The effect of aging and natural organic matter on the Th(OH)4 solubility

The solution chemistry of actinides, particularly hydrolysis, is of major importance in the design of nuclear waste repositories and in relation to nuclear fuel reprocessing cycles. In this study the formation and solubility of the Th(OH)₄ solid phase has been investigated as a function of the aging time and the presence of natural organic matter (e.g. humic acid) in 0.1 M NaClO₄, at weak acid pH and under normal atmospheric conditions. Th(OH)₄ has been prepared by alkaline precipitation and characterized by TGA, ATR–FTIR, XRD, and solubility measurements. According to the experimental data Th(OH)₄ is stable and remains the solubility limiting solid phase even in the presence of increased humic acid concentration in solution. Increasing humic acid concentration doesn’t affect the crystallite size and the solubility product of Th(OH)₄. Th(OH)₄ solubility is basically pH depended and governed by the presence of colloidal species. However, solid phase aging, which in absence of humic acid favors crystallinity, affects significantly the Th(OH)₄ solubility.     

Study of the Photodegradation Kinetics and Pathways of Hexaflumuron in Liquid Media

Hexaflumuron, one of the benzoylphenylurea insect growth regulators, can be leached into surface water and thus having a potential impact on aquatic organisms. In this study, the photodegradation processes of hexaflumuron under high‐pressure mercury lamp irradiation were assessed. The photodegradation kinetics were studied, as were the effects of pH, different light sources, organic solvents and environmental substances, including nitrate ions (NO₃^?), nitrite ions (NO₂^?), ferrous ions (Fe²⁺), ferric ions (Fe³⁺), humic acid, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Three photodegradation products in methanol were identified by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). In general, the degradation of hexaflumuron followed first‐order kinetics. In the four media studied, the photodegradation rate order was n‐hexane > methanol > ultrapure water > acetone. Faster degradation was observed under high‐pressure mercury lamp irradiation than under xenon lamp irradiation. The pH had a considerable effect, with the most rapid degradation occurring at pH 5.0. The photodegradation rate of hexaflumuron was promoted in the presence of NO₃^?, NO₂^?, Fe²⁺, humic acid, SDS and H₂O₂, but inhibited by Fe³⁺. Moreover, the presumed photodegradation pathway was proposed to be the cleavage of the urea linkage.     

Kinetic aspects of the reduction of mercury ions by humic substances

A combination of a computer controlled titration device with a cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometer was set up to examine the kinetics of the reaction between humic substances and Hg(II). Subsequent injections of Hg(II) into an excess of humic acid produce data about short and long term changes in the reaction velocity of humic substances. This experimental design is suitable for the examination of the effects of pH, reaction time, light and interfering substances like chloride on the formation of elemental mercury. The obtained data agree with data from the literature. With the accumulation of the produced elemental mercury on a gold net it is possible to enhance the sensitivity of the method. This enables examinations at environmental concentrations.     

Kinetic aspects of the reduction of mercury ions by humic substances

A combination of a computer controlled titration device with a cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometer was set up to examine the kinetics of the reaction between humic substances and Hg(II). Subsequent injections of Hg(II) into an excess of humic acid produce data about short and long term changes in the reaction velocity of humic substances. This experimental design is suitable for the examination of the effects of pH, reaction time, light and interfering substances like chloride on the formation of elemental mercury. The obtained data agree with data from the literature. With the accumulation of the produced elemental mercury on a gold net it is possible to enhance the sensitivity of the method. This enables examinations at environmental concentrations.     

Veronicafolin－β-环糊精的物化表征及Veronicafolin－羟丙基-β-环糊精包合物溶解性的增强

用氢谱、红外光谱、X-射线粉末衍射、热分析、元素分析等测试方法研究了Veronicafolin (3,5,4′-三羟基-6,7,3′-三甲氧基黄酮) 和β-环糊精 (β-CD) 的固体包合物的谱学特征。元素分析结果显示形成Veronicafolin-β-CD·20H2O包合物，其中C：39.58%, H: 5.75%，表明包合物中主客体比为1∶1。该包合类型属于A_L-型。通过紫外-可见分光光度法研究了在羟丙基-β-环糊精（HP-β-CD）的存在下Veronicafolin的相溶解度曲线，测得校正曲线为y = 24148x + 0.0075 (r=0.9999)，相溶解曲线为y=0.4738x-2.0×10^-7 (r=0.9490)，包结平衡常数Ks为4.5×10⁶mol-1。HP-β-CD提高了黄酮醇Veronicafolin的溶解度。     

Radio-tracer methods for studying speciation in natural waters

Radio-tracer experiments have shown that antimony, mercury and zinc interact to form complexes with humic and/or fulvic acids, whose molar masses can be estimated by gel chromatography. Sb(III) and (V) humates are stable in the pH range 7–11, but are largely dissociated below pH 4; humic acid does not reduce Sb(V) to Sb(III) in solution. Mercury forms a strong complex with humic+fulvic acids. Zinc forms complexes with both humic acids and glycine, and the humic acid complex has similar elution behaviour on dextran gel to a fraction from river water equilibrated with⁶⁵Zn. At least one other form of zinc, in addition to Zn²⁺, occurs in this river.     

A New Samarium(III) Complex of Liriodenine: Synthesis,Crystal Structure,Antitumor Activity,and DNA Binding Study

A novel Sm^III complex [Sm^III(LA)₂(pic)₃] (Hpic = picric acid), in which LA is a natural‐derived alkaloid, liriodenine, was synthesized and characterized by IR, elemental analysis, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. This complex showed enhanced solubility compared with liriodenine and its metal complexes that have been previously reported. The interaction of the Sm^III complex with ct‐DNA was further investigated by various spectroscopic techniques, such as UV/Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD), and viscosity measurement. The results showed that the intrinsic binding constant K_b of the Sm^III complex with ct‐DNA was calculated to be 5.03 × 10³ L·mol^–1 by UV/Vis absorption spectral analysis. The thermodynamic fluorescent spectral analysis suggested that the fluorescence intensity of the Sm^III complex was weakened by ct‐DNA mainly through a dynamic quenching mechanism. The presence of Sm complex could increase the viscosity of DNA solution, so it was concluded that the complex bound with ct‐DNA via a moderate intercalative mode. Furthermore, this Sm^III complex exhibited significant growth inhibition on the three typical tumor cell lines, HepG2, T‐24, and SK‐OV‐3, with the corresponding IC₅₀ values, 10.76 ± 0.19, 8.85 ± 1.12, and 10.01 ± 0.55 μM, respectively. The in vitro antitumor activity was comparable with LA and cisplatin, which suggested that it might be a new broad spectrum antitumor agent with more satisfying solubility.     

Prediction of Properties of Soil Humic Substances from FTIR Spectra using Partial Least Squares Regression

Abstract

Humic substances (HS) play a key role in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The understanding of the ecological functionalities of HS is based on the analysis of their properties, which is normally a very time-consuming procedure. Therefore we tested the possibility to apply the partial least squares regression (PLSR) method in connection with the mid infrared Fourier transform (FTIR) spectra of a series of soil humic substances for the prediction of different HS properties. The results with humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) fractions of soil HS from different environments show the possibility to predict several properties of an unknown soil HA with satisfying reliability above all the elemental composition.     

[14C]-Cellulase-humic complexes that are stable in soil

[¹⁴C]-Cellulase was extracted from the culture medium ofTrichoderma viride and an attempt made to complex it with humic acid by adsorption. The result showed that the humic acid extracted from soil does not form a stable complex with [¹⁴C]-cellulase. In contrast, the flocculation of humic acid by 0.025M Ca²⁺ in the presence of the cellulase resulted in the formation of stable humic-cellulase complexes. DEAE cellulose chromatography of cellulase-humic complex revealed that cellulase could not be separated from the humic acid. Enzyme activity was only eluted along with humic acid upon increasing gradient concentration from 1.0 to 1.5M NaCl. Furthermore, in order to test its stability, the enzyme-humic complex was incorporated into fresh soil for 90 d. During this period the enzyme-humic complex remained stable. The cellulase-humic complex was then extracted from soil. Fractionation of the extract on DEAE cellulose and G100 sephadex revealed that cellulase activity could not be separated from humic acid and was again eluted in the form of enzyme-humic complex. This confirmed the stability of cellulase-humic complex in soil.     

Interaction of Cs+, Sr2+ and Gd3+ with humin

Humin is separated from a soil sample and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and potentiometric titration. These investigations indicated that humin displayed similar characteristics as humic acid. The sorption behavior of¹³⁷Cs,⁹⁰Sr and¹⁵³Gd with humin was investigated from aqueous solution. The results indicated that the sorption process follows the order: Gd³⁺≫Sr²⁺>Cs⁺. It was time dependent and increased with pH. The sorption in the presence of humic acid or EDTA showed that both form a metal-ligand complex and consequently decrease the % uptake.     

环糊精与两种有机物的包合物的不同光解特性

The effectiveness of the solubilization and photodegradation of β-cyclodextrin （β-CD） and hydroxypropyl-β- cyclodextrin （HPCD） on two hydrophobic organic compounds （HOC） of methyl parathion and pentachlorophenol was investigated. The results indicate that the solubilization or photodegradation of two HOC were influenced by complexing with β-CD or HPCD. The solubility of pentachlorophenol （PCP） was increased linearly with β-CD concentration. The solubility of methyl parathion （MPT） was increased with the increase of β-CD concentration initially, however, as the β-CD concentration was enhanced above 3 g/L, the solubility was decreased with increase of β-CD concentration. The solubilities of two HOC were increased linearly with the increase of HPCD concentration. Although the photodegradation of MPT was improved, the photodegradation of PCP was restrained by complexation of HOC with β-CD or HPCD. In a word, the effectiveness of photodegradation or solubilization of HPCD was more significant than that of β-CD. One potential application of such a method was the in situ remediation of hydrophobic organic pollutants in contaminated soil and groundwater or industrial waste streams.     

The pzc of mercury in the presence of humic acids and their complexes with aluminium

Variation of the lifetime of a mercury drop with potential was used to determine the pzc of mercury in the presence of soil humic acids and their aluminium complexes. In all cases there was an overall net shift in the pzc in the cathodic direction. Variation in the extent of the shift with pH and concentration indicated greater adsorption of negatively charged species. The shift was smaller in the presence of aluminium humates, probably due to a decrease in the negative charge of the humic acid molecules after complexing. The use of electroanalytical techniques for metal speciation studies in soils and natural water, if humic materials are known to be present, might therefore be limited.     

Characterization of Mercury – Humic Acids Interaction by Potentiometric Titration with a Modified Carbon Paste Mercury Sensor

Stability constant for mercury binding by commercial and natural humic acids (HA) were determined using a new potentiometric mercury(II) sensor based on dithiosalicylic acid modified carbon paste electrode. The sensor present a high selective and sensitive response to mercury(II) ions, and a low detection limit of 1.8×10^?8 M. The potentiometric titrations curves of humic acids against mercury(II) ions were modeled. For 1.00×10^?7 to 3.00×10^?4 M mercury(II) ion concentration levels the results are consistent with the presence of two different binding sites in the humic acid macromolecule. The strongest binding sites (log K₁ ranging from 10.1 to 6.8) are probably due to interaction with carboxylic acid and amine groups in the molecule, whereas weakest binding sites (log K₂ ranging from 8.8 to 4.5) can be associated to phenolic groups.     

U(VI) mono-hydroxo humate complexation

The complexation of the uranyl ion with humic acid is investigated. The humic acid ligand concentration is described as the concentration of reactive humic acid molecules based on the number of humic acid molecules, taking protonation of functional groups into account. Excess amounts of U(VI) are used and the concentration of the humic acid complex is determined by the solubility enhancement over the solid phase. pH is varied between 7.5 to 7.9 in 0.1M NaClO₄ under normal atmosphere and room temperature. The solubility of U(VI) in absence of humic acid is determined over amorphous solid phase between pH 4.45 and 8.62. With humic acid, only a limited range of data can be used for the determination of the complexation constant because of flocculation or sorption of the humic acid upon progressive complexation. Analysis of the complex formation dependency with pH shows that the dominant uranyl species in the concerned pH range are UO₂(OH)⁺ and (UO₂)₃(OH)₅ ⁺. The complexation constant is evaluated for the humate interaction with the to UO₂(OH)⁺ ion. The stability constant is found to be logβ = 6.94±0.3 l/mol. The humate complexation constant of the uranyl mono-hydroxo species thus is significantly higher than that of the nonhydrolyzed uranyl ion (6.2 l/mol). Published data on the Cm³⁺, CmOH²⁺ and Cm(OH)₂ ⁺ humate complexation are reevaluated by the present approach. The higher stability of the hydrolysis complex is also found for Cm(III) humate complexation.     

Analysis of sorption and bioavailability of different species of mercury on model soil components using XAS techniques and sensor bacteria

The present work studies the adsorption behaviour of mercury species on different soil components (montmorillonite, kaolinite and humic acid) spiked with CH₃HgCl and CH₃HgOH at different pH values, by using XAS techniques and bacterial mercury sensors in order to evaluate the availability of methyl mercury on soil components. The study details and discusses different aspects of the adsorption process, including sample preparation (with analysis of adsorbed methyl mercury by ICP-OES), the various adsorption conditions, and the characterization of spiked samples by XAS techniques performed at two synchrotron facilities (ESRF in Grenoble, France and HASYLAB in Hamburg, Germany), as well as bioavailability studies using mercury-specific sensor bacteria. Results show that XAS is a valuable qualitative technique that can be used to identify the bonding character of the Hg in mercury environment. The amount of methyl in mercury adsorbed to montmorillonite was pH-dependent while for all soil components studied, the bond character was not affected by pH. On the other hand, clays exhibited more ionic bonding character than humic acids did with methyl mercury. This interaction has a higher covalent character and so it is more stable for CH₃HgOH than for CH₃HgCl, due to the higher reactivity of the hydroxyl group arising from the possible formation of hydrogen bonds.The bioavailability of methyl mercury adsorbed to montmorillonite, kaolinite and humic acids was measured using recombinant luminescent sensor bacterium Escherichia coli MC1061 (pmerBR_BSluc). In case of contact exposure (suspension assays), the results showed that the bioavailability was higher than it was for exposure to particle-free extracts prepared from these suspensions. The highest bioavailability of methyl mercury was found in suspensions of montmorillonite (about 50% of the total amount), while the bioavailabilities of kaolinite and humic acids were five times lower (about 10%). The behaviour of methyl mercury in the presence of montmorillonite could be explained by the more ionic bonding character of this system, in contrast to the more covalent bonding character observed for humic acids. Thus, XAS techniques seem to provide promising tools for investigating the mechanisms behind the observed bioavailabilities of metals in various environmental matrices, an important topic in environmental toxicology.     

A Use of Modified Cyclodextrins as a Transporter for a Radiolabeled Tracer NMR Investigation

Cyclodextrins (D. Duchêne (ed.): New Trends in Cyclodextrins and Derivatives (1991)) have long been shown to be capable of modifying the water solubility of a number of hydrophobic guests through the formation of inclusion complexes. Among the three natural cyclodextrins (α, β and γ-cyclodextrins containing 6, 7 and 8 d-glucopyranose units, respectively), β-cyclodextrin is by far the most commonly used although it exhibits a weaker solubility in water (and therefore a weaker solubilization power). This specific feature has encouraged the synthesis of derivatives exhibiting an increased solubility in water. Methylated cyclodextrins are amongst the simplest derivatives, and their properties regarding the solubility and the solubilization power for hydrophobic guests are well documented especially concerning Heptakis (2,6-di-Omethyl)-cyclodextrin (DIMEB) and Heptakis (2,3,6-tri-Omethyl)-cyclodextrin (TRIMEB) K. Koizumi et al.:J. Chromatogr. 368, 329–337 (1986). In order to avoid the use of human serum albumin (HSA), this property has been applied here to the solubilization of a very sparingly water-soluble fatty acid derivative (16-iodo-3-methylhexadecanoic acid), which is known to localise in viable myocardial cells, allowing the generation of functional images reflecting the viability of the cardiac tissue through the use of radiolabeled analog (Demaison et al.: J. Nucl-Med. 29, 1230–1236 (1998)). Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used throughout this study to evidence that the observed solubilization and stabilisation (under conditions required for sterilisation) induced by cyclodextrins are due to the formation of a true inclusion complex and not to non-specific interactions; This technique further allows to derive thermodynamic as well as structural informations for this complex. On one hand, the inclusion complex prevents thermal degradation during sterilisation process compared to HSA. On the other hand, NMR displacement experiments against HSA showed that the complex likely dissociates in vivo.     

Enrofloxacin inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins

Inclusion complexes using α-, β-, γ-, and hydroxypropyl-β-CD (HP-β-CD) were produced with the antibiotic enrofloxacin, with the aim of increasing its solubility by complexation. Phase solubility diagrams were obtained, to confirm the formation of inclusion complexes, and to determine the solubility enhancement and stability constant of each complex. Enrofloxacin inclusion in β-CD showed the highest value of the complex stability constant (35.56?mmol?L^?1), but the greatest increase in solubility was obtained using HP-β-CD reaching a 1258% increase over enrofloxacin solubility in the absence of CD. The order of highest enrofloxacin solubility achieved was: HP-β-CD?>?α-CD?>?γ-CD?>?β-CD. In addition, formation of complexes was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry, applied to the complexes obtained by the kneading technique. The influence of citric acid, alone or as an adjunct of β-CD, on the solubility of enrofloxacin was also determined. A solution of 15?mmol?L^?1 citric acid dissolved 10?g?L^?1 of enrofloxacin, but a gradual increase in β-CD concentration in the presence of citric acid did not increase the degree of solubilization of enrofloxacin.     

Effect of humic acid on the solid phase stability of UO2CO3

The stability of UO₂CO₃ has been studied as a function of the humic acid concentration in 0.1M NaClO₄, in the weak acidic pH range (4.5–5) under CO₂ atmosphere. The solid phase under investigation has been prepared by alkaline precipitation and characterized by TGA, ATR-FTIR, XRD, SEM and solubility measurements. According to the experimental data, UO₂CO₃ is stable and remains the solubility limiting solid phase even in the presence of increased humic acid concentration in solution. However, humic acid affects texture and particle size of the solid phase. Increasing humic acid concentration results in decreasing crystallite size of the UO₂CO₃ solid phase. Based on the solubility data, the logK _sp (UO₂CO₃) has been evaluated to amount −13.7±0.2 for the humic acid-free system and −13.2±0.3 for the humic acid containing system.     

Coordination complexes of 2‐thienyl‐ and 2‐furyl‐mercurials

The reactions of di(2‐thienyl)mercury, 2‐thienylmercury chloride and 2‐furylmercury chloride with a variety of nitrogen‐ and phosphorus‐containing ligands have been studied. The presence of the electron‐withdrawing heteroatoms results in these mercurials being stronger acceptors than the corresponding phenylmercury compounds. The complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, melting points, infrared, and ¹⁹⁹Hg NMR spectroscopy. 2,9‐Dimethyl‐ and 3,4,7,8‐tetramethyl‐phenanthroline form 1:1 chelate complexes, as does 1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, whereas ethylenediamine and 2,2′‐bipyridyl do not form complexes. Though non‐chelating ligands such as 2,4′‐ and 4,4′‐bipyridyl do not form complexes, bis(diphenylphosphino)methane forms 1:2 complexes in which the ligand bridges two mercury atoms. Monodentate ligands, such as triphenylphosphine, cause disproportionation of the organomercury chloride. 2‐Thienylmercury chloride forms a 4:1 complex with 4,4′‐dipyridyl disulfide in which it is believed that a molecule of the organomercurial is coordinated to both of the nitrogen and both of the sulfur atoms. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of fluorinated oligomers for supercritical carbon dioxide applications

Syntheses of various fluorine‐based surfactants, namely fluorinated‐segment‐containing block co‐oligomers, were achieved by the radical polymerization of mainly acrylate‐based monomers. These types of surfactants serve as stabilizers for supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) media based applications, for which the effective solubilization of materials in the supercritical phase is generally not possible because of solubility problems faced when CO₂ is involved. Initially, a difunctional fluorinated initiator was synthesized in two steps. First, 4,4′‐azobis‐4‐cyanovaleric acid was chlorinated with SOCl₂, and then the product, 4,4′‐azobis‐4‐cyanovaleryl chloride, was reacted with a fluorinated alcohol to obtain the initiator for the polymerization reactions. The synthesized triblock co‐oligomers consisted of fluorinated side blocks and a hydrocarbon intermediate block. Efficient solubilization of the materials in scCO₂ was observed. It was experimentally shown that the solubility efficiency was affected by specific interactions between CO₂ and the oligomers, and these were determined by the nature and size of the inner block and by the chain length of the fluorinated side blocks in comparison with the inner block. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5312–5322, 2005