Determination of volatile fatty acids in landfill leachates by ion-exclusion chromatography

An ion-exclusion chromatographic method with on-line desalinization for the determination of volatile fatty acids in landfill leachates is described. Highly sensitive conductivity detection of the organic acids was achieved by using dilute p-hydroxybenzoic acid solution as an eluent. Interference with mineral acids was reduced by treatment with barium chloride solution prior to desalinization. A silver-loaded cation-exchange guard column for the desalinization was installed in series with the analytical column to avoid the contamination of organic acids. This method features detection limits of 0.01 mg L(-1) formic acid, 0.02 mg L(-1) acetic acid, 0.05 mg L(-1) propionic acid, and 0.1 mg L(-1) butyric acid, respectively, with an injection of 20 microL sample. Application of the on-line desalinization LC method is illustrated for leachate samples from a Japanese sanitary landfill.     

Formation of disilanes in the reaction of stable silylenes with halocarbons

Reactions of stable silylenes 1 and 2 with a variety of halogenated organic compounds have been studied. Depending on the nature of the halocarbon, the products can be disilanes, LSiX-LSiR, or monosilanes, LSiXR, or a mixture of both types of products. Hexachloroethane reacts with the silylenes to give mainly the dichlorodisilane, LSiX-LSiX. The experimental results are rationalized in terms of several related free-radical chain mechanisms.     

Capacity gradient anion chromatography with a borate complex as eluent

Complex formation between borate compounds and vicinal diols is well recognized. Generally, in a chemically bonded anion-exchange resin, many hydroxyl groups are introduced on the surface of the resin in order to make the resin hydrophilic. The borate as an eluting reagent also reacts to these hydroxyl groups, and this complex formation decreases the apparent ion-exchange capacity of the column by being dissociated to the anion depending on the eluent pH. In the present work a method is described for the simultaneous determination of anions based on the capacity gradient for suppressed ion chromatography. A Tosoh IC-Anion-PW column and dihydroxyphenylborane–mannitol eluent system were used. To maintain baseline stability, it was helpful to keep the borate concentration constant during a gradient of 16 to 0 mM mannitol as a modifier to prevent the complex formation with the hydroxyl on the resin. The chemical composition of the eluents and gradient profiles are discussed and the application to the analysis of the condensed phosphates with widely varying retention times as food additives in a cheese sample is presented.     

Caltrop particles synthesized by photochemical reaction induced by X‐ray radiolysis

X‐ray radiolysis of a Cu(CH₃COO)₂ solution was observed to produce caltrop‐shaped particles of cupric oxide (CuO, Cu₂O), which were characterized using high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy and micro‐Raman spectrometry. X‐ray irradiation from a synchrotron source drove the room‐temperature synthesis of submicrometer‐ and micrometer‐scale cupric oxide caltrop particles from an aqueous Cu(CH₃COO)₂ solution spiked with ethanol. The size of the caltrop particles depended on the ratio of ethanol in the stock solution and the surface of the substrate. The results indicated that there were several synthetic routes to obtain caltrop particles, each associated with electron donation. The technique of X‐ray irradiation enables the rapid synthesis of caltrop cupric oxide particles compared with conventional synthetic methods.     

Molecular weight distribution formed during free‐radical polymerization in the presence of polyfunctional chain transfer agents

Free‐radical polymerization of styrene was carried out in the presence of chain transfer agents (CTAs) with functionality, f = 1–4. The size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with an ultraviolet absorption detector (UV) was used to measure the molecular weight distribution (MWD). A Monte Carlo simulation method proposed earlier was used to investigate the experimental results. In this simulation method, one can observe the structure of each polymer molecule directly, and very detailed information can be obtained in a straightforward manner, including the elution curve of SEC. It was found that up to the functionality f = 3, the equal reactivity model that assumes the reactivity of all functional groups in a CTA is equal agrees reasonably well with the experimental results. However, with f = 4, the reactivity of the fourth functional group seems to decrease and the substitution effects may need to be accounted for to fine control the formed branched structure. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1267–1275, 1999     

Total synthesis of granulodione

In this paper, we report the total synthesis of a sesquiterpene, granulodione, having a 15-norilludane skeleton. The coupling of two fragments 3 and 4 via aldol condensation, followed by Saegusa oxidation, SmI₂-mediated cyclization, and oxidation enabled expeditious and efficient synthesis of granulodione.     

Solvent‐Dependent Self‐Discrimination of Bis(2‐hydroxyphenyl)diamides

Solvent‐dependent, self‐discrimination of diamides is described. Mixing a solution of (R)‐ 1 a and (S)‐ 1 a , which are valine‐derived, bis(2‐hydroxyphenyl)diamide‐bearing, multiple hydrogen‐bonding modules, in dichloromethane immediately led to the formation of a thick suspension comprising a 1:1 heterochiral aggregate of 1 a . The solubility of heterochiral 1 a was substantially lower in halogenated solvents than in ethyl acetate. A perusal of racemic crystal structures obtained from chloroform and ethyl acetate revealed a significant difference in the crystal‐packing pattern, which is likely to be the basis for the pronounced difference in solubility. Specific self‐discrimination of 1 a in an ensemble of eight structurally related molecules showcased the specific aggregation through the hydrogen‐bonding network of the bis(2‐hydroxyphenyl)diamide framework. The low solubility of heterochiral 1 a in halogenated solvent was exploited to achieve high stereoselectivity in a catalytic asymmetric reaction by using a low enantiomeric excess sample of 1 a .     

Structure of Neutron-Rich Be Hyper Isotopes

The deformation change of ${^{9}_\Lambda}$ Be and the low-lying states of ${^{12}_{\Lambda}}$ Be are studied by using the antisymmetrized molecular dynamics for hypernuclei (HyperAMD). In ${^{9}_{\Lambda}}$ Be, the Λ hyperon in p orbit enhances nuclear quadrupole deformation, while the Λ hyperon in s orbit reduces it. In ${^{12}_{\Lambda}}$ Be, the ground state parity inverted in ¹¹Be is reverted in ${^{12}_{\Lambda}}$ Be by adding a Λ hyperon as an impurity (impurity effect).     

Sensing of ozone based on its quenching effect on the photoluminescence of CdSe-based core-shell quantum dots

Microchimica Acta - Thin films of CdSe-based core-shell type quantum dots (CdSe/CdZnS, CdSe/ZnS and CdSeTe/ZnS) deposited on glass substrate were found to undergo a reversible change in...     

New Polylactide/Layered Silicate Nanocomposite: Nanoscale Control Over Multiple Properties

The preparation, characterization, materials properties, crystallization behavior and biodegradability of a polylactide (PLA)/organically modified layered silicate nanocomposite is described. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and high‐resolution TEM analyses confirmed that intercalated stacked and disordered/exfoliated mica layers coexist in the nanocomposite. The nanocomposite showed improved materials properties and crystallization behavior with a simultaneous improvement in biodegradability as compared to neat PLA.

Degree of biodegradation (i.e. CO₂ evolution) of neat PLA and PLACN4 under compost conditions.