Flow-injection simultaneous determination of selenium(IV) and selenium(IV + VI) using photooxidative coupling of p-hydrazinobensenesulfonic acid with N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine

A flow-injection spectrophotometric method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of selenium(IV) and (IV + VI) at nanogram per milliliter levels. It is based on the catalytic effect of selenium(IV) on the photooxidative coupling of p-hydrazinobenzenesulfonic acid (HBS) with N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine (NED) to form an azo dye (λ_max = 538 nm). In this reaction, bromide acted as an activator for the catalysis of selenium(IV) and an reducer for selenium(VI) to selenium(IV) in an acidic medium which allowed the determination of selenium(IV + VI). A sample solution, being split by Y-piece into two portions, passed through the low-temperature coil (4 m, 25 °C) and the high-temperature coil (20 m, 100 °C). By monitoring the absorbance of the dye produced in the two portions, selenium(IV) and (IV + VI) in the range of 0.2–6 ng ml⁻¹ were determined simultaneously. The relative standard deviations for 3 ng ml⁻¹ selenium(IV) and (VI) (n = 10) were 1.2 and 1.3%, respectively. There were few interfering ions in the selenium determination. The proposed method was applied to the determination of selenium(IV) and (VI) in natural water samples.     

Release Characteristics of Iodine Encapsulated in Cyclodextrins

The effect of cyclodextrins (CDs) on water solubility of iodine was investigated. Modified CDs greatly enhanced the solubility of iodine. On the contrary, enhancement by natural CDs was rather moderate whereby the solubility was only doubled at the highest β-CD concentration examined. Desorption experiment of iodine from solution was carried out with addition of various CDs to study the effect of CDs on iodine retention. α-CD was the most efficient in retarding iodine desorption. Later, various concentrations of α-CD were used in the desorption experiment to observe its volatile suppression effect and determine the stability constant of iodine/α-CD complexation. At α-CD concentration of 10.3 mM, no lost of iodine from the solution was detected. A model was developed for desorption of iodine from the solution based on mass transfer theory. The stability constant K given by this model was 3.28×10⁴ M⁻¹ which was in the same order as the value estimated in this study by solubility method and as well those reported by other authors. In release experiments of solid state inclusion complexes, stability of inclusion complex powders decreased in the order of α-CD>β-CD>randomly methylated β-CD (RM-β-CD).     

Absolute determination method using chirality for glufosinate and bialaphos by gamma-cyclodextrin modified capillary zone electrophoresis.

A novel absolute determination method using chirality without any calibration curves or comparison standards has been proposed for phosphorus-containing amino acid-type herbicides, glufosinate (D,L-GLUF) and bialaphos (BIAL). This method is based on a change in the enantiomeric ratio after the spiking of a known amount of the enantiomers with different enantiomeric ratios to a sample. D,L-GLUF was determined by adding a known amount of L-GLUF to the sample, derivatizing them with dansyl chloride, and measuring the ratio of the peak area of the D-isomer to that of the L-isomer by means of gamma-cyclodextrin modified capillary zone electrophoresis. The accuracy and precision of the method were evaluated using a synthetic sample. The mean values obtained for D- and L-GLUF agreed with the values taken within 1.6%; also the reproducibility was as good as less than 2.8%. The determination of BIAL was achieved by determining GLUF quantitatively produced by the acid hydrolysis of BIAL. The proposed methods were applied to the analysis of commercial herbicides and the validity and usefulness were evaluated.     

Structural design of stimuli‐responsive bioconjugated hydrogels that respond to a target antigen

Stimuli‐responsive bioconjugated hydrogels that can respond to a target antigen (antigen‐responsive hydrogels) were prepared by introducing antigen‐antibody bindings as reversible crosslinks into the gel networks. The preparation conditions of the antigen‐responsive hydrogels and the mechanism of the antigen‐responsive behavior were investigated, focusing on bioconjugated hydrogel structures. This article also focuses on the effect of semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (semi‐IPN) structures on the antigen‐responsive swelling/shrinking behavior of bioconjugated hydrogels with antigen‐antibody bindings. The preparation conditions and the network structures of the bioconjugated hydrogels are discussed in relation to designing antigen‐responsive hydrogels. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2144–2157, 2009     

Uptake of iodine and bromine by ion-exchange resins in aqueous solution

The uptakes of molecular iodine and bromine by both strong acid cation (Dowex 50W-X4 and X8) and strong base anion (Dowex 1-X4 and X8) exchange resins have been studied in aqueous solutions at 25 degrees C. An empirical formula for the amount of solute taken up by the resin in mmol per gram of dry resin, Q, as a function of the solute concentration in M (mol dm(-3)), C, was derived. Direct proportional relationships between Q and C have been found, except for the bromine-anion exchanger system. In contrast to the cation-exchange resin, the anion exchanger exhibits extremely high affinity for I(2) and Br(2).     

Spatial variations in larch needle and soil δ15N at a forest–grassland boundary in northern Mongolia

The spatial patterns of plant and soil δ¹⁵N and associated processes in the N cycle were investigated at a forest–grassland boundary in northern Mongolia. Needles of Larix sibirica Ledeb. and soils collected from two study areas were analysed to calculate the differences in δ¹⁵N between needle and soil (Δδ¹⁵N). Δδ¹⁵N showed a clear variation, ranging from ?8?‰ in the forest to ?2?‰ in the grassland boundary, and corresponded to the accumulation of organic layer. In the forest, the separation of available N produced in the soil with ¹⁵N-depleted N uptake by larch and ¹⁵N-enriched N immobilization by microorganisms was proposed to cause large Δδ¹⁵N, whereas in the grassland boundary, small Δδ¹⁵N was explained by the transport of the most available N into larch. The divergence of available N between larch and microorganisms in the soil, and the accumulation of diverged N in the organic layer control the variation in Δδ¹⁵N.     

Optimization of a primary X-ray filter for X-ray fluorescence analysis of uranium and plutonium

When workers are wounded at a nuclear fuel handling facility, it is difficult to quantify actinide contamination through α-particle counting because these particles are shielded by blood. To overcome this problem, we used X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis with a handheld-type device that is useful in cases where sampling is not allowed, such as in this study. In XRF analysis, a primary X-ray filter made of metal foil is generally inserted between the X-ray tube and the sample to attenuate the incident X-ray at the energy region of the XRF signal for the target element. Doing so can reduce the background signal originating from the scattered radiation of the incident X-ray. In this study, we aimed to optimize a primary X-ray filter that facilitates simultaneous high-sensitivity analysis of uranium and plutonium in a wound. For this purpose, XRF measurements were performed for a needle-puncture wound model contaminated by U and Pu, and the relationship between the filter material/thickness and the detection limit was investigated. Optimizing the filter material/thickness of a given target element was found to improve the detection limit of the measurement by ~10%.     

FT-IR-ATR observation of SiOH and SiH in the oxide layer on an Si wafer

FT-IR-ATR (Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance) technique was used to measure the SiOH and SiH contents in the thermal oxide films grown on Si wafers. It was found that the SiOH groups in the bulk could be eliminated by low temperature annealing, whereas SiOH at the Si/SiO₂ interface could only be removed by high temperature annealing. It was also found that gamma ray irradiation generated SiOH and SiH in the thin oxide film.