Rapid determination of lead in water samples by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The need for highly reliable methods for the determination of trace and ultratrace elements has been recognized in analytical chemistry and environmental science. A simple and powerful microextraction technique was used for the detection of the lead ultratrace amounts in water samples using the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME), followed by the electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS). In this microextraction technique, a mixture of 0.50 mL acetone (disperser solvent), containing 35 microL carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent) and 5 microL diethyldithiophosphoric acid (chelating agent), was rapidly injected by syringe into the 5.00 mL water sample, spiked with lead. In this process, the lead ions reacted with the chelating agent and were extracted into the fine droplets of CCl(4). After centrifugation (2 min at 5000 rpm), the fine CCl4 droplets were sedimented at the bottom of the conical test tube (25+/-1 microL). Then, 20 microL from the sedimented phase, containing the enriched analyte, was determined by ET AAS. The next step was the optimization of various experimental conditions, affecting DLLME, such as the type and the volume of the extraction solvent, the type and the volume of the disperser solvent, the extraction time, the salt effect, pH and the chelating agent amount. Moreover, the effect of the interfering ions on the analytes recovery was also investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factor of 150 was obtained from only a 5.00 mL water sample. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 0.05-1 microg L(-1) with the detection limit of 0.02 microg L(-1). The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for seven replicate measurements of 0.50 microg L(-1) of lead was 2.5%. The relative lead recoveries in mineral, tap, well and sea water samples at the spiking level of 0.20 and 0.40 microg L(-1) varied from 93.5 to 105.0. The characteristics of the proposed method were compared with the cloud point extraction (CPE), the liquid-liquid extraction, the solid phase extraction (SPE), the on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) and the co-precipitation, based on bibliographic data. The main DLLME advantages combined with ET AAS were simplicity of operation, rapidity, low cost, high-enrichment factor, good repeatability, low consumption of extraction solvent, requiring a low sample volume (5.00 mL).     

Numerical solutions of Schrödinger wave equation and Transport equation through Sinc collocation method

Nonlinear Dynamics - This paper focuses on finding soliton solutions for an intrinsic fractional discrete nonlinear electrical transmission lattice. Our investigation is based on the fact that for...     

A New Steepest Descent Differential Inclusion-Based Method for Solving General Nonsmooth Convex Optimization Problems

In this paper, we investigate a steepest descent neural network for solving general nonsmooth convex optimization problems. The convergence to optimal solution set is analytically proved. We apply the method to some numerical tests which confirm the effectiveness of the theoretical results and the performance of the proposed neural network.     

Diameter preserving maps on function spaces

In this paper we describe, under certain assumptions, surjective diameter preserving mappings when defined between function spaces, not necessarily algebras, thus extending most of the previous results for these operators. We provide an example which shows that our assumptions are not redundant.     

Photon echoes generated by reversing magnetic field gradients in a rubidium vapor

We propose a photon echo quantum memory scheme using detuned Raman coupling to long-lived ground states. In contrast to previous three-level schemes based on controlled reversible inhomogeneous broadening that use sequences of pi pulses, the scheme does not require accurate control of the coupling dynamics to the ground states. We present a proof-of-principle experimental realization of our proposal using rubidium atoms in a warm vapor cell. The Raman resonance line is broadened using a magnetic field that varies linearly along the direction of light propagation. Inverting the magnetic field gradient rephases the atomic dipoles and re-emits the light pulse in the forward direction.     

Styrene-containing Phosphine-sulfonate Ligands for Nickel-and Palladium-catalyzed Ethylene Polymerization

A series of phosphine-sulfonate ligands bearing 2-, 3-and 4-vinylphenyl on the phosphorus atom were designed, synthesized,characterized and investigated in Ni-and Pd-catalyzed ethylene polymerization. The structure of the phosphine-sulfonate Pd complex bearing2-vinylphenyl on the phosphorus atom showed 2,1-insertion for the 2-vinyl group. The phosphine-sulfonate Ni complex bearing 2-vinylphenyl resulted in significantly increased thermal stability and polyethylene molecular weights(Mn=3.69×104 g·mol-1 at 80 °C) versus the counterparts bearing 3-/4-vinyl groups as well as previously reported phosphine-sulfonate Ni complexes bearing bulky biaryl substituents.     

Evaluation the synergistic antitumor effect of methotrexate–camptothecin codelivery prodrug from self-assembly process to acid-catalyzed both drugs release: A comprehensive theoretical study

Therapeutic efficiency of amphiphilic methotrexate–camptothecin (MTX-CPT) prodrug compared to free drug mixture (MTX/CPT) has been investigated using all-atom molecular dynamics simulation and first principles density functional theory calculations. This comparison revealed that MTX–CPT prodrug tends to form spherical self-assembled nanoparticle (NP), while free MTX/CPT mixture forms rod-shape NP. These observations are attributed to a structural defect in the MTX–CPT prodrug and solvation free energies of MTX, CPT and MTX-CPT molecules. The results provided evidence that noncovalent interactions (NCIs) among the pharmaceutical drugs play a very important role in anticancer agents aggregation process, leading to enhanced stability of the self-assembled NPs. It is found that the stability of MTX–CPT self-assembled NP is greater than the MTX/CPT NP due to the synergistic effect of hydrogen bonding between monomers and solvent (water). Moreover, the noncatalyzed as well as catalyzed hydrolysis reactions of MTX–CPT prodrug are theoretically studied at the PCM(water)//M06-2X/6−31G(d,p) computational level to shed additional light on the role of acidic condition in tumor tissues. We found that the ester hydrolysis in mild acidic solutions is a concerted reaction. In an agreement between theory and experiment, we also confirmed that the activation energies of the catalyzed-hydrolysis steps are much lower than the activation energies of the corresponding steps in the noncatalyzed reaction. Thus, the MTX–CPT prodrug reveals very promising properties as a pH-controlled drug delivery system.     

Nanocomposite Silica Aerogel Activated Carbon: Preparation,Characterization and Application to Remove Lead(II) from Aqueous Solutions

Anovel nanocomposite adsorbent, Silica aerogel activated carbon (SA‐AC) has been prepared for the purpose of removing lead ions from aqueous solution in batch process. The nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). In the present investigation, Pb(II) adsorption experiments on nanocomposite were conducted on aqueous solution at different initial Pb(II) concentration, pH of the solution, adsorption temperature, adsorbent dosage and contact time. Optimum pH for the adsorption was found to be 6 with corresponding adsorbent dosage level of 0.5 g and 60 °C temperature. The equilibriumwas achieved within 30 min of contact time. It is remarkable that using the developed nanocomposite absorbent, more than 90% of Pb(II) can be removed under desirable experimental conditions. The efficiency of the ions adsorption was determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to analyze the experimental data. The best interpretation for the experimental data was given by the Freundlich isotherm equation. Desorption experiments by elution of the adsorbent with nitric acid show that the nanocomposite could be reused without significant losses of its initial properties.     

Copper Supported on the SiO2 Nanoparticle in Click Chemistry: An Alternative Catalytic System for Regioselective and One‐Pot Synthesis of 1,2,3‐Triazoles and β‐Hydroxytriazoles

In this work, readily prepared copper supported on the SiO₂ nanoparticles has been found to effectively catalyze the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of a variety of azides, alkynes, epoxides and sodium azide, furnishing the corresponding 1,2,3‐triazoles and β‐hydroxytriazoles. Click reaction proceeds in short reaction times and under mild reaction conditions, and the resulting products are obtained in good yields at ambient temperature.     

A nanostructured ion-imprinted polymer for the selective extraction and preconcentration of ultra-trace quantities of nickel ions

We describe a nanostructured ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) for the selective preconcentration of Ni(II) ions. It was obtained by bulk polymerization from 2-vinylpyridine (the functional monomer), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (the cross-linker), 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (the initiator), alizarin red S (the nickel-binding ligand), and nickel (the template ion) in acetonitrile solution. The IIP particles were characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, and by scanning electron microscopy. Imprinted Ni(II) ions were removed from the polymeric structure using 5 % HCl as the eluting solvent. The material is capable of selectively binding Ni(II) from solutions at pH values between (pH 8.0 being best). Both the sorption and desorption process occur within 5 min. The maximum sorbent capacity of the ion imprinted polymer is 73 mg g^?1. Following desorption, Ni(II) was determined by FAAS, with relative standard deviation and limit of detection of 3.4 % and 0.15 ng mL^?1, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of nickel in certified reference materials (soil and polymetallic gold ore), fish, vegetables, river sediments, and river water.