Carbon nanotubes as solid-phase extraction sorbents prior to atomic spectrometric determination of metal species: A review

New materials have significant impact on the development of new methods and instrumentation for chemical analysis. From the discovery of carbon nanotubes in 1991, single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes – due to their high adsorption and desorption capacities – have been employed as sorption substrates in solid-phase extraction for the preconcentration of metal species from diverse matrices. Looking for successive improvements in sensitivity and selectivity, in the past few years, carbon nanotubes have been utilized as sorbents for solid phase extraction in three different ways: like as-grown, oxidized and functionalized nanotubes. In the present paper, an overview of the recent trends in the use of carbon nanotubes for solid phase extraction of metal species in environmental, biological and food samples is presented. The determination procedures involved the adsorption of metals on the nanotube surface, their quantitative desorption and subsequent measurement by means of atomic spectrometric techniques such as flame atomic absorption spectrometry, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry or inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry/mass spectrometry, among others. Synthesis, purification and types of carbon nanotubes, as well as the diverse chemical and physical strategies for their functionalization are described. Based on 140 references, the performance and general properties of the applications of solid phase extraction based on carbon nanotubes for metal species atomic spectrometric determination are discussed.     

Approaching an extinction point in one-dimensional semilinear heat equations with strong absorption

This paper deals with the Cauchy problem u_t − u_xx + u^p = 0; − ∞ < x < + ∞, t>0, u(x, 0) = u₀(x); − ∞ < x < + ∞, where 0 < p < 1 and u₀(x) is continuous, nonnegative, and bounded. In this case, solutions are known to vanish in a finite time T, and interfaces separating the regions where u(x, t) > 0 and u(x, t) = 0 appear when t is close to T. We describe here all possible asymptotic behaviours of solutions and interfaces near an extinction point as the extinction time is approached. We also give conditions under which some of these behaviours actually occur.     

Triazine‐Carbon Nanotubes: New Platforms for the Design of Flavin Receptors

The synthesis of functionalised carbon nanotubes as receptors for riboflavin (RBF) is reported. Carbon nanotubes, both single‐walled and multi‐walled, have been functionalised with 1,3,5‐triazines and p‐tolyl chains by aryl radical addition under microwave irradiation and the derivatives have been fully characterised by using a range of techniques. The interactions between riboflavin and the hybrids were analysed by using fluorescence and UV/Vis spectroscopic techniques. The results show that the attached functional groups minimise the π‐π stacking interactions between riboflavin and the nanotube walls. Comparison of p‐tolyl groups with the triazine groups shows that the latter have stronger interactions with riboflavin because of the presence of hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the triazine derivatives follow the Stern–Volmer relationship and show a high association constant with riboflavin. In this way, artificial receptors in catalytic processes could be designed through specific control of the interaction between functionalised carbon nanotubes and riboflavin.     

Computational techniques applied to the study of the oxidation kinetics of iron and molybdenum cyanocomplexes by peroxynitrous acid

The oxidation kinetics of iron and molybdenum cyanocomplexes by peroxynitrous acid were studied by computational techniques. The rate constants of ONOOH decomposition and substrate oxidation were calculated by fitting the experimental data to the solution of the ordinary differential equations mechanism. There is a linear relationship between the rate constants which is solved by varying the initial concentration of one of the reactive species. The rate constants of the steps involved in ONOOH decomposition were also determined following the same procedure and considering a linear relationship between the rate constants. The results are consistent with the values previously found using the conventional method of integration, and they validate the prior steady state assumption. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.