Determination of pesticides in waters by capillary gas chromatography with atomic emission detection

Capillary gas chromatography with atomic emission detection (GC-AED) was successfully used to separate and quantify 14 pesticides (organochlorines, organophosphorus compounds and pyrethrins) in water samples after liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Monitoring the emission lines for elements such as chlorine, bromine and sulfur ensures nearly specific chromatograms for these elements, and markedly increases selectivity. Calibration curves were obtained by plotting peak area versus concentration and the correlation coefficients relating to linearity were at least 0.999. Each chromatographic separation takes 21 min and, since two injections are necessary, it requires approximately 1 h to analyze one sample. The method shows a precision of 4.3-8.2% (RSD), depending on the compound. The application of liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate led to recoveries from spiked samples ranging from 76 to 113%. The sensitivity and linearity for the elements chlorine, sulfur, nitrogen and phosphorus were checked under the optimized conditions at their customary emission wavelength. The sensitivity and linearity for these compounds decreased in the order (atom and emission wavelength) Cl (479 nm)>S (181 nm)>P (178 nm)>N (174 nm). A study of the GC-AED system's response to chlorine concentration in eight pesticide molecules was performed and a linear relationship was found with a correlation coefficient of 0.987.     

Characterization of three agave species by gas chromatography and solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Steam distillation (SD) extraction-solid-phase microextraction coupled to GC-MS was developed for the determination of terpenes and Bligh-Dyer extraction-derivatization coupled with GC for the determination of fatty acids such as ethyl esters were used. It was found that the three different Agave species have the same profile of fatty acids; the quantity of these compounds is different in each Agave variety. On the other hand, different terpenes were identified in the three Agave plants studied: nine in A. salmiana, eight in A. angustifolia and 32 in A. tequilana Weber var. azul.     

TTT Cure Diagram

Curing reactions of the epoxy system consisting of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (BADGE n=0) and m-xylylenediamine (m-XDA) were studied to calculate time-temperature-transformation (TTT) isothermal cure diagram for this system. Gel times were measured as a function of temperature using solubility test. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to calculate the vitrification times. DSC data show a one-to-one relationship between T _g and fractional conversion, a independent of cure temperature. As a consequence, T _g can be used as a measure of conversion. The activation energy for the polymerization overall reaction was calculated from the gel times obtained using the solubility test (41.5 kJ mol^-1). This value is similar to the results obtained for other similar epoxy systems. Isoconversion contours were calculated by numerical integration of the best fitting kinetic model. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Crystallization kinetic studies: A means to evaluate time-temperature-transformation curves. Application to metallic glasses

It is shown that the study of the kinetics of crystallization of an amorphous alloy may be used to obtain the correct form of the low temperature part of the time-temperature-transformation (T-T-T) curves. A unified review of the current kinetics of crystallization studies is presented and the general kinetic equation which gives the reaction rate as a function of temperature and crystalline fraction is shown to contain information related to theT-T-T-curves. Finally examples of application to two metallic glasses, Nd₃Fe₇₇B₂₀ and Fe_67.5Co₁₅Nb_1.5B₁₆, obtained by rapid solidification techniques are presented. The comparison between theory and experiment is satisfactory.

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Zusammenfassung Es wird gezeigt, daß die Untersuchung der Kristallisationskinetik von amorphen Legierungen genutzt werden kann, die korrekte Form des Niedertemperaturbereiches der Zeit-Temperatur-Transformation (T-T-T) Kurven zu erhalten. Es wird ein einheitlicher Überblick über die jüngsten Untersuchungen von Kristallisationskinetiken gegeben und an der allgemeinen Gleichung der Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit als eine Funktion von Temperatur und Kristallanteil wird gezeigt, daß sie Informationen bezüglich der T-T-T-Kurven beinhaltet. Letztlich wird eine Anwendung an zwei, durch schnelles Erstarren gewonnenen metallischen Gläsern Nd₃Fe₇₇B₂₀ und Fe_67.5Co₁₅Nb_1.5B₁₆ dargelegt. Zwischen Theorie und Praxis konnte eine ausreichende Übereinstimmung festgestellt werden.

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Dedicated to Professor Dr. H. J. Seifert on the occasion of his 60^th birthday

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This work was supported by the Comision Interdepartamental de Cienca y Tecnologia, CICYT (project No. MAT88-0439) which are acknowledged.     

Two Novel Sub-skeleton Types of ent-Kauranoids from Isodon gesneroides

Two novel ent-kauranoids with new sub-skeleton types, gesneroidins G and H were isolated as white powder from the ether extract of the leaves of Isodon gesneroides through normal phase column chromatography. Their structures were elucidated as 3β,6α,7β-triacetoxyl-15-hydroxyl-14-oxo-ent- 15,16-seco-kaur-11,17-olide and Iα-hydroxyl-3β,6α,7β,11 β-tetraacetoxyl-ent-nor-15,17-kaur-8,16-olide on the basis of the spectral evidences including ID and 2D NMR spectra.     

A re-statement of the Hohenberg–Kohn theorem and its extension to finite subspaces

Bearing in mind the insight into the Hohenberg–Kohn theorem for Coulomb systems provided recently by Kryachko (Int J Quantum Chem 103:818, 2005), we present a re-statement of this theorem through an elaboration on Lieb’s proof as well as an extension of this theorem to finite subspaces. Contribution to the Serafin Fraga Memorial Issue.     

Pozzolanic properties of a residual FCC catalyst during the early stages of cement hydration

The catalyst used in fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) units of refineries after several recovery cycles in regeneration units, reduces its activity and it is partially substituted by new catalyst in the process. As it has a high silicon and aluminum oxides content, the pozzolanic properties of a Brazilian FCC spent residual catalyst, used in different substitution degrees to cement, were evaluated by three thermal analysis techniques during the early stages of hydration of a type II Portland cement. NCDTA curves show in real time that the residual catalyst, accelerates the stages of cement hydration. TG and DSC curves of respective pastes after 24 h of hydration evidence the pozzolanic activity of the waste, respectively, by the lower water mass loss during the dehydroxylation of the residual calcium hydroxide and by the lower dehydroxylation endothermal effect. Within the analyzed period, the higher is the cement substitution degree, the higher is the pozzolanic activity of the residual catalyst.     

Quantum effects in ice Ih

Quantum and classical simulations are carried out on ice Ih over a range of temperatures utilizing the TIP4P water model. The rigid-body centroid molecular dynamics method employed allows for the investigation of equilibrium and dynamical properties of the quantum system. The impact of quantization on the local structure, as measured by the radial and spatial distribution functions, as well as the energy is presented. The effects of quantization on the lattice vibrations, associated with the molecular translations and librations, are also reported. Comparison of quantum and classical simulation results indicates that shifts in the average potential energy are equivalent to rising the temperature about 80 K and are therefore non-negligible. The energy shifts due to quantization and the quantum mechanical uncertainties observed in ice are smaller than the values previously reported for liquid water. Additionally, we carry out a comparative study of melting in our classical and quantum simulations and show that there are significant differences between classical and quantum ice.     

Kinetic study in water-ethylene glycol cationic, zwitterionic, nonionic, and anionic micellar solutions

The spontaneous hydrolysis of phenyl chloroformate was studied in water-ethylene glycol, EG, cationic, zwitterionic, nonionic, and anionic micellar solutions, the surfactants being tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, tetradecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate, tricosaoxyethylene glycol ether, and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The dependence of the observed rate constant on surfactant concentration as well as on the percentage by weight of EG, varying from 0 to 50 wt %, was investigated. Information about changes in the critical micelle concentrations, in the micellar ionization degrees (for ionic surfactants), in the aggregation numbers, and in the polarity of the interfacial region of the micelles upon changing the weight percent of EG was obtained through conductivity, surface tension, spectroscopic, and fluorescence measurements. A simple pseudophase model was adequate to rationalize the kinetic data. Micellar medium effects were explained by considering charge-charge interactions and polarity, ionic strength, and water content in the micellar interfacial region. The acceleration of the reaction produced by an increase in the amount of EG present in the mixture was explained on the basis of the substantial decrease in the equilibrium binding constant of phenyl chloroformate molecules to the micelles, resulting in the contribution of the reaction taking place in the bulk water-EG phase being more important. The weight percent of EG did not substantially influence the rate constant in the micellar pseudophase.