Spectrafluorimetric method for the rapid screening of toxic heavy metals in water samples

A fast and inexpensive sensitive screening test for recognising potential wastewater contamination by the presence of highly toxic heavy metals is described. The test is based on the reaction of the toxic heavy metals Hg(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and Ag(I) with 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) to produce highly fluorescent complexes.Optimum experimental conditions include a buffer of pH 7.2 (0.1 M citric acid/0.2 M Na₂HPO₄), a chelating reagent concentration of 6×10⁻⁴ M and the addition of 10⁻⁴ M of o-phenanthroline. The fluorescence emitted by the complexes was measured at 380 and 540 nm for excitation and emission wavelengths, respectively.Detection limits of 4, 3, 6 and 3 μg l⁻¹ were achieved for Hg, Cd, Pb and Ag. Relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) were between ±2 and ±6% of the fluorescence signals for five identical samples. Potential interference effects from other heavy metals (Zn, Mn, Co, Fe, Ni and Cu), which could affect the response of the proposed screening test was investigated. Results showed that none of these metals give rise to noticeable fluorescence signals under the above described experimental conditions.Finally, the capability of the proposed heavy metal screening test for the analysis of contaminated water samples is discussed.     

Effect of HF addition on the microwave-assisted acid-digestion for the determination of metals in coal by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

The microwave-assisted acid-digestion for the determination of metals in coal by ICP-AES was investigated, especially focusing on the necessity of adding HF. By testing five certified reference materials, BCR-180, BCR-040, NIST-1632b, NIST-1632c, and SARM-20, it was found that the two-stage digestion without HF (HNO₃ + H₂O₂ was used) was very effective for the pretreatment of ICP-AES measurement. Both major metals (Al, Ca, Fe, and Mg) and minor or trace metals (Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in coal gave good recoveries for their certified or reference values. The possibility of ‘HF-memory effect’ was cancelled by the use of a set of vessels which had been never contacted with HF. Twenty-four Japanese standard coals (SS coals) were analyzed by the present method, and the concentrations of major metals measured by the present method provided very high accordance with those from the authentic JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) method.     

Cathodic stripping voltammetry of trace Mn(II) at carbon film electrodes

A sensitive voltammetric method is presented for the determination of tract levels of Mn (II) using carbon film electrodes fabricated from carbon resistors of 2 Ω. Determination of manganese was made by square wave cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV), with deposition of manganese as manganese dioxide. Chronoamperometric experiments were made to study MnO₂ nucleation and growth. As a result, it was found to be necessary to perform electrode conditioning at a more positive potential to initiate MnO₂ nucleation. Under optimised conditions the detection limit obtained was 4 nM and the relative standard deviation for eight measurements of 0.22 nM was 5.3%. Interferences from various metal ions on the response CSV of Mn(II) were investigated, namely Cd(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Cr(VI), Pb(II), Zn(II) and Fe(II). Application to environmental samples was demonstrated.     

Alkali metal salts of acrylamide C3H4NOM (M = Li,Na, and K): Synthesis and vibrational spectra

Alkali metal salts of acrylamide C₃H₄NOM (M = Li, Na, and K) were synthesized for the first time by metallation of acrylamide with alkali metals, their alkyl derivatives, or hydrides. The structures of the compounds synthesized were studied by Raman and IR spectroscopy. Based on the results obtained, an ionic structure was proposed for the salts. The salts were tested as initiators of the anionic polymerization of acrylamide. The catalytic activity of C₃H₄NOM in the polymerization of acrylamide is not lower than that of the well known catalyst, KOBu¹.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2316–2319, September, 1996.     

Chemical separation and inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometric determination of seventeen trace metals in thorium oxide matrix using a novel extractant – Cyanex-923

Comprehensive studies have been carried out on the extraction behaviour of thorium matrix vis-a-vis 17 trace metallic elements using a novel extractant viz. Cyanex-923. The near total extraction of thorium and quantitative separation of these metals has been established using inductively coupled argon plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES). The recovery of few representative elements has been confirmed by radio-active tracer studies. The studies carried out here have enabled determination of μg/l amounts of all analyte elements with a precision of better than 1% RSD with prior chemical separation from as low as 1 g thorium sample in just five chemical extractions.     

Effect of the complex forming ion on the physicochemical characteristics of solvation of tetraphenylporphine complexes

The enthalpies of dissolution, transfer, and axial coordination for the Cd(II), Co(II), Mn(III), Fe(III), and Cr(III) complexes of tetraphenylporphine, H₂(TPP), in nonpolar (C₆H₆, CCl₄) and electron-donating solvents (DMF, DMSO, Py,c-C₅H₁₀NH) have been determined calorimetrically at 298.15 K. On the basis of thermogravimetrical data for the corresponding crystallosolvates the composition, thermal stability, and energy of intermolecular interaction of the metal-porphine complexes with pyridine have been calculated. Complexing in noncoordinating solvents brings about no radical change in the physicochemical characteristics of axial coordination which depend critically on the electron structure of the complex-forming metal.Translated fromfzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 846–850, May, 1993.     

Crystal structure of sodium potassium zinc diphosphate NaKZnP2O7

Single crystals of NaKZnP₂O₇ were grown, and their crystal structure was determined by X-ray diffraction (space group P2₁/n, a = 12.585(5) Å, b = 7.277(5) Å, c = 7.428(5) Å, β = 90.00(5)°, Z = 4, 1916 F(hkl), R ₁ = 0.0461). The structure contains a 3D tetrahedral zinc phosphate framework with a system of intersecting channels running along the b and c axes. The sodium and potassium atoms are coordinated to six and seven oxygen atoms, respectively, and reside inside these channels; the potassium cations, which are larger than the sodium cations, are located at channel intersections.     

Electrophysical properties of titanates of alkaline-earth metals

Results on oxygen-ion, electron, and proton conduction and oxygen penetrability of titanates of alkaline-earth metals doped with acceptor admixtures are briefly reviewed. The applicability of these materials in electrochemical devices, in particular, as oxygen-penetrable membranes, is considered. The focus is on the studies carried out at the Institute of High-Temperature Electrochemistry, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences.     

Structure formation in heavy metal oxyhydrates at low rates of gel formation

Oxyhydrate gels have a hydrophilic surface, due to which they undergo destruction and secondary polymerization in aqueous media. Prolonged storage in aqueous solution gives rise to regions with selfsimilar helical ordering in gels. Structuring of this kind is also observed when synthesis is conducted under conditions that provide low gelation rates. Electromagnetic UV and visible radiation is another means to change the gel structure; it makes the oligomer species pass into the excited state, due to which one of the directions of structuring becomes dominant. This work summarizes the results of computer simulation of gel agglomerates. For oxyhydrate systems, helical ordering was found to be one of the local energy minima. The units of a macrohelix can lie at various angles relative to one another, and they can change, after absorption of energy, the helix pitch and the order of elements in the helix.     

Synthese und Charakterisierung funktionalisierter β‐Hydroxydithiozimtsäuren und deren Ester. Komplexchemisches Verhalten gegenüber Nickel(II), Palladium(II) und Platin(II)

Synthesis and Analytical Characterization of Functionalized β‐Hydroxydithiocinnamic Acids and their Esters. Complex Chemistry towards Nickel(II), Palladium(II), and Platin(II) Starting from silyl‐protected 4‐hydroxy acetophenone ( 1 ) the 1,1‐ethenedihiolato complexes 3 – 5 were synthesised using carbon disulfide and potassium‐tert‐butylate as a base. After being deprotected, the resulting 4‐hydroxy‐substituted complexes 6 – 8 were esterified with DL‐α‐lipoic acid to obtain the compounds 9 – 11 . The resulting complexes were characterized using NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and IR spectroscopy. 3‐substituted β‐hydroxydithiocinnamic acid methyl ester ( 12 ) was obtained via an analogous path of reaction using silyl‐protected 3‐hydroxy acetophenone ( 2 ), carbon disulfide and methyl iodide. After removing of the silyl group the resulting hydroxy group was esterified with DL‐α‐lipoic acid. Using the dithioacid ester 14 as a ligand the Ni^II ( 15 ), Pd^II ( 16 ) and Pt^II ( 17 ) [O,S] complexes were obtained.