Determination of lead concentration and lead isotope ratios in calcium supplements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after high pressure, high temperature digestion

The presence of lead as a contaminant in calcium supplements has aroused considerable public health interest in recent years. In this investigation lead and lead isotope ratios were determined by ICP-MS in ten brands of calcium supplements after high pressure/temperature digestion. Calcium supplements (200 to 250 mg) were digested in 2 mL of nitric acid at 230?°C and at a pressure of 1770 psi (1.2 × 10⁴ kPa). Lead concentrations were determined by matrix-matched lead standards prepared in a high-purity calcium carbonate matrix. Good recoveries of lead and calcium were obtained for certified animal bone reference material. High levels of Pb (8 to 28 μg Pb per g of calcium) were found in calcium supplements that contain dolomite or bone meal. Chelated and refined calcium supplements had lower Pb levels (0.8 to 0.9 μg Pb/g Ca). Application of lead isotope ratios to distinguish the origin of calcium sources was also explored.     

Principle of a new immunoassay based on electrophoretic mobility of poly(styrene/alpha-tert-butoxy-omega-vinylbenzyl-polyglycidol) microspheres: application for the determination of helicobacter pylori IgG in blood serum

The principle of a novel latex diagnostic test for the determination of antibodies against Helicobacter pylori in blood sera is described. The test is based on the measurement of the electrophoretic mobility of the microspheres with immobilized H. pylori antigens. The electrophoretic mobility of these microspheres depends on the concentration of the antibodies against H. pylori in suspending medium. Particles with hydrophilic polyglycidol in the surface layer were used for the test. The microspheres were obtained by an emulsifier-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene and alpha-tert-butoxy-omega-vinylbenzyl-polyglycidol macromonomer (D(n) = 220 nm, diameter polydispersity factor D(w)//D(n) = 1.02). Activation of polyglycidol hydroxyl groups with cyanuric chloride allowed for covalent immobilization of H. pylori antigens. The fraction of H. pylori not specifically adsorbed onto the microspheres was negligible. Changes of the electrophoretic mobility of the microspheres with the surface concentration of the covalently immobilized H. pylori antigens Gamma = (1.6 +/- 0.3) . 10(-3) g m(-2) were suitable for the detection of the antibodies in the sera of patients with titer in the range (determined by the indirect ELISA test) from 1:500 to 1:32 000.     

Addition Compounds of Organotin halides. III. Adducts of n-propyl tin Trichloride with Amines

n-Propyl tin trichloride and its complexes with bases as pyridine, α, β-and γ-picolines, isoquinoline, piperidine, morpholine, aniline and benzylamine have been prepared. The complexes have been characterised by their I.R. and molar conductance measurements. Assignments for some I.R. frequencies have been reported and discussed. Molar conductance values of some of the complexes in nitrobenzene categories them to be uni-univalent electrolytes.     

Kinetics of ion-exchange of transition metals on tin(IV) arseno-silicate cation exchanger

Exchange kinetics of some transition metal ions on tin(IV) arsenosilicate has been studied at various temperatures under particle diffusion controlled conditions. Various useful kinetic parameters such as self-diffusion coefficient (D_o), energy of activation (E_a) and entropy of activation (S^*) have been calculated and compared with other similar materials.

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(IV) . , (D_O), (E_a) (S^*), .

     

Silyl stabilized azanes: reactions of lithiumbis(trimethylsilyl)hydrazine with trialkyltin halides

Lithium 1,2-bis(trimethylsilyl)hydrazine (1a) reacts with Me₃SnCl, Et₃SnBr and Bu₃SnCl to form bis(trimethylsilyl)(trimethylstannyl)hydrazine (2a), (triethylstannyl)bis(trimethyl silyl)hydrazine (2b) and (tributylstannyl)bis(trimethylsilyl)hydrazine (2c), respectively. Compounds 2a and 2b undergo disproportionation at room temperature to form bis(trimethylsilyl)bis(trimethylstannyl)hydrazine (3a) and bis(triethylstannyl)bis(trimethylsilyl)hydrazine (3b). In contrast, 2c is highly stable and can withstand such a reaction up to 150 °C. The monostannylated products, 2a, 2b and 2c do not get lithiated at NH and instead undergo transmetallation in their reaction with RLi or Li to form lithiumbis(trimethylsilyl)hydrazine (1a).     

Embedding discrete flows on R in a continuous flow

The problem of determining when a given discrete flow on a topological space is embeddable in some continuous flow was mentioned by G. R. Sell (“Topological Dynamics and Ordinary Differential Equations,” Van Nostrand, New York, 1971) in his book on topological dynamics. In this book, the theory of generalized dynamical systems is exploited in the qualitative study of differential equations. Even more complicated is the problem of simultaneously embedding two or more discrete flows in a single continuous flow. We examine both of these problems when the underlying topological space is the space R of the real numbers.     

Ionospheric total electron content and slab-thickness at low latitudes in Indian zone

Observations of Faraday rotation of beacon signals from low orbiting satellite BE-B recorded at one station near the dip equator (Kodaikanal, dip 3·4° N) and at another station near the peak of the equatorial anomaly (Ahmedabad, dip 34° N) give a complete coverage of the equatorial anomaly belt in Indian zone. Contours of total elctron content (TEC) are obtained on a grid of latitudeversus local time for the different seasons of low (1964–66) and high (1967–69) solar activity epochs in the latitude belt 10° S to 26° N dip latitude. The development of the equatorial anomaly and its dependence on season and solar activity are discussed. Using similar contours of F₂ layer critical frequency, f₀F₂ contours of equivalent slab-thickness, τ are also constructed. The dependence of τ on season and solar activity and its implications on temperature are discussed.     

Adhesion and debonding of soft elastic films: crack patterns, metastable pathways, and forces

We study the phenomenon of debonding in a thin soft elastic film sandwiched between two rigid plates as one of the plates is brought into intimate contact and then pulled away from contact proximity by application of a normal force. Nonlinear simulations based on minimization of total energy (composed of stabilizing elastic strain energy and destabilizing adhesive interaction energy) are employed to address the problems of contact hysteresis, cavitation, crack morphology, variation of contact area, snap-off distance, pull-off force, work done, and energy loss. Below a critical distance (d(c)) upon approach, simulations show the formation of columnar structures and nonrandom, regularly arranged nanocavities at the soft interface at a length scale of approximately 3h (h being the thickness of the film). The persistence of such instability upon withdrawal (distance >d(c)) indicates a contact hysteresis, which is caused by an energy barrier that separates the metastable states of the patterned configuration and the global minimum state of the flat film. The energy and the pull-off force are found to be nonequilibrium and nonunique properties depending on the initial contact, defects, noise, etc. Three broad pathways of debonding leading to adhesive failure of the interface, depending on the stiffness of the film, step size of withdrawal, and the imposed noise, are identified: a catastrophic column collapse mode, a peeling mode involving a continuous decrease in the contact area, and a column splitting mode. The first two modes are caused by a very high stress concentration near the cavity edges. These metastable patterned configurations engender pull-off forces that are orders of magnitude smaller than that required to separate two flat surfaces from contact.     

Kinetic studies on the acid catalyzed reaction of hydroxamic acids in β-cyclodextrin/surfactant mixed systems

The acid catalyzed hydrolysis of two N-substituted hydroxamic acids (C₆H₅CON(OH)R, R = C₆H₅ (PBHA), R = C₆H₅CH₂(BBHA)) in mixed systems containing -cyclodextrin (—CD) and a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) has been studied. The reactions are inhibited by —CD. The inhibition is attributed to the formation of inclusion complex and competition between the micellization and complexation processes.This revised version was published online in December 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Use of FTIR spectroscopy in the investigation of catalytic reactions in zeolites—Possibilities and limitations

FTIR-spectroscopic investigations of catalytic reactions yield detailed information about the interaction of adsorbed molecules with the catalyst and kinetic data of the surface reaction, if the participating molecules show vibrations whose position and intensity in the IR-spectrum depend on the sorption state and the quantity adsorbed. In this paper, the possibilities and limitations of the method are represented by two examples.