Ion exchange removal of calcium carbonate and gypsum from mineral material prior to determination of cation exchange capacity using89Sr++

Summary The aim of the present work was to show that ion exchange resins can be used to remove sparingly and slightly soluble salts from calcareous and gypseous soils, which may otherwise cause serious errors in the determination of cation exchange capacity. It was shown that CaCO₃ and CaSO₄-2H₂O can be removed from a mixture with montmorillonite(Ca++) by a mixed bed resin. After resin treatment of the mixture its C.E.C. as retained Sr⁺⁺ corresponds approximately to the C.E.C. for pure montmorillonite within certain limits. Use of an anion exchange resin alone for removing these salts, however, gave an Sr⁺⁺ retention well below the C.E.C. for the mineral. It was assumed that this results from the blocking of exchange sites by resin particles.

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Zusammenfassung In kalkhaltigen und gipshaltigen B?den st?ren CaCO₃ und CaSO₄-2H₂O die Bestimmung des Kationenaustauschverm?gens. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird gezeigt, da? Salze wie CaCO₃ und CaSO₄-2H₂O aus Mischungen mit Ca-Montmorillonit durch Ionenaustauscher herausgel?st werden k?nnen. Als Ionenaustauscher müssen jedoch Mischbettaustauscher verwendet werden; Anionenaustauscher allein liefern bei einer anschlie?enden Bestimmung des Kationenaustausches mit Sr⁺⁺ falsche Werte. Die angegebene Methode erscheint vor allem für die Untersuchung von B?den wichtig zu sein.

     

Adsorption and controlled release of Chlortetracycline HCl by using multifunctional polymeric hydrogels

Adsorption and controlled release of Chlortetracycline HCl to and from multifunctional polymeric materials (HEMA/MAA) hydrogels were investigated. P(HEMA/MAA) hydrogels were synthesized by gamma radiation-induced copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and methacrylic acid (MAA) in aqueous solution. The influence of copolymer composition and pH value of the surrounding medium on the type of water diffusion into the glassy polymer were discussed. Drug, Chlortetracycline HCl containing hydrogels, with different drug concentration to polymer ratios, was loaded by direct adsorption method. The influence of MAA content in the gel on the adsorption capacities of hydrogel was studied. Chlortetracycline HCl adsorption capacity of hydrogels was found to increase from 8 to 138 mg Chlortetracycline HCl per gram dry gel with increasing amount of MAA in the gel system and drug concentration. The effect of pH on the releasing behavior of Chlortetracycline HCl from gel matrix was investigated. In vitro drug release studies in different buffer solutions show that the basic parameters affecting the drug release behavior of hydrogel are the pH of the solution and MAA content of hydrogel.     

Alteration of biotite by suspended montmorillonite

Summary Alteration of biotite flakes which were placed in suspensions of Na⁺ — and Mg⁺⁺-montmorillonite for different contact periods at two different temperatures, were followed using X-ray and petrographic microscope.The biotite seemed to alter to a mineral of the vermiculite type. Na⁺-montmorillonite changed the biotite more than Mg⁺⁺-montmorillonite at 21°C. At 50°C, however, no changes of the biotite flakes could be observed using Na⁺-montmorillonite in contrast to the case when Mg⁺⁺-montmorillonite was used. A good correlation between X-ray measurements and optical observations was found.With 3 figures and 3 tables     

Spectroscopic Study of Heavy Metals at Different Depths in Southeastern Soil of Nile Delta,Egypt

The present work has been conducted to study the level of pollutants in six sectors at southeastern soil of Nile delta of Egypt. The level of major, minor and trace metals were surveyed by conventional atomic emission spectroscopy. Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to study Cd, Cu, Ni, and Pb in both soil and irrigating water at different depths up to 100 cm. Results indicate that heavy metals were found with higher concentrations in soil that is irrigated with untreated wastewater. Some samples from locations irrigated with clean surface water also showed higher metal concentrations because of uncontrolled use of fertilizers. The level of metals in surface samples down to 100 cm depth, indicate the possible mobilization of heavy metals that subsequently transported to groundwater and/or the drainage water in these areas. The possible pollution of groundwater and/or drainage water leads to further contamination of soil in other areas through infiltration and diffusion causing wide deterioration of Nile delta agricultural land.     

The validity of commercial LIBS for quantitative analysis of brass alloy — comparison of WDXRF and AAS

Commercial low-cost laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been successfully employed for the quantitative analysis of a Cu-based alloy using a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm. The main aim of the present investigation is to explore the benefits of a commercial low-cost LIBS setup. It was recognized that some trace elements such as Al and S could not be detected by LIBS even with a high-resolution spectrometer. The main difficulties in quantifying Cu as a basic component of a brass alloy are related to the self-absorption of Cu spectral lines, with the effect complicated at Cu concentrations higher than 65%. However, few Cu lines such as that at 330.795 nm would be helpful to use due to their lower susceptibility to self-absorption. LIBS, flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) were compared for the detection of major and trace metals in the Cu-based alloy. In the case of WDXRF, the brass samples were identified by using a standardless quantitative analysis program depending on a fundamental parameter approach. The quantitative analysis results were acceptable for most of the major and minor elements of the brass sample. Therefore, commercial low cost LIBS would be useful for quantitative analysis of most elements in different types of alloys.     

Correlated ab initio quantum chemical calculations of di- and trisaccharide conformations

High level correlated quantum chemical calculations, using MP2 and local MP2 theory, have been performed for conformations of the disaccharide, beta-maltose, and the trisaccharide, 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranose. For beta-maltose, MP2 and local MP2 calculations using the 6-311++G** basis set are in good agreement, predicting a global minimum gas-phase conformation with a counterclockwise hydrogen bond network and the experimentally-observed intersaccharide hydrogen bonding arrangement. For conformations of 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranose, MP2/6-311++G**, and local MP2/6-311++G** calculations do not provide a consensus prediction of relative energetics, with the MP2 method finding large differences in stability between extended and folded trisaccharide conformations. Local MP2 calculations, less susceptible to intramolecular basis set superposition errors, predict a narrower range of trisaccharide energetics, in line with estimates from Hartree-Fock theory and B3LYP and BP86 density functionals. All levels of theory predict compact, highly hydrogen-bonded conformations as lowest in energy on the in vacuo potential energy surface of the trisaccharide. These high level, correlated local MP2/6-311++G** calculations of di- and trisaccharide energetics constitute potential reference data in the development and testing of improved empirical and semiempirical potentials for modeling of carbohydrates in the condensed phase.     

Dietary Lutein and Cognitive Function in Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Emerging literature suggests that dietary lutein may have important functions in cognitive health, but there is not enough data to substantiate its effects in human cognition. The current study was intended to determine the overall effect of lutein on the main domains of cognition in the adult population based on available placebo randomized-controlled trials. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed, AGRICOLA, Scopus, MEDLINE, and EMBASE on 14 November 2020. The effect of lutein on complex attention, executive function and memory domains of cognition were assessed by using an inverse-variance meta-analysis of standardized mean differences (SMD) (Hedge’s g method). Dietary lutein was associated with slight improvements in cognitive performance in complex attention (SMD 0.02, 95% CI −0.27 to 0.31), executive function (SMD 0.13, 95% CI −0.26 to 0.51) and memory (SMD 0.03, 95% CI −0.26 to 0.32), but its effect was not significant. Change-from-baseline analysis revealed that lutein consumption could have a role in maintaining cognitive performance in memory and executive function. Although dietary lutein did not significantly improve cognitive performance, the evidence across multiple studies suggests that lutein may nonetheless prevent cognitive decline, especially executive function. More intervention studies are needed to validate the role of lutein in preventing cognitive decline and in promoting brain health.     

Removal of some dyes from industrial effluents by polymeric materials and gamma-irradiation

The radiolysis of two basic dyes (Astrazon Red 6B and Astrazon Blue BG-200%), was investigated as a function of dye concentration, pH, irradiation dose and dose rate. It was found that the Astrazon Red 6B dye showed more radiation degradation than the Astrazon Blue BG-200% dye. Combining irradiation with the conventional treatment enhanced the degree of degradation. Addition of oxygen or hydrogen peroxide showed this enhancement, while nitrogen showed no change. A pH drop was observed and may be attributed to the degradation of the dye molecules to lower molecular weight compounds such as organic acids. Experiments on the adsorption or exchange the dyes onto GAC, some polymeric ion exchange resins and polymeric membranes were carried out showing that GAC had the highest adsorption capacity. By combined treatment of irradiation and adsorption, the total removal of these toxic dyes was achieved.