Spectrophotometric determination of mercury in water samples after preconcentration using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction

A simple method for the determination of mercury in water samples after preconcentration using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction is described. The procedure is based on the extraction of mercury in the form of a complex and its subsequent determination by spectrophotometry. The complex is formed between Hg(II) and 2-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-p-cresol. The detection at 650 nm is performed directly in the metal-rich phase, which is spread on a triacetylcellulose membrane. The method eliminates the need to use a cuvet or large quantities of samples and reagents. The parameters that influence the preconcentration were studied, and the analytical characteristics were determined. The enrichment factor and the consumptive index for this method were 64 and 0.16 mL, respectively. The LOD (3.3 microg/L) and LOQ (11.1 microg/L) were also determined. The accuracy of the method was tested by the determination of mercury in certified reference materials BCR 397 (Human Hair) and SRM 2781 (Domestic Sludge). The method was applied to the determination of mercury in samples of drinking water, sea water, and river water.     

Studies of C<Subscript>8</Subscript> aromatics adsorption in BaY and mordenite molecular sieves using the headspace technique

A headspace technique, that consists in analyzing the composition of the vapor phase in equilibrium with the condensed phase of a mixture in a sealed vial containing the adsorbent sample, has been recently applied to acquire equilibrium data for adsorption of xylenes in liquid phase. In this study, we used this technique to measure experimental binary equilibrium data for C₈ aromatics in Y and mordenite zeolitic molecular sieves. For the Y zeolite, we also measured C₈ aromatics quaternary equilibrium data. Measurements were made at temperatures between C 40–80 °C. A more tedious, but traditional, chromatographic pulses method was also used to validate some of the results.     

Dermal collagen organization in Bufo ictericus and in Rana catesbeiana integument (Anuran, Amphibian) under the evaluation of laser confocal microscopy

Collagen structural organization plays an important role in the mechanical property of the vertebrate integument. Bufo ictericus and Rana catesbeiana integument was investigated by light microscopy and laser confocal microscopy. Collagenous elements of the dermis were statistical analyzed. The integument is formed by the keratinized squamous stratified epidermis supported by the dermis that is subdivided into the spongious layer with a loose arrangement, and the compact layer formed by collagenous fibers arranged compactly in a criss-crossed manner. Thick collagenous columns have a perpendicular trajectory, and are formed by the assembling of alternating collagenous lamellae in both animals. Short intercolumns of collagenous fibrils connecting collagenous lamellae obliquely or transversally are observed in R. catesbeiana dorsal integument. The present study provides evidences that B. ictericus and R. catesbeiana integument has well-organized compact dermis, constituted by collagenous lamellae in a plywood manner. The integument organization is in contrast to the literature in some aspects. This dermal arrangement is important to the biomechanical property of both anuran integuments.     

Total syntheses of oxygenated brazanquinones via regioselective homologous anionic Fries rearrangement of benzylic O-carbamates

Using new variations of anionic aromatic chemistry, the total synthesis of oxygenated brazanquinones (1a-1c), derived from beta-brasan, a natural product isolated from Caesalpina echinata, via carbamates 2a-2c is described.     

First-principles calculations of BC4N nanostructures: stability and electronic structure

In this work, we apply first-principles methods to investigate the stability and electronic structure of BC₄N nanostructures which were constructed from hexagonal graphite layers where substitutional nitrogen and boron atoms are placed at specific sites. These layers were rolled up to form zigzag and armchair nanotubes, with diameters varying from 7 to 12 Å, or cut and bent to form nanocones, with 60^° and 120^° disclination angles. The calculation results indicate that the most stable structures are the ones which maximize the number of B–N and C–C bonds. It is found that the zigzag nanotubes are more stable than the armchair ones, where the strain energy decreases with increasing tube diameter D, following a 1/D ² law. The results show that the 60^° disclination nanocones are the most stable ones. Additionally, the calculated electronic properties indicate a semiconducting behavior for all calculated structures, which is intermediate to the typical behaviors found for hexagonal boron nitride and graphene.     

Electronic properties of Fibonacci and random Si-Ge chains

In this paper we address a theoretical calculation of the electronic spectra of an Si-Ge atomic chain that is arranged in a Fibonacci quasi-periodic sequence, by using a semi-empirical quantum method based on the Hückel extended model. We apply the Fibonacci substitutional sequences in the atomic building blocks A(Si) and B(Ge) through the inflation rule or a recursion relation. In our ab initio calculations we use only a single point, which is sufficient for considering all the orbitals and charge distribution across the entire system. Although the calculations presented here are more complete than the models adopted in the literature which take into account the electronic interaction only up to the second and third neighbors, an interesting property remains in their electronic spectra: the fractality (which is the main signature of this kind of system). We discuss this fractality of the spectra and we compare them with the random arrangement of the Si-Ge atomic chain, and with previous results based on the tight-binding approximation of the Schr?dinger equation considering up to the nearest neighbor.     

Optical properties of B x N y C z monolayers

We apply first-principles methods, based on the density functional theory, to investigate the optical properties of B _x N _y C _z hybrid monolayers containing domains. It is observed that the energy structure of such compounds exhibits bound excitons in the near-infrared region. Moreover, such compounds present an extraordinary absorptive capacity in the visible spectrum, which makes them important candidates for future solar cells applications.