Synthesis, characterization and structure effects on preconcentration and extraction of N,N'-bis-(salicylaldehydene)-1,4-bis-(p-aminophenoxy) butane towards some divalent cations

Separation with solvent extraction of Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) from aqueous solution using N,N'-bis-(salicylaldehydene)-1,4-bis-(p-aminophenoxy)butane (H(2)L) as the new extractant has been studied. The new Schiff base, was synthesized by reaction of 1,4-bis-(p-aminophenoxy)butane and salicylaldehyde. Microanalytical data, elemental analysis, UV-vis (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR spectra and IR-spectra were used to confirm the structures. The extractability and selectivity of divalent cations was evaluated as a function of relationship between distribution ratios of the metal and pH or ligand concentration. Cu(+2) showed the highest extractability and selectivity at pH 7.8, whereas Ni(+2) and Co(+2) showed at pH 9.2. From the loaded organic phase, Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II) stripping were carried out in one stage with aqueous acid solution including various concentrations of HCl. The stripping efficiency was found to be quantitative in case of 1.5M HCl. From quantitative evaluation of the extraction equilibrium data, it has been deduced that the complexes extracted are the simple 1:1 chelates, CuL, CoL, NiL.     

Extraction of Co(II) from aqueous solution using emulsion liquid membrane

The extraction equilibrium of Co(II) from thiocyanate medium by CYANEX 923 (mixture of straight chain alkylated phosphine oxides) in cyclohexane was studied. The stoichiometry of the extraction reaction was postulated based on slope analysis method and the extraction constant Kex was calculated. The stripping percentage of Co(II) with sulphuric acid from the loaded CYANEX 923 was found to increase with the increase in acid concentration. The extraction of Co(II) from aqueous thiocyanate medium into emulsion liquid membrane using CYANEX 923 extractant was also studied. The influence of different parameters such as stirring speed, surfactant concentration, pH of the extractant phase, carrier concentration, internal phase stripping acid concentration, initial Co(II) concentration as well as temperature on the emulsion stability were investigated. The applicability of the emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) process using CYANEX 923 as extractant and SPAN 80 as surfactant for the removal and the concentration of Co(II) from thiocyanate solution was investigated. The results show that it is possible to recover 95% of cobalt in the inner phase after 10 min of contacting time with a concentration factor of 5.     

Three-layer flow membrane system on a microchip for investigation of molecular transport

A stable three-layer flow system, water/organic solvent/water, has been successfully applied for the first time in a microchannel to get rapid transport through an organic liquid membrane. In the continuous laminar flow region, the analyte (methyl red) was rapidly extracted across the microchannel from the donor to the acceptor phase through the organic solvent phase (cyclohexane). Thermal lens microscopy was used to monitor the process. The thickness of the organic phase, sandwiched by the two aqueous phases, was approximately 64 microm, and it was considered as a thin liquid organic membrane. Permeability studies showed the effects of molecular diffusion, layer thickness, and organic solvent-water partition coefficient on the molecular transport. In the microchip, complete equilibration was achieved in several seconds, in contrast to a conventionally used apparatus, where it takes tens of minutes. The thickness of the organic and aqueous boundary layers was defined as equal to the microchannel dimensions, and the organic solvent-water partition coefficient was determined on a microchip using the liquid/liquid extraction system. Experimental data on molecular transport across the organic membrane were in agreement with the calculated permeability based on the three-compartment water/organic solvent/water model. This kind of experiment can be performed only in a microspace, and the system can be considered as a potential biological membrane for future in vitro study of drug transport.     

Chitosan as a polymer for pH-induced DNA capture in a totally aqueous system

A novel DNA solid-phase extraction protocol based on the pH-dependent charge of chitosan was developed specifically for low-volume DNA extraction on microchips. The method uses chitosan-coated beads to extract DNA at pH 5 and release it from the chitosan at pH 9. DNA extraction efficiency as high as 92% could be attained, even from complex samples such as human blood containing significant amounts of protein. Using this method, PCR inhibitors that are typically used in DNA extraction procedures (e.g., chaotropic salts, 2-propanol) can be avoided, making the method more conducive to downstream sample processing using PCR. A high-density multichannel microchip device was then fabricated and the microchannels coated with chitosan for DNA extraction in an open channel configuration without the need for an additional stationary phase. This design provided a relatively high surface area-to-volume ratio for extraction, while retaining the low flow resistance commensurate with open channels. With a flow rate of approximately 1 microL/min during the extraction, the total extraction time was less than 10 min, with most of the DNA recovered in the first 2 microL of elution buffer. Using the microchip device, extraction efficiencies for lambda-phage DNA and human genomic DNA were as high as 67 and 63%, respectively. Human genomic DNA from whole blood samples could be extracted in 10 min with an extraction efficiency of 75 +/- 4% (n = 3), and the purified DNA was suitable for PCR amplification of a fragment of the gelsolin gene. The combination of an entirely aqueous DNA extraction method with a high-density, low-flow resistance microchannel pattern sets the stage for future integration into microfluidic genomic analysis devices.     

A Novel Needle Probe Based on High-Speed Complex Permittivity Measurements for Investigation of Dynamic Fluid Flows

For the investigation of multiphase or multicomponent flows, which are of interest, for instance, in oil extraction and processing or in chemical engineering, there are only few suitable measuring techniques. For this reason, we have developed a high-speed complex permittivity needle probe. Such probes are able to distinguish the different phases or components of a flow by measuring the complex value of the electrical permittivity at a high data rate (up to 20 000 samples/s). The performance of the system, as well as its ability to differentiate organic substances, has been analyzed. A time-resolved experiment in an oil-water-gas flow, as well as a two-substance mixing experiment in a stirred tank, is presented.     

Integration of a microextraction system on a glass chip: ion-pair solvent extraction of Fe(II) with 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthrolinedisulfonic acid and tri-n-octylmethylammonium chloride

An ion-pair solvent extraction was performed in a microchannel fabricated in a quartz glass chip. the aqueous solution of Fe-bathophenanthrolinedisulfonic acid complex and the chloroform solution of tri-n-octylmethylammonium chloride were introduced into the microchannel, and a parallel two-phase laminar flow was formed. The ion-pair product extracted in chloroform was monitored by the thermal lens microscope. The ion-pair product was gradually extracted from aqueous solution into chloroform when the flow was very slow or stopped, while nothing was extracted into chloroform when the flow was fast. The time for extraction in the present 250 microns microchannel, 45 s, roughly coincided with the molecular diffusion time, and the extraction time was at least 1 order shorter compared with the ordinary extraction time using a separatory funnel and mechanical shaking. The microspace in the microchannel was characterized by the large specific interface area and short diffusion distance, and these characteristics may contribute to highly efficient extraction without mechanical shaking. The success of this molecular transport may lead to the integration of more complicated separation and chemical operations on a microchip and more applications.     

Chemiluminescence detection for a microchip capillary electrophoresis system fabricated in poly(dimethylsiloxane)

Chemiluminescence (CL) detection integrated with a microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) system that was fabricated in poly(dimethylsiloxane) was demonstrated for chemical and biochemical analyses. Two model CL systems were involved here: metal ion-catalyzed luminol-peroxide reaction and dansyl species conjugated peroxalate-peroxide reaction. Different strategies based on three chip patterns (cross, cross combining with Y, and cross combining with V) to perform on-line CL detection for MCE were evaluated and compared in terms of sensitivity, reproducibility, and peak symmetry. The chip pattern of cross combining with Y proved to be promising for the luminol-peroxide CL system, while the chip pattern of cross combining with V was preferred for the peroxalate-peroxide system where CL reagent could not be effectively transported by electroosmotic flow. A detection limit down to submicromolar concentrations (midattomole) was achieved with good reproducibility and symmetric peak shape. Successful separation of three metal cations such as Cr(III), Co(II), and Cu(II) and chiral recognition of dansyl phenylalanine enantiomers within 1 min revealed distinct advantages of combining MCE with CL detection for rapid and sensitive analyses.     

Liquid membrane operations in a microfluidic device for selective separation of metal ions

A three-phase flow, water/n-heptane/water, was constructed in a microchannel (100-microm width, 25-microm depth) on a glass microchip (3 cm x 7 cm) and was used as a liquid membrane for separation of metal ions. Surface modification of the microchannel by octadecylsilane groups induced spontaneous phase separation of the three-phase flow in the microfluidic device, which allows control of interfacial contact time and off-chip analysis using conventional analytical apparatus. Prior to the selective transport of a metal ion through the liquid membrane in the microchannel, the forward and backward extraction of yttrium and zinc ions was investigated in a two-phase flow on a microfluidic device using 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (commercial name, PC-88A) as an extractant. The extraction conditions (contact time of the two phases, pH, extractant concentration) in the microfluidic device were examined. These investigations demonstrated that the conventional methodology for solvent extraction of metal ions is applicable to solvent extraction in a microchannel. Finally, we employed the three-phase flow in the microchannel as a liquid membrane and observed the selective transport of Y ion through the liquid membrane. In the present study, we succeeded, for the first time, in the selective separation of a targeted metal ion from an aqueous feed solution to a receiving phase within a few seconds by employing a liquid membrane formed in a microfluidic device.     

Single-drop microextraction combined with low-temperature electrothermal vaporization ICPMS for the determination of trace Be, Co, Pd, and Cd in biological samples

A new method of single-drop microextraction combined with low-temperature electrothermal vaporization (LTETV)-ICPMS was proposed for the determination of trace Be, Co, Pd, and Cd with benzoylacetone (BZA) as both extractant and chemical modifier. Several factors that influence the microextraction efficiency, such as sample flow rate, microdrop volume, and extraction time, were investigated and the optimized microextraction conditions were established. Be, Co, Pd, and Cd in the postextraction organic phase were directly determined by LTETV-ICPMS with the use of BZA as chemical modifier. The chemical modification of BZA in LTETV-ICPMS was studied, and the factors affecting the formation of chelates and vaporization/transportation of chelates were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits of the method were 0.12, 0.99, 1.5, and 0.27 pg/mL for Be, Co, Pd, and Cd, and the relative standard deviations for 0.1 ng/mL Be, Co, Pd, and Cd were 16, 14, 14, and 11%, respectively. After 10 min of extraction, the enrichment factors were 160 (Be), 125 (Co), 40 (Pd), and 180 (Cd). The proposed method was applied to the determination of trace Be, Co, Pd, and Cd in biological reference materials, and the determined values were in good agreement with the certified values.     

Enhanced sorption of radiocobalt from water by Bi(III) modified montmorillonite: a novel adsorbent

In this study, Ca-montmorillonite (Ca-Mt) modified with Bi³⁺ was used as a novel adsorbent for the sorption of Co(II) from aqueous solutions. The sorption of Co(II) on Bi-montmorillonite (Bi-Mt) was investigated as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength, adsorbent content, Co(II) concentrations, fulvic acid (FA) and temperature. Compared to Ca-Mt, Bi-Mt showed a higher affinity to bind Co(II) ions. The sorption percentage of Co(II) on Bi-Mt increased with increasing pH at pH 3.0-8.5, and then maintained the high level at pH 8.5-12. The sorption of Co(II) on Bi-Mt was dependent on ionic strength at low pH, and independent of ionic strength at high pH. The presence of FA enhanced Co(II) sorption at low pH, but suppressed Co(II) sorption at high pH. The thermodynamic data derived from temperature dependent sorption isotherms suggested that the sorption of Co(II) on Bi-Mt was spontaneous and endothermic process. Outer-sphere surface complexation and/or ion exchange were the main mechanisms of Co(II) sorption on Bi-Mt at low pH, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH. From the experimental results, it is possible to conclude that Bi-Mt is suitable for application of Co(II) removal from aqueous solutions.     

Permeation liquid membrane metal transport: studies of complex stoichiometries and reactions in Cu(II) extraction with the mixture 22DD-laurate in toluene/phenylhexane

The role of lauric acid (LAH) in the transport of copper(II) through a permeation liquid membrane (PLM) comprising 1,10-didecyldiaza-18-crown-6 (22DD) and lauric acid (ratio 1:1) in 1:1 v/v toluene/phenylhexane has been investigated by determining the stoichiometry of metal extraction and of the metal complex formed in the organic phase by performing 1H NMR and liquid/liquid and liquid/membrane extraction measurements. In the absence of copper(II), the 1H NMR data suggest that there is a strong interaction between the proton of LAH and the nitrogen of the 22DD macrocycle but no interaction between the aliphatic long chains of LAH and 22DD. Thus, in the organic solution, the two compounds are associated as (22DD-H)(+)-LA-, the laurate being away from (22DD-H)+. The signal intensity of the acidic proton was found to decrease when the metal Pb(II) was incorporated by the carrier after its extraction from the aqueous phase. Additionally, liquid/liquid as well as liquid/membrane extraction results reveal that Cu(II) extraction proceeds via the loss of two protons from the organic phase. The Cu(II) is found to be located in the 22DD cavity and the stoichiometry of the complex in the organic phase is (22DD-Cu)(2+)-2LA-. Metal extraction is governed by 22DD and laurate acts only as counteranion. An unexpected feature was observed in the liquid/liquid extraction which was that, at low 22DD and LAH concentrations, the slope for log(Kp) = f(pH) was 2 whereas it was much lower at high carrier concentration. This unexpected result seems to stem from impurities present in 22DD: only 0.1 mol% of impurity can indeed influence the exchange ratio of Cu(II) and H+. This type of anomaly, however, is not found in the normal procedure of liquid/membrane extraction possibly due to the lower carrier/metal molar ratio which is used in the classical PLM conditions.     

Integration of an immunoassay system into a microchip for high-throughput assay

An immunosorbent assay system was integrated into a glass microchip. The scale merits of liquid microspace for molecular behavior contributed remarkably to reduced assay time, and troublesome operations required for conventional immunosorbent assays could be replaced by simple operations. Moreover, a micro-immunoassay system suitable for simultaneous assay of multiple samples was constructed on a microchip. The chip had branching multichannels and four reaction and detection regions; thus the constructed system could process four samples at a time with only one pump unit. A higher throughput assay was realized with the branching structure chip.     

Microchip capillary electrophoresis with solid-state electrochemiluminescence detector

We report microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupling to a solid-state electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detector. The solid-state ECL detector was fabricated by immobilizing tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (TBR) into an Eastman AQ55D-silica-carbon nanotube composite thin film on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. After being made by a photolithographic method, the surface of the ITO electrode was coated with a thin composite film through a micromolding in capillary (MIMIC) technique using a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchannel with the same pattern as an ITO electrode. Then the TBR was immobilized via ion exchange by immersing the ITO electrode containing the thin film in TBR aqueous solution. The whole system was built by reversibly sealing the TBR-modified ITO electrode plate with a PDMS layer containing electrophoresis microchannels. The results indicated that the present solid-state ECL detector displayed good durability and stability in the microchip CE-ECL system. Proline was selected to perform the microchip device with a limit of detection of 2 microM (S/N=3) and a linear range from 25 to 1000 microM. Compared with the CE-ECL of TBR in aqueous solution, while the CE microchip with solid-state ECL detector system gave the same sensitivity of analysis, a much lower TBR consumption and a high integration of the whole system were obtained. The present system was also used for medicine analysis.     

Wet electrolytic oxidation of organic sludge

Electrolysis of an aqueous solution at subcritical water conditions, referred here as wet electrolytic oxidation (WEO), results in a completely different reaction product compared to that from usual water electrolysis. Oxygen, hydrogen and chlorine evolution is almost completely suppressed when carrying out the electrolysis of aqueous NaCl solution at temperatures higher than 250 degrees C. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) compounds can be completely mineralized by this electrolytic reaction, but this work focused in partial oxidation of organic sludge and combining with biological process. The treatment of organic sludge by WEO increased the biodegradability of organic sludge due to the formation of organic acids. The electrochemical reaction of WEO suppressed the evolution of color that often appears in subcritical water treatment of organic waste.     

Integration of an immunosorbent assay system: analysis of secretory human immunoglobulin A on polystyrene beads in a microchip

An immunosorbent assay system was integrated into a glass microchip. Polystyrene beads were introduced into a microchannel, and then human secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) adsorbed on the bead surface was reacted with colloidal gold conjugated anti-s-IgA antibody and detected by a thermal lens microscope. The scale merits of liquid microspace on the molecular behavior remarkably contributed to reduced assay time. The integration cut the time necessary for the antigen-antibody reaction by 1/90, thus shortening the overall analysis time from 24 h to less than 1 h. Moreover, troublesome operations required for conventional immunosorbent assays could be replaced by simple operations.     

Porphyrin-modified electrodes as biomimetic sensors for the determination of organohalide pollutants in aqueous samples

A preliminary examination of a simple and rapid screening method for quantifying a range of toxic organohalides directly in aqueous solution based on their electrocatalytic reduction with a metalloporphyrin catalyst is described. Homogenous catalysis is described as well as heterogeneous catalysis using precipitated cobalt(II) tetraphenylporphine ((TPP)Co) at a graphite foil electrode which permitted the sensitive detection of a wide range of different organohalides, including a number of chemically diverse industrial pollutants such as 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) and carbon tetrachloride, representative of haloalkane compounds, haloalkenes such as perchloroethylene, and aromatics, such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, pentachlorophenol, and the insecticide DDT. The coordinating effect of solvent on the thermodynamics of the Co(II)/(I) electrode reaction is used to practical advantage to build an amperometric detector that is insensitive to interference from oxygen, a parameter that varies considerably in environmental samples. Devices also appear relatively insensitive to the ionic composition of the analyte sample. The work provides the basis for developing a prototype sensor for screening toxic organohalogen pollutants for use in environmental monitoring situations.     

Production of nickel metal powder from a spent etching solution by solvent extraction and chemical reduction

Nickel metal powder with 99% purity was obtained from a spent FeCl3 etching solution by employing solvent extraction and chemical reduction. Iron and nickel was separated from the spent etching solution by solvent extraction with Alamine336. Iron in the spent etching solution was extracted into the organic phase, while nickel remained in the aqueous solution together with a small amount of iron. After eliminating iron in the aqueous solution by precipitation, nickel metal powder was obtained by chemical reduction with hydrazine at reaction temperature of 100 degrees C and at solution pH of 10.5. Chemical reduction at this specified condition led to nanosized spherical black nickel metal powder with 99% purity.     

Synergistic pseudo-hydroxide extraction: synergism and anion selectivity in sodium extraction using a crown ether and a series of weak lipophilic acids

The nature of the weak lipophilic acid used in synergistic combination with a model crown ether cation host was shown to have a strong effect on the strength and selectivity of sodium hydroxide separation from alkaline aqueous salt solutions. Sodium ion-pair extraction employing only cis-syn-cis-dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (1) in nitrobenzene (NB) was correlated with the standard Gibbs energy (deltaG(p)o) of anion partitioning into NB and was notably weak and nonselective for the hydroxide ion, in accord with Hofmeister bias. The Hofmeister order can be selectively overcome for NaOH by utilization of acid-base chemistry coupled with complexation of sodium ion in the NB phase. Upon addition of a lipophilic organic acid into the solution of 1 in NB, sodium extraction was selectively enhanced due to the initiation of an exchange reaction between the aqueous sodium ion and the ionizable proton of the organic acid. A series of weak lipophilic hydroxy acids (HA) including fluorinated alcohols and phenols was tested. The resulting synergistic pseudo-hydroxide extraction correlates with the pKa of the employed HA; the most acidic cation exchangers provide the greatest synergism. The synergistic factor obtained using a fluorinated benzyl alcohol 7 was as high as 256. Ion-pair extraction of neutral sodium salts was not changed or only mildly enhanced by addition of HA into the NB solution of 1. This enhancement was explained by hydrogen bonding of HA with the anion as related to the hardness of the anion and the acidity of HA. In comparison with the synergism observed for NaOH, this enhancement was weak and unable to overcome the Hofmeister effect. Examination of extraction selectivity revealed that the combination of 1 and 7 preferentially extracted NaOH over all other sodium salts, including the normally preferred nitrate and perchlorate salts. Quantitative recovery of NaOH from the NB phase was demonstrated via hydrolysis of the organic acid upon a single contact of the loaded solvent with water.     

Energetic co-ordination compounds: synthesis, characterization and thermolysis studies on bis-(5-nitro-2H-tetrazolato-N2)tetraammine cobalt(III) perchlorate (BNCP) and its new transition metal (Ni/Cu/Zn) perchlorate analogues

Bis-(5-nitro-2H-tetrazolato-N²)tetraammine[cobalt(III)/nickel(III)] perchlorates (BNCP/BNNP) and mono-(5-nitro-H-tetrazolato-N)triammine [copper(II)/zinc(II)] perchlorates (MNCuP/MNZnP) have been synthesized during this work. The synthesis was carried out by addition of carbonato tetraammine metal [Co/Ni/Cu/Zn] nitrate [CTCN/CTNN/CTCuN/CTZnN] to the aqueous solution of sodium salt of 5-nitrotetrazole followed by reaction with perchloric acid. The precursors were synthesized by the reaction of aqueous solution of their respective nitrates with ammonium carbonate at 70 °C. The complexes and their precursors were characterized by determining metal and perchlorate content as well as infrared (IR), electron spectra for chemical analysis (ESCA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The TG profiles indicated that BNCP, BNNP and MNCuP are thermally stable up to the temperature of 260–278 °C unlike MNZnP (150 °C). Sudden exothermic decomposition was observed in case of bis-(5-nitro-2H-tetrazolato-N²)tetraammine cobalt(III) perchlorate, bis-(5-nitro-2H-tetrazolato-N²)tetraammine nickel(III) perchlorate and mono-(5-nitro-H-tetrazolato-N)triammine zinc(II) perchlorate resulting in the severe damage of the sample cup. Sensitivity data indicated that the Co/Ni/Cu complexes are more friction sensitive (3–4.8 kg) than mono-(5-nitro-H-tetrazolato-N)triammine zinc(II) perchlorate (14 kg). The impact sensitivity results of the complexes corresponded to h_50% of 30–36 cm.     

Use of a corona discharge to selectively pattern a hydrophilic/hydrophobic interface for integrating segmented flow with microchip electrophoresis and electrochemical detection

Segmented flow in microfluidic devices involves the use of droplets that are generated either on- or off-chip. When used with off-chip sampling methods, segmented flow has been shown to prevent analyte dispersion and improve temporal resolution by periodically surrounding an aqueous flow stream with an immiscible carrier phase as it is transferred to the microchip. To analyze the droplets by methods such as electrochemistry or electrophoresis, a method to "desegment" the flow into separate aqueous and immiscible carrier phase streams is needed. In this paper, a simple and straightforward approach for this desegmentation process was developed by first creating an air/water junction in natively hydrophobic and perpendicular PDMS channels. The air-filled channel was treated with a corona discharge electrode to create a hydrophilic/hydrophobic interface. When a segmented flow stream encounters this interface, only the aqueous sample phase enters the hydrophilic channel, where it can be subsequently analyzed by electrochemistry or microchip-based electrophoresis with electrochemical detection. It is shown that the desegmentation process does not significantly degrade the temporal resolution of the system, with rise times as low as 12 s reported after droplets are recombined into a continuous flow stream. This approach demonstrates significant advantages over previous studies in that the treatment process takes only a few minutes, fabrication is relatively simple, and reversible sealing of the microchip is possible. This work should enable future studies in which off-chip processes such as microdialysis can be integrated with segmented flow and electrochemical-based detection.