Determination of mercury in agroindustrial samples by flow-injection cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry using ion exchange and reductive elution

A flow-injection system with a Chelite-S® cationic resin packed minicolumn is proposed for the determination of trace levels of mercury in agroindustrial samples by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. Improved sensitivity and selectivity are attained since mercuric ions are on-line concentrated whereas other potential interferents are discarded. With on-line reductive elution procedure, concentrated hydrochloric acid could be replaced by 10% w/v SnCl2, in 6 M HCl as eluent. The reversed-intermittent stream either carries the atomic mercury, to the flow cell in the forward direction or removes the residue from reactor/gas liquid separator to a discarding flask in the opposite direction. Concentration and volume of reagent, acidity, flow rates, commutation times and potential interfering species were investigated. For 120 s preconcentration time, the proposed system handles about 25 samples h-1 (50.0 500 ng l-1), consuming about 10 ml sample and 5 mg SnCl2 per determination. The detection limit is 0.8 ng l-1 and the relative standard deviation (RSD) (n = 12) of a 76.7 ng l-1 sample is about 5%. Results are in agreement with certified value of standard materials at 95% confidence level and good recoveries (97-128%) of spiked samples were found. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Coherent atomic oscillations and resonances between coupled Bose-Einstein condensates with time-dependent trapping potential

The atomic tunneling between two tunnel-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in a double-well time-dependent trap was studied. For the slowly varying trap, synchronization of oscillations of the trap with oscillations of the relative population was predicted. Using the Melnikov approach, the appearance of the chaotic oscillations in the tunneling phenomena between the condensates was confirmed.

Sensor for hydrogen peroxide based on Prussian Blue modified electrode: Improvement of the operational stability

Improvement of the operational stability of amperometric sensors based on Prussian Blue (PB) modified glassy carbon electrodes is presented. The long term performance of the sensors was evaluated by injection of hydrogen peroxide (5 μM in potassium buffer) solutions in a flow-injection system during a period of 5-10 h. The following parameters were investigated and correlated with the performance of the sensor: the times for electrodeposition and electrochemical activation, temperature, storage time, pH, composition of the buffer solution and of volume sample injected. These analytical characteristics of the modified electrode can be emphasized: initial sensitivity of 0.3 A cm-2 M-1, detection limit of ca. 0.5 μM, precise results (r.s.d.< 1.5%) and possibility to carry out around 50 samples (50 μL) per hour.

Can four-fermion contact interactions at one-loop explain the new atomic parity violation results?

We investigate the possibility that four-fermion contact interactions give rise to the observed deviation from the standard model prediction for the weak charge of cesium, through one-loop contributions. We show that the presence of loops involving the third generation quarks can explain such a deviation.

Analytical functions for the calculation of hyperspherical potential curves of atomic systems

We present angular basis functions for the Schrödinger equation of two-electron systems in hyperspherical coordinates. By using the hyperspherical adiabatic approach, the wave functions of two-electron systems are expanded in analytical functions, which generalizes the Jacobi polynomials. We show that these functions, obtained by selecting the diagonal terms of the angular equation, allow efficient diagonalization of the Hamiltonian for all values of the hyperspherical radius. The method is applied to the determination of the 1S e energy levels of the Li + and we show that the precision can be improved in a systematic and controllable way. ©2000 The American Physical Society.

Effects of nuclear structure on parity nonconservation in atomic cesium in relativistic mean field theory

We use relativistic mean field theory, which includes scalar and vector mesons, to calculate the binding energy and charge radii in 125Cs - 139Cs. We then evaluate the nuclear structure corrections to the weak charges for a series of cesium isotopes using different parameters and estimate their uncertainty in the framework of this model.

Low-energy correlations in the positronium-hydrogen-atom system

Employing a nonlocal model potential for electron exchange we study positronium-hydrogen-atom (Ps-H) scattering using a five-state coupled-channel model allowing for Ps(2s,2p)H(1s) and Ps(1s)H(2s,2p) excitations. We find remarkable correlations among S-wave Ps-H binding energy, scattering length, effective range, and resonance energy in the electronic singlet state. Using these correlations we predict fairly accurate values of singlet Ps-H scattering length (3.50a0) and effective range (1.65a0).

Coordination of Eu3+ ions in siliceous nanohybrids containing short polyether chains and bridging urea cross-links

Infrared and photoluminescence spectroscopies have been used to investigate the local environment of the Eu3+ ions in luminescent sol-gel derived materials-di-ureasils-based on a hybrid framework represented by U(600). This host is composed of a siliceous backbone grafted, through urea cross-links, to both ends of polymer segments incorporating 8.5 oxyethylene repeat units. The active centers have been introduced as europium perchlorate, Eu(ClO4)3. Samples with compositions n = 232, 62, 23, 12, and 6 (where n denotes the ratio of (OCH2CH2) moieties per lanthanide ion) have been examined. The combination of the information retrieved from the analysis of characteristic bands of the FTIR spectra-the perchlorate and the Amide I/Amide II features-with that obtained from the photoluminescence data demonstrates that at compositions n = 232 and 62 the anions are free, whereas the Eu3+ ions are complexed by the heteroatoms of the polyether chains. At higher salt concentration, the cations are bonded, not only to the ClO4 - ions, but also to the ether oxygen atoms of the organic segments and to the carbonyl oxygen atoms of the urea linkages. The dual behavior of U(600) with respect to cation coordination has been attributed to the presence in this nanohybrid of strong hydrogen-bonded urea-urea structures, which, at low salt content, cannot be disrupted, thus inhibiting the formation of Eu3+-O=C(urea) contacts and promoting the interaction between the lanthanide ions and the (OCH2CH2) moieties. The present work substantiates the claim that the activation of the coordinating sites of the di-ureasil framework can be tuned by varying either the guest salt concentration at constant chain length or the length of the.organic segments at constant salt concentration. This relevant property opens challenging new prospects in the fields of application of this class of hybrids. © 2001 American Chemical Society.

A surface modification for hydrogen storage intermetallic particles by sol-gel method

A new process for the surface modification of hydrogen storage intermetallic particles used as anode material in secondary batteries is proposed in this article. The copper oxide particles coverage obtained by the sol-gel method is proposed to produce, under operational conditions of a Ni-MH battery, a metallic framework that tolerates the volume changes in charge/discharge cycles and does not inhibit the hydrogen absorption. Furthermore it was noticed an enhancement on the discharge capacity of the electrode material that can be related to a new hydrogen storage phase or to an inhibition of the surface oxidation promoted by the film coverage.

Contracted GTF basis sets applied to the theoretical interpretation of the Raman spectrum of hexaaquachromium(III) ion

Contracted GTF basis sets designed with aid of the Generator Coordinate Hartree-Fock (GCHF) method for H(2S), O2-(1S), and Cr3+(4F) atomic species are applied to perform theoretical interpretation of the Raman spectrum of hexaaquachromium(III) ion. The 16s, 16s 10p, and 24s17p13d GTF basis sets were contracted to [4s] for H atom, [6s4p], and [9s6p3d] for O2- and Cr3+, respectively, by Dunning's scheme. For Cr3+, the [9s6p3d] basis set was enriched with f polarization function and used in combination com [4s] and [6s4p] in the study of our interest. The results obtained in this report show that the contracted GTF basis sets used are a useful alternative for the theoretical interpretation of Raman spectrum of hexaaquachromium(III) ion and that GCHF method is an effective alternative to selection of GTF basis sets for theoretical study of vibrational properties of poliatomic species. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Weakly bound atomic trimers in ultracold traps

The scaling dependence of the recombination parameter as a function of the ratio between the energies of the atomic dimer and the most excited trimer states was derived. The scaling function tends to a unversal function in the limit of zero-range interaction or infinite scattering length. This paper reports on how one can obtain the trimer binding energy of a trapped atomic system, from the three-body recombination rate and the corresponding two-body scattering length.

Three-body recombination in ultracold systems: Prediction of weakly-bound atomic trimer energies

The three-body recombination coefficient of an ultracold atomic system, together with the corresponding two-body scattering length a, allow us to predict the energy E 3 of the shallow trimer bound state, using a universal scaling function. The production of dimers in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates, from three-body recombination processes, in the regime of short magnetic pulses near a Feshbach resonance, is also studied in line with the experimental observation.

Determination of cadmium in river water samples by flame AAS after on-line preconcentration in mini-column packed with 2-aminothiazole-modified silica gel

A rapid and sensitive method was developed to determine trace levels of Cd2+ ions in an aqueous medium by flame atomic absorption spectrometry, using on-line preconcentration in a mini-column packed with 100 mg of 2-aminothiazol modified silica gel (SiAT). The Cd2+ ions were sorbed at pH 5.0. The preconcentrated Cd2+ ions were directly eluted from the column to the spectrometer's nebulizer-burner system using 100 μL of 2 mol L-1 hydrochloric acid. A retention efficiency of over 95% was achieved. The enrichment factor (calculated as the ratio of slopes of the calibration graphs) obtained with preconcentrations in a mini-column packed with SiAT (A = -1.3 × 10-3 + 1.8 × 10-3 [Cd2+]) and without preconcentrations (A = 4 × 10-5 + 3.5 × 10-3[Cd2+]), was 51 and the detection limit calculated was 0.38 μg L-1. The preconcentration procedure was applied to determine trace levels of Cd in river water samples. The optimum preconcentration conditions are discussed herein.

Structure and weak hydrogen bonds in liquid acetaldehyde

Monte Carlo simulations have been performed to investigate the structure and hydrogen bonds formation in liquid acetaldehyde. An all atom model for the acetaldehyde have been optimized in the present work. Theoretical values obtained for heat of vaporisation and density of the liquid are in good agreement with experimental data. Graphics of radial distribution function indicate a well structured liquid compared to other similar dipolar organic liquids. Molecular mechanics minimization in gas phase leads to a trimer of very stable structure. The geometry of this complex is in very good agreement with the rdf. The shortest site-site correlation is between oxygen and the carbonyl hydrogen, suggesting that this correlation play a important role in the liquid structure and properties. The O⋯H average distance and the C-H⋯O angle obtained are characteristic of weak hydrogen bonds.

Determination of vanadium in urine by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using hot injection and preconcentration into the graphite tube

In this work it was developed a procedure for the determination of vanadium in urine samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using successive injections for preconcentration into a preheated graphite tube. Three 60 μL volumes were sequentially injected into the atomizer preheated to a temperature of 110°C. Drying and pyrolysis steps were carried out after each injection. A chemical modifier, barium difluoride (100 mg L-1), and a surfactant, Triton X-100 (0.3% v v-1), were added to the urine sample. When injecting into a hot graphite tube, the sample flow-rate was 0.5 μL s-1. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.54 and 1.82 without preconcentration, and 0.11 and 0.37 μg L-1 with preconcentration, respectively. The accuracy of the procedure was evaluated by an addition-recovery experiment employing urine samples. Recoveries varied from 96.0 to 103% for additions ranging from 0.8 to 3.5 μg L-1 V. The developed procedure allows the determination of vanadium in urine without any sample pretreatment and with minimal dilution of the sample.