Liquid phase microextraction‐ion exchange‐high performance thin layer chromatography for the preconcentration,separation, and determination of plasticizers in aqueous samples

Liquid phase microextraction combined with ion‐exchange‐high performance thin layer chromatography has been developed for analysis of four plasticizers in aqueous samples. After their preconcentration by liquid phase microextraction, fast separation on thin layers of inorganic ion‐exchanger stannic silicate has been developed using a mixture of toluene + ethyl acetate (10:1, v/v) as mobile phase. Consequently, densitometric quantitative determination of the plasticizers has been made at λ = 280 nm in reflection–absorption mode by Camag TLC scanner‐3. The effects of type and volume of extraction solvent, stirring rate, extraction time, and ionic strength in the microextraction method have been also evaluated and optimized. The results show that the proposed method provides enhanced accuracy, linear range, LOD, and LOQ, and is very effective for analyzing the target compounds in water samples. Under the optimized conditions, preconcentration factor of 149–279 and extraction efficiency of 31–59% have been obtained. Repeatability (5.67–7.26%) and intermediate precision (6.21–8.17%) were in acceptable range. The relative recovery obtained for each analyte in different water samples was higher than 82.3% at three fortification levels with RSD <7.9%.     

Iron(III) coordination properties of a pyoverdin siderophore produced by Pseudomonas putida ATCC 33015

The iron complexation of a fluorescent green pyoverdin siderophore produced by the environmental bacterium Pseudomonas putida was characterized by solution thermodynamic methods. Pyoverdin binds iron through three bidentate chelate groups, a catecholate, a hydroxamate, and an alpha-hydroxycarboxylic acid. The deprotonation constants of the free pyoverdin and Fe(III)-pyoverdin complex were determined through a series of potentiometric and spectrophotometric experiments. The ferric complex of pyoverdin forms at very low pH (pH < 2), but full iron coordination does not occur until neutral pH. The calculated pM value of 25.13 is slightly lower than that for pyoverdin PaA (pM = 27), which coordinates iron by a catecholate and two hydroxamate groups. The redox potential of Fe-pyoverdin was found to be very pH sensitive. At high pH (approximately pH 9-11) where pyoverdin coordinates Fe in a hexadentate mode the redox potential is -0.480 V (NHE); however, at neutral pH where full Fe coordination is incomplete, the redox potential is more positive (E(1/2) = -0.395 V). The positive shift in the redox potential and the partial dissociation of the Fe-pyoverdin complex with pH decrease provides a path toward in vivo iron release.     

Digital holography-assisted 3-D bright-field image reconstruction and refocusing

Optical Review - We propose an image reconstruction technique of a color 3-D object to perform image refocusing by combining information from bright-field image and digital holography. The key...     

Functionalization of chitosan with 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid for the adsorption/collection of uranium in water samples and its determination by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

A chitosan resin derivatized with 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid moiety (CCTS-DHBA resin) was newly synthesized for the collection/concentration of trace uranium by using cross-linked chitosan (CCTS) as base material, and the adsorption behavior of uranium as well as 60 elements on the resin was examined by passing the sample solutions through a mini-column packed with the resin. After the elution of the collected elements on the resin with 1 M HNO₃, the eluates were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).The CCTS-DHBA resin can adsorb several metal cations and several oxoanionic elements at appropriate pH. Among these metal ions, uranium shows an excellent adsorption behavior on this resin. Uranium as UO₂²⁺ species can be adsorbed on the resin by chelating mechanism with adsorption capacity of 330 mg g⁻¹ resin. Through the column treatment, the complete removal of large amounts of alkali and alkaline earth matrices without any loss of adsorption efficiency over prolonged usage were achieved with this resin.The CCTS-DHBA resin was applied to the adsorption/collection of uranium in tap water, river water and seawater samples with satisfactory results. The validation of the proposed method was carried out by analyzing uranium in the standard reference materials of SLRS-4, CASS-4, and NASS-5 after passing through the CCTS-DHBA resin, and the results showed good agreement with the certified values.     

Front face fluorescence spectroscopy as a tool for the assessment of egg freshness during storage at a temperature of 12.2 degrees C and 87% relative humidity

The objective of this study was to investigate intrinsic fluorophores of thick albumen and egg yolk in order to assess egg freshness during storage at a temperature of 12.2 °C and 87% relative humidity (RH). A total of 126 intact brown-shelled eggs of the same flock (29 weeks of age) were stored for 1, 6, 8, 12, 15, 20, 22, 26, 29, 33, 40, 47 and 55 days. The emission fluorescence spectra of aromatic amino acids and nucleic acids (AAA + NA) (excitation: 250 nm; emission: 280-450 nm), fluorescent Maillard reaction products (FMRP) (excitation: 360 nm; emission: 380-580 nm) and the excitation spectra of vitamin A (emission: 410 nm; excitation: 270-350 nm) were scanned on thick albumen and egg yolk. Among the intrinsic fluorophores, only the principal component analysis (PCA) applied on the vitamin A fluorescence spectra allowed a good identification of eggs as a function of their storage time. Factorial discriminant analysis (FDA) was then applied on the first five principal components (PCs) of the PCA applied on each spectral data set. Regarding AAA + NA recorded on thick albumen, correct classification of 69.4% and 63.9% was observed for the calibration and validation sets, respectively. Quite similar results were obtained on AAA + NA scanned on egg yolks. The best results were obtained with vitamin A fluorescence spectra since 97.7% and 85.7% of the calibration and validation sets was obtained, respectively. These results showed that vitamin A fluorescence spectra provide useful fingerprints, mainly allow the identification of eggs during storage and could be considered as a powerful intrinsic probe for the evaluation of egg freshness.     

Versatile and Sustainable Synthesis of Cyclic Imides from Dicarboxylic Acids and Amines by Nb2O5 as a Base‐Tolerant Heterogeneous Lewis Acid Catalyst

Catalytic condensation of dicarboxylics acid and amines without excess amount of activating reagents is the most atom‐efficient but unprecedented synthetic method of cyclic imides. Here we present the first general catalytic method, proceeding selectively and efficiently in the presence of a commercial Nb₂O₅ as a reusable and base‐tolerant heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst. The method is effective for the direct synthesis of pharmaceutically or industrially important cyclic imides, such as phensuximide, N‐hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI), and unsubstituted cyclic imides from dicarboxylic acid or anhydrides with amines, hydroxylamine, or ammonia.     

Sustainable Heterogeneous Platinum Catalyst for Direct Methylation of Secondary Amines by Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen

Pt and MoO_x co‐loaded TiO₂ is found to be highly effective for direct methylation of aliphatic and aromatic secondary amines by CO₂ and H₂ under solvent‐free conditions. This is the first additive‐free and reusable heterogeneous catalytic system with acceptable turnover number.     

Fe-exchanged clay catalyzed transamidation of amides with amines under solvent-free condition

Fe³⁺-exchanged montmorillonite is shown to be an effective and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the transamidation of various amides and amines under solvent-free condition. The catalyst shows high yields and wide substrate scope.     

Electrical characterization of the [N(CH<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript>][N(C<Subscript>2</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript>]ZnCl<Subscript>4</Subscript> compound

The [N(CH₃)₄][N(C₂H₅)₄]ZnCl₄ compound has been synthesized by a solution-based chemical method. The X-ray diffraction study at room temperature revealed an orthorhombic system with P2₁2₁2 space group. The complex impedance has been investigated in the temperature and frequency ranges 420–520 K and 200 Hz–5 MHz, respectively. The grain interior and grain boundary contribution to the electrical response in the material have been identified. Dielectric data were analyzed using the complex electrical modulus M ^* for the sample at various temperature. The modulus plots can be characterized by full width at half height or in terms of a non-exponential decay function ϕ(t) = exp[(−t/τ) ^β ]. The detailed conductivity study indicated that the electrical conduction in the material is a thermally activated process. The variation of the AC conductivity with frequency at different temperatures obeys the Almond and West universal law.