Tissue free water tritium (TFWT) and organically bound tritium (OBT) in marine eco system at Tarapur on the west coast of India

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - The low level tritium, released to marine environment from nuclear facilities, incorporated by marine matrices as tissue free water tritium (TFWT)...     

Non-exchangeable organically bound tritium (OBT): its real nature

Denaturation experiments show that the larger part of organically bound tritium (OBT) consists of buried tritium and is not bound to carbon, as has been traditionally assumed. The logistical growth analysis of hydrogen isotopes in dry plant matter reveals a larger rate of increase of OBT than organically bound hydrogen (OBH). This is reflected by tritium accumulation for 1.4 and 2 in the primary hydration shell and in the base-pairing hydrogens of DNA respectively. If tritons and protons are considered as quantum mechanical entities, the accumulative tritium transfer from water to the hydrogen bonds of biopolymers is generally valid. Growth experiments confirm the assumed rapid isotope exchange in vivo, which is not observed in vitro by denaturation.     

Organically bound and tissue free tritium in rice plant grown around Tarapur Atomic Power Station,west coast of India

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Tritium concentration in different parts of the rice plants, grown in villages around Tarapur Atomic Power Station, west coast of India, exposed...     

Characteristics of the combustion water of organically bound tritium (OBT) measurements of fish samples

Improving accuracy and precision of measurements of organically bound tritium (OBT) activity concentration in environmental samples has become a key aspect of the study of radiological effects by scientists and regulators. Significant quenching effects are known to occur in the measurement of fish samples for OBT using a liquid scintillation counter. In this study, the quench effects of fish and vegetable samples were investigated, as well as the ionic composition of the samples following combustion, neutralization and distillation processes. Furthermore, revised water equivalent factors of various foodstuffs for OBT measurement were calculated using the Health Canada database.

     

Association of uranium with colloidal and suspended particulate matter in Arabian sea near the west coast of Maharashtra (India)

The purpose of the present study is the association of natural uranium in seawater with colloidal and suspended-particulate matter was determined. The separation of suspended particulate material (>0.45 µm) and colloidal fraction (as dissolved fractions) in seawater were done by suction and ultra filtration techniques. Seawater samples were collected at 1 km away from the shore and subjected to sequential fractionation in nine stages ranging from 2.7 µm to 1.1 nm. Suspended particulate matter were separated in three different size groups namely >2.7 µm, <2.7–>0.45 µm and <0.45–>0.22 µm by suction filtration using cellulose acetate and nitrate membranes filters. To concentrate the solution with colloidal particles <0.22 µm–1.1 nm (0.5 k Nominal Molecular Weight cut-off Limit {NMWL}), the solution obtained from filtration through <0.22 µm was passed through stirred ultra-filtration cell. The pH and conductivity at different stages of fractionation (dissolved) showed minor variations. The concentration of uranium was measured in suspended and dissolved fractions by using a pulsed nitrogen laser at 337.1 nm. In order to evaluate the role of mineral colloids in various stages of filtration, concentration of calcium, magnesium, potassium were measured by using ion chromatography and atomic absorption spectrometry. The clay mineral at seawater pH (approximately 8) behave as negative ions and provides binding site for the positively charge species of uranium. Among the dissolved fraction, the maximum concentrations of colloidal uranium was observed about 4 times higher than that compared to average concentration of 6.93±3.10 ppb in other fractions. In the case of suspended particulate matter, the concentration of uranium was below detection limits (<1 ppb). The maximum concentration of Ca, Mg and K in the dissolved fraction were in the <1.1 nm fraction, while for suspended particulate matter, the concentration of Ca, Mg and K decreased with the decrease in size and it is highest in the fraction of 0.22 –0.45 µm.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The determination of adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) in soil: interlaboratory comparisons and reference materials

The interlaboratory variability in the quantification of adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) in industrially contaminated soil is presented. Three consecutive rounds of a proficiency testing scheme, in which between 88 and 119 routine laboratories participated, yielded relative reproducibility standard deviations between 7 and 20% at AOX contents between 10.9 and 268 mg kg⁻¹. Nineteen laboratories with established proficiency were invited to participate in the certification of the AOX content in three soil reference materials meant for the internal quality control in analytical laboratories. The certified values are (1349 ± 59) mg kg⁻¹, (80 ± 7) mg kg⁻¹ and (102 ± 8) mg kg⁻¹, respectively.     

Studies on the seasonal variation and vertical profiles of natural radionuclides in high background radiation areas of Kerala on the south west coast of India

The paper presents detailed studies on the radiation levels and the seasonal variation and vertical profiles of activity of natural radio nuclei in sand samples of Chavara beach, a high background radiation area of Kerala on the south west coast of India. The elevated levels of ²³²Th and ²²⁶Ra activity were observed in the region with highest activity of 18,515 Bq kg^?1 for ²³²Th. The study on vertical profiles of radionuclides showed a significant variation of activity along with the depth. The higher activity of radionuclides was observed in postmonsoon season. The effective dose rate was evaluated and statistical analysis of the results was performed.     

Correction to: Simultaneous sequestration of uranyl and arsenate at the goethite/water interface

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - In the original publication of the article, Fig.&nbsp;8 was erroneously plotted due to unintentional misoperation of batch input of the XRD...     

Radon and tritium measurements in drinking water in a region of central Italy (Umbria)

Summary In the last years the interest in drinking and mineral water radioactivity has grown. Recently national and EU regulations replaced the previous drinking water norms with the aim to strengthen consumers security concerning drinking water quality. Perugia and Urbino Universities carried out a joint study on the radiological characterization of the water destined for human consumption in the Umbria region. The aim of this work was to produce a map of the radon and tritium concentrations in the water of this area as a basis for the implementation of hydrogeological knowledge and to determine a possible related radiological risk for the local population.²²²Rn measurements were performed by liquid scintillation and gamma-spectrometry and³H measurements by liquid scintillation. Up to now, the²²²Rn concentrations ranged 5.9-65.79 Bq/l and³H concentrations are always lower than the detection limit (8.6 Bq/l).     

Formation of helical J-aggregate of chiral thioether-derivatized phthalocyanine bound by palladium(II) at the toluene/water interface

A chiral thioether-substituted phthalocyanine ((2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis-1-phenylethylthiophthalocyaninato)magnesium(II) [MgPc(SEtPh)8]) has been synthesized, which can be bound by soft-metal ions such as palladium(II) ion. Aggregates formed from MgPc(SEtPh)8 and Pd(II) in toluene and at the toluene/water interface were characterized by means of UV-vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectrometries using centrifugal liquid-membrane (CLM) cell. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used as complementary techniques. The toluene solution of MgPc(SEtPh)8 had no optical chirality. However, the addition of PdCl2 into the toluene solution of MgPc(SEtPh)8 induced optical chirality, which indicated the formation of a twisted H-type dimer (face-to-face fashion) of MgPc(SEtPh)8 bound by four PdCl2 in the bulk toluene solution. On the other hand, in the toluene/water interface, helical J-aggregate (head-to-tail fashion) of MgPc(SEtPh)8 bound by PdCl2 was formed, in which one J-aggregate unit contained five 1:2 complexes of MgPc(SEtPh)8-Pd(II) on average. On the basis of the experimental results and the exciton theory for optical chirality, a possible mechanism for the chiral aggregation of MgPc(SEtPh)8-Pd(II) complexes at the interface was proposed. In the present study, we demonstrated a novel strategy for the design of helical phthalocyanine aggregates using the liquid/liquid interface as a template.     

Determination of rare-earth elements in Periyar River water (Kerala, India) and seawater (Mumbai, India) using neutron activation analysis

During the present work rare earth elements (REEs) in Periyar River water and in seawater from the region of Mumbai, India, have been measured via neutron activation analysis. To separate and concentrate REEs a pre-irradiation separation approach via ion exchange was adopted. Standard addition and radiotracer studies were carried out to validate the analytical methodology including the recoveries of the separations. The measured REE concentrations in the water samples are presented and discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Activity concentration of some anthropogenic radionuclides in the surface marine sediments near the Saudi coast of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf

Activity concentrations of some anthropogenic radionuclides (⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷Cs, ²³⁸Pu, ^239+240Pu and ²⁴¹Am) have been measured in the surface of marine sediments along the Saudi coast of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf. The samples were collected at different locations and water depths. The spatial distribution of the concentrations of the measured radionuclides showed a heterogeneous pattern and is independent of location or water depth. The obtained results are discussed and some conclusions are drawn.     

Mineralogical role on natural radioactivity content in the intertidal sands of Tamilnadu coast (HBRAs region), India

Activity concentration and mineralogical characterization in the intertidal sand samples of Tamilnadu coast, India have been analyzed. From the gamma spectral analysis, the average value of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in the intertidal sand samples are 12 ± 4, 59 ± 4 and 197 ± 26 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively. The average value of ²³²Th alone is slightly higher than the world average value. From XRD and FTIR analysis, monazite, zircon, ilmenite, magnetite, hematite, quartz, witherite, calcite, nacrite, microcline feldspar, orthoclase feldspar, gibbsite and organic carbon are identified. Of these minerals, monazite and microcline feldspar are the most associated with the presence of ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K respectively.

     

Studies on distribution of fluoride in water sources of hyderabad,AP. (India)

Hyderabad city is situated adjacent to a known severe endemic area of fluorosis. The area comprises a granitic rock terrain, which contains fluoride bearing minerals. Comprehensive studies have therefore been conducted to evaluate the incidence of fluoride in water sources and determine the factors influencing the distribution of fluorides.Results have shown that the important factors influencing the excessive incidence of flouride in water are likely to be (a) availability of soluble fluoride in weathered rocks and soils (b) adequate contact with circulating water (c) evaporation and evapotranspiration (d) low calcium and magnesium content of soils and circulating water and excessive bi-carbonate of water.     

17O nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of water bound to a metal ion: a gadolinium(III) case study

Rotational correlation times of metal ion aqua complexes can be determined from 17O NMR relaxation rates if the quadrupole coupling constant of the bound water oxygen-17 nucleus is known. The rotational correlation time is an important parameter for the efficiency of Gd3+ complexes as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents. Using a combination of density functional theory with classical and Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations we performed a computational study of the 17O quadrupole coupling constants in model aqua ions and the [Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]- complex used in clinical diagnostics. For the inner sphere water molecule in the [Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]- complex the determined quadrupole coupling parameter chi square root of (1 + eta2/3) of 8.7 MHz is very similar to that of the liquid water (9.0 MHz). Very close values were also predicted for the the homoleptic aqua ions of Gd3+ and Ca2+. We conclude that the 17O quadrupole coupling parameters of water molecules coordinated to closed shell and lanthanide metal ions are similar to water molecules in the liquid state.     

Chemiluminescence flow system for the determination of Fe(II) and Fe(III) in water

A novel chemiluminescence (CL) flow system has been developed for the sequential determination of Fe(II) and Fe(III) in water. Fe(II) was detected by its catalytic effect on the CL reaction between luminol immobilized on an anion exchange resin column and dissolved oxygen; Fe(III) was determined by difference measurement after on-line conversion to Fe(II) in a reducing mini-column packed with Cu plated Zn granules. For both ions, the calibration graph was linear in the range 1 × 10^–9 to 1 × 10^–6 g/mL, and the detection limit was 4 × 10^–10 g/mL. A complete analysis could be performed in 1.5 min with a relative standard deviation of less than 5%. The system could be reused for over 200 times and has been applied successfully to the determination of Fe(II) and Fe(III) in natural water samples.