The O-H Raman Frequency in Inorganic Acids

The band characteristic of the OH group has been recorded in the Raman spectra of many hydroxides and alcohols. It has not so far been observed, however, in the case of the stronger acids. Using the improved technique of complementary filters recently developed by Ananthakrishnan1, and giving long exposures varying from six to twelve days, I have succeeded in obtaining spectra with sulphuric acid and crystals of iodic, selenious and telluric acids, in which the band is clearly seen in the 4046 A. excitation. Table 1 gives the frequency shifts. The value for boric acid is taken from Ananthakrishnan's paper2.

Photoluminescence of organic-inorganic hybrid SiO2 xerogels

Organic-inorganic hybrid SiO2 xerogels were prepared by the sol-gel method under various preparation conditions and compositions by using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (A-PS), (3-glycidoxypropyl) trimethoxysilane (GPS), organic acid (CH3COOH) and inorganic acids (HCl, HNO3, H2SO4) as the main precursors. Luminescence and FT-IR spectra were used to characterize the resulted hybrid SiO2 xerogels. The result of FT-IR spectrum shows that the xerogels are composed of non-crystalline -Si-O-Si- networks containing some organic groups such as -NH, -CH and -OH. Under the excitation of 365 nm, all the hybrid xerogels exhibit strong luminescence in the blue region, but the emission intensity and position depend on the starting precursor compositions to a large extent. Suitable amount of polyethylene glycol (PEG500 and PEG10000) in the hybrid xerogels can enhance the emission intensity. Additionally, the emission intensity of the hybrid xerogels increases with heat treatment temperature in the range of ambient to 200degreesC, and vacuum condition is also able to enhance the emission intensity.

Rapid method for the determination. of organic acids in wine by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV detection

A capillary electrophoresis method for organic acids in wine was developed and validated. The optimal electrolyte consisted of 10 mmol/L 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid (DNB) at pH 3.6 containing 0.2 mmol/L cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as flow reverser. DNB was chosen because it has an effective mobility similar to the organic acids under investigation, good buffering capacity at pH 3.6, and good chromophoric characteristics for indirect UV-absorbance detection at 254 nm. Sample preparation involved dilution and filtration. The method showed good performance characteristics: Linearity at 6 to 285 mg/L (r > 0.99); detection and quantification limits of 0.64 to 1.55 and 2.12 to 5.15 mg/L, respectively; separation time of less than 5.5 min. Coefficients of variation for ten injections were less than 5% and recoveries varied from 95% to 102%. Application to 23 samples of Brazilian wine confirmed good repeatability and demonstrated wide variation in the organic acid concentrations. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of organic and inorganic additives on flotation recovery of washed cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae resuspended in water

Separation of microbial cells by flotation recovery is usually carried out in industrial reactors or wastewater treatment systems, which contain a complex mixture of microbial nutrients and excretion products. In the present study, the separation of yeast cells by flotation recovery was carried out using a simple flotation recovery systems containing washed yeast cells resuspended in water in order to elucidate the effects of additives (defined amounts of organic and inorganic acids, ethanol, surfactants and sodium chloride) on the cellular interactions at interfaces (cell/aqueous phase and cell/air bubble). When sodium chloride, organic acids (notably propionic, succinic and acetic acids) and organic surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and Nonidet P40) were added to the flotation recovery system, significant increases in the cell recovery of yeast hydrophobic cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, strain FLT-01) were observed. The association of ethanol to acetic acid solution (a minor by-product of alcoholic fermentation) in the flotation recovery system, containing washed cells of strain FLT-01 resuspended in water, leading to an increased flotation recovery at pH 5.5. Thus, the association among products of the cellular metabolism (e.g., ethanol and acetic acid) can improve yeast cell recovery by flotation recovery. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Caution, inorganic metal cleaners can be dangerous.

Mode of access: Internet.

The El Chichon stratospheric cloud : solid particulates and settling rates

Sampling of the El Chichón stratospheric cloud in early May and in late July, 1982, showed that a significant proportion of the cloud consisted of solid particles between 2 μm and 40 μm size. In addition, many particles may have been part of larger aggregates or clusters that ranged in size from < 10 μm to > 50 μm. The majority of individual grains were angular aluminosilicate glass shards with various amounts of smaller, adhering particles. Surface features on individual grains include sulfuric acid droplets and larger (0.5 μm to 1 μm) sulfate gel droplets with various amounts of Na, Mg, Ca and Fe. The sulfate gels probably formed by the interaction of sulfur-rich gases and solid particles within the cloud soon after eruption. Ca-sulfate laths may have formed by condensation within the plume during eruption, or alternatively, at a later stage by the reaction of sulfuric acid aerosols with ash fragments within the stratospheric cloud. A Wilson-Huang formulation for the settling rate of individual particles qualitatively agrees with the observed particle-size distribution for a period at least four months after injection of material into the stratosphere. This result emphasizes the importance of particle shape in controlling the settling rate of volcanic ash from the stratosphere.

Analytical strategies to solve problems in industrial and official laboratories

210 p.

Electrochemical study of isopoly- and heteropoly-oxometallates film modified microelectrodes .6. Preparation and redox properties of 12-molybdophosphoric acid and 12-molybdosilicic acid modified carbon fiber microelectrodes

The redox behaviours of 12-molybdophosphoric acid (12-MPA) and 12-molybdosilicic acid (12-MSA) in aqueous acid media are characterized at the carbon fiber (CF) microelectrode. The preparation of CF microelectrode modified with 12-MPA or 12-MSA monolayer and the oxidation-reduction properties of the modified electrode in aqueous acid media or 50% (v/v) water-organic media containing some inorganic acids are studied by cyclic voltammetry. 12-MPA or 12-MSA monolayer modified CF microelectrode with high stability and redox reversibility in aqueous acidic media can be prepared by simple dip coating. The cyclic voltammograms of 12-MPA and 12-MSA and their modified CF microelectrodes in aqueous acid solution exhibit three two-electron reversible waves with the same half-wave potentials, which defines that the species adsorbed on the CF electrode surface are 12-MPA and 12-MSA themselves. The acidity of electrolyte solution, the organic solvents in the electrolyte solution, and the scanning potential range strongly influence on the redox behaviours and stability of 12-MPA or 12-MSA monolayer modified electrodes. On the other hand, the catalytic effects of the 12-MPA and 12-MSA and chlorate anions in aqueous acidic solution on the electrode reaction processes of 12-MPA or 12-MSA are described.

贵州省遵义市大气降水中有机和无机地球化学特征研究

正确认识降水中的化学组分是评价酸雨和大气环境质量的重要途径，降水中低分子有机酸的研究是认识C、H、O等元素生物地球化学循环和酸雨成因的重要内容。贵州省遵义市作为我国酸雨高发地区，是降水化学组成尤其是低分子有机酸地球化学循环研究的典型区域。我们在遵义市进行了为期一年(2006年5月~2007年4月)的降水采集(共76个样品)，对pH值、电导率和主要的阴离子(包括有机和无机)、阳离子进行了测定，并进行了分析和讨论。 (1) pH和电导率的雨量加权平均值分别为4.11(范围：2.30~ 6.04)和62.10 μs•cm-1 (范围：6.60 ~ 1630.00 μs•cm-1)，酸雨频率高达93.2%，pH存在着显著的季节变化，其中冬季pH值最低，表明遵义市酸雨污染较为严重，冬季为最。 (2) 遵义市监测期间离子浓度的大小顺序为SO42-> Ca2+> H+> NH4+> NO3-> Cl-> F->HCOO-> Mg2+> K+> CH3COO-> Na+> (COO)22-> PO43-> NO2-，其中SO42-、Ca2+、H+、NH4+、NO3-是最主要离子，浓度分别为148.15 μmol•L-1、81.89 μmol•L-1、77.74 μmol•L-1、43.80 μmol•L-1和31.50μmol•L-1，它们分别占离子总量的31.97%、17.67%、16.78%、9.45%和6.54%；遵义市大气降水中主要的致酸物质是SO42-和NO3-，主要的缓冲物质是Ca2+和NH4+，大气污染类型属硫酸钙型。相对酸度和中和因子结果表明降水中仅有77%的降水酸度被碱性物质(以Ca2+和NH4+为主)中和；因子分析中H+、NO3-、nss-SO42-(非海源性硫酸根)、NH4+归为一组，再次表明SO42-和NO3-对降水酸度的重要贡献。富集系数和源的贡献分析表明，SO42-和NO3-主要来自人为活动的贡献，SO42-来源主要包括工业、民用的燃煤燃烧释放的SO2，NO3-主要是遵义市电厂和其它工厂向大气中排放的NOx的化学转化而成。Ca2+主要来自于遵义市的土壤及水泥厂等的排放；Mg2+主要来自陆源输入，部分来自海水的贡献。氮肥生产、大面积农田化肥的使用以及生物排放源很可能是该地区降水中NH4+的主要污染源。值得注意的是，作为海盐性离子的Cl-，在遵义市降水中重要的部分还是人为活动，主要是遵义工厂(如碱厂和钛厂)向大气中排放的HCl和Cl2转化而成。无机离子浓度的季节变化表明，对于遵义市，需要逐步改变能源结构尤其是冬季工业、居民燃煤的使用，才能有效地改善遵义市当前的环境污染。 (3) 遵义市降水中含量较高的常见有机酸是[HCOO-]T、[CH3COO-]T和[(COO)22-]T，它们的雨量加权平均值各为9.29 μmol•L -1、6.47 μmol•L-1和5.06 μmol•L-1；遵义市区降水中有机酸总浓度为22.28 μmol•L-1，占阴离子总量的9.39 %；遵义市降水中四季的有机酸浓度由高到低分别为：春季>冬季>秋季>夏季。以上结果表明，遵义市的有机酸是降水中的重要组成部分，其浓度存在明显的季节性变化。在一次降雨事件中，有机酸的浓度一般随降雨时间的延长而降低，但在降雨中后期有时会出现上升的现象，表明有机酸主要来自云下淋滤作用，少数情况下来自大气远距离的传输。 (4) 相关性分析发现甲酸和乙酸具有强烈的正相关(r= 0.86)，表明甲酸和乙酸具有共同的来源。有机酸与降水中的主要无机离子NO3-、nss-SO42-、K+、Na+、Ca2+等存在着中度相关，表明有机酸的来源与人为活动有着重要的关系。应用气液平衡的原理，提出了降水中甲酸、乙酸比值(F/A)aq的有机酸来源判定方法。发现遵义降水中的有机酸春季和冬季主要来自人类活动的释放，其中春季主要来自遵义市南郊的工业污染，由南方水汽(占春季总量的54%)将其污染物传输至遵义市中心城区，冬季主要是大量燃煤的燃烧释放；夏季和秋季则主要来自植物的释放，其中秋季中的部分有机酸也受到华中和华东地区(其气团占秋季总量的45%)的远距离影响。而遵义市区的山间盆地地形、高湿度、高静风率和低风速、以尘埃为主的大气污染物和有机酸的短生命周期(几小时~几天)为有机酸来源于当地创造了有利条件。 (5) 根据热力学平衡计算新方法，发现遵义市pH≤5的降水中甲酸和乙酸对自由酸度的贡献分别为14.79% (范围：0.42~91.14%)、3.66% (范围：0.02~31.55%)。对比显示，遵义市的有机酸贡献量低于边远地区，主要由于遵义市降水的低pH值和高无机酸度所致。在春、夏、秋、冬季节，降水中的有机酸对自由酸度的平均贡献值分别为31.95%、26.16%、8.02%、11.17%，表明有机酸酸度有着明显的季节性差异，春季有机酸的高贡献量主要受降水中的有机酸高含量、低水温和高pH值的共同作用，夏季受高pH值的影响，而秋季和冬季的低贡献量主要受降水的低pH值所控制。 (6) 在遵义市的沉降通量中，无机离子的湿沉降通量占所有离子湿沉降总量的94%，并存在明显的季节性变化。SO42-、Ca2+、H+、NH4+、NO3-为最主要的贡献者，分别为90.1、49.8、47.3、26.0和19.2 mmol•m-2•yr-1。对比显示，SO42-、Ca2+、H+的沉降量均属于我国的高值区，而NO3-的沉降量属于我国中值区，NH4+的沉降量属我国低值水平。营养元素总无机氮TIN(TIN= NH4+ -N+ NO3- -N+ NO2- -N)的湿沉降总量为45.7 mmol•m-2•yr-1，其中NH4+和NO3-分别占TIN的57.0%和41.9%，遵义地区高TIN值当地氮肥的施用量和工业NOx的释放量密不可分；营养元素P的沉降量为1.97 mmol•m-2•yr-1，由于P的来源较少，促使P的湿沉降通量较低。有机酸占湿沉降总量的6%，其四季的湿沉降量顺序由高到低依次为：春>秋>冬>夏，这是有机离子的浓度和四季的降雨量共同作用的结果。根据气液平衡理论可知，挥发性有机酸(HCOO-、CH3COO-和CH3CH2COO-)的干沉降量占总沉降量的47.2%，表明遵义市有机酸沉降方式包括干湿沉降两种。因此在研究遵义市的污染物尤其是有机酸类对生态系统和城市建设的影响时，有必要同时收集气样和水样。

Étude de l'impact de deux traitements, dont un sans antibiotiques, sur la santé digestive et les populations de Clostridium perfringens dans des élevages de poulets de chair.

Le problème grandissant de l’antibiorésistance remet en question plusieurs pratiques reliées à l’utilisation des antibiotiques, dont l’usage à grande échelle pour des fins de promotion de la croissance chez les animaux de consommation. Depuis 2006, le retrait des antibiotiques dans les élevages de poulets de chair en Europe a été associé à la résurgence d’entérite nécrotique, une maladie intestinale causée par la bactérie Clostridium perfringens. Alors que la pathogénie de la maladie semblait bien comprise, le retrait des antibiotiques a montré que peu de solutions de remplacement sont disponibles afin de prévenir cette maladie. Très peu d’études se sont intéressées à mieux caractériser la dynamique des populations de C. perfringens dans les élevages avicoles et l’effet que pouvait avoir le retrait des antibiotiques sur l’évolution de ces populations. La présente étude a évalué l’impact du remplacement des antibiotiques promoteurs de croissance et des anticoccidiens pendant une période de 14 mois, dans huit élevages commerciaux de poulets de chair au Québec. Un protocole d’élevage alternatif, combinant des stratégies telles que des produits à base d’huiles essentielles, des acides organiques et inorganique, une vaccination contre la coccidiose ainsi qu’une amélioration des conditions de démarrage des poussins, a été utilisé en remplacement des antimicrobiens. Les performances zootechniques, la santé digestive ainsi que l’occurrence d’entérite nécrotique pour les lots de poulets soumis au protocole d’élevage alternatif ont été comparées avec celles de lots de poulets de chair recevant une ration conventionnelle. Des analyses moléculaires basées sur la PCR et le PFGE ont été utilisées afin de documenter l’impact de la mise en place du protocole d’élevage alternatif sur les populations de C. perfringens. Les résultats obtenus montrent qu’aucune différence entre les groupes soumis aux deux types de protocoles n'est observée en ce qui a trait à la viabilité en élevage, à l'âge d'abattage et aux taux de condamnations à l'abattoir. Toutefois, les lots soumis au traitement alternatif ont eu des performances moindres pour le poids moyen à l'abattage, le gain moyen quotidien et la conversion alimentaire. Un peu plus de 27% des lots soumis au protocole alternatif ont connu un épisode d’entérite nécrotique clinique. Les analyses ont aussi montré que l’un ou l’autre des protocoles ne semble pas exercer d’influence particulière sur la dynamique temporelle des populations de C. perfringens. Pour les lots soumis au protocole d’élevage alternatif, une forte diversité génétique pour C. perfringens a été liée à un risque augmenté de vivre un épisode d’entérite nécrotique. À l’opposé, les lots alternatifs ayant vécu des épisodes récurrents de la maladie ont montré une diminution significative de la diversité génétique, ainsi qu’une augmentation marquée du nombre de souches de C. perfringens transportant plusieurs gènes de virulence. La présente étude a permis de mieux documenter, d’un point de vue économique et scientifique, la production de poulets de chair élevés sans antibiotiques ni anticoccidiens au Québec. Cette étude est la seule du genre s’étant intéressée à la caractérisation et à la comparaison dans le temps des flores de C. perfringens retrouvées dans les deux types d’élevages. Elle a révélé que la production à grande échelle de poulets de chair élevés sans antibiotiques ni anticoccidiens est possible au Québec, mais que celle-ci présente des impacts sur les performances zootechniques des oiseaux, sur leur santé digestive et sur la dynamique des populations de C. perfringens. Mots-clés : poulets de chair, antibiotiques, huiles essentielles, acides organiques, vaccination coccidiose, performances zootechniques, santé digestive, entérite nécrotique, Clostridium perfringens, dynamique populationnelle

Ammonia volatilization losses from surface-applied urea with urease and nitrification inhibitors

Urease inhibitor (UI) and nitrification inhibitor (NI) have the potential to improve N-use efficiency of applied urea and minimize N losses via gaseous emissions of ammonia (NH 3) to the atmosphere and nitrate (NO3-) leaching into surface and ground water bodies. There is a growing interest in the formulations of coating chemical fertilizers with both UI and NI. However, limited information is available on the combined use of UI and NI applied with urea fertilizer. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of treating urea with both UI and NI to minimize NH 3 volatilization. Two experiments were set up in volatilization chambers under controlled conditions to examine this process. In the first experiment, UR was treated with the urease inhibitor NBPT [N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric acid triamide] at a rate of 1060 mg kg -1 urea and/or with the nitrification inhibitor DCD (dicyandiamide) at rates equivalent to 5 or 10% of the urea N. A randomized experimental design with five treatments and five replicates was used: 1) UR, 2) UR + NBPT, 3) UR + DCD 10%, 4) UR + NBPT + DCD 5%, and 5) UR + NBPT + DCD 10%. The fertilizer treatments were applied to the surface of an acidic Red Latosol soil moistened to 60% of the maximum water retention and placed inside volatilization chambers. Controls chambers were added to allow for NH 3 volatilized from unfertilized soil or contained in the air that swept over the soil surface. The second experiment had an additional treatment with surface-applied DCD. The chambers were glass vessels (1.5 L) fit with air inlet and outlet tubings to allow air to pass over the soil. Ammonia volatilized was swept and carried to a flask containing a boric acid solution to trap the gas and then measured daily by titration with a standardized H 2SO 4 solution. Continuous measurements were recorded for 19 and 23 days for the first and second experiment, respectively. The soil samples were then analyzed for UR-, NH4+-, and NO3--N. Losses of NH 3 by volatilization with unamended UR ranged from 28 to 37% of the applied N, with peak of losses observed the third day after fertilization. NBPT delayed the peak of NH 3 losses due to urease inhibition and reduced NH 3 volatilization between 54 and 78% when compared with untreated UR. Up to 10 days after the fertilizer application, NH 3 losses had not been affected by DCD in the UR or the UR + NBPT treatments; thereafter, NH 3 volatilization tended to decrease, but not when DCD was present. As a consequence, the addition of DCD caused a 5-16% increase in NH 3 volatilization losses of the fertilizer N applied as UR from both the UR and the UR + NBPT treatments. Because the effectiveness of NBPT to inhibit soil urease activity was strong only in the first week, it could be concluded that DCD did not affect the action of NBPT but rather, enhanced volatilization losses by maintaining higher soil NH4+ concentration and pH for a longer time. Depending on the combination of factors influencing NH 3 volatilization, DCD could even offset the beneficial effect of NBPT in reducing NH 3 volatilization losses. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Dephosphorization of Iron Ore through Bioleaching

Phosphorus, as phosphate, is frequently found as a constituent of many of the world iron resources. Phosphorus is an extremely harmful element found in iron ore used as a raw material in the steelmaking process because it will affect the quality of iron and steel products. Allowable phosphorus concentration in high quality steel is usually less than 0.08%. Dephosphorization of iron ore has been studied for a long time. Although there are described physical beneficiation and chemical leaching processes, involving inorganic acids, to reduce phosphorus content of iron ores, these processes have several limitations such as poor recovery, require high energy quantity, capital costs and cause environmental pollution. Use of microorganisms in leaching of mineral ores is gaining importance due to the implementation of stricter environmental rules. Microbes convert metal compounds into their water soluble forms and are biocatalysts of leaching processes. Biotechnology is considered as an eco-friendly, promising, and revolutionary solution to these problems. Microorganisms play a critical role in natural phosphorus cycle and the process of phosphate solubilization by microorganisms has been known for many years. This study was performed to analyze the possibility of using bioleaching as a process for the dephosphorization of an iron ore from Northeast of Portugal. For bioleaching, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans bacterium were used. For this study two experiments were done with different conditions, which lasts 6 weeks for first experiment and 5 weeks for second experiment. From the result of these preliminary studies, it was observed that for first experiment 6.2 % and for second experiment 3.7 % of phosphorus was removed from iron ore.

Effect of strong acids on red mud structural and fluoride adsorption properties

The removal of fluoride using red mud has been improved by acidifying red mud with hydrochloric, nitric and sulphuric acid. This investigation shows that the removal of fluoride using red mud is significantly improved if red mud is initially acidified. The acidification of red mud causes sodalite and cancrinite phases to dissociate, confirmed by the release of sodium and aluminium into solution as well as the disappearance of sodalite bands and peaks in infrared and X-ray diffraction data. The dissolution of these mineral phases increases the amount of available iron and aluminium oxide/hydroxide sites that are accessible for the adsorption of fluoride. The removal of fluoride is dependent on the charge of iron and aluminium oxide/hydroxides on the surface of red mud. Acidifying red mud with hydrochloric, nitric and sulphuric acid resulted in surface sites of the form ≡ SOH2+ and ≡ SOH. Optimum removal is obtained when the majority of surface sites are in the form ≡ SOH2+ as the substitution of a fluoride ion doesn’t cause a significant increase in pH. This investigation shows the importance of having a low and consistent pH for the removal of fluoride from aqueous solutions using red mud.