226Ra and possible water contamination due to phosphate fertilizer production

The raw material used in the production of fetilizers is phosphate ore containing various amounts of naturally radioactive elements. During phosphate ore processing, owing to chemical properties of radium, practically all²²⁶Ra gets incorporated into phosphogypsum and becomes the main source of radioactivity. This study was carried out in a fertilizer factory in central Croatia, which may represent a site of significant environmental contamination due to fertilizer production and phosphogypsum deposition in the area. The purpose of this paper was to determine whether ingestion of drinking water in this area poses a health risk for the inhabitants. The results of our study confirmed the occurrence of²²⁶Ra in elevated concentrations in the samples of trickling waters. However, concurrent analyses of drinking water indicated that the risk of adverse health effects for the population living in the vicinity of a phosphate fertilizer plant is negligible.     

Present state and future development of instrumental techniques for solution thermochemical (thermometric) analysis

A review of instruments for thermochemical (thermometric) solution analysis is given, including new types of isoperibol reaction of bomb calorimeters, the design of which can influence the future development of thermochemical measuring techniques. The new type of Dithermanal (Vaskut-EMG, Hungary, and Herrmann- Morris, France) controls the individual steps of the thermochemical analysis, adding memory and computing capabilities. Similar programming units with microprocessors for bomb and/or reaction calorimetry have been developed by Parr Comp. and Leco Comp. (USA). The latest modification of the Technicon flow analyzer permits on-line analysis of solid samples. For thermochemical titrations, the Sanda titrator (USA) and Vaskut automatic titrator (Hungary) are available. In the USA, the Tronac isothermal or isoperibol calorimeters are widely used. At the Technical University of Brno, ?SSR, smaller table instruments with a water-bath are applied for different modes of solution thermochemical analysis, and also for the reactions of solid samples in liquids. For the measurement of very small temperature differences, PTC thermistors are used. The possibilities of the future development of measuring techniques are outlined.     

Author index

The thermal decomposition of N₂H₅Nd(SO₄)₂·H₂O has been studied by simultaneous TG and DSC and by isothermal weight change determination. The final product and the intermediate phases have been identified by chemical analysis, X-ray powder patterns and infrared spectroscopy. The solid phases in the decomposition sequence are: N₂H₅Nd(SO₄)₂· H₂O → N₂H₅Nd(SO₄)₂ → NH₄Nd(SO₄)₂ → Nd₂(SO₄)₃. The reactions overlap under dynamicconditions, isothermally, however, NH₄Nd(SO₄)₂ can be obtained by 200°C.     

Strukturelle Untersuchungen einiger neutraler Komplexe des zweiwertigen Molybdäns

Unit cell parameters have been calculated from x-ray powder diffraction data of Mo₂Br₄ Py ₄ (A), Mo₂I₄ Py ₄ (B), Mo₂I₄ Pic ₄ (C), Mo₂(SCN)₄ Py ₄ (D) and Mo₂(SCN)₄ Pic ₄ (E), A, B and C crystallize tetragonal. A witha=9,4₂,c=15,O₂ Å; B witha=9,4₆,c=14,9₈ Å and C witha=9,6₆ andc=15,7₂ Å D and E crystallize orthorhombic. D witha=10,0₉,b=9,1₄,c=15,0₈ Å; E witha=10,2₂,b=9,4₁ andc=15,1₅ Å.Py=pyridine,Pic=4-methylpyridine.

     

Determination of cadmium in mixtures with metal ions

A method for the determination of cadmium microamounts in mixtures with metallic ions withE _1/2 near toE _1/2 of cadmium is discussed. For higher selectivity cadmium was extracted in the form of the pyridin-thiocyanate complexes prior to polarography.

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Bestimmung von Cadmium(II) neben anderen Metallionen

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine polarographische Methode zur Bestimmung von Cd(II) neben anderen Metallionen mitE _1/2 naheE _1/2(Cd) diskutiert. Zur Erhöhung der Selektivität und Genauigkeit wird eine Pyridin-Thiocyanat-Extraktion vorgeschalten.

     

Global Forcing Number of Benzenoid Graphs

A global forcing set in a simple connected graph G with a perfect matching is any subset S of E(G) such that the restriction of the characteristic function of perfect matchings of G on S is an injection. The number of edges in a global forcing set of the smallest cardinality is called the global forcing number of G. In this paper we prove several results concerning global forcing sets and numbers of benzenoid graphs. In particular, we prove that all catacondensed benzenoids and catafused coronoids with n hexagons have the global forcing number equal to n, and that for pericondensed benzenoids the global forcing number is always strictly smaller than the number of hexagons.     

Elektrophorese der halogenokomplexe von hg(ii), bi(iii), cd(ii), pb(ii) und cu(ii) : Chloro-, bromo- und jodokomplexe in kcl,hcl,kbr,hbr und kj

The electrophoretic mobilities of chloro-, bromo- and iodo-complexes of Hg, Bi, Cd, Pb, and Cu, obtained by heavy current electrophoresis on filter paper, are presented in diagrams as a function of the logarithm of the concentrations of the halogen ions KC1, HCl, KUr, HBr and KJ, mainly in concentrations between 0.1N and 4N, were selected as complexing agents Straight lines were obtuned with characteristic slopes, breaks and parallelisms. Furthermore it can be seen from the diagiarns, that the tendency to form complexes increases on the one hand in the sequence chloro - bromo -iodo, and on the other for the chloro- and bromo-complexes in the sequence Cu - Pb - Cd - Bi -Hg In the case of the lodo-complexes the sequence is (Pb + Cd) - Hg - Cu.Figures that show the electrophoretie scpartion of a mixture of Hg - Bi - Cd - Pb - Cu in Voirious concentrations of KC1, KBr and HBr, are given. The separation of these metals in the form of halogeno-complexes can be most satisfactorily accomplished in 0.5_N KBr or 0.5NHBr.     

Investigation of the Declared Value of Selenium in Food Supplements by HG-AFS

The method of hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) was optimised for determination of selenium in food supplements. Due to the high and varied content of Cu, Mg and Zn in the samples, the standard addition method was found to be the most appropriate. The reliability of the method was checked by the independent method of radiochemical neutron activation analysis, and good agreement was found between the two methods. HG-AFS is simple and rapid for Se determination in food supplements based on minerals. Agreement between the selenium values found and declared was worse than 10% in 9 out of 13 supplements. Furthermore, 2 of the 14 supplements did not comply with the recommendations stated in the 27^th edition of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, which states that minerals and vitamins in food supplements should be in the range of 90 and 200% of the declared value.     

Forms of vibrations and structural changes in liquid state

Summary The forms of vibrations and displacements of particles in amorphous structures have been investigated. The particles, moving on highly non-linear amplitude, are responsible for the creation of disordered structures of amorphous bodies. The non-linear oscillators, even if 'few' in concentration, are characterized by unpredictable trajectories in phase space. The non-linear oscillators are fully developed in the liquid state above the crossover temperature T_cr and between T_cr and T_g their number decreases. Under T_g they completely disappear. The interconnection between the linear oscillators in blocks plays the most important role in the characteristic time spectra in liquid state. Using the additive properties of elements polarizibilities, the number of acoustical units in individual blocks at T_cr is estimated to be about 600 units. The diameter of blocks at T_cr was estimated to be about 1.8 nm. Even if the non-linear high amplitude motions disappear at solidification, the remnants of structural irregularity remain and the disordered structure of glass is formed.     

Synthesis and fluorescent properties of some new unsymmetricbis-benzothiazolyl furans and thiophenes

Summary Some newmono- andbis-benzothiazolyl compounds with furan or thiophene nuclei were synthesized by multistep reactions from the corresponding furan and thiophene aldehydes. The data obtained from emission spectra show a large influence of the benzothiazole rings on the relative quantum efficiency of the compounds under investigation.

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Synthese und Fluoreszenzeigenschaften von neuen unsymmetrischenbis-Benzothiazolylfuranen und thiophenen

Zusammenfassung Einige neuebis-Benzothiazolylverbindungen mit einem Furan- bzw. Thiophenenring wurden in einer mehrstufigen Reaktion dargestellt. Die Fluoreszenzdaten der untersuchten Verbindungen zeigen einen großen Einfluß der Benzothiazolringe auf die relative Fluoreszenzquantenausbeute.