The use of emulsions for the determination of methylmercury and inorganic mercury in fish-eggs oil by cold vapor generation in a flow injection system with atomic absorption spectrometric detection

An on-line time based injection system used in conjunction with cold vapor generation atomic absorption spectrometry and microwave-aided oxidation with potassium persulfate has been developed for the determination of the different mercury species in fish-eggs oil samples. A three-phase surfactant-oil-water emulsion produced an advantageous flow when a peristaltic pump was used to introduce the highly viscous sample into the system. The optimum proportion of the oil-water mixture ratio was 2:3 v/v with a Tween 20 surfactant concentration in the emulsion of 0.008% v/v. Inorganic mercury was determined after reduction with sodium borohydride while total mercury was determined after an oxidation step with persulfate prior to the reduction step to elemental mercury with the same reducing agent. The difference between total and inorganic mercury determined the organomercury content in samples. A linear calibration graph was obtained in the range 0.1-20 micrograms l-1 of Hg2+ by injecting 0.7 ml of samples. The detection limits based on 3 sigma of the blank signals were 0.11 and 0.12 microgram l-1 for total and inorganic mercury, respectively. The relative standard deviation of ten independent measurements were 2.8 and 2.2% for 10 micrograms l-1 and 8.8 and 9.0% for 0.1 microgram l-1 amounts of total and inorganic mercury, respectively. The recoveries of 0.3, 0.6 and 8 micrograms l-1 of inorganic and organic mercury added to fish-eggs oil samples ranged from 93.0 to 94.8% and from 100 to 106%, respectively. Good agreement with those values obtained for total mercury content in real samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry was also obtained, differences between mean values were < 7%. With the proposed procedure, 22 proteropterous catfish-eggs oil samples from the northwestern coast of Venezuela were measured; while the organic mercury lay in the range 2.0 and 3.3 micrograms l-1, inorganic mercury was not detected.     

Synthesis and characterization of a new isocyanato carborane anion [7-OCN-7-CB10H12]; study on its reactivity toward amino containing compounds

The new isocyanato carborane anion, [7-OCN-7-CB₁₀H₁₂]⁻ was prepared by the reaction of 7-H₃N-7-CB₁₀H₁₂ with triphosgene in the presence of triethylamine. The structure of this compound was established by ¹H, ¹¹B and ¹³C NMR as well as IR spectroscopy. The reactivigty of this compound with a series of organic amines was investigated. The resulting ureas were obtained in good to excellent yields. This approach is suitable for development of compounds for use in tumor selective Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT).     

Analysis of promazines in bovine livers by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and fluorimetric detection

Fluorimetric and UV methods of detection for liquid chromatographic determination of phenothiazines (chlorpromazine, acetopromazine and propionylpromazine) were developed. The effects of several experimental parameters on the separation and the sensitivity of the methods were evaluated. The detection limits ranged from 31 to 350 ng ml⁻¹. Optimized methods were successfully applied to determination of the promazines in bovine liver samples.     

Evaluation of Ptitsyn-Eizner λ parameter in dilute solutions of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) and its variation in conformational transitions of poly(methyl methacrylate)

The Ptitsyn-Eizner λ flexibility parameter for poly(N-vinylcarbozole) solutions under theta conditions has been found to be 6.31, demonstrating the rigidity imparted to the polymer chain by the carbazole group. A study has been made of the variation of this parameter with solvent and temperature. A study has been made of the variation of λ in a conformational transition of poly(methyl methacrylate).     

Color Displays with Gel-Glass Dispersed Liquid Crystals

Liquid crystal microdroplets trapped into silica gel-glasses by sol-gel processes may be used for display applications. Gel-glass dispersed liquid crystals (GDLC) are switched between opaque and transparent states by applying external AC-voltage signals; no polarizers are required. The feasibility of applying these materials to colored displays has been explored. A comparative study of different dyes for GDLC color displays, which were either embedded in the sol-gel matrix or dissolved in the liquid crystal microdroplets is presented.     

Self‐Assembled Monolayers of Cucurbit[6]uril on a Gold Electrode for 4,4′‐Oxydianiline Determination. Analytical Application

Self‐assembled monolayers of cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) on a gold electrode have been used for 4,4′‐oxydialine (ODA) analysis. The formation of the supramolecular complex between ODA and CB[6] was used for the molecular selection and the electroanalytical determination of this analyte. In addition to this, all the parameters affecting the modification of the gold electrode and the determination of 4,4′‐oxydianiline were optimized by square wave voltammetry. Upon the electrode modification, pentanethiol was employed to fill up the exposed surface between CB[6] molecules. The calculated detection and determination limits were 0.06 µg mL^?1 and 0.19 µg mL^?1, respectively, with good accuracy and precision as shown by the calculated values for the relative error and relative standard deviation (E_r=0.1 % and RDS=2.9 %; n=10 ). Moreover, the developed methodology was successfully applied to the 4,4′‐oxydialine determination in real wastewaters and shoe‐dyeing samples.     

A metal-free approach to access ketones,amides, and nitriles employing TBAI/TBHP oxidative system in water

Hydrocarbons, benzylamines, and heteroaromatic-bearing amines have been efficiently employed as substrates in allylic and benzylic oxidations via C(sp3)–H bond activation by TBAI/TBHP in water. This operationally simple method allows access to ketones, nitriles, and amides in moderate to high yields and a regio- and chemoselective late-stage functionalization.     

Formation of block copolymer micelles in solutions of a linear homopolymer in a good solvent

The existence of micelles of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene/propene) in solutions of polystyrene in toluene was investigated. Toluene is a good solvent of both copolymer blocks whereas polystyrene and poly(ethylene/propene) are immiscible polymers. The presence of homopolystyrene at high enough concentration can induce the micellization of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene/propene) in solution of a good solvent such as toluene. The thermodynamics of this new micelle system at a given polystyrene concentration was studied. Light scattering measurements were carried out in order to determine the critical micelle temperature (CMT) of different micellar solutions. Standard Gibbs energy, enthalpy and entropy of micellization were estimated from CMT and concentration data. The numerical values found were less negative than those found for micelle systems consisting in a block copolymer dissolved in a single selective solvent.     

Potential of membrane-assisted solvent extraction for the determination of phosphoric acid triesters in wastewater samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A membrane-assisted solvent extraction (MASE) method is presented for the extraction of several non-ionic organophosphorus chemicals from wastewaters samples followed by LC-MS/MS determination. The method was developed for a variety of chlorinated phosphates (trichloroethyl, tichloropropyl) and non-chlorinated phosphates (triphenyl, tributyl) used as flame retardants and for plasticizers such as triethylhexyl and tris-butoxyethyl phosphate. Parameters such as extracting solvent, sample volume and ionic strength, extraction temperature and time were optimized. The final method provides good quantification limits (1-25 ng L(-1)) and linearity (R2>0.9978). Method precision was also good at high concentrations (5% mean RSD at the 500 ng L(-1) level) but decreased at lower concentrations (20% mean RSD at the 20 ng L(-1) level). MASE yields lower matrix effects than SPE in a successive LC-MS/MS analysis of these compounds, avoiding the need for standard addition for quantification. When applied to wastewater samples comparable results were obtained using either MASE with internal standard calibration or SPE with standard addition.     

Quantification of the effect of nonphotochemical quenching on the determination of in vivo chl a from phytoplankton along the water column of a freshwater reservoir

Nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) is a well-known collection of different photoprotective mechanisms of plants and algae to avoid photodamage under an excess of light energy. In order to evaluate the overall effect of NPQ processes on the fluorometric determination of in vivo Chl a from a phytoplankton community dominated by diatoms, we compared the results obtained by two different fluorometric field devices with the total concentration of extracted Chl a measured by HPLC ( in vitro Chl a ). A different set of measurements were made to assess the performance of these fluorometers at high, moderate and low irradiance conditions. The Fbbe fluorometer, which is capable of distinguishing different algal groups according to their pigment content, allowed a better determination of in vivo Chl a under high irradiance conditions, with only a 10% mean difference from the in vitro Chl a concentration. In turn, the FMII fluorometer underestimated by as much as 50% the in vitro Chl a concentration under the same light conditions. As data from both fluorometers were in accordance with the in vitro Chl a values at moderate irradiance levels, the differences observed at high irradiances were attributed to the decrease in the yield of Chl a fluorescence caused by photoprotective NPQ processes. Accordingly, we estimated the effect of NPQ processes on the in vivo Chl a determination and the results allow us to provide an equation to correct this effect when in situ fluorometric measurements are carried out under high irradiance regimes. Our results demonstrate that under certain circumstances NPQ seriously compromises the results obtained by in situ fluorometric probes and highlight the need for a cautious interpretation of field data under such environmental conditions.