Current air quality analytics and monitoring: A review

This review summarizes the different tools and concepts that are commonly applied in air quality monitoring. The monitoring of atmosphere is extremely important as the air quality is an important problem for large communities. Main requirements for analytical devices used for monitoring include a long period of autonomic operation and portability. These instruments, however, are often characterized by poor analytical performance. Monitoring networks are the most common tools used for monitoring, so large-scale monitoring programmes are summarized here. Biomonitoring, as a cheap and convenient alternative to traditional sample collection, is becoming more and more popular, although its main drawback is the lack of standard procedures. Telemonitoring is another approach to air monitoring, which offers some interesting opportunities, such as ease of coverage of large or remote areas, constituting a complementary approach to traditional strategies; however, it requires huge costs.     

A Mechanistic Study on the Oxidative Degradation of Dibenzazepine Derivatives by Manganese(III) Complexes in Acidic Sulfate Media

The oxidative degradation of tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) was studied in the presence of a large excess of the oxidizing agent manganese(III) and its reduced form manganese(II) sulfate in acidic media. The products were detected and identified using UV–vis, ESI‐MS, IR, and EPR methods. The mechanism of the reaction was studied for the following two classes of TCA: 10,11‐dihydro‐5H‐dibenz[b, f]azepines and dibenz[b, f]azepines. The oxidative degradation between dibenz[b, f]azepines and the manganese(III) ions resulted in the formation of substituted acridine with the same substituent as in the origin dibenz[b, f]azepine derivative. The pseudo–first‐order rate constants (k_obs) were determined for the degradation process. The dependences of the observed rate constants on the [Mn^III] with a zero intercept were linear. The reaction between 10,11‐dihydro‐5H‐dibenz[b, f]azepines, and the manganese(III) sulfate ion resulted in oxidative dehydrogenation, which proceeded via the formation of the following two intermediates: a free organic radical and a dimer. Further oxidation of the second intermediate led to a positively charged radical dimer as the single final product. Linear dependences of the pseudo–first‐order rate constants (k_obs) on the [Mn^III] with a zero intercept were established for the degradation of 10,11‐dihydro‐5H‐dibenz[b, f]azepines. The observed rate constants were dependent on the [H⁺] and independent of the [TCA] within the excess concentration range of the manganese(III) complexes used in the isolation method. The radical product of the degradation of 10,11‐dihydro‐5H‐dibenz[b, f]azepines was not stable in the aqueous solution and was subsequently transformed to a nonradical dimer in the next slower step. The observed rate constants were independent of the [Mn^III], independent of the [H⁺] and increased slightly with increasing TCA concentrations when TCA was used in excess. The mechanistic consequences of all of these results are discussed.     

Alien limit cycles near a Hamiltonian 2-saddle cycle

It is known that perturbations from a Hamiltonian 2-saddle cycle Γ can produce limit cycles that are not covered by the Abelian integral, even when it is generic. These limit cycles are called alien limit cycles. This phenomenon cannot appear in the case that Γ is a periodic orbit, a non-degenerate singularity, or a saddle loop. In this Note, we present a way to study this phenomenon in a particular unfolding of a Hamiltonian 2-saddle cycle, keeping one connection unbroken at the bifurcation. To cite this article: M. Caubergh et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 340 (2005).     

The dependence of electron capture rate constants on some molecular parameters

We have analyzed the dependence of the thermal electron capture rate constant on molecular parameters as dipole moment, electronic and orientational polarizabilities. We have found that there is a linear dependence between the logarithm of the rate constant and the electronic polarizability on the electron-accepting center.     

Separation of Monovinyl and Divinyl Protochlorophyllides Using C30 Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography Column: Analytical and Preparative Applications

A new, high performance liquid chromatography method has been developed for the separation of monovinyl- and divinyl-protochlorophyllides, using commercially available, C₃₀ reverse phase column and isocratic elution. This method can be used both for analytical applications and preparative scale purification of monovinyl- and divinyl-protochlorophyllides using the same column where submilimolar concentrations of the crude protochlorophyllide extract can be separated in one run. The purity of the obtained protochlorophyllides was demonstrated by spectroscopic methods, as well by the formation of aggregates in toluene.     

Activity of TiO2 deposited by the CVD method on ammoxidized surface of a carbonaceous material in hydrogenation of styrene

Hydrogenation of styrene has been applied as a test reaction to study the catalytic activity of TiO₂ deposited by the CVD (chemical vapour deposition) method on the surface of a carbonaceous material enriched in nitrogen (C_N).     

A fading effect in the X-ray diffraction contrast of dislocations

Fringes in the dislocation image in X-ray section topography are shown to fade away partially when unpolarized radiation is used. The fading effect is explained in terms of an analogy with the polarization beat in a wedge crystal. The polarization nature of the phenomenon is confirmed through numerical simulations of the contrast.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Ulrich Bonse on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Application of platinum gauze activated by hydrogen to the adsorption separation of silver traces and their determination by aas or spectrophotometry

A method ("electrosorption") has been developed for separation of silver from copper by its deposition through internal electrolysis with hydrogen adsorbed on a platinum surface. The silver can then be stripped and determined by atomic-absorption spectrometry or the dithizone method. The activation of the platinum surface with adsorbed hydrogen can be achieved either electrolytically or by passing hydrogen gas through the solution in which the platinum is immersed. The method of electrosorption has been successfully applied to determination of trace levels of silver in copper metal.     

Origin of organic gaseous products formed in the thermal decomposition of formates

The gaseous products of the thermal decomposition of formates have been investigated and compared with the products of formaldehyde and synthesis gas transformation under analogous conditions in the presence of the solids formed in the thermal decomposition of particular formates. It was found that formaldehyde transformation leads to organic compounds identical to those obtained in the thermal decomposition of the respective formates, while synthesis gas does not react under such conditions. This fact substantiates the hypothesis that formaldehyde is a precursor of the organic compounds identified in the thermal decomposition of formates. The nature of the organic componds obtained in the thermal decomposition of formates indicates that the formaldehyde formed in the initial stages is then transformed in the Cannizzaro or Tishchenko reactions.

---

Zusammenfassung Die gasförmigen Produkte der thermischen Zersetzung von Formiaten wurden untersucht und mit den Produkten verglichen, die bei der Umwandlung von Formaldehyd und Synthesegas unter analogen Bedingungen in Gegenwart von bei der thermischen Zersetzung von speziellen Formiaten gebildeten Feststoffen entstehen. Formaldehydumwandlungen führen zu organischen Verbindungen, die identisch mit denen sind, die bei der thermischen Zersetzung des betreffenden Formiats gebildet werden, während Synthesegas unter solchen Bedingungen nicht reagiert. Dies erhärtet die Hypothese, daß Formaldehyd eine Vorstufe der bei der thermischen Zersetzung von Formiaten identifizierten organischen Verbindungen ist. Die Natur der bei der thermischen Zersetzung von Formiaten auftretenden organischen Verbindungen weist darauf hin, daß das in den ersten Reaktionsschritten gebildete Formaldehyd nach der Cannizzaro-oder Tishchenko-Reaktion weiterreagiert.

---

, , . , i , . . , , . , , , .