbonates (4–17%), organic (3–13%), and silicate (10–21%) soil fractions. Differences between americium and plutonium association with various soil fractions were observed.     

Electromigration of carrier-free radionuclides

The electromigration behaviour of carrier-free²⁴¹Am–Am(III) in inert electrolytes, =0.1 (C10 ₄ ^– ), T=298.1(1) K, was studied. On the basis of the overall ion mobilities of²⁴¹Am–Am(III) on pH between pH 5.5 and 12.9, the stoichiometric hydrolysis constants p ₃ ³ =23.8(9), and pK₁=6.9(2) were obtained. For K₄ a limitation of pK₄14.4(3) was possible, because no formation of anionic hydrolysis products in solutions pH12.9 was registered. The individual ion mobility of the²⁴¹Am–Am³⁺ decrease in the range pH 5.5–3 from +6.85(15) up to +5.50(15)·10^–4 cm²·s^–1·V^–1. Dependences of this effect on overall ionic strength, inert electrolyte anion, and the temperature of the electrolytes were studied in acidic and neutral solutions.     

Methanol adsorption by amorphous silica alumina in the critical temperature range

The methanol adsorption capacity of an amorphous silica-alumina was measured using an equilibrium technique. The experimental temperature range was of 140 to 260°C and the pure methanol pressure range was 0.1 to 1.2 MPa. A multilayer adsorption was found, also for temperatures above the critical temperature of the adsorbate. Based on the Jovanovic adsorption model, the mean residence times of the adsorbed molecules were calculated. Surprisingly, the heat of adsorption was found to be independent of the temperature in the multilayer adsorption range.Symbols Units a parameter defined by Equation (7) - a parameter defined by Equation (10) Pa - a(T) parameter in the Peng-Robinson equation Pa/(mol/m³)² - b parameter defined by Equation (8) - b parameter defined by Equation (11) Pa^–1 - b(T) parameter in the Peng-Robinson equation m³ mol^–1 - c constant in the BET equation - k Boltzmann constant, being 1.3806 · 10^–23 JK^–1 - K characteristic constant in the Peng-Robinson equation - m mass of one adsorbate molecule kg - p pressure Pa - q adsorption capacity g/g - Q heat of adsorption J mol^–1 - R gas constant, being 8.314 J mol^–1 K^–1 - T absolute temperature K - V molar volume m³ mol^–1 - x relative pressure (=p/p ₀) - active molecule area m² - residence time s - acentric factor     

Acid–Base Zeta-Metric Titration of Quartz Dispersions in Ethanol Solutions of Electrolytes

The conductivity of dilute quartz suspensions and electrophoretic mobility of quartz particles in solutions with the concentration C = 10^–5–10^–2 M XBr (X = H, Cs, Na, and Li) and NaOH, as well as in mixed solutions of 10^–4 M XBr (X = Cs, Na, and Li) + 10^–4–10^–2 M HBr and 10^–4 M XBr + 10^–4–10^–2 M XOH (X = Cs, Na, and Li) in ethanol containing 6 vol % of water were measured using conductometry and microelectrophoresis. The values of surface conductivity of quartz were calculated by the Wagner formula and used to calculate zeta potential by the Henry–Booth formula. The resultant dependences (logC) suggest that the value and sign of zeta potential are determined not only by the adsorption of potential-determining ions ⁺ and ^–, but also by the competitive specific adsorption of all ions of the aforementioned electrolytes, the adsorption values increasing in a cation series Li⁺ < Na⁺ < Cs⁺ < H⁺ and an anion series Br^– < OH^–. In particular, it is found that the titration of the above suspensions with XOH bases results in the reversal of zeta potential sign from negative to positive at a concentration depending on the adsorption capacity of alkali cation.     

Influences of salt concentration,loading and pH on strontium adsorption

The adsorption of Sr on clay which contains zeolites and montmorillonite mixtures was investigated in solutions of NaCl by means of a batch technique. Sr retention was reduced with increasing NaCl concentration from 5·10^–4 to 5·10^–1M. Distribution coefficients (K _d ) linearly increased with pH in the acidic region but they were almost independent of pH in neutral and alkaline solutions. By fitting the data of the Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm, the mean energies of adsorption and adsorption capacities of Sr at different pH values were calculated. The results showed that the mode of adsorption below pH 4.5 is ion exchange, while above that value a multilayer adsorption occurs. Adsorption data were fitted to the Freundlich isotherm and from empirical Freundlich parameters a site distribution function was calculated.     

Kinetics of adsorption of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mandelated dehydrogenase on magnetic Fe3O4–chitosan nanoparticles

The adsorption of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mandelated dehydrogenase (SCMD) protein on the surface-modified magnetic nanoparticles coated with chitosan was studied in a batch adsorption system. Functionalization of surface-modified magnetic particles was performed by the covalent binding of chitosan onto the surface of magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. Characterization of these particles was carried out using FTIR spectra, transmission electron micrography (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Magnetic measurement revealed that the magnetic Fe₃O₄–chitosan nanoparticles were superparamagnetic and the saturation magnetization was about 37.3 emu g⁻¹. The adsorption capacities and rates of SCMD protein onto the magnetic Fe₃O₄–chitosan nanoparticles were evaluated. The adsorption capacity was influenced by pH, and it reached a maximum value around pH 8.0. The adsorption capacity increased with the increase in temperature. The adsorption isothermal data could be well interpreted by the Freundlich isotherm model. The kinetic experimental data properly correlated with the first-order kinetic model, which indicated that the reaction is the adsorption control step. The apparent adsorption activation energy was 27.62 kJ mol⁻¹ and the first-order constant for SCMD protein was 0.01254 min⁻¹ at 293 K.     

Calorimetric study of phase transitions in the thiourea carbon tetrachloride inclusion compound

Heat capacities of the inclusion compound (thiourea)_3.00CCl₄ have been measured in the temperature range 15–300 K. A first-order phase transition was found at 41.3 K and a second-order transition at 67.17 K. The enthalpy and entropy of the transition are 149 J mol^–1 and 3.7 J K^–1 mol^–1 for the former, and 241 J mol^–1 and 3.9 J K^–1 mol^–1 for the latter. A divergent expression C = A{(T _c –T)/T _c} ^– was fitted to the excess heat capacity of the upper phase transition. The best-fit parameters wereA = 7.4 J K^–1 mol^–1,T _c = 67.166 K and = 0.31. Possible types of molecular disorder in the high temperature phase are discussed in relation to the transition entropy and the molecular and site symmetries of the guest molecule. The heat capacity of the lowest temperature phase was unusually large and may indicate the existence of very low frequency vibrational modes or labile configurational excitation of the guest molecule. Standard thermodynamic functions were calculated from the heat capacity data and are tabulated in the appendix.Contribution No. 11 from the Microcalorimetry Research Center.     

Sorption of Cu2+ ions by chitin and chitosan from aqueous solutions. Molecular structure of complexes formed

The sorption of Cu²⁺ ions by chitin and chitosan from aqueous solutions has been investigated, as well as the molecular structure of the complexes formed. The static exchange capacities have been determined, equal to 3.5 and 0.25 mmole/g for chitosan and chitin, respectively, and the partition coefficients (5000 and 70 g/ml). It has been shown that in complex formation a bond with the amino group is formed as the result of the substitution of a proton in the latter. The EPR spectra of these complexes have been obtained and their radiospectroscopic parameters determined (g = 2.334,g = 2.054,A = 0.0156 cm^–1, andB = 0.0028 cm^–1 for chitin, andg = 2.231,g = 2.048,A = 0.0192 cm^–1, andB = 0.0025 cm^–1 for chitosan). For chitosan the ligands are two nitrogen atoms of the amino groups and two oxygen atoms of the hydroxyl groups in the position C³ of adjacent glucosamine rings; for chitin, the oxygen atoms of the acetyl groups take part in addition in the complex formation. The analysis of the radiospectroscopic parameters and their comparison with published data lead to the conclusion that the Cu²⁺ complex with chitosan has a tetragonal symmetry, while the complex with chitin most probably has an octahedral structure.Institute of Physical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117915 Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2305–2311, October, 1992.