Contribution of neutron activation analysis to a geochemical study of contamination by arsenic,antimony, selenium and molybdenum

A method for arsenic, antimony, selenium and molybdenum determination in water, loess and volcanic glasses, by radiochemical neutron activation analysis based on coprecipitation with Bi₂S₃ in hydrochloric medium, is described. The results of application to a study of natural contamination in the south-eastern region of the province of Córdoba, Republic of Argentina, are presented and discussed.     

2D mapping by Kohonen networks of the air quality data from a large city

The 15-variable environmental data (7 concentrations: CO, SO2, O3, NOx, NO, NO2, particulate matter smaller than 10 micron (PM10), and 8 weather data: cloudiness, rainfall, insolation factor (Isfi), temperature, pressure at two locations, and wind intensity with direction) in a period of 45 days with 1-h intervals were extracted from a larger database of concentrations recorded in minute intervals for the same time period. The monitoring site was located in the City of Buenos Aires in a relatively heavy traffic crossroad of two avenues. The data required special pretreatment where the hourly content of rain, wind intensity, wind velocity, and cloudiness were concerned. The new variable named insolation factor (relative UV radiation) calculated on the basis of the general meteorological data, the geographic position of the monitoring site, cloudiness, date, and the time of the recording was composed. The relative intensity of UV radiation was modeled by a Gaussian function, multiplied by a cloudiness factor. Based on the 14-variable input and the 1-variable output (ozone) data, first, the clustering of all 980 data records was made. The top map clustering showing the ozone concentration was related to the maps of all 14 variables. The link between O3 clusters, NO2, and Isfi weight levels is shown and discussed. As a preliminary result of this study some of the most interesting correlations between the maps and remaining variables are given.     

On-column derivatization and analysis of amino acids, peptides, and alkylamines by anhydrides using capillary electrophoresis

This work demonstrates the use of an in-capillary procedure for derivatization of amino acids, peptides, and alkylamines by anhydrides using capillary electrophoresis (CE). Migrating in an uncoated fused-silica capillary, plugs of substrate and anhydride are injected separately and electrophoresed. Differential transport velocities permit the separate zones to penetrate each other under an applied field, thereby facilitating reaction. In initial experiments the extent of reaction between tryptophan and acetic anhydride was examined and product amounts quantitated by CE. In separate experiments a series of amino acids and peptides were injected into the capillary and reacted with phthalic anhydride on-column to yield the phthalic derivatized species. Finally, on-column derivatization of alkylamines with phthalic anhydride was investigated and electrophoretic mobility related to molecular weight of the derivatized amines. These procedures illustrate the use of the capillary as a microreactor in the facile synthesis of derivatized molecules and ease of quantitation of reaction products under conditions of electrophoresis.     

Determination of Fluoride by Alf-MAS in N2O-C2H2 Flame: Application to Toothpaste

A new chemical method for the determination of fluoride in samples with high fluoride content such as toothpaste is reported. It is based on the formation of the AlF molecule in a N₂O-C₂H₂ flame. This radical absorbs radiation at 227.45 nm from a Pt hollow cathode lamp. The developed method is very fast and relatively free from interference and has been applied to determine ionic and covalently bound fluoride in toothpaste.     

Thermodynamic and electrochemical aspects ofp-tert-butylcalix[n]arenes (n=4, 6, 8) and their interactions with amines

Attention is drawn to the need of detailed thermodynamics in calixarene chemistry. The reasons for increasing efforts in this area are underlined and suggestions for new issues to be addressed are given. The solution thermodynamics ofp-tert-butylcalix[n]arenes (n=4, 6, 8) is discussed with particular reference to transfer Gibbs energies which reflect the selective solvation that the tetramer and the octamer undergo in the various solvents. This is followed by recent solution studies on amine-p-tert-butylcalix[n]arene (n=4, 6, 8) in nitrobenzene and in benzonitrile at 298.15 K which indicate the lower acidic character of the tetramer relative to the hexamer and the octamer in these solvents. As an implication of these results, very low conductivities are observed in studies involving the interaction of the former with amines. Thus, thermodynamic studies suggest thatp-tert-butylcalix[4]arene interacts with triethylamine in benzonitrile and in nitrobenzene through hydrogen bonding or ion-pair formation. A thermodynamic cycle is used to investigate the effect associated with the interaction of the amine with the tetramer in these solvents.This paper is dedicated to the commemorative issue on the 50th anniversary of calixarenes.     

A coated piezoelectric crystal sensor for acetic acid vapour determination

A novel sensor for acetic acid vapour determination is proposed. This sensor is based on a piezoelectric crystal covered with a film of diethylenetriamine. For the sensor development a system of our own design-consisting of testing chamber, oscillator circuit and measure instruments-has been employed. The sensor shows its activity to the acetic acid vapours for more than 60 days. The selectivity is adequate although some vapours interfere: hydrochloric acid, formic acid, formaldehyde, tributyl phosphate, chloroform, chlorobenzene, acetone and isobutylmethylketone. The sensor described can be applied to detect acetic acid vapours in the presence of other vapours: acetonitrile, acrolein, benzene, n-hexane, ethanol, propanol, n-butyl acetate, isopropyl ether, isoamyl alcohol, ethyl ether, methylene chloride, carbon tetrachloride and toluene. The major advantages of the proposed sensor over other existing techniques are its simplicity, reduced cost and capacity for use in situ.     

Conformational free energies of 1,2-dichloroethane in nanoconfined methanol

Monte Carlo simulations have been used to construct free energy surfaces of 1,2-dichloroethane dissolved in methanol confined in hydrophobic spherical cavities of varying size (10-15 A) and solution density (0.6-0.79 g/cm3). The free energy surfaces are functions of two variables: the (center-of-mass) distance from the cavity wall of 1,2-dichloroethane and the Cl-C-C-Cl dihedral angle. Umbrella sampling and the weighted histogram analysis method were used to obtain accurate results for the free energy in these two degrees of freedom. Our results indicate that the conformational equilibrium and the barrier to internal rotation of the 1,2-dichloroethane depend on the position in the cavity. The results are discussed in the context of the solvent density, orientational distributions, and packing effects.     

Morphology characterization of emulsions by differential scanning calorimetry

This article is a review of some results obtained by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) for characterizing the morphology of emulsions. In a classical DSC experiment, an emulsion sample is submitted to a regular cooling and heating cycle between temperatures that include freezing and melting of the dispersed droplets. By using the thermograms found in the literature for various emulsions, how to get information about the solidification and melting, the presence of solute, the emulsion type, the transfer of matter, the stability and the droplet size is shown.     

Intramolecular allyl transfer reaction from allyl ether to aldehyde groups: experimental and theoretical studies

The intramolecular transfer of the allyl group of functionalized allyl aryl ethers to an aldehyde group in the presence of Ni0 complexes was studied from chemical, electrochemical and theoretical points of view. The chemical reaction involves the addition of Ni0 to the allyl ether followed by stoichiometric allylation. The electrochemical process is catalytic in nickel and involves the reduction of intermediate eta3-allylnickel(II) complexes.     

Spectroscopic characterization of hydroxide and aqua complexes of Fe(II)-protoheme, structural models for the axial coordination of the atypical heme of membrane cytochrome b6f complexes

Electronic absorption and resonance Raman (RR) spectra are reported for hydroxide and aqua complexes of iron(II)-protoporphyrin IX (Fe(II)PP) respectively formed in alkaline and neutral aqueous solutions. These compounds with weak axial ligand(s) represent a biomimetic approach of the unusual coordination of the atypical heme c(i) of membrane cytochrome b6f complexes. Absorption spectra and spectrophotometric titrations show that Fe(II)PP in alkaline aqueous cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr) binds one hydroxide ion, forming a five-coordinated high-spin (HS) complex. In alkaline aqueous ethanol, we confirm the formation of a dihydroxy complex of Fe(II)PP. In the RR spectra of Fe(II)PP dissolved in neutral aqueous CTABr, a mixture of a four-coordinated intermediate spin form with an HS monoaqua complex (Fe(II)PP(H2O)) was observed. The spectroscopic information obtained for Fe(II)PP(OH-), Fe(II)PP(H2O), and Fe(II)PP(OH-)2 was compared with that previously reported for the 2-methylimidazole and 2-methylimidazolate complexes of Fe(II)PP, representative of the most common axial ligation in HS heme proteins. This investigation reveals a very remarkable analogy in the spectral properties of, in one hand, the Fe(II)PP(H2O) and mono-2-methylimidazole complexes and, in the other hand, the Fe(II)PP(OH-) and mono-2-methylimidazolate complexes. The comparisons of the absorption and RR spectra of Fe(II)PP(OH-) and Fe(II)PP(OH-)2 clearly establish that both a redshift of the pi-pi electronic transitions and an upshift of the v8 RR frequency are spectral parameters indicative of porphyrin doming in HS ferrous complexes. Based upon isotopic substitutions (16OH-,16OD-, and 18OH-), stretching modes of the Fe-OH bond(s) of a ferrous porphyrin were assigned for the first time, i.e., at 435 cm(-1) for Fe(II)PP(OH-) (nu(Fe(II)-OH-)) and at 421 cm(-1) for Fe(II)PP(OH-)2 (nu(s)(Fe(II)-(OH-)2). The spectroscopic and redox properties of Fe(II)PP(H2O), Fe(II)PP(OH-), and heme c(i) were discussed and favor a water coordination for the heme c(i) iron.