Microbial control of hydrogen sulfide production in a porous medium

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - The ability of a sulfide- and glutaraldehyde-tolerant strain ofThiobacillus denitrificans (strain F) to control sulfide production in an experimental system...     

Biotreatment of refinery spent sulfidic caustic by specialized cultures and acclimated activated sludge

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Sodium hydroxide solutions are used in petroleum refining to remove hydrogen sulfide from various hydrocarbon streams. The resulting sulfide-laden waste...     

Characterization and pattern recognition of oil-sand naphthenic acids using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Oil-sand naphthenic acids (NAs) are organic wastes produced during the oil-sand digestion and extraction processes and are very difficult to separate and analyze as individual components due to their complex compositions. A comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time of flight mass spectrometry (GC x GC/TOF-MS) system was applied for the characterization of two commercial mixtures of naphthenic acids (Fluka and Acros) and a naphthenic acid sample extracted from the Syncrude tailings. Contour plots of chromatographic distributions of different Z homologous series of the Fluka, Acros and Syncrude NAs were constructed using fragment ions that were characteristic of the NA's molecular structures. Well-ordered patterns were observed for NAs of Z= 0 and -2 which corresponded to acyclic acids and monocyclic acids, respectively. For NAs of Z= -4, -6, and -8, specific zones were observed which would allow the pattern recognition of these NAs obtained from different origins. As expected, gas chromatographic retention times increase with the number of the carbons and the number of rings in the molecules. Little signal was obtained for NAs with Z numbers of -10, or lower. Deconvoluted mass spectra of various NA isomers were derived from the reconstructed GC x GC chromatogram, permitting detailed structural elucidations for NAs in the future. The current study demonstrated that the combination of GC x GC and the TOF-MS is a powerful to identify origins of the NAs in an effective manner. GC x GC/TOF-MS alone, however, may not be enough to characterize each individual isomer in a complex mixture such as NAs. The use of mass deconvolution software followed by library search have thus become necessary to separate and study the mass spectrum of each individual NA component, allowing a detailed identification of the toxic components within the NAs mixture.     

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry of principal components in oilsands naphthenic acids

Naphthenic acids present formidable challenges for the petroleum industry and are a growing concern in the aquatic environment. For example, these acids are responsible for corrosion of refinery equipment, leading to the incurrence of additional costs to the consumer, and are toxic to aquatic wildlife, making disposal and remediation of contaminated waters and sediments a significant problem. The detection and characterization of naphthenic acids is therefore of considerable importance. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry is presented as a technique with inherently ultra-high mass accuracy and resolution, affording unequivocal assignments. The suitability of the technique for environmental applications is demonstrated to characterize two different commercial mixtures of naphthenic acids and one oilsands tailings pond sample.     

Trigonal-bipyramidal tin(IV) complexes containing tetradentate tripodal tristhiolatophosphine ligands: synthesis, characterization, crystal structure, and transmetalation reactions

The reactions of the lithium salts of the proligands P(C(6)H(4)-2-SH)(3) (P((H)SH)(3)), P(C(6)H(3)-3-SiMe(3)-2-SH)(3) (P((TMS)SH)(3)), and P(C(6)H(3)-5-Me-2-SH)(3) (P((Me)SH)(3)) with RSnCl(3) (R = Ph, Me, n-Bu), in THF at 0 degrees C, produced a series of trigonal-bipyramidal complexes of the type RSn(PS(3)). The crystal structures of PhSn(P(H)S(3)), PhSn(P(TMS)S(3)), and PhSn(P(Me)S(3)) reveal considerable distortion from local C(3v) symmetry for the Sn(PS(3)) group. Unique to PhSn(P(Me)S(3)) is the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between one sulfur atom and an ortho H atom of the Ph group, creating a plane that includes this S atom and the corresponding C(6)H(3) ring, a phosphorus atom, and the PhSn group. An analysis of the (1)H, (13)C, and (31)P NMR data from a combination of HMQC, HMBC, 2-D COSY, and (1)H{(31)P} NMR studies reveals that in solution the Sn(PS(3)) groups exhibit local C(3v) symmetry, even at low temperature. Byproducts frequently found in the synthesis of the proligands and tin complexes, and subsequent reactions, result from the oxidation of the trianionic tristhiolatophosphine ligand. The crystal structure of one of these, [OP((H)S(3))](2), shows that the molecule contains two ligands joined by a S-S bond. Within each original ligand the remaining two sulfur atoms form a S-S bond, and each phosphorus atom is oxidized. PhSn(P(TMS)S(3)) reacted with 2 equiv of FeCl(3) in CH(2)Cl(2) to produce the iron(IV) complex FeCl(P(TMS)S(3)). FeCl(P(TMS)S(3)) decomposed in the presence of excess FeCl(3). Similar transmetalation reactions with FeCl(2) or [Fe(2)OCl(6)](2)(-) required the addition of ferrocenium ion to complete the oxidation of iron to 4+. RuCl(P(TMS)S(3)) was prepared by the reaction between PhSn(P(TMS)S(3)) and RuCl(2)(DMSO)(4) without the addition of an external oxidizing agent.     

Determination of alkanolamines in cattails (Typha latifolia) utilizing electrospray ionization with selected reaction monitoring and ion-exchange chromatography

Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) with electrospray ionization was used as a specific detection technique for the analysis of alkanolamines in plant tissue extracts. Ion-exchange chromatography was used as the method of separation. Quantification was based on monitoring the loss of either H2O or 2(H2O) from the protonated molecule [M+H]+. The method provided increased selectivity for all analytes and better detection limits for three of the six analytes investigated compared with an earlier method using selected ion monitoring with liquid chromatography. Instrumental detection limits ranged from 6-300 pg injected for monoethanolamine (MEA), monoisopropanolamine (MIPA), diethanolamine (DEA), methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), diisopropanolamine (DIPA), and triethanolamine (TEA). Method robustness and selectivity were demonstrated by the determination of DIPA and a known transformation product MIPA in over 35 plant extract samples derived from a laboratory study of plant uptake mechanisms.     

Microbial reduction of SO2 as a means of byproduct recovery from regenerable,dry scrubbing processes for flue gas desulfurization

A project is under way at the University of Tulsa to investigate the reduction of SO₂ to H₂S by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) in co-culture with mixed fermentative heterotrophs. We have previously demonstrated that SO₂ is completely reduced to H₂S (contact times of 1–2 s) in cultures in which no redox poising agents were required and glucose served as the ultimate source of carbon energy. We have proposed that such a microbial process could be coupled with a Claus reactor to recover elemental sulfur as a byproduct of regenerable, dry scrubbing processes for flue gas desulfurization. The development of this process concept has continued with a study of the use of molasses as a source of carbon and reduced nitrogen, identification of important non-SRB heterotrophs in process cultures, and the identification of the end products of carbohydrate fermentation that serve as carbon and energy sources for the SRB and identification of the end products of SRB metabolism.     

Speciation of protein-bound trace elements by gel electrophoresis and atomic spectrometry

The metabolism of trace elements, in particular their binding to proteins in biological systems is of great importance in biochemical, toxicological, and pharmacological studies. As a result there has been a sustained interest over the last two decades in the speciation of protein-bound metals. Various analytical approaches have been employed, combining efficient separation of metalloproteins by liquid chromatography or electrophoresis with high-sensitivity elemental detection. Slab-gel electrophoresis (GE) is a key platform for high-resolution protein separation, and has been combined with autoradiography and various atomic spectrometric techniques for in-gel determination of protein-bound metals. Recently, the combination of GE with state-of-the-art inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), particularly when linked to laser ablation (LA) for direct gel interrogation, has opened up new opportunities for rapid characterization of metalloproteins. The use of GE and atomic spectrometry for the speciation of protein-bound trace elements is reviewed in this paper. Technical requirements for gel electrophoresis/atomic spectrometric measurement are considered in terms of method compatibilities, detection capability and potential usefulness. The literature is also surveyed to illustrate current status and future trends.     

The nature of the lowest excited state and photosubstitution reactivity of tetracarbonyl-1,10-phenanthrolinetungsten(0) and related complexes

Absorption and emission spectral studies of M(CO)₄L complexes (M = Cr Mo, W; L = 2,2′-bipyridine, 1,10-phenanthroline, 5-CH₃-, 5-Cl-, 5-Br-, 5-NO₂-1,10-phenanthroline) have been carried out and reveal that the lowest excited state in every case is charge-transfer (CT) in character, M→ CT in absorption, and in no case do the ligand field (LF) excited states cross below the CT state. Minimum energies of the LF states have been established by the spectroscopic study of cis-bis(pyridine)- and cis-bis(aliphatic amine)-tetracarbonylmetal(0) complexes which all have LF lowest excited states for M = Mo, W. For the M(CO)₄L complexes emission is detectable for M = Mo or W and occurs in the range 14.40-15.66 kK with lifetimes of 7.9-13.3 μsec and quantum yields of 0.02–0.09 all in EPA solution at 77 K. For the bis-pyridine and -aliphatic amine complexes emission occurs only from the W complexes and is of the order of 3.0–4.0 kK higher in energy than for the M(CO)₄L complexes. Photosubstitution of pyridine is efficient in cis-W(CO)₄(py)₂ (py = pyridine): Φ_436nm = 0.23; Φ_405nm = 0.27; and Φ_366nm = 0.23. The M(CO)₄L complexes have strongly wavelength dependent, but modest, quantum yields for CO substitution and show that the lowest CT state is unreactive. Typical values for CO substitution for M = W and L = 1,10-phenanthroline are: Φ_436nm = 1.6 × 10^?4; Φ_405nm = 1.2 × 10^?3; Φ_366nm = 9.2 × 10^?3; and Φ_313nm = 2.2 × 10^?2.     

Excited state decay of tetrahalomanganese(ii) complexes

The excitation and emission spectra and decay times of several MnX^2-₄ (X = Cl^?, Br^?, 1^?) complexes of various tetraalkylammonium, -phosphonium, and -arsonium salts have been measured for the pure solids at 298°K and 77°K. High luminescence quantum yields (0.3-1.0) reveal that lifetimes fairly accurately reflect radiative decay rates. An impressive correlation exists between the lifetime, τ, of the ⁴T₁ (G) →⁶ A₁ emission and the ligand, X: for X = Cl^?, τ = 1.2 - 3,5 x 10^?3 sec; X = Br^?, τ = 0.35 - 0.43 X 10^?3 sec; X =l^?, τ = 0.036 – 0.055 X 10^?3 sec. We attribute this decreasing lifetime largely to the enhanced spin-orbital coupling associated with the heavier halide. We find that direct population of high energy charge-transfer (CT) states gives smaller emission yields than excitations in the ligand-field (LF) region.