Selective Determination of Trace Mercury (II) after Preconcentration with 4-(2-Pyridylazo)-Resorcinol-Modified Nanometer-Sized SiO2 Particles from Sample Solutions

A rapid, selective method that utilize 4-(2-Pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR)-modified nanometer SiO₂ (nanometer SiO₂–PAR) as a new solid-phase extractant for preconcentration of trace mercury (II) has been developed. The adsorption property of nanometer SiO₂–PAR for metal ions was studied by selectively extracting different metal ions from aqueous solutions. The results revealed an excellent affinity of the nanometer SiO₂–PAR for mercury (II) in presence of interfering metal ions at pH 4. The main parameters of solid-phase extraction such as shaking time, elution and sample dilution effect were studied. The extractant shows rapid kinetic sorption, and the adsorption equilibrium of mercury (II) on nanometer SiO₂–PAR was achieved in less than 2 min. The adsorbed mercury (II) was easily eluted by 4 mL of 6 mol L⁻¹ HCl. The maximum preconcentration factor was 50. The maximum static adsorption capacity was 276 μmol g⁻¹ at pH 4. The detection limit (3σ) was 0.43 μg L⁻¹ for cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS), and the relative standard deviation of the eight replicate determinations was 2.4% for the determination of 2.0 μg of Hg(II) in 100 mL water sample. The method was applied to the determination of trace mercury (II) in sample solutions with satisfactory results.     

Synthesis, Characterization and Catalysis of New Pillared Anionic Clays by [GaW_(11)O_(39)M(H_2O)]~(7-)(M=Mn~(2 ),Co~(2 ) or Ni~(2 ))

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＡｎｉｏｎｉｃｃｌａｙｓ（ｌａｙｅｒｅｄｄｏｕｂｌｅｈｙｄｒｏｘｉｄｅｓ）ａｒｅｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｌａｙｅｒｅｄｍａｔｅｒｉａｌｓ．Ｔｈｅｇｅｎｅｒａｌｆｏｒｍｕｌａｉｓ［Ｍ２＋（１－ｘ）Ｍｘ３＋（ＯＨ）２］ｘ＋Ａｎ－ｘ／ｎｍ...     

Nickel-promoted ligand-free palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction

Summary A Ni-promoted ligand free palladium catalyst system for Suzuki coupling of aryl bromides has been developed in high efficiency under mild reaction conditions. It was obtained in situ by introducing NiCl₂ to PdCl₂/PVP using a parallel high-throughput screening technique. A wide range of aryl bromides bearing a variety of functional groups was evaluated.     

The grain-boundary-related optical and electrical properties in polycrystalline p-type ZnO films

Cathodoluminescence spectra and electrical properties of the N doped and N–Al codoped p-type ZnO films and the dependence of these two properties on the post-annealing were investigated. Spectral analyses show that the intensity of the green emission strongly depends on the annealing ambient and closely relates with the width of the electron depletion region at the particle boundary. The conducting type and electrical properties of N doped and N–Al codoped ZnO films are greatly affected by the annealing process. The grain boundary effect was proposed to explain the green emission behavior and the p-type conduction in polycrystalline ZnO based films.     

Coating Carbon Nanotubes with Europium Oxide

Carbon nanotubes (CNTS) coating with europium oxide by a simple method is reported in this letter for the first time. The CNTS were refluxed in a solution of nitric acid containing europium nitrate, and the pH value was subsequently ajusted with ammonia solution. At last, the mixture was filtered and annealed. The TEM micrograph showed that the CNTS were covered with a uniform thin layer with thickness of about 15 nm. The XRD results revealed that the CNTS were coated with europium oxide.     

Bonded dimethylacrylamide as a permanent coating for capillary electrophoresis

A method for coating capillaries for capillary electrophoresis with chemically bonded polydimethylacrylamide has been developed, and the properties of the capillaries have been evaluated. The coated capillaries provided high separation efficiency, 12 x 10(5) theoretical plates/m was obtained for cytochrome c. The electroosmotic flow at pH 8.0 was 10 x 10(-10) to 6 x 10(-10) m2 V(-1) s(-1). The coated capillaries were quite stable at high pH. At least 150 runs could be done at pH 10 without appreciable performance deterioration. The excellent performance of the coated capillaries was illustrated by separation of basic proteins, acidic proteins, 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate-derivatized neurotransmitter amino acids, peptide reference mixtures and peptides digested from a bacteria protein.     

Hemocompatibility of poly(acrylonitrile-co-N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)s: swelling behavior and water states

Hemocompatibility is an essential aspect of blood contacting polymers. Knowledge of the relationship between polymer structure and hemocompatibility is important in designing such polymers. In this work, the effect of swelling behavior and states of water on the hemocompatibility of poly(acrylonitrile-co-N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PANCNVP) films was studied. Platelet adhesion and plasma recalcification time tests were used to evaluate the hemocompatibility of the films. Considering the importance of surface properties on the hemocompatibility of polymers, static water contact angles were measured by both sessile drop and captive bubble methods. It was found that, on the film surface of PANCNVP with a higher NVP content, adhered platelets were remarkably suppressed and the recalcification time was longer. The total water content adsorbed on the PANCNVP film was determined through swelling experiments performed at temperatures of interest. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were used to probe the states of water in the films. Based on the results from these experiments, it was hypothesized that the better hemocompatibility of PANCNVP films with higher NVP contents was due to their higher free water content, because water molecule exchange at the polymer/liquid interface, facilitated by a high free water content, is unfavorable for the formation of surface bound water, which causes poor hemocompatibility. [diagram in text].     

Cooperatively assembled liquid crystals enable temperature-controlled Förster resonance energy transfer

Balancing the rigidity of a π-conjugated structure for strong emission and the flexibility of liquid crystals for self-assembly is the key to realizing highly emissive liquid crystals (HELCs). Here we show that (1) integrating organization-induced emission into dual molecular cooperatively-assembled liquid crystals, (2) amplifying mesogens, and (3) elongating the spacer linking the emitter and the mesogen create advanced materials with desired thermal–optical properties. Impressively, assembling the fluorescent acceptor Nile red into its host donor designed according to the aforementioned strategies results in a temperature-controlled Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) system. Indeed, FRET exhibits strong S-curve dependence as temperature sweeps through the liquid crystal phase transformation. Such thermochromic materials, suitable for dynamic thermo-optical sensing and modulation, are anticipated to unlock new and smart approaches for controlling and directing light in stimuli-responsive devices.

A temperature-sensitive Förster resonance energy transfer system was constructed using a highly emissive liquid crystal co-assembled with Nile red, enabling thermo-optical modulation for controlling and directing light in stimuli-responsive devices.     

Quantum mechanics in Dirac's front form

In 1949 Dirac published a paper in which he proposed various ways to combine special relativity with the Hamiltonian formulation of dynamics; these were referred toas forms and three differentforms, theinstant, thepoint, and thefront forms, were discussed. Dirac considered thefront form to be mathematically the most interesting. Despite this, thefront form appears to have been the least explored. This paper presents the results of a study of quantum mechanics in thefront form.