Sequential metal vapor elution analysis for the determination of Cu and Mn in biological materials and waters

The determination of copper and manganese in biological materials and river waters by sequential metal vapor elution analysis (SMVEA) using an atomic absorption detector (AA) is reported. An improved molybdenum column (open column, i.d. 1.22 mm) with three ring supporters was developed for SMVEA. An optimum flow rate of carrier gas (pure argon) for separation of metal vapors was 4.0 ml min(-1). Copper and manganese peaks separated from Al, Ca, Cd, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Pb, and Zn peaks at a vaporization temperature of 1950 degrees C and a column temperature of 1900 degrees C. The appearing order of these metals was Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, Na and Mn. It was understood by considering the boiling points of these metals or chlorides. The delay of appearing time is due to an interaction between the metal vapors and inside surface of the column. Under the experimental conditions, the number of theoretical plates was 11.3 for Cd, 89.6 for Cu, 160 for Na, and 258 for Mn in the improved column. Under the optimal experimental conditions, NIST biological standards and river waters were analyzed for copper and manganese. The analytical results agreed well with the certified values and the recoveries were in the range of 94 to 109%. By SMVEA, it was found that copper and manganese in biological materials and waters were determined without interference of matrix elements, after only acid digestion for biological materials and no chemical treatment for river water samples.     

Determination of cadmium and lead in river water by sequential metal vapor elution analysis using a step-heated column

Determination of cadmium and lead in river water by sequential metal vapor elution analysis (SMVEA, column temperature; >1210 K) with argon carrier gas and an atomic absorption detector (AA) is reported. The column was a molybdenum tube inserted a tungsten coil. The flow rate of carrier gas was 1.8 ml min^–1. Cadmium and lead were separated from Ca, Fe, K, Na, and Zn metal vapours by SMVEA with the step-heated column (1210–1520 K) at an atomization temperature of 1830 K. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the recoveries of spiked-cadmium and lead in river waters were in the range of 91 to 106%. It is to determine cadmium and lead in river water without the interferences by matrix elements observed by electrothermal AAS, after only the addition of hydrochloric acid to the sample.     

Determination of very low levels of dissolved mercury(II) and methylmercury in river waters by continuous flow with on-line UV decomposition and cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry after pre-concentration on a silica gel-2-mercaptobenzimidazol sorbent

A new, simple and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of mercury(II) and methylmercury chloride at sub-ng l⁻¹ levels in river waters is described. Inorganic and organic mercury were preconcentrated from fresh water samples simultaneously on a laboratory-made column containing 2-mercaptobenzimidazol loaded on silica gel and then quantitatively eluted with 0.05 M KCN solution and 2.0 M HCl to desorp inorganic and methylmercury species, respectively. After irradiation with an intensive UV source, MeHg⁺ was decomposed and mercury vapours were generated from inorganic and organic mercury using an acidic SnCl₂ solution in a continuous flow system and were subsequently determined with a cold vapour atomic fluorescence (CV-AFS) spectrometer. Detection limits (3σ) were 0.07 and 0.05 ng l⁻¹ (as Hg) for mercury(II) chloride and methylmercury chloride, respectively. Relative standard deviations of method (%R.S.D.) were 8.8 and 10 for inorganic and organomercuric species in the river water, respectively. The analysis of real samples, taken from different rivers, showed that inorganic mercury levels ranged from 4.0±0.6 to 12±1 ng l⁻¹ (as Hg and 95% confidence limit) and methylmercury levels at 0.2±0.02 ng l⁻¹(as Hg).     

Soft chemistry synthesis of the perovskite CaCu3Ti4O12

The perovskite CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCT) has been obtained after calcination of oxalate precursors at 900–1000 °C in air. Those precursors are prepared using a soft chemistry method, the coprecipitation. The oxalate powders consist of disk-like particles of 2–3 μm diameter and 300–400 nm thickness. By varying the ratio of the initial amounts of metal chlorides, additional phases (CaTiO₃, TiO₂ and CuO) could be obtained besides CCT. The corresponding multiphased ceramics present improved dielectric properties.     

Homochiral cobalt(II) and strontium(II) amino-carboxylate–phosphonate hybrids

Two homochiral metal amino-carboxylate–phosphonate hybrids, namely, [Co₂Cl(S-HL)(H₂O)₅]Cl · H₂O 1 and Sr₂(S-HL)(NO₃)₂(H₂O) · H₂O 2 (S-H₃L = S-HO₂CC₄H₇NCH₂PO₃H₂) have been synthesized by the reaction of the enantiopure S-H₃L ligand with cobalt(II) chloride or strontium nitrate under acidic condition at room temperature. The structure of compound 1 features a novel 3D framework with helical chains and channels. Compound 2 has a layered structure in which the 1D chains of edge-sharing SrO₈ and SrO₉ polyhedra are interconnected by phosphonate ligands.     

Variable catalytic behavior of Nb, Mo, Ta, W, and Re halide clusters: Isomerization of alkynes to conjugated dienes under nitrogen and hydrogenation to alkenes under hydrogen

When a tantalum chloride cluster [(Ta₆Cl₁₂)Cl₂(H₂O)₄]·4H₂O (1) was treated in a nitrogen stream at temperatures above 300 °C, a catalytic activity developed for the isomerization of pentynes and hexynes to the corresponding conjugated dienes with smaller amounts of allenes. Niobium and tungsten clusters with the same metal framework also catalyzed the reactions. In a hydrogen stream, niobium, molybdenum, and tungsten clusters, and a trinuclear rhenium cluster catalyzed the partial hydrogenation of alkynes to the corresponding alkenes. The isomerization activity was ascribed to the Brønsted acidity of hydroxo species of the activated cluster complexes, and the hydrogenation activity was attributed to the nature of the metal atoms incorporated in the cluster.     

Polysulfone ionomers for proton-conducting fuel cell membranes: sulfoalkylated polysulfones

Polysulfones (PSUs) carrying short pendant alkyl side-chains with terminal sulfonic acid units have been prepared and studied as proton-conducting membrane materials. The first step in the preparation involved quenching of lithiated PSU with SO₂ gas, resulting in sulfinated PSU. In the second step, the lithium sulfinate units on the polymer were reacted with sodium 2-bromoethanesulfonate, sodium 3-bromopropanesulfonate, or 1,4-butane sultone to produce sulfoethylated, sulfopropylated, or sulfobutylated PSUs, respectively. Analysis by thermogravimetry showed that membranes based on the sulfoalkylated polymers were stable up to approximately 300 °C under N₂ atmosphere. Calorimetry measurements revealed that the modified polymers absorbed large amounts of non-freezing water, corresponding to 11–14 mol H₂O/mol SO₃H under immersed conditions. The proton conductivity of a membrane based on a PSU carrying 0.9 sulfopropyl chains per repeating unit was measured to be 77 mS/cm at 70 °C under humidifying conditions.     

Evaluation of cadmium–metallothionein stability constants based on voltammetric measurements

A voltammetric study on the binding properties of the commercially available rabbit liver metallothionein (MT) Sigma M 7641 for cadmium ions was performed. The capacity of metallothionein to complex cadmium and the stability constants of Cd–T complex (T denotes the apoprotein or thionein molecule) have been determined from the direct titration of the defined MT concentration with the standard CdCl₂ solution in 0.59 M sodium chloride medium at pH 7.9 and 2.0. At pH 7.9 the formation of the Cd–T complex has been followed measuring the specific anodic signal height of the complex. Stability constants of Cd–T have been evaluated from the experimental data using three different procedures. The calculated apparent stability constants K=(7.6±0.2)·10⁸ dm³ mol⁻¹ of Cd–T complex in 0.59 M NaCl at pH 7.9 and 25°C indicate that under the given experimental conditions all the three procedures are equally applicable.     

Silica gel ethyleneimine and its adsorption capacity for divalent Pb, Cd, and Hg

Activated silica gel was directly modified with a cyclic molecule, ethyleneimine, yielding a surface with various nitrogen basic centers, ≡Sil–O(CH₂CH₂NH)_nCH₂CH₂NH₂. Infrared spectroscopy, ¹³C NMR, thermal, and elemental analyses confirmed the covalent attachment of the organic species onto the silica matrix. The purpose of this paper is to describe the interaction involving the grafted species on silica surface with the divalent heavy cations, Pb(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II), from aqueous solutions at room temperature. The process of metal extraction was followed by the batch method and the order of the maximum extraction capacities found was: 1.27 ± 0.04, 1.02 ± 0.02, and 0.98 ± 0.01 mmol g⁻¹ for Pb(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) chlorides, respectively. These interactions were followed by calorimetric titration. The enthalpies of these processes are: −3.05 ± 0.02, −1.09 ± 0.01, and −9.88 ± 0.03 kJ mol⁻¹ for Pb(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II), respectively. The standard molar Gibbs free energies are in agreement with the spontaneity of the proposed reactions between cation and basic center.     

Syntheses and structural characterization of transition metal(II) coordination polymers containing 4,4′-dipyridyldisulfide

The reactions of Zn(NO₃)₂ · 6H₂O and FeSO₄ · 7H₂O with 4-PDS (4-PDS = 4,4′-dipyridyldisulfide) and NH₄SCN in CH₃OH afforded the complexes [Zn(NCS)₂(4-PDS)]_n (1) and [Fe(NCS)₂(4-PDS)₂ · 4H₂O]_n (2), respectively, while the reaction of CoCl₂ · 6H₂O with 4-PDS in CH₃OH gave the complex {[Co(4-PDS)₂][Cl]₂ · 2CH₃OH}_n, (3). These complexes have been characterized by spectroscopic methods and their structures determined by X-ray crystallography. The 4-PDS ligands in 1 are coordinated to the metal centers through the nitrogen atoms to form 1-D zigzag-chains, and the distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry at each zinc center is completed by a pair of N-bonded thiocyanate ligands. Compound 2 has a 1-D channel-chain structure and each octahedral Fe(II) metal center is coordinated by four 4-PDS ligands and two trans N-bonded thiocyanate ligands. Weak SS interactions in complex 1 link the 1-D chains into 2-D molecular sheets. In complex 2, the channel chains are interlinked through SS interactions to form molecular sheets, which interpenetrate through the SS interactions to form 3-D structures with large cavities that are occupied by the water molecules. Compound 3 also has a 1-D channel-chain structure with each square-planar Co(II) metal center coordinated by four 4-PDS ligands. Multiple C–HCl hydrogen bonds and SO interactions in 3 link the 1-D chains into 2-D structures.     

Binary modifiers for the determination of zinc in pure copper and nickel-based alloy by longitudinal Zeeman electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The determination of zinc in pure copper and nickel-based alloy was successfully accomplished with a longitudinal Zeeman-effect correction and end-capped transversely heated graphite atomizer. Since aqua regia (an acid mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, 1:3, v/v) was used as the dissolving reagent, volatile ZnCl₂ was formed. Consequently, less Zn was found in the sample. EDTA could improve the atomic absorption profiles. Binary modifiers, EDTA + Pd(NO₃)₂ and EDTA + Mg(NO₃)₂, were effective for eliminating the chloride interference and the spectral interference from Cu I 213.853 nm. The experimental results obtained with and without the modifiers were compared. Increase of 200 °C in the pyrolysis temperature resulted from the addition of binary modifiers for both pure copper and nickel-based alloys. For pure copper, the atomization temperature increased from 1400 to 1600 °C whereas the atomization temperature increased from 1100 to 1600 °C for nickel-based alloys. The analytical performance of the proposed method was evaluated. Zinc contents in the pure copper and nickel-based alloy standards determined with both binary modifiers agreed closely with the certified values. The recovery ranged from 93 ± 2 to 104 ± 6% at 95% confidence level. The detection limits obtained by the binary modifiers of EDTA + Pd(NO₃)₂ and EDTA + Mg(NO₃)₂ were 0.77 and 0.31 pg, respectively.     

Density functional theory assessment of the thermal degradation of diclofenac and its calcium and iron complexes

Thermogravimetric analyses of diclofenac sodium, its Ca²⁺ and Fe³⁺ complexes manifested a decreasing trend of the onset decomposition temperatures at which these compounds dissociated. The drop in the temperature was metal ion dependent; the sodium salt showed thermal stability up to 245 °C, whereas the complexes started their degradation processes at temperatures starting from 90 °C. While G* for the cleavage of the acetate moiety in the sodium salt was 63.76 kJmol⁻¹, it was 82.06 and 140.57 kJmol⁻¹ in the cases of Ca²⁺ and Fe³⁺, respectively. However, their complete fusion took place at 187.65, 150.34 and 98.77 °C, respectively, displaying a reversed trend which is probably indicative of some catalytic part on the binding metals.

Using the Gaussian 98 W package of programs, ab initio molecular orbital treatments were applied to diclofenac and its Ca²⁺ and Fe³⁺ metal complexes to study their electronic structure at the atomic level. The thermochemistry of diclofenac sodium was followed through the TG fragmentation peak temperatures using the density functional theory calculations at the 6-31G(d) basis set level. The FT-IR data were in good agreement with the theoretically calculated values.

Single point calculations at the B3LYP/ 6-311G(d) level of theory, were used to compare the geometric features, energies and dipole moments of these compounds to detect the effect of the binding metal ions on the thermal dissociation of their diclofenac complexes.     

Sintering behavior and apatite formation of diopside prepared by coprecipitation process

Sintering behavior and bioactivity of diopside, CaMgSi₂O₆, prepared by a coprecipitation process were examined for its biomedical applicability. As-prepared powder was synthesized by adding aqueous ammonia to an ethanol solution containing Ca(NO₃)₂·4H₂O, Mg(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, and Si(OC₂H₅)₄ and characterized by means of TG–DTA, XRD, and TG–MS. The dried powder was X-ray amorphous and crystallized into diopside at 845.5 °C. The glass network formation by SiO₄ tetrahedra was almost completed below 800 °C. The bioactivity of the diopside prepared by sintering the compressed powder at 1100 °C for 2 h was evaluated by immersion of the sintered body in a simulated body fluid (SBF) at 36.5 °C. Leaf-like apatite particles were found to be formed on the surface of the sintered body and grew with passage of soaking time. This apatite-forming behavior in the SBF is related to the dissolution of Ca(II) ions from the sintered body in the early stage of immersion. Thus, diopside prepared by the coprecipitation process using the metal alkoxide and the metal salts was found to have an apatite-forming ability.     

Reactivity of trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride, a room-temperature phosphonium ionic liquid

Trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride 1, a room-temperature ionic liquid, readily undergoes deuterium isotope exchange reaction in deuterated solvents. Under basic conditions, ionic liquid 1 was reactive and 50% deuterium exchanged on all four P–CH₂ methylene groups in 9 h at ambient temperature, 30 min at 50 °C, or 12 min at 65 °C. In addition, ionic liquid 1 reacted with sodium salts of substituted benzoates apparently through the direct S_N2 carboxylate alkylation to form esters 2 and the resulting esters further converted, via Wittig reaction, to finally afford aryl ketones 4.     

NaBH4/MCl x 体系对液体端羧基氟橡胶的还原及还原机理

以液体端羧基氟橡胶(LTCFs)为原料, 硼氢化钠与金属氯化物(NaBH₄/MCl _x )为还原体系, 采用一锅法成功将LTCFs还原为液体端羟基氟橡胶(LTHFs). 研究了多种稀土金属氯化物(LaCl₃, CeCl₃, NdCl₃和SmCl₃）和过渡金属氯化物(MnCl₂, NiCl₂, CoCl₂和CuCl₂)对LTCFs还原效果的影响及变化规律. 采用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、 核磁共振氢谱(¹H NMR)、 核磁共振氟谱(¹⁹F NMR)和化学滴定法对原料和产物的分子链结构和官能团含量进行了表征. 结果表明, 稀土金属MCl _x 还原体系对LTCFs的还原效果均高于过渡金属MCl _x 还原体系, LTCFs中的—C=C—和—COOH均可以被还原为—C—C—和—OH, 其中NaBH₄/SmCl₃还原体系还原效率最高, 达到92%. 机理研究表明, NaBH₄/MCl _x 对—COOH的还原性能与MCl _x 中金属阳离子和羰基氧间的结合力有关, 结合力越大越有利于—COOH的还原.     

Optimisation of ICPMS collision/reaction cell conditions for the simultaneous removal of argon based interferences of arsenic and selenium in water samples

The optimisation of ICPMS collision/reaction cell conditions for the simultaneous analysis of arsenic and selenium is described. A mixture of 3.8 mL min⁻¹ of H₂ and 0.5 mL min⁻¹ of He was found to be suitable for the removal of both ArAr⁺ and ArCl⁺ interferences. Detection limits down to 30 ng (element) L⁻¹ in total analysis, and between 81 and 230 ng (element) L⁻¹ in speciation analysis were achieved in chloride matrix (1 g L⁻¹ NaCl). After validation, the method was applied to commercially available mineral waters.     

Synergistic effect of ferric chloride and silicon mixtures on the thermal stabilization enhancement of ABS

A previous study from this laboratory has shown that Lewis acid-type transition metal chlorides (NiCl₂, CoCl₂, ZnCl₂, and FeCl₃) are effective char forming catalysts for ABS terpolymer in an inert atmosphere [Jang J, Kim JH, Bae JY. Polym Degrad Stab 2005;88(2):324.]. However, transition metal chloride catalysed char formation (and flame-retardance enhancement) of ABS in air was unsuccessful due to the oxidative degradation of the char at a higher temperature. In order to overcome these undesirable phenomena, we incorporated silicon with transition metal chlorides as co-catalyst and a series of ABS/transition metal chloride/silicon compounds were made from them and their flame retardancy was evaluated by measuring the limiting oxygen index (LOI) values. Our results showed that among various transition metal chloride/silicon catalyst systems the incorporated mixture of ferric chloride and silicon is very effective in enhancing the thermal stabilization of ABS and LOI value as high as 33 is obtained. The reason for this synergistic effect by ferric chloride and silicon was postulated to come from the interaction between ferric chloride and silicon at elevated temperatures, probably generating silicon tetrachloride and hydrogen chloride.     

Stabilisation of emulsions using hydrophobically modified inulin (polyfructose)

Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions were prepared using a hydrophobically modified inulin surfactant, INUTEC^®SP1. The quality of the emulsions was evaluated using optical microscopy. Emulsions, prepared using INUTEC^®SP1 alone had large droplets, but this could be significantly reduced by addition of a cosurfactant to the oil phase, namely Span 20. The stability of the emulsions was investigated in water, in 0.5, 1.0 and 2 mol dm⁻³ NaCl as well as 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2 mol dm⁻³ MgSO₄. All emulsions containing NaCl did not show any strong flocculation or coalescence up to 50 °C for almost 1 year storage. With MgSO₄ they were stable up to 50 °C and 1 mol dm⁻³. The stability of the emulsions against strong flocculation and coalescence could be attributed to the conformation of the polymeric surfactant at the O/W interface (multipoint attachment with several loops) and the strong hydration of the polyfructose chain in such high electrolyte concentrations. This was confirmed using cloud point measurements, which showed absence of any cloudiness up to 100 °C and at NaCl concentrations reaching 4 mol dm⁻³ and MgSO₄ reaching 1 mol dm⁻³. These high cloud points in electrolyte solutions could not be reached with polyethylene glycol. This clearly demonstrated the superiority of INUTEC^®SP1 surfactant as an emulsion stabiliser when compared with surfactants based on polyethylene glycol. Viscoelastic measurements showed a gradual increase in the storage modulus G′ with storage time both at room temperature and 50 °C. This was indicative of weak flocculation and absence of coalescence. The weak flocculation of the emulsions could be attributed to the presence of an energy minimum, G_min, in the energy–distance curve.     

Synthesis and X-ray crystallographic characterization of copper and iron complexes with tetradentate-N4 ligands: Reactivity towards catechol oxidation

The reaction of copper chloride dihydrate and ferric chloride hexahydrate with a tripodal N₄ ligand (ntb) under mild conditions affords two novel complexes [Cu(ntb)Cl]₂[CuCl₄] · 2H₂O (1) and [Fe(ntb)Cl₂]Cl · 3H₂O (2). The reaction of ferric chloride with another N₄ ligand, bispicpn, forms an octahedral mononuclear complex, [Fe(bispicpn)Cl₂]Cl (3). Single-crystal X-ray structural studies of 1, 2 and 3 reveal the formation of hydrogen-bond sustained 3D, 2D and 1D networks, respectively, involving (N–HO) and (N–HCl) interactions. The packing arrangement in 2 further reveals the existence of hexagonal channels with helical propagation along the diagonal of the crystallographic b- and c-axes. The reactions of these complexes with 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol have been studied in dimethylformamide. NMR techniques have been used to identify the reaction products.     

Influence of electronic and steric effects on stability constants and electrochemical reversibility of divalent ion complexes with glycine and sarcosine. A glass electrode potentiometric, sampled direct current polarographic, virtual potentiometric, and molecular modelling study

Cd^II complexes with glycine (gly) and sarcosine (sar) were studied by glass electrode potentiometry, direct current polarography, virtual potentiometry, and molecular modelling. The electrochemically reversible Cd^II–glycine–OH labile system was best described by a model consisting of M(HL), ML, ML₂, ML₃, ML(OH) and ML₂(OH) (M = Cd^II, L = gly) with the overall stability constants, as log β, determined to be 10.30 ± 0.05, 4.21 ± 0.03, 7.30 ± 0.05, 9.84 ± 0.04, 8.9 ± 0.1, and 10.75 ± 0.10, respectively. In case of the electrochemically quasi-reversible Cd^II–sarcosine–OH labile system, only ML, ML₂ and ML₃ (M = Cd^II, L = sar) were found and their stability constants, as log β, were determined to be 3.80 ± 0.03, 6.91 ± 0.07, and 8.9 ± 0.4, respectively. Stability constants for the ML complexes, the prime focus of this work, were thus established with an uncertainty smaller than 0.05 log units. The observed departure from electrochemical reversibility for the Cd–sarcosine–OH system was attributed mainly to the decrease in the transfer coefficient . The MM2 force field, supplemented by additional parameters, reproduced the reported crystal structures of diaqua-bis(glycinato-O,N)nickel(II) and fac-tri(glycinato)-nickelate(II) very well. These parameters were used to predict structures of all possible isomers of (i) [Ni(H₂O)₄(gly)]⁺ and [Ni(H₂O)₄(sar)]⁺; and (ii) [Ni(H₂O)₃(IDA)] and [Ni(H₂O)₃(MIDA)] (IDA = iminodiacetic acid, MIDA = N-methyl iminodiacetic acid) by molecular mechanics/simulated annealing methods. The change in strain energy, ΔU_str, that accompanies the substitution of one ligand by another (ML + L′ → ML′ + L), was computed and a strain energy ΔU_str = +0.28 kcal mol⁻¹ for the reaction [Ni(H₂O)₄(gly)]⁺ + sar → [Ni(H₂O)₄(sar)]⁺ + gly was found. This predicts the monoglycine complex to be marginally more stable. By contrast, for the reaction [Ni(H₂O)₃IDA] + MIDA → [Ni(H₂O)₃MIDA] + IDA, ΔU_str = −0.64 kcal mol⁻¹, and the monoMIDA complex is predicted to be more stable. This correlates well with (i) stability constants for Cd–gly and Cd–sar reported here; and (ii) known stability constants of ML complex for glycine, sarcosine, IDA, and MIDA.