Copper–4,4′-dipyridyl coordination compound as solid reagent for spectrophotometric determination of reducing sugar employing a multicommutation approach

In this work a multicommuted flow system employing copper–4,4′- dipyridyl coordination compound as the solid-phase reagent for the spectrophotometric determination of reducing sugar was developed. The coordination compound was synthesized through a reaction of the 4,4′-dipyridyl and copper (II) nitrate, under hydrothermal conditions. The complex was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), power X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Based on the characterization, a multicommuted spectrophotometric procedure for the determination of reducing sugar using copper (II) complex as solid reagent is proposed. The proposed method was based on the redox reaction between a monosaccharide, such as fructose and glucose (reducing sugar) and Cu(II). This reaction, mediated in an alkaline medium, produces a yellow compound that can be determined by absorption electronic spectroscopy (λ_ABS = 420 nm). Under optimum experimental conditions, a linear response ranging from 1.0 to 20.0 g L⁻¹ (R = 0.9978 and n = 5), a detection (3σ criterion) and quantification (10σ criterion) limit estimated at 0.23 and 0.75 g L⁻¹, respectively, a standard deviation relative of 4.7% (n = 7), for a reference solution of 10.0 g L⁻¹ reducing sugar, and a sampling rate of 75 determinations per hour were achieved. The proposed system was applied to the determination of reducing sugars in coconut water and juices. The analysis of ten samples and the application of the t-test to the results found, and those obtained using reference procedures (AOAC), provided no significant differences at a 95% confidence level. This system enabled the analysis of reducing sugar with ease and simplicity, providing a significant economy of the solid reagent (600 μg per determination) and reducing effluent generation.     

Corrosion behaviour of low-Si alloyed steels in neutral reducing conditions at 90 °C

Electrochemical investigations on low-Si alloyed steels with Si content ranging from 0.25 to 3.2 wt.% were carried out in a 0.1 M NaCl borate-buffered solution (pH 8.4) in reducing conditions at 90 °C. Silicon as an alloying element was proved to degrade at first the steel ability to passivate. For longer immersion times, protective effects developed more efficiently on the steel containing 3.2 wt.% silicon. Passive layers electrochemically formed in the transpassive domain on the steel containing 3.2% Si were shown to be significantly different from those grown at rest potential.     

Carbohydrate content of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers treated with Isopropyl-N (3-chlorophenyl) carbamate under different storage conditions

Post harvest application of Isopropyl-N (3-chlorophenyl) carbamate considerably reduced the degradation of starch when potato tubers were stored in an evaporative cooling chamber. The starch degraded at a faster rate when tubers were kept under refrigerated and room storage conditions.     

Natural isotope fractionation in the discrimination of sugar origins

More than 500 carbohydrate samples have been characterised by hydrogen, carbon and oxygen isotopic parameters measured on ethanol and water resulting from controlled fermentation. Different chemical states of the carbohydrate pool have been considered: polysaccharides from cereals, tubers and leguminosae (maize, sorghum, rice, wheat, barley, potato, bean), glucose, fructose and sucrose from fruits (pineapple, citrus, apple, soft fruits), sucrose from sugar plants (beet, cane). The overall carbon-13 content of ethanol and the deuterium and oxygen-18 contents of water before fermentation were determined by mass spectrometry of isotope ratios whereas the investigation of site-specific natural isotope fractionation by deuterium NMR has provided access to the deuterium contents in the methyl (I) and methylene (II) sites of ethanol. The results have been analysed in the multidimensional space of these isotopic variables. Hierarchical clustering, principal component and discriminant analyses have been performed. Among fruits, for example, the pineapple group exhibits a 100% discrimination with respect to the apple and citrus groups which are themselves well distinguished. A still higher discrimination is reached between the three groups, citrus, cane and beet, and the addition of 10% exogenous cane or beet sucrose to citrus juice is unambiguously detected.     

Method of Reducing Error in Calculations of Active Power from Signal Samples

The paper presents the results of investigations into several methods of calculating the active power value from current and voltage signal samples. The accuracy attainable for nonsinusoidal signals whose frequency differs from the nominal one was determined. A new active power calculation method ensuring accurate results for sampling over two signal periods is proposed. The method uses a very simple computing algorithm.     

On the use of the WLF model in polymers and foods.

The validity of the WLF model with fixed "universal" coefficients was tested against that of the model original form with variable coefficients using published coefficients of polymers and amorphous sugars crystallization and viscosity data. The disagreement between the two versions of the model is particularly large at temperature ranges starting about 20 to 30 degrees K above the glass transition or reference temperature, excluding the former from being a model of general applicability. Because the WLF model mathematical structure entails the existence of an almost linear region near the reference temperature, establishment of its validity as a kinetic model and meaningful determination of its constants requires data spread over an extended temperature range, especially when the experimental results have a scatter.     

还原气氛下耐高温材料的渗碳破坏

耐热钢在还原性气氛下工作时,常发生粉化剥落现象.经分析与实体零件的宏观与微观组织观察,此现象是因为还原介质渗入,引起合金体积膨胀而产生引力,造成应力裂纹.加入与介质结合力不强的元素铝,有阻碍介质渗入和扩散的作用.     

氧化焰烧成铜红釉

本研究以SiC作还原剂，采用氧化焰烧成，试制成功了在1250～1260℃下烧成的铜红釉，克服了传统的还原焙烧成方法的不足，简化了生产工艺，提高了铜红釉的成品率。     

Effect of Dyebath Additives on Decolorization Efficiency in the Ozonation of Dyehouse Effluent

It is necessary to study the effect of dyebath additives on decolorization efficiency in order to optimize ozone-based decolorization processes as the consumption of ozone can be reduced through selecting ozone favorable additives. The effect of 5 dyebath additives viz. electrolytes (sodium chloride and sodium sulfate), chelating agent (ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid or EDTA), reducing agent (sodium dithionite), optical brightener (Uvitex BHT), and dispersing agent (Zetex DNVL) was investigated. All of the additives showed synergistic effect as addition of sodium chloride, sodium dithionite and Zetex DN-VL markedly improved decolorization efficiency, but EDTA and optical brightener showed negative effect. Sodium sulfate did not show any positive or negative effect on decolorization efficiency.     

Electroless copper plating using Fe as a reducing agent

Although the electroless plating method is known to be an effective method for obtaining fine wiring in particular, 1 mol hydrogen gas is generated during 1 mol Cu deposition, and voids are generated in the wiring when electroless Cu plating is applied to fine wiring. To avoid the hydrogen evolution, the possibility of performing electroless Cu plating was confirmed using an inexpensive Fe^II compound as a reducing agent. The bath contains CuSO₄, FeSO₄, NaCl, ethylenediamine, sodium citrate, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and 2,2′-bipyridine. Under optimal conditions, over 1.7 μm of copper deposit with a smooth surface was obtained after 3 h of plating, which did not contain iron as an impurity. The electrical resistivity of the copper film is about 3-4 μΩ cm corresponding to that of electroplated copper films.