Spectrophotometric Determination of Thorium with Disodium Salt of Arsenazo-III in Perchloric Acid

A rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of thorium using 0.04% Arsenazo-III in a 2M perchloric acid solution. Absorbance was measured in 1 cm cell and the complex has a sensitive absorption peak at 654 nm. The complex is formed instantly in perchloric acid and remains stable for 45 minutes with constant absorbance. Beer's law is obeyed in the range 1–60 g·g^–1 of thorium concentration with a molar absorptivity at 654 nm = 3.07·10⁵ M^–1·cm^–1 at 24±2°C. The foreign ions interference in thorium determination have been checked. The cations were tested at >60-fold excess of thorium, Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II) and Ni(II) interfere negatively, whereas only Ce(III) has increased the absorbance. Among the anions, cyanide, phosphate, thiocyanate and acetate at 150-fold excess of thorium cause significant interference. However, thorium can bedetermined in the presence of nitrate, chloride, oxalate, tartrate, ascorbate, thiosulphate and citrate. The method has been applied on certified reference material for thorium determination after extractive separation and the result was found in good agreement with the certified value. The method has been also applied successfully to determine thorium at g·g^–1 level in local ore samples with a precision of ±0.04%.     

Sensory, physicochemical and microbiological quality of irradiated minimally processed cauliflower

Minimally processed cauliflower samples were irradiated, stored at 5 °C for 2 weeks and analyzed for sensory, physicochemical and microbiological qualities at 0th, 7th and 14th days. The data showed highest mean values of 7.93 and 7.57 for appearance and flavor, respectively, for 1.0 kGy treated samples. The D₁₀ values of contaminating microorganisms on cauliflower were 0.20 (Escherischia coli) and 0.24 kGy (Salmonella paratyphae A.) and the resulting 5D₁₀ value was 1.2 kGy. The study revealed that a dose of 1.5 kGy is enough for retention of quality and reduction of microbial load to 5D₁₀ values in cauliflower during 2 weeks storage at refrigerated temperature.     

A theoretical study of electronic spectra of radical cations of some dihydroxynaphthalenes

Electronic transition energies of radical cations of 1.2-, 1.3-, 1.6-, and 1.7?dihydroxynaphthalenes are calculated using an open-shell SCF method with configuration interaction. The results are critically analyzed and a correlation diagram is given that shows the energy-shift and intensity variation in the electronic transitions when moving from one system to another, thus revealing the characteristic behavior of the transitions depending on the positions of the hydroxyl substituents. An interesting relation connecting the electronic spectroscopy with the UV photoelectron spectroscopy is suggested on the basis of which the first ionization potentials (IPS ) of the substituted aromatic systems can be inferred from the calculated energy of the A-type (HOMO → LUMO ) transitions for their radical cations. Furthermore, the predictability of the IP s is found to be considerably increased with the incorporation of “molecular size” in the regression.     

Effects of humidity and temperature during irradiation on the response of blue PMMA dosimeter

Effects of relative humidity conditions in the irradiation chamber and of temperature of the chamber on the response of 3 mm thick light blue poly (methyl methacrylate) sheets have been studied. The response was measured spectrophotometrically at 402, 450, 596 and 612 nm. The response of the dosimeter is independent of the relative humidity (12–97%) during irradiation if the response is measured within 24 h of irradiation. If the response is measured after longer storage time, the absorbance at 402 and 450 nm increases significantly. At these two wavelengths the response of the dosimeter is also independent of the temperature of the irradiation chamber in the range of 0 to 40 °C. However, at higher temperatures (60, 80 °C), the response is not uniform.     

The concerted addition of HBr to aryl alkynes; orthogonal pi bond selectivity

In a weakly acidic solution, the addition of HBr to 1-phenylprop-1-yne produces predominantly the anti-Markovnikov product. In this paper, we consider five possible explanations for this behavior and conclude that the concerted addition is occurring on the acetylenic pi bond orthogonal to the extended aromatic pi system. The electronic effect of the distal methyl group and the steric hindrance of the coplanar phenyl ring combine to promote bromide attack at the beta carbon. Attack on this pi bond is insensitive to the electronic effect of meta and para substituents on the ring but is very (sterically) sensitive toward all ortho substituents.     

Structural characterization of nanosized CeO(2)-SiO(2), CeO(2)-TiO(2), and CeO(2)-ZrO(2) catalysts by XRD, Raman, and HREM techniques

Structural characteristics of nanosized ceria-silica, ceria-titania, and ceria-zirconia mixed oxide catalysts have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, BET surface area, thermogravimetry, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM). The effect of support oxides on the crystal modification of ceria cubic lattice was mainly focused. The investigated oxides were obtained by soft chemical routes with ultrahighly dilute solutions and were subjected to thermal treatments from 773 to 1073 K. The XRD results suggest that the CeO(2)-SiO(2) sample primarily consists of nanocrystalline CeO(2) on the amorphous SiO(2) surface. Both crystalline CeO(2) and TiO(2) anatase phases were noted in the case of CeO(2)-TiO(2) sample. Formation of cubic Ce(0.75)Zr(0.25)O(2) and Ce(0.6)Zr(0.4)O(2) (at 1073 K) were observed in the case of the CeO(2)-ZrO(2) sample. Raman measurements disclose the fluorite structure of ceria and the presence of oxygen vacancies/Ce(3+). The HREM results reveal well-dispersed CeO(2) nanocrystals over the amorphous SiO(2) matrix in the cases of CeO(2)-SiO(2), isolated CeO(2), and TiO(2) (anatase) nanocrystals, some overlapping regions in the case of CeO(2)-TiO(2), and nanosized CeO(2) and Ce-Zr oxides in the case of CeO(2)-ZrO(2) sample. The exact structural features of these crystals as determined by digital diffraction analysis of HREM experimental images reveal that the CeO(2) is mainly in cubic fluorite geometry. The oxygen storage capacity (OSC) as determined by thermogravimetry reveals that the OSC of the mixed oxide systems is more than that of pure CeO(2) and is system dependent.     

Analysis of neem oils by LC–MS and degradation kinetics of azadirachtin-A in a controlled environment

Since it was first isolated, the oil extracted from seeds of neem (Azadirachtin indica A juss) has been extensively studied in terms of its efficacy as an insecticide. Several industrial formulations are produced as emulsifiable solutions containing a stated titer of the active ingredient azadirachtin-A (AZ-A). The work reported here is the characterization of a formulation of this insecticide marketed under the name of Neem-azal T/S and kinetic studies of the major active ingredient of this formulation. We initially performed liquid–liquid extraction to isolate the neem oil from other ingredients in the commercial mixture. This was followed by a purification using flash chromatography and semi-preparative chromatography, leading to ¹³C NMR identification of structures such as azadirachtin-A, azadirachtin-B, and azadirachtin-H. The neem extract was also characterized by HPLC–MS using two ionization sources, APCI (atmospheric pressure chemical ionization) and ESI (electrospray ionization) in positive and negative ion modes of detection. This led to the identification of other compounds present in the extract—azadirachtin-D, azadirachtin-I, deacetylnimbin, deacetylsalannin, nimbin, and salannin. The comparative study of data gathered by use of the two ionization sources is discussed and shows that the ESI source enables the largest number of structures to be identified. In a second part, kinetic changes in the main product (AZ-A) were studied under precise conditions of pH (2, 4, 6, and 8), temperature (40 to 70 °C), and light (UV, dark room and in daylight). This enabled us to determine the degradation kinetics of the product (AZ-A) over time. The activation energy of the molecule (75±9 kJ mol^–1) was determined by examining thermal stability in the range 40 to 70 °C. The degradation products of this compound were identified by use of HPLC–MS and HPLC–MS–MS. The results enabled proposal of a chemical degradation reaction route for AZ-A under different conditions of pH and temperature. The data show that at room temperature and pH between 4 and 5 the product degrades into two preferential forms that are hydrolyzed to a single product over time and as a function of pH change.     

Co-activation of Gi and Gq proteins exerts synergistic effect on human platelet aggregation through activation of phospholipase C and Ca2+ signalling pathways

Our previous studies have shown that subthreshold concentrations of two platelet agonists exert synergistic effects on platelet aggregation. Here we studied the mechanism of synergistic interaction of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and epinephrine mediated platelet aggregation. We show that 5-HT had no or little effect on aggregation but it did potentiate the aggregation response of epinephrine. The synergistic interaction of 5-HT (1-5 microM) and epinephrine (0.5-2 microM) was inhibited by alpha2-adrenoceptor blocker (yohimbine; IC50= 0.4 microM), calcium channel blockers (verapamil and diltiazem with IC50 of 10 and 48 mM, respectively), PLC inhibitor (U73122; IC50=6 microM) and nitric oxide (NO) donor, SNAP (IC50=1.6 microM)). The data suggest that synergistic effects of platelet agonists are receptor-mediated and occur through multiple signalling pathways including the activation PLC/Ca2+ signalling cascades.     

Crystal structure of koraiol — A sesquiterpene alcohol with a new type of carbon skeleton from the oleoresin ofPinus koraiensis

An x-ray structural investigation has been made of a new sesquiterpene alcohol — koraiol — in the form of its complex with pyridine (2:1). The cyclobutane rings are nonplanar and the foldings of rings A and B amount to 17 and 31°, respectively. The seven-membered ring has the chair form.     

Depolymerization Study of Pakistani Lignite Coal Influence of Pre‐treatments on Product Slate

Influence of pretreatments, i.e., demineralization and pre‐soaking in some solvents on the yields of liquefied products obtained from hydro‐depolymerization of Pakistani coal in a pool of hydrogen has been discussed. Results of hydrogenation experiments demonstrated that demineralizing the coal sample prior to liquefaction caused the yields to decrease compared with the virgin coal samples. The contribution of mineral matter of coal has been evaluated by comparing the yields of liquid products of virgin and leached samples. Increase in the yields obtained from the hydrogenation experiments of swollen coal samples was not satisfactorily significant.