Microcalorimetric study of the effect of calcium hydroxide and temperature on the alkaline activation of coal fly ash

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The objective of this research is to know, through the flow of heat released, the effect of the addition of calcium hydroxide and the temperature on...     

Synthesis and characterization of new tetraalkylaminophosphonium chlorides

New tetraalkylaminophosphonium chlorides were readily prepared by four-fold condensation of commercially available [P(CH₂OH)₄]Cl with a range of fifteen aryl based primary amines, in EtOH, at ambient temperature. All compounds have been characterized by FT–IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Solution ³¹P{¹H} NMR studies of these chloride salts reveal their instability with respect to various P^III/P^V species. The structures of three examples have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and confirm the pseudotetrahedral arrangement around the P^V center. Extensive N–H···Cl hydrogen bonding is observed.     

XANES speciation of mercury in three mining districts – Almadén,Asturias (Spain), Idria (Slovenia)

The mobility, bioavailability and toxicity of mercury in the environment strongly depend on the chemical species in which it is present in soil, sediments, water or air. In mining districts, differences in mobility and bioavailability of mercury mainly arise from the different type of mineralization and ore processing. In this work, synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy (XANES) has been taken advantage of to study the speciation of mercury in geological samples from three of the largest European mercury mining districts: Almadén (Spain), Idria (Slovenia) and Asturias (Spain). XANES has been complemented with a single extraction protocol for the determination of Hg mobility. Ore, calcines, dump material, soil, sediment and suspended particles from the three sites have been considered in the study. In the three sites, rather insoluble sulfide compounds (cinnabar and metacinnabar) were found to predominate. Minor amounts of more soluble mercury compounds (chlorides and sulfates) were also identified in some samples. Single extraction procedures have put forward a strong dependence of the mobility with the concentration of chlorides and sulfates. Differences in efficiency of roasting furnaces from the three sites have been found.     

NEW CARBON-PHOSPHORUS BOND CONTAINING COMPOUND IN THE REACTION OF 2-ACETYLTHIOPHENE WITH PHOSPHORUS PENTACHLORIDE

Abstract

The treatment of 2-acetylthiophene with phosphorus pentachloride led, besides other products reported in previous studies, to 2-(2-thienyl)-2-chloroethenephosphonic acid in 16% yield. This compound was transformed, in the course of purification attempts, into 2-(2-thienyl)-2-oxoethanephosphonic acid. Full spectroscopic data for both compounds are provided.     

Poly(3,5‐dichloroaniline) Doped with Different Sulfonic Acids

Poly(3,5‐dichloroaniline) was prepared by chemical oxidation in the presence of various sulfonic acids as doping agent, using potassium permanganate as oxidant. 1‐Naphtalene sulfonic acid, 2‐naphatalene sulphonic acid, 1,5‐naphtalene disulfonic acid, and p‐toluenesulfonic acid were the acids of choice. Infrared and UV‐Vis spectroscopy, utilized to characterize the polymers, revealed that the compounds exist in the emeraldine (conductive) oxidation state. The level of doping, conductivity, and morphology were determined as well. The presence of a sulfonic acid produces a morphological change, from granular to microtubule structures, which is responsible for the strong increase in the conductivity of the polymer.     

Studies on drug metabolism by fungi colonizing decomposing human cadavers. Part I: DNA sequence-based identification of fungi isolated from postmortem material

Cadavers can be colonized by a wide variety of bacteria and fungi. Some of these microbes could change the concentration or the metabolic pattern of drugs present in postmortem samples. The purpose of this study was to identify fungi from human postmortem material and to further assess their potential role in the metabolism of drugs. Aliquots of 252 postmortem samples (heart blood, liver, kidney, and lung) taken from 105 moderately to severely decomposed bodies were streaked on Sabouraud agar for isolation of fungal species. One part of the samples was worked up immediately after autopsy (group I). The second part had previously been stored at ?20 °C for at least 1 year (group II). Identification of the isolates was achieved morphologically by microscopy and molecularly by polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of markers allowing species identification of the respective genera. Depending on the genus, different gene fragments were used: calmodulin for Aspergillus, β-tubulin for Penicillium, translation elongation factor 1α for Fusarium, and the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal DNA for all remaining genera. A total of 156 fungal strains were isolated from 62 % of the postmortem materials. By using these primers, 98 % of the isolates could be identified to the species level. The most common genera were Candida (60.0 %—six species), Penicillium (10.3 %—two species), Rhodotorula (7.1 %—one species), Mucor (6.4 %—four species), Aspergillus (3.2 %—four species), Trichosporon (3.2 %—one species), and Geotrichum (3.2 %—one species). Group I samples contained 53 % more fungal species than stored samples suggesting some fungi did not survive the freezing process. The isolated fungi might be characteristic for decomposed bodies. The proposed methodology proved to be appropriate for the identification of fungi in this type of material.     

Critical evaluation of the potential of radiofrequency pulsed glow discharge–time-of-flight mass spectrometry for depth-profile analysis of innovative materials

The combination of radiofrequency pulsed glow discharge (RF-PGD) analytical plasmas with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) has promoted the applicability of this ion source to direct analysis of innovative materials. In this sense, this emerging technique enables multi-elemental depth profiling with high depth resolution and sensitivity, and simultaneous production of elemental, structural, and molecular information. The analytical potential and trends of this technique are critically presented, including comparison with other complementary and well-established techniques (e.g. SIMS, GD–OES, etc.). An overview of recent applications of RF-PGD–TOFMS is given, including analysis of nano-structured materials, coated-glasses, photovoltaic materials, and polymer coatings