Speciation analysis to unravel the soil-to-plant transfer in highly arsenic-contaminated areas in Cornwall (UK)

Two areas near derelict calciners in Cornwall (UK) were chosen to study the uptake of arsenic from arsenic-contaminated soil into indigenous plants (heather, Calluna vulgaris; blackberry, Rubus ulmifulmus; gorse, Ulex europaeus). With total arsenic concentrations in soil ranging from 1240 to 2860 mg kg^?1 at Site 1 (Tuckingmill), no adverse effects on the growth of the plants studied were observed. Very low soil-to-plant transfer factors (0.01 to 0.03) were found although they were much higher when the extractable soil arsenic concentrations were taken into account (0.1 to 1.1). In the central dump area at Site 2 (Bissoe, 9.78% [w/w] arsenic in soil), the only plant to grow was heather, although it was severely impaired. However, heather was thriving at the edge of the dump where higher soil arsenic concentrations were found (10.32% [w/w]), indicating that arsenic is not a growth-limiting factor in itself. Soil-to-plant transfer factors in the range 2 × 10^?5–9 × 10^?4 confirm that arsenic is indeed effectively excluded from uptake, even taking into account extractable soil arsenic concentrations (9 × 10^?4–1.2 × 10^?2).

Extraction of bioavailable arsenic from soil using 0.05 mol L^?1 ammonium sulphate yielded recoveries from 1.18 to 3.34% of the total arsenic, predominantly in the form of arsenate. Extraction of arsenic and its metabolites from plants was achieved with water or a water/methanol mixture yielding recoveries up to 22.4% of the total arsenic, with arsenite and arsenate the predominant arsenic species and a minor fraction consisting of methylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid and trimethylarsine oxide. The identity of the remainder of the non-extractable arsenic species still has to be revealed. Although the data suggest that higher plants synthesise organoarsenic compounds it cannot be excluded that symbiotic organisms have synthesised these compounds.     

Additive character of electron donation by methyl substituents within a complete series of polymethylated [1-(η6-Me9n)C6H(6-n))-closo-1,2,3-FeC2B9H11] complexes. Linear correlations of the NMR parameters and Fe(II/III) redox potentials with the number of arene methyls

A systematic method for the incorporation of the {(η(6)-Me(n)C(6)H(6-n))Fe} fragment into the dicarbollide cage was developed based on reactions between [(η(6)-Me(n)C(6)H(6-n))(2)Fe][PF(6)](2) salts (1) and Tl(2)[nido-7,8-C(2)B(9)H(11)]. These reactions proceed with elimination of one arene ligand to generate a complete series of the neutral [1-(η(6)-Me(n)C(6)H(6-n))-closo-1,2,3-FeC(2)B(9)H(11)] (2) complexes with n = 1-6 in yields ranging 15-70% depending on the arene. The structures of mesitylene and pentamethylbenzene complexes were established by X-ray diffraction analyses. All compounds were characterized by (11)B and (1)H NMR measurements, mass spectra, melting points and elemental analyses. Correlations between selected (1)H and (11)B NMR parameters and the Fe(II/III) redox potentials and the number of arene methyls for complexes 2 are linear. These facts establish direct evidence for a strictly additive character of electron donation by the methyl substituents to the arene ring and further to the Fe center and the second (dicarbollide) ligand.Correlations between the number of arene methyls (n) and selected (1)H and (11)B NMR parameters or the Fe(II/III) redox potentials for complexes [1-(η(6)-MenC(6)H(6-n))-closo-1,2,3-FeC(2)B(9)H(11)] are of strictly linear character.     

Synthesis,properties and crystal structures of nitrobenzoatocopper(II) complexes with pyrazinecarboxamide

The synthesis, spectral characterization and crystal structures of two nitrobenzoatocopper(II) complexes, namely [Cu(2-O₂Nbz)₂(pca)₂(H₂O)₂] (1) and [Cu(3,5-(O₂N)₂bz)₂(pca)₂(H₂O)₂] (2) (where 2-O₂Nbz = 2-nitrobenzoate, 3,5-(O₂N)₂bz = 3,5-dinitrobenzoate, pca = pyrazinecarboxamide), are reported. Complexes 1 and 2 consist of centrosymmetric molecules with the Cu(II) atom monodentately coordinated by a pair of anionic 2-nitrobenzoato (1) or 3,5-dinitrobenzoato (2) ligands and a pair of pyrazinecarboxamide ligands, forming a nearly tetragonal basal plane, and by a pair of water ligands that complete the tetragonal–bipyramidal coordination polyhedron. The molecules of both complexes are linked by N–H⋯O and O–H⋯O hydrogen bonds and lie in planes, which have different orientations depending on the space group. Similar experiments with 3-nitrobenzoic acid resulted in the isolation of the hydrolysis product [Cu(pyzCOO)₂] _n (3) (pyzCOO = pyrazinecarboxylate). The known crystal structure of complex 3 has been re-determined at low temperature with significantly higher precision. The crystal packing and C–H⋯O/C–H⋯N hydrogen bonds are discussed.     

Highly enantioselective nitroaldol reactions catalyzed by copper(II) complexes derived from substituted 2-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazolidin-4-one ligands

Ten optically pure substituted 2-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazolidin-4-ones, 1a-d, 2a-4a, and 2b-4b, were prepared and characterized. The absolute configurations of individual ligands were determined by X-ray analysis or NOESY experiments. The Cu(II) complexes of the respective ligands were studied as enantioselective catalysts of the nitroaldol (Henry) reaction of aldehydes with nitromethane, giving the corresponding substituted 2-nitroalkanols. In the case of an anti arrangement of the imidazolidin-4-one ring, the obtained result was 91-96% ee, whereas in the case of syn arrangement, a significant drop to 25-27% ee was observed.     

Phenolic compounds from Allium schoenoprasum, Tragopogon pratensis and Rumex acetosa and their antiproliferative effects

Experimental studies have shown that phenolic compounds have antiproliferative and tumour arresting effects. The aim of this original study was to investigate the content of phenolic compounds (PhC) in flowers of Allium schoenoprasum (chive), Tragopogon pratensis (meadow salsify) and Rumex acetosa (common sorrel) and their effect on proliferation of HaCaT cells. Antiproliferative effects were evaluated in vitro using the following concentrations of phenolic compounds in cultivation medium: 100, 75, 50 and 25 μg/mL. Phenolic composition was also determined by HPLC. The results indicate that even low concentrations of these flowers' phenolic compounds inhibited cell proliferation significantly and the possible use of the studied herb's flowers as sources of active phenolic compounds for human nutrition.     

Immobilized endoproteinase Glu‐C to magnetic bead cellulose as a tool in proteomic analysis

Magnetic bead cellulose activated with divinyl sulfone was used for the immobilization of Staphylococcus aureus endoproteinase Glu‐C (EC 3.4.21.19). The immobilized proteinase was characterized by increased thermostability, by decreased self‐cleavage activity, and a possibility of repeated use. The prepared immobilized enzyme was applied for the proteolytic cleavage of α‐casein and BSA under different conditions (different composition of buffers, different pH, and different time of digestion). The possibilities of the direct use of enzyme reaction products for MALDI TOF MS analysis were shown.     

Chemical modification and characterization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) surfaces for collagen immobilization

The functionalization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surface films by reactions with multifunctional amines such as triethylenetetramine (TETA), and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) was investigated. For the functionalization of PET films surface we used a new way of treatment, a “sandwich model”. Physical-chemical properties of functionalized PET films were analysed. Qualitative and quantitative determination of the introduced amine groups were examined by means of Fourier Transform Infrared Attenuated Total Reflexion (FTIR — ATR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and potentiometric titration. Gained wetting properties were determined by using contact angle measurements and thoroughly analysed by acid-base approach. In addition, surface topography was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The amount of the introduced amino groups after TETA incorporation has been found to be two times higher as compared to TEPA. Wetting properties were significantly improved after aminolysis. Surface free energy was higher for PET — TETA treated film than that observed for PET — TEPA treated which is in accordance with titration results. The collagen immobilization onto PET treated films was evidenced by using AFM and subsequently by using XPS.      

Mean Field Theory of Self-Organizing Memristive Connectomes

Biological neuronal networks are characterized by nonlinear interactions and complex connectivity. Given the growing impetus to build neuromorphic computers, understanding physical devices that exhibit structures and functionalities similar to biological neural networks is an important step toward this goal. Self-organizing circuits of nanodevices are at the forefront of the research in neuromorphic computing, as their behavior mimics synaptic plasticity features of biological neuronal circuits. However, an effective theory to describe their behavior is lacking. This study provides for the first time an effective mean field theory for the emergent voltage-induced polymorphism of circuits of a nanowire connectome, showing that the behavior of these circuits can be explained by a low-dimensional dynamical equation. The equation can be derived from the microscopic dynamics of a single memristive junction in analytical form. The effective model is tested on experiments of nanowire networks and show that it fits both the potentiation and depression of these synapse-mimicking circuits. It is shown that this theory applies beyond the case of nanowire networks by formulating a general mean-field theory of conductance transitions in self-organizing memristive connectomes.     

The meaning of computer search in the study of some classes of IM-quasigroups

The IM-quasigroup C(q) for or is a GS-quasigroup. Some interesting geometric concepts can be introduced in a general GS-quasigroup and their nice geometric representations can be given in the mentioned GS-quasigroup which justifies the research of this quasigroup. The concept of a parallelogram can be defined by means of several equivalent formulae. Some of them can be obtained by means of a computer. We shall choose a suitable formula for the definition of a parallelogram which allows the characterization of GS-quasigroups by means of commutative groups.      

Assessment of elemental mobility in soil using a fluidised bed approach with on-line ICP-MS analysis

A new method has been developed to analyse the mobility of elements within soils employing counter-current flow soil contacting in a fluidised bed (FB) column. This method alleviates the problem of irreproducible peaks suffered by state-of-the-art micro-column techniques as a result of particle compaction. Reproducible extraction profiles are produced through the leaching of soil with a linear gradient of 0.05 mol L⁻¹ ammonium sulphate to 0.11 mol L⁻¹ acetic acid using a high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) quaternary pump, and the continuous monitoring of the elements in the leachate with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Quantification of the procedure is achieved with an external flow injection (FI) calibration method.Flow rate and FB column length were investigated as critical parameters to the efficiency of the extraction methodology. It was found that an increase in the column length from 10 to 20 cm using a flow rate of 0.15 mL min⁻¹ produced the same increase in extracted elemental concentration as an increase in flow rate from 0.15 to 0.30 mL min⁻¹. In both examples, the increase in the concentration of elements leached from the soil may be ascribed to the increase in the concentration gradient between the solid and liquid.The exhaustive nature of the technique defines the maximum leachable concentration within the operationally defined leaching parameters of the exchangeable phase, providing a more accurate assessment of the risk associated with the elements in the soil for the phase providing the greatest risk to the environment.The multi-elemental high sensitivity nature of the on-line detector provides an accurate determination of the associations present between the elements in the soil, and the identification of multiple phases within the exchangeable phase through the presence of multiple peaks in the extraction profiles. It is possible through the deconvolution of these extraction profiles that the concentration corresponding to the peaks identified can be defined.