Nickel determination in saline matrices by ICP-AES after sorption on Amberlite XAD-2 loaded with PAN

In the present paper, a solid phase extraction system for separation and preconcentration of nickel (ng g⁻¹) in saline matrices is proposed. It is based on the adsorption of nickel(II) ions onto an Amberlite XAD-2 resin loaded with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) reagent. Parameters such as the pH effect on the nickel extraction, the effect of flow rate and sample volume on the extraction, the sorption capacity of the loaded resin, the nickel desorption from the resin and the analytical characteristics of the procedure were studied. The results demonstrate that nickel(II) ions, in the concentration range 0.10–275 μg l⁻¹, and pH 6.0–11.5, contained in a sample volume of 25–250 ml, can be extracted by using 1 g Amberlite XAD-2 resin loaded with PAN reagent. The adsorbed nickel was eluted from the resin by using 5 ml 1 M hydrochloric acid solution. The extractor system has a sorption capacity of 1.87 μmol nickel per g of Amberlite XAD-2 resin loaded with PAN. The precision of the method, evaluated as the R.S.D. obtained after analyzing a series of seven replicates, was 3.9% for nickel in a concentration of 0.20 μg ml⁻¹. The proposed procedure was used for nickel determination in alkaline salts of analytical grade and table salt, using an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy technique (ICP-AES). The standard addition technique was used and the recoveries obtained revealed that the proposed procedure shows good accuracy.     

Optical energy storage properties of Sr<Subscript>2</Subscript>MgSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>:Eu<Superscript>2+</Superscript>,R<Superscript>3+</Superscript> persistent luminescence materials

The details of the mechanism of persistent luminescence were probed by investigating the trap level structure of Sr₂MgSi₂O₇:Eu²⁺,R³⁺ materials (R: Y, La-Lu, excluding Pm and Eu) with thermoluminescence (TL) measurements and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The TL results indicated that the shallowest traps for each Sr₂MgSi₂O₇:Eu²⁺,R³⁺ material above room temperature were always ca. 0.7 eV corresponding to a strong TL maximum at ca. 90 °C. This main trap energy was only slightly modified by the different co-dopants, which, in contrast, had a significant effect on the depths of the deeper traps. The combined results of the trap level energies obtained from the experimental data and DFT calculations suggest that the main trap responsible for the persistent luminescence of the Sr₂MgSi₂O₇:Eu²⁺,R³⁺ materials is created by charge compensation lattice defects, identified tentatively as oxygen vacancies, induced by the R³⁺ co-dopants.     

Investigation of thermal behavior of Heliotropium indicum L. lyophilized extract by TG and DSC

Thermogravimetric (TG) techniques and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) used for the study of pre-formulation or drug–adjuvant compatibility have been gaining importance in Brazil. These techniques are being used for the verification of possible interactions between drugs and adjuvants. Aiming at studying the behavior of a plant extract and its mixture with adjuvants, using these thermoanalytical techniques the plant species Heliotropium indicum L. was used. This plant which is originally from India and has been well acclimatized in Brazil has healing and anti-inflammatory properties. The methodology for obtaining the extract followed the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia methodology. And the incorporation of the extract with adjuvants was through binary mixtures (1:1 w/w). The TG and DSC curves were obtained under nitrogen atmosphere (25 mL min^?1) at a heating rate of 5 °C min^?1; TG tests were analyzed within a temperature range from 25 to 600 °C and DSC from 25 to 300 °C. The TG curves show good thermal stability of the extract and its mixtures with adjuvants up to 150 °C, except the propylene glycol (PLG). The DSC curves revealed an incompatibility of the extract with methylparaben and PLG mixture.     

Infrared thermography applied for high-level current density identification over planar microwave circuit sectors

This work presents a new method for indirect identification of sectors with high current density concentration in planar microwaves devices. The method consists in the use of infrared thermography (IRT) to determine the superficial two-dimensional temperature field of the device. The results agree well with those obtained with the method that makes use of electromagnetic (EM) simulation using commercial software of numerical analysis.     

Lignocellulosics to biofuels: An overview of recent and relevant advances

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European ring exercise on water toxicity using different bioluminescence inhibition tests based on Vibrio fischeri, in support to the implementation of the water framework directive

An inter-laboratory comparison exercise was conducted under the European Union funded project entitled: Screening Methods for Water Data Information in Support of the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive (SWIFT-WFD) and coordinated by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), in order to evaluate the reproducibility of different toxicity tests based on the bioluminescence inhibition of Vibrio fischeri, for the rapid water toxicity assessment.For the first time, this type of exercise has been organized in Europe, and using different tests based on the same principle. In this exercise, 10 laboratories from 8 countries (Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, and Spain) took place, and a total number of 360 samples were distributed.During the exercise, six series of six samples were analyzed along 5 months. Every batch of samples was composed by three real samples and three standard solutions. The real samples were: a raw influent and the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and a sample from a first settlement of the WWTP spiked with a mixture of toxicant standards.A final number of 330 (91.7%) samples was analyzed, 3300 values in duplicate were collected, and the results for each sample were expressed as the 50% effective concentration (EC₅₀) values calculated through five points of dilution inhibition curves, after 5 and 15 min of incubation times.A statistical study was initiated using 660 results. The mean values, standard deviations (σ), variances (σ²), and upper and lower warning limits (UWL and LWL) were obtained, using the EC₅₀ values calculated with the result from the participating laboratories.The main objectives of this toxicity ring study were to evaluate the repeatability (r) and reproducibility (R) when different laboratories conduct the test, the influence of complex matrix samples, the variability between different tests based on the same principle, and to determine the rate at which participating laboratories successfully completed tests initiated.In this exercise, the 3.93% toxicity values were outliers according with the Z-score values and the Dixon test. The samples with the greater number of outliers were those with the smallest variability coefficient, corresponding to the greater and the smaller toxicity level.No relation was found through the cluster analysis, between the final results and the different commercial devices involved. Testing by multiple commercial devices did not appear to reduce the precision of the results, and the variability coefficient for the exercise was nearby to the average value for past editions carried out at national level, where the different participants used the same commercial device.Stability of samples was also followed during the exercise. While statistical significance differences were not found for the greater part of samples, for the sample from the WWTP influent, a significant decrease of the toxicity value was found along this study. Nevertheless, this was a type of sample with a high toxicity level during all the exercise.On the other hand, in order to obtain the chemical characterization of real samples, those were analyzed by chromatographic techniques, using different sequential solid phase extraction (SSPE) procedures, followed by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Good agreement was found between the chemical analysis results and the toxicity level of the samples.     

Determination of detergent and dispensant additives in gasoline by ring-oven and near infrared hypespectral imaging

A method using the ring-oven technique for pre-concentration in filter paper discs and near infrared hyperspectral imaging is proposed to identify four detergent and dispersant additives, and to determine their concentration in gasoline. Different approaches were used to select the best image data processing in order to gather the relevant spectral information. This was attained by selecting the pixels of the region of interest (ROI), using a pre-calculated threshold value of the PCA scores arranged as histograms, to select the spectra set; summing up the selected spectra to achieve representativeness; and compensating for the superimposed filter paper spectral information, also supported by scores histograms for each individual sample. The best classification model was achieved using linear discriminant analysis and genetic algorithm (LDA/GA), whose correct classification rate in the external validation set was 92%. Previous classification of the type of additive present in the gasoline is necessary to define the PLS model required for its quantitative determination. Considering that two of the additives studied present high spectral similarity, a PLS regression model was constructed to predict their content in gasoline, while two additional models were used for the remaining additives. The results for the external validation of these regression models showed a mean percentage error of prediction varying from 5 to 15%.     

(μ‐2,6‐Bis{[(2‐hydroxy­phenyl)­(2‐pyri­dyl­methyl)­amino]­methyl}‐4‐methyl­phenolato)­bis­[di­aqua­nickel(II)] ace­tate dimethyl­formamide 0.75‐hy­drate

The binuclear cation of the title compound, [Ni₂(C₃₃H₂₉­N₄O₃)(H₂O)₄]C₂H₃O₂·C₃H₇NO·0.75H₂O, was synthesized as a model for the active site of urease. Two tridentate halves of the symmetrical 2,6‐bis{[(2‐hydroxy­phenyl)(2‐pyridyl­methyl)­amino]­methyl}‐4‐methyl­phenolate (BPPMP^3?) ligand are arranged in a meridional fashion around the two Ni^II ions, with the phenoxo O atom bridging the Ni^II ions. The cation has an approximate twofold rotation axis running through the C—O bond of the bridging phenolate group. Four water mol­ecules complete the octahedral environment of each Ni^II ion.     

Theoretical-experimental study of formic acid photofragmentation in the valence region

Photoionization and photofragmentation studies of formic acid (HCOOH) are performed for the valence shell electron ionization process. The total and partial ion yield of gaseous HCOOH were collected as a function of photon energy in the ultraviolet region, between 11.12 and 19.57 eV. Measurements of the total and partial ion yield of gaseous formic acid molecule are performed with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer at the Synchrotron Light Brazilian Laboratory. Density functional theory and time dependent density functional theory are employed to calculate the ground and excited electronic state energies of neutral and ionic formic acid as well as their fragments and normal vibration modes. The ionization potential energies, the stability of electronic excited states of HCOOH(+), and the energies of opening fragmentation channels are estimated from theoretical-experimental analysis. Additionally, the main formic acid photofragmentation pathways by exposition of photons within that energy range are determined experimentally. These produced ions primarily have the following mass/charge ratios: 46 (HCOOH(+)), 45 (COOH(+)), 29 (HCO(+)), and 18 (H(2)O(+)).