<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">tert</Emphasis>-Butylcalix[8]arene loaded silica gel for preconcentration of uranium(VI) via solid phase extraction

This paper reports silica gel loaded with p-tert-butylcalix[8]arene as a new solid phase extractor for determination of trace level of uranium. Effective extraction conditions were optimized in column methods prior to determination by spectrophotometry using arsenazo(III). The results showed that U(VI) ions can be sorbed at pH 6 in a mini-column and quantitative recovery of U(VI) (>95–98%) was achieved by stripping 0.4 mol L⁻¹ HCl. The sorption capacity of the functionalized sorbent is 0.072 mmol uranium(VI) g⁻¹ modified silica gel. The relative standard deviation and detection limit were 1.2% (n = 10) for 1 μg uranium(VI) mL⁻¹ solution and 0.038 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The method was employed to the preconcentration of U(VI) ions from spiked ground water samples.     

Online thorium determination after preconcentration in a minicolumn having XAD-4 resin impregnated with N-benzoylphenylhydroxylamine by FI-spectrophotometry

A very sensitive and selective flow injection on-line determination method of thorium (IV) after preconcentration in a minicolumn having XAD-4 resin impregnated with N-benzoylphenylhydroxylamine is described. Thorium (IV) was selectively adsorbed from aqueous solution of pH 4.5 in a minicolumn at a flow rate of 13.6 mL min^?1, eluted with 3.6 mol dm^?3 HCl (5.6 mL min^?1), mixed with arsenazo-III (0.05% in 3.6 mol dm^?3 HCl stabilized with 1% Triton X-100, 5.6 mL min^?1) at confluence point and taken to the flow through cell of spectrophotometer where its absorbance was measured at 660 nm. Peak height was used for data analyses. The preconcentration factors obtained were 32 and 162, detection limits of 0.76 and 0.150 ??g L^?1, sample throughputs of 40 and 11 h^?1 for preconcentration times of 60 and 300 s, respectively. The tolerance levels for Zr(IV) and U(VI) metal ions is increased to 50-folds higher concentration to Th(IV). The proposed method was applied on different spiked tap water, sea water and biological sample and good recovery was obtained. The method was also applied on certified reference material IAEA-SL1 (Lake Sediment) for the determination of thorium and the results were in good agreement with the reported value.     

Use of pyrocatechol violet modified sodium dodecyl sulfate coated on alumina for separation and preconcentration of uranium(VI)

A sensitive and selective solid phase extraction procedure for the determination of trace of uranium(VI) has been developed. An alumina-sodium dodecyl sulfate coated on with pyrocatechol violet was used for preconcentration and determination of uranyl ions by spectrophotometry method using Arsenazo III reagent. Sorbed ions were quantitatively eluted using 5 mL of 0.25 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃. The effects of parameters such as pH, amount of alumina, amount of ligand, flow rate, type and concentration of elution agent were examined. The capacity of the sorbent for U(VI) was found to be 0.92 mmol g⁻¹. The relative standard deviation was 1.28% for 10 replicate determinations of U(VI) ion in a solution with a concentration of 1.0 μg mL⁻¹. The practical applicability of the developed sorbent was examined using synthetic and real samples such as standard reference material 2709 (San Joaquin Soil) and 2711 (Montana Soil).     

Solvent extraction of uranium(VI) and separation of vanadium(V) from sulfate solutions using Alamine 336

The present scientific study on uranium(VI) solvent extraction and vanadium(V) separation from sulfate solutions using Alamine 336 as an extractant diluted in kerosene was established. The preliminary experiments indicating the uranium extraction process will follow the solvation as well as ion-exchange mechanisms. In the present acid region (0.1–1.0 mol dm⁻³ H₂SO₄) it showing the ion-exchange type mechanism. Time (1–120 min) and temperature (25–55 °C) not influencing the present extraction system. Other experimental parameters like loading capacity of Alamine 336, stripping of uranium from loaded organic phase, recycling of Alamine 336 and separation of uranium(VI)/vanadium(V) was studied.     

Removal of uranium(VI) from acetate medium using Lewatit TP 260 resin

Removal of uranium(VI) ions from acetate medium in aqueous solution was investigated using Lewatit TP260 (weakly acidic, macroporous-type ion exchange resin with chelating aminomethylphosphonic functional groups) in batch system. The parameters that affect the uranium(VI) sorption, such as contact time, solution pH, initial uranium(VI) concentration, adsorbent dose and temperature have been investigated. Results have been analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm; the former was more suitable to describe the sorption process. The moving boundary particle diffusion model only fits the initial metal adsorption on the resin. The rate constant for the uranium sorption by Lewatit TP260 was 0.441 min⁻¹ from the first order rate equation. The total sorption capacity was found to be 58.33 mg g⁻¹ under optimum experimental conditions. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔH = 61.74 kJ/mol; ΔS = 215.3 J/mol K; ΔG = −2.856 kJ/mol) showed the adsorption of an endothermic process and spontaneous nature, respectively.     

Binary biosorption of uranium(VI) and nickel(II) from aqueous solution by Ca-pretreated Cystoseira indica in a fixed-bed column

Simultaneous biosorption of uranium(VI) and nickel(II) ions onto Ca-pretreated Cystoseira indica biomass was studied and compared with single uranium or nickel biosorption in a fixed-bed column. Results of single biosorption showed the breakthrough and exhaustion time increase with the increase of the flow rate and inlet metal concentration for both metal ions. Also, it was observed that there was an optimum flow rate of 1.4 mL min⁻¹ (surface loading of 0.792 cm min⁻¹) for both metal ions in the column. Results from both single and binary systems showed the adsorption capacity of C. indica for both metal ions increases with the increasing inlet concentration of each component and C. indica had a stronger affinity for uranium than nickel ions. The binary system results showed that the presence of the second component affected the adsorption of the first one by C. indica so the antagonistic action was observed. Also, the inhibitory effect of uranium ions on the nickel adsorption was greater than nickel ions on the uranium adsorption. The uranium and nickel breakthrough curves under different conditions were described by the Thomas, Yoon-Nelson and Yan models. Among these models, the Yan model appeared to describe the experimental results better.     

On-line ionic imprinted polymer selective solid-phase extraction of nickel and lead from seawater and their determination by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry

Nickel(II) and lead(II) ionic imprinted 8-hydroxyquinoline polymers were synthesized by a precipitation polymerization technique and were used as selective solid phase extraction supports for the determination of nickel and lead in seawater by flow injection solid phase extraction on-line inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. An optimum loading flow rate of 2.25 mL min⁻¹ for 2 min and an elution flow rate of 2.25 mL min⁻¹ for 1 min gave an enrichment factor of 15 for nickel. However, a low dynamic capacity and/or rate for adsorption and desorption was found for lead ionic imprinted polymer and a flow rate of 3.00 mL min⁻¹ for 4-min loading and a flow rate of 2.25 mL min⁻¹ for 1-min elution gave a enrichment factor of 5. The limit of detection was 0.33 μg L⁻¹ for nickel and 1.88 μg L⁻¹ for lead, with a precision (n = 11) of 8% (2.37 μg Ni L⁻¹) for nickel and 11% (8.38 μg Pb L⁻¹) for lead. Accuracy was also assessed by analyzing SLEW-3 (estuarine water) and TM-24 (lake water) certified reference materials, and the values determined were in good agreement with the certified concentrations.     

Efficient uranium(VI) biosorption on grapefruit peel: kinetic study and thermodynamic parameters

The uranium(VI) biosorption by grapefruit peel was studied from aqueous solutions. Batch experiments was conducted to evaluate the effect of contact time, initial uranium(VI) concentration, initial pH, adsorbent dose, salt concentration and temperature. The equilibrium process was well described by the Langmuir, Redlich–Peterson and Koble–Corrigan isotherm models, with maximum sorption capacity of 140.79 mg g⁻¹ at 298 K. The pseudo second order model and Elovish model adequately describe the kinetic data in comparison to the pseudo first order model and the process involving rate-controlling step is much complex involving both boundary layer and intra-particle diffusion processes. The effective diffusion parameter D _i and D _f values were estimated at different initial concentration and the average values were determined to be 1.167 × 10⁻⁷ and 4.078 × 10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹. Thermodynamic parameters showed that the biosorption of uranium(VI) onto grapefruit peel biomass was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic under studied conditions. The physical and chemical properties of the adsorbent were determined by SEM, TG-DSC, XRD and elemental analysis and the nature of biomass–uranium (VI) interactions was evaluated by FTIR analysis, which showed the participation of COOH, OH and NH₂ groups in the biosorption process. Adsorbents could be regenerated using 0.05 mol L⁻¹ HCl solution at least three cycles, with up to 80% recovery. Thus, the biomass used in this work proved to be effective materials for the treatment of uranium (VI) bearing aqueous solutions.     

Solid phase extractive preconcentration of uranium(VI) onto diarylazobisphenol modified activated carbon

Diarylazobisphenol (DAB) 1 and diarylazobisphenol modified carbon 2 were synthesized and characterised. The latter has been used for solid phase extractive preconcentration and separation of trace amounts of uranium(VI) from other inorganics. In this, a column mode preconcentration of uranium(VI) was carried out in the pH range 4.0-5.0, eluted with 1.0 mol l⁻¹ HCl and determined by an Arsenazo III spectrophotometric procedure. Calibration graphs were rectilinear over the uranium(VI) concentrations in the range 5-200 μg l⁻¹. Five replicate determinations of 25 μg of uranium(VI) present in 1 l solution gave a mean absorbance of 0.032 with a relative standard deviation of 2.52%. The detection limit corresponding to three times the standard deviation of the blank was found to be 5 μg l⁻¹. The accuracy of the developed preconcentration method in conjunction with the Arsenazo III procedure was tested by analysing MESS-3, a marine sediment certified reference material. Further, the above procedure has been successfully employed for analysis of uranium(VI) in soil and sediment samples.     

Application of the catalytic properties of N-methylthiourea to the determination of In(III) at low levels by square wave voltammetry

Abstract  

This article proposes a simple and fast method of In(III) determination in the presence of Cd(II) and Pb(II). The catalytic activity of N-methylthiourea was used in the In(III) electroreduction, which also had a slight effect on the electroreduction process of Cd(II) and Pb(II). By applying square wave voltammetry it was possible to determine 3 × 10⁻⁷ mol dm⁻³ In(III) in the presence of 5 × 10⁻⁵ mol dm⁻³ Cd(II) and 1 × 10⁻⁴ mol dm⁻³ Pb(II) in 5 mol dm⁻³ NaClO₄ at pH 2. The calibration curve for In(III) was linear from 3 × 10⁻⁷ to 5 × 10⁻⁴ mol dm⁻³. The relative standard deviation for In(III) determination was about 3.0%.     

FI-spectrophotometric determination of uranium after preconcentration on an anion exchange resin

An economical, fast, sensitive and selective method for the determination of uranium (VI) from sulfate media based on the flow injection on-line preconcentration in a minicolumn having amberlite IRA-402 (strong anion exchange) resin is described. Uranium (VI) was selectively adsorbed on the resin as uranyl trisulfate complex from aqueous solution of pH 2 in the minicolumn (2.56 mm i.d. and 7.5 cm in length) at a flow rate of 10 ml min^?1. The adsorbed uranyl trisulfate complex was eluted by HClO₄ (0.1 mol l^?1, 6.5 ml min^?1) and mixed with arsenazo-III (0.05 %, 6.5 ml min^?1), and passed through the flow through cell of spectrophotometer where its absorbance was measured at 653 nm. Various parameters affecting adsorption and elution of the uranium complex were optimized. For data analyses peak absorbance was used. For 60 and 180 s preconcentration time, enrichment factors (EF) 20 and 40, sampling frequency (SF) 45 and 18 h^?1; and detection limits (DL) (3σ) 14.2 and 8.6 μg l^?1 were obtained, respectively. To enhance the sensitivity of the system, two minicolumns (described above) were used for simultaneous preconcentration and elution purpose. For 60 and 180 s preconcentration time, EF 30 and 50, SF 42 and 17 h^?1 and DL (3σ) 4.4 and 3.44 μg l^?1 were obtained, respectively. The effect of various anions and cations was studied for single column manifold. High selectivity of this method was observed. All the anions and cations studied did not interfere up to 330 times higher mass ratio to 300 μg l^?1 U (VI) except Th(IV) which was tolerated up to 133 times by the addition of washing step in the manifold. The method based on single column manifold was applied on the spiked tap water, biological sample CRM (IAEA-V4) and synthetic leach liquor solution and good recovery was obtained. The method based on dual column manifold was validated on lake sediment SL-1 (CRM) and the results obtained were in good agreement at 95 % confidence level with the given value.     

Preconcentration of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) from aqueous solutions using low-cost abundantly available sorbent

Olive cake as low-cost abundantly available sorbent has been characterized by N₂ at 77 K adsorption, porosity analysis, elemental analysis and IR spectra and has been used for preconcentrating of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) ions prior to their determination spectrophotometrically. The optimum pH values for quantitative sorption of U(VI) and Th(IV) are 4–7 and 3–7, respectively. The enrichment factor for the preconcentration of U(VI) and Th(IV) were found to be 125 and 75 in the given order. The sorption capacity of olive cake is in the range of 2,260–15,000 μg g⁻¹ for Th(IV) and in the range of 1,090–17,000 μg g⁻¹ for U(VI) at pH 3–7. The sorbent exhibits good reusability and the uptake and stripping of the studied ions were fairly rapid. The elution of U(VI) and Th(IV) was performed with 0.3–1 M HCl/1–2 M HNO₃ and 0.3–0.8 M HCl/1 M HNO₃, respectively. The precision of the method was 1.8 RSD% for U(VI) and 2.5 RSD% for Th(IV) in a concentration of 1.00 μg mL⁻¹ for 10 replicate analysis. The influence of some electrolytes and cations as interferents was discussed. Separation of U(VI) and Th(IV) from other metal ions in synthetic solution was achieved.     

On-line spectrophotometric determination of scandium after preconcentration on XAD-4 resin impregnated with nalidixic acid

An on-line scandium preconcentration and determination method was developed with spectrophotometer associated with flow injection. Scandium from aqueous sample solution of pH 4.5 was selectively retained in the minicolumn containing XAD-4 resin impregnated with nalidixic acid at a flow rate of 11.8 mL min^?1 as scandium–nalidixic acid complex. The scandium complex was desorbed from the resin by 0.1 mol L^?1 HCl at a flow rate of 3.2 mL min^?1 and mixed with arsenazo-III solution (0.05 % solution in 0.1 mol L^?1 HCl, 3.2 mL min^?1) and taken to the flow through cell of spectrophotometer where its absorbance was measured at 640 nm. The preconcentration factors obtained were 35 and 155; detection limits of 1.4 and 0.32 μg L^?1 and sample throughputs of 40 and 11 were obtained for preconcentration time of 60 and 300 s, respectively. The tolerance limits of many interfering cations like Th(IV), U (VI), rare-earths and anions like tartrate, citrate, oxalate and fluoride were improved. The method was successfully applied to the determination of scandium from mock seawater samples and good recovery was obtained. The method was also validated on certified reference material IAEA-SL-1 (lake sediment) and the result was in good agreement with the reported value.     

Spectrophotometric determination of uranium with arsenazo-III in the presence of N-cetyl-N,N,N-tri-methylammonium bromide as surfactant

A simple, sensitive and efficient spectrophotometric method is proposed for rapid determination of uranium using arsenazo-III in perchloric acid. The reaction between arsenazo-III and U(VI) was instantaneous in 3 mol L⁻¹ HClO_4. N-cetyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide was used for increasing the sensitivity and selectivity of the complex. The absorbance remains stable for over 48 h in the presence of surfactant. The method allows the determination of uranium in the range of 1–20 μg g⁻¹ with a molar absorptivity of 3.9 × 10⁵ dm³ mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 681 nm. Sandell’s sensitivity of the complex was calculated to be 6.4 ng cm⁻² at λ_max 681 nm. A significant enhancement was achieved in the sensitivity of the proposed method whereas, Relative Standard Deviation was reduced from 4.5 to 1.7% in the presence of surfactant. Among various diverse ions studied, fluoride, cyanide, citrate, sulfate and phosphate interfere beyond the tolerance limit. Among cations only Cr³⁺ and Co²⁺ decreased the normal absorbance. The validity of the reported method was tested by determining uranium in the environmental water samples and Standard Reference Material. The results agreed closely with the reported values. The proposed method is new, easy in operation and better in sensitivity than many of the existing methods.     

Organosilica composite for preconcentration of phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions

A new adsorbent is proposed for the solid-phase extraction of phenol and 1-naphthol from polluted water. The adsorbent (TX-SiO₂) is an organosilica composite made from a bifunctional immobilized layer comprising a major fraction (91%) of hydrophilic diol groups and minor fraction (9%) of the amphiphilic long-chain nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 (polyoxyethylated isooctylphenol) (TX). Under static conditions phenol was quantitatively extracted onto TX-SiO₂ in the form of a 4-nitrophenylazophenolate ion associate with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. The capacity of TX-SiO₂ for phenol is 2.4 mg g⁻¹ with distribution coefficients up to 3.4 × 10⁴ mL g⁻¹; corresponding data for 1-naphthol are 1.5 mg g⁻¹ and 3 × 10³ mL g⁻¹. The distribution coefficient does not change significantly for solution volumes of 0.025–0.5 L and adsorbent mass less than 0.03 g; 1–90 μg analyte can be easily eluted by 1–3 mL acetonitrile with an overall recovery of 98.2% and 78.3% for phenol and 1-naphthol, respectively. Linear correlation between acetonitrile solution absorbance (A ₅₄₀) and phenol concentration (C) in water was found according to the equation A ₅₄₀ = (6 ± 1) × 10⁻² + (0.9 ± 0.1)C (μmol L⁻¹) with a detection range from 1 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ (0.9 μL g⁻¹) to 2 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ (19 μL g⁻¹), a limit of quantification of 1 μL g⁻¹ (preconcentration factor 125), correlation coefficient of 0.936, and relative standard deviation of 2.5%. A solid-phase colorimetric method was developed for quantitative determination of 1-naphthol on adsorbent phase using scanner technology and RGB numerical analysis. The detection limit of 1-naphthol with this method is 6 μL g⁻¹ while the quantification limit is 20 μL g⁻¹. A test system was developed for naked eye monitoring of 1-naphthol impurities in water. The proposed test kit allows one to observe changes in the adsorbent color when 1-naphthol concentration in water is 0.08–3.2 mL g⁻¹.     

Interaction of Molybdenum(VI) with Methyliminodiacetic Acid at Different Ionic Strengths by Using Parabolic,Extended Debye-Hückel and Specific Ion Interaction Models

The main aim of this research is to study the complexation of molybdenum(VI) with methyliminodiacetic acid in NaClO₄ aqueous solutions at pH = 6.00 and ionic strengths (0.1<I/mol⋅dm⁻³<1.0) at 25 °C by using potentiometric and UV spectrophotometric measurements in order to obtain thermodynamic stability constants at I=0 mol⋅dm⁻³. A comparison with previous literature data was made for the stability constants, though few data were available. The stability constants data have been analyzed and interpreted by using extended Debye-Hückel theory, specific ion interaction theory and parabolic model. Finally it might be concluded that parabolic model applies better for this complexation reaction.     

The effect of sodium benzoate and sodium 4-(phenylamino)benzenesulfonate on the corrosion behavior of low carbon steel

Abstract  

The effect of sodium benzoate (SB) and sodium 4-(phenylamino)benzenesulfonate (SPABS) on the corrosion behavior of low carbon steel has been investigated using gravimetric method in the temperature range of 30–80 °C, velocity range of 1.44–2.02 m s⁻¹ and concentration range of 6.94 × 10⁻⁴ to 4.16 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ SB and 3.69 × 10⁻⁴ to 2.06 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ SPABS. Optimization of temperature, fluid velocity, and inhibitors concentration has been made. The obtained results indicate that the inhibition efficiency (w _IE %) at 1.56 m s⁻¹ is not in excess of 81.5% at 4.16 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ SB and 84.4% at 2.06 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ SPABS. The inhibitive performance of these compounds showed an improvement with increasing concentration up to critical values of SB and SPABS; beyond these concentrations no further effectiveness is observed. These inhibitors retard the anodic dissolution of low carbon steel by protective layer bonding on the metal surface. The adsorption of SB and SPABS on the low carbon steel surface was found to obey the Freundlich isotherm model. The FT-IR spectroscopy was used to analyze the surface adsorbed film.     

Kinetics and mechanism of interaction of hexaaquachromium(III) with <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-Dopa in aqueous medium: comparative antiparkinsonian studies

The kinetics and mechanism of the substitution reaction between [Cr(H₂O)₆]³⁺ and l-Dopa in aqueous medium has been studied over the range 1.8 ≤ pH ≤ 2.6, 1.68 × 10⁻² mol dm⁻³ ≤ [Dopa] ≤ 5.04 × 10⁻² mol dm⁻³, I = 0.1 mol dm⁻³ (KNO₃) at 50 °C. The reaction takes place via an outer sphere association between Cr³⁺ and l-Dopa followed by chelation. The product was characterized by physicochemical and infrared spectroscopic methods. The antiparkinsonian activity of the product was found to be higher than that of l-Dopa.     

Synthesis of chitosan resin possessing a phenylarsonic acid moiety for collection/concentration of uranium and its determination by ICP-AES

A chitosan resin possessing a phenylarsonic acid moiety (phenylarsonic acid type chitosan resin) was developed for the collection and concentration of trace uranium prior to inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectrometry (AES) measurement. The adsorption behavior of 52 elements was systematically examined by packing it in a minicolumn and measuring the elements in the effluent by ICP mass spectrometry. The resin could adsorb several cationic species by a chelating mechanism, and several oxo acids, such as Ti(IV), V(V), Mo(VI), and W(VI), by an anion-exchange mechanism and/or a chelating mechanism. Especially, U(VI) could be adsorbed almost 100% over a wide pH region from pH 4 to 8. Uranium adsorbed was easily eluted with 1 M nitric acid (10 mL), and the 25-fold preconcentration of uranium was achieved by using a proposed column procedure, which could be applied to the determination of trace uranium in seawater by ICP-AES. The limit of detection was 0.1 ng mL⁻¹ for measurement by ICP-AES coupled with 25-fold column preconcentration.     

Kinetic determination of silver at trace level based on its catalytic effect on a ligand substitution reaction

It is observed that Ag(I) catalyzes the rate of substitution of phenylhydrazine (PhNHNH₂) into hexacyanoferrate(II), producing a cherry red colored complex, [Fe(CN)₅PhNHNH₂]³⁻. The reaction was monitored at 488 nm leading to the formation of the complex under the conditions: [Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ (5.0 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³), PhNHNH₂ (2.0 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³), temperature (25 ± 0.1 °C), pH (2.8 ± 0.02), and ionic strength, I (0.02 mol dm⁻³), (KNO₃). Under optimum conditions, absorbance at fixed times (A _t ) is linearly related to Ag(I) in the concentration range 10.79–97.08 ng cm⁻³, in the presence of several diverse ions. The highest percentage error and relative standard deviations in the entire range of Ag(I) determination are found to be 2.5% and 0.16, with a detection limit of 8.75 ng cm⁻³ of silver(I). The experimental accuracies expressed in terms of percentage recoveries are in the range of 97.87–102.50. The method was successfully applied for the determination of Ag(I) in a few synthetic samples and found to be in good agreement with those obtained from atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The validity of the proposed method has also been tested for Ag(I) determination in spiked drinking water samples. The present catalytic kinetic method (CKM) is highly sensitive, selective, reproducible, and inexpensive. A review of recently published catalytic spectrophotometric methods for determination of Ag(I) has also been presented for comparison.