Optimization of a wet chemical continuous flow analysis method exemplified by the determinations of kjeldahl nitrogen and total phosphorus

The optimization of a rather complex wet chemical analysis method, such as the measurement of Kjeldahl nitrogen or total phosphorus with the Technicon AutoAnalyzer, is extremely tedious when purely empirical approaches are used. A mathematical model of the different stages of the measuring method (digestion, neutralization and color reaction) is described. The system can then be optimized for maximum measuring sensitivity. Optimization is done by solving numerically the non-linear optimization problem with constraints. The starting values for the optimization algorithm were found by varying these values systematically within the tolerated range, with checks that none of the constraints were violated. The theoretical results predict an increase in sensitivity by a factor of 15 compared to the method used previously. In practice, the sensitivity was increased by a factor of 10 for the total phosphorus method. For the simultaneous low-level determinations of Kjeldahl nitrogen and total phosphorus some problems of stability remain.     

Beiträge zur Analyse nuklearer Rohmaterialien. X

Zusammenfassung Eine Methode wurde beschrieben, die es ermöglicht, Mangan von großen Mengen Uran zu trennen und der Endbestimmung mittels Spektrophotometrie zugänglich zu machen. Die Abtrennung des Mangans aus der Uranmatrix erfolgt durch Adsorption auf einer Säule des stark sauren Kationenaustauschers Dowex 50, X8 aus einer Mischung von 80 Vol.% Hexon, 10 Vol.% Aceton und 10 Vol.% 12-m Salpetersäure. Nach Elution des adsorbierten Mangans mittels 2-m Salpetersäure wird dieses unter Anwendung der Formaldoximmethode spektrophotometrisch bestimmt. Das Verfahren wurde zur Bestimmung des Mangans in U₃O₈-Standardproben (0,9 bis 8,1 ppm Mn) herangezogen und dabei eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung der Resultate erzielt.

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Contributions to the analysis of nuclear raw materials. X

Summary A method has been described that makes possible to separate manganese from large amounts of uranium and to render possible the end-determination by means of spectrophotometry. The separation of the manganese and of the uranium material is conducted by adsorption on a column of the strongly acidic cation exchanger Dowex 50, X 8 from a mixture of 80 vol.% hexone, 10 vol.% acetone and 10 vol.% of 12M nitric acid. Following elution of the adsorbed manganese by means of 2M nitric acid the manganese is determined spectrophotometrically by employing the formaldoxime method. The method was employed for the determination of manganese in standard specimens of U₃O₈ (0.9 to 8.1 ppm manganese) and a very good agreement of the results was achieved.

     

Heavy metals in human urinary calculi

Summary Heavy metals are incorporated in human urinary calculi during a complex pathological process. The trace metals cadmium, lead, chromium, nickel and mercury are determined with regard to significance in pathogenesis and therapy. The amounts of cadmium, lead and chromium were determined as well directly in the solid sample as after chemical digestion by Zeeman-GFAAS. Both analyzing techniques show corresponding results. Nickel could be determined after chemical digestion only, while mercury was determined by a solid sampling technique. The evaluation of the results of trace metal analysis in the pilot study of 11 urinary calculi showed increased amounts of lead and cadmium compared to the results of tartar and salivary calculi.     

133Xe release during post-irradiation annealing of uranium metal in the presence of a constant volume of air

The fractional release of¹³³Xe at different temperatures was studied as a function of time in the presence of an atmosphere of air during post-irradiation annealing of uranium metal. It was found that the relation between the fractional release and t^1/2 is irregular. There is an initial step in the annealing curves (at the temperature range of 400–710°C) which decreases by increasing temperature and totally disappears at the high temperature of 800–1000 °C. The other parts of the release curves are typical for¹³³Xe release from uranium metal. The initial step was found to be due to the surface oxidation of uranium metal.     

The kinetics of radical polymerization—XXVII. Investigation of the radical reactivity of 3,3′- and 4,4′-disubstituted azobenzenes in the polymerization of vinylacetate

A study was made on the inhibition by some 3,3′- and 4,4′-disubstituted azobenzenes of the polymerization of vinylacetate initiated by azoisobutyronitrile at 50°. The inhibitory effects of these substances can be attributed to their ability to engage in radical addition giving a less reactive hydrazyl type radical. The mechanism of the inhibition has been established by ESR and kinetic (stoichiometric) measurements. The value of k₅/k₂ (characteristic of the reactivity of an inhibitor) was determined for 9 substituents. The radical reactivity of the aromatic azo group was decreased by electron donor substituents and increased by electron acceptors. The substituent effect can be well interpreted by the Hammett equation; the value of the reaction constant was ? = +0.53.     

Einige Aspekte der Quantitativen Röntgenemissionsanalyse Leichter Elemente bei Anregung Mit Schweren Teilchen

The aim of the paper is the simplification of calibration procedures in the investigation of multi-element-systems by calculating calibration curves. This requires, as well as taking into account the measuring geometry and the detector properties, above all the calculation of the number of the characteristic X-rays emitted by the sample per incident particle. For the calculation of the thick target yield a computer programme has been developed which makes possible a simple exchange of subroutines describing the stopping power of the sample, the cross-section of K-shell ionization, the fluorescence yield and the matrix absorption for the resulting K-X-rays of the elements contained in the sample. The agreement between experiment and calculation is discussed, when various approximations for the functions mentioned are used, as well as the possible influence of the grain size and surface roughness of the samples on the measurements, on which the calculations are based.      

Selektivierung geringer Mengen Kupfer mit Polyäthylenimin-Zellulose

Zusammenfassung Polyäthyleniminzellulosen sorbieren Cu²⁺ durch koordinative Bindung als Zentralion des sekundären Stickstoffs des Polyäthylenimins im P_H-Bereich 3,5 bis 4,5 selektiv aus verd. Lösungen. 10g Kupfer können von 10⁵fachen Überschüssen anderer Übergangsmetalle separiert, mit verd. Salzsäure eluiert und mit Diäthyldithiocarbamat photometrisch bestimmt werden. Das Verfahren eignet sich zur Erfassung von 0,001% Kupfer in Zink, Mangan, Kobalt, Nickel, Cadmium und Aluminium sowie aus Lösungen, deren Kupfergehalt 0,02 ppm beträgt.

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Selectivation of small amounts of copper with polyethyleneimine-cellulose

Summary Polyethyleneimine celluloses selectively sorb Cu²⁺ from dilute solutions through coordinative bonding as central ion of the secondary nitrogen of polyethyleneimine in the p_H-range of 3.5–4.5. 10g of copper may be separated from 10₅-fold excesses of other transition metals, then eluted with dilute hydrochloric acid and determined photometrically with diethyldithiocarbamate. The method is suitable for determining 0.001% copper in zinc, manganese, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, and aluminium as well as in solutions whose coppercontent is 0.02 ppm.

     

Glass and polymeric membrane electrodes for the measurement of pH in milk and cheese

While there is a considerable interest in the food industry in determining various analytes using ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), only few reports describe their use for direct measurements in food. In this study, the suitability of glass electrodes and ionophore-based solvent polymeric ISEs for the determination of pH in Process cheese, Cheddar cheese and milk was investigated. The liquid junction potential between a 3 M KCl bridge electrolyte and diluted as well as undiluted Process cheese was found to be negligible. Reference electrodes with ceramic plug and sleeve-type junctions performed well, although precautions needed to be taken to prevent plugging at the junctions. While the protein rennet casein posed no problems in pH measurements, the extraction of neutral lipophilic compounds or hydrophobic peptides into solvent polymeric membranes was evident, resulting in some loss of selectivity for monovalent cations upon exposure to cheese. However, it was found that ISEs based on tridodecylamine (R₃N) as ionophore and o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (oNPOE) as plasticizer can be used to accurately measure the pH of milk and, after desensitization of the electrodes in a cheese emulsion, of diluted Process cheese. Since pH measurements with a glass electrode showed that emulsions of cheese moderately diluted to a cheese content of 70% have the same pH as undiluted cheeses, it is possible to determine the pH in cheese with ionophore-based ISEs. R₃N membranes also performed well in undiluted milk.     

Schnelle Trennung von Rückstoßprodukten in der Gasphase

Experiments are described in which recoil products are separated fast and selectively. The aim of these investigations is an identification of short-lived nuclides, either for the study of nuclear reactions or for the study of decay properties of new products. The recoil products were provided by a Cf-252 source. The transportation zone and the identification zone could be heated to different temperatures. Using N₂ as carrier gas it was possible to separate Te selectively under certain experimental conditions. When Cl₂ was added, Sb, Tc, Nb, Mo, Zr, Ru and Sn were transported. Transport output was determined in dependence of temperature and composition of the gas.     

Self-Assembly of Gold Nanoclusters on Molecularly Modified GaAs

The elaboration of closed-packed monolayers of Au₅₅(PPh₃)₁₂Cl₆ clusters on oxidized and non-oxidized GaAs surfaces is reported. The first part of this work describes the use of silanethiol modified GaAs oxide surfaces to trap 18 nm gold colloids and Au₅₅(PPh₃)₁₂Cl₆ clusters. The surfaces characterized by AFM measurements present high-quality coverage on a quite long range for both metallic species. The second part is devoted to the elaboration of Au₅₅(PPh₃)₁₂Cl₆ cluster monolayers on non-oxidized p-type GaAs substrates, functionalized with dithiol molecules. AFM measurements demonstrate the presence of closed-packed two-dimensional arrangements of Au₅₅ clusters.