A197Au and57Fe mössbauer study of the roasting of refractory gold ores

The transformation of chemically bound gold into metallic gold during industrial scale roasting of an arsenical gold ore concentrate from the Fairview Mine, Eastern Transvaal, has been studied quantitatively by¹⁹⁷Au Mössbauer spectroscopy. The iron compounds in the concentrate, mainly FeAsS and FeS₂ and their transformations during roasting have been studied by⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. The bound gold is found to convert into the metal in parallel to the decomposition of FeAsS and the increase in cyanide leachability. this shows that the refractory character of the ore is caused by the chemical bonding of the gold rather than by the physical inclusion of small, discrete metallic particles in the matrix of FeAsS or FeS₂. The ratio of thef-factors of gold bound in the FeAsS component of a refractory ore and of metallic gold was determined to bef(Au:FeAsS)/f(Au)=1.48±0.09.     

High resolution Dopplerimetry of correlated angular and quantum state-resolved CO(2) scattering dynamics at the gas-liquid interface

Full three dimensional (3D) translational distributions for quantum state-resolved scattering dynamics at the gas-liquid interface are presented for experimental and theoretical studies of CO(2) + perfluorinated surfaces. Experimentally, high resolution absorption profiles are measured as a function of incident (θ(inc)) and scattering (θ(scat)) angles for CO(2) that has been scattered from a 300 K perfluorinated polyether surface (PFPE) with an incident energy of E(inc) = 10.6(8) kcal mol(-1). Line shape analysis of the absorption profiles reveals non-equilibrium dynamics that are characterized by trapping-desorption (TD) and impulsive scattering (IS) components, with each channel simply characterized by an effective "temperature" that compares very well with previous results from rotational state analysis [Perkins and Nesbitt, J. Phys. Chem. A, 2008, 112, 9324]. From a theoretical perspective, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of CO(2) + fluorinated self-assembled monolayer surface (F-SAMs) yield translational probability distributions that are also compared with experimental results. Trajectories are parsed by θ(scat) and J, with the results rigorously corrected by flux-to-density transformation and providing comparisons in near quantitative agreement with experiment. 3D flux and velocity distributions obtained from MD simulations are also presented to illustrate the role of in- and out-of-plane scattering.     

Supercritical fluid chromatography hyphenated with twin comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography for ultimate analysis of middle distillates

This paper reports the conditions of online hyphenation of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) with twin comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (twin-GC × GC) for detailed characterization of middle distillates; this is essential for a better understanding of reactions involved in refining processes. In this configuration, saturated and unsaturated compounds that have been fractionated by SFC are transferred on two different GC × GC columns sets (twin-GC × GC) placed in the same GC oven. Cryogenic focusing is used for transfer of fractions into the first dimension columns before simultaneous GC × GC analysis of both saturated and unsaturated fractions. The benefits of SFC–twin-GC × GC are demonstrated for the extended alkane, iso-alkane, alkene, naphthenes and aromatics analysis (so-called PIONA analysis) of diesel samples which can be achieved in one single injection. For that purpose, saturated and unsaturated compounds have been separated by SFC using a silver loaded silica column prior to GC × GC analysis. Alkenes and naphthenes are quantitatively recovered in the unsaturated and saturated fractions, respectively, allowing their identification in various diesel samples. Thus, resolution between each class of compounds is significantly improved compared to a single GC × GC run, and for the first time, an extended PIONA analysis of diesel samples is presented.     

Public understanding of science and the perception of nanotechnology: the roles of interest in science,methodological knowledge,epistemological beliefs,and beliefs about science

In this article, we report data from an online questionnaire study with 587 respondents, representative for the adult U.S. population in terms of age, gender, and level of education. The aim of this study was to assess how interest in science and knowledge as well as beliefs about science are associated with risk and benefit perceptions of nanotechnology. The findings suggest that the U.S. public is still rather unfamiliar with nanotechnology. Those who have some knowledge mainly have gotten it from TV and the Internet. The content of current media reports is perceived as fairly positive. Knowledge of scientific methods is unrelated to benefit and risk perceptions, at least when other predictors are controlled. In contrast, positive beliefs about science (e.g., its impact on economy or health) and more sophisticated epistemological beliefs about the nature of scientific knowledge are moderately linked to more positive perceptions of nanotechnology. The only exception is the perception of scientific uncertainty: This is associated with less positive evaluations. Finally, higher engagement with science is associated with higher risk perceptions. These findings show that laypersons who are engaged with science and who are aware of the inherent uncertainty of scientific evidence might perceive nanotechnology in a somewhat more differentiated way, contrary to how it is portrayed in the media today.     

Interaction between inner and outer layer in drag-reduced turbulent flows

Effects of wall-based skin-friction drag reduction strategies on the statistical properties of large-scale motions in moderate Reynolds number turbulent flows have been investigated by exploiting Direct Numerical Simulation of turbulent channels. To educe large scales, a new efficient parallel distributed memory algorithm has been implemented which delivers data-driven modes of increasing characteristic lengthscales: the Fast and Adaptive Bidimensional Empirical Mode Decomposition (FABEMD). The influence of wall-based skin friction reduction on large scales is studied by comparing single point statistics, such as r.m.s. fluctuations, and two-point statistics, as cross-correlation functions in controlled and uncontrolled channel flow fields at constant friction Reynolds number. The traditional way of observing large-scale footprinting at the wall, as cross-correlation of the streamwise velocity components at different wall distances, has been found to be unreliable when comparing drag-reduced flows, due to the arbitrary choice of a reference plane in the logarithmic layer. A more sound way of observing the footprinting via the correlation of the streamwise velocity with the friction velocity is addressed and shows an increase of the footprinting in drag-reduced flows. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Evaluation,Pitfalls and Recommendations for the “Water Layer Test” for Solid Contact Ion‐selective Electrodes

The “water layer test” is a crucial validation step of solid‐contact ion‐selective electrodes. It can confirm or contest the claim that the tested electrode is indeed a genuine solid contact electrode without an aqueous film between the ion‐selective membrane and its solid contact. Information about the presence of a water layer is essential for the interpretation of drifts in the electrode potentials commonly experienced with solid contact electrodes. Since its publication, the water layer test has been ubiquitously used, but without a standardized protocol the interpretation (or misinterpretation) of the test results led to uncertainties in the conclusions. Through both experiments and simulations based on theoretical models we have investigated the experimental parameters that can influence the results of the water layer test. We propose guidelines to minimize the possibility of misinterpretation of the results of the water layer test by considering the key factors that affect the shape of transients recorded during the water layer test. Most importantly, we emphasize the importance of allowing sufficient time for conditioning the tested electrode before the water layer test and providing adequate time for equilibration during the experiment. Using a thin ion‐selective membrane and thin solid‐contact layer for the tests is also recommended.     

Quantitation of diethylene glycol monoethyl ether in citrus oils

The use of diethylene glycol monoethyl ether as a flavor solvent is restricted. Since existing methods of quantitation are tedious or require sophisticated multi-dimensional GC instrumentation, a simple method has been developed using low cost GC-MS. Monitoring of ions 31 and 45 enables quantitation of DEGEE in essential oils at levels down to 1 μg/g with accuracy equal to or better than 15%.