Dynamics of nonionic surfactant-rich phase separation and recovery of dyes

Cloud point separation of selected dyes was studied. The use of dyes made possible observation of the dynamics of surfactant-rich phase separation by color video. The pictures were interpreted by means of ImageC software and degrees of whiteness were calculated. It was found that separation was slow and equilibrium was not achieved even after a period of more than 10 h. The separated surfactant-rich phase had a heterogeneous structure. The globules of the surfactant-rich phase were also observed in the micellar aqueous phase. The surfactant concentration could be as high as one or two orders of magnitude above the expected cmc values and was not decreased to critical micelle concentration by centrifugation. The presence of sodium chloride was important and improved separation. Separation of dyes was in the range 73-98% and depended upon the surfactant, the temperature, the electrolyte content, and the dye. In each system considered, appropriate conditions had to be selected to obtain high recovery of the dye. The presence of the electrolyte was the most important parameter and it improved the separation of dyes. However, addition of the electrolyte could also account for precipitation of the dyes, as observed for the systems containing Direct Pink. The best recoveries were observed for Direct Yellow and oxyethylated nonylphenol (98% at 55 degrees C in the presence of NaCl). Centrifugation gave recoveries similar to those for prolonged heating but it shortened the time of phase separation.     

Columnar AlGaN/GaN nanocavities with AlN/GaN Bragg reflectors grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si(111)

Self-assembled columnar AlGaN/GaN nanocavities, with an active region of GaN quantum disks embedded in an AlGaN nanocolumn and cladded by top and bottom AlN/GaN Bragg mirrors, were grown. The nanocavity has no cracks or extended defects, due to the relaxation at the Si interface and to the nanocolumn free-surface to volume ratio. The emission from the active region matched the peak reflectivity by tuning the Al content and the GaN disks thickness. Quantum confinement effects that depend on both the disk thickness and the inhomogeneous strain distribution within the disks are clearly observed.     

Simulated moving bed process with cyclic modulation of the feed concentration

The improvement of the simulated moving bed (SMB) process based on the introduction of a cyclic modulation of the feed concentration is described. It is demonstrated that such a feed concentration gradient during the shifting cycle can improve the performance significantly. The productivity and the product concentrations can be increased while simultaneously the solvent consumption can be decreased compared to the conventional SMB process with constant feed parameters.     

Specific and sensitive quantification of folate vitamers in foods by stable isotope dilution assays using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Stable isotope dilution assays were developed for the quantification of the folate vitamers 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, tetrahydrofolate, 10-formylfolate and pteroylglutamic acid in food samples by using deuterated isotopomers as internal standards. Vitamers and their labeled analogues were analyzed simultaneously by HPLC/MS/MS using selected reaction monitoring, which allowed a higher specificity than other methods published previously. Sample preparation involved treatment by protease in sequence with alpha-amylase and rat serum deconjugase, followed by anion exchange chromatography. The detection limits for 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, tetrahydrofolate, 10-formylfolate and pteroylglutamic acid were found to be 0.5, 1.2, 1.5, 0.6 and 2.6 microg/100 g fresh weight, respectively. Using the new method, folate contents were determined in meat, cereals, and vegetables. Data were in good agreement with literature data, except results for broccoli, which were much lower than reported in previous studies.     

Author Index for Volume 12

Authors Index

Author Index for Volume 12