Thermal, spectral, and diffraction properties of Co-exchanged montmorillonite with 2-, 3-, and 4-hydroxyphenol

The influence of the 2-, 3-, and 4-OH phenols on the type of interaction with Co-exchanged montmorillonite and thermal properties of these materials were studied. The results of XRD, IR, and thermal (TG, DTG) analysis show that organic species are intercalated into the interlayer space of montmorillonite. Thermal decomposition in the temperature interval 20?C700?°C of studied samples with 2- and 3-hydroxyphenol proceeds in three steps (the release of adsorbed H₂O molecules, combustion/desorption of protonated hydroxy phenols and dehydroxylation), while the sample with 4-hydroxyphenol decompose in four steps (the new peak at ~222?°C corresponds to directly coordinated organic species). The effect of different position of the hydroxyl groups on the phenol ring on the thermal decomposition is evident.     

Nitric oxide determination by amperometric carbon fiber microelectrode

Nitric oxide (NO) amperometric microsensor was prepared by the modification of bare carbon fiber electrode by Nafion and cellulose acetate (CA). Detection limit, response time, reproducibility and influence of some possible interferences (nitrite, nitrate, arginine) were tested and evaluated. This sensor was used for in vitro determination of NO release from fresh porcine aorta induced by calcium ionophore A23187 (CI).     

Thermal properties of oxide glasses

A criterion based on the length of induction period of crystallization was used to evaluate the thermal stability of M₂O·SiO₂ (M?=?Li, Na) glasses against crystallization. It was founded out that the stability of studied glasses against crystallization is Li₂O·SiO₂?<?Na₂O·SiO₂. The results coincide with the order determined by stability criteria based on temperatures and the values of activation energy. A criterion based on the length of induction period enables to discriminate among the thermal stabilities of the silicate glass systems.     

Gravity-flow open tubular cation chromatography

We describe ion chromatography (IC) on open tubular cation exchange columns with a controllable capacity multilayered stationary phase architecture. The columns of relatively large bore (75 microm id) are fabricated by coating fused-silica capillaries with multiple layers of poly(butadiene-maleic acid) (PBMA) copolymer and crosslinking the deposited layers by thermally initiated radical polymerisation. Column capacity increases in a predictable manner with increase in the number of successively coated layers. Gravity flow with a modest head (< 2 m) can provide the desired separations within a reasonable period. We provide a minimalist configuration where no suppression is used, the sample is injected hydrodynamically as in CE, and detection is accomplished by an inexpensive homebuilt contactless conductivity detector or a capacitance to voltage digital converter. A 1 m long 75 microm bore column coated with two layers of PBMA allows gravity-flow open tubular IC to separate four alkali cations in < 10 min with a 1 mM tartaric acid (TA) eluent. Simultaneous separation of alkali and alkaline earth metal cations can be accomplished in less than 25 min using 1.75 mM pyridinedicarboxylic acid as an eluent. Contactless conductometric detection (C(4)D) allows LODs down to 150 nmol/L, corresponding to 30 fmol injections. Analysis of real water samples is demonstrated.     

Characterization and thermal properties of Ni-exchanged montmorillonite with benzimidazole

Thermal analysis (TG, DTG), powder diffraction analysis (XRD) and infrared (IR) spectra were used to study of composition and release of benzimidazole from Ni(II)-exchanged montmorillonite under heating. Diffraction analysis indicated that benzimidazole molecules are intercalated into the interlayer space of montmorillonite. IR spectra and the analytical characteristics have shown that different type of interactions of benzimidazole is connected with different reaction conditions (acid or neutral solution). The release of benzimidazole from Ni(II)-montmorillonite under heating from studied samples proceeds in three distinct steps. The first step can be assigned to the release of water molecules while the last (third) one corresponds to the lattice dehydroxylation. The second step can be assigned to release of chemically bonded benzimidazole.     

The effect of CCl2F2 on ozone generation from oxygen

The production of ozone by negative corona discharge from O₂ + CCl₂F₂ (CFC12) mixtures is experimentally investigated at two pressures of gaseous mixture of 800 and 900 mbar in the CCl₂F₂ concentration range of (0–7)%. The efficiency of ozone generation is remarkably reduced with increasing content of CCl₂F₂ in the mixture with oxygen. The effect is more apparent at lower pressure of gaseous mixture. In order to identify the most likely process responsible for the inhibition of ozone production a discussion of the chemical kinetics of various processes is presented. This research was carried out with financial support from the Slovak Grant Agency for the project under the No. 1/5184/98 and the Action Austria-Slovakia project under the number 25s19.     

A contribution to the study of the influence of metastables in the flowing afterglow plasma

The paper describes an experimental apparatus based on the flowing afterglow technique which enables the study of the role of metastable atoms of the carrier gas by means of titration of the reactant vapour of gas into the flow tube. A study of the behaviour of the electron and ion density and electron distribution of Ar* metastables (Ar as the carrier gas) using Penning ionization of the ethyl alcohol (CH₃CH₂OH) (titration vapour) has been made by means of a described experimental set-up. The method of estimation of the metastables concentration in the decaying flowing afterglow plasma by Langmuir probe technique with use of titrant technique is also studied.     

Secondary electron emission from highly charged carbon grains

Surfaces in contact with a plasma can influence its characteristics and, on the other hand, the impact of plasma particles can change surface properties of materials immersed in a plasma. Carbon is often present in plasma systems either as a building material or a product of technological processes, thus its behavior is an important factor of these applications. The paper deals with investigations of secondary emission of 1–6 μm spherical grains from amorphous carbon under the electric field of the order of 10⁸ V/m. We have found that the secondary emission yield increases with the electric field at the sample surface nearly linearly and does not depend on the grain diameter. Long-lasting (hours) electron irradiation of the sample surface leads to a significant decrease of the yield that was attributed to the removal of an absorbed layer from the grain surface. This conclusion is supported by the fact that a similar effect was achieved after several minutes of simultaneous electron and ion treatments.     

Monitoring of oxidation steps of ascorbic acid redox reaction by kinetics-sensitive voltcoulometry in unsupported and supported aqueous solutions and real samples.

Aqueous solutions of ascorbic acid in unsupported and supported aqueous solutions and real samples were studied by the kinetics-sensitive double-step voltcoulommetric method with the aim to contribute to a better understanding of its behavior in biological systems. The data obtained from measurements made on analytes prepared in the laboratory, as well as those made on real samples (some commercial orange drinks, flash of the fresh fruits) point to the redox reaction of L-ascorbic acid (L-AH2) being very sensitive to both the presence of dissolved gaseous species (O2, CO2) and the ionic strenght in the analyte. Either the dissolved gaseous species, or the higher ionic strength caused by both the presence of supporting electrolyte and increased total concentration of ascorbic acid, respectively, give birth to the degradation of L-AH2. Naturally, the highest percentage of L-AH2 was spotted in fresh fruit.