Effects of ceria addition and pre-calcination temperature on performance of cobalt catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Summary The effect of ceria addition on the performance of 10 wt.% Co catalysts supported on SiO2 and Al2O3 for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has been investigated. The catalysts were prepared by impregnation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction technique. The catalytic tests (P = 1 atm, T = 488 K, H2/CO = 2, GHSV=1800 h-1) indicate that with addition of ceria, significant changes in CO conversion and hydrocarbon selectivities are observed. Also, the experiments show that the performance of 10 wt.% Co-CeO2/Al2O3 depends on the ceria concentration as well as on the pre-calcination temperature.     

Cloud point extraction and simultaneous determination of zirconium and hafnium using ICP-OES

In the present study a simple versatile separation method using cloud point procedure for extraction of trace levels of zirconium and hafnium is proposed. The extraction of analytes from aqueous samples was performed in the presence of quinalizarine as chelating agent and Triton X-114 as a non-ionic surfactant. After phase separation, the surfactant-rich phase was diluted with 30% (v/v) propanol solution containing 1 mol l(-1) HNO3. Then, the enriched analytes in the surfactant-rich phase were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The different variables affecting the complexation and extraction conditions were optimized. Under the optimum conditions (i.e. 3.4 x 10(-5) mol l(-1) quinalizarine, 0.1% (w/v) Triton X-114, 55 degrees C equilibrium temperature) the calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.5-1000 mug l(-1) with detection limits (DLs) of 0.26 and 0.31 microg l(-1) for Zr and Hf, respectively. Under the presence of foreign ions no significant interference was observed. The precision (%RSD) for 8 replicate determinations at 200 microg l(-1) of Zr and Hf was better than 2.9% and the enrichment factors were obtained as 38.9 and 35.8 for Zr and Hf, respectively. Finally, the proposed method was successfully utilized for the determination of these cations in water and alloy samples.     

Extraction and determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water samples by a new liquid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-flame photometric detection

A rapid, sensitive and efficient liquid phase microextraction (LPME) method was developed to determine trace concentrations of some organophosphorus pesticides in water samples. This method combines liquid phase microextraction with gas chromatographic (GC) analysis in a simple and inexpensive apparatus involving very little organic solvent consumption. It involves exposing a floated drop of an organic solvent on the surface of aqueous solution in a sealed vial. Experimental parameters which control the performance of LPME such as type of organic solvent, organic solvent and sample volumes, sample stirring rate, sample solution temperature, salt addition and exposure time were investigated and optimized. Finally, the enrichment factor, dynamic linear range (DLR), limit of detection (LOD) and precision of the method were evaluated by the water samples spiked with organophosphorus pesticides. Using optimum extraction conditions, very low detection limits (0.01-0.04 μg L⁻¹) and good linearities (0.9983 < r² < 0.9999) were achieved. The LPME was performed for determination of organophosphorus pesticides in different types of natural water samples and acceptable recoveries (96-104%) and precisions (3.5 < R.S.D.% < 8.9) were obtained. The results suggested that the newly proposed LPME method is a rapid, accurate and effective sample preparation method and could be successfully applied for extraction and determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water samples.     

On-line metals preconcentration and simultaneous determination using cloud point extraction and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry in water samples

A new on-line cloud point extraction (CPE) system coupled to ICP-OES was designed for simultaneous extraction, preconcentration and determination of Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Cr³⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions in water samples. This is based on the complexation of the metal ions with 1-(2-thenoyl)-3,3,3-trifluoraceton reagent (TTA) at pH 6.0 in the presence of non-ionic surfactant of Triton X-114. The micellar solution was heated above 60 °C and loaded through a column packed with cotton, which acts as a filter for retaining the analyte-entrapped surfactant-rich phase. Then the surfactant-rich phase was eluted using propanol:0.5 mol L⁻¹ nitric acid solution (75:25, v/v) at a flow rate of 3.0 mL min⁻¹ and directly introduced into the nebulizer of the ICP-OES. Several factors influencing the instrumental conditions and extraction were evaluated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the enhancement factors of the proposed method for target ions were between 42 and 97, the detection limits (DLs) were in the range of 0.1-2.2 μg L⁻¹. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.s) at 100 μg L⁻¹ concentration levels of each ion were found to be less than 4.6%. Also, the calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.5-100 μg L⁻¹ with the correlation coefficients within the range of 0.9948-0.9994.Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of the mentioned metal ions in the tap, well, sea and mineral water samples and satisfactory results were obtained.     

Development of liquid phase microextraction method based on solidification of floated organic drop for extraction and preconcentration of organochlorine pesticides in water samples

A simple and efficient liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) in conjunction with gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) has been developed for extraction and determination of 11 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from water samples. In this technique a microdrop of 1-dodecanol containing pentachloronitrobenzene (internal standard) is delivered to the surface of an aqueous sample while being agitated by a stirring bar in the bulk of solution. Following completion of extraction, the sample vial was cooled by putting it into an ice bath for 5 min. Finally 2 μL of the drop was injected into the GC for analysis. Factors relevant to the extraction efficiency were studied and optimized. Under the optimized extraction conditions (extraction solvent: 1-dodecanol; extraction temperature: 65 °C; sodium chloride concentration: 0.25 M; microdrop and sample volumes: 8 μL and 20 mL respectively; the stirring rate: 750 rpm and the extraction time: 30 min), figures of merit of the proposed method were evaluated. The detection limits of the method were in the range of 7-19 ng L⁻¹ and the RSD% for analysis of 2 μg L⁻¹ of OCPs was below 7.2% (n = 5). A good linearity (r² ≥ 0.993) and a relatively broad dynamic linear range (25-2000 ng L⁻¹) were obtained. After 30 min of extraction, preconcentration factors were in the range of 708-1337 for different organochlorine pesticides and the relative errors ranged from −10.1 to 10.9%. Finally the proposed method was successfully utilized for preconcentration and determination of OCPs in different real samples.     

Polythiophene-coated Fe3O4 superparamagnetic nanocomposite: Synthesis and application as a new sorbent for solid-phase extraction

In the present work, a novel type of superparamagnetic nanosorbent, polythiophene-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@PTh NPs), have been successfully synthesized. The synthesized NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The synthesized Fe₃O₄@PTh NPs were applied as an efficient sorbent for extraction and preconcentration of several typical plasticizer compounds (di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and dioctyl adipate (DOA)) from environmental water samples. Separation of Fe₃O₄@PTh NPs from the aqueous solution was simply achieved by applying external magnetic field. Separation and determination of the extracted plasticizers was performed by gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID). Several variables affecting the extraction efficiency of the analytes i.e., amount of NPs sorbent, salt concentration, extraction time, and desorption conditions were investigated and optimized. The best working conditions were as follows: amount of sorbent, 100 mg; NaCl concentration, 30% (w/v); sample volume, 45 mL; extraction time, 10 min; and 100 μL of ethyl acetate for desorption of the analytes within 2 min. Under optimized conditions, preconcentration factors for DBP, DEHP, and DOA were obtained as 86, 194, and 213, respectively. The calibration curves were linear (R² > 0.998) in the concentration range of 0.4–100 μg L⁻¹ for both DEHP and DOA and 0.7–100 μg L⁻¹ for DBP. The limits of detection (LODs) were obtained in the range of 0.2–0.4 μg L⁻¹. The intra-day relative standard deviations (RSDs%) based on four replicates were obtained in the range of 4.0–12.3%. The proposed procedure was applied to analysis of water samples including river water, bottled mineral water, and boiling water exposed to polyethylene container (after cooling) and recoveries between 85 and 99% and RSDs lower than 12.8% were obtained.     

A novel continuous process for synthesis of carbon nanotubes using iron floating catalyst and MgO particles for CVD of methane in a fluidized bed reactor

A novel continuous process is used for production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of methane on iron floating catalyst in situ deposited on MgO in a fluidized bed reactor. In the hot zone of the reactor, sublimed ferrocene vapors were contacted with MgO powder fluidized by methane feed to produce Fe/MgO catalyst in situ. An annular tube was used to enhance the ferrocene and MgO contacting efficiency. Multi-wall as well as single-wall CNTs was grown on the Fe/MgO catalyst while falling down the reactor. The CNTs were continuously collected at the bottom of the reactor, only when MgO powder was used. The annular tube enhanced the contacting efficiency and improved both the quality and quantity of CNTs.The SEM and TEM micrographs of the products reveal that the CNTs are mostly entangled bundles with diameters of about 10-20 nm. Raman spectra show that the CNTs have low amount of amorphous/defected carbon with I_G/I_D ratios as high as 10.2 for synthesis at 900 °C. The RBM Raman peaks indicate formation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) of 1.0-1.2 nm diameter.     

Synthesis and characterization of 1,3,5-tris((1/2<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-tetrazol-5-yl)methyl)-1,3,5-triazinane-2,4,6-trione

2,2′,2″-(2,4,6-Trioxo-1,3,5-triazinane-1,3,5-triyl) triacetonitrile (or tris-(cyanomethyl)-isocyanurate) and 1,3,5-tris((1/2H-tetrazol-5-yl)methyl)-1,3,5-triazinane-2,4,6-trione (or tris-(5-tetrazolylmethyl)-isocyanurate) were synthesized with new methods. High yields, simple methodology, and cheapness are advantages of the methods. Furthermore, 1,3,5-tris((1/2H-tetrazol-5-yl)methyl)-1,3,5-triazinane-2,4,6-trione was synthesized in the less hazardous condition. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹HNMR, ¹³CNMR and mass spectroscopic analysis. In addition, DSC/TGA measurements were carried out to determine the thermal behavior of the final product.     

Fractional-Order Legendre Functions and Their Application to Solve Fractional Optimal Control of Systems Described by Integro-differential Equations

In this paper, we introduce a set of functions called fractional-order Legendre functions (FLFs) to obtain the numerical solution of optimal control problems subject to the linear and nonlinear fractional integro-differential equations. We consider the properties of these functions to construct the operational matrix of the fractional integration. Also, we achieved a general formulation for operational matrix of multiplication of these functions to solve the nonlinear problems for the first time. Then by using these matrices the mentioned fractional optimal control problem is reduced to a system of algebraic equations. In fact the functions of the problem are approximated by fractional-order Legendre functions with unknown coefficients in the constraint equations, performance index and conditions. Thus, a fractional optimal control problem converts to an optimization problem, which can then be solved numerically. The convergence of the method is discussed and finally, some numerical examples are presented to show the efficiency and accuracy of the method.     

Oxovanadium complex as potential nucleic acid binder

DNA binding study of a vanadium(V) complex, Oxo-chloro-bis-N-phenylbenzohydroxamto-vanadium(V), derived from N-phenylbenzohydroxamic acid(PBHA) form a violet color complex with vanadium (V) in presence of hydrochloric acid is performed using absorption, fluorescence and viscometric techniques. The binding parameters of the PBHA-V(V) complex using calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) and torula yeast RNA (t-RNA) have been determined. The complex shows the ability of cooperatively minor groove binding with ct-DNA as indicated by remarkable hyperchromicity and a blue shift of the absorption spectra. Quenching of metal complex calculation was carried out with Stern-Volmer equation and K_sv was found to be 2.32 ± 0.18 × 10⁴ M^?1, while in the case of t-RNA, enhancement is observed and that means the compound was not able to displace the Ethidium Bromide(EB)-t-RNA complex. Molecular docking was also applied to predict the mode of interaction of the hydroxamic acid with ct-DNA and t-RNA. DNA binding results of the complex are compared with those of the parent ligand.