Synthesis and characterization of PVP/AAc copolymer hydrogel and its applications in the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution

Chelating poly(vinylpyrrolidone/acrylic acid) (PVP/AAc) copolymer hydrogels were prepared by radiation-induced copolymerization. The effects of preparation parameters such as PVP content in the hydrogel and irradiation dose on the swelling behavior of the hydrogel were studied. The pH dependent swelling was investigated. The thermal stability of the prepared hydrogel and the metal chelated ones was characterized by TGA. The removal of Fe(III), Cu(II), and Mn(II) from aqueous solution by the prepared PVP/AAc chelating hydrogel was examined by batch equilibration technique. The influence of treatment time, pH, and the initial feed concentration on the amount of the metal ions removed was studied. The results show that the removal of the metal ion followed the following order: Fe(III) > Cu(II) > Mn(II). The amounts of the removed metal ions increased with treatment time and pH of the medium. To re-use the hydrogel, the metal ions were stripped by using 2 N HCl.     

Synthesis and characterization of radiation grafted films for removal of arsenic and some heavy metals from contaminated water

Grafting of styrene/maleic anhydride and methyl methacrylate/maleic anhydride binary monomers onto the low density polyethylene film was performed using the γ-ray irradiation technique. Then, the synthesized grafted films were treated with different ammonia derivatives for developing chelating functionalization. These chelating products were characterized by the gravimetric method as well as by the Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopic method, and were used for removal of arsenic and some heavy metals from aqueous solutions. The optimum absorbed dose of 30 kGy reveals the graft yielding of about 325% in the films. Uptake of arsenic and some heavy-metal ions (Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Pb(II)) from contaminated water by the chelating functionalized films (CFF) was examined by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The maximum arsenic removal capacity of 5062 mg/kg has been observed for the film treated with hydroxylamine hydrochloride. The CFF prepared by semicarbazide and thiol analogs show affinity toward the metal ions with an order: Cu(II)>Fe(III)>Mn(II) etc. The results obtained from this study indicate that the functionalized films show good chelating and ion-exchange property for metal ions.     

Removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution using Fe3O4-SiO2-poly(1,2-diaminobenzene) core-shell sub-micron particles

In this work, Fe₃O₄-SiO₂-poly(1,2-diaminobenzene) sub-micron particles (FSPs) with high saturated magnetization of ∼60-70 emu/g were developed and utilized for the removal of As(III), Cu(II), and Cr(III) ions from aqueous solution. The isothermal results fitted well with the Freundlich model and the kinetic results fitted well with the two-site pseudo-second-order model, which indicated that multilayer adsorption of As(III), Cu(II), and Cr(III) ions on FSPs occurred at two sites with different energy of adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacities followed the order of As(III) (84 ± 5 mg/g, pH = 6.0) > Cr(III) (77 ± 3 mg/g, pH = 5.3) > Cu(II) (65 ± 3 mg/g, pH = 6.0). And the chelating interaction was considered as the main adsorption mechanism. The as-prepared materials were chemically stable with low leaching of Fe (?1.7 wt.%) and poly(1,2-diaminobenzene) (?4.9 wt.%) in tap water, sea water, and acidic/basic solutions. These metal-loaded FSPs could be easily recovered from aqueous solutions using a permanent magnet within 20 s. They could also be easily regenerated with acid. The present work indicates that the FSPs are promising for removal of heavy metal ions in field application.     

Synthesis and application of modified poly (styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride) networks as a nano chelating resin for uptake of heavy metal ions

A chelating resin based on modified poly (styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride) with 3‐aminobenzoic acid was synthesized. This modified resin was further reacted by 1,2‐diaminoethane or 1,3‐diaminopropane in the presence of ultrasonic irradiation to prepare tridimensional chelating resin for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorption behavior of Fe(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) ions was investigated by synthesized chelating resins in various pH. Among the synthesized resins, CSMA‐AB1 and CSMA‐AB2 demonstrated a high affinity for the selected metal ions compared to SMA‐AB, and the order of removal percentage changes as follow: Fe(II) > Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Pb(II). The adsorption of all metal ions in acidic medium was moderate, and it was favored at the pH value of 6 and 7. Also, the prepared resins were examined for removal of metal ions from industrial wastewater and were shown to have a very efficient adsorption in the case of Cu(II), Fe(II) and Pb(II); however, the adsorption of Zn(II) was lower than others. The resin was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction analysis and thermogravimetric analysis/derivative thermogravimetry. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Removal of multi-metals from water using reusable pectin/cellulose microfibers composite beads

Pectin (Pec) and cellulose microfibers (CF) extracted from orange waste were combined to form composite beads with enhanced adsorption capacity. Such beads were extensively tested in the removal of multi-metal ions from water. A factorial design approach was conducted to establish the optimum conditions for adsorption of Cd(II), Cu(II), and Fe(II) on Pec-CF beads. Batch adsorption experiments revealed that removal efficiency of such metal ions falls in the range of 94–58% and it followed the order Fe(II) > Cu(II) > Cd(II). The maximum Cd(II), Cu(II) and Fe(II) adsorption capacities calculated from the Langmuir isotherm were 192.3, 88.5 and 98.0 mg/g, respectively. FTIR analysis suggests that the functional groups on Pec-CF beads (binding sites) favor the adsorption of such metal ions. Desorption and reuse experiments demonstrated the beads could be used for at least five consecutive adsorption/desorption cycles. Our finds suggest the Pec-CF beads can serve as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of multi-metal ions from wastewater.     

Thiacalix[4]arenetetrasulfonate as specific pre-column chelating reagent for nickel(II) ion in kinetic differentiation mode high-performance liquid chromatography

Thiacalix[4]arenetetrasulfonate (TCAS) has been examined as a pre-column chelating reagent for the determination of trace metal ions by kinetic differentiation mode (KD) ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with spectrophotometric detection. Among 14 kinds of common metal ions tested here, viz. Al(III), Ca(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III), Hg(II), Mg(II), Mn(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), V(V), and Zn(II) ion, only Ni(II) ion was detected as the TCAS chelate in the HPLC separation stage in spite of TCAS forming the chelates with various metal ions except for Al(III), Ca(II), and Mg(II) at the pre-column chelation stage. The undetected metal-TCAS chelates seemed to be dissociated on an HPLC column where no added TCAS was present in the mobile phase because of their kinetic unstability. The calibration graph for Ni(II) ion gave a wide linear dynamic range (40-20,000 nM) with the very low detection limit (DL) (3σ base-line fluctuation) to be 5.4 nM (0.32 ng ml⁻¹). The practical applicability of the KD-HPLC method with TCAS was demonstrated with the determination of trace Ni in coal fly ash.     

Preparation of poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-methacrylamidohistidine) beads and its design as a affinity adsorbent for Cu(II) removal from aqueous solutions

Different metal-complexing ligands carrying synthetic adsorbents have been reported in the literature for heavy metal removal. We have developed a novel and new approach to obtain high metal adsorption capacity utilizing 2-methacrylamidohistidine (MAH) as a metal-complexing ligand. MAH was synthesized by using methacrylochloride and histidine. Spherical beads with an average size of 150–200 μm were obtained by the radical suspension polymerization of MAH and 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) conducted in an aqueous dispersion medium. Owing to the reasonably rough character of the bead surface, p(HEMA-co-MAH) beads had a specific surface area of 17.6 m² g⁻¹. Synthesized MAH monomer was characterized by NMR. p(HEMA-co-MAH) beads were characterized by swelling studies, FTIR and elemental analysis. These p(HEMA-co-MAH) affinity beads with a swelling ratio of 65%, and containing 1.6 mmol MAH g⁻¹ were used in the adsorption/desorption of copper(II) ions from metal solutions. Adsorption equilibria was achieved in ∼2 h. The maximum adsorption of Cu(II) ions onto pHEMA was ∼0.36 mg Cu(II) g⁻¹. The MAH incorporation significantly increased the Cu(II) adsorption capacity by chelate formation of Cu(II) ions with MAH molecules (122.7 mg Cu(II) g⁻¹), which was observed at pH 7.0. pH significantly affected the adsorption capacity of MAH incorporated beads. The observed adsorption order under non-competitive conditions was Cu(II)>Cr(III)>Hg(II)>Pb(II)>Cd(II) in molar basis. The chelating beads can be easily regenerated by 0.1 M HNO₃ with higher effectiveness. These features make p(HEMA-co-MAH) beads very good candidate for Cu(II) removal at high adsorption capacity.     

Effect of the Nature of Crosslinking Agent on the Catalase‐Like Activity of Polystyrene‐Bound Glycine–Metal Complexes

Abstract

Catalase‐like activity of metal complexes of various crosslinked polystyrene‐supported glycines were carried out and correlated with the nature of crosslinking agent in the polymer support. Polystyrenes with 2 mol% divinyl benzene (DVB), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), and 1,6‐hexanediol diacrylate (HDODA) crosslinking were used as polymer supports. Glycine functions were incorporated to the chloromethylpolystyrenes by polymer analogues reactions and complexed with Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) ions. The metal uptake varied in the order: Cu(II) > Cr(III) > Mn(II) > Co(II) > Fe(III) > Ni(II) > Zn(II), and extent of metal uptake by various crosslinked systems varied with the nature of crosslinking agent. The polymeric ligands and the metal complexes were characterized by various analytical techniques. The catalytic activities of these metal complexes were investigated towards the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and was found to decrease in the order: Co(II) > Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Cr(III) > Fe(III) > Mn(II) > Zn(II). With increasing rigidity of the crosslinking agent the catalytic activity also decreased.     

Luminescent hexanuclear Cu(I)-cluster for the selective determination of copper

For the first time, the formation of a luminescent hexanuclear cluster has been used for the selective determination of copper. In aqueous solutions, the non-luminescent ligand N-ethyl-N′-methylsulfonylthiourea (EMT) forms an intensely red luminescent hexanuclear Cu(I)-cluster with an emission maximum at 663 nm only with Cu(II) ions. The intensity of the luminescence is proportional to the Cu(II) concentration and allows for selective Cu determinations in the μg l⁻¹-range. Ubiquitous metal ions such as Fe(III), Al(III), Ca(II), Mg(II), and alkaline metal ions, as well as other heavy metal ions, e.g. Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), and Pb(II) are tolerated in concentrations up to 50 mg l⁻¹. The detection limit for Cu(II) in aqueous solution, calculated according to Funk et al. [Qualitätssicherung in der Analytischen Chemie, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 1992], is 113 μg l⁻¹. The cluster formation has been used for the quantitative analysis of copper in tap water and in industrial water, as well as for the localization of copper adsorbed by activated-sludge flocs.     

Synthesis, characterisation and evaluation of polydithiocarbamate resin supported on macroreticular styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer for the removal of trace and heavy metal ions

A new chelating resin was synthesised by the modification of styrene-divinylbenzene (2%) copolymer and incorporation of dithiocarbamate groups. The polydithiocarbamate resin was characterised by elemental analysis, thermal studies and IR studies. The analytical characteristics of the sorbent were established and optimum sorption conditions for Cu, Ni, Pb, Fe, As and Mn determined. The total sorption capacity of the resin was 37 mg g⁻¹ for Ni(II), 35 mg g⁻¹ for Cu(II), 29 mg g⁻¹ for Fe(III) and 23 mg g⁻¹ for Pb(II). The optimum pH for the removal of metal ions was 3-5 for Ni(II), 5 for Cu(II), 4 for Fe(III) and 4-5 for Pb(II). High sorption capacity was observed when compared with other conventional chelating polymers. The sorption kinetics was fairly rapid, as apparent from the loading half time t_1/2 values, indicating a better accessibility of the chelating sites.     

Study of adsorption and preconcentration by using a new silica organomodified with [3‐(2,2′‐dipyridylamine)propyl] groups

In this work, a silica surface chemically modified with [3‐(2,2′‐dipyridylamine)propyl] groups, named [3‐(2,2′‐dipyridylamine)propyl]silica (Si‐Pr‐DPA) was prepared, characterized, and evaluated for its heavy metal adsorption characteristics from aqueous solution. To our knowledge, we are the first authors who have reported the present modification. The material was characterized using infrared spectroscopy, SEM, and NMR ²⁹Si and ¹³C solid state. Batch and column experiments were conducted to investigate for heavy metal removal from dilute aqueous solution by sorption onto Si‐Pr‐DPA. From a number of studies the affinity of various metal ions for the Si‐Pr‐DPA sorbent was determined to follow the order Fe(III) > Cr(III) >> Cu(II) > Cd(II) > Pb(II) > Ni(II). Two standard reference materials were used for checking the accuracy and precision of the method. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of environmental samples. This ligand material has great advantage for adsorption of transition‐metal ions from aqueous medium due to its high degree of organofunctionalization associated with the large adsorption capacity, reutilization possibility, and rapidity in reaching the equilibrium.     

An rhodamine-based fluorescence probe for iron(III) ion determination in aqueous solution

An “off-on” rhodamine-based fluorescence probe for the selective signaling of Fe(III) has been designed exploiting the guest-induced structure transform mechanism. This system shows a sharp Fe(III)-selective fluorescence enhancement response in 100% aqueous system under physiological pH value and possesses high selectivity against the background of environmentally and biologically relevant metal ions including Al(III), Cd(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Mg(II), Ba(II), Pb(II), Na(I), and K(I). Under optimum conditions, the fluorescence intensity enhancement of this system is linearly proportional to Fe(III) concentration from 6.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 7.2 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.4 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹.     

An infrared spectroscopic based method for mercury(II) detection in aqueous solutions

A new method that uses solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with FTIR spectroscopy to detect Hg(II) in aqueous samples is described. The technique is envisioned for on-site, field evaluation rather than lab-based techniques. This paper presents the “proof of principle” of this new approach toward measurements of Hg(II) in water and identifies mass transport issues that would need to be overcome in order to migrate from a lab based method to field operation. The SPE material supported on a Si wafer is derivatized with an acylthiosemicarbazide, which undergoes a reaction in the presence of aqueous Hg(II) to form an oxadiazole ring. The progress of the reaction is monitored by IR spectroscopy. Following EPA guidelines, the method of detection limit (MDL) for the SPE/IR was 5 μg of Hg(II) cm⁻². In a 1 L sample and a 1 cm² Si wafer, this translates to a detection limit of 5 ppb. This system shows a high selectivity toward aqueous Hg(II) over other thiophilic heavy metal ions such as Pb(II), Cd(II), Fe(III), and Zn(II) and other metal ions such as Ni(II), Mn(II), Co(II), Cu(II), In(III), Ru(III), Na(I), and Ag(I) in aqueous solutions.     

Micellar colorimetric determination of iron, cobalt, nickel and copper using 1-nitroso-2-naphthol

1-Nitroso-2-naphthol, an excellent color-forming chelating agent, combines to Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and so on to form slightly soluble complexes in aqueous solution. To determine these metal ions, a tedious and time consuming separation technique, such as liquid-liquid extraction, has often been performed. However, these metal-1-nitroso-2-naphthol complexes could be determined conveniently by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry in Tween 80 micellar medium that has polyoxyethylene groups. After conditions such as pH, the amount of 1-nitroso-2-naphthol and the stability were adjusted to their optimum values, the sensitivities of the metal ions in Tween 80 medium and in chloroform were compared. It was shown that the sensitivities of Fe(III) and Co(II) in Tween 80 medium were higher than in chloroform, but that of Cu(II) was lower. The interfering effects among analytes ions, Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) were more serious than by other ions, but the interfering effects could be removed by adjusting pH or adding the masking agents such as NH(3) or oxalate. Detection limits of Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) were 0.024, 0.016, 0.039 and 0.023 mug ml(-1), respectively, and the correlation coefficients of these calibration curves were above 0.996. Recovery yields of the metal ions in the mixed standard solution ranged from 96 to 103%, and their coefficients of variation were low ranging between 0.94 and 1.75%. Cu(II) in brass sample and the amount of Fe(III) in steel sample were also determined. This proposed technique is simple, convenient and speedy.     

A study of the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions by Moringa oleifera seeds and amine-based ligand 1,4-bis[N,N-bis(2-picoyl)amino]butane

Uptake for lead, copper, cadmium, nickel and manganese from aqueous solution using the Moringa oleifera seeds biomass (MOSB) and amine-based ligand (ABL) was investigated. Experiments on two synthetic multi-solute systems revealed that MOSB performed well in the biosorption and followed the decreasing orders Pb(II) > Cu(II) > Cd(II) > Ni(II) > Mn(II) and Zn(II) > Cu(II) > Ni(II). The general trend of the heavy metal ions uptake by the amine-based ligand followed decreased in the order Mn > Cd > Cu > Ni > Pb, which is the reverse trend for what was observed for MOSB. Comparing the single- and multi-metal solutions, there was no clear effect in the biosorption capacity of MOSB suggesting the presence of sufficient active binding sites for all metal ions studied. The MOSB performance is also not affected by pH in the range 3.5–8.     

Synthesis and characterization of silica gel microspheres encapsulated by salicyclic acid functionalized polystyrene and its adsorption of transition metal ions from aqueous solutions

The present study was undertaken to develop a novel adsorbent for heavy metal ions, and this paper presents the synthesis and characterization of a composite material-silica gel microspheres encapsulated by salicyclic acid functionalized polystyrene (SG-PS-azo-SA) with a core-shell structure. SG-PS-azo-SA was used to investigate the adsorption of Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Fe(III), Hg(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI), Pd(II), Cu(II), Ag(I), and Au(III) from aqueous solutions. The results revealed that SG-PS-azo-SA has better adsorption capacity for Cu(II), Ag(I) and Au(III). Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to analyze the experimental data, the best interpretation for the experimental data was given by the Langmuir isotherm equation with the maximum adsorption capacity for Cu(II), Ag(I), and Au(III) at 1.288 mmol g⁻¹, 1.850 mmol g⁻¹ and 1.613 mmol g^t-1, respectively. Thus, silica gel encapsulated by salicyclic acid functionalized polystyrene (SG-PS-azo-SA) is favorable and useful for the removal of Cu(II), Ag(I) and Au(III) metal ions.     

1-(2-Formamidoethyl)-3-phenylurea functionalized activated carbon for selective solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of metal ions

A novel method that utilizes 1-(2-formamidoethyl)-3-phenylurea-modified activated carbon (AC-1-(2-formamidoethyl)-3-phenylurea) as a solid-phase extractant has been developed for simultaneous preconcentration of trace Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III) and Pb(II) prior to the measurement by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Experimental conditions for effective adsorption of trace levels of Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III) and Pb(II) were optimized using batch and column procedures in detail. The optimum pH value for the separation of metal ions simultaneously on the new sorbent was 4. And the adsorbed metal ions could be completely eluted by using 2.0 mL 2.0 mol L⁻¹ HCl solution. Common coexisting ions did not interfere with the separation and determination of target metal ions. The maximum static adsorption capacity of the sorbent at optimum conditions was found to be 39.8, 39.9, 77.8 and 17.3 mg g⁻¹ for Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III) and Pb(II), respectively. The detection limits of the method were found to be 0.15, 0.41, 0.27 and 0.36 ng mL⁻¹ for Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III) and Pb(II), respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the method was lower than 4.0% (n = 8). The method was successfully applied for the preconcentration of trace Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III) and Pb(II) in natural and certified samples with satisfactory results.     

Solid phase extraction and determination of metal ions in aqueous samples using Quercetin modified Amberlite XAD-16 chelating polymer as metal extractant

A new chelating polymer has been developed using Amberlite XAD-16 anchored with Quercetin. The modified polymer was characterised by Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, surface area analysis and elemental analysis. The Quercetin anchored polymer showed superior binding affinity for Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) with greater than 95% adsorption under optimum conditions. The optimum pH conditions for the quantitative sorption of metal ions were studied. The developed method showed superior extraction qualities with high metal loading capacities of 387, 313, 195, 473, 210 and 320 µmol g^?1 for Cu(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Fe(III), Mn(II) and Ni(II), respectively. The rate of metal ion uptake i.e. kinetics studies performed under optimum levels, showed t _1/2 for Co(II), Cu(II), Cr(III), Fe(III), Mn(II) and Ni(II) is 20, 15, 25, 10, 30 and 15 min, respectively. Desorption of metal ions was effective with 10 mL of 2 M HCl prior to analysis using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The chelating polymer was highly ion selective in nature even in the presence of interferent ions, with a high preconcentrating ability for the metal ions of interest. The developed chelating polymer was tested on its utility with synthetic and real samples like river, tap water samples and also with multivitamin tablets. It showed relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) values of/less than 3.0% reflecting on the accuracy and reproducibility of data using the newly developed chelating polymer.     

Removal of heavy metal ions from water by using poly(ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate-co-acrylamide) beads

Poly(ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate-co-acrylamide) (poly(EDGMA-co-AAm)) copolymer beads have been prepared for use in the separation Pb(II), Hg(II), and Cd(II), metal ions in aqueous solution by a batch equilibration technique. Adsorption capacity were increased with pH for Pb(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) and then reached almost plateau value around 6.0. The high initial rate of metal ions uptake (<10 min) suggests that the adsorption occurs mainly at the bead surface. The metal uptake results show that poly(EGDMA-co-AAm) can be used for the adsorption of the following metals in the indicated order: Pb(II) > Cd(II) > Hg(II) expressed on a molar basis. However, when the uptake was expressed in terms of the amount of metal removed from solution was as follows: Pb(II) > Hg(II) > Cd(II). The beads still showed preference toward Pb(II) when this metal was in a mixture with Hg(II) and Cd(II). A linearized form of the Freundlich and the Langmuir isotherm model fits the experimental equilibrium concentration data of Hg(II) and Cd(II) better than isotherm type model of Pb(II). The recovery of the metal ions after adsorption and the regeneration of the adsorbent can be carried out by treatment of the loaded beads with either 0.5 M NaCl, or 1 M HNO₃.     

Good linear relationship between logarithms of Eigen’s water exchange constants for several divalent metal ions and activation energies of corresponding metal-catalyzed alkoxysilane hydrolysis in ethylene-propylene copolymer system

Catalytic efficiencies of seven divalent metal acetylacetonate complexes [M(acac)₂; M = Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Fe(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II)] with respect to the water-crosslinking kinetics of vinyltrimethoxysilane-grafted ethylene-propylene copolymer (EPR-g-VTMS) were investigated to examine the effects of progressive changes in metal ion using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The hydrolysis activation energies of EPR-g-VTMS follows the order: No catalyst ≈ Ni(acac)₂ > Co(acac)₂ > Fe(acac)₂ ≈ Zn(acac)₂ > Cd(acac)₂ ≈ Cu(acac)₂ > Pb(acac)₂. Interestingly, the kinetics results revealed that the plots of hydrolysis activation energies of EPR-g-VTMS containing M(acac)₂ complexes and Eigen’s water exchange constants for corresponding metal ions showed a excellent linear relationship, suggesting that the reaction pathway for the silane water-crosslinking with hydrous M(acac)₂ complex in EPR-g-VTMS system may be similar to that for water exchange of the metal ion in an aqueous system. Based on the knowledge of traditional kinetics studies by Eigen and Wilkins and hybrid sol-gel chemistry, the plausible catalytic mechanism for M(acac)₂ complexes in EPR-g-VTMS system was proposed.