Effect of the surfactant alkyl chain length on the stabilisation of lyotropic nematic phases

Lyotropic quaternary mixtures of potassium alkanoates (KCx) and sodium alkyl sulphates (NaCxS), where x is the number of carbon atoms in their alkyl chains, were prepared to investigate the effect of the surfactant alkyl chain length on the stabilisation of lyotropic nematic phases. The lyotropic mixtures investigated were formed by the dissolution of KCx (NaCxS) surfactants in the mixture of Rb₂SO₄/1-decanol/water (Na₂SO₄/1-decanol/water), separately. The uniaxial-to-biaxial nematic phase transitions were identified from the temperature dependence of the birefringences of the nematic phases by means of laser conoscopy. The micelle dimensions were obtained from small-angle X-ray scattering measurements. It was observed that the increase in the surfactant alkyl chain length causes the micellar growth in the plane perpendicular to the main amphiphile bilayer. The surfactant alkyl chain length plays a key role on the shape anisotropy of micelles, which triggers the orientational fluctuations that are responsible for the stabilisation of the different lyotropic nematic phases.     

Non-abelian local reciprocity law

Following our work on the generalized Fesenko reciprocity map, we construct the non-abelian local reciprocity map ${\pmb{\Phi}_K^{(\varphi)}}$ of a local field K as a certain isomorphism from the absolute Galois group G _K of K onto a topological group ${\nabla_{K,Y}^{(\varphi)}}$ whose definition involves Fontaine–Wintenberger theory of field of norms, and build the non-abelian local class field theory over K in the sense of Fesenko and Koch.     

Analyzing the harmonic wave propagation in the layered thick tubes

In this study, the propagation of time harmonic waves in prestressed, anisotropic elastic tubes filled with viscous fluid is studied. The fluid is assumed to be incompressible and Newtonian. A two layered hyperelastic anisotropic structural model is used for the compliant arterial wall. The tube is subjected to a static inner pressure P_i and an axial stretch λ. The governing differential equations of tube are obtained in cylindrical coordinates, utilizing the theory of “Superposing small deformations on large initial static deformations”. The analytical solutions of the equations of motion for the fluid have been obtained. Due to variability of the coefficients of the resulting equations for the solid body they are solved numerically. The dispersion relation is obtained as a function of the stretch and material parameters.     

Electrochemical determination of mesoscopic phenomena, defect states in CdSe nanocrystals and charge carrier manipulability

The review gives an overview of cyclic voltammetry measurements performed on CdSe nanocrystals (so called Quantum Dots). Data of relevant publications is gathered and newly interpreted to give complete insights in charge transfer processes at QD surfaces. In specific, it is focused on the size-dependent electronic properties (Quantum-Size-Effect), the characterisation of surface defects, and the characterisation of hybrid nanocrystal/conducting polymer composites. First two authors contribute equally to this work Correspondence: Thomas Nann, School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K.     

Thiocyanate separation by imprinted polymeric systems

Novel polymers for the specific recognition of thiocyanate ion (SCN) have been prepared by template polymerization of SCN with chitosan-Zn(II), the N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilan-Zn(II) complex, epichlorohydrin, and tetraethoxysilane. After removal of SCN, the imprinted beads have been used for solid-phase extraction of SCN from aqueous solutions. Optimised conditions for SCN separation are reported with respect to sample pH for the quantitative preconcentration and desorption. Competitive adsorption of fluoride and phosphate has been investigated and selectivity coefficients are given for these ions with respect to SCN.     

Quantification of multi-class antibiotics by UHPLC–MS/MS analysis combined with salt-assisted acetonitrile extraction: comparative evaluation of dairy and poultry manure

ABSTRACT

A comprehensive multiresidue method for the analysis of 33 antibiotics from 7 prevalent classes was comparably investigated for both dairy and poultry manure samples, which can be important pollution sources for the release of antibiotics into the environment. Following salting-out-assisted extraction with acetonitrile, the antibiotics were quantified with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry without a clean-up step. By changing the composition of the mobile phase for chromatography, a pronounced signal enhancement was achieved not only for tetracyclines (TCs) but also for other groups of antibiotics in the manure samples. Although the physicochemical properties of selected antibiotics were quite different, the apparent recovery values from dairy and poultry manure samples by using an extraction solvent comprising McIlvaine buffer and ethylenediaminetetraacetic solution at pH 3 were 86–121% and 89–113%, respectively. Apparent recovery of the antibiotics was not remarkably affected by the extraction solvent over a wide range of pH values, with the exception of the recovery of TC antibiotics from poultry manure, which was in the 53–55% range at pH 8. Furthermore, the poor performance of the analytical method for a few of the antibiotics in poultry manure was correlated with high metal and organic contents of the complicated matrix. The high suppression effects of co-eluted matrix components were compensated by constructing matrix-matched calibration curves and by using internal standards. Simultaneous quantification of seven different antibiotic classes with low limit of detection values varying from 0.38 to 31 μg kg^?1 for dairy manure and from 0.32 to 5.85 μg kg^?1 for poultry manure facilitated their monitoring. The application of the developed analytical method to dairy, broiler and layer-hen manure samples from confined animal feeding operations showed that a wide variety of antibiotics at high concentrations were found in broiler manure.     

On-line speciation and determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in drinking and waste water samples by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled with atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple, rapid, and selective on-line method for the speciation and determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in aqueous solutions by ion-pairing HPLC coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) is described. The composition of the mobile phase has been optimized for better separation. The effects of column temperature, volume of injection loop, fuel flow rate of FAAS, and nebulizer suction rate of FAAS have also been investigated. Separation is accomplished in almost 2.5 min on a 25 cm length C18 column at 40 degrees C. The selectivity of the method has been established by investigating the effect of interfering elements on chromium determination. The detection limit (3sigma) achieved by the method was calculated as 3.7 ng/mL for Cr(III) and 2.0 ng/mL for Cr(VI). The proposed method has been validated by analyzing certified reference material (BCR 544) and successfully applied to the analysis of drinking water and wastewater samples with a relative error below 6%.     

Spectrophotometric determination of the soil fumigant: dazomet with copper(II)-neocuproine reagent

A spectrophotometric method has been developed for the assay of dazomet, a soil fumigant effective for the control of nematodes, germinating weeds and soil fungi, using the copper(II)-neocuproine (2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) oxidizing reagent. A highly colored copper(I)-neocuproine chelate formed immediately in ammonium acetate-buffered solution a result of the redox reaction with dazomet, and its concentration measured from the absorbance at 453 nm using a molar absorptivity of (3.35±0.15)×10⁴ l mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹ for dazomet, the LOD for soil being 1-2 ppm. Dazomet in commercial formulations (such as Basamit, BASF) and soil extract could be measured by the developed method which was rapid (color development took 5 min), and cost-effective. The developed method was as precise as the CIPAC HPLC method (at 95% confidence level) using a nucleosil 100-5 C₁₈ column with UV detection. The degradation of dazomet in different types of forestry soil, i.e. sandy, loamy and clay soils to which moisture and Basamit in recommended doses were applied, was followed kinetically using the developed procedure. The proposed method is much simpler than the US-EPA and CIPAC methods of dazomet assay, and is applicable to on-site colorimetry for field use (via retention of the colored copper(I)-neocuproine cation on an acidic cation exchanger) where rapid detection of dazomet residues and breakdown products is required. The method was not interfered with common soil ions and 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), a fumigant used in combination with dazomet.