On the interaction of Taylor bubbles rising in two-phase co-current slug flow in vertical columns: turbulent wakes

An experimental study on the interaction between Taylor bubbles rising through a co-current flowing liquid in a vertical tube with 32 mm of internal diameter is reported. The flow pattern in the bubble's wake was turbulent and the flow regime in the liquid slug was either turbulent or laminar. When the flow regime in the liquid slug is turbulent (i) the minimum distance between bubbles above which there is no interaction is 5D-6D; (ii) the bubble's rising velocity is in excellent agreement with the Nicklin relation; (iii) the experimental values of the bubble length compare well with theoretical predictions (Barnea 1990); (iv) the distance between consecutive bubbles varied from 13D to 16D and is insensitive to the liquid Reynolds number. When the flow regime in the liquid slug is laminar (i) the wake length is about 5D-6D; (ii) the minimum distance between bubbles above which there is no interaction is higher than 25D; (iii) the bubble's rising velocity is significantly smaller than theoretical predictions. These results were explained in the light of the findings of Pinto et al. (1998) on coalescence of two Taylor bubbles rising through a co-current liquid. Received: 2 February 2000 / Accepted: 15 March 2001     

207Pb N.M.R. of lead(II) soaps in solid,liquid-crystalline and liquid phases

Abstract

²⁰⁷Pb N.M.R. data are reported for a number of even chain length lead(II) carboxylates (soaps) at various temperatures. At room temperature, the solid lead(II) decanoate and tetradecanoate show similar spectra, with a single metal ion site, and modest shielding anisotropy. As the temperature is increased, the soaps (hexanoate to octadecanoate) all form a highly ordered smectic phase, which gives a very broad ²⁰⁷Pb signal of linewidth comparable to that of the solid phase. At higher temperatures, the hexanoate to dodecanoate soaps form a lamellar L _α (smectic A) phase, whilst the longer chain length carboxylates melt directly to the liquid phase. Both the lamellar L _α and liquid phase give fairly sharp, isotropic signals, whose chemical shifts and linewidths are strongly temperature dependent. Possible explanations for this effect include paramagnetic contributions to the shielding tensor from low-lying electronic states of Pb(II), and contributions to the observed signal from different coordination species produced in the lead(II) carboxylate system. Although there are discrete changes in chemical shift at the phase transition, the magnitudes observed in all the phases are similar, suggesting that there are no dramatic changes in the metal coordination environment.     

Stable isotope ratios of carbon and hydrogen to distinguish olive oil from shark squalene‐squalane

Squalene and its hydrogenated derivate squalane are widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. The two compounds are mainly produced from the liver oil of deep sea sharks and from olive oil distillates. Squalene and squalane from shark cost less than the same compounds derived from olive oil, and the use of these shark‐derived compounds is unethical in cosmetic formulations. In this work we investigate whether ¹³C/¹²C and ²H/¹H ratios can distinguish olive oil from shark squalene/squalane and can detect the presence of shark derivates in olive oil based products. The ¹³C/¹²C ratios (expressed as δ¹³C values) of bulk samples and of pure compounds measured using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) were significantly lower in authentic olive oil squalene/squalane (N: 13; ?28.4 ± 0.5‰; ?28.3 ± 0.8‰) than in shark squalene/squalane samples (N: 15; ?20.5 ± 0.7‰; ?20.4 ± 0.6‰). By defining δ¹³C threshold values of ?27.4‰ and ?26.6‰ for olive oil bulk and pure squalene/squalane, respectively, illegal addition of shark products can be identified starting from a minimum of 10%. ²H/¹H analysis is not useful for distinguishing the two different origins. δ¹³C analysis is proposed as a suitable tool for detecting the authenticity of commercial olive oil squalene and squalane samples, using IRMS interfaced to an elemental analyser if the purity is higher than 80% and IRMS interfaced to a gas chromatography/combustion system for samples with lower purity, including solutions of squalane extracted from cosmetic products. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of the Structure–Activity Relationship of Rifabutin and Analogs: A Drug–Membrane Study

This work focuses on the influence of rifabutin and two novel analogs, namely, N′‐acetyl‐rifabutin and N′‐butanoyl‐rifabutin, on the biophysical properties of lipid membranes. Monolayers and multilamellar vesicles composed of egg L ‐α‐phosphatidylcholine:cholesterol in a molar ratio of 4:1 are chosen to mimic biological membranes. Several accurate biophysical techniques are used to establish a putative relationship between the chemical structure of the antimycobacterial compounds and their activity on the membranes. A combination of in situ experimental techniques, such as Langmuir isotherms, Brewster angle microscopy, polarization‐modulated infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy, and small‐angle X‐ray scattering, is used to assess the drug–membrane interaction. A relationship between the effect of a drug on the organization of the membranes and their chemical structure is found and may be useful in the development of new drugs with higher efficacy and fewer toxic effects.     

Ultraviolet Radiation Induces Filamentation in Bacterial Assemblages from North Andean Patagonian Lakes

Through laboratory experiments, we tested whether UV radiation (UVR) induces filamentation in natural bacteria assemblages from North Andean Patagonian lakes. We incubated water from three different lakes for 72 h in four separate treatments: (1) UVR + PAR (photosynthetically active radiation), (2) 50% UVR + PAR, (3) PAR and (4) 50% PAR. The irradiance levels used in the experiments were equivalent to those registered at the epilimnion of the lakes. In the UVR treatments filamentation was induced after the first 24 h and the proportion continued to increase for the next 48–72 h. A comparison of the gross composition and diversity of the entire community (cells >0.2 μm) with bacterial filaments alone (>5.0 μm) showed that UVR-induced filamentation is not a feature of any particular cluster. By sequencing part of the 16S rRNA gene of the taxonomic units obtained using denaturing gels, we observed that strains in the β-Proteobacteria group were of relatively high importance in filament formation, followed by Cytophaga–Flavobacterium–Bacteroides, γ-Proteobacteria and α-Proteobacteria, whereas Actinobacteria were almost nonexistent in the filaments. We propose that UVR doses equivalent to those of Andean lakes produce bacterial morphological changes, and that all bacterial groups except Actinobacteria can potentially form filaments.     

An Efficient Synthesis of New 5‐(1‐Aryl‐1H‐pyrazole‐4‐yl)‐1H‐tetrazoles from 1‐Aryl‐1H‐pyrazole‐4‐carbonitriles via [3 + 2] Cycloaddition Reaction

A series of new 5‐(1‐aryl‐1H‐pyrazole‐4‐yl)‐1H‐tetrazoles 4a‐l were synthesized via [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction from 1‐aryl‐1H‐pyrazole‐4‐carbonitriles 3a‐l , sodium azide and ammonium chloride, using dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent, in good yields: 64–85%. The structures of these newly synthesized compounds were determined from the IR, ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopic data and elemental analyses.     

Characterization of dust material emitted during harbour activities by k<Subscript>0</Subscript>-INAA and PIXE

The growing concern about air quality in harbours is a result of the high impact of the operations on human health and environment. Harbour activities such loading, unloading and transport of dusty materials are important emission sources of Atmospheric particulate matter (APM). The assessment of these fugitive emissions is a difficult task because they depend on the materials, the type of operation and the meteorological scenarios. The main objectives of this work were (1) to evaluate if the techniques k₀-based Instrumental neutron activation analysis (k₀-INAA) and Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) are suitable techniques to assess fugitive emissions in harbours and (2) to estimate the impact of harbour activities on APM levels and composition. Several experimental campaigns were carried out in a Portuguese harbour, during unloading operations of fertilizer and phosphorite provided from Syria and Morocco. PM_2.5 and PM_2.5–10 were collected, in polycarbonate filters, by Gent samplers. The techniques k₀-INAA and PIXE were applied as sensitive analytical tools to perform a complete chemical characterization of the collected samples. Results showed that manipulation of these materials during harbour operations resulted in high emissions of particles, principally from the coarse fraction. These emissions were very affected by the granulometry and nature of the handled materials. Fertilizer emissions were characterized by high concentration of Ca, P, K, Cr, Br and Zn, whereas phosphorite handling contributed principally for the increase of Ca, P and Cr levels.     

Preparation and characterization of low dispersity anionic multiresponsive core-shell polymer nanoparticles

We prepared anionic multistimuli responsive core-shell polymer nanoparticles with very low size dispersity. By using either acrylic acid (AA) or methacrylic acid (MA) as a comonomer in the poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) shell, we are able to change the distribution of negative charges in the nanoparticle shell. The particle size, volume phase transition temperature, and aggregation state can be modulated using temperature, pH, or ionic strength, providing a very versatile platform for applications in sensors, medical diagnostics, environmental remediation, etc. The nanoparticles have a glassy poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) core of ca. 40 nm radius and a cross-linked PNIPAM anionic shell with either AA or MA comonomers. The particles, p(N-AA) and p(MA-N), respectively, have the same total charge but different charge distributions. While the p(MA-N) particles have the negative charges preferentially distributed toward the inner shell, in the case of the p(N-AA) particles the charge extends more to the particle outer shell. The volume phase transition temperature (T(VPT)) of the particles is affected by the charge distribution and can be fine-tuned by controlling the electrostatic repulsion on the particle shell (using pH and ionic strength). By suppressing the particle charge we can also induce temperature-driven particle aggregation.