Radioactivity of coals and fly ashes

The level and the behavior of the naturally occurring primordial radionuclides ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, ²³²Th, ²²⁸Ra and ⁴⁰K in coals and fly ashes are described. The activity concentrations of the examined coals and originated from coal mines in Greece ranged from 117 to 435 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²³⁸U, from 44 to 255 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁶Ra, from 59 to 205 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²¹⁰Pb, from 9 to 41 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁸Ra and from 59 to 227 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ⁴⁰K. These levels are comparable to those appeared in coals of different countries worldwide. The activity concentrations of the examined fly ashes and produced in coal-fired power plants in Greece ranged from 263 to 950 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²³⁸U, from 142 to 605 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁶Ra, from 133 to 428 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²¹⁰Pb, from 27 to 68 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁸Ra and from 204 to 382 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ⁴⁰K. The results showed that there is an enrichment of the radionuclides in fly ash relative to the input coal during the combustion process. The enrichment factors (EF) ranged from 0.60 to 0.76 for ²³⁸U, from 0.69 to 1.07 for ²²⁶Ra, from 0.57 to 0.75 for ²¹⁰Pb, from 0.86 to 1.11 for ²²⁸Ra and from 0.95 to 1.10 for ⁴⁰K.     

Development of an accurate,sensitive, and robust isotope dilution laser ablation ICP-MS method for simultaneous multi-element analysis (chlorine,sulfur, and heavy metals) in coal samples

A method for the direct multi-element determination of Cl, S, Hg, Pb, Cd, U, Br, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Zn in powdered coal samples has been developed by applying inductively coupled plasma isotope dilution mass spectrometry (ICP-IDMS) with laser-assisted introduction into the plasma. A sector-field ICP-MS with a mass resolution of 4,000 and a high-ablation rate laser ablation system provided significantly better sensitivity, detection limits, and accuracy compared to a conventional laser ablation system coupled with a quadrupole ICP-MS. The sensitivity ranges from about 590 cps for ³⁵Cl⁺ to more than 6 × 10⁵ cps for ²³⁸U⁺ for 1 μg of trace element per gram of coal sample. Detection limits vary from 450 ng g⁻¹ for chlorine and 18 ng g⁻¹ for sulfur to 9.5 pg g⁻¹ for mercury and 0.3 pg g⁻¹ for uranium. Analyses of minor and trace elements in four certified reference materials (BCR-180 Gas Coal, BCR-331 Steam Coal, SRM 1632c Trace Elements in Coal, SRM 1635 Trace Elements in Coal) yielded good agreement of usually not more than 5% deviation from the certified values and precisions of less than 10% relative standard deviation for most elements. Higher relative standard deviations were found for particular elements such as Hg and Cd caused by inhomogeneities due to associations of these elements within micro-inclusions in coal which was demonstrated for Hg in SRM 1635, SRM 1632c, and another standard reference material (SRM 2682b, Sulfur and Mercury in Coal). The developed LA-ICP-IDMS method with its simple sample pretreatment opens the possibility for accurate, fast, and highly sensitive determinations of environmentally critical contaminants in coal as well as of trace impurities in similar sample materials like graphite powder and activated charcoal on a routine basis. Figure LA-ICP-IDMS allows direct multi-element determination in powdered coal samples     

Simultaneous Determination of Baicalin, Baicalein, Wogonin, Oxysophocarpine, Oxymatrine and Matrine in the Chinese Herbal Preparation of Sanwu-Huangqin-Tang by Ion-Paired HPLC

A sensitive and reliable ion-paired high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been established for the simultaneous quantification of six major active ingredients, namely baicalin, baicalein, wogonin, oxysophocarpine, oxymatrine and matrine in the Chinese herbal preparation, Sanwu-Huangqin-Tang. HPLC analyses were performed on a Phenomenex luna C₁₈ column with mobile phase of methanol–acetonitrile–aqueous phosphoric acid at a flow rate of 0.9 mL min⁻¹. The complete separation was achieved within 35 min for the six target constituents. A good linear regression relationship between peak-areas and concentrations was obtained over the range of 12.10–242.0 μg*mL⁻¹ for baicalin, 5.05–101.0 μg*mL⁻¹ for baicalein, 0.95–19.0 μg*mL⁻¹ for wogonin, 2.75–55.0 μg*mL⁻¹ for oxysophocarpin, 2.75–55.0 μg*mL⁻¹ for oxymatrine and 4.90–98.0 μg*mL⁻¹ for matrine, respectively. The repeatability was evaluated by intra- and inter-day assays with relative standard deviation (RSD) being less than 5.1%. The recoveries, measured at three concentration levels, varied from 93.8 to 102.1%. The assay was successfully applied for determination of six bioactive compounds in Sanwu-Huangqin-Tang. The interaction of chemical constituents was observed when the herbs were used in compatibility. The results indicated that the developed assay method was rapid, accurate and could be readily utilized as a quality control method for Sanwu-Huangqin-Tang.     

Ultra-sensitive determination of K, Th, U and other trace impurities in liquid organic scintillators by NAA

We present a NAA method to determine ultratraces of K, Th, U and other trace impurities in liquid organic scintillators, which are known as ultrapure detector materials for neutrino or dark matter experiments. A combined optimization of relevant factors for sensitive NAA has been realized, leading to a sensitivity for U down to 10⁻¹⁶g/g. Samples of 250 ml have been irradiated up to 120 h at a thermal neutron flux of 5–8·10¹²·n·cm⁻²·s⁻¹. Acidic extraction, wet ashing and TBP-extraction are used for radiochemical separations. Finally, coincidence techniques are applied for increased sensitivity.     

Concentration of natural radionuclides in and around Padubidri on the coastal Karnataka,India

The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides viz. ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra and ⁴⁰K were measured in soil samples of Padubidri on the coastal Karnataka, the site for the proposed coal based thermal power station, using gamma-ray spectrometry to establish a baseline data on radioactivity levels in the environment of the region. The activity concentration of ²³²Th varies in the range of 38.5–115.5 Bq·kg⁻¹ with a mean value of 66.0 Bq·kg⁻¹, the activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra varies in the range 35.3–72.5 Bq·kg⁻¹ with a mean value of 53.5 Bq·kg⁻¹ and that of ⁴⁰K varies in the range of 307.5–550.9 Bq·kg⁻¹ with a mean value of 419.3 Bq·kg⁻¹. The radium equivalent activity varies in the range of 140.0–242.9 Bq·kg⁻¹ with a mean value of 180.2 Bq·kg⁻¹. The correlation between ²²⁶Ra and ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K and ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th was studied from the results of the concentration of these naturally occurring radionuclides. The calculated dose rates in air due to these naturally occurring radionuclides varies in the range of 66.0–110.0 nGy·h⁻¹ with a mean dose rate of 83.1 nGy·h⁻¹.     

Oil shale kinetics by differential methods

In this research, pyrolysis and combustion behavior of three different oil shale samples from Turkey were characterized using thermal analysis techniques (TG/DTG). In pyrolysis experiments, two different mechanisms causing mass loss were observed as distillation and cracking. In combustion experiments, two distinct exothermic peaks were identified known low and high temperature oxidation. On the other hand, determination of activation energies are required for the estimation of oil extraction conditions from the oil shales. Differential methods are used to determine the activation energies of the samples where various f(α) models are applied from the literature. It was observed that the activation energies of the all oil shale samples are varied between 13.1–215.4 kJ mol⁻¹ in pyrolysis and 13.1–408.4 kJ mol⁻¹ in combustion experiments which are consistent with other kinetic results.     

Neutron activation analysis of rare earth impurities in metallic uranium

A method with a sensitivity of 2·10⁻⁷ to 1·10⁻¹⁰% has been developed for determining Yb, Ho, Dy, Gd, Eu, Sm and La impurities in metallic uranium by means of neutron activation. The method is based on a preliminary chromatographic separation of the total amount of rare earth elements from uranium by passing the solution in sulphuric acid through KU-2 cation exchange resin and eluting the traces of uranium retained by the resin with a solution of ascorbic acid. The rare earth impurities are then eluted from the resin with 4–5N HCl, evaporated, and irradiated for 20 hours with a neutron flux of 1.2·10¹³ n·cm⁻²·sec⁻¹. Subsequently the traces of the rare earth elements are co-precipitated with Fe(OH)₃, dissolved in concentrated HCl and separated from the iron and other impurities by passing the solution through Dowex 1X8 anion exchange resin in the chloride form. The individual rare earth elements are then separated from each other using KU-2 cation exchange resin and a solution of ammonium α-hydroxyisobutyrate as the eluant.     

Pyrolysis kinetics of polypropylene

The pyrolysis of oil shale and plastic wastes is being presently considered as an alternative means of partial substitution of fossil fuels to generate the necessary energy to supply the increasing energy demand and as well as new technology to reduce the negative environment of plastic wastes. However, Knowledge of pyrolysis kinetics is of great imponrtance for the design and simulation of the reactor and in order to establish the optimum process conditions. In this study, the thermal decomposition of polypropylene, oil shale and their mixture was studied by TG under a nitrogen atmosphere. Experiments were carried out for various heating rates (2, 10, 20, 50 K min⁻¹) in the temperature range 300–1273 K. The values of the obtained activation energies are 207 kJ mol⁻¹ for polyethylene, 57 kJ mol⁻¹ for the organic matter contained in the oil shale and 174 kJ mol⁻¹ for the mixture. The results indicate that the decomposition of these materials depends on the heating rate, and that polypropylene acts as catalyst in the degradation of the oil shale in the mixture.     

Utility of <Emphasis Type="Italic">π</Emphasis>-acceptor reagents for spectrophotometric determination of sulphonamide drugs via charge-transfer complex formation

A simple, sensitive and accurate spectrophotometric method for the determination of sulphonamides (sulphamethoxazole (SMZ), sulphaguanidine (SGD), sulphaquinoxaline sodium (SQX), sulphametrole (SMR), and sulphadimidine sodium (SDD)) has been developed. The charge-transfer reactions between sulphonamides as n-electron donors and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ), and 2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (chloranilic acid, p-CLA) as π-acceptors resulting in highly coloured complexes were studied. Experimental conditions for these CT reactions were carefully optimised. Beer’s law is valid over the concentration ranges from 4–280 μg mL⁻¹, 4–260 μg mL⁻¹, 4–200 μg mL⁻¹, and 4–200 μg mL⁻¹ of SMZ, SGD, SQX, and SDD using DDQ reagent, respectively. While the calibration curves are linear in the concentration ranges from 4–180 μg mL⁻¹, 4–80 μg mL⁻¹, 4–60 μg mL⁻¹, 4–180 μg mL⁻¹, and 4–60 μg mL⁻¹ of SMZ, SGD, SQX, SMR, and SDD, respectively, using TCNQ reagent and from 4–380 μg mL⁻¹ and 4–300 μg mL⁻¹ of SQX and SDD, respectively, using p-CLA reagent, respectively. Different analytical parameters, namely molar absorptivity (ε), standard deviation, relative standard deviation, correlation coefficient, limit of detection, and limit of quantification, were calculated. The results obtained by the proposed methods are in good agreement with those obtained by the official method as indicated by the percent recovery values.     

Determination of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni and Pb in Milk, Cheese and Chocolate

 Combined analytical procedures consisting of wet digestion step followed by instrumental determination – differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry (DPCSV) or electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) – as well as a direct analysis method – slurry sampling ETAAS – for the determination of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni and Pb in milk, cheese and chocolate are described and compared. Wet digestion using a mixture of HNO₃-HClO₄-H₂O₂ is proposed for complete matrix decomposition prior to trace analyte determinati on by DPCSV or ETAAS. A mixture of HNO₃-H₂O₂ is used for slurry preparation. Optimal instrumental parameters for trace analyte measurements are presented. The reliability of the procedures has been verified by analyzing standard reference materials. Results obtained are in good agreement with the certified values and the relative standard deviations (for these results) are in the range 5–10% for wet digestion DPCSV or ETAAS and 3–9% for slurry sampling ETAAS in the range of 2 μgċg⁻¹ (Cd) to 12 μgċg⁻¹ (Fe). Received August 24, 1999. Revision January 20, 2000.     

Development of membrane electrodes for selective determination of some antiepileptic drugs in pharmaceuticals,plasma and urine

Newly developed, simple, low-cost and sensitive ion-selective electrodes have been proposed for determination of some antiepileptic drugs such as lamotrigine, felbamate, and primidone in their pharmaceutical preparations as well as in biological fluids. The electrodes are based on poly(vinyl chloride) membranes doped with drug–tetraphenyl borate (TPB) or drug–phosphotungstic acid (PT) ion-pair complexes as molecular recognition materials. The novel electrodes displayed rapid Nernstian responses with detection limits of approximately 10⁻⁷ M. Calibration graphs were linear over the ranges 5.2 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³, 1.5 × 10⁻⁶–1.0 × 10⁻³, and 2.6 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³ M for drug–TPB and 5.8 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³, 1.8 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³, and 6.6 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻³ M for drug–PT electrodes, respectively, with slopes ranging from 52.3 to 62.3 mV/decade. The membranes developed have potential stability for up to 1 month and proved to be highly selective for the drugs investigated over other ions and excipients. The results show that the selectivity of the ion-selective electrodes is influenced significantly by the plasticizer. The proposed electrodes were successfully applied in the determination of these drugs in pharmaceutical preparations in four batches of different expiry dates. Statistical Student’s t test and F test showed insignificant systematic error between the ion-selective electrode methods developed and a standard method. Comparison of the results obtained using the proposed electrodes with those found using a reference method showed that the ion-selective electrode technique is sensitive, reliable, and can be used with very good accuracy and high percentage recovery without pretreatment procedures of the samples to minimize interfering matrix effects. Figure Structure of lamotrigine, felbanate and primidone     

RP-HPLC determination of midecamycin and related impurities

Summary A method has been developed for separation and quantitation of midecamycin A₁ and related impurities by high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD). Chromatographic conditions included use of a Diamonsil C₁₈ column; the mobile phase was 52:48 acetonitrile −0.2 mol L⁻¹ ammonium formate solution (adjusted to pH 7.3 with triethylamine) at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. The column temperature was 35°C, the shift tube temperature of the ELSD was 105°C, and the gas flow rate of the ELSD was 3.0 L min⁻¹. The response factors of midecamycins in HPLC-ELSD were the same; the linear equation wasy=599292.44x+2868618.04,r=0.9979, the linear range was 5–80 μg,RSD=0.21–1.54%, and theLOD andLOQ were 0.36 and 1.2 μg, respectively. The method was simple, quick, and precise and could be used to determine midecamycin and its related impurities directly.     

Determination of eight penicillins in serum from cattle and pigs by generic HPLC method

Summary An HPLC method was developed for determination of amoxicillin, penicillin G, penicillin V, ampicillin, oxacillin, cloxacillin, nafcillin and dicloxacillin in serum from pigs and cattle. Serum was cleaned up by solid-phase extraction (SPE), ultra-filtered and derivatised. The method was linear in the range tested up to 2000 ng mL⁻¹ of individual penicillins in serum. Limits of detection were 11–14 ng mL⁻¹. Mean recoveries were 90–103% in the range 20–2000 ng mL⁻¹. The relative repeatability, standard deviation was <10% at 20 ng mL⁻¹ level and <6% in the range 100–2000 ng mL⁻¹.     

Study on the thermodynamic properties of cholesterol

The standard molar enthalpy of combustion of cholesterol was measured at constant volume. According to value of Δ_r U _m^θ(−14358.4±20.65 kJ mol⁻¹), Δ_r H _m^θ(−14385.7 kJ mol⁻¹) of combustion reaction and Δ_f H _m^θ(2812.9 kJ mol⁻¹) of cholesterol were obtained from the reaction equation. The enthalpy of combustion reaction of cholesterol was also estimated by the average bond enthalpies. By design of a thermo-chemical recycle, the enthalpy of combustion of cholesterol were calculated between 283.15∼373.15 K. Besides, molar enthalpy and entropy of fusion of cholesterol was obtained by DSC technique.     

Synthesis,spectroscopic, thermal and biological aspect of mixed ligand copper(II) complexes

Derivative of 8-hydroxyquinoline i.e. Clioquinol is well known for its antibiotic properties, drug design and coordinating ability towards metal ion such as Copper(II). The structure of mixed ligand complexes has been investigated using spectral, elemental and thermal analysis. In vitro anti microbial activity against four bacterial species were performed i.e. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Bacillus substilis and found that synthesized complexes (15–37 mm) were found to be significant potent compared to standard drugs (clioquinol i.e. 10–26 mm), parental ligands and metal salts employed for complexation. The kinetic parameters such as order of reaction (n = 0.96–1.49), and the energy of activation (E _a = 3.065–142.9 kJ mol⁻¹), have been calculated using Freeman–Carroll method. The range found for the pre-exponential factor (A), the activation entropy (S* = −91.03 to−102.6 JK⁻¹ mol⁻¹), the activation enthalpy (H* = 0.380–135.15 kJ mol⁻¹), and the free energy (G* = 33.52–222.4 kJ mol⁻¹) of activation reveals that the complexes are more stable. Order of stability of complexes were found to be [Cu(A⁴)(CQ)OH] · 4H₂O > [Cu(A³)(CQ)OH] · 5H₂O > [Cu(A¹)(CQ)OH] · H₂O > [Cu(A²)(CQ)OH] · 3H₂O     

Non-isothermal kinetic analysis and feasibilty study of medium grade crude oil field

In this research, non-isothermal kinetics and feasibility study of medium grade crude oil is studied in the presence of a limestone matrix. Experiments were performed at a heating rate of 10°C min⁻¹, whereas the air flow rate was kept constant at 50 mL min⁻¹ in the temperature range of 20 to 600°C (DSC) and 20 to 900°C (TG). In combustion with air, three distinct reaction regions were identified in all crude oil/limestone mixtures, known as low temperature oxidation (LTO), fuel deposition (FD) and high temperature oxidation (HTO). The activation energy values were in the order of 5–9 kJ mol⁻¹ in LTO region and 189–229 kJ mol⁻¹ in HTO region. It was concluded that the medium grade crude oil field was not feasible for a self-sustained combustion process.     

Radiolysis of N,N-dimethylhydroxylamine and its radiolytic liquid organics

N,N-dimethylhydroxylamine (DMHA) is a novel salt-free reducing reagent used in the separation U from Pu and Np in the reprocessing of power spent fuel. This paper reports on the radiolysis of aqueous DMHA solution and its radiolytic liquid organics. Results show that the main organics in irradiated DMHA solution are N-methyl hydroxylamine, formaldehyde and formic acid. The analysis of DMHA and N-methyl hydroxylamine were performed by gas chromatography, and that of formaldehyde was performed by ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry. The analysis of formic acid was performed by ion chromatography. For 0.1–0.5 mol L⁻¹ DMHA irradiated to 5–25 kGy, the residual DMHA concentration is (0.07–0.47) mol L⁻¹, the degradation rate of DMHA at 25 kGy is 10.1–30.1%. The concentrations of N-methylhydroxylamine, formaldehyde and formic acid are (8.25–19.36) × 10⁻³, (4.20–36.36) × 10⁻³ and (1.35–10.9) × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The residual DMHA concentration decreases with the increasing dose. The concentrations of N-methylhydroxylamine and formaldehyde increase with the dose and initial DMHA concentration, and that of formic acid increases with the dose, but the relationship between the concentration of formic acid and initial DMHA concentration is not obvious.     

Simultaneous Quantification of Sodium Ferulate, Salicylic Acid, Cinnarizine and Vitamin B1 in Human Plasma by LC Tandem MS Detection

A rapid and simple high performance liquid chromatographic method coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS) via electrospray ionization (ESI) has been developed and validated to separate and simultaneously quantify sodium ferulate (SF), salicylic acid (SA), cinnarizine (CIN) and vitamin B1 (VB1) in human plasma. Gemfibrozil (GEM) was used as the internal standard (IS) for SF and SA, whereas lomerizine (LOM) was used as the IS for CIN and VB1. The plasma samples were prepared by one-step protein precipitation followed by an isocratic elution with 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH = 5.0): acetonitrile (35:65, v/v,) on an Agilent Zorbax SB-CN column (150 mm × 2.0 mm ID, 5 μm). The precursor and product ions of these drugs were monitored on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, operating in the selected reaction monitoring mode (SRM) with polarity switch, in the negative-ion mode for SF, SA and GEM, in the positive-ion mode for CIN, VB1 and LOM. The method was validated over the concentration range of 1.5–1,000 ng mL⁻¹ for SF, 20–5,000 ng mL⁻¹ for SA, 2–500 ng mL⁻¹ for CIN, 1–30 ng mL⁻¹ for VB1. The intra- and inter-batch precisions were less than 15% of the relative standard deviation. The recoveries for analytes and IS achieved from spiked plasma samples were consistent and reproducible. The validated LC–MS–MS method has been successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of sodium ferulate and aspirin capsule in healthy volunteers.     

Flow-injection enhanced chemiluminescence method for determination of ciprofloxacin in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids

A novel rapid and sensitive analytical method, enhanced chemiluminescence with flow-injection sampling, is described for determination of ciprofloxacin. The method is based on the chemiluminescence reaction of the potassium permanganate–sodium thiosulfate–ciprofloxacin system. An enhanced chemiluminescence reaction was developed, and optimum conditions for CL emission were investigated. The chemiluminescence intensity was linearly dependent on ciprofloxacin concentration in the range 1.0×10⁻⁸–1.0×10⁻⁵ g mL⁻¹. The detection limit was 4×10⁻⁹ g mL⁻¹. The relative standard deviation was 1.8% for eleven measurements of 2.0×10⁻⁷ g mL⁻¹ ciprofloxacin standard solution. The new method enables simple, sensitive, and rapid determination of ciprofloxacin and has been successfully used for determination of ciprofloxacin in biological fluids and in ciprofloxacin hydrochloride tablet and injection.     

RF-aerogels catalysed by ammonium carbonate

The application of ammonium carbonate (AC) as catalyst for the preparation of RF-aerogels leads to organic aerogels without metallic impurities in contrast to conventional catalysts like sodium carbonate. To synthesize the AC catalyzed RF aerogels we varied the catalyst and formaldehyde concentration in wide ranges. The nanostructure varies accordingly over an order of magnitude. The particle sizes in the dry aerogel network, determined by scanning electron microscopy, are in the range of 0.15–4 μm. The aerogel densities are in the range of 370–420 kg m⁻³. The specific surface measured by nitrogen adsorption (BET) varies from 0.5 to 13 m² g⁻¹ which equals a specific surface area from 0.7 to 20 μm⁻¹. Thermogravimetry is employed to study the drying process, annealing reactions and decomposition of the aerogel into a carbon aerogel.