Unified molecular picture of the surfaces of aqueous acid, base, and salt solutions

The molecular structure of the interfacial regions of aqueous electrolytes is poorly understood, despite its crucial importance in many biological, technological, and atmospheric processes. A long-term controversy pertains between the standard picture of an ion-free surface layer and the strongly ion specific behavior indicating in many cases significant propensities of simple inorganic ions for the interface. Here, we present a unified and consistent view of the structure of the air/solution interface of aqueous electrolytes containing monovalent inorganic ions. Molecular dynamics calculations show that in salt solutions and bases the positively charged ions, such as alkali cations, are repelled from the interface, whereas the anions, such as halides or hydroxide, exhibit a varying surface propensity, correlated primarily with the ion polarizability and size. The behavior of acids is different due to a significant propensity of hydronium cations for the air/solution interface. Therefore, both cations and anions exhibit enhanced concentrations at the surface and, consequently, these acids (unlike bases and salts) reduce the surface tension of water. The results of the simulations are supported by surface selective nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy, which reveals among other things that the hydronium cations are present at the air/solution interface. The ion specific propensities for the air/solution interface have important implications for a whole range of heterogeneous physical and chemical processes, including atmospheric chemistry of aerosols, corrosion processes, and bubble coalescence.     

Triple-channel portable capillary electrophoresis instrument with individual background electrolytes for the concurrent separations of anionic and cationic species

The portable capillary electrophoresis instrument is automated and features three independent channels with different background electrolytes to allow the concurrent optimized determination of three different categories of charged analytes. The fluidic system is based on a miniature manifold which is based on mechanically milled channels for injection of samples and buffers. The planar manifold pattern was designed to minimize the number of electronic valves required for each channel. The system utilizes pneumatic pressurization to transport solutions at the grounded as well as the high voltage side of the separation capillaries. The instrument has a compact design, with all components arranged in a briefcase with dimensions of 45 (w) × 35 (d) × 15 cm (h) and a weight of about 15 kg. It can operate continuously for 8 h in the battery-powered mode if only one electrophoresis channel is in use, or for about 2.5 h in the case of simultaneous employment of all three channels. The different operations, i.e. capillary flushing, rinsing of the interfaces at both capillary ends, sample injection and electrophoretic separation, are activated automatically with a control program featuring a graphical user interface. For demonstration, the system was employed successfully for the concurrent separation of different inorganic cations and anions, organic preservatives, additives and artificial sweeteners in various beverage and food matrices.     

Magnetic solid-phase extraction of triclosan using core-shell Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>@MIL-100 magnetic nanoparticles,and its determination by HPLC with UV detection

The article describes the synthesis of core-shell magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) of the type Fe₃O₄@MIL-100 (MIL standing for Material Institut Lavoisier), and their application as sorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of triclosan. The MNPs were prepared via circular self-assembly of ferric chloride and benzenetricarboxylic acid. The functionalized MNPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, FTIR and thermogravimetry. Following extraction, triclosan was eluted with ammoniacal methanol and then submitted to HPLC with UV detection. The amount of magnetic microspheres, sample pH and ionic strength, adsorption time, desorption time, desorption solvent and the volume of the eluent were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the method showed good linearity in the 0.1 to 50 mg·kg^?1 triclosan concentration range in toothpaste samples. Other features include (a) intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSD, for n = 4) of <5.5 %, (b) a 30 μg·kg^?1 limit of detection, and (c) extraction recoveries between 90.86 % and 101.1 %. The method was successfully applied to the determination of triclosan in children’s toothpaste.

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Graphical abstract The article describes the synthesis of core-shell magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) of the type Fe₃O₄@MIL-100, and their application as sorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of triclosan.

     

A multi-responsive luminescent sensor towards Fe_(3+) and acetone based on a Cd-containing metal–organic framework

A Cd-containing metal–organic framework(Cd L), formula as {[Cd_3(L)_2(H_2O)_6] 1.5DMF}, has been synthesized under solvothermal condition by the reaction of 4,40,400-(methylsilanetriyl)tribenzoic acid(H_3L) and Cd~(2+)ion. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that Cd L displays a three-dimensional framework with 2-fold interpenetration and DMF molecules locate in the void space of the channels. A topological analysis of the framework indicates Cd L is a 3,4-connected pto net. The photoluminescence properties of Cd L are systematically studied in detail. Impressively, Cd L shows excellent detection performance towards Fe~(3+)ion and acetone in the sensing experiments, which undoubtedly demonstrates the great potential of Cd Lasa highly selective multi-responsive luminescent sensor for the detection of organic solvents and metal ions.     

Complexation of dodecyl‐substituted poly(acrylate) by linked β‐cyclodextrin dimers and trimers in aqueous solution

Two‐dimensional NOESY ¹H NMR, isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC), and rheological studies of host–guest complexation by β‐cyclodextrin, β‐CD, and the β‐CD groups of the linked β‐CD dimers, β‐CD₂ur and β‐CD₂su and trimers, β‐CD₃bz and β‐CDen₃bz, of the dodecyl, C12, substituents of the 3.0% substituted poly(acrylate), PAAC12, in aqueous solution are reported. Complexations by β‐CD, β‐CD₂ur, β‐CD₂su, β‐CD₃bz, and β‐CDen₃bz of the C12 substituents of PAAC12 in 0.2 wt % solution exhibit complexation constants 10^?4K₁₁ (298.2 K) = 0.83, 5.80, 4.40, 15.0, and 1.50 dm³ mol^?1, respectively. (The corresponding ΔH₁₁ and TΔS₁₁ show a linear relationship.) The rheologically determined zero‐shear viscosities of 3.3 wt % aqueous solutions of PAAC12 alone and in the presence of β‐CD, β‐CD₂ur, β‐CD₂su, β‐CD₃bz, and β‐CDen₃bz (where the β‐CD groups and C12 substituents are equimolar) are 0.016, 0.03, 0.12, 0.25, 0.12, and 0.08 Pa s (298.2 K), respectively, and show PAAC12 to form interstrand cross‐links through complexation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1278–1286     

On topological existence theorems and applications to optimization-related problems

In this paper, we establish a continuous selection theorem and use it to derive five equivalent results on the existence of fixed points, sectional points, maximal elements, intersection points and solutions of variational relations, all in topological settings without linear structures. Then, we study the solution existence of a number of optimization-related problems as examples of applications of these results: quasivariational inclusions, Stampacchia-type vector equilibrium problems, Nash equilibria, traffic networks, saddle points, constrained minimization, and abstract economies.     

Generalized Morrey Spaces Associated to Schrödinger Operators and Applications

We first introduce new weighted Morrey spaces related to certain non-negative potentials satisfying the reverse Hölder inequality. Then we establish the weighted strong-type and weak-type estimates for the Riesz transforms and fractional integrals associated to Schrödinger operators. As an application, we prove the Calderón-Zygmund estimates for solutions to Schrödinger equation on these new spaces. Our results cover a number of known results.     

Recurrence and Ergodicity of Switching Diffusions with Past-Dependent Switching Having a Countable State Space

This work focuses on recurrence and ergodicity of switching diffusions consisting of continuous and discrete components, in which the discrete component takes values in a countably infinite set and the rates of switching at current time depend on the value of the continuous component over an interval including certain past history. Sufficient conditions for recurrence and ergodicity are given. Moreover, the relationship between systems of partial differential equations and recurrence when the switching is past-independent is established under suitable conditions.