Characterization of structural transitions in the SLS/decanol/water system

The ternary system sodium-dodecylsulphate (SLS)/decanol/water has been investigated at three different water contents and varying ratios of cosurfactant to surfactant by means of polarized optical microscopy,²H-NMR quadrupole splittings and small angle x-ray scattering. Upon addition of decanol a hexagonal phase transforms into a lamellar phase. For the highest water content of 0.65 no intermediate two-phase regions are detected but nematic phases are formed between. The lamellar phase at low cosurfactant content is very sensitive to changes of temperature and seems to be a so-called defective one with curved interfaces. From the scaling behavior it is concluded that the building units seem to be ribbons of increasing width on addition of cosurfactant or amphiphilic substance. By reaching a decanol mole fraction of 0.4 a classical lamellar phase with well-known behavior is formed. During these transformations the position of the first diffraction maximum changes gradually irrespective of phase transitions. The maximum mole fraction of cosurfactant the lamellar phase of our system can incorporate is 0.77.     

Time and temperature-based study for the production of high T C phase by sol-gel technique in Pb-bscco system

The high T_C superconducting phase Bi₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃Ox (2223) in the Pb-BSCCO system has been produced by EDTA-gel processing using nitrate solutions. The precursor has heated in two stages, at 300 and 800°C each for 2 h, to avoid the burning of the important species involved in the final product. The effects of time (6 to 48 h) and temperature (845 and 855°C) on the formation of the 2223 phase have been studied by sintering the samples in air. Thermal analysis (TG/DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) have been employed to investigate the powder produced at different stages of decomposition, oxidation and formation of sintered materials from the powders. The volume-fraction of the 2223 phase at 845°C increases with time, the maximum value of the 2223 phase was obtained at 120 h. It has been observed that the formation of the high T_C phase is remarkably enhanced at the temperature of the endothermic peak of the DTA curve. The best result has been obtained in the sample sintered for 24 h at the temperature 855°C (endothermic peak). This also indicated that at 855°C, the large volume-fraction of 2223 phase with T_C 113 K grew in short time and as the sintering time increased, it decomposed into the Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂Ox (2212) phase and other phases.     

Molecular dynamics and phase transitions in phospholipid monolayers at liquid-liquid interfaces

Stablen-hexadecane/water andn-tetradecane/water macroemulsions containing monolayers of natural (egg yolk lecithin, EY) and synthetic (dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine, DMPC) phospholipids at liquid-liquid interfaces were prepared. The existence of the monolayers was proved by studying the reduction kinetics of a surface-active spin probe with ascorbate anions. Spin labeled derivatives of stearic acid in which the nitroxide group is locared at different distances from the polar head (5-, 12-, and 16-doxylstearic acids) were used to study the temperature dependences of the molecular ordering, rotational mobility, and local polarity in the monolayers in emulsions and also in bilayers in liposomes obtained from the same lipids. In the EY monolayers, the degree of spin probe solubilization is higher, while the order parameters (S) and rotational correlation times (τ) are lower than those in EY bilayers. The differences between these parameters for mono- and bilayers increase with an increase in the distance of the reporter group from the aqueous phase. In the DMPC monolayers, a first-order phase transition was detected by measuring the temperature dependences ofS and τ. The temperature region of the phase transition in monolayers is shifted to lower temperatures with respect to that for bilayers and depends on the nature of the oil phase. It was concluded that the phospholipid monolayers in emulsions incorporate hydrocarbon molecules, whose concentration in the DMPC monolayers increases on going from the low-temperature (gel) to the high-temperature (liquid crystal) phase. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 418–425, March, 1998.     

Chemistry of borate in salt lake brine (XXXIV)

The crystallization processes of hydrated Mg-borates, boric, magnesium hydroxide and Mg-oxychloride from MgO-B₂O₃-18%MgCl₂-H₂O supersaturated solution at 20°C have been studied by kinetic method. The crystallization solid phases were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, IR spectra, thermal analysis and chemical analysis. The liquid-solid phase diagram of thermodynamic nonequilibrium state has been given. In this phase diagram, there exist eight crystallization fields, boric acid(H₃BO₃), trigomagneborite(MgO · 3B₂O₃ · 7.5H₂O, MgO · 3B₂O₃ · 7H₂O), hungchaoite(MgO · 2B₂O₃ · 9H₂O), inderite(2MgO · 3B₂O₃ · 15H₂O), chloropinnoite(2MgO · 2B₂O₃ · MgCl₂ · 14H₂O), magnesium hydroxide(Mg(OH)₂) and magnesium oxychloride (5Mg(OH)₂ · MgCl₂ · 8H₂O).     

Speciation of selenium(IV) and selenium(VI) in environmental samples by the combination of graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric determination and solid phase extraction on Diaion HP-2MG

A simple solid phase extraction procedure for speciation of selenium(IV) and selenium(VI) in environmental samples has been proposed prior to graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The method is based on the solid phase extraction of the selenium(IV)-ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) chelate on the Diaion HP-2MG. After reduction of Se(VI) by heating the samples in the microwave oven with 4 mol l⁻¹ HCl, the system was applied to the total selenium. Se(VI) was calculated as the difference between the total selenium content and Se(IV) content. The experimental parameters, pH, amounts of reagents, eluent type and sample volume were optimized. The recoveries of analytes were found greater than 95%. No appreciable matrix effects were observed. The adsorption capacity of sorbent was 5.20 mg g⁻¹ Se (IV). The detection limit of Se (IV) (3sigma, n = 11) is 0.010 μg l⁻¹. The preconcentration factor for the presented system was 100. The proposed method was applied to the speciation of selenium(IV), selenium(VI) and determination of total selenium in natural waters and microwave digested soil, garlic, onion, rice, wheat and hazelnut samples harvested various locations in Turkey with satisfactory results. In order to verify the accuracy of the method, certified reference materials (NIST SRM 2711 Montana Soil, NIST SRM 1568a Rice Flour and NIST SRM 8418 Wheat Gluten) were analyzed and the results obtained were in good agreement with the certified values. The relative errors and relative standard deviations were below 6 and 10%, respectively.     

Faster GC analyses performed by flow programming in short capillary columns

The technique of programming the carrier gas flow rate in gas chromatography, especially in connection with the use of capillary columns shorter than 10 m can significantly accelerate GC analyses. Equations for calculation of the parameters of the exponential flow function and retention data are described. The effects of flow programming in a short capillary column are shown in a few chromatograms. Different programming rates are tested and compared with temperature programming.     

Packings and stationary phases for biopolymer separations by HPLC

Summary Packings and stationary phases applied to high resolution separations of proteins, enzymes, and nucleic acids must satisfy a series of distinct criteria that are different from those usually required by HPLC of low molecular weight non-biologically active analytes. These requirements have been met through substantial improvements in classical gel media together with novel developments in silica supports, and have led to a family of products with tailor-made and reproducible properties. Supports consisting of cross-linked organic gels, and inorganic materials (mostly silicas) are now available with graduated particle sizes, pore sizes, porosities and surface areas as well as non-porous beads. A whole range of stationary phases, such as reversed phase, hydrophobic interaction, ion exchanger and affinity packings, were designed for application as chemical sensors for biopolymer recognition in adsorptive chromatography. The phase systems are operated in the gradient mode, giving high resolution and high peak capacities. In addition, aqueous liquid-liquid partitioning systems have been developed for the fractionation of proteins and nucleic acids. Size exclusion media complete the set of HPLC variants enabling a discrimination of proteins according to their size and shape in an isocratic elution mode. Basically, protein purification and isolation is a multistage process where-by the HPLC variants are combined in a logistic sequence, utilizing the different selectivities of the phase systems and thus maximising resolution, speed and throughput.     

N，N-二丁基癸酰胺萃取硝酸有机相结构研究

利用界面张力、电导、FT-IR等研究了不同硝酸浓度下萃取有机相的微结构。利用Gaussian曲线拟合处理N，N-二丁基癸酰胺(DBDEA)的羰基吸收峰，结果表明体系中存在多种以氢键结合的物种如DBDEA·HNO₃、(DBDEA)₂·HNO₃等。在较高酸度下有机相中萃取剂分子自组装成小的聚集体-反相胶团，极性核由水、硝酸和萃取剂高电荷密度的极性部分构成。     

Simultaneous operation of plural separation modes in capillary electrophoresis with a chemiluminescence detector possessing a micro-space area for reaction/detection

Analysis of alpha-amino acids, proteins, and phenolic compounds was simultaneously performed using three capillaries in capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection, taking advantage of the micro-space area for reaction/detection at the tip of the capillary. The three capillaries included usual, polymer-containing, and sodium docley sulfate (SDS)-containing migration buffers for separation. The eluted samples from the capillaries, which were inserted into the chemiluminescence detection cell, were mixed with chemiluminescence reagent at the tips of the capillaries to generate visible light. The specific micro-space area for reaction/detection at the tips of the capillaries enabled the simultaneous operation of the three separation modes in the present system.     

Crystallite Nanosize Effect on the Structural Transitions of WO3 Studied by Raman Spectroscopy

Nanocrystallites of tungsten oxide samples of 2, 4, 16, 35 and 60 nm of diameter were prepared by cryosol and pyrosol techniques. The pressure- and temperature-induced phase transitions of these samples were monitored by Raman spectrometry from 0.1 MPa to 34 GPa and from 77 to 1200 K. The tetragonal (α)-orthorhombic (β)-monoclinic (γ) transitions in these nanometric samples are strongly downshifted in temperature by comparison with the bulk WO₃. For instance, the tetragonal phase which exists above 1171 K for the bulk tungsten oxide can be stabilized at 700 K for the 35 nm sample. In the same way, the monoclinic P2₁/n-monoclinic P2₁/c high-pressure-induced transition is slightly shifted from 0.1 GPa to a higher pressure (1.5 GPa). The discussion of these transition-line shifts is based on thermodynamic considerations in which the surface energy of crystallites plays an important role.