Transfer of radiation technology to developing countries

Transfer of technology is a complex process with many facets, options and constraints. While the concept is an important step in bringing industrialization process to agricultural based countries, it is clear, however, that a country will only benefit from a new technology if it addresses a real need, and if it can be absorbed and adapted to suit the existing cultural and technological base.

International Atomic Energy Agency, as UN body, has a mandate to promote nuclear applicationsand assist Member States in transfer of technology for peaceful applications. This mandate has been pursued by many different mechanisms developed in the past years: technical assistance, coordinated research programmes, scientific and technical meetings, publications, etc. In all these activities the Agency is the organizer and initiator, but main contributions come from expert services from developed countries and, increasingly, from developing countries themselves. The technical cooperation among developing coutries more and more becomes part of different programmes.

In particular, regional cooperation has been demonstrated as an effective instrument for transfer of technology from developed and among developing countries.

Some examples of actual programmes are given.     

Stability-indicating methods for determination of pyritinol dihydrochloride in the presence of its precursor and degradation product by derivative spectrophotometry

A first-derivative spectrophotometric (1D) method and a derivative-ratio zero-crossing spectrophotometric (1DD) method were used to determine pyritinol dihydrochloride (I) in the presence of its precursor (II) and its degradation product (III) with 0.1N hydrochloric acid as a solvent. Linear relationships were obtained in the ranges of 6-22 microg/mL for the (1D) method and 6-20 microg/mL for the (1DD) method. By applying the proposed methods, it was possible to determine pyritinol dihydrochloride in its pure powdered form with an accuracy of 100.36 +/- 1.497% (n = 9) for the (1D) method and an accuracy of 99.92 +/- 1.172% (n = 8) for the (1DD) method. Laboratory-prepared mixtures containing different ratios of (I), (II), and (III) were analyzed, and the proposed methods were valid for concentrations of < or = 10% (II) and < or = 50% (III). The proposed methods were validated and found to be suitable as stability-indicating assay methods for pyritinol in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Proton spin-lattice relaxation studies. N-aryl-1-isoindolinones

Proton spin-lattice relaxation rates (R₁ values) have been measured, at 270 MHz, for a series of N-aryl isoindolinones. A normalization procedure has been used to enable comparison of R₁ values in different compounds by minimizing the effects on relaxation rates of changes in motional correlation times accompanying changes in substitution patterns. A substantial (4.3-fold) dynamic range of R₁ values has been observed, and individual values have been correlated with the molecular environments of the nuclei. There is evidence for an interring relaxation process.     

A tetra-coordinate nickel(II) complex as neutral carrier for nitrate-selective PVC membrane electrode

The potentiometric response properties and applications of a tetra-coordinate nickel(II) complex with relatively high selectivity toward nitrate ion are described. The nickel(II) complex of 5,7,12,14-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca-4,6,11,13-tetraene was used as a neutral carrier into plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane. The influence of several variables was investigated in order to optimize the potentiometric response and selectivity of the electrode. The resulting membrane electrode incorporating 31.0% PVC, 61.0% dioctyl phthalate (DOP) as plasticizer, 3% methyltrioctylammonium chloride (MTOAC) as a cationic additive and 5% carrier (all w/w) demonstrates a Nernstian response slope of −59.6 mV per decade over the concentration range of 5×10⁻⁶-1×10⁻¹ M NO₃⁻. The electrode exhibits a fast response time (≤10 s), a detection limit of 2.5×10⁻⁶ M, and can be used over a wide pH range of 4-12. The electrode shows improved selectivity in comparison to most of the previously reported nitrate-selective electrodes. It was successfully applied to the determination of nitrate ion in natural water samples.     

Synthesis and characterization of platinum(II) and (IV) complexes containing hexamethyleneimine ligand: crystal structure of [Pt(hexamethyleneimine)2(cyclobutanedicarboxylato)]·H2O

A series of new platinum(II) and platinum(IV) complexes of the type [Pt^II(HMI)₂X] (where HMI=hexamethyleneimine, X=dichloro, sulfato, 1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylato [CBDCA], oxalato, methylmalonato, or tatronato) and [Pt^IV(HMI)₂Y₂Cl₂] (where Y=hydroxo, acetato, or chloro) were synthesized and characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, ¹³C and ¹⁹⁵Pt nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Among the complexes synthesized, [Pt^II(hexamethyleneimine)₂(1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylato)]·H₂O was examined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The slightly distorted square planar coordination environment of the platinum metal includes the amino group of the hexamethyleneimine (HMI) molecule and the oxygen atoms of the carboxylato ligand. The cyclobutanedicarboxylic acid (CBDCA) molecule adopts six-member chelating rings with platinum. Hydrogen bonding plays an important part in holding the crystal lattice together.     

Mutual Separation and Determination of Th(IV) and U(VI) Using Arsenazo III as a Dye Collector Reagent by Flotation‐Spectrophotometric Method

This paper reports a simple and highly selective method for the separation, preconcentration, and determination of trace amounts of thorium and uranium in some complex samples via staircase flotation. The method is based on the initial flotation of the Th(IV)‐arsenazo III complex in the presence of U(VI) from a solution of 5 mol dm^?3 HCl, then reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) and repetition of the flotation step. In both steps, the floated complex was dissolved in a 5‐mL portion of methanol and its absorbance was measured at 655 nm, spectrophotometrically. For a 30‐mL portion of the sample, Beer's law was obeyed over the concentration ranges of 3.40 × 10^?7to 3.06 × 10^?6 mol dm^?3 for Th(IV) and3.40 × 10^?7 to 3.40 × 10^?6 mol dm^?3 for U(IV) with the apparent molar absorptivity of 4.20 × 10⁵ dm³ mol^?1 cm^?1 and 3.59 × 10⁵ dm³ mol^?1 cm^?1, respectively. The RSDs (n = 7) corresponding to 1.7 × 10^?6 mol dm^?3 of Th(IV) and U(IV) were obtained as 1.7% and 1.87%. The detection limits (7 blanks) for both the metal ions were found to be 1.7 × 10^?7 mol dm^?3. The important benefit of the method is that the determinations are free from the interference of almost all cations and anions found in the complex matrixes, such as seawater samples. The proposed method was also applied to reference materials, and the determinations were shown to have good agreement with the certified values.     

Synthesis of 1-oxa-2-silacyclopentane derivatives via intramolecular nucleophilic attack at silicon

Metalation of (HSiMe₂)₃CH with lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) in THF gives (HSiMe₂)₃CLi, which reacts with ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, 1,2-epoxy butane, 1,2-epoxy pentane, 1,2-epoxy hexane, and epichlorohydrin to give the corresponding 1-oxa-2-silacyclopentane derivatives. Then, glycidylmethacrylate (GM) random copolymers with styrene (St) (in a 1:1 and 1:3 mol ratio) were synthesized by solution free radical polymerization at 70(±1) °C using α,α′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as an initiator. Both types of copolymers were treated with (HSiMe₂)₃CLi to give new modified copolymers. The reaction of (HSiMe₂)₃CLi with epoxides on the side chains of the copolymers does not lead to intramolecular nucleophilic attack contrary to simple epoxides. All the products have been characterized by spectroscopic techniques.     

Simultaneous Kinetic‐Spectrophotometric Determination of Hydrazine and its Derivatives by Partial Least Squares and Principle Component Regression Methods

Simultaneous kinetic‐spectrophotometric determination of a ternary mixture of hydrazine (HZ) and its derivatives by principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS) calibration is described. The methods were based on the difference observed in the reduction rate of iron(III) with HZ, thiosemicarbazide (TSCZ) and phenylhydrazine (PHZ) in the presence of 2,2′‐bipyridine (Bpy). The colored complex of [Fe(Bpy)₃]²⁺ was formed in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as micellar media, and then monitored at 520 nm. The results showed that simultaneous determination of HZ, TSCZ and PHZ could be performed in their concentration ranges of 1.0–70.0, 0.2–6.0 and 0.1–10.0 μg mL^?1, respectively. The root mean squares errors of prediction (RMSEP) of HZ, TSCZ and PHZ were 0.719, 0.164 and 0.105 (for PLS) 0.788, 0.166 and 0.993 (for PCR), respectively. Both methods (PCR and PLS) were validated using a set of synthetic sample mixtures and then applied for simultaneous determination of HZ, TSCZ and PHZ in water samples.     

A Lead‐Selective Membrane Electrode Based Upon a Phosphorylated Hexahomotrioxacalix[3]Arene

Solvent extraction of a mixture of Pb^II, Mn^II, Fe^III, Co^II, Ni^II and Cd^II in aqueous perchlorate medium by a phosphorylated hexahomotrioxacalix[3]arene (calix‐3) in dichloromethane shows a significant selectivity towards lead ions. The ligand can also be incorporated into a membrane to provide a new lead ion‐selective electrode (Pb^II‐ISE). A plasticized PVC membrane containing 30% PVC, 53.5% ortho‐nitrophenyloctylether (NPOE), 4.5% sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) and 12% ionophore was directly coated on a graphite rod. This sensor gave a good Nernstian response of 29.7 ± 0.7 mV decade^?1 over a concentration range of 1 × 10^?8 – 1 × 10^?4 M of lead ions, independent of pH in the range 3‐7, with a detection limit of 0.4 × 10^?8 M. The dynamic response time of the electrode to achieve a steady potential was very fast and found to be less than 7 s. The selectivity relative to Ag⁺, NH₄⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Fe³⁺, La³⁺, Sm³⁺, Dy³⁺, Er³⁺, Y³⁺ and Th⁴⁺ was examined. The electrode exhibits adequate stability with good reproducibility (with a slope of 29.6 ± 1.5 mV for 8 weeks). The characteristics of the sensor are compared with those of a tetraphosphorylated calix[4]arene (calix‐4) based Pb^II‐ISE, reported recently. The electrode was successfully used as an indicator electrode for a potentiometric titration of a lead solution using a standard solution of EDTA. The applicability of the sensor for lead ion measurements in various synthetic samples was also investigated.     

One-pot three-component reaction of isocyanides, dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates and phthalhydrazide: synthesis of highly functionalized 1H-pyrazolo[1,2-b]phthalazine-5,10-diones

Protonation of the highly reactive 1:1 intermediate produced in the reaction between alkyl isocyanides and electron-deficient acetylenic esters with phthalhydrazide, leads to a vinylisonitrilium cation, which undergoes an addition reaction with the conjugate base of the phthalhydrazide to produce dialkyl 3-(alkylamino)-5,10-dioxo-5,10-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo[1,2-b]phthalazine-1,2-dicarboxylates in fairly good yields at room temperature.