Hazardous metal geochemistry of sedimentary phosphate rock used for fertilizer (Maz?dag, SE Anatolia, Turkey)

Composition of phosphate rocks mostly depend on their type and origin. Sedimentary rocks contain high concentration of heavy metals. Phosphate rocks are mainly used for the manufacturing of phosphate fertilizers. The contents of heavy metals Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, as well as rare earth elements Ce, La, and Th were determined in sedimentary phosphate rock used for production of fertilizer in Turkey. The Kasrik-Semikan, Mazidag (Mardin, SE Anatolia, Turkey) high-grade phosphate rock used in this study is situated near the border with Syria and was deposited during the Turonian and Senonian (Cretaceous) ages. Total phosphorus (P) concentration in the rock is 18.5% on the average. Microwave acid digestion (MW-AD) followed by ?nductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrophotometry (ICP-OES) was carried out for the determination of all the elements of interest in phosphate rock. The results revealed that hazardous metal content of the phosphate rock was lower in Mazidag phosphate than that in samples imported from other countries and were within the safety limits.     

Amplitude and phase of light scattered by micro-scale aggregates of dielectric spheres: Comparison between theory and microwave analogy experiments

Light scattering is a useful diagnostic tool for characterization of particles. Direct scattering measurements for arbitrarily shaped micro-scale particles is difficult due to small-scale limitations. Microwave analogy is a convenient approach to realize such measurements as it enables realization of analogous experiments with larger model particles in a spectral domain where wavelengths are on centimeter scale. In the present study a test model analogous to light scattering by a micro-scale aggregate of dielectric spheres was constructed and experimentally characterized in the microwave regime. Measured amplitude and phase of the scattered field were compared with theoretical predictions obtained from quasi-exact multiple-scattering T-matrix method and discrete dipole approximation (DDA). Excellent agreement demonstrates the validities of both the experiment and the models.     

Synthesis and characterization of two oxo-bridged oxo(arylimido) [tris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borato]molybdenum(V) complexes and crystal structure of [MoTp*(O)Cl](μ-O)[MoTp*(Cl)(≡NC6H4OMe)]

Reaction of the oxo-molybdenum(V) compound, [MoTp*(O)Cl₂], [Tp*=hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate] with p-methoxy and p-nitroaniline in the presence of Et₃N under N₂, afforded the oxo-bridged oxo(arylimido) molybdenum(V) complexes, [MoTp*(O)Cl](-O)[MoTp*(Cl)(NC₆H₄R)] (1, R=OMe; 2, R=NO₂). The new compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, i.r., mass, and ¹H-n.m.r. spectra. The single crystal X-ray crystallographic determination of [MoTp*(O)Cl](-O)[MoTp*(Cl)(NC₆H₄OMe)] was carried out to confirm that there is a Mo—O—Mo bridge and a near linear arylimido group in the structure.     

Glucocorticoid-loaded core-cross-linked polymeric micelles with tailorable release kinetics for targeted therapy of rheumatoid arthritis

Polymerizable and hydrolytically cleavable dexamethasone (DEX, red dot in picture) derivatives were covalently entrapped in core-cross-linked polymeric micelles that were prepared from a thermosensitive block copolymer (yellow and gray building block). By varying the oxidation degree of the thioether in the drug linker, the release rate of DEX could be controlled. The DEX-loaded micelles were used for efficient treatment of inflammatory arthritis in two animal models.     

Synthesis and characterization of [Ir(1,5-cyclooctadiene)(μ-H)]4: a tetrametallic Ir4H4-core, coordinatively unsaturated cluster

Reported herein is the synthesis of the previously unknown [Ir(1,5-COD)(μ-H)](4) (where 1,5-COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene), from commercially available [Ir(1,5-COD)Cl](2) and LiBEt(3)H in the presence of excess 1,5-COD in 78% initial, and 55% recrystallized, yield plus its unequivocal characterization via single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy, electrospray/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and UV-vis, IR, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. The resultant product parallels--but the successful synthesis is different from, vide infra--that of the known and valuable Rh congener precatalyst and synthon, [Rh(1,5-COD)(μ-H)](4). Extensive characterization reveals that a black crystal of [Ir(1,5-COD)(μ-H)](4) is composed of a distorted tetrahedral, D(2d) symmetry Ir(4) core with two long [2.90728(17) and 2.91138(17) ?] and four short Ir-Ir [2.78680 (12)-2.78798(12) ?] bond distances. One 1,5-COD and two edge-bridging hydrides are bound to each Ir atom; the Ir-H-Ir span the shorter Ir-Ir bond distances. XAFS provides excellent agreement with the XRD-obtained Ir(4)-core structure, results which provide both considerable confidence in the XAFS methodology and set the stage for future XAFS in applications employing this Ir(4)H(4) and related tetranuclear clusters. The [Ir(1,5-COD)(μ-H)](4) complex is of interest for at least five reasons, as detailed in the Conclusions section.     

Synthesis,antioxidant activity and SAR study of novel spiro-isatin-based Schiff bases

Molecular Diversity - A new series of 21 Schiff bases of spiro-isatin was synthesized, and their DPPH, CUPRAC and ABTS cation radical scavenging abilities were investigated for antioxidant...     

Equation structure and the meaning of the equal sign: The impact of task selection in eliciting elementary students’ understandings

This paper reports results from a written assessment given to 290 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students prior to any instructional intervention. We share and discuss students’ responses to items addressing their understanding of equation structure and the meaning of the equal sign. We found that many students held an operational conception of the equal sign and had difficulty recognizing underlying structure in arithmetic equations. Some students, however, were able to recognize underlying structure on particular tasks. Our findings can inform early algebra efforts by highlighting the prevalence of the operational view and by identifying tasks that have the potential to help students begin to think about equations in a structural way at the very beginning of their early algebra experiences.     

Preventing inhibition of tyrosinase with modified electrodes

Wines, especially red wines, contain numerous biologically active compounds, the most important of which are polyphenols, whose nutritional importance is attributed to their antioxidant power. Because of this, the detection of the amount of phenolic compounds in red wines becomes extremely important. However, using free enzyme in the determination of phenolic compounds in wines cannot reflect the actual values since there are also naturally found inhibitors in red wines. In this study, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, and sorbic acid were utilized to understand the behavior of immobilized polyphenol oxidase in the conducting polymer matrices toward inhibition. Cinnamic acid was found to be the most powerful inhibitor for both free and immobilized enzyme in copolymer matrix of poly(terephthalic acid bis-(2-thiophen-3-yl-ethyl) ester) (PTATE) with polypyrrole (PPy). In the case of immobilized enzyme in PPy matrix, it was observed that sorbic acid is a stronger inhibitor than cinnamic acid. The inhibitory effects of these inhibitors on PPO were compared with respect to both the structural differences of inhibitors and conducting polymer matrices.