Solid-state synthesis of monazite-type compounds containing tetravalent elements

On the basis of optimized grinding/heating cycles developed for several phosphate-based ceramics, the preparation of brabantite and then monazite/brabantite solid solutions loaded with tetravalent thorium, uranium, and cerium (as a plutonium surrogate) was examined versus the heating temperature. The chemical reactions and transformations occurring when heating the initial mixtures of AnO2/CeO2, CaHPO(4).2H2O (or CaO), and NH4H2PO4 were identified through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis experiments. The incorporation of thorium, which presents only one stabilized oxidation state, occurs at 1100 degrees C. At this temperature, all the thorium-brabantite samples appear to be pure and single phase as suggested by XRD, electron probe microanalyses, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. By the same method, tetravalent uranium can be also stabilized in uranium-brabantite, i.e., Ca0.5U0.5PO4, after heating at 1200 degrees C. Both brabantites, Ca0.5Th0.5PO4 and Ca0.5U0.5PO4, begin to decompose when increasing the temperature to 1400 and 1300 degrees C, respectively, leading to a mixture of CaO and AnO2 by the volatilization of P4O10. In contrast to the cases of thorium and uranium, cerium(IV) is not stabilized during the heating treatment at high temperature. Indeed, the formation of Ca0.5Ce0.5PO4 appears impossible, due to the partial reduction of cerium(IV) into cerium(III) above 840 degrees C. Consequently, the systems always appear polyphase, with compositions of CeIII1-2xCeIVxCaxPO4 and Ca2P2O7. The same conclusion can be also given when discussing the incorporation of cerium(IV) into La1-2xCeIIIx-yCeIVyCay(PO4)1-x+y. This incomplete incorporation of cerium(IV) confirms the results obtained when trying to stabilize tetravalent plutonium in Ca0.5PuIV0.5PO4 samples.     

Stabilisation of tetravalent cerium in perchloric acid medium and measurement of the stability constants of its fluoride complexes using ion selective potentiometry

The stability constants of the fluoride complexes of cerium(IV) in 1 M (HClO(4), NaClO(4)) medium have been measured potentiometrically using a fluoride ion-selective electrode. Quantitative oxidation of cerium to its tetravalent state and its stabilisation in the perchlorate medium were accomplished by oxidation with AgO followed by quick addition of a known amount of fluoride ion. This procedure ensures stability of the oxidation state and prevents hydrolysis and polymerisation of Ce(IV). Logarithms of the average values of beta(1), beta(2), beta(3) and beta(4) were estimated to be 7.57+/-0.04, 14.50+/-0.03, 20.13+/-0.37 and 24.14+/-0.10 respectively.     

Radiolyse des solutions aqueuses du complexe cerium(III)-acide triethylene tetraaminehexaacetique

Irradiation of cerium III-triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid (TTHA) solutions was done. The degradation of the metal chelate was determined. A radiolytic mechanism has been proposed where it has been showed that the degradation is due to the OH radical, while oxidation of trivalent cerium to tetravalent cerium is due to the hydrogen peroxide molecule.      

四价镨化合物的研究(Ⅰ)——铈镨杂多核氧化物的制备及四价镨在不同溶液中的稳定性

在常温常压下,从近中性的混合铈、镨硝酸盐水溶液中,采用臭氧(或氧气)氧化,制得了红棕色的四价铈镨杂多核氧化物,这种在铈的存在下镨的氧化,拟称为"带同氧化"。通过化学分析,X射线衍射物相分析以及与二氧化锰作用的研究,证明了杂多核氧化物中四价镨的存在。该杂多核氧化物溶于浓硝酸、浓盐酸和冰醋酸中,生成血红色的溶液。通过颜色的变化和紫外可见光谱的研究,考察了四价镨在这些溶液中的稳定性。四价镨在冰醋酸中相当稳定,浓硝酸中一小时内逐渐消失,浓盐酸和硫酸(1:1)中则极不稳定。含四价镨的浓硝酸和冰醋酸溶液的吸收光谱,分别在460nm和440nm处呈现宽带特征吸收峰。通过与不含四价镨的纯铈(Ⅳ)、纯错(Ⅲ)及铈钕混合氧化物等光谱的比较,初步认为这两个特征吸收峰与四价镨的存在有关。     

A new staining method for the detection of activities of H2O2-producing oxidases on gels and blots using cerium and 3,3'-diaminobenzidine.

Cerium chloride (CeCl3) was used to trap the hydrogen peroxide generated by several oxidases on native gels and blots. The pale yellow color of cerium perhydroxide formed is converted to a brown-black precipitate by the subsequent reaction with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine. The suitability of this method for the detection of the activity of several oxidases on gels and on blots under nondenaturing conditions, employing different electrophoretic systems and resolving techniques, is demonstrated. Moreover, this method has proven to be highly suitable for the assessment of the substrate and stereospecificity of oxidases, the determination of their molecular weights, and the isoelectric points of isoforms.     

Effect of oxidation-reduction on the extraction of uranium from wet phosphoric acid by DEHPA/TOPO

Uranium is recovered from wet phosphoric acid by DEHPA/TOPO in kerosene. Uranium is present in wet phosphoric acid in the tetravalent and hexavalent states but DEHPA/TOPO extracts uranium in the hexavalent state only. The ratio of U⁴⁺/U⁶⁺ depends on several factors such as the origin of the phosphate rock, the method of preparation of phosphoric acid and the presence of other impurities. Therefore it is important to oxidize the wet acid to convert all uranium to U⁶⁺ before extraction. Uranium is stripped from the solvent by a reverse process where a concentrated phosphoric acid is used under reducing conditions. This paper studies the oxidation of wet phosphoric acid from Homs plant/Syria by H₂O₂ oxidant and the effect of oxidation on extraction coefficientK. It also studies the reduction by iron and its effect on back extraction of uranium from the solvent to phosphoric acid.     

Addition of organocerium reagents to morpholine amides: synthesis of important pheromone components of Achaea janata

Readily preparable morpholine amides hitch in good yields with organocerium reagents to produce ketones. Even in the presence of substrates and reagents with high steric hindrance, the organometallic compounds prepared from dry cerium(III) chloride and organomagnesium or organolithium compounds at -78 degrees C add cleanly to morpholine amides. The low cost of starting materials makes this new scheme of synthesis very interesting for the preparation of biologically important pheromones.     

Shift of Optical Absorption Edge in Sol-Gel Derived Transparent BaTiO3 Gels During Aging

Transparent barium titanate (BaTiO₃) wet gels synthesized by sol-gel processing using high-concentration Ba,Ti-alkoxide solution (1.0 mol/l) were subjected to optical measurements, X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscope observations. A systematic shift of the optical absorption edge was observed for the transparent BaTiO₃ wet gels shrinking during aging at 30 and 50°C, while no shift was observed for the wet gels aged at 5°C. The crystallinity and crystallite size of the gels increased with increasing aging time and temperature. The shift of the optical absorption edge of the BaTiO₃ gels during aging was found to have a close relation to an increase in the crystallite size of the gels.     

Tetravalent cerium carbene complexes

The tetravalent organometallic cerium complex [CeL4] is readily accessible from the oxidation of the trivalent [CeL3], L=a bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene alkoxide ligand, [C{(NPri)CHCHN}CH2CMe2O]. The [CeL4] complex should behave like the [UL4] analogue, but the two complexes show significantly different structures, highlighting the differences between 4f and 5f metals.     

球形氧化铝负载锰基双金属氧化物催化剂催化臭氧深度氧化NO

在工业锅炉烟气处理领域,由于锅炉容量低,烟气温度往往无法满足传统选择性催化还原(SCR)所需温度窗口.工业锅炉烟气成分的复杂性也给氮氧化物治理带来了严峻考验.臭氧深度氧化NO结合湿法洗涤同时脱硫脱硝技术具有独特的应用优势.传统臭氧氧化技术中,NO被臭氧氧化为NO2,进而在脱硫塔中实现一体化脱硫脱硝.但由于NO2溶解度相对较低,需要在脱硫浆液中加入添加剂提高脱硝效率,造成运行成本增加.NO经臭氧深度氧化后,NO2进一步转化为溶解度高的N2O5,传统脱硫石膏浆液即可实现高效吸收N2O5,从而有效提高氮氧化物吸收效率.但由于N2O5生成反应速率低,深度氧化存在臭氧投入量大、反应时间长及臭氧残留多的缺点.臭氧耦合催化剂深度氧化NO可有效解决以上问题.首先,本文采用溶胶-凝胶法合成一系列单金属氧化物(Mn,Co,Ce,Fe,Cu,Cr)作为臭氧深度氧化NO的催化剂.结果发现锰氧化物表现出最高的催化活性,在70oC下,O3/NO摩尔比为2.0时经过0.12 s的反应时间催化剂即可实现80%以上的转化效率.但根据N2O5生成的总包反应(2NO+3O3=N2O5+3O2)可以看出,O3/NO摩尔比为1.5时即可实现N2O5的完全转化.由于催化臭氧氧化反应温度较低,中间产物在催化剂表面聚集,占据大量活性位,进而导致无法实现1.5摩尔比的高效转化.通过采用球形氧化铝作为载体,避免粉末状催化剂紧凑型布置,增加换热面积,可有效降低催化剂表面中间产物聚集;同时延长了气体与催化剂的接触时间,提高反应效率.在球形氧化铝载体上负载锰基双金属氧化物(Ce-Mn,Fe-M,Cr-Mn,Cu-Mn和Co-Mn),在初始NO浓度为410 mg/m3,反应温度100oC,O3/NO摩尔比1.5,催化反应时间0.12 s的工况下,催化剂最终实现95%(Fe-Mn)和88%(Ce-Mn)的转化效率,剩余NO和NO2的浓度分别低于20 mg/m3(Fe-Mn)和50 mg/m3(Ce-Mn),臭氧残留浓度低于25 mg/m3.同负载单一锰氧化物(83%转化率)相比,双金属氧化物进一步提高了N2O5生成效率.因此,臭氧耦合催化剂深度氧化NO结合湿法吸收在工业锅炉超低排放(NOx<50 mg/m3)领域具有广泛应用前景.通过XRD、氮气吸附、H2-TPR和XPS等手段研究了催化剂的晶体结构、孔结构参数、氧化还原性能和表面原子价态.催化臭氧深度氧化NO主要与催化剂对臭氧的分解性能和对NO的氧化性能有关.较大的比表面积和孔容有利于催化剂的吸附.氧空位有利于臭氧的吸附和分解.Mn4+和Mn3+的均衡分布既有利于NO的吸附氧化又有利于臭氧的吸附分解,最终提高了N2O5生成效率.     

Electronic Metal-Support Interaction-Modified Structures and Catalytic Activity of CeOx Overlayers in CeOx/Ag Inverse Catalysts

Electronic metal-support interactions (EMSIs) of oxide-supported metal catalysts strongly modifies the electronic structures of the supported metal nanoparticles. The strong influence of EMSIs on the electronic structures of oxide overlayers on metal nanoparticles employing cerium oxides/Ag inverse catalysts is reported herein. Ce₂O₃ overlayers were observed to exclusively form on Ag nanocrystals at low cerium loadings and be resistant to oxidation treatments up to 250 °C, whereas CeO₂ overlayers gradually developed as the cerium loading increased. Ag cubes enclosed by {001} facets with a smaller work function exert a stronger EMSI effect on the CeO_x overlayers than Ag cubes enclosed by {111} facets. Only the CeO₂ overlayers with a fully developed bulk CeO₂ electronic structure significantly promote the catalytic activity of Ag nanocrystals in CO oxidation, whereas cerium oxide overlayers with other electronic structures do not. These results successfully extend the concept of EMSIs from oxide-supported metal catalysts to metal-supported oxide catalysts.     

Structural and spectroscopic study of a novel erbium titanate pink pigment prepared by sol-gel methodology

Pyrochlore oxides show a large variety of physical and chemical properties depending on the ordering/disordering of the cations and oxygen vacancies. Taking account of these structural features and the luminescent properties of lanthanides, a new family of colored materials is investigated. This paper studies the structural evolution of the erbium titanate system with temperature to establish its influence on the color properties. The success on the development of color is completely related to the sol-gel preparation method, underlining its higher reactivity compared to classical solid-state synthesis. After firing at 700 degrees C, the sol-gel material develops an intense pink coloration whose intensity significantly diminishes at 800 degrees C. X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinements indicated the presence of nanocrystals with a fluorite-like structure at 700 degrees C, responsible for the intense coloration, which suffers a gradual atomic rearrangement toward an "ideal" pyrochlore phase. These results were corroborated by infrared and Raman measurements. UV-vis spectroscopy showed the influence of the Er(3+)-O bond covalence on the spectral properties. This study opens new perspectives to the development of more ecological colored sol-gel materials based on rare earth elements. Furthermore, the combination of the optical aspects with the classical pyrochlore properties (magnetization, heat capacity, conductivity, etc.) would provide new multifunctional materials for advanced applications.     

Preparation and characterization of SiO2 two-step aerogels

Aerogels are well suited as transparent insulation materials in solar architecture and collector systems. Their nanoporous structure provides a high solar transmittance and a low thermal conductivity, generally below 0.02 W m^–1 K^–1. Transparent aerogels with densities above 80 kgm^–3 can easily be prepared at room temperature via a one-step sol-gel process with subsequent supercritical drying. Separating hydrolysis and condensation via a two-step method allows the preparation of transparent ultra-low density SiO₂-aerogels. To optimize the optical properties, characterized by the scattering coefficient of the gels, we have investigated the influence of preparation parameters, such as pH-value of the sol-gel starting solution and macroscopic density, on the gel structure. To determine the nanostructure we performed spectral light scattering as well as small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements.     

The synthesis and characterization of Dy doped into the perovskite BaCeO3

Concentrations of up to 20 mol.% Dy have been substituted for tetravalent cerium in the perovskite BaCeO₃. ¹⁶¹Dy Mössbauer spectroscopy demonstrates that the dysprosium in this host is present in the trivalent oxidation state. Effective magnetic moments obtained on the same samples confirm these findings. Line broadening as a function of dysprosium concentration, observed from both X-ray and Mössbauer measurements, is attributed to the presence of lattice defects (oxygen vacancies) which are necessary for charge compensation.     

Thermochromism in polydiacetylene solutions

A novel planar ? nonplanar visual thermochromic conformational transition of polydiacetylene molecules in poor solvents is reported. The conformational transition is associated with both a color change (blue or red ? yellow) and a change in the state; the yellow solution (liquid) transforms to a blue or red gel (solid). The color transition occurs within a narrow range of temperature and has a large associated hysteresis. The enthalpy of the conformational transition is 29 kJ/mole of repeat unit. Fourier-transform infrared studies show that molecules acquire a planar conformation in red or blue gels by formation of intramolecular H bonds between the adjacent substituent groups. Virtually all H bonds break (a nonplanar conformation) when the gels turn into yellow solutions.     

Photophysical properties and photochemical rearrangement of single crystal salicylideneaniline in solution

Salicylideneaniline originally crystallized from a solution has lemon yellow color. Irradiation with near ultraviolet causes the color change from yellow to red. The red state changes spontaneously back to yellow in 2ms. This change is accelerated by visible light. Kinetic data are reported in the temperature range between 10 and 60 degrees C, for the dark fading reactions of the colored isomers formed by the near ultraviolet irradiation. Observed the decay kinetics was first order reactions. Activation energies and entropies of activation are reported for ethanol. The observation of T-T absorption and emission were complicated due to the colored isomer formation during the optical pumping.     

Nonlinear optical materials by the sol-gel method

The sol-gel method, because of the use of homogeneous liquid solutions and the ability to form gels at room temperature, is uniquely suited for the preparation of many nonlinear optical (NLO) materials, especially films. The preparations of NLO crystalline solids, such as ferroelectrics, oxide glasses, and amorphous ferroelectrics, are described. The preparation of NLO nanocomposites can be made by a number of approaches. These include the mixing of optically active organics into the sol-gel liquid solution, the impregnation of organics into the interconnecting pores of a stabilized oxide gel, and the direct chemical bonding of optically active organics and inorganics to form new hybrid NLO nanocomposites.     

An efficient method for dephosphorylation of phosphopeptides by cerium oxide

In this article, an effective method for dephosphorylation of phosphopeptides by cerium oxide is described. The dephosphorylation activity of cerium oxide was evaluated by two standard phosphopeptides and the phosphopeptides in digests of phosphoprotein alpha-casein and beta-casein. Results showed that the dephosphorylation of all the phosphopeptides was completed in 10 min, and temperature had little effect on the dephosphorylation, the dephosphorylation could be carried out at 0 degrees C, room temperature and 37 degrees C. The dephosphorylation mediated by cerium oxide can be attributed to Lewis acid and nucleophile activations. Advantages of using cerium oxide as catalyst for the dephosphorylation include: safe, simple, high catalytic activity, and no precise control of the treatment temperature. The method is valid for the phosphorylation of Ser, Thr and Tyr, and can be used for phosphoprotein analysis.     

Hydrogen peroxide-induced deacetylation of acetyl resorufin as a novel indicator reaction for fluorometric detection of glucose using only glucose oxidase

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced deacetylation of non-fluorescent acetyl resorufin (1) to fluorescent resorufin (2) as a novel indicator reaction for fluorometric detection of glucose using only glucose oxidase (GOD) is described. When a 1:1:1 mixture of 1 (in CH3CN), glucose, and GOD (each in pH 7.4 phosphate buffer) was incubated at 25 degrees C under aerobic conditions, the resulting solution turned yellow to fluorescent pink due to 2. The formation of 2 was markedly retarded on incubation under anaerobic conditions. When a mixture of 1 and H2O2 was incubated under aerobic conditions, the formation of 2 was noted as in the case of the enzymatic reaction of 1. These results demonstrated that the observed color change is brought about through deacetylation of 1 to 2 induced by H2O2 generated in GOD-catalyzed oxidation of glucose. With regard to the fluorometric traces of the enzymatic reaction with 1 (0.2 mM), GOD (0.5 mg/ml), and glucose at 25 degrees C, fluorescence intensity exhibited a linear relationship against glucose concentration between 0.2 and 2.0 mm, with a correlation coefficient of 0.997. Neither ascorbic acid, uric acid, nor bilirubin significantly interfered with the transformation of 1 to 2 through GOD-catalyzed oxidation of glucose.     

Coloration mechanism in silicate gels and gel-glasses containing iron

The present investigation was carried out in order to study the incorporation of iron oxide in several samples with a general composition xFeO-(100-x)SiO₂ (x between 0.1 and 9.5) and 5R_nO-xFeO-(95-x)SiO₂ (R=Li, Na or Ca) prepared by the sol-gel method. Samples were gelated and dried at 60°C and thermally treated between 200 and 1000°C in oxidizing and reducing atmospheres. The color change and structural evolution were studied by VIS and NIR spectrophotometry, TEM and X-ray diffraction.When the temperature increases, the color changes from yellow to brown-reddishness, going through a bright ruby-red, at the same time the absorption edge shifts to higher wavelengths and at elevated temperatures to smaller wavelengths newly. A part of iron oxide is incorporated into the glass network and the remaining as colloidal particles, producing a double mechanism of coloration by optical absorption and dispersion.In the samples heat-treated in oxidizing conditions all iron is present in the ferric state. When the heat-treatment is carried out in reducing conditions the presence of iron (II) was detected at temperatures of nearly 1000°C.