Solvent Effect on the Volume of the Diels-Alder Reaction between Tetracyanoethylene and trans,trans-1,4-Diphenyl-1,3-butadiene

From the partial molar volumes of tetracyanoethylene, trans,trans-1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene, and their Diels-Alder adduct, the volumes of the reaction in a series of solvents at 25°C (cm³ mol^{- 1}) were calculated: in dioxane, -26.4; in chloroform, -34.9; in ethyl acetate, -34.5; in acetonitrile, -4.4; in cyclohexanone, -34.0; in 1,2-dichloroethane, -31.8; in benzene, -26.9; in toluene, -24.5; in o-xylene, -21.1; and in mesitylene, -16.9. The solvent effects on the activation and reaction volumes and on the partial molar volumes of the reactants, activated complex, and adduct were discussed.     

Pulmonary toxicity of indium arsenide and arsenic selenide following repeated intratracheal instillations to the lungs of hamsters

Chronic toxicity of indium arsenide (InAs) and arsenic selenide (As₂Se₃) was studied in male Syrian golden hamsters which received InAs or As₂Se₃ particles, each containing a total dose of 7.5 mg of arsenic, by intratracheal instillations once a week for 15 weeks. As a control, hamsters were treated with the vehicle, phosphate buffer solution. During their total lifespan, the cumulative body weight gain of the hamsters in the InAs group was suppressed significantly compared with that in the control group, but not in the As₂Se₃ group when compared with that in the control group. However, the survival rate for the InAs group was significantly higher compared with the control group, but not for the As₂Se₃ group when compared with the control group. During the animals' total lifespan, one lung adenoma was seen in the 27 hamsters in the InAs group and one lung adenoma in the 23 hamsters in the control group. No tumors of the lung were observed in the As₂Se₃ group. Malignant tumors outside the lung appeared in four hamsters in the InAs group and in two in the As₂Se₃ group. No non-lung malignant tumours were seen in the control group. Total tumor incidence rates were 25.9% (7/27) in the InAs group, 10.3% (3/29) in the As₂Se₃ group and 8.7% (2/23) in the control group. There were therefore no significant differences in tumor incidence between the InAs or the As₂Se₃ group, and the control group. Regarding histopathological findings in the lung, incidence rates of proteinosis-like lesions, pneumonia, metaplastic ossification and emphysema were seen only in the InAs group, and alveolar or bronchiolar cell hyperplasia observed in both the InAs and the As₂Se₃ groups were at significantly higher rates than those in the control group. From these results, it was concluded that InAs and As₂Se₃ particles could induce pulmonary toxicity when instilled intratracheally into hamsters. A great deal of attention should be paid to the toxicity of both InAs and As₂Se₃, even though in this study the adverse health effects of As₂Se₃ appeared to be less than those of InAs.     

An In Vitro Pilot Fermentation Study on the Impact of Chlorella pyrenoidosa on Gut Microbiome Composition and Metabolites in Healthy and Coeliac Subjects

The response of a coeliac and a healthy gut microbiota to the green algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa was evaluated using an in vitro continuous, pH controlled, gut model system, which simulated the human colon. The effect of C. pyrenoidosa on the microbial structure was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and inferred metagenomics, whereas the metabolic activitywas determined by¹H-nuclear magnetic resonancespectroscopic analysis. The addition of C. pyrenoidosa significantly increased the abundance of the genera Prevotella, Ruminococcus and Faecalibacterium in the healthy donor, while an increase in Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium and Megasphaera and a decrease in Enterobacteriaceae were observed in the coeliac donor. C. pyrenoidosa also altered several microbial pathways including those involved in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. At the metabolic level, a significant increase from baseline was seen in butyrate and propionate (p < 0.0001) in the healthy donor, especially in vessels 2 and 3. While acetate was significantly higher in the healthy donor at baseline in vessel 3 (p < 0.001) compared to the coeliac donor, this was markedly decreased after in vitro fermentation with C. pyrenoidosa. This is the first in vitro fermentation study of C. pyrenoidosa and human gut microbiota, however, further in vivo studies are needed to prove its efficacy.     

Photochromic crown ethers

An amphiphilic crown-containing styryl dye (1) was synthesized, and the effects of irradiation, temperature, and alkali and alkali-earth metal ions on the conductivity and optical spectra of its solutions in dioctyl phthalate were studied. Compound1 in thetrans-form almost completely exists as ion pairs (IP). Irradiation at a long-wavelength absorption maximum (λ_max) results in a reversible increase in the conductivity and, hence, a degree of dissociation of IP (α); these parameters decrease when complexes with metal ions are formed. The relaxation times for the photoinduced conductivity coincide with a decrease in the extinction within experimental error in the 20–60°C temperature range. The photoinduced increase in α is caused bytrans—cis-isomerization and an increase in steric hindrances for the interaction of the ClO₄ ⁻ anion with the N⁺ atom of benzothiazolium in thecis-form of1. The activation energies for the darkcis—trans-relaxation, absolute α values, and thermodynamic parameters of dissociation of IP in thetrans-form, as well as the α values in a photostationary mixture ofcis—trans-isomers, were estimated. The decrease in α after binding with metal ions is likely caused by the redistribution of the positive charge to benzothiazolium through the conjugated system of1. Correlations between the decrease in conductivity (decrease in α) and the hypsochromic shift Δλ_max after the formation of complexes between1 and metal ions were observed. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1296–1301, July, 1997.     

Spectrophotometric studies on the zirconium complex of 2-(3,6-disulfo-8-hydroxynaphthylazo)-1,8-dihydroxynaphtualene-3, 6-disulfonic acid

Summary A chromotropic azo dye, DSNADNS, prepared from chromotropic acid and 1-amino-8-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid has been found to produce quantitative precipitation of zirconium in acid medium. The blue-violet complex formed is insoluble in all organic solvents commonly used for solvent extraction work, but is soluble in a number of liquid organic bases and solutions of ammonium salts in water showing pink to violet colouration. Spectrophotometric studies as to the nature of the complex in pyridine, triethanolamine ammonium acetate, oxalate and carbonate solutions and the analytical possibility of these solutions have been made. The complex appears to decompose in pyridine, ammonium acetate and ammonium oxalate solutions, but it is fairly stable in ammonium carbonate and triethanolamine solutions. The absorbance peaks of the dye in these solutions occur at 500 and 520 nm respectively, while the complex in triethanolamine and ammonium carbonate both shows absorbance maxima at 540 nm. The solution of the complex in these two solvents obeys Beer's law within a concentration range 4 to 25 mg of zirconium per litre. The molar absorbance coefficients of the complex in triethanolamine and ammonium carbonate are respectively 686 and 823, which indicate poor sensitivity. The solution of the complex in the former solvent is more stable than that in the latter and an analytical procedure for the spectrophotometric determination of zirconium, with little interference from foreign ions, may be developed with ease in the triethanolamine solution.

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Zusammenfassung Ein Azofarbstoff der Chromotropsäure, DSNADNS, der aus Chromotropsäure und 1-Amino-8-naphthol-3,6-disulfonsäure dargestellt werden kann, ergibt mit Zirkonium in saurer Lösung eine quantitative Fällung. Der blauviolett gefärbte Komplex ist in allen üblichen organischen Lösungsmitteln unlöslich, löst sich jedoch in einigen flüssigen organischen Basen sowie wäßrigen Lösungen von Ammoniumsalzen mit rosa bis violetter Färbung. Die Lösungen des Komplexes in Pyridin, Triäthanolamin sowie in Ammoniumacetat, -oxalat und -carbonatlösungen und ihre analytische Verwendbarkeit werden spektrophotometrisch untersucht. In Pyridin sowie in Ammoniumacetat und -oxalatlösungen scheint sich der Komplex zu zersetzen, während er in Triäthanolamin und Ammoniumcarbonatlösungen ziemlich beständig ist. Das Absorptionsmaximum des Farbstoffs in diesen beiden Lösungsmitteln liegt bei 500 bzw. 520 nm, der Komplex weist in beiden Fällen ein Maximum bei 540 nm auf. Das Beersche Gesetz wird in beiden Lösungsmitteln von 4–25 mg Zr/l erfüllt. Der molare Absorptionskoeffizient beträgt 686 bzw. 823. Die Lösung des Komplexes in Triäthanolamin ist stabiler als in Ammoniumcarbonatlösung. Eine spektrophotometrische Bestimmung von Zirkonium, die nur wenig von Fremdionen gestört wird, könnte daher gut in Triäthanolaminlösung durchgeführt werden.

     

PSEUDOHALOGEN CHEMISTRY. PART IV. HETEROLYTIC ADDITION OF THIOCYANOGEN TO ALKENES

Abstract

Thiocyanogen reacts slowly with alkenes, in the presence of a radical inhibitor in benzene or acetic acid in the dark at 25°, to yield α,β-dithiocyanates, α-isothiocyanates-β-thiocyanates and, in acetic acid, α-acetoxy-β-thiocyanates in varying proportions. The additions to alkyl alkenes are trans-stereospecific, and, in the case of the α-isothiocyanato-β-thiocyanates, non-regiospecific. The additions to aryl alkenes are trans-stereoselective and regiospecific, yielding the Markownikov-orientated α-isothiocyanato-β-thiocyanates. A heterolytic mechanism involving a two-step, kinetically controlled addition, with the formation of a cyano-sulfonium ion intermediate, e.g., 35, in the case of alkyl alkenes and an open carbonium ion, e.g., 36, in the case of aryl alkenes, is suggested. The diothiocyanate: isothiocyanato-thiocyanate ratios are discussed in terms of kinetic and steric control of reaction.     

Detoxification of antimony by selenium and their interaction in paddy rice under hydroponic conditions

Antimony (Sb) contamination has become a growing concern in recent years. Strategies for reducing Sb contamination and its related health risks are urgently desired. This study was conducted to explore the possibility of selenium (Se) detoxification on Sb toxicity in paddy rice in order to find a feasible method to reduce the health risk of Sb pollution. Seedlings of paddy rice were exposed to 5 mg L⁻¹ Sb (KSbC₄H₄ O₇·1/2H₂O), in the presence of Se (Na₂SeO₃) at 0.1, 1, 5 mg L⁻¹ in culture solution, with no Sb and Se addition as the control. Paddy rice took up Sb greatly and the highest Sb contents measured among all treatments in this experiment in the leaves, stems and roots were 65.5, 298.5 and 195.7 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Without Sb addition in the solution, single exposure to 0.1 mg L⁻¹ Se remarkably reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) formation in paddy rice,demonstrating the beneficial effect of Se at low dosages. The addition of 5 mg L⁻¹ Sb was found to generate toxicity to paddy rice, showing as decreased biomass and increased leaf MDA content in paddy rice, while addition of 1 mg L⁻¹ Se mitigated the toxicity of Sb, as seen with the decreased leaf MDA content and increased biomass, indicating antidotal role of Se to Sb. In addition, the presence of 0.1, 1, 5 mg L⁻¹ Se generally decreased the accumulation of Sb in the leaves, stems and roots in paddy rice. Toxicity was also seen when paddy rice was exposed to single Se at 1 and 5 mg L⁻¹ levels, however, 5 mg L⁻¹ Sb addition was found to decrease the contents of Se in the leaves/stems whereas increased them in roots, accompanied with decreased MDA contents and increased biomass in paddy rice, indicating a possible detoxification role of Sb to Se too. Therefore, Sb, although toxic, could also be an antitoxin to Se in paddy rice at certain condition. Our results showed that Se could alleviate Sb toxicity efficiently in paddy rice through two effects as antagonism and antioxidation.     

Measuring Contact Angles at Copper Electrodes

Potential dependences of the angle of contact between perfluorodecaline C₁₀F₁₈ and copper, copper(I) sulfide, and copper telluride Cu₄Te₃ in 0.1 M CH₃COONa are measured. The data are in good agreement with the metal hardness measured in 1 M KOH. The uncharged-surface potentials (USP) for copper, copper(I) sulfide, and copper telluride equal 0.05–0.07, –0.02 to –0.04, and 0.05–0.07 V (NHE) in 0.1 M CH₃COONa. Studying the effect of Br^– ions shows that USP for copper and Cu₂S shift in, respectively, the negative and positive directions with an increase in [Br^–]. For copper telluride, USP shifts in the positive direction at low Br^– concentrations, and at NaBr concentrations in excess of 0.04 M, in the negative direction.     

New Aspects of Cyclodextrin Chemistry Induced by Outside Type Complex Formation; Asymmetric Reduction of Indol-3-Pyruvic Acid with NaBH4 in Aqueous Solution

Asymmetric reduction of indol-3-pyruvic acid (IPA) with NaBH₄ in aqueous solution in the presence of various cyclodextrins (α-, β-, γ-, mono-6-amino-6-deoxy-β- and di-6^ABamino-6^AB-deoxy-β-cyclodextrin) was investigated. From the NMR and circular dichroism spectral studies, the conformation of the CyD–substrate complexes is suggested; the part of carboxylic group stay in the cavity of α-CyD, whole of IPA in β-CyD, two molecules in a γ-CyD cavity, and IPA(s) is/are on the rim of the cavity of mono-6-amino-6-deoxy-β- and di-6^ABamino-6^AB-deoxy-β-CyD (AβCyD, DAβCyD) with electrostatic interaction between amino group and carboxylic group. This conformational difference provides in the difference in the optical selectivity of reduction.     

Extraction of pertechnetate by triphenyltin chloride and trioctyltin chloride

The extraction of pertechnetate in form of ionogene associates with triphenyltin and trioctyltin cations into chloroform, benzene, toluene and nitrobenzene was studied. As aqucous phases solutions of^99mTcO ₄ ^? in deionized water and in diluted solutions of NaCl, HCl, NaNO₃, HNO₃ NaClO₄, HClO₄ and NaOH were used. Concerning the organic phases, at the use of triphenyltin chloride the extractibility of pertechnetate increases in the sequence: toluene «chloroform, benzene nitrobenzene and approximately in the sequence: NaOH<NaCl, HCl<NaNO₃<H₂O<NaClO₄ concerning aqueous phases. For trioctyltin chloride in chloroform the extractibility of TcO ₄ ^? increases approximately in the sequence of aqueous phases: NaOH<HCl, NaNO₃, NaClO₄, NaCl«H₂O and in nitobenzene in the sequence NaOH<NaClO₄<HCl<NaNO₃, NaCl«H₂O. The extractibility for trioctyltin chloride is in general slightly lower as compared with triphenyltin chloride. The results of the extraction are presented in the form of graphical plots of technetium distribution ratio (D _Te′ logD _Tc) or extraction yield (E _Tc, %) against concentration of the investigated component in aqueous or organic phase. In some of the systems of the systems studied practically quantitative extraction of pertechnetate into organic phase has been achieved.     

傅立叶变换红外光谱技术在超临界CO2作用聚合物体系中的应用

超临界CO₂（scCO₂）作为一种物理化学性质优良、具有高扩散速率及优良溶解性能的溶剂,在科学研究及工业生产中广受青睐。将scCO₂应用于聚合物体系中,CO₂ 与聚合物间特殊的相互作用有利于CO₂分子在聚合物中的吸附与扩散。同时通过CO₂的吸附及其对聚合物的溶胀和塑化作用,聚合物所处微观化学环境以及整体结构性质会发生一定的变化。由于傅立叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）技术能够有效地考察化学环境变化对分子结构造成的影响,这一表征技术在超临界CO₂作用体系中广为应用。本文主要选取了近年来利用FTIR技术考察scCO₂作用于聚合物体系的一些实例,从CO₂-聚合物相互作用机理,scCO₂对聚合物或生物大分子的加工过程的影响两方面,阐述了利用红外光谱技术在scCO₂作用体系中的应用以及前景。     

Potentiometric Studies on the Equilibria of Flufenamic Acid in Aqueous Solutions and in Two-phase Organic Solvent + Water Systems

In this paper, the flufenamic acid equilibria in aqueous solution and in two-phase organic solvent + aqueous solution are described and presented. The dissociation constants K _a1 and K _a2 were determined in MDM + water mixtures. The Yashuda-Shedlovsky extrapolation procedure has been used to obtain the values of K _a1 and K _a2 in aqueous solutions. The distribution ratio D was measured in the toluene + water system over a wide range of pH by the shaking flask method. Based on the results of potentiometric titrations in two-phase organic solvent (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, chlorobenzene, and bromobenzene) + aqueous systems, and using models of single and multistep equilibria, the values of distribution constants K _D and dimerization constants K _dim were calculated. The influences of polarity of the applied solvents and pH of the aqueous phase, on the speciation of the particular forms of flufenamic acid in both phases, were demonstrated.     

Fractionation of metals and metalloids by chemical bonding from particles accumulated by electrostatic precipitation in an Argentine thermal power plant

A study was undertaken to evaluate the distribution of Al, As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, V and Zn in fly ashes collected in the electrostatic precipitator of a thermal power plant in San Nicolás (Argentina). Five samples were collected during one week of operation. For the fractionation, the scheme applied consisted in extracting the elements in four fractions namely (i) soluble and exchangeable elements; (ii) carbonates, oxides and reducible elements; (iii) bound to sulfidic metals; and (iv) residual elements. Metals and metalloids at μg g^− 1 level were determined in each fraction by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). For validation, a standard reference material (SRM 1633 coal fly ash) from NIST was subjected to the same chemical sequential extraction procedure that the samples. X-ray diffraction powder (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the major minerals present in the matrix. Total analyte concentration (in μg g^− 1) varied from 10.6 for Pb to 17,622 for Al. Minimum and maximum concentrations (in μg g^− 1) found in individual samples in the four fractions were: Al, 92.7–9668; As, < 0.3–143; Cr, 2.0–10.4; Cu, < 0.2–35.6; Fe, < 0.3–4992; Mn, < 0.1–128; Ni, < 0.3–139; Pb, < 0.5–9.1; Ti, < 0.3–2243; V, 17.0–112.9; and Zn, < 0.1–68.2. The leachability of the 11 elements under study proved to be different. Low percentages of Al (1%), V (7%) and Cr (8%) were detected in the most bioavailable fraction. Arsenic was found to be most abundant in the non-silicate phase, represented by the second and third fractions, while Cr, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn were mostly associated to the residual fraction.     

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometric detection Effect of the denaturation on the determination of thiolic proteins

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography coupled online with chemical vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HIC-CVGAFS) has been optimized for the analysis of thiolic proteins in denaturing conditions. Proteins are pre-column simultaneously denatured and derivatized in phosphate buffer solution containing 8.0 mol dm⁻³ urea and p-hydroxymercurybenzoate (PHMB) and the derivatized denatured proteins are separated on a silica HIC Eichrom Propyl column in the presence of 8.0 M urea in the mobile phase. Post-column online reaction of derivatized denatured proteins with bromine, generated in situ by KBr/KBrO₃ in HCl medium, allowed the fast conversion of the uncomplexed PHMB and of the PHMB bound to proteins to inorganic mercury also in presence of urea. Hg²⁺, present in solution as Hg²⁺-urea complex, is selectively detected by AFS in a Ar/H₂ miniaturized flame after sodium borohydride reduction to Hg. Under optimized conditions, online bromine treatment gives a 100±2% recovery of both free and protein-complexed PHMB. Denatured glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, aldolase, lactate dehydrogenase, trioso phosphate isomerase and β-lactoglobulin have been examined. As the sensitivity and limit of detection of proteins in the HIC-CVGAFS apparatus depends on number of SH groups reacting with PHMB, the denaturation process, which increases the number of PHMB-reactive thiolic groups in proteins, improves the analytical performances of the described system in protein analysis. The detection limit for the denatured proteins examined was found in the range of 10⁻¹⁰-10⁻¹² mol dm⁻³, depending on the considered protein, with linear calibration curves spanning over four decades of concentration.     

Diels-Alder reaction volumes in the solid state and solution

The densities of anthracene, tetracyanoethylene, maleic anhydride, N-phenylmaleineimide, trans, trans-1,4-diphenylbuta-1,3-diene, and their Diels-Alder adducts were measured in the solid state and in solution at 25 °C. The reaction volumes in the solid state were calculated from the difference in molar volumes. They turned out to be low, close to each other (–4 to –11 cm³ mol^–1), and slightly different from the reaction volumes (–8±1 cm³ mol^–1) calculated from the van der Waals radii. The reaction volumes in solutions (–15 to –32 cm³ mol^–1) were found from the difference in partial molar volumes of the reactants in dioxane, acetonitrile, and 1,2-dichloroethane, The experimental Diels-Alder reaction volumes in solution are determined not only by the formation of new bonds in an adduct: a considerably higher contribution (to 75%) is made by a change in the volume of intermolecular empty spaces in solution on going from reactants to adducts.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2386–2390, November, 2004.     

Solubility of HFCs in lower alcohols

This work is inserted in a research program that consists mainly in the experimental and theoretical study of the effect of association between solute and solvent molecules in the solubility of gases in liquids.The solubilities of hydrofluorocarbons, HFCs, (CH₃F, CH₂F₂, CHF₃) in lower alcohols (methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol) have been determined in the temperature range [284, 313] K, at atmospheric pressure. An automated apparatus based on Ben-Naim-Baer and Tominaga et al. designs was used, which provides an accuracy of 0.6%. A precision of the same order of magnitude was achieved.To represent the temperature dependence of the mole fraction solubilities, the equation R ln x₂ = A + B/T + C ln T was used. From this equation, the experimental Gibbs energies, enthalpies and entropies of solution at 298 K and 1 atm partial pressure of the gas, were calculated.A semiempirical correlation has been developed between the solubilities of HFCs in alcohols at 298 K and the Gutmann acceptor number of solvents, AN, and reduced dipole moment of the gases, μ*.     

Determination of As, Sb, Se, Te and Bi in milk by slurry sampling hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A simple and fast analytical procedure has been developed for the determination of As, Sb, Se, Te and Bi in milk samples by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). Samples were treated with aqua regia for 10 min in an ultrasound water bath and pre-reduced with KBr for total Se and Te determination or with KI and ascorbic acid for total As and Sb, the determination of Bi being possible in all with or without pre-reduction. Slurries of samples, in the presence of antifoam A, were treated with NaBH₄ in HCl medium to obtain the corresponding hydrides, and AFS measurements were processed in front of external calibrations prepared and measured in the same way as samples. Results obtained by the developed procedure compare well with those found after microwave-assisted complete digestion of samples. The proposed method is simple and fast, and only 1 ml of milk is needed. The values obtained for detection limit are 2.5, 1.6, 3, 6 and 7 ng l⁻¹ for As, Sb, Se, Te and Bi respectively in the diluted samples, with average relative standard deviation values of 3.8, 3.1, 1.9, 6.4 and 1.2% for three independent analysis of a series of commercially available samples of different origin. Data found in Spanish market samples varied from 3.2±0.3 to 11.3±0.2 ng g⁻¹ As, from 3.1±0.2 to 11.6±0.4 ng g⁻¹ Sb, from 10.7±0.5 to 25.5±0.4 ng g⁻¹ Se, from 0.9±0.2 to 9.4±0.6 ng g⁻¹ Te and from 11.5±0.1 to 27.7±0.4 ng g⁻¹ Bi.     

Kinetics and mechanism of catalytic oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds with dioxygen in the Pd-containing aqua system

The oxidation of lower aliphatic alcohols C₁–C₄ with dioxygen to form the corresponding carbonyl compounds in the presence of the PdII tetraaqua complexes and Fe^II-Fe^III aqua ions in an aqueous medium was studied at 40–80 °C. The introduction of an aromatic compound (acetophenone, benzonitrile, phenylacetonitrile, o-cyanotoluene, nitrobenzene) and Fe^II aqua ion instead of the Fe^III aqua ion into the reaction system increases substantially the catalytic activity and the yield of the carbonyl compound. The key role of the Pd species in the intermediate oxidation state stabilized by the aromatic additive in the catalytic cycle of alcohol oxidation with dioxygen to the carbonyl compound was shown. An increase in the kinetic isotope effect with an increase in the temperature of methanol oxidation indicates a change in the rate-determining step of alcohol oxidation with dioxygen in the presence of Pd^II-Fe^II-Fe^III and the aromatic compound. At temperatures below 60 °C, the catalytically active palladium species are mainly formed upon the reduction of the Pd^II tetraaqua complex with the Fe^II aqua ion, whereas at higher temperatures the reaction between the alcohol and Pd^II predominates. The mechanism and kinetic equation of the process were proposed. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 842–848, May, 2007.     

Chemical studies on uranium extraction from concentrated phosphoric acid by using PC88A and DBBP mixture

The activity concentration of beryllium-7 (⁷Be), a naturally occurring cosmogenic radionuclide produced in the upper atmosphere, was measured in plants on the Loess plateau of China during the growing season of 2005. The ⁷Be mass activity concentration on July 27 ranged from 34.8 to 147.1 Bq kg⁻¹ in herbaceous plants, from 47.6 to 116.1 Bq kg⁻¹ in subshrubs, and from 15.7 to 56.8 Bq kg⁻¹ in crop plants. The ⁷Be mass and areal activity concentrations of a mixture of herbaceous plants increased from 66.8 to 288.7 Bq kg⁻¹ and from 0.7 to 46.5 Bq m⁻², respectively, during the growing season. On an areal basis, the fraction of ⁷Be in plants in the soil–plant system increased from 0.4 to 8.4% during the growing season. Positive linear correlations were found between the increases of ⁷Be mass and areal activity concentrations in the inter-sampling intervals and the amount of precipitation.