Atomic absorption inhibition titration of orthophosphate and polyphosphates

The atomic absorption inhibition titration of phosphates was studied for two types of burner. Dependence on gas Flow-rates was observed. The method with a pre-mix burner was employed to determine phosphate in surface and waste waters. The results are compared with those by the standard method. The proposed method was found to be rapid, simple and accurate.     

Selective separations by reactive ion exchange : Part III. Preconcentration and separation of oxo anions

A new procedure for simultaneous preconcentration, separation, and determination of permanganate, chromate and vanadate was developed for aqueous solutions containing p.p.b. levels of these anions (and molybdate). The presence of other (non-complexing) ions in p.p.m. concentrations did not interfere. The procedure consisted of reactive adsorption of all three anions as their reduced cations, on iron(II)-treated resin, followed by elution of vanadium(IV) with 0.01 M HNO₃/H₂O₂, manganese(II) with 0.35 M HCl, and chromium(III) with 4M HCl. Concentration factors of 40 were obtained with 1-l “samples” 10 p.p.b. concentrations were determined with standard deviations of 4–5 % by a.a.s. and conventional spectrophotometry.     

A proof for the Burton and Miller integral equation approach for the Helmholtz equation

The A. J. Burton and G. F. Miller integral equation formulation for the exterior Neumann problem for the Helmholtz equation [Proc. Roy. Soc. London Ser. A323 (1971), 201–210] is one of the most important integral equation approaches in that area. However, the kind of space settings they are working with is not clear. Evidently, the Fredholm integral equation of the second kind which they deduced is not well defined on the usual C(S) or L²(S), where S is a closed bounded smooth surface. In this paper, appropriate space settings are found and a rigorous existence and uniqueness proof for their integral equation formulation is given.     

Low-temperature bath/coupled-capillary/sweeping-micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography for the separation of naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde-derivatized dopamine and norepinephrine

The use of a low-temperature (0 degrees C) bath-assisted coupled capillary for the separation of naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA)-derivatized dopamine and norepinephrine using the sweeping-micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) mode is described. In this technique, a capillary consisting of two portions with different inside diameters is used. Therefore, the field strength inside the capillary is different. Hence, the electrophoretic migration velocities of the analytes and the electro-osmotic flow (EOF) also are different. Furthermore, when a portion of the capillary (wide portion, used for sweeping) is immersed in a low-temperature bath, the viscosity of the buffer and the retention factor of the analytes inside are increased. Thus, not only are the interactions between the SDS micelles and the analytes increased, but the SDS-analytes also move more slowly. As a result, a more complete separation can be achieved, even when the sample injection volume is large, up to approximately 2 microL. In general, when the volume of an injected sample is larger, the effects of sweeping and separation would become insufficient, especially when the retention values (k) of the analytes are quite different. However, this limitation can be improved when the low-temperature bath/coupled capillary/sweeping-MEKC mode is used.     

Duality and intersection theory in complex manifolds. I

We introduce the concept of a twisting cochain and a twisted complex associated to a coherent sheaf. For sheaves of submanifolds these twisted complexes are used to construct on cochain level the Grothendieck theory of dual class and Gysin map. These explicit constructions give, for instance, a local formula for dual class of higher codimensional submanifolds. We prove a refined version of the Hirzebruch Riemann Roch using such local formulas. We also prove a theorem on when global analytic intersection classes can be computed from first order geometric data. This theory will be used to prove the Holomorphic Lefschetz formula (in Part II) and the Hirzebruch Riemann Roch for analytic coherent sheaves.The first author is supported in part by NSF grants GP-36418X1 and MCS 76-08478. The second by MCS 75-07986 and Sonderforschungsbereich Theoretische Mathematik at Bonn University     

Adsorption of NH3 onto activated carbon prepared from palm shells impregnated with H2SO4

Adsorption of ammonia (NH3) onto activated carbons prepared from palm shells impregnated with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) was investigated. The effects of activation temperature and acid concentration on pore surface area development were studied. The relatively large micropore surface areas of the palm-shell activated carbons prepared by H2SO4 activation suggest their potential applications in gas adsorption. Adsorption experiments at a fixed temperature showed that the amounts of NH3 adsorbed onto the chemically activated carbons, unlike those prepared by CO2 thermal activation, were not solely dependent on the specific pore surface areas of the adsorbents. Further adsorption tests for a wide range of temperatures suggested combined physisorption and chemisorption of NH3. Desorption tests at the same temperature as adsorption and at an elevated temperature were carried out to confirm the occurrence of chemisorption due to the interaction between NH3 and some oxygen functional groups via hydrogen bonding. The surface functional groups on the adsorbent surface were detected by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The amounts of NH3 adsorbed by chemisorption were correlated with the contents of elemental oxygen present in the adsorbents. Mechanisms for chemical activation and adsorption processes are proposed based on the observed phenomena.     

Waterborne polyurethane assembly multifunctional coating for hydrophobic and antibacterial fabrics

Surface modification of fabrics is a powerful strategy that can endow fabrics with desired effects while keeping the intrinsic properties. Herein, an ordinary strategy, dipping-drying based layer-by-layer self-assembly (LbL) coating, is reported to functionalize fabrics’ surfaces. Firstly, the novel cation waterborne polyurethanes (QAHDPU) and anion waterborne polyurethanes (HDPU) are successfully designed and synthesized. By incorporating targeted molecule, hydantoin diol (HD) and quaternary ammonium salt with long alkyl chain (DOQA), the QAHDPU are antibacterial and hydrophobically functionalized. Taking advantage of strong adhesion, waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) are physically bonded to surfaces of fabrics to generate durable antibacterial and hydrophobic fabrics. The QAHDPU with long alkyl chain combined with rough and porous fabric surface fabricates hydrophobic fabric surface, which can prevent bacteria from adhering to the fabrics. Furthermore, the coated fabrics present excellent antibacterial properties after chlorination, forming a second barrier against bacteria. The chlorinated coated fabrics, can inactivate 85.0–99.9% of Staphylococcus aureus and 85.0–97.7% of Escherichia coli with contact time of 60 min. The hydrophobic properties of coated fabrics are greatly improved with water contact angles of 122.0°–141.1°. In addition, the proposed method is applicable for a variety of fibers and expected to be used for industrial production.

Graphical abstract

     

Inspection of the reversal of enantiomer migration order in ligand exchange micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Enantiometers of D,L-phenylalanine were separated by capillary electrophoresis based on the principle of ligand exchange. Copper (II) complex of 4-hydroxy-L-proline was used as chiral selector. The separation and the migration order of D- and L-phenylalanine were strongly affected by adding an anion surfactant sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS). Without SDS in the electrolyte, the separation was also carried out but the resolution was very small. With SDS added into the electrolyte, the resolution decreased with increasing concentration of SDS until 5.0 mM. When the concentration of SDS in the electrolyte was over 5.0 mM, inversion of the migration order of DL-phenylalanine was observed and the resolution was also increased with increasing concentration up to 20 mM. It was interesting to find that the inversion of the migration order took place not only in the enantioscparation but also in the positional isomers. A family of a fluorinated amino acid, o-, m- and p-fluoro-D,L-phenylalanine was separated and the inversion of the migration order is discussed.     

Instrumental neutron activation analysis of large samples: A pilot experiment

A large sample INAA (LS-INAA) was conducted based on available experimental conditions. Four different materials, e.g., a quartz-sand and three wastes from an incineration plant were analyzed on sample size of 1 kg. The neutron flux spatial distribution was determined by irradiation of flux monitors in the sample. The gamma-ray apparent counting efficiency was evaluated based on the effective-solid angle concept, using linear attenuation coefficients calculated from an iteration process. The k ₀- and the modified monostandard methods were modified for the LS-INAA. To check the LS-INAA performance, a conventional small sample INAA was carried out for the quartz sand and a waste. All detected elements in the LS-INAA are presented and the discussion is conducted to explore the sources of errors in the LS-INAA. As a pilot experiment, the information from this work will be used in constructing irradiation and counting devices for the new FRM-II neutron source in Garching, Germany.     

Development of a new reaction system for the synthesis of highly optically active alpha,gamma-substituted gamma-butyrolactones

A highly useful method for the synthesis of optically active alpha,gamma-substituted gamma-butyrolactones has been developed. The SmI(2)-induced reductive coupling of chiral 2-alkyl acrylates derived from isosorbide with ketones in the presence of (1S)-(-)-2,10-camphorsultam as a proton source give the chiral alpha,gamma-substituted gamma-butyrolactones in good yields and high enantiomeric purities (up to >99% ee for trans and 75% ee for cis). The reaction system has been investigated with various ketones, and it is demonstrated that this system is very effective for trans-alpha,gamma-substituted gamma-butyrolactones. Both the chiral auxiliary and the hindered proton source in this system are necessary for the observed excellent ee values of the products. The absolute configuration of the trans products is assigned on the basis of the X-ray crystal structure.