Trace determination of lanthanum,cerium, and praseodymium based on adsorptive stripping voltammetry

A sensitive stripping procedure is described for quantifying lanthanum, cerium and praseodymium ions, based on the controlled adsorptive accumulation of the lanthanide/o- cresolphthalexon complex onto the static mercury drop electrode. The effect of various operational parameters on the stripping response is discussed. A 20-min accumulation period coupled with differential pulse measurement of the current resulting from the adsorbed complex permits quantitation down to the 1 × 10^?10 M level. For concentrations ranging from 2.5 × 10^?8 M to 2.5 × 10^?9 M, a 0.5- to 4-min accumulation period is sufficient. The relative standard deviation ar the 7 × 10^?8 M level ranges from 1 to 6%.     

Scales of Basicity Based on Thermochemical Data of Adducts

Using the values of standard molar enthalpy of reaction for dimethylethyleneurea (dmeu),dimethylformamide (dmf), dimethylacetamide (dma), tetramethylurea (tmu),hexamethylphosphoramide (hmpa) and pyridine (py) with the acids BF₃, SbCl₅, ZnCl₂ and AsCl₃, it is shown that, in terms of acid-base behaviour, ZnCl₂ is closer to BF₃, which differs from SbCl₅. Furthermore, the equation −Δ_r H _m(ZnCl₂) = − [1.26⋅Δ_r H _m(BF₃)]−56.99 correlates with the standard molar enthalpy of reaction for the same set of molecules with ZnCl₂ and BF₃. A similar equation was obtained to estimate the enthalpy of reaction with AsCl₃: −Δ_r H _m(AsCl₃) = − [4.12⋅Δ_r H _m(BF₃)]− 417.82. It is also shown that, for hmpa and tmu, sterical hindrance is a prominent factor that influences the coordination chemistry of the acidic centres, whose deviation from the linearity can be considered as a measure for the steric contribution to Δ_r H _m. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

DNA Determination in the Presence of Copper in Diluted Alkaline Electrolyte by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry at the Mercury Film Electrode

A stripping method for the determination of single‐stranded DNA in presence of copper at the submicromolar concentration levels is described. The method is based on controlled adsorptive accumulation of adenine (from acid‐treated DNA) at thin‐film mercury electrode followed by linear scan voltammetry measurement of the surface species. Optimum experimental conditions were found to be the use of a 5.0×10^?3 M NaOH solution, an accumulation potential of ?0.40 V and a scan rate of 200 mV s^?1. The response of adenine–copper is linear over the concentration range 50–250 ppb. For an accumulation time of 15 minutes, the detection limit was found to be 4 ppb. The more convenient relation to measuring the ssDNA in presence of metals and nitrogenated bases were also investigated. The utility of the method is demonstrated by the presence of adenosine‐triphosphate (ATP) and amino acids.     

Thermal degradation study of gadolinium and lutetium methanesulfonates

The synthesis, characterization and thermal degradation study of gadolinium and lutetium methanesulfonates is reported. The prepared salts were characterized by elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy. The thermal degradation study was performed by using thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). By using thermogravimetric data, a kinetic study of the dehydration of Gd and Lu methanesulfonates is performed employing the Coats-Redfern and Zsakó methods. It is verified that under heating, the gadolinium and lutetium methanesulfonates suffer three main processes: dehydration, thermal degradation and oxide formation. The thermal degradation products were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and X-diffractometry. Furthermore, depending on the atmosphere nature, i.e. inert or oxidant, the thermal degradation process could be endothermic (N₂) or exothermic (air).     

Enhanced electro-oxidation of ethanol using PtSn/CeO2–C electrocatalyst prepared by an alcohol-reduction process

PtSn/CeO₂–C electrocatalysts were prepared by an alcohol-reduction process using ethylene glycol as solvent and reduction agent and CeO₂ and Vulcan Carbon XC72 as supports. The electrocatalysts were characterized by EDX and XRD. The electro-oxidation of ethanol was studied at room temperature by chronoamperometry. PtSn/CeO₂–C electrocatalyst with 15 wt% of CeO₂ showed a significant increase of performance for ethanol oxidation compared to PtSn/C catalyst. Preliminary tests at 100 °C on a single cell of a direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) also confirm the results obtained by chronoamperometry.     

Poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-poly(ethyleneoxide) -block-poly(ε-caprolactone): Biodegradable triblock copolymer spread at the air-water interface

Synthesis, characterization and behavior at the air-water interface of A-B-A triblock copolymers are reported. The copolymers consist of a poly(ethylene oxide) central block and poly(ε-caprolactone) lateral blocks. The synthesis was controlled in order to obtain central and lateral blocks of variable length. Copolymer characterization was performed by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and thermal analysis. Monolayers of the copolymers at the air-water interface were obtained by the Langmuir technique and the respective isotherms were obtained by monolayer compression. The limiting area per repeat unit (A_o) and the critical exponent of the excluded volume (ν) for spread monolayers were obtained. The static elasticity (ε₀) of the monolayers was also determined. The obtained results allow proposing a schematic model of the orientation of the different blocks during the compression of the respective monolayers.     

Adenine Determination in the Presence of Copper in Diluted Alkaline Electrolyte by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry at the Mercury Film Electrode

Highly sensitive, simple and inexpensive techniques of adenine determination are particularly interesting in relation to the present development of ATP and DNA sensors. A nanomolar concentration of adenine can be determined in the presence of copper. For an accumulation time of 30 minutes, the detection limit found was 0.22 ppb (1.63×10^?9 M). The method is based on controlled adsorptive accumulation of adenine‐copper at thin‐film mercury electrode followed by linear scan voltammetric measurement of the surface species. By applying a condition time of 60 s at ?0.9 V, the same thin‐film can be used over several measurements. Optimum experimental conditions were found to be the use of a 5.0×10^?3 M NaOH solution, an accumulation potential over the ?0.20 to ?0.40 V range, and a scan rate of 100 mV s^?1. The response of adenine‐copper is linear over the concentration range 20–100 ppb. The more convenient ways to measuring adenine in the presence of metals and other nitrogenated bases were also investigated. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are first treated with acid (e.g., 0.1 M perchloric acid), and the acid‐released adenine (without separation from others products of the degradation) is directly determined by adsorptive stripping voltammetry.     

Free and Ca-Alginate Beads Immobilized Horseradish Peroxidase for the Removal of Reactive Dyes: an Experimental and Modeling Study

The aim of this work was to remove the dyes Reactive Blue 221 (RB 221) and Reactive Blue 198 (RB 198) of synthetic effluent using the immobilized enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in Ca-alginate beads. Experimental parameters affecting the dye removal process such as the effect of pH, temperature, hydrogen peroxide concentration, mass capsules, and reuse were evaluated, and a numerical model of mass transfer was developed. A maximum removal of 93 and 75%, respectively, for the dyes RB 221 and RB 198, at pH 5.5 and temperature of 30 °C, concentration of hydrogen peroxide of 43.75 μM for dye RB 221 and 37.5 μM for the dye of RB 198 was obtained. A removal reaction of 180 min for RB 221 and 240 min for RB 198 was observed. Three reuse cycles of use of immobilized enzyme were achieved for both dyes. The numerical model proposed led to a good fit compared to experimental data. The HRP enzyme immobilized in Ca-alginate capsules showed a great potential for biotechnological applications, especially for the removal of reactive dyes.     

Biocidal Activity of a Nanoemulsion Containing Essential Oil from Protium heptaphyllum Resin against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

This work aimed to prepare a nanoemulsion containing the essential oil of the Protium heptaphyllum resin and evaluate its biocidal activities against the different stages of development of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Ovicide, pupicide, adulticide and repellency assays were performed. The main constituents were p-cymene (27.70%) and α-pinene (22.31%). The developed nanoemulsion showed kinetic stability and monomodal distribution at a hydrophilic–lipophilic balance of 14 with a droplet size of 115.56 ± 1.68 nn and a zeta potential of −29.63 ± 3.46 mV. The nanoemulsion showed insecticidal action with LC₅₀ 0.404 µg·mL⁻¹ for the ovicidal effect. In the pupicidal test, at the concentration of 160 µg·mL⁻¹, 100% mortality was reached after 24 h. For adulticidal activity, a diagnostic concentration of 200 µg·mL⁻¹ (120 min) was determined. In the repellency test, a concentration of 200 µg·mL⁻¹ during the 180 min of the test showed a protection index of 77.67%. In conclusion, the nanobiotechnological product derived from the essential oil of P. heptaphyllum resin can be considered as a promising colloid that can be used to control infectious disease vectors through a wide range of possible modes of applications, probably as this bioactive delivery system may allow the optimal effect of the P. heptaphyllum terpenes in aqueous media and may also induce satisfactory delivery to air interfaces.     

Minerals in Pregnancy and Their Impact on Child Growth and Development

During pregnancy, women undergo metabolic and physiological changes, and their needs are higher, to maintain growth and development of the fetus. If the nutritional status of the expectant mother is not satisfactory, some maternal and neonatal complications can occur. In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, there is a reserve of nutrients in the fetus that can be utilized after birth; thereby, children present an accelerated growth in the first years of life, which is a proven response to the available nutrition pattern. However, if such a pattern is insufficient, there will be deficits during development, including brain function. Therefore, despite many recent published works about gestational nutrition, uncertainties still remain on the mechanisms of absorption, distribution, and excretion of micronutrients. Further elucidation is needed to better understand the impacts caused either by deficiency or excess of some micronutrients. Thus, to illustrate the contributions of minerals during prenatal development and in children, iodine, selenium, iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium were selected. Our study sought to review the consequences related to gestational deficiency of the referred minerals and their impact on growth and development in children born from mothers with such deficiencies