Evaluation of PLE exhaustiveness for the extraction of PCBs from sediments and the influence of sediment characteristics

Pressurized liquid extractions were performed on eight sediments in order to investigate if a modified US EPA method (100 °C, 100 bar, n-heptane/acetone (1:1), 2 × 5 min) provided exhaustive extractions of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from sediment, and to study if the extractability of PCBs from the different sediments was affected by characteristics of the sediment. The recovery from the eight native sediments, contaminated in nature, was between 96.4% and 98.9%, as an average of the recoveries from 10 PCB congeners. Hundred percent recovery was defined as the sum of two consecutive extractions (2 × 5 min each) at the stated conditions. The recoveries of the individual congeners were above 94%, except for one congener in one sediment, which had a recovery of 92%. When the recoveries and different characteristics of the sediments were compared, no correlation appeared between recoveries and sediment PCB concentration, total organic carbon (TOC), soot carbon (SC) or amorphous carbon (AC). The fact that carbon did not influence the extractions was somewhat surprising, since previous experiments have indicated a connection. Instead, statistically significant (p < 0.05) correlations were observed for water content and carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio. The decrease in recoveries with decreased water content was attributed to less access of the solvent to the analytes due to less matrix swelling. The lowered recoveries with increased C/N ratio can indicate that a difference in structure of the organic matter exists, which influences the binding strength between the analytes and the matrix. The difference in structure can possibly be explained by different origin of the organic matter or by aging effects. Overall the method was found to be exhaustive and the excellent recoveries show that sediment characteristics do not influence the extractions markedly.     

Fast chromatographic separation of (−)-menthyl chloroformate derivatives of some chiral drugs,with special reference to amlodipine,on porous graphitic carbon

Summary Enantiomeric separation of (–)-menthyl chloroformate derivatives of some chiral cardioactive drugs, on porous graphitic carbon (PGC), Hypercarb-S, is described. Capacity and separation factors of derivatives of the calcium channel blockers; amlodipine and UK52.829, the -blockers; atenolol, sotalol and propranolol, and mexiletine were studied in different chromatographic systems based on dichloromethane. A high content of a carboxylic acid in the mobile phase was found to decrease the retention and positively affect the stereoselectivity of the derivatives. A mobile phase with dichloromethane, acetonitrile and formic acid gave baseline separation of the enantiomers of amlodipine in less than 8 minutes. Results show that acetic acid and formic acid, may be regarded as strong organic solvents in PGC chromatography with nearly the same elution power as dichloromethane.     

Mechanism of silver-promoted ligand metathesis in square-planar complexes of d(8) Ions. Kinetics of formation and molecular structures of a trinuclear intermediate [(Me)(N-N)Pt(mu-Cl)Ag(mu-Cl)Pt(N-N)(Me)](+) and its dinuclear evolution product [(Me)(N-N)Pt(mu-Cl)Pt(N-N)(Me)](+) (N-N = ArN=C(Me)C(Me)=NAr,Ar = 2,6-(i-Pr)(2)C(6)H(3))

The silver-assisted ligand metathesis reaction involving a platinum(II) complex of formula [PtClMe(N,N-chelate)] with acetonitrile has been investigated. By using a suitably hindered N,N-chelate, an otherwise hardly detectable trinuclear species has been isolated and characterized through X-ray diffractometry. The trinuclear cation consists of two nearly orthogonal [PtCl(Me)(N,N-chelate)] square-planar units entrapping an Ag(+) cation through the chloride ligands that, acting as bidentate, form a linear AgCl(2) unit with two nonequivalent Ag-Cl bonds. The residual acidity of the silver cation is satisfied by one secondary Ag-Pt interaction [Ag-Pt(1) = 2.82 A] in which the platinum atom acts as a donor. Kinetic studies have demonstrated that the silver assistance operates both through a simple associative step and through a pathway in which the above trinuclear complex is an active intermediate. In a noncoordinating solvent the latter species evolves with AgCl loss and formation of a dinuclear Pt,Pt complex showing a rare single chloride bridge.     

Tailoring pore properties of MCM-48 silica for selective adsorption of CO2

Four different types of amine-attached MCM-48 silicas were prepared and investigated for CO(2) separation from N(2). Monomeric and polymeric hindered and unhindered amines were attached to the pore surface of the MCM-48 silica and characterized with respect to their CO(2) sorption properties. The pore structures and amino group content in these modified silicas were investigated by XRD, FT-IR, TGA, N(2) adsorption/desorption at 77 K and CHN/Si analysis, which confirmed that in all cases the amino groups were attached to the pore surface of MCM-48 at 1.5-5.2 mmol/g. The N(2) adsorption/desorption analysis showed a considerable decrease of the pore volume and surface area for the MCM-48 silica containing a polymeric amine (e.g., polyethyleneimine). The CO(2) adsorption rates and capacities of the amine-attached MCM-48 samples were studied employing a sorption microbalance. The results obtained indicated that in addition to the concentration of surface-attached amino groups, specific interactions between CO(2) and the surface amino groups, and the resultant pore structure after amine group attachment have a significant impact on CO(2) adsorption properties of these promising adsorbent materials.