Equations for calculation of the pH of buffer solutions containing sodium or potassium dihydrogen phosphate, sodium hydrogen phosphate, and sodium chloride at 25°C

Published thermodynamic data measured in aqueous mixtures of sodium or potassium dihydrogen phosphate with hydrogen phosphate and chloride at 25°C were used to test recently developed methods for calculation of the pH of phosphate buffer solutions. Equations for ionic activity coefficients are used in these methods. It is shown that all data used in the tests up to an ionic strength of about 0.5 mol-kg^-1 can be accurately predicted by the two methods recommended. In one of these methods, equations of the Hückel type are used for ionic activity coefficients and in the other equations of the Pitzer type. Several sets of phosphate buffer solutions are recommended,e.g., for calibrations of glass electrode cells. In the recommended sets, the pH of the buffer solutions can be calculated either by the Hückel or Pitzer method, and the pH predictions of these methods agree in most cases within 0.005 at least up to ionic strengths of about 0.2 mol-kg^-1. The pH values of the two primary pH standards endorsed by IUPAC based on aqueous mixtures of KH₂PO₄ and Na₂HPO₄,i.e., pH values of 6.865 and 7.413, can also be accurately predicted by the equations recommended in this study.     

Fluorescence ratiometric pH sensor prepared from covalently immobilized porphyrin and benzothioxanthene

A fluorescence ratiometric sensor for pH determination is described in this paper. The sensor incorporated the pH-sensitive dye meso-5,10,15,20-tetra-(4-allyloxyphenyl)porphyrin (TAPP) as an indicator and a pH-insensitive dye N-(2-methacryloxyethyl)benzo[k,l]thioxanthene-3,4-dicarboximide (MBTD), a benzothioxanthene derivative, as a reference for fluorescence ratiometric measurement. To prevent leakage of the dyes, both were photocopolymerized with acrylamide, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate on the silanized glass surface. The reproducibility and response time of the prepared sensor were sufficient. Most common coexisting inorganic ions and organic compounds did not interfere with pH sensing. In the acidic pH range from 1.5 to 5.0 the fluorescence intensity ratio of the two dyes varied linearly as a function of pH. The sensing membrane was found to have a lifetime of at least one month. The sensor was applied to the analysis of waste water and artificial samples.     

Ab initio and DFT studies on tautomerism of indazole in gaseous and aqueous phases

Electronic structure of optimized Ge₅, Ge₁₇, Ge₅–O and Ge₅ embedded in SiO₂ nanoparticles have been studied by density functional theory to find out the effect of cluster size and Ge–O bond(s) on the optical energy gap between LUMO and HOMO. It was found that the optical energy gap depends on both cluster size and the number of Ge–O bonds nonlinearly. The optical energy gap was found to be in visible light range when the Ge₅ nanoparticle has been embedded in SiO₂ matrix.     

Inorganic—Organic Hybrid 18—Molybdodiphosphate Nanoparticles Bullk—modified Carbon Paste Electrode and Its Electrocatalysis

A kind of inorganic‐organic hybrid 18‐molybdodiphosphate nanoparticles ([(C₄H₉)₄N]₆P₂Mo₁₈Q₆₂·4H₂O) was firstly used as a bulk‐modifier to fabricate a three‐dimensional chemically modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) by direct mixing. The electrochemical behavior of the solid nanoparticles dispersed in the CPE in acidic aqueous solution was characterized by cyclic and square‐wave voltammetry. The hybrid 18‐molybdodiphosphate nanoparticles bulk‐modified CPE (MNP‐CPE) displayed a high electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of nitrite, bromate and hydrogen peroxide. The remarkable advantages of the MNP‐CPE over the traditional polyoxometalates‐modified electrodes are their excellent reproducibility of surface‐renewal and high stability owing to the insolubility of the hybrid 18‐molybdodiphosphate nanoparticles.     

Metal Nanoparticles on Stainless Steel Surfaces as Novel Heterogeneous Catalysts

The goal of this work was the development of a novel type of heterogeneous catalyst, consisting of bare metal nanoparticles on stainless steel foils, which can be shaped to any kind of architecture and, if necessary, heated electrically. Solutions of pre-prepared, ligand protected and monodispersed gold, palladium, platinum and rhodium nanoparticles were sprayed onto stainless steel foils, followed by the careful removal of the ligand molecules by an oxygen plasma treatment. Due to this, bare particles become irreversibly fixed on the steel support. It could be shown that the original particle sizes do not change during the plasma treatment. Foils, densely coated with the nanoparticles, were used for gas phase catalyses in a self-made reactor at room temperature or at 60 °C. Hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene at 15 nm Pd and 2 nm Pt, CO oxidation at 16 nm, 8 nm and 1.4 nm gold and NO reduction with NH₃ at 2 nm Rh particles were performed, indicating that the novel catalysts might in principle be applicable in technical processes if the experimental conditions like form and temperature would be optimized. Dedicated to Professor Dieter Fenske on the occassion of his 65th birthday.     

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, METAL-UPTAKE BEHAVIOR OF BIS（BENZIMIDAZOLE） RESIN SUPPORTED ON EPOXIDE POLYMER

The new chelate resins, abbreviated as PNBMZs and PBBMZs based on epoxide polymer, were synthesized by polycondensation of N,N-diglycidyl-4-glycidyloxyaniline or 1,4-bis（2,3-epoxypropyl）benzene with the primary amine group of 1,3-bis（benzimidazol-2yl）propylamine （BBPAH）. The ion exchangers contain 2.71-3.23 mmol of the ligand contents per gram of the resin. Batch extraction capacities were determined for the metal chloride salts in buffer solutions in the pH range from -1 to 6.0. The chelate resins were very selective for Cu^2＋, Zn^2＋, Cd^2＋ in the presence of other divalent transition metal ions. The maximum uptake capacities of PNBMZ （synthetic molar ratio = 1：1.5） under non-competitive condition were found to be 0.94 mmol/g for Cu^2＋ at pH = 2, 1.3 mmol/g for Cd^2＋ at pH = 1 and 1.75 mmol/g for Zn^2＋ at pH = -1 respectively. While in the case of PBBMZ, it was 1.39 mmol/g for Cd〉 at pH = 1. The metal-uptake behaviors for both of them showed strong pH dependence, and their extraction capacities increase with decreasing pH. The uptake of Cu^2＋ by the resin PNBMZs at pH = 1 was found to be rather fast with t1/2 = 18 min. Metal-uptake experiments under competitive conditions also confirm that the chelate resins have a high selectivity for Cu^2＋, Zn^2＋, Cd^2＋ and the contrary pH dependence.     

Gold nanoparticles as dehydrogenase mimicking nanozymes for estradiol degradation

Small gold nanoparticles can mimic dehydrogenase activity to catalyze estradiol (E2) oxidation to estrone (E1), extending the range of nanozyme catalysis to environmentally and biologically important substrates.     

功能化离子液体中Ag纳米微粒的制备及摩擦学性能研究

合成了1-甲基-3-羟乙基咪唑四氟硼酸盐离子液体([C₂OHmim]BF₄)，用红外光谱表征了其结构。以所合成的离子液体作为还原剂、稳定剂与反应介质制备了Ag纳米微粒，用XRD和TEM对微粒的结构和形貌进行了表征。在四球摩擦磨损实验机上研究了[C₂OHmim]BF₄离子液体及掺入Ag纳米微粒后的离子液体的摩擦学性能。掺入银纳米微粒后，离子液体在高载荷下的润滑性有了大幅的改善。用SEM和XPS分别对磨痕表面的形貌和元素组成、化学状态进行了分析，结果表明：在低、高载荷分别起润滑作用的是有机膜和金属-有机复合膜。     

The Intelligent Properties of Micro－reactors for Preparating Nanoparticles

TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by using micro-reactors. The shape and size of the nanoparticles produced from the original micro-reactors and the five times recycled micro-reactorsmother liquor were investigated on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) by using the original sample, freeze prepared sample, and dyeing treated sample, respectively. UV-VIS spectrometry was used to study the growth process of TiO2 nanoparticles in main reactors. The results showed that micro-reactors with nanometer magnitude had spherical or oval structures, and could restore to their original structure after they were destroyed. The products prepared in the original micro-reactors were similar to that in the micro-reactors recycled for many times, suggesting that the micro-reactors had memory function.     

Retention modeling and simultaneous optimization of pH value and gradient steepness in RP‐HPLC using feed‐forward neural networks

A novel approach is proposed for the simultaneous optimization of mobile phase pH and gradient steepness in RP‐HPLC using artificial neural networks. By presetting the initial and final concentration of the organic solvent, a limited number of experiments with different gradient time and pH value of mobile phase are arranged in the two‐dimensional space of mobile phase parameters. The retention behavior of each solute is modeled using an individual artificial neural network. An “early stopping” strategy is adopted to ensure the predicting capability of neural networks. The trained neural networks can be used to predict the retention time of solutes under arbitrary mobile phase conditions in the optimization region. Finally, the optimal separation conditions can be found according to a global resolution function. The effectiveness of this method is validated by optimization of separation conditions for amino acids derivatised by a new fluorescent reagent.