Calorimetric study of the immersion heats of lead(II) and chromium(VI) from aqueous solutions of Colombian coffee husk

Summary This work shows the result of the study of the Pb(II) and Cr(VI) ions adsorption by means of a Calvet type calorimeter of heat conduction that can operate at 150şC. The calorimeter was electrically calibrated to establish its sensitivity and reproducibility, obtaining K=12.95±0.05 W V^-1 and chemically it was examined with tris-(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane (THAM)-HCl system, obtaining ΔH= -30.91±0.03 kJ mol^-1. The activated carbon sample obtained from coffee husk and the calorimetric results obtained were related to other techniques used to perform this type of studies.     

Ionization thresholds and positions of avoided crossing of potassium Stark Rydberg states: a Stark-adapted quantum defect orbital treatment

We have calculated the positions of the avoided level crossings between (n+2)s, np states and nd, k Stark states in the Rydberg Stark states of the potassium atom with principal quantum number n comprised between 12 and 17. We have also studied the adiabatic electric field ionization thresholds for the above Rydberg states. Both the ionization thresholds and the positions of avoided crossings have been calculated using the recently developed Stark-adapted quantum defect orbital (SQDO) formalism. The presently reported values appear to be in very good agreement with the available theoretical and experimental data.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of recombinant human α-2 interferon

Mass spectrometry (MS) was used for the characterization of recombinant human α-2 interferon (α-2 IFN) produced in E. coli. After purification by monoclonal antibody affinity chromatography, α-2 IFN showed two major peaks in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP- LC). Each component was digested with trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus protease V8, separately or in tandem, and the peptide mixture was analysed by MS without further purification. The first peak corresponded to the 165 amino acid sequence of human α-2 IFN and the main component of the second peak was the acetylated Cys₁ α-2 IFN. It was also possible to verify by MS the location of the SS bonds in α-2 IFN and the occurrence of incorrect SS bridges in the products of some renaturation processes. The best renaturation process for obtaining a product without adducts or scrambling of disulphide bonds could be found by using RP-LC and fast atom bombardment MS.     

New polymer-supported catalysts. (Polyvinylchloride-containing redox) catalyst cyclopentadienyl iron moiety: [η5C5H5Feη6C6(CH3)5CH2?]+

New polymer-supported catalysts that contain the redox cyclopentadienyl iron moiety [η⁵C₅H₅Feη⁶C₆(CH₃)₅CH₂? ]⁺ were prepared with polyvinylchloride (PVC) as support. The active center is attached as a pendant organometallic moiety in the side groups of the PVC chain. Metallocenic groups and the supported polymers with various Fe content were analyzed by spectroscopic techniques and by polarographic and cyclic voltammetry. The absorption spectra show a similar profile to that of the nonsupported cation, which indicates that the supported polymer contains side groups in the chain with metallocenic structures. The new polymer-supported catalysts were characterized by viscometric measurements and by differential calorimetry (DSC). A linear relationship between intrinsic viscosity/[η] and the Fe content was observed. The glass transition temperature (T_g) values are higher than those of PVC without modification.     

Relativistic symmetry orbitals for the double groups C2v,C∞v,D∞h,and Oh

Relativistic symmetry orbitals are given for molecular LCAO calculations for the double groups: C_2v, C_∞v, D_∞h, and O_h (6-fold) coordination. The atomic orbitals used in the LCAO are of the four component form. A discussion of the comparison between nonre ativistic and relativistic molecular eigenvalues is presented.     

Estimation of the uncertainty of mass measurements from in-house calibrated analytical balances

The uncertainty evaluation of mass measurements when using “in-house” calibrated analytical balances is revisited according to the Guide to the expression of Uncertainty Measurement (GUM). The calibration of analytical balances is discussed according to the guidelines of several bodies such as ASTM, UKAS and DKD/PTB. The remainder components of uncertainty can be estimated from the balance data sheet specifications.     

First-principles calculations of K-edge X-ray absorption near edge spectra of some transition metal dimers

Theoretical X-ray absorption near-edge spectra have been evaluated for different bond lengths of Mn₂, Co₂ and Ni₂ using a modified Xα scattered-wave procedure.     

Improved coupled-column liquid chromatographic method for the determination of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid residues in environmental waters

An existing method for the determination of glyphosate and its main metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in water has been improved. It is based on precolumn derivatization with the fluorescent reagent 9-fluorenylmethylcloroformate (FMOC) followed by large-volume injection in a coupled-column LC system using fluorescence detection (LC-LC-FD). The derivatization step was slightly modified by changing parameters such as volume and/or concentration of sample and reagents to decrease the limits of quantification (LOQ) of glyphosate and AMPA to 0.1 microg/l. Additionally, the use of Amberlite IRA-900 for preconcentration of glyphosate, prior to the derivatization step, was investigated; the LOQ of glyphosate was lowered to 0.02 microg/l. Drinking, surface and ground water spiked with glyphosate and AMPA at 0.1-10 microg/l concentrations were analysed by the improved LC-LC-FD method. Recoveries were 87-106% with relative standard deviations lower than 8%. Drinking and ground water spiked with glyphosate at 0.02 and 0.1 microg/l were analysed after preconcentration on the anion-exchange resin with satisfactory recoveries (94-105%) and precision (better than 8%).     

Mercury removal from aqueous and organo-aqueous solutions by natural Mexican erionite

The sorption of Hg(II) from aqueous and organo aqueous solutions was investigated by Mexican natural erionite. The mercury chemical species (anionic, cationic or neutral) were determined by high voltage electrophoresis, and the mercury chemical species present in the aqueous media were simulated by a program MEDUSA. The mercury sorption process was monitored during 48 hours. The mercury content was determined by neutron activation analysis. Mixtures of benzene/water[Hg(II)], toluene/water[Hg(II)] and ethanol/water[Hg(II)] were chosen as organo-aqueous media. It was found that both the mercury chemical species and the dielectric constant of solvents play an important role in the mercury sorption by erionite.