Electrochemical cell

DOEpatents

Redey, Laszlo I.; Vissers, Donald R.; Prakash, Jai

1994-01-01

An electrochemical cell having an alkali metal negative electrode such as sodium and a positive electrode including Ni or transition metals, separated by a .beta." alumina electrolyte and NaAlCl.sub.4 or other compatible material. Various concentrations of a bromine, iodine and/or sulfur containing additive and pore formers are disclosed, which enhance cell capacity and power. The pore formers may be the ammonium salts of carbonic acid or a weak organic acid or oxamide or methylcellulose.

Phase behaviour and structure of stable complexes of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mengarelli, V.; Auvray, L.; Zeghal, M.

2009-03-01

We study the formation and structure of stable electrostatic complexes between oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, a long polymethacrylic acid and a shorter polyethylenimine, at low pH, where the polyacid is weakly charged. We explore the phase diagram as a function of the charge and concentration ratio of the constituents. In agreement with theory, turbidity and ζ potential measurements show two distinct regimes of weak and strong complexation, which appear successively as the pH is increased and are separated by a well-defined limit. Weak complexes observed by neutron scattering and contrast matching have an open, non-compact structure, while strong complexes are condensed.

Catalytic upgrading of oil fractions separated from food waste leachate.

PubMed

Heo, Hyeon Su; Kim, Sang Guk; Jeong, Kwang-Eun; Jeon, Jong-Ki; Park, Sung Hoon; Kim, Ji Man; Kim, Seung-Soo; Park, Young-Kwon

2011-02-01

In this work, catalytic cracking of biomass waste oil fractions separated from food waste leachate was performed using microporous catalysts, such as HY, HZSM-5 and mesoporous Al-MCM-48. The experiments were carried out using pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to allow the direct analysis of the pyrolytic products. Most acidic components, especially oleic acid, contained in the food waste oil fractions were converted to valuable products, such as oxygenates, hydrocarbons and aromatics. High yields of hydrocarbons within the gasoline-range were obtained when microporous catalysts were used; whereas, the use of Al-MCM-48, which exhibits relatively weak acidity, resulted in high yields of oxygenated and diesel-range hydrocarbons. The HZSM-5 catalyst produced a higher amount of valuable mono aromatics due to its strong acidity and shape selectivity. Especially, the addition of gallium (Ga) to HZSM-5 significantly increased the aromatics content. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical cell

DOEpatents

Redey, L.I.; Vissers, D.R.; Prakash, J.

1994-08-23

An electrochemical cell is described having an alkali metal negative electrode such as sodium and a positive electrode including Ni or transition metals, separated by a [beta] alumina electrolyte and NaAlCl[sub 4] or other compatible material. Various concentrations of a bromine, iodine and/or sulfur containing additive and pore formers are disclosed, which enhance cell capacity and power. The pore formers may be the ammonium salts of carbonic acid or a weak organic acid or oxamide or methylcellulose. 6 figs.

Separation of cannabinoids on three different mixed-mode columns containing carbon/nanodiamond/amine-polymer superficially porous particles.

PubMed

Hung, Chuan-Hsi; Zukowski, Janusz; Jensen, David S; Miles, Andrew J; Sulak, Clayton; Dadson, Andrew E; Linford, Matthew R

2015-09-01

Three mixed-mode high-performance liquid chromatography columns packed with superficially porous carbon/nanodiamond/amine-polymer particles were used to separate mixtures of cannabinoids. Columns evaluated included: (i) reversed phase (C18 ), weak anion exchange, 4.6 × 33 mm, 3.6 μm, and 4.6 × 100 mm, 3.6 μm, (ii) reversed phase, strong anion exchange (quaternary amine), 4.6×33 mm, 3.6 μm, and (iii) hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, 4.6 × 150 mm, 3.6 μm. Different selectivities were achieved under various mobile phase and stationary phase conditions. Efficiencies and peak capacities were as high as 54 000 N/m and 56, respectively. The reversed phase mixed-mode column (C18 ) retained tetrahydrocannabinolic acid strongly under acidic conditions and weakly under basic conditions. Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid was retained strongly on the reversed phase, strong anion exchange mixed-mode column under basic polar organic mobile phase conditions. The hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column retained polar cannabinoids better than the (more) neutral ones under basic conditions. A longer reversed phase (C18 ) mixed-mode column (4.6 × 100 mm) showed better resolution for analytes (and a contaminant) than a shorter column. Fast separations were achieved in less than 5 min and sometimes 2 min. A real world sample (bubble hash extract) was also analyzed by gradient elution. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Role of non-acid gastro-esophageal reflux in children with respiratory symptoms.

PubMed

Zenzeri, Letizia; Quitadamo, Paolo; Tambucci, Renato; Ummarino, Dario; Poziello, Antonio; Miele, Erasmo; Staiano, Annamaria

2017-05-01

Respiratory symptoms are a possible atypical clinical picture of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, a significant number of patients with GERD-related respiratory symptoms do not report improvement despite aggressive acid-suppressive therapy. Some of these refractory cases may be due to the recently appreciated entity of non-acid or weakly acidic reflux. The aim of our study is to assess the pH-impedance features of GER inducing airway symptoms, compared with GER inducing typical gastro-intestinal (GI) symptoms. We prospectively enrolled infants and children with GERD-related respiratory symptoms from January 2015 to December 2015. Age- and sex-matched patients with GERD-related GI symptoms were enrolled as comparison group. The overall number, the acidity pattern, and the height of reflux episodes were compared between the two groups. Forty patients (M/F: 20/20; mean age: 58.3 months) were enrolled in the study group and 40 in the comparison group. The mean acid exposure index was 7.9% within the study group and 15.9% within the comparison group (p:0.026). Children with respiratory symptoms versus children with GI symptoms had a mean of 40.8 acid reflux episodes versus 62.4 (p:0.001), a mean of 2.2 weakly acid reflux episodes versus 20.1 (p:0.002), and a mean of 22.1 weakly alkaline reflux episodes versus 10.2 (P < 0.001). Separate analysis of both infants and children was performed. The main finding of this prospective, controlled study is that children >1 year with GERD-related respiratory symptoms showed a significantly higher number of weakly alkaline refluxes than children with GERD-related GI symptoms. This supports the hypothesis that respiratory symptoms are less related to acidity than GI symptoms. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:669-674. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ion exchange selectivity for cross-linked polyacrylic acid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

May, C. E.; Philipp, W. H.

1983-01-01

The ion separation factors for 21 common metal ions with cross-linked polyacrylic acid were determined as a function of pH and the percent of the cross-linked polyacrylic acid neutralized. The calcium ion was used as a reference. At a pH of 5 the decreasing order of affinity of the ions for the cross-linked polyacrylic acid was found to be: Hg++, Fe+++, Pb++, Cr+++, Cu++, Cd++, Al+++, Ag+, Zn++, Ni++, Mn++, Co++, Ca++, Sr++, Ba++, Mg++, K+, Rb+, Cs+, Na+, and Li+. Members of a chemical family exhibited similar selectivities. The Hg++ ion appeared to be about a million times more strongly bound than the alkali metal ions. The relative binding of most of the metal ions varied with pH; the very tightly and very weakly bound ions showed the largest variations with pH. The calcium ion-hydrogen ion equilibrium was perturbed very little by the presence of the other ions. The separation factors and selectivity coefficients are discussed in terms of equilibrium and thermodynamic significance.

Twenty-four-hour esophageal impedance-pH monitoring in healthy preterm neonates: rate and characteristics of acid, weakly acidic, and weakly alkaline gastroesophageal reflux.

PubMed

López-Alonso, Manuel; Moya, Maria Jose; Cabo, Jose Antonio; Ribas, Juan; del Carmen Macías, Maria; Silny, Jiry; Sifrim, Daniel

2006-08-01

Gastroesophageal reflux is a physiologic process and is considered pathologic (gastroesophageal reflux disease) when it causes symptoms or results in complications. It is common in preterm infants and occurs in healthy neonates. Twenty-four-hour pH monitoring commonly is used in children for diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease, and abnormal reflux is considered with detection of increased esophageal acid exposure. However, in neonates, relatively few gastroesophageal reflux episodes cause esophageal acidification to pH < 4. Premature infants receive frequent feeds, which can induce a weaker acid secretory response than that observed in older infants and adults. As a consequence, gastric pH may be > 4 for prolonged periods, and reflux of gastric contents might be less acidic or even alkaline. Esophageal impedance monitoring can detect weakly acidic and even alkaline gastroesophageal reflux. The role of weakly acidic reflux in the pathophysiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease in preterm infants is not clear. To date, studies that have used impedance-pH in neonates assessed the association between nonacid reflux and cardiorespiratory symptoms, but no impedance data from healthy preterm neonates have been available to determine whether those symptomatic neonates had an increased number of weakly acidic reflux episodes or increased reactivity to a physiologic number of reflux events. Our aim with this study was to provide impedance-pH values for acid, weakly acidic, and weakly alkaline reflux from healthy preterm neonates. Esophageal impedance was recorded for 24 hours in 21 asymptomatic preterm neonates by replacing the conventional feeding tube with a specially designed feeding tube that included 9 impedance electrodes (8 French). All neonates were asymptomatic, with spontaneous breathing. Reflux monitoring was performed after comprehensive explanation and on receipt of written parental consent. Esophageal and gastric pH were monitored using a separate parallel pediatric catheter (6 French). According to the corresponding pH change, impedance-detected reflux was classified as acid, weakly acidic, and weakly alkaline. For each infant, the total number of reflux events, the acid exposure and bolus exposure times at 2 cm above the respiratory inversion point, and average proximal extent of reflux were calculated. Twenty-six preterm neonates were recruited into this study. A preliminary analysis was performed, and tracings were classified according to their quality and the presence of technical artifacts (spontaneous pH and impedance drifts, esophageal probe migration, and dysfunction of 1 or more impedance channels). Five studies were excluded because of 1 or more technical artifacts; a total of 21 neonates represent the final cohort included. At birth, the infants had a median postmenstrual age of 32 weeks, and the measurements were performed at a median age of 12 days. The total recording time was 23.7 +/- 2 hours. Gastric pH was higher than 4 during 69.3 +/- 20.4% of the recording time. The median number of reflux events in 24 hours was 71, 25.4% (range: 0%-53.1%) of which were acid, 72.9% (range: 45.3%-98.0%) were weakly acidic, and 0% (range: 0%-8.1%) were weakly alkaline. Compared with fasting periods, feeding periods tended to be associated with a higher number of total reflux events per hour. The acidity of reflux, however, was significantly different: during fasting, the number of acid reflux episodes per hour was higher, whereas during feeding, the number of weakly acidic reflux episodes was increased. Most reflux events were only liquid, whereas gas was present either mixed with liquid or pure only in 7.7% of all reflux episodes detected. The proximal esophageal segments were reached in 90% of reflux episodes. Reflux-related acid exposure (pH drops associated with impedance-detected reflux) was 1.66% (range: 0%-6.43%), whereas total acid exposure (associated and not associated with reflux detected by impedance) was 5.59% (range: 0.04%-20.69%). There was no relationship between the number or acidity of reflux events and anthropometric parameters such as weight and gestational age. We present the first study using 24-hour impedance-pH recordings in asymptomatic premature neonates. Previous studies that used pH-metry suggested that neonatal cardiorespiratory symptoms could be related to acid gastroesophageal reflux. However, pH-metry could not detect accurately weakly acidic or nonacid reflux. Our healthy premature neonates had approximately 70 reflux events in 24 hours, 25% of which were acid, 73% were weakly acidic, and 2% were weakly alkaline. The number of reflux events per hour (2-3 per hour) was slightly lower than that described in premature neonates with cardiorespiratory events (4 per hour). We confirmed that weakly acidic reflux is more prevalent than acid reflux, particularly so during the feeding periods. In contrast, similar to healthy adults, weakly alkaline reflux was very rare. We confirmed findings from previous studies in which most reflux events were pure liquid during both fasting and during postprandial periods and gas reflux was very rare. As in neonates with cardiorespiratory symptoms, the majority of reflux events in asymptomatic preterms reached the proximal esophagus or pharynx, and there were no differences between acid and weakly acidic reflux. The lack of differences between asymptomatic and diseased infants contravenes the hypothesis for macro- or microaspiration but does not exclude hypersensitivity to reflux as a cause for respiratory symptoms. The acid exposure that was related to reflux events and detected by impedance was significantly lower than the total acid exposure during 24 hours. Increased acid exposure could be attributable to pH-only reflux events or, less frequently, to slow drifts of pH from baselines at approximately 5 to values < 4. These changes were not accompanied by a typical impedance pattern of reflux but by slow drifts in impedance in 1 or 2 channels. Our findings confirm the need for the use of impedance together with pH-metry for diagnosis of all gastroesophageal reflux events. The relationship between gastroesophageal reflux and cardiorespiratory events in neonates and older infants has been studied extensively. The current evidence for such a relationship is controversial. This study provides values of impedance-pH monitoring for acid, weakly acidic, and weakly alkaline reflux from healthy preterm neonates that can be used for comparison when evaluating gastroesophageal reflux in preterm infants with a cardiorespiratory disease.

Influence of variation in mobile phase pH and solute pK(a) with the change of organic modifier fraction on QSRRs of hydrophobicity and RP-HPLC retention of weakly acidic compounds.

PubMed

Han, Shu-ying; Liang, Chao; Zou, Kuan; Qiao, Jun-qin; Lian, Hong-zhen; Ge, Xin

2012-11-15

The variation in mobile phase pH and ionizable solute dissociation constant (pK(a)) with the change of organic modifier fraction in hydroorganic mobile phase has seemingly been a troublesome problem in studies and applications of reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Most of the early studies regarding the RP-HPLC of acid-base compounds have to measure the actual pH of the mixed mobile phase rigorously, sometimes bringing difficulties in the practices of liquid chromatographic separation. In this paper, the effect of this variation on the apparent n-octanol/water partition coefficient (K(ow)″) and the related quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) of logK(ow)″ vs. logk(w), the logarithm of retention factor of analytes in neat aqueous mobile phases, was investigated for weakly acidic compounds. This QSRR is commonly used as a classical method for K(ow) measurement by RP-HPLC. The theoretical and experimental derivation revealed that the variation in mobile phase pH and solute pK(a) will not affect the QSRRs of acidic compounds. This conclusion is proved to be suitable for various types of ion-suppressors, i.e., strong acid (perchloric acid), weak acid (acetic acid) and buffer salt (potassium dihydrogen phosphate/phosphoric acid, PBS). The QSRRs of logK(ow)″ vs. logk(w) were modeled by 11 substituted benzoic acids using different types of ion-suppressors in a binary methanol-water mobile phase to confirm our deduction. Although different types of ion-suppressor all can be used as mobile phase pH modifiers, the QSRR model obtained by using perchloric acid as the ion-suppressor was found to have the best result, and the slightly inferior QSRRs were obtained by using acetic acid or PBS as the ion-suppressor. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Weak Acid Ionization Constants and the Determination of Weak Acid-Weak Base Reaction Equilibrium Constants in the General Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nyasulu, Frazier; McMills, Lauren; Barlag, Rebecca

2013-01-01

A laboratory to determine the equilibrium constants of weak acid negative weak base reactions is described. The equilibrium constants of component reactions when multiplied together equal the numerical value of the equilibrium constant of the summative reaction. The component reactions are weak acid ionization reactions, weak base hydrolysis…

Additive free preparative chiral SFC separations of 2,2-dimethyl-3-aryl-propanoic acids.

PubMed

Wu, Dauh-Rurng; Yip, Shiuhang Henry; Li, Peng; Sun, Dawn; Kempson, James; Mathur, Arvind

2016-11-30

A series of racemic 2,2-dimethyl-3-aryl-propanoic acids were resolved by chiral supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) without the use of an acidic additive, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The use of additive-free protic methanol as co-solvent in CO 2 was expanded to successfully resolve other series of carboxylic acid containing racemates. Large-scale SFC of racemic acid 4, 3-(1-(4-fluorophenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yl)-2,2-dimethyl-3-phenylpropanoic acid, in methanol without TFA as additive on both Chiralpak AD-H and Chiralcel OJ-H will be discussed, along with impact on throughput and solvent consumption. Investigation of co-solvent effect on peak sharpening of acid racemate 20, 2-(2-chloro-9-fluoro-5H-chromeno[2,3-b]pyridin-5-yl)-2-methylpropanoic acid, without TFA further indicated that methanol in CO 2 provided improved peak shape compared with isopropanol (IPA) and acetonitrile. Finally, we discuss the resolution of basic aromatic chiral amines without the addition of basic additives such as diethylamine (DEA) and application of this protocol for the large-scale SFC separation of weakly basic indazole-containing racemate 14, methyl 3-(1H-indazol-5-yl)-2,2-dimethyl-3-phenylpropanoate, in methanol without DEA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

3D Polyaniline Architecture by Concurrent Inorganic and Organic Acid Doping for Superior and Robust High Rate Supercapacitor Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gawli, Yogesh; Banerjee, Abhik; Dhakras, Dipti; Deo, Meenal; Bulani, Dinesh; Wadgaonkar, Prakash; Shelke, Manjusha; Ogale, Satishchandra

2016-02-01

A good high rate supercapacitor performance requires a fine control of morphological (surface area and pore size distribution) and electrical properties of the electrode materials. Polyaniline (PANI) is an interesting material in supercapacitor context because it stores energy Faradaically. However in conventional inorganic (e.g. HCl) acid doping, the conductivity is high but the morphological features are undesirable. On the other hand, in weak organic acid (e.g. phytic acid) doping, interesting and desirable 3D connected morphological features are attained but the conductivity is poorer. Here the synergy of the positive quality factors of these two acid doping approaches is realized by concurrent and optimized strong-inorganic (HCl) and weak-organic (phytic) acid doping, resulting in a molecular composite material that renders impressive and robust supercapacitor performance. Thus, a nearly constant high specific capacitance of 350 F g-1 is realized for the optimised case of binary doping over the entire range of 1 A g-1 to 40 A g-1 with stability of 500 cycles at 40 A g-1. Frequency dependant conductivity measurements show that the optimized co-doped case is more metallic than separately doped materials. This transport property emanates from the unique 3D single molecular character of such system.

3D Polyaniline Architecture by Concurrent Inorganic and Organic Acid Doping for Superior and Robust High Rate Supercapacitor Performance.

PubMed

Gawli, Yogesh; Banerjee, Abhik; Dhakras, Dipti; Deo, Meenal; Bulani, Dinesh; Wadgaonkar, Prakash; Shelke, Manjusha; Ogale, Satishchandra

2016-02-12

A good high rate supercapacitor performance requires a fine control of morphological (surface area and pore size distribution) and electrical properties of the electrode materials. Polyaniline (PANI) is an interesting material in supercapacitor context because it stores energy Faradaically. However in conventional inorganic (e.g. HCl) acid doping, the conductivity is high but the morphological features are undesirable. On the other hand, in weak organic acid (e.g. phytic acid) doping, interesting and desirable 3D connected morphological features are attained but the conductivity is poorer. Here the synergy of the positive quality factors of these two acid doping approaches is realized by concurrent and optimized strong-inorganic (HCl) and weak-organic (phytic) acid doping, resulting in a molecular composite material that renders impressive and robust supercapacitor performance. Thus, a nearly constant high specific capacitance of 350 F g(-1) is realized for the optimised case of binary doping over the entire range of 1 A g(-1) to 40 A g(-1) with stability of 500 cycles at 40 A g(-1). Frequency dependant conductivity measurements show that the optimized co-doped case is more metallic than separately doped materials. This transport property emanates from the unique 3D single molecular character of such system.

Adaptive Response and Tolerance to Weak Acids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: A Genome-Wide View

PubMed Central

Mira, Nuno P.; Teixeira, Miguel Cacho

2010-01-01

Abstract Weak acids are widely used as food preservatives (e.g., acetic, propionic, benzoic, and sorbic acids), herbicides (e.g., 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), and as antimalarial (e.g., artesunic and artemisinic acids), anticancer (e.g., artesunic acid), and immunosuppressive (e.g., mycophenolic acid) drugs, among other possible applications. The understanding of the mechanisms underlying the adaptive response and resistance to these weak acids is a prerequisite to develop more effective strategies to control spoilage yeasts, and the emergence of resistant weeds, drug resistant parasites or cancer cells. Furthermore, the identification of toxicity mechanisms and resistance determinants to weak acid-based pharmaceuticals increases current knowledge on their cytotoxic effects and may lead to the identification of new drug targets. This review integrates current knowledge on the mechanisms of toxicity and tolerance to weak acid stress obtained in the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae using genome-wide approaches and more detailed gene-by-gene analysis. The major features of the yeast response to weak acids in general, and the more specific responses and resistance mechanisms towards a specific weak acid or a group of weak acids, depending on the chemical nature of the side chain R group (R-COOH), are highlighted. The involvement of several transcriptional regulatory networks in the genomic response to different weak acids is discussed, focusing on the regulatory pathways controlled by the transcription factors Msn2p/Msn4p, War1p, Haa1p, Rim101p, and Pdr1p/Pdr3p, which are known to orchestrate weak acid stress response in yeast. The extrapolation of the knowledge gathered in yeast to other eukaryotes is also attempted. PMID:20955006

Selectivity differences of water-soluble vitamins separated on hydrophilic interaction stationary phases.

PubMed

Yang, Yuanzhong; Boysen, Reinhard I; Hearn, Milton T W

2013-06-01

In this study, the retention behavior and selectivity differences of water-soluble vitamins were evaluated with three types of polar stationary phases (i.e. an underivatized silica phase, an amide phase, and an amino phase) operated in the hydrophilic interaction chromatographic mode with ESI mass spectrometric detection. The effects of mobile phase composition, including buffer pH and concentration, on the retention and selectivity of the vitamins were investigated. In all stationary phases, the neutral or weakly charged vitamins exhibited very weak retention under each of the pH conditions, while the acidic and more basic vitamins showed diverse retention behaviors. With the underivatized silica phase, increasing the salt concentration of the mobile phase resulted in enhanced retention of the acidic vitamins, but decreased retention of the basic vitamins. These observations thus signify the involvement of secondary mechanisms, such as electrostatic interaction in the retention of these analytes. Under optimized conditions, a baseline separation of all vitamins was achieved with excellent peak efficiency. In addition, the effects of water content in the sample on retention and peak efficiency were examined, with sample stacking effects observed when the injected sample contained a high amount of water. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A TRPA1-dependent mechanism for the pungent sensation of weak acids

PubMed Central

Wang, Yuanyuan Y.; Chang, Rui B.; Allgood, Sallie D.; Silver, Wayne L.

2011-01-01

Acetic acid produces an irritating sensation that can be attributed to activation of nociceptors within the trigeminal ganglion that innervate the nasal or oral cavities. These sensory neurons sense a diverse array of noxious agents in the environment, allowing animals to actively avoid tissue damage. Although receptor mechanisms have been identified for many noxious chemicals, the mechanisms by which animals detect weak acids, such as acetic acid, are less well understood. Weak acids are only partially dissociated at neutral pH and, as such, some can cross the cell membrane, acidifying the cell cytosol. The nociceptor ion channel TRPA1 is activated by CO2, through gating of the channel by intracellular protons, making it a candidate to more generally mediate sensory responses to weak acids. To test this possibility, we measured responses to weak acids from heterologously expressed TRPA1 channels and trigeminal neurons with patch clamp recording and Ca2+ microfluorometry. Our results show that heterologously expressed TRPA1 currents can be induced by a series of weak organic acids, including acetic, propionic, formic, and lactic acid, but not by strong acids. Notably, the degree of channel activation was predicted by the degree of intracellular acidification produced by each acid, suggesting that intracellular protons are the proximate stimulus that gates the channel. Responses to weak acids produced a Ca2+-independent inactivation that precluded further activation by weak acids or reactive chemicals, whereas preactivation by reactive electrophiles sensitized TRPA1 channels to weak acids. Importantly, responses of trigeminal neurons to weak acids were highly overrepresented in the subpopulation of TRPA1-expressing neurons and were severely reduced in neurons from TRPA1 knockout mice. We conclude that TRPA1 is a general sensor for weak acids that produce intracellular acidification and suggest that it functions within the pain pathway to mediate sensitivity to cellular acidosis. PMID:21576376

3D Polyaniline Architecture by Concurrent Inorganic and Organic Acid Doping for Superior and Robust High Rate Supercapacitor Performance

PubMed Central

Gawli, Yogesh; Banerjee, Abhik; Dhakras, Dipti; Deo, Meenal; Bulani, Dinesh; Wadgaonkar, Prakash; Shelke, Manjusha; Ogale, Satishchandra

2016-01-01

A good high rate supercapacitor performance requires a fine control of morphological (surface area and pore size distribution) and electrical properties of the electrode materials. Polyaniline (PANI) is an interesting material in supercapacitor context because it stores energy Faradaically. However in conventional inorganic (e.g. HCl) acid doping, the conductivity is high but the morphological features are undesirable. On the other hand, in weak organic acid (e.g. phytic acid) doping, interesting and desirable 3D connected morphological features are attained but the conductivity is poorer. Here the synergy of the positive quality factors of these two acid doping approaches is realized by concurrent and optimized strong-inorganic (HCl) and weak-organic (phytic) acid doping, resulting in a molecular composite material that renders impressive and robust supercapacitor performance. Thus, a nearly constant high specific capacitance of 350 F g−1 is realized for the optimised case of binary doping over the entire range of 1 A g−1 to 40 A g−1 with stability of 500 cycles at 40 A g−1. Frequency dependant conductivity measurements show that the optimized co-doped case is more metallic than separately doped materials. This transport property emanates from the unique 3D single molecular character of such system. PMID:26867570

Synergistic effects on enantioselectivity of zwitterionic chiral stationary phases for separations of chiral acids, bases, and amino acids by HPLC.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Christian V; Pell, Reinhard; Lämmerhofer, Michael; Lindner, Wolfgang

2008-11-15

In an attempt to overcome the limited applicability scope of earlier proposed Cinchona alkaloid-based chiral weak anion exchangers (WAX) and recently reported aminosulfonic acid-based chiral strong cation exchangers (SCX), which are conceptionally restricted to oppositely charged solutes, their individual chiral selector (SO) subunits have been fused in a combinatorial synthesis approach into single, now zwitterionic, chiral SO motifs. The corresponding zwitterionic ion-exchange-type chiral stationary phases (CSPs) in fact combined the applicability spectra of the parent chiral ion exchangers allowing for enantioseparations of chiral acids and amine-type solutes in liquid chromatography using polar organic mode with largely rivaling separation factors as compared to the parent WAX and SCX CSPs. Furthermore, the application spectrum could be remarkably expanded to various zwitterionic analytes such as alpha- and beta-amino acids and peptides. A set of structurally related yet different CSPs consisting of either a quinine or quinidine alkaloid moiety as anion-exchange subunit and various chiral or achiral amino acids as cation-exchange subunits enabled us to derive structure-enantioselectivity relationships, which clearly provided strong unequivocal evidence for synergistic effects of the two oppositely charged ion-exchange subunits being involved in molecular recognition of zwitterionic analytes by zwitterionic SOs driven by double ionic coordination.

Comparison of analytical protein separation characteristics for three amine-based capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) stationary phases.

PubMed

Jiang, Liuwei; Marcus, R Kenneth

2016-02-01

Capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fiber stationary phases are finding utility in the realms of protein analytics as well as downstream processing. We have recently described the modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) C-CP fibers to affect amine-rich phases for the weak anion-exchange (WAX) separation of proteins. Polyethylenimine (PEI) is covalently coupled to the PET surface, with subsequent cross-linking imparted by treatment with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BUDGE). These modifications yield vastly improved dynamic binding capacities over the unmodified fibers. We have also previously employed native (unmodified) nylon 6 C-CP fibers as weak anion/cation-exchange (mixed-mode) and hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) phases for protein separations. Polyamide, nylon 6, consists of amide groups along the polymer backbone, with primary amines and carboxylic acid end groups. The analytical separation characteristics of these three amine-based C-CP fiber phases are compared here. Each of the C-CP fiber columns in this study was shown to be able to separate a bovine serum albumin/hemoglobin/lysozyme mixture at high mobile phase linear velocity (∼70 mm s(-1)) but with different elution characteristics. These differences reflect the types of protein-surface interactions that are occurring, based on the active group composition of the fiber surfaces. This study provides important fundamental understanding for the development of surface-modified C-CP fiber columns for protein separation.

Increase of weakly acidic gas esophagopharyngeal reflux (EPR) and swallowing-induced acidic/weakly acidic EPR in patients with chronic cough responding to proton pump inhibitors.

PubMed

Kawamura, O; Shimoyama, Y; Hosaka, H; Kuribayashi, S; Maeda, M; Nagoshi, A; Zai, H; Kusano, M

2011-05-01

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD)-related chronic cough (CC) may have multifactorial causes. To clarify the characteristics of esophagopharyngeal reflux (EPR) events in CC patients whose cough was apparently influenced by gastro-esophageal reflux (GER), we studied patients with CC clearly responding to full-dose proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy (CC patients). Ten CC patients, 10 GERD patients, and 10 healthy controls underwent 24-h ambulatory pharyngo-esophageal impedance and pH monitoring. Weakly acidic reflux was defined as a decrease of pH by >1 unit with a nadir pH >4. In six CC patients, monitoring was repeated after 8 weeks of PPI therapy. The number of each EPR event and the symptom association probability (SAP) were calculated. Symptoms were evaluated by a validated GERD symptom questionnaire. Weakly acidic gas EPR and swallowing-induced acidic/weakly acidic EPR only occurred in CC patients, and the numbers of such events was significantly higher in the CC group than in the other two groups (P < 0.05, respectively). Symptom association probability analysis revealed a positive association between GER and cough in three CC patients. Proton pump inhibitor therapy abolished swallowing-induced acidic/weakly acidic EPR, reduced weakly acidic gas EPR, and improved symptoms (all P < 0.05). Most patients with CC responding to PPI therapy had weakly acidic gas EPR and swallowing-induced acidic/weakly acidic EPR. A direct effect of acidic mist or liquid refluxing into the pharynx may contribute to chronic cough, while cough may also arise indirectly from reflux via a vago-vagal reflex in some patients. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Acid reflux episodes sensitize the esophagus to perception of weakly acidic and mixed reflux in non-erosive reflux disease patients.

PubMed

Emerenziani, S; Ribolsi, M; Guarino, M P L; Balestrieri, P; Altomare, A; Rescio, M P; Cicala, M

2014-01-01

Non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) patients are more sensitive than erosive esophagitis patients to weakly acidic reflux and to the presence of gas in the refluxate. Intra-esophageal acid perfusion sensitizes esophageal receptors to mechanical and chemical stimuli. To establish whether acid sensitization plays a role in the perception of weakly acidic and mixed reflux episodes, 29 NERD patients, responders and 14 non-responders to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), underwent pH-impedance monitoring. Non-responders repeated the study while on PPIs. To assess the effect of acid exposure on symptom perception, the time period with pH below 4 was measured in 15- and 30-minute time-windows preceding the onset of each reflux episode. Considering weakly acidic and mixed refluxes, both in responder and non-responder patients (off PPIs), the symptomatic refluxes were preceded by a significantly higher cumulative acid exposure than the asymptomatic refluxes. In all patients, following acid reflux, the percentage of symptomatic weakly acidic reflux episodes was significantly higher than that of asymptomatic refluxes. Non-responder patients, off-treatment, were characterized by a lower proportion of weakly acidic reflux and mixed reflux episodes. In the non-responder patients on PPI, only mixed and weakly symptomatic reflux episodes were preceded by a higher cumulative acid exposure. In NERD patients, spontaneous acid reflux enhances subsequent reflux perception, regardless of acidity or liquid/mixed composition of episodes; in non-responder patients on PPIs, only the perception of mixed and weakly acidic reflux episodes seems to be mediated by a preceding acid exposure. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Scaleable production and separation of fermentation-derived acetic acid. Final CRADA report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Snyder, S. W.; Energy Systems

2010-02-08

Half of U.S. acetic acid production is used in manufacturing vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) and is economical only in very large production plants. Nearly 80% of the VAM is produced by methanol carbonylation, which requires high temperatures and exotic construction materials and is energy intensive. Fermentation-derived acetic acid production allows for small-scale production at low temperatures, significantly reducing the energy requirement of the process. The goal of the project is to develop a scaleable production and separation process for fermentation-derived acetic acid. Synthesis gas (syngas) will be fermented to acetic acid, and the fermentation broth will be continuously neutralized withmore » ammonia. The acetic acid product will be recovered from the ammonium acid broth using vapor-based membrane separation technology. The process is summarized in Figure 1. The two technical challenges to success are selecting and developing (1) microbial strains that efficiently ferment syngas to acetic acid in high salt environments and (2) membranes that efficiently separate ammonia from the acetic acid/water mixture and are stable at high enough temperature to facilitate high thermal cracking of the ammonium acetate salt. Fermentation - Microbial strains were procured from a variety of public culture collections (Table 1). Strains were incubated and grown in the presence of the ammonium acetate product and the fastest growing cultures were selected and incubated at higher product concentrations. An example of the performance of a selected culture is shown in Figure 2. Separations - Several membranes were considered. Testing was performed on a new product line produced by Sulzer Chemtech (Germany). These are tubular ceramic membranes with weak acid functionality (see Figure 3). The following results were observed: (1) The membranes were relatively fragile in a laboratory setting; (2) Thermally stable {at} 130 C in hot organic acids; (3) Acetic acid rejection > 99%; and (4) Moderate ammonia flux. The advantages of producing acetic acid by fermentation include its appropriateness for small-scale production, lower cost feedstocks, low energy membrane-based purification, and lower temperature and pressure requirements. Potential energy savings of using fermentation are estimated to be approximately 14 trillion Btu by 2020 from a reduction in natural gas use. Decreased transportation needs with regional plants will eliminate approximately 200 million gallons of diesel consumption, for combined savings of 45 trillion Btu. If the fermentation process captures new acetic acid production, savings could include an additional 5 trillion Btu from production and 7 trillion Btu from transportation energy.« less

Role of Acid and Weakly Acidic Reflux in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Off Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy

PubMed Central

Sung, Hea Jung; Moon, Sung Jin; Kim, Jin Su; Lim, Chul Hyun; Park, Jae Myung; Lee, In Seok; Kim, Sang Woo; Choi, Myung-Gye

2012-01-01

Background/Aims Available data about reflux patterns and symptom determinants in the gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) subtypes off proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy are lacking. We aimed to evaluate reflux patterns and determinants of symptom perception in patients with GERD off PPI therapy by impedance-pH monitoring. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the impedance-pH data in patients diagnosed as GERD based on results of impedance-pH monitoring, endoscopy and/or typical symptoms. The characteristics of acid and weakly acidic reflux were evaluated. Symptomatic and asymptomatic reflux were compared according to GERD subtypes and individual symptoms. Results Forty-two patients (22 males, mean age 46 years) were diagnosed as GERD (17 erosive reflux disease, 9 pH(+) non-erosive reflux disease [NERD], 9 hypersensitive esophagus and 7 symptomatic NERD). A total of 1,725 reflux episodes were detected (855 acid [50%], 857 weakly acidic [50%] and 13 weakly alkaline reflux [< 1%]). Acid reflux was more frequently symptomatic and bolus clearance was longer compared with weakly acidic reflux. In terms of globus, weakly acidic reflux was more symptomatic. Symptomatic reflux was more frequently acid and mixed reflux; these associations were more pronounced in erosive reflux disease and symptomatic NERD. The perception of regurgitation was related to acid reflux, while that of globus was more related to weakly acidic reflux. Conclusions In patients not taking PPI, acid reflux was more frequently symptomatic and had longer bolus clearance. Symptomatic reflux was more frequently acid and mixed type; however, weakly acidic reflux was associated more with globus. These data suggest a role for impedance-pH data in the evaluation of globus. PMID:22837877

Role of Acid and weakly acidic reflux in gastroesophageal reflux disease off proton pump inhibitor therapy.

PubMed

Sung, Hea Jung; Cho, Yu Kyung; Moon, Sung Jin; Kim, Jin Su; Lim, Chul Hyun; Park, Jae Myung; Lee, In Seok; Kim, Sang Woo; Choi, Myung-Gye

2012-07-01

Available data about reflux patterns and symptom determinants in the gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) subtypes off proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy are lacking. We aimed to evaluate reflux patterns and determinants of symptom perception in patients with GERD off PPI therapy by impedance-pH monitoring. We retrospectively reviewed the impedance-pH data in patients diagnosed as GERD based on results of impedance-pH monitoring, endoscopy and/or typical symptoms. The characteristics of acid and weakly acidic reflux were evaluated. Symptomatic and asymptomatic reflux were compared according to GERD subtypes and individual symptoms. Forty-two patients (22 males, mean age 46 years) were diagnosed as GERD (17 erosive reflux disease, 9 pH(+) non-erosive reflux disease [NERD], 9 hypersensitive esophagus and 7 symptomatic NERD). A total of 1,725 reflux episodes were detected (855 acid [50%], 857 weakly acidic [50%] and 13 weakly alkaline reflux [< 1%]). Acid reflux was more frequently symptomatic and bolus clearance was longer compared with weakly acidic reflux. In terms of globus, weakly acidic reflux was more symptomatic. Symptomatic reflux was more frequently acid and mixed reflux; these associations were more pronounced in erosive reflux disease and symptomatic NERD. The perception of regurgitation was related to acid reflux, while that of globus was more related to weakly acidic reflux. In patients not taking PPI, acid reflux was more frequently symptomatic and had longer bolus clearance. Symptomatic reflux was more frequently acid and mixed type; however, weakly acidic reflux was associated more with globus. These data suggest a role for impedance-pH data in the evaluation of globus.

Lower pH values of weakly acidic refluxes as determinants of heartburn perception in gastroesophageal reflux disease patients with normal esophageal acid exposure.

PubMed

de Bortoli, N; Martinucci, I; Savarino, E; Franchi, R; Bertani, L; Russo, S; Ceccarelli, L; Costa, F; Bellini, M; Blandizzi, C; Savarino, V; Marchi, S

2016-01-01

Multichannel impedance pH monitoring has shown that weakly acidic refluxes are able to generate heartburn. However, data on the role of different pH values, ranging between 4 and 7, in the generation of them are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether different pH values of weakly acidic refluxes play a differential role in provoking reflux symptoms in endoscopy-negative patients with physiological esophageal acid exposure time and positive symptom index and symptom association probability for weakly acidic refluxes. One hundred and forty-three consecutive patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, nonresponders to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), were allowed a washout from PPIs before undergoing: upper endoscopy, esophageal manometry, and multichannel impedance pH monitoring. In patients with both symptom index and symptom association probability positive for weakly acidic reflux, each weakly acidic reflux was evaluated considering exact pH value, extension, physical characteristics, and correlation with heartburn. Forty-five patients with normal acid exposure time and positive symptom association probability for weakly acidic reflux were identified. The number of refluxes not heartburn related was higher than those heartburn related. In all distal and proximal liquid refluxes, as well as in distal mixed refluxes, the mean pH value of reflux events associated with heartburn was significantly lower than that not associated. This condition was not confirmed for proximal mixed refluxes. Overall, a low pH of weakly acidic reflux represents a determinant factor in provoking heartburn. This observation contributes to better understand the pathophysiology of symptoms generated by weakly acidic refluxes, paving the way toward the search for different therapeutic approaches to this peculiar condition of esophageal hypersensitivity. © 2014 International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

Analysis of heavy oils: Method development and application to Cerro Negro heavy petroleum: Topical report. [Metal content in Cerro Negro heavy petroleum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pearson, C.D.; Green, J.A.; Green, J.B.

1988-01-01

Nickel, vanadium, and iron were determined in distilled and chromatographically separated fractions from Cerro Negro heavy petroleum. Corresponding data were also obtained on two samples of Wilmington, California, heavy crude and one Mayan, Mexico, heavy oil for comparison. For the Cerro Negro crude, the ratio of porphyrinic to nonporphyrinic forms of metals was also determined on selected fractions using visible spectroscopy. In all four heavy petroleums, significant levels of metals were found only in the highest boiling distillate available, ca. 550-700/sup 0/C (1000-1300/sup 0/F), and the residue. Typically, the distillation residue contained >95 percent of a given metal. All crudesmore » contained metalloorganics of the following types: strongly acidic, weakly acidic, strongly basic, weakly basic, and neutral, but the relative distribution of metals among each class was crude dependent. Generally, nickel and vanadium distributions for a given crude followed one another very closely, while those for iron were often inconclusive because of poor mass balances for that element. Attempts to concentrate metalloorganics through liquid chromatographic separation methods largely unsuccessful. The wide variety of types of metal-containing compounds in the crudes examined precluded the use of a single approach for their isolation or preconcentration. 21 refs., 1 fig., 12 tabs.« less

Speciation of aqueous Ni(II)-carboxylate and Ni(II)-fulvic acid solutions: Combined ATR-FTIR and XAFS analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strathmann, Timothy J.; Myneni, Satish C. B.

2004-09-01

Aqueous solutions containing Ni(II) and a series of structurally related carboxylic acids were analyzed using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and Ni K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS). XAFS spectra were also collected for solutions containing Ni 2+ and chelating ligands (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)) as well as soil fulvic acid. Limited spectral changes are observed for aqueous Ni(II) complexes with monocarboxylates (formate, acetate) and long-chain polycarboxylates (succinate, tricarballylate), where individual donor groups are separated by multiple bridging methylene groups. These spectral changes indicate weak interactions between Ni(II) and carboxylates, and the trends are similar to some earlier reports for crystalline Ni(II)-acetate solids, for which X-ray crystallography studies have indicated monodentate Ni(II)-carboxylate coordination. Nonetheless, electrostatic or outer-sphere coordination cannot be ruled out for these complexes. However, spectral changes observed for short-chain dicarboxylates (oxalate, malonate) and carboxylates that contain an alcohol donor group adjacent to one of the carboxylate groups (lactate, malate, citrate) demonstrate inner-sphere metal coordination by multiple donor groups. XAFS spectral fits of Ni(II) solutions containing soil fulvic acid are consistent with inner-sphere Ni(II) coordination by one or more carboxylate groups, but spectra are noisy and outer-sphere modes of coordination cannot be ruled out. These molecular studies refine our understanding of the interactions between carboxylates and weakly complexing divalent transition metals, such as Ni(II).

Hydroxamic acids as weak base indicators: protonation in strong acid media.

PubMed

García, B; Ibeas, S; Hoyuelos, F J; Leal, J M; Secco, F; Venturini, M

2001-11-30

The protonation equilibria of N-phenylbenzohydroxamic, benzohydroxamic, salicylhydroxamic, and N-p-tolylcinnamohydroxamic acids have been studied at 25 degrees C in concentrated sulfuric, hydrochloric, and perchloric acid media; the UV-vis spectral measurements were analyzed using the Hammett equation and the Bunnett-Olsen and excess acidity methods. The medium effects observed in the UV spectral curves were corrected with the Cox-Yates and vector analysis methods. The H(A) acidity function based on benzamides provided the best results. The range of variation of the solvation coefficient m is similar to that of amides, this indicating similar solvation requirements for amides and hydroxamic acids. For the same substrate, the observed variations of pK(BH)(+) with the mineral acid used was justified by formation of solvent-separated ion pairs; for the same mineral acid, the observed changes in pK(BH)(+) can be explained by the solvation of BH(+). The change of the pK(BH)(+) values was in reasonably good agreement with the sequence of the catalytic efficiency of the mineral acids used, HCl > H(2)SO(4) > HClO(4).

[Trans fatty acids in the nutrition of children with neurological disorders].

PubMed

Cortés, E; Aguilar, M J; Rizo, M M; Hidalgo, M J

2013-01-01

Trans-fatty acids are present in various foods, being the only source of the same in humans. Its presence in high concentrations is a risk factor for health, being involved in a series of events, cardiovascular, inflammatory, etc. Therefore, steps have been taken for its decrease in the diet. The aim is to determine serum and phospholipids of membranes in healthy children and neurological alterations. It has analyzed the fatty acids trans in 34 healthy children and 374 with various neurological pathologies. Serum and blood cells, making the lipid extraction, samples have been separation of the phospholipids of cells membranes, methylation of fatty acids, separation by gas chromatography and quantification using mass detector. The data have been processed statistically. The distribution of trans fatty acids and their sum is not normally distributed, so its nonparemetric tests were used. The values are higher than in serum phospholipids and membrane with a weak but significant correlation. The tC18: 1 is in a double proportion in children with neurological disorders in healthy children, both in serum and membrane phospholipids, with significant differences. The highest proportion of trans-fatty acids in the group of children with neurological disorders is caused no doubt by an increase in intake, due to less adequate food. Copyright © AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2013. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Nocturnal weakly acidic reflux promotes aspiration of bile acids in lung transplant recipients.

PubMed

Blondeau, Kathleen; Mertens, Veerle; Vanaudenaerde, Bart A; Verleden, Geert M; Van Raemdonck, Dirk E; Sifrim, Daniel; Dupont, Lieven J

2009-02-01

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and aspiration of bile acids have been implicated as non-alloimmune risk factors for the development of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) after lung transplantation. The aim of our study was to investigate the association between GER and gastric aspiration of bile acids and to establish which reflux characteristics may promote aspiration of bile acids into the lungs and may feature as a potential diagnostic tool in identifying lung transplantation (LTx) patients at risk for aspiration. Twenty-four stable LTx recipients were studied 1 year after transplantation. All patients underwent 24-hour ambulatory impedance-pH recording for the detection of acid (pH <4) and weakly acidic (pH 4 to 7) reflux. On the same day, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected and then analyzed for the presence of bile acids (Bioquant enzymatic assay). Increased GER was detected in 13 patients, of whom 9 had increased acid reflux and 4 had exclusively increased weakly acidic reflux. Sixteen patients had detectable bile acids in the BALF (0.6 [0.4 to 1.5] micromol/liter). The 24-hour esophageal volume exposure was significantly increased in patients with bile acids compared to patients without bile acids in the BALF. Acid exposure and the number of reflux events (total, acid and weakly acidic) were unrelated to the presence of bile acids in the BALF. However, both nocturnal volume exposure and the number of nocturnal weakly acidic reflux events were significantly higher in patients with bile acids in the BALF. Weakly acidic reflux events, especially during the night, are associated with the aspiration of bile acids in LTx recipients and may therefore feature as a potential risk factor for the development of BOS.

Charge segregation in weakly ionized microgels

DOE PAGES

Hyatt, John S.; Douglas, Alison M.; Stanley, Chris; ...

2017-01-19

Here we investigate microgels synthesized from N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) copolymerized with a large mol% of acrylic acid, finding that when the acid groups are partially ionized at high temperatures, competition between ion-induced swelling and hydrophobic deswelling of poly(NIPAM) chains results in microphase separation. In cross-linked microgels, this manifests as a dramatic decrease in the ratio between the radius of gyration and the hydrodynamic radius to ~0.2, indicating that almost all the mass of the microgel is concentrated near the particle center. We also observe a concurrent decrease of the polymer network length scale via small-angle neutron scattering, confirming the presence ofmore » a dense, deswollen core surrounded by a diffuse, charged periphery. We compare these results to those obtained for a system of charged ultralow-cross-linked microgels; the form factor shows a distinct peak at high q when the temperature exceeds a threshold value. Lastly, we successfully fit the form factor to theory developed to describe scattering from weakly charged gels in poor solvents, and we tie this behavior to charge segregation in the case of the cross-linked microgels.« less

Regional oesophageal sensitivity to acid and weakly acidic reflux in patients with non-erosive reflux disease.

PubMed

Emerenziani, S; Ribolsi, M; Sifrim, D; Blondeau, K; Cicala, M

2009-03-01

The mechanisms underlying symptoms in non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) remain to be elucidated. Non-erosive reflux disease patients appear to be more sensitive to intraluminal stimula than erosive patients, the proximal oesophagus being the most sensitive. In order to assess regional oesophageal changes in reflux acidity and sensitivity to reflux, according either to the acidity or the composition of the refluxate, combined multiple pH and multiple pH-impedance (pH-MII) was performed in 16 NERD patients. According to multiple pH-metry, 29% and 12% of reflux events reached the middle and proximal oesophagus respectively, and 35% and 19% according to conventional pH-MII (P < 0.05). The per-individual analysis confirmed the difference between the two techniques. According to combined distal and proximal pH-MII, approximately 30% of distal acid reflux became weakly acidic at the proximal oesophagus. In all patients, the frequency of symptomatic refluxes, both acid and weakly acidic, was significantly higher at the proximal, compared with distal oesophagus (25 +/- 8%vs 11 +/- 2% for acid reflux and 27 +/- 8%vs 8 +/- 2% for weakly acidic reflux; P < 0.05). Compared with multiple pH-metry, pH-MII shows a higher sensitivity in the detection of proximal reflux. As approximately 30% of acid reflux becomes weakly acidic along the oesophageal body, to better characterize proximal reflux, in clinical practice, combined proximal pH-impedance monitoring should be used. In NERD patients, the proximal oesophagus seems to be more sensitive to both acid and weakly acidic reflux.

PROCESSING OF MONAZITE SAND

DOEpatents

Calkins, G.D.; Bohlmann, E.G.

1957-12-01

A process for the recovery of thorium, uranium, and rare earths from monazite sands is presented. The sands are first digested and dissolved in concentrated NaOH, and the solution is then diluted causing precipitation of uranium, thorium and rare earth hydroxides. The precipitate is collected and dissolved in HCl, and the pH of this solution is adjusted to about 6, precipitating the hydroxides of thorium and uranium but leaving the rare earths in solution. The rare earths are then separated from the solution by precipitation at a still higher pH. The thorium and uranium containing precipitate is redissolved in HNO/sub 3/ and the two elements are separated by extraction into tributyl phosphate and back extraction with a weakly acidic solution to remove the thorium.

Titration Curves: Fact and Fiction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chamberlain, John

1997-01-01

Discusses ways in which datalogging equipment can enable titration curves to be measured accurately and how computing power can be used to predict the shape of curves. Highlights include sources of error, use of spreadsheets to generate titration curves, titration of a weak acid with a strong alkali, dibasic acids, weak acid and weak base, and…

Chromatographic retention prediction and octanol-water partition coefficient determination of monobasic weak acidic compounds in ion-suppression reversed-phase liquid chromatography using acids as ion-suppressors.

PubMed

Ming, Xin; Han, Shu-ying; Qi, Zheng-chun; Sheng, Dong; Lian, Hong-zhen

2009-08-15

Although simple acids, replacing buffers, have been widely applied to suppress the ionization of weakly ionizable acidic analytes in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), none of the previously reported works focused on the systematic studies about the retention behavior of the acidic solutes in this ion-suppression RPLC mode. The subject of this paper was therefore to investigate the retention behavior of monobasic weak acidic compounds using acetic, perchloric and phosphoric acids as the ion-suppressors. The apparent octanol-water partition coefficient (K" ow) was proposed to calibrate the octanol-water partition coefficient (K(ow)) of these weak acidic compounds, which resulted in a better linear correlation with log k(w), the logarithm of the hypothetical retention factor corresponding to neat aqueous fraction of hydroorganic mobile phase. This log K" ow-log k w linear correlation was successfully validated by the results of monocarboxylic acids and monohydrating phenols, and moreover by the results under diverse experimental conditions for the same solutes. This straightforward relationship not only can be used to effectively predict the retention values of weak acidic solutes combined with Snyder-Soczewinski equation, but also can offer a promising medium for directly measuring K(ow) data of these compounds via Collander equation. In addition, the influence of the different ion-suppressors on the retention of weak acidic compounds was also compared in this RPLC mode.

Analysis of trace inorganic anions in weak acid salts by single pump cycling-column-switching ion chromatography.

PubMed

Huang, Zhongping; Ni, Chengzhu; Zhu, Zhuyi; Pan, Zaifa; Wang, Lili; Zhu, Yan

2015-05-01

The application of ion chromatography with the single pump cycling-column-switching technique was described for the analysis of trace inorganic anions in weak acid salts within a single run. Due to the hydrogen ions provided by an anion suppressor electrolyzing water, weak acid anions could be transformed into weak acids, existing as molecules, after passing through the suppressor. Therefore, an anion suppressor and ion-exclusion column were adopted to achieve on-line matrix elimination of weak acid anions with high concentration for the analysis of trace inorganic anions in weak acid salts. A series of standard solutions consisting of target anions of various concentrations from 0.005 to 10 mg/L were analyzed, with correlation coefficients r ≥ 0.9990. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.67 to 1.51 μg/L, based on the signal-to-noise ratio of 3 and a 25 μL injection volume. Relative standard deviations for retention time, peak area, and peak height were all less than 2.01%. A spiking study was performed with satisfactory recoveries between 90.3 and 104.4% for all anions. The chromatographic system was successfully applied to the analysis of trace inorganic anions in five weak acid salts. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

"JCE" Classroom Activity #109: My Acid Can Beat Up Your Acid!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Putti, Alice

2011-01-01

In this guided-inquiry activity, students investigate the ionization of strong and weak acids. Bead models are used to study acid ionization on a particulate level. Students analyze seven strong and weak acid models and make generalizations about the relationship between acid strength and dissociation. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

MNL1 Regulates Weak Acid–induced Stress Responses of the Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans

PubMed Central

Selway, Laura; Stead, David; Walker, Jan; Yin, Zhikang; Nicholls, Susan M.; Crowe, Jonathan; Sheils, Emma M.; Brown, Alistair J.P.

2008-01-01

MNL1, the Candida albicans homologue of an orphan Msn2-like gene (YER130c in Saccharomyces cerevisiae) has no known function. Here we report that MNL1 regulates weak acid stress responses. Deletion of MNL1 prevents the long-term adaptation of C. albicans cells to weak acid stresses and compromises their global transcriptional response under these conditions. The promoters of Mnl1-dependent genes contain a novel STRE-like element (SLE) that imposes Mnl1-dependent, weak acid stress–induced transcription upon a lacZ reporter in C. albicans. The SLE (HHYYCCCCTTYTY) is related to the Nrg1 response element (NRE) element recognized by the transcriptional repressor Nrg1. Deletion of NRG1 partially restores the ability of C. albicans mnl1 cells to adapt to weak acid stress, indicating that Mnl1 and Nrg1 act antagonistically to regulate this response. Molecular, microarray, and proteomic analyses revealed that Mnl1-dependent adaptation does not occur in cells exposed to proapoptotic or pronecrotic doses of weak acid, suggesting that Ras-pathway activation might suppress the Mnl1-dependent weak acid response in dying cells. Our work defines a role for this YER130c orthologue in stress adaptation and cell death. PMID:18653474

Flotability and flotation separation of polymer materials modulated by wetting agents.

PubMed

Wang, Hui; Wang, Chong-qing; Fu, Jian-gang; Gu, Guo-hua

2014-02-01

The surface free energy, surface tension and contact angles were performed to investigate the properties of wetting agents. Adsorption of wetting agents changes wetting behavior of polymer resins. Flotability of polymer materials modulated by wetting agents was studied, and wetting agents change significantly flotability of polymer materials. The flotability decreases with increasing the concentration of wetting agents, and the wetting ability is lignin sulfonate (LS)>tannic acid (TA)>methylcellulose (MC)>triton X-100 (TX-100) (from strong to weak). There is significant difference in the flotability between polymer resins and plastics due to the presence of additives in the plastics. Flotation separation of two-component and multicomponent plastics was conducted based on the flotability modulated by wetting agents. The two-component mixtures can be efficiently separated using proper wetting agent through simple flotation flowsheet. The multicomponent plastic mixtures can be separated efficiently through multi-stage flotation using TA and LS as wetting agents, and the purity of separated component was above 94%, and the recovery was more than 93%. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Acid-Base Titration of a Very Weak Acid: Boric Acid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Celeste, M.; Azevedo, C.; Cavaleiro, Ana M. V.

2012-01-01

A laboratory experiment based on the titration of boric acid with strong base in the presence of d-mannitol is described. Boric acid is a very weak acid and direct titration with NaOH is not possible. An auxiliary reagent that contributes to the release of protons in a known stoichiometry facilitates the acid-base titration. Students obtain the…

Antiplasmodial activity of compounds from Sloanea rhodantha (Baker) Capuron var. rhodantha from the Madagascar rain forest.

PubMed

Cao, Shugeng; Ranarivelo, Lalasoa; Ratsimbason, Michel; Randrianasolo, Sennen; Ratovoson, Fidy; Andrianjafy, Mamisoa; Kingston, David G I

2006-12-01

Bioassay-directed separation of the butanol-soluble portion of an extract of Sloanea rhodantha (Baker) Capuron var. Rhodantha (Elaeocarpaceae) active against the drug-sensitive HB3 strain of Plasmodium falciparum led to the isolation of seven phenolic compounds, gallic acid (1), 3,5-di-O-galloylquinic acid (2), 1,6-di-O-galloyl glucopyranoside (3), 3,4,5-tri-O-galloylquinic acid (4), 1-O-eudesmoylquinic acid (5), 1,2,3,6-tetra-O-galloyl glucopyranoside (6), and 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl-(6'-O-galloyl)-O-b-D-glucopyranoside (7). The structure of the new compound 5 was established on the basis of interpretation of its 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. Compounds 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 showed weak inhibitory activity against the drug-sensitive HB3 and the drug-resistant FCM29 strains of P. falciparum, with IC (50) values ranging from 8.0 - 43.0 and 16.1 - 93.0 microg/mL, respectively.

Linoleic Acid-Induced Ultra-Weak Photon Emission from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a Tool for Monitoring of Lipid Peroxidation in the Cell Membranes

PubMed Central

Prasad, Ankush; Pospíšil, Pavel

2011-01-01

Reactive oxygen species formed as a response to various abiotic and biotic stresses cause an oxidative damage of cellular component such are lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Lipid peroxidation is considered as one of the major processes responsible for the oxidative damage of the polyunsaturated fatty acid in the cell membranes. Various methods such as a loss of polyunsaturated fatty acids, amount of the primary and the secondary products are used to monitor the level of lipid peroxidation. To investigate the use of ultra-weak photon emission as a non-invasive tool for monitoring of lipid peroxidation, the involvement of lipid peroxidation in ultra-weak photon emission was studied in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Lipid peroxidation initiated by addition of exogenous linoleic acid to the cells was monitored by ultra-weak photon emission measured with the employment of highly sensitive charged couple device camera and photomultiplier tube. It was found that the addition of linoleic acid to the cells significantly increased the ultra-weak photon emission that correlates with the accumulation of lipid peroxidation product as measured using thiobarbituric acid assay. Scavenging of hydroxyl radical by mannitol, inhibition of intrinsic lipoxygenase by catechol and removal of molecular oxygen considerably suppressed ultra-weak photon emission measured after the addition of linoleic acid. The photon emission dominated at the red region of the spectrum with emission maximum at 680 nm. These observations reveal that the oxidation of linoleic acid by hydroxyl radical and intrinsic lipoxygenase results in the ultra-weak photon emission. Electronically excited species such as excited triplet carbonyls are the likely candidates for the primary excited species formed during the lipid peroxidation, whereas chlorophylls are the final emitters of photons. We propose here that the ultra-weak photon emission can be used as a non-invasive tool for the detection of lipid peroxidation in the cell membranes. PMID:21799835

[Differentiation therapy for non-acidic gastroesophageal reflux disease].

PubMed

Lishchuk, N B; Simanenkov, V I; Tikhonov, S V

2017-01-01

To investigate the clinical and pathogenetic features of the non-acidic types of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and to evaluate the impact of combined therapy versus monotherapy on the course of this disease. The investigation enrolled 62 patients with non-acidic GERD. The follow-up period was 6 weeks. The patients were divided into 2 groups: 1) weakly acidic gastroesophageal refluxes (GER); 2) weakly alkaline GER. Then each group was distributed, thus making up 4 groups: 1) 19 patients with weakly acidic GER who received monotherapy with rabeprazole 20 mg/day; 2) 21 patients with weakly acidic GER had combined therapy with rabeprazole 20 mg and itopride; 3) 8 patients with weakly alkaline GER who received ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) monotherapy; and 4) 14 patients with weakly alkaline GER who had combined therapy with UDCA and itopride, The clinical symptoms of the disease, the endoscopic pattern of the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) mucosa, histological changes in the esophageal and gastric mucosa, and the results of 24-hour impedance pH monitoring were assessed over time. During differentiation therapy, the majority of patients reported positive clinical changes and an improved or unchanged endoscopic pattern. Assessment of impedance pH monitoring results revealed decreases in the overall number of GERs, the presence of a bolus in the esophagus, and the number of proximal refluxes. These changes were noted not only in patients taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), but also in those treated with UDCA monotherapy or combined PPI and prokinetic therapy. A differentiated approach to non-acidic GER treatment contributes to its efficiency. Adding the prokinetic itomed (itopride hydrochloride) to PPI therapy in a patient with weakly acidic GER enhances the efficiency of treatment, by positively affecting upper GIT motility. The mainstay of therapy for GERD with a predominance of weakly alkaline refluxes is UDCA, the combination of the latter and the prokinetic can exert a more pronounced effect on the clinical and endoscopic pattern and upper GIT motility.

Weak Lensing Results of the Merging Cluster A1758

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markevitch, M.; Gonzalez, A. H.; Bradac, M.

2011-01-01

Here we present the weak lensing results of A1758, which is known to have four cluster members undergoing two separate mergers, A1758N and A1758S. Weak lensing results of A1758N agree with previous weak lensing results of clusters lE0657-558 (Bullet cluster) and MACS J0025.4-1222, whose X-ray gas components were found to be largely separated from their clusters' gravitational potentials. A1758N has a geometry that is different from previously published mergers in that one of its X-ray peaks overlays the corresponding gravitational potential and the other X-ray peak is well separated from its cluster's gravitational potential.

RodZ and PgsA Play Intertwined Roles in Membrane Homeostasis of Bacillus subtilis and Resistance to Weak Organic Acid Stress

PubMed Central

van Beilen, Johan; Blohmke, Christoph J.; Folkerts, Hendrik; de Boer, Richard; Zakrzewska, Anna; Kulik, Wim; Vaz, Fred M.; Brul, Stanley; Ter Beek, Alexander

2016-01-01

Weak organic acids like sorbic and acetic acid are widely used to prevent growth of spoilage organisms such as Bacilli. To identify genes involved in weak acid stress tolerance we screened a transposon mutant library of Bacillus subtilis for sorbic acid sensitivity. Mutants of the rodZ (ymfM) gene were found to be hypersensitive to the lipophilic weak organic acid. RodZ is involved in determining the cell’s rod-shape and believed to interact with the bacterial actin-like MreB cytoskeleton. Since rodZ lies upstream in the genome of the essential gene pgsA (phosphatidylglycerol phosphate synthase) we hypothesized that expression of the latter might also be affected in rodZ mutants and hence contribute to the phenotype observed. We show that both genes are co-transcribed and that both the rodZ::mini-Tn10 mutant and a conditional pgsA mutant, under conditions of minimal pgsA expression, were sensitive to sorbic and acetic acid. Both strains displayed a severely altered membrane composition. Compared to the wild-type strain, phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin levels were lowered and the average acyl chain length was elongated. Induction of rodZ expression from a plasmid in our transposon mutant led to no recovery of weak acid susceptibility comparable to wild-type levels. However, pgsA overexpression in the same mutant partly restored sorbic acid susceptibility and fully restored acetic acid sensitivity. A construct containing both rodZ and pgsA as on the genome led to some restored growth as well. We propose that RodZ and PgsA play intertwined roles in membrane homeostasis and tolerance to weak organic acid stress. PMID:27818647

Metal forms in sediments from Arctic coastal environments in Kandalaksha Bay, White Sea, under separation processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koukina, S. E.; Vetrov, A. A.

2013-09-01

This study focuses on sediments from small restricted exchange environments along the Karelian shore of Kandalaksha Bay (White Sea, Russian Arctic), which are known as separating basins and are characterised by contrasting oxidising conditions within the water column and the occurrence of anoxia. In the basins that were studied, no significant contamination by trace heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn and Cr, in particular) was detected. The comparative study of the two most bioavailable metal forms, namely, labile (acid soluble) and organically bound (alkali soluble) forms, indicated that acetic acid and sodium pyrophosphate released 3-11% and 2-12%, respectively, of the total metal content from sediments. The most bioavailable parts of metals are weakly bound to organic matter and, to a greater extent, associated with easily soluble amorphous Fe-oxides. Among the studied elements, most of the bioavailable Zn and Cu was most likely bound to organic substances, whereas bioavailable Cr and Mn were controlled to a greater extent by the formation of Fe-oxyhydroxide. The elements studied could be arranged in the following decreasing order of average potential bioavailability: Cu > Zn > Mn > Fe > Cr > Pb. In the separating basins, the relative proportion of labile bioavailable metals is enhanced in relation to the neighbouring open coastal sea.

Characteristics of weak base-induced vacuoles formed around individual acidic organelles.

PubMed

Hiruma, Hiromi; Kawakami, Tadashi

2011-01-01

We have previously found that the weak base 4-aminopyridine induces Brownian motion of acidic organelles around which vacuoles are formed, causing organelle traffic disorder in neurons. Our present study investigated the characteristics of vacuoles induced by weak bases (NH(4)Cl, aminopyridines, and chloroquine) using mouse cells. Individual vacuoles included acidic organelles identified by fluorescent protein expression. Mitochondria and actin filaments were extruded outside the vacuoles, composing the vacuole rim. Staining with amine-reactive fluorescence showed no protein/amino acid content in vacuoles. Thus, serous vacuolar contents are probably partitioned by viscous cytosol, other organelles, and cytoskeletons, but not membrane. The weak base (chloroquine) was immunochemically detected in intravacuolar organelles, but not in vacuoles. Early vacuolization was reversible, but long-term vacuolization caused cell death. The vacuolization and cell death were blocked by the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase inhibitor and Cl--free medium. Staining with LysoTracker or LysoSensor indicated that intravacuolar organelles were strongly acidic and vacuoles were slightly acidic. This suggests that vacuolization is caused by accumulation of weak base and H(+) in acidic organelles, driven by vacuolar H(+)-ATPase associated with Cl(-) entering, and probably by subsequent extrusion of H(+) and water from organelles to the surrounding cytoplasm.

Evaluation of separation properties of a modified strong cation exchange material named MEX and its application in 2D-MEX × C18 system to separate peptides from scorpion venom.

PubMed

Chen, Bo; Xu, Junyan; Fu, Qing; Dong, Xuefang; Guo, Zhimou; Jin, Yu; Liang, Xinmiao

2015-07-07

Peptides from scorpion venom represent one of the most promising drug sources for drug discovery for some specific diseases. Current challenges in their separation include high complexity, high homologies and the huge range of peptides. In this paper, a modified strong cation exchange material, named MEX, was utilised for the two-dimensional separation of peptides from complex scorpion venom. The silica-based MEX column was bonded with two functional groups; benzenesulfonic acid and cyanopropyl. To better understand its separation mechanisms, seven standard peptides with different properties were employed in an evaluation study, the results of which showed that two interactions were involved in the MEX column: electrostatic interactions based on benzenesulfonic acid groups dominated the separation of peptides; weak hydrophobic interactions introduced by cyanopropyl groups increased the column's selectivity for peptides with the same charge. This characteristic allowed the MEX column to overcome some of the drawbacks of traditional strong cation exchange (SCX) columns. Furthermore, the study showed the great effects of the acetonitrile (ACN) content, the sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) concentration and the buffer pH in the mobile phase on the peptides' retention and separation selectivity on the MEX column. Subsequently, the MEX column was combined with a C18 column to establish an off-line 2D-MEX × C18 system to separate peptides from scorpion Buthus martensi Karsch (BmK) venom. Due to complementary separation mechanisms in each dimension, a high orthogonality of 47.62% was achieved. Moreover, a good loading capacity, excellent stability and repeatability were exhibited by the MEX column, which are beneficial for its use in future preparation experiments. Therefore, the MEX column could be an alternative to the traditional SCX columns for the separation of peptides from scorpion venom.

A simple screening method using ion chromatography for the diagnosis of cerebral creatine deficiency syndromes.

PubMed

Wada, Takahito; Shimbo, Hiroko; Osaka, Hitoshi

2012-08-01

Cerebral creatine deficiency syndromes (CCDS) are caused by genetic defects in L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase, guanidinoacetate methyltransferase or creatine transporter 1. CCDS are characterized by abnormal concentrations of urinary creatine (CR), guanidinoacetic acid (GA), or creatinine (CN). In this study, we describe a simple HPLC method to determine the concentrations of CR, GA, and CN using a weak-acid ion chromatography column with a UV detector without any derivatization. CR, GA, and CN were separated clearly with the retention times (mean ± SD, n = 3) of 5.54 ± 0.0035 min for CR, 6.41 ± 0.0079 min for GA, and 13.53 ± 0.046 min for CN. This new method should provide a simple screening test for the diagnosis of CCDS.

The SPI1 Gene, Encoding a Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored Cell Wall Protein, Plays a Prominent Role in the Development of Yeast Resistance to Lipophilic Weak-Acid Food Preservatives▿

PubMed Central

Simões, T.; Mira, N. P.; Fernandes, A. R.; Sá-Correia, Isabel

2006-01-01

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae SPI1 gene encodes a member of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored cell wall protein family. In this work we show results indicating that SPI1 expression protects the yeast cell from damage caused by weak acids used as food preservatives. This is documented by a less extended period of adaptation to growth in their presence and by a less inhibited specific growth rate for a parental strain compared with a mutant with SPI1 deleted. Maximal protection exerted by Spi1p against equivalent concentrations of the various weak acids tested was registered for the more lipophilic acids (octanoic acid, followed by benzoic acid) and was minimal for acetic acid. Weak-acid adaptation was found to involve the rapid activation of SPI1 transcription, which is dependent on the presence of the Msn2p transcription factor. Activation of SPI1 transcription upon acetic acid stress also requires Haa1p, whereas this recently described transcription factor has a negligible role in the adaptive response to benzoic acid. The expression of SPI1 was found to play a prominent role in the development of yeast resistance to 1,3-β-glucanase in benzoic acid-stressed cells, while its involvement in acetic acid-induced resistance to the cell wall-lytic enzyme is slighter. The results are consistent with the notion that Spi1p expression upon weak-acid stress leads to cell wall remodeling, especially for the more lipophilic acids, decreasing cell wall porosity. Decreased cell wall porosity, in turn, reduces access to the plasma membrane, reducing membrane damage, intracellular acidification, and viability loss. PMID:16980434

The weak acid nature of precipitation

Treesearch

John O. Frohliger; Robert L. Kane

1976-01-01

Recent measurements of the pH of precipitation leave no doubt that rainfall is acidic. Evidence will be presented that precipitation is a weak acid system. The results of this research indicate the need to establish standard sampling procedures to provide uniform sampling of precipitation

Isolation of genomic DNA using magnetic cobalt ferrite and silica particles.

PubMed

Prodelalová, Jana; Rittich, Bohuslav; Spanová, Alena; Petrová, Katerina; Benes, Milan J

2004-11-12

Adsorption separation techniques as an alternative to laborious traditional methods (e.g., based on phenol extraction procedure) have been applied for DNA purification. In this work we used two types of particles: silica and cobalt ferrite (unmodified or modified with a reagent containing weakly basic aminoethyl groups, aminophenyl groups, or alginic acid). DNA from chicken erythrocytes and DNA isolated from bacteria Lactococcus lactis were used for testing of adsorption/desorption properties of particles. The cobalt ferrite particles modified with different reagents were used for isolation of PCR-ready bacterial DNA from different dairy products.

Synthesis and selective IR absorption properties of iminodiacetic-acid intercalated MgAl-layered double hydroxide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang Lijing; Xu Xiangyu; Evans, David G.

2010-05-15

An MgAl-NO{sub 3}-layered double hydroxide (LDH) precursor has been prepared by a method involving separate nucleation and aging steps (SNAS). Reaction with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) under weakly acidic conditions led to the replacement of the interlayer nitrate anions by iminodiacetic acid anions. The product was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TG-DTA, ICP, elemental analysis and SEM. The results show that the original interlayer nitrate anions of LDHs precursor were replaced by iminodiacetic acid anions and that the resulting intercalation product MgAl-IDA-LDH has an ordered crystalline structure. MgAl-IDA-LDH was mixed with low density polyethylene (LDPE) using a masterbatch method. LDPE films filledmore » with MgAl-IDA-LDH showed a higher mid to far infrared absorption than films filled with MgAl-CO{sub 3}-LDH in the 7-25 {mu}m range, particularly in the key 9-11 {mu}m range required for application in agricultural plastic films. - Graphical abstract: Intercalation of iminodiacetic acid (IDA) anions in a MgAl-NO{sub 3}-layered double hydroxide host leads to an enhancement of its infrared absorbing ability for application in agricultural plastic films.« less

REMOVAL OF RADIUM FROM DRINKING WATER

EPA Science Inventory

This report summarizes processes for removal of radium from drinking water. Ion exchange, including strong acid and weak acid resin, is discussed. Both processes remove better than 95 percent of the radium from the water. Weak acid ion exchange does not add sodium to the water...

Potentiometric titration and equivalent weight of humic acid

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pommer, A.M.; Breger, I.A.

1960-01-01

The "acid nature" of humic acid has been controversial for many years. Some investigators claim that humic acid is a true weak acid, while others feel that its behaviour during potentiometric titration can be accounted for by colloidal adsorption of hydrogen ions. The acid character of humic acid has been reinvestigated using newly-derived relationships for the titration of weak acids with strong base. Re-interpreting the potentiometric titration data published by Thiele and Kettner in 1953, it was found that Merck humic acid behaves as a weak polyelectrolytic acid having an equivalent weight of 150, a pKa of 6.8 to 7.0, and a titration exponent of about 4.8. Interdretation of similar data pertaining to the titration of phenol-formaldehyde and pyrogallol-formaldehyde resins, considered to be analogs for humic acid by Thiele and Kettner, leads to the conclusion that it is not possible to differentiate between adsorption and acid-base reaction for these substances. ?? 1960.

Hydration of amino acids: FTIR spectra and molecular dynamics studies.

PubMed

Panuszko, Aneta; Adamczak, Beata; Czub, Jacek; Gojło, Emilia; Stangret, Janusz

2015-11-01

The hydration of selected amino acids, alanine, glycine, proline, valine, isoleucine and phenylalanine, has been studied in aqueous solutions by means of FTIR spectra of HDO isotopically diluted in H2O. The difference spectra procedure and the chemometric method have been applied to remove the contribution of bulk water and thus to separate the spectra of solute-affected HDO. To support interpretation of obtained spectral results, molecular dynamics simulations of amino acids were performed. The structural-energetic characteristic of these solute-affected water molecules shows that, on average, water affected by amino acids forms stronger and shorter H-bonds than those in pure water. Differences in the influence of amino acids on water structure have been noticed. The effect of the hydrophobic side chain of an amino acid on the solvent interactions seems to be enhanced because of the specific cooperative coupling of water strong H-bond chain, connecting the carboxyl and amino groups, with the clathrate-like H-bond network surrounding the hydrocarbon side chain. The parameter derived from the spectral data, which corresponds to the contributions of the population of weak hydrogen bonds of water molecules which have been substituted by the stronger ones in the hydration sphere of amino acids, correlated well with the amino acid hydrophobicity indexes.

Understanding thread properties for red blood cell antigen assays: weak ABO blood typing.

PubMed

Nilghaz, Azadeh; Zhang, Liyuan; Li, Miaosi; Ballerini, David R; Shen, Wei

2014-12-24

"Thread-based microfluidics" research has so far focused on utilizing and manipulating the wicking properties of threads to form controllable microfluidic channels. In this study we aim to understand the separation properties of threads, which are important to their microfluidic detection applications for blood analysis. Confocal microscopy was utilized to investigate the effect of the microscale surface morphologies of fibers on the thread's separation efficiency of red blood cells. We demonstrated the remarkably different separation properties of threads made using silk and cotton fibers. Thread separation properties dominate the clarity of blood typing assays of the ABO groups and some of their weak subgroups (Ax and A3). The microfluidic thread-based analytical devices (μTADs) designed in this work were used to accurately type different blood samples, including 89 normal ABO and 6 weak A subgroups. By selecting thread with the right surface morphology, we were able to build μTADs capable of providing rapid and accurate typing of the weak blood groups with high clarity.

Casein Kinase I Isoform Hrr25 Is a Negative Regulator of Haa1 in the Weak Acid Stress Response Pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

Collins, Morgan E.; Black, Joshua J.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Haa1 is a transcription factor that adapts Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to weak organic acid stresses by activating the expression of various genes. Many of these genes encode membrane proteins, such as TPO2 and YRO2. How Haa1 is activated by weak acids is not clear. Here, we show that casein kinase I isoform Hrr25 is an important negative regulator of Haa1. Haa1 is known to be multiply phosphorylated. We found that mutations in HRR25 lead to reduced Haa1 phosphorylation and increased expression of Haa1 target genes and that Hrr25 interacts with Haa1. The other three casein kinase I isoforms, Yck1, Yck2, and Yck3, do not seem to play critical roles in Haa1 regulation. Hrr25 has a 200-residue C-terminal region, including a proline- and glutamine-rich domain. Our data suggest that the C-terminal region of Hrr25 is required for normal inhibition of expression of Haa1 target genes TPO2 and YRO2 and is important for cell growth but is not required for cell morphogenesis. We propose that Hrr25 is an important regulator of cellular adaptation to weak acid stress by inhibiting Haa1 through phosphorylation. IMPORTANCE Our study has revealed the casein kinase I protein Hrr25 to be a negative regulator of Haa1, a transcription factor mediating the cellular response to stresses caused by weak acids. Many studies have focused on the target genes of Haa1 and their roles in weak acid stress responses, but little has been reported on the regulatory mechanism of Haa1. Weak acids, such as acetic acid, have long been used for food preservation by slowing down the growth of fungal species, including S. cerevisiae. In the biofuel industry, acetic acid in the lignocellulosic hydrolysates limits the production of ethanol, which is undesirable. By understanding how Haa1 is regulated, we can make advances in the field of food sciences to better preserve food and engineer acetic acid-resistant strains that will increase productivity in the biofuel industry. PMID:28432100

In Vivo Predictive Dissolution: Comparing the Effect of Bicarbonate and Phosphate Buffer on the Dissolution of Weak Acids and Weak Bases.

PubMed

Krieg, Brian J; Taghavi, Seyed Mohammad; Amidon, Gordon L; Amidon, Gregory E

2015-09-01

Bicarbonate is the main buffer in the small intestine and it is well known that buffer properties such as pKa can affect the dissolution rate of ionizable drugs. However, bicarbonate buffer is complicated to work with experimentally. Finding a suitable substitute for bicarbonate buffer may provide a way to perform more physiologically relevant dissolution tests. The dissolution of weak acid and weak base drugs was conducted in bicarbonate and phosphate buffer using rotating disk dissolution methodology. Experimental results were compared with the predicted results using the film model approach of (Mooney K, Mintun M, Himmelstein K, Stella V. 1981. J Pharm Sci 70(1):22-32) based on equilibrium assumptions as well as a model accounting for the slow hydration reaction, CO2 + H2 O → H2 CO3 . Assuming carbonic acid is irreversible in the dehydration direction: CO2 + H2 O ← H2 CO3 , the transport analysis can accurately predict rotating disk dissolution of weak acid and weak base drugs in bicarbonate buffer. The predictions show that matching the dissolution of weak acid and weak base drugs in phosphate and bicarbonate buffer is possible. The phosphate buffer concentration necessary to match physiologically relevant bicarbonate buffer [e.g., 10.5 mM (HCO3 (-) ), pH = 6.5] is typically in the range of 1-25 mM and is very dependent upon drug solubility and pKa . © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Conserved interdomain linker promotes phase separation of the multivalent adaptor protein Nck

PubMed Central

Banjade, Sudeep; Wu, Qiong; Mittal, Anuradha; Peeples, William B.; Pappu, Rohit V.; Rosen, Michael K.

2015-01-01

The organization of membranes, the cytosol, and the nucleus of eukaryotic cells can be controlled through phase separation of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Collective interactions of multivalent molecules mediated by modular binding domains can induce gelation and phase separation in several cytosolic and membrane-associated systems. The adaptor protein Nck has three SRC-homology 3 (SH3) domains that bind multiple proline-rich segments in the actin regulatory protein neuronal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) and an SH2 domain that binds to multiple phosphotyrosine sites in the adhesion protein nephrin, leading to phase separation. Here, we show that the 50-residue linker between the first two SH3 domains of Nck enhances phase separation of Nck/N-WASP/nephrin assemblies. Two linear motifs within this element, as well as its overall positively charged character, are important for this effect. The linker increases the driving force for self-assembly of Nck, likely through weak interactions with the second SH3 domain, and this effect appears to promote phase separation. The linker sequence is highly conserved, suggesting that the sequence determinants of the driving forces for phase separation may be generally important to Nck functions. Our studies demonstrate that linker regions between modular domains can contribute to the driving forces for self-assembly and phase separation of multivalent proteins. PMID:26553976

Observation of the quantum paradox of separation of a single photon from one of its properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashby, James M.; Schwarz, Peter D.; Schlosshauer, Maximilian

2016-07-01

We report an experimental realization of the quantum paradox of the separation of a single photon from one of its properties (the so-called "quantum Cheshire cat"). We use a modified Sagnac interferometer with displaced paths to produce appropriately pre- and postselected states of heralded single photons. Weak measurements of photon presence and circular polarization are performed in each arm of the interferometer by introducing weak absorbers and small polarization rotations and analyzing changes in the postselected signal. The absorber is found to have an appreciable effect only in one arm of the interferometer, while the polarization rotation significantly affects the signal only when performed in the other arm. We carry out both sequential and simultaneous weak measurements and find good agreement between measured and predicted weak values. In the language of Aharonov et al. and in the sense of the ensemble averages described by weak values, the experiment establishes the separation of a particle from one its properties during the passage through the interferometer.

[Analysis of acid rain characteristics of Lin'an Regional Background Station using long-term observation data].

PubMed

Li, Zheng-Quan; Ma, Hao; Mao, Yu-Ding; Feng, Tao

2014-02-01

Using long-term observation data of acid rain at Lin'an Regional Background Station (Lin'an RBS), this paper studied the interannual and monthly variations of acid rain, the reasons for the variations, and the relationships between acid rain and meteorological factors. The results showed that interannual variation of acid rain at Lin'an RBS had a general increasing trend in which there were two obvious intensifying processes and two distinct weakening processes, during the period ranging from 1985 to 2012. In last two decades, the monthly variation of acid rain at Lin'an RBS indicated that rain acidity and frequency of severe acid rain were increasing but the frequency of weak acid rain was decreasing when moving towards bilateral side months of July. Acid rain occurrence was affected by rainfall intensity, wind speed and wind direction. High frequency of severe acid rain and low frequency of weak acid rain were on days with drizzle, but high frequency of weak acid rain and low frequency of severe acid rain occurred on rainstorm days. With wind speed upgrading, the frequency of acid rain and the proportion of severe acid rain were declining, the pH value of precipitation was reducing too. Another character is that daily dominant wind direction of weak acid rain majorly converged in S-W section ,however that of severe acid rain was more likely distributed in N-E section. The monthly variation of acid rain at Lin'an RBS was mainly attributed to precipitation variation, the increasing and decreasing of monthly incoming wind from SSE-WSW and NWN-ENE sections of wind direction. The interannual variation of acid rain could be due to the effects of energy consumption raising and significant green policies conducted in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai.

Pharbinilic acid, an allogibberic acid from morning glory (Pharbitis nil).

PubMed

Kim, Ki Hyun; Choi, Sang Un; Son, Mi Won; Choi, Sang Zin; Clardy, Jon; Lee, Kang Ro

2013-07-26

Pharbinilic acid (1), the first naturally occurring allogibberic acid, was isolated from ethanol extracts of morning glory (Pharbitis nil) seeds. Its absolute configuration was determined by NOESY NMR and ECD experiments. Compound 1 showed weak cytotoxicity against A549, SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, and HCT-15 cells and weakly inhibited nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated BV-2 microglia cells.

Effect of carbonaceous soil amendments on potential mobility of weak acid herbicides in soil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Use of carbonaceous amendments in soil has been proposed to decrease potential offsite transport of weak acid herbicides and metabolites by increasing their sorption to soil. The effects of organic olive mill waste, biochars from different feed stocks, and humic acid bound to clay on sorption of MCP...

Assessment of polyelectrolyte coating stability under dynamic buffer conditions in CE.

PubMed

Swords, Kyleen E; Bartline, Peter B; Roguski, Katherine M; Bashaw, Sarah A; Frederick, Kimberley A

2011-09-01

Dynamic buffer conditions are present in many electrophoretically driven separations. Polyelectrolyte multilayer coatings have been employed in CE because of their chemical and physical stability as well as their ease of application. The goal of this study is to measure the effect of dynamic changes in buffer pH on flow using a real-time method for measuring EOF. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) were composed of pairs of strong or completely ionized polyelectrolytes including poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride and poly(styrene sulfonate) and weak or ionizable polyelectrolytes including poly(allylamine) and poly(methacrylic acid). Polyelectrolyte multilayers of varying thicknesses (3, 4, 7, 8, 15, or 16 layers) were also studied. While the magnitude of the EOF was monitored every 2 s, the buffer pH was exchanged from a relatively basic pH (7.1) to increasingly acidic pHs (6.6, 6.1, 5.5, and 5.1). Strong polyelectrolytes responded minimally to changes in buffer pH (<1%), whereas substantial (>10%) and sometimes irreversible changes were measured with weak polyelectrolytes. Thicker coatings resulted in a similar magnitude of response but were more likely to degrade in response to buffer pH changes. The most stable coatings were formed from thinner layers of strong polyelectrolytes. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The role of RhD agglutination for the detection of weak D red cells by anti-D flow cytometry.

PubMed

Grey, D E; Davies, J I; Connolly, M; Fong, E A; Erber, W N

2005-04-01

Anti-D flow cytometry is an accurate method for quantifying feto-maternal haemorrhage (FMH). However, weak D red cells with <1000 RhD sites are not detectable using this methodology but are immunogenic. As quantitation of RhD sites is not practical, an alternative approach is required to identify those weak D fetal red cells where anti-D flow cytometry is inappropriate. We describe a simple algorithm based on RhD agglutination and flow cytometry peak separation. All weak D (n = 34) gave weak agglutination with RUM-1 on immediate spin (grading

Evaluation of tannins interactions in grape (Vitis vinifera L.) skins.

PubMed

Rustioni, Laura; Fiori, Simone; Failla, Osvaldo

2014-09-15

Tannins have a central role in grapevine berries both for their physiological and enological implications. In the skin tissue they can be in vacuolar solution, or associated to the cell walls through weak or strong physicochemical interactions. The present work aims to separate vacuolar, non-covalently and covalently bonded tannins fractions. A specific extraction procedure was developed. A first extraction in ethanol at low temperature allowed the quantification of vacuolar tannins. An urea treatment followed by an ethanol extraction at room temperature was able to separate non-covalently bonded compounds. Finally an acid catalysis was used to break down proanthocyanidin covalent bonds. The method was validated on ripe grape samples of three cultivars, on berries developed in two sun exposure conditions. The Ethephon treatment effect was also evaluated. Beside the method development, a preliminary evaluation of the cultivar, exposition and Ethephon treatment effects are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Aspen to Teach Chromatographic Bioprocessing: A Case Study in Weak Partitioning Chromatography for Biotechnology Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Steven T.; Huang, Xinqun; Cramer, Steven M.

2010-01-01

The commercial simulator Aspen Chromatography was employed to study and optimize an important new industrial separation process, weak partitioning chromatography. This case study on antibody purification was implemented in a chromatographic separations course. Parametric simulations were performed to investigate the effect of operating parameters…

The H[subscript 3]PO[subscript 4] Acid Ionization Reactions: A Capstone Multiconcept Thermodynamics General Chemistry Laboratory Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nyasulu, Frazier; Barlag, Rebecca; Wise, Lindy; McMills, Lauren

2013-01-01

The thermodynamic properties of weak acid ionization reactions are determined. The thermodynamic properties are corresponding values of the absolute temperature (T), the weak acid equilibrium constant (K[subscript a]), the enthalpy of ionization (delta[subscript i]H[degrees]), and the entropy of ionization (delta[subscript i]S[degrees]). The…

Casein Kinase I Isoform Hrr25 Is a Negative Regulator of Haa1 in the Weak Acid Stress Response Pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Collins, Morgan E; Black, Joshua J; Liu, Zhengchang

2017-07-01

Haa1 is a transcription factor that adapts Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to weak organic acid stresses by activating the expression of various genes. Many of these genes encode membrane proteins, such as TPO2 and YRO2 How Haa1 is activated by weak acids is not clear. Here, we show that casein kinase I isoform Hrr25 is an important negative regulator of Haa1. Haa1 is known to be multiply phosphorylated. We found that mutations in HRR25 lead to reduced Haa1 phosphorylation and increased expression of Haa1 target genes and that Hrr25 interacts with Haa1. The other three casein kinase I isoforms, Yck1, Yck2, and Yck3, do not seem to play critical roles in Haa1 regulation. Hrr25 has a 200-residue C-terminal region, including a proline- and glutamine-rich domain. Our data suggest that the C-terminal region of Hrr25 is required for normal inhibition of expression of Haa1 target genes TPO2 and YRO2 and is important for cell growth but is not required for cell morphogenesis. We propose that Hrr25 is an important regulator of cellular adaptation to weak acid stress by inhibiting Haa1 through phosphorylation. IMPORTANCE Our study has revealed the casein kinase I protein Hrr25 to be a negative regulator of Haa1, a transcription factor mediating the cellular response to stresses caused by weak acids. Many studies have focused on the target genes of Haa1 and their roles in weak acid stress responses, but little has been reported on the regulatory mechanism of Haa1. Weak acids, such as acetic acid, have long been used for food preservation by slowing down the growth of fungal species, including S. cerevisiae In the biofuel industry, acetic acid in the lignocellulosic hydrolysates limits the production of ethanol, which is undesirable. By understanding how Haa1 is regulated, we can make advances in the field of food sciences to better preserve food and engineer acetic acid-resistant strains that will increase productivity in the biofuel industry. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Methodology of analysis of very weak acids by isotachophoresis with electrospray-ionization mass-spectrometric detection: Anionic electrolyte systems for the medium-alkaline pH range.

PubMed

Malá, Zdena; Gebauer, Petr

2018-01-15

This work describes for the first time a functional electrolyte system setup for anionic isotachophoresis (ITP) with electrospray-ionization mass-spectrometric (ESI-MS) detection in the neutral to medium-alkaline pH range. So far no application was published on the analysis of very weak acids by anionic ITP-MS although there is a broad spectrum of potential analytes with pK a values in the range 5-10, where application of this technique promises interesting gains in both sensitivity and specificity. The problem so far was the lack of anionic ESI-compatible ITP systems in the mentioned pH range as all typical volatile anionic system components are fully ionized at neutral and alkaline pH and thus too fast to suit as terminators. We propose an original solution of the problem based on the combination of two ITP methods: (i) use of the hydroxyl ion as a natural and ESI-compatible terminator, and (ii) use of configurations based on moving-boundary ITP. The former method ensures effective stacking of analytes by an alkaline terminator of sufficiently low mobility and the latter offers increased flexibility for tuning of the separation window and selectivity according to actual needs. A theoretical description of the proposed model is presented and applied to the design of very simple functional electrolyte configurations. The properties of example systems are demonstrated by both computer simulation and experiments with a group of model analytes. Potential effects of carbon dioxide present in the solutions are demonstrated for particular systems. Experimental results confirm that the proposed methodology is well capable of performing sensitive and selective ITP-MS analyses of very weak acidic analytes (e.g. sulfonamides or chlorophenols). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nitric acid recycling and copper nitrate recovery from effluent.

PubMed

Jô, L F; Marcus, R; Marcelin, O

2014-01-01

The recycling of nitric acid and copper nitrate contained in an industrial effluent was studied. The experiments conducted on such a medium showed that the presence of copper nitrate significantly improves nitric acid-water separation during distillation in an azeotropic medium. At the temperature of the azeotrope, however, this metal salt starts to precipitate, making the medium pasty, thus inhibiting the nitric acid extraction process. The optimisation of parameters such as column efficiency and adding water to the boiler at the azeotrope temperature are recommended in this protocol in order to collect the various components while avoiding the formation of by-products: NOx compounds. Thus, the absence of column, along with the addition of a small volume of water at a temperature of 118 °C, significantly increases the yield, allowing 94 % nitric acid to be recovered at the end of the process, along with the residual copper nitrate. The resulting distillate, however, is sufficiently dilute to not be used as is. Rectification is required to obtain concentrated nitric acid at 15 mol·l(-1), along with a weakly acidic distillate from the distillation front. This latter is quenched using potassium hydroxide and is used as a fertiliser solution for horticulture or sheltered market gardening. This process thus allows complete recycling of all the medium's components, including that of the distillate resulting from the nitric acid rectification operation.

pH-Dependent Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of Highly Supersaturated Solutions of Weakly Basic Drugs.

PubMed

Indulkar, Anura S; Box, Karl J; Taylor, Robert; Ruiz, Rebeca; Taylor, Lynne S

2015-07-06

Supersaturated solutions of poorly aqueous soluble drugs can be formed both in vivo and in vitro. For example, increases in pH during gastrointestinal transit can decrease the aqueous solubility of weakly basic drugs resulting in supersaturation, in particular when exiting the acidic stomach environment. Recently, it has been observed that highly supersaturated solutions of drugs with low aqueous solubility can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) prior to crystallization, forming a turbid solution such that the concentration of the drug in the continuous solution phase corresponds to the amorphous solubility while the colloidal phase is composed of a disordered drug-rich phase. Although it is well established that the equilibrium solubility of crystalline weakly basic drugs follows the Henderson-Hasselbalch relationship, the impact of pH on the LLPS phenomenon or the amorphous solubility has not been explored. In this work, the LLPS concentration of three weakly basic compounds-clotrimazole, nicardipine, and atazanavir-was determined as a function of pH using three different methods and was compared to the predicted amorphous solubility, which was calculated from the pH-dependent crystalline solubility and by estimating the free energy difference between the amorphous and crystalline forms. It was observed that, similar to crystalline solubility, the experimental amorphous solubility at any pH follows the Henderson-Hasselbalch relation and can be predicted if the amorphous solubility of the free base is known. Excellent agreement between the LLPS concentration and the predicted amorphous solubility was observed. Dissolution studies of amorphous drugs showed that the solution concentration can reach the corresponding LLPS concentration at that pH. Solid-state analysis of the precipitated material confirmed the amorphous nature. This work provides insight into the pH-dependent precipitation behavior of poorly water-soluble compounds and provides a fundamental basis with which to understand the performance of supersaturating dosage forms.

alpha-(Phenylazo)-4-nitrobenzyl cyanide, a new acid-base indicator.

PubMed

Légrádi, L

1970-02-01

A new acid-base indicator, alpha-(phenylazo)-4-nitrobenzyl cyanide, is proposed. The indicator changes colour from yellow to violet in the presence of alkali owing to the formation of a nitronic acid structure. This indicator is applicable for the titration of weak acids in acetone and ethanol media or in a mixture of these organic solvents and water, with 0.1M aqueous sodium hydroxide as titrant. The absorption spectra have been recorded for the indicator in 25%, 50% and 75% aqueous ethanol and acetone. By means of the spectra the dissociation constants in these media have been determined. The pK value of alpha-(phenylazo)-4-nitrobenzyl cyanide is 12.10 in water, and is decreased considerably in acetone but only slightly in ethanol. This behaviour is similar to that of positively charged weak acids and irregular for a weak acid carrying no charge or a negative charge.

Investigation of the leaching behavior of lead in stabilized/solidified waste using a two-year semi-dynamic leaching test.

PubMed

Xue, Qiang; Wang, Ping; Li, Jiang-Shan; Zhang, Ting-Ting; Wang, Shan-Yong

2017-01-01

Long-term leaching behavior of contaminant from stabilization/solidification (S/S) treated waste stays unclear. For the purpose of studying long-term leaching behavior and leaching mechanism of lead from cement stabilized soil under different pH environment, semi-dynamic leaching test was extended to two years to investigate leaching behaviors of S/S treated lead contaminated soil. Effectiveness of S/S treatment in different scenarios was evaluated by leachability index (LX) and effective diffusion coefficient (D e ). In addition, the long-term leaching mechanism was investigated at different leaching periods. Results showed that no significant difference was observed among the values of the cumulative release of Pb, D e and LX in weakly alkaline and weakly acidic environment (pH value varied from 5.00 to 10.00), and all the controlling leaching mechanisms of the samples immersed in weakly alkaline and weakly acidic environments turned out to be diffusion. Strong acid environment would significantly affect the leaching behavior and leaching mechanism of lead from S/S monolith. The two-year variation of D e appeared to be time dependent, and D e values increased after the 210 th day in weakly alkaline and weakly acidic environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of extracellular weak acids and bases on the intracellular buffering power of snail neurones.

PubMed Central

Szatkowski, M S

1989-01-01

1. Intracellular pH (pHi) was measured in snail neurones using pH-sensitive glass microelectrodes. The influence of externally applied weak acids and bases on the total intracellular buffering power (beta T) was investigated by monitoring the pHi changes caused by the intracellular ionophoretic injection of HCl. 2. In the absence of weak acids or bases a reduction in the extracellular HEPES concentration had no effect on pHi or on beta T. It did, however, reduce slightly the rate of pHi recovery following HCl injection. 3. The presence of CO2 greatly increased beta T. However, as predicted for an open buffer system, the contributions to intracellular buffering by CO2 (beta CO2) decreased as pHi decreased. 4. When added to the superfusate, procaine, 4-aminopyridine, trimethylamine and NH4Cl (1-10 mM) all increased steady-state pHi. Procaine was fastest at increasing pHi and 4-aminopyridine the slowest. All four of these weak bases increased beta T. 5. The intracellular buffering action by these weak bases varied. HCl injection in the presence of procaine usually resulted in steady-state pHi changes with no pHi transients. In the presence of the other three weak bases HCl injections resulted in intracellular acidifications which were followed by pHi recovery-like transients. However, these were not blocked by SITS (4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid) or by CaCl2 and I thus conclude that these transients were as a result of slow or incomplete intracellular buffering by the weak bases. 6. In many cells there was a good correlation between the measured contributions to intracellular buffering by the weak bases (beta base) and those predicted assuming a simple two-compartment open system. In all cases, as predicted, beta base increased as pHi decreased. 7. I found a clear relationship between the concentration of external buffer (HEPES) and the rate at which weak bases, applied to the superfusate, were able to increase pHi. The greater the extracellular buffer concentration the greater was the speed of intracellular alkalinization. 8. Lowering the extracellular buffer concentration reduced the efficiency of intracellular buffering by weak bases in response to an intracellular acid load. HCl injection in the presence of weak base caused a larger initial intracellular acidification if the extracellular HEPES concentration was reduced. 9. In conclusion, both weak acids and weak bases can make very large, pHi-dependent contributions to intracellular buffering by way of open buffer systems.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) PMID:2555474

Evaluation of the efficacy of four weak acids as antifungal preservatives in low-acid intermediate moisture model food systems.

PubMed

Huang, Yang; Wilson, Mark; Chapman, Belinda; Hocking, Ailsa D

2010-02-01

The potential efficacy of four weak acids as preservatives in low-acid intermediate moisture foods was assessed using a glycerol based agar medium. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC, % wt./wt.) of each acid was determined at two pH values (pH 5.0, pH 6.0) and two a(w) values (0.85, 0.90) for five food spoilage fungi, Eurotium herbariorum, Eurotium rubrum, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium roqueforti. Sorbic acid, a preservative commonly used to control fungal growth in low-acid intermediate moisture foods, was included as a reference. The MIC values of the four acids were lower at pH 5.0 than pH 6.0 at equivalent a(w) values, and lower at 0.85 a(w) than 0.90 a(w) at equivalent pH values. By comparison with the MIC values of sorbic acid, those of caprylic acid and dehydroacetic acid were generally lower, whereas those for caproic acid were generally higher. No general observation could be made in the case of capric acid. The antifungal activities of all five weak acids appeared related not only to the undissociated form, but also the dissociated form, of each acid.

Perturbed invariant subspaces and approximate generalized functional variable separation solution for nonlinear diffusion-convection equations with weak source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Ya-Rong; Zhang, Shun-Li; Xin, Xiang-Peng

2018-03-01

In this paper, we propose the concept of the perturbed invariant subspaces (PISs), and study the approximate generalized functional variable separation solution for the nonlinear diffusion-convection equation with weak source by the approximate generalized conditional symmetries (AGCSs) related to the PISs. Complete classification of the perturbed equations which admit the approximate generalized functional separable solutions (AGFSSs) is obtained. As a consequence, some AGFSSs to the resulting equations are explicitly constructed by way of examples.

Experimental generation and computational modeling of intracellular pH gradients in cardiac myocytes.

PubMed

Swietach, Pawel; Leem, Chae-Hun; Spitzer, Kenneth W; Vaughan-Jones, Richard D

2005-04-01

It is often assumed that pH(i) is spatially uniform within cells. A double-barreled microperfusion system was used to apply solutions of weak acid (acetic acid, CO(2)) or base (ammonia) to localized regions of an isolated ventricular myocyte (guinea pig). A stable, longitudinal pH(i) gradient (up to 1 pH(i) unit) was observed (using confocal imaging of SNARF-1 fluorescence). Changing the fractional exposure of the cell to weak acid/base altered the gradient, as did changing the concentration and type of weak acid/base applied. A diffusion-reaction computational model accurately simulated this behavior of pH(i). The model assumes that H(i)(+) movement occurs via diffusive shuttling on mobile buffers, with little free H(+) diffusion. The average diffusion constant for mobile buffer was estimated as 33 x 10(-7) cm(2)/s, consistent with an apparent H(i)(+) diffusion coefficient, D(H)(app), of 14.4 x 10(-7) cm(2)/s (at pH(i) 7.07), a value two orders of magnitude lower than for H(+) ions in water but similar to that estimated recently from local acid injection via a cell-attached glass micropipette. We conclude that, because H(i)(+) mobility is so low, an extracellular concentration gradient of permeant weak acid readily induces pH(i) nonuniformity. Similar concentration gradients for weak acid (e.g., CO(2)) occur across border zones during regional myocardial ischemia, raising the possibility of steep pH(i) gradients within the heart under some pathophysiological conditions.

Identification and Small Molecule Inhibition of an Activating Transcription Factor 4 (ATF4)-dependent Pathway to Age-related Skeletal Muscle Weakness and Atrophy*

PubMed Central

Ebert, Scott M.; Dyle, Michael C.; Bullard, Steven A.; Dierdorff, Jason M.; Murry, Daryl J.; Fox, Daniel K.; Bongers, Kale S.; Lira, Vitor A.; Meyerholz, David K.; Talley, John J.; Adams, Christopher M.

2015-01-01

Aging reduces skeletal muscle mass and strength, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we used mouse models to investigate molecular mechanisms of age-related skeletal muscle weakness and atrophy as well as new potential interventions for these conditions. We identified two small molecules that significantly reduce age-related deficits in skeletal muscle strength, quality, and mass: ursolic acid (a pentacyclic triterpenoid found in apples) and tomatidine (a steroidal alkaloid derived from green tomatoes). Because small molecule inhibitors can sometimes provide mechanistic insight into disease processes, we used ursolic acid and tomatidine to investigate the pathogenesis of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy. We found that ursolic acid and tomatidine generate hundreds of small positive and negative changes in mRNA levels in aged skeletal muscle, and the mRNA expression signatures of the two compounds are remarkably similar. Interestingly, a subset of the mRNAs repressed by ursolic acid and tomatidine in aged muscle are positively regulated by activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Based on this finding, we investigated ATF4 as a potential mediator of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy. We found that a targeted reduction in skeletal muscle ATF4 expression reduces age-related deficits in skeletal muscle strength, quality, and mass, similar to ursolic acid and tomatidine. These results elucidate ATF4 as a critical mediator of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy. In addition, these results identify ursolic acid and tomatidine as potential agents and/or lead compounds for reducing ATF4 activity, weakness, and atrophy in aged skeletal muscle. PMID:26338703

Identification and Small Molecule Inhibition of an Activating Transcription Factor 4 (ATF4)-dependent Pathway to Age-related Skeletal Muscle Weakness and Atrophy.

PubMed

Ebert, Scott M; Dyle, Michael C; Bullard, Steven A; Dierdorff, Jason M; Murry, Daryl J; Fox, Daniel K; Bongers, Kale S; Lira, Vitor A; Meyerholz, David K; Talley, John J; Adams, Christopher M

2015-10-16

Aging reduces skeletal muscle mass and strength, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we used mouse models to investigate molecular mechanisms of age-related skeletal muscle weakness and atrophy as well as new potential interventions for these conditions. We identified two small molecules that significantly reduce age-related deficits in skeletal muscle strength, quality, and mass: ursolic acid (a pentacyclic triterpenoid found in apples) and tomatidine (a steroidal alkaloid derived from green tomatoes). Because small molecule inhibitors can sometimes provide mechanistic insight into disease processes, we used ursolic acid and tomatidine to investigate the pathogenesis of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy. We found that ursolic acid and tomatidine generate hundreds of small positive and negative changes in mRNA levels in aged skeletal muscle, and the mRNA expression signatures of the two compounds are remarkably similar. Interestingly, a subset of the mRNAs repressed by ursolic acid and tomatidine in aged muscle are positively regulated by activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Based on this finding, we investigated ATF4 as a potential mediator of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy. We found that a targeted reduction in skeletal muscle ATF4 expression reduces age-related deficits in skeletal muscle strength, quality, and mass, similar to ursolic acid and tomatidine. These results elucidate ATF4 as a critical mediator of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy. In addition, these results identify ursolic acid and tomatidine as potential agents and/or lead compounds for reducing ATF4 activity, weakness, and atrophy in aged skeletal muscle. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Bifidobacterium breve with α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid alters fatty acid metabolism in the maternal separation model of irritable bowel syndrome.

PubMed

Barrett, Eoin; Fitzgerald, Patrick; Dinan, Timothy G; Cryan, John F; Ross, R Paul; Quigley, Eamonn M; Shanahan, Fergus; Kiely, Barry; Fitzgerald, Gerald F; O'Toole, Paul W; Stanton, Catherine

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the impact of dietary supplementation with a Bifidobacterium breve strain together with linoleic acid & α-linolenic acid, for 7 weeks, on colonic sensitivity and fatty acid metabolism in rats. Maternally separated and non-maternally separated Sprague Dawley rats (n = 15) were orally gavaged with either B. breve DPC6330 (10(9) microorganisms/day) alone or in combination with 0.5% (w/w) linoleic acid & 0.5% (w/w) α-linolenic acid, daily for 7 weeks and compared with trehalose and bovine serum albumin. Tissue fatty acid composition was assessed by gas-liquid chromatography and visceral hypersensitivity was assessed by colorectal distension. Significant differences in the fatty acid profiles of the non-separated controls and maternally separated controls were observed for α-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid in the liver, oleic acid and eicosenoic acid (c11) in adipose tissue, and for palmitoleic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in serum (p<0.05). Administration of B. breve DPC6330 to MS rats significantly increased palmitoleic acid, arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the liver, eicosenoic acid (c11) in adipose tissue and palmitoleic acid in the prefrontal cortex (p<0.05), whereas feeding B. breve DPC6330 to non separated rats significantly increased eicosapentaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid in serum (p<0.05) compared with the NS un-supplemented controls. Administration of B. breve DPC6330 in combination with linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid to maternally separated rats significantly increased docosapentaenoic acid in the serum (p<0.01) and α-linolenic acid in adipose tissue (p<0.001), whereas feeding B. breve DPC6330 with fatty acid supplementation to non-separated rats significantly increased liver and serum docosapentaenoic acid (p<0.05), and α-linolenic acid in adipose tissue (p<0.001). B. breve DPC6330 influenced host fatty acid metabolism. Administration of B. breve DPC6330 to maternally separated rats significantly modified the palmitoleic acid, arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid contents in tissues. The effect was not observed in non-separated animals.

Bifidobacterium breve with α-Linolenic Acid and Linoleic Acid Alters Fatty Acid Metabolism in the Maternal Separation Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

PubMed Central

Barrett, Eoin; Fitzgerald, Patrick; Dinan, Timothy G.; Cryan, John F.; Ross, R. Paul; Quigley, Eamonn M.; Shanahan, Fergus; Kiely, Barry; Fitzgerald, Gerald F.; O'Toole, Paul W.; Stanton, Catherine

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the impact of dietary supplementation with a Bifidobacterium breve strain together with linoleic acid & α-linolenic acid, for 7 weeks, on colonic sensitivity and fatty acid metabolism in rats. Maternally separated and non-maternally separated Sprague Dawley rats (n = 15) were orally gavaged with either B. breve DPC6330 (109 microorganisms/day) alone or in combination with 0.5% (w/w) linoleic acid & 0.5% (w/w) α-linolenic acid, daily for 7 weeks and compared with trehalose and bovine serum albumin. Tissue fatty acid composition was assessed by gas-liquid chromatography and visceral hypersensitivity was assessed by colorectal distension. Significant differences in the fatty acid profiles of the non-separated controls and maternally separated controls were observed for α-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid in the liver, oleic acid and eicosenoic acid (c11) in adipose tissue, and for palmitoleic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in serum (p<0.05). Administration of B. breve DPC6330 to MS rats significantly increased palmitoleic acid, arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the liver, eicosenoic acid (c11) in adipose tissue and palmitoleic acid in the prefrontal cortex (p<0.05), whereas feeding B. breve DPC6330 to non separated rats significantly increased eicosapentaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid in serum (p<0.05) compared with the NS un-supplemented controls. Administration of B. breve DPC6330 in combination with linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid to maternally separated rats significantly increased docosapentaenoic acid in the serum (p<0.01) and α-linolenic acid in adipose tissue (p<0.001), whereas feeding B. breve DPC6330 with fatty acid supplementation to non-separated rats significantly increased liver and serum docosapentaenoic acid (p<0.05), and α-linolenic acid in adipose tissue (p<0.001). B. breve DPC6330 influenced host fatty acid metabolism. Administration of B. breve DPC6330 to maternally separated rats significantly modified the palmitoleic acid, arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid contents in tissues. The effect was not observed in non-separated animals. PMID:23185248

How weak values emerge in joint measurements on cloned quantum systems.

PubMed

Hofmann, Holger F

2012-07-13

A statistical analysis of optimal universal cloning shows that it is possible to identify an ideal (but nonpositive) copying process that faithfully maps all properties of the original Hilbert space onto two separate quantum systems, resulting in perfect correlations for all observables. The joint probabilities for noncommuting measurements on separate clones then correspond to the real parts of the complex joint probabilities observed in weak measurements on a single system, where the measurements on the two clones replace the corresponding sequence of weak measurement and postselection. The imaginary parts of weak measurement statics can be obtained by replacing the cloning process with a partial swap operation. A controlled-swap operation combines both processes, making the complete weak measurement statistics accessible as a well-defined contribution to the joint probabilities of fully resolved projective measurements on the two output systems.

Eight supramolecular assemblies constructed from bis(benzimidazole) and organic acids through strong classical hydrogen bonding and weak noncovalent interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Shouwen; Wang, Daqi

2014-05-01

Eight crystalline organic acid-base adducts derived from alkane bridged bis(N-benzimidazole) and organic acids (2,4,6-trinitrophenol, p-nitrobenzoic acid, m-nitrobenzoic acid, 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid, 5-sulfosalicylic acid and oxalic acid) were prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, IR, mp, and elemental analysis. Of the eight compounds five are organic salts (1, 4, 6, 7 and 8) and the other three (2, 3, and 5) are cocrystals. In all of the adducts except 1 and 8, the ratio of the acid and the base is 2:1. All eight supramolecular assemblies involve extensive intermolecular classical hydrogen bonds as well as other noncovalent interactions. The role of weak and strong noncovalent interactions in the crystal packing is ascertained. These weak interactions combined, all the complexes displayed 3D framework structure. The results presented herein indicate that the strength and directionality of the classical N+-H⋯O-, O-H⋯O, and O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds (ionic or neutral) and other nonbonding associations between acids and ditopic benzimidazoles are sufficient to bring about the formation of cocrystals or organic salts.

[Esophageal motility characteristics of refractory heartburn: a study based on high resolution manometry and 24 hour pH-impedance monitoring].

PubMed

Wang, Kun; Duan, Liping; Xia, Zhiwei; Xu, Zhijie; Ge, Ying

2014-09-16

To analyze the esophageal motility characteristics of refractory heartburn with different reflux patterns and preliminarily clarify the roles of esophageal disorder in refractory heartburn. A total of 176 refractory heartburn patients were enrolled from 2009 to 2013. After gastroscopy and 24 hour pH-impedance monitoring, they were divided into 4 groups of reflux esophagitis (RE, n = 29), non-erosive reflux disease with acid reflux (NERD-acid, n = 51), NERD with weakly acidic reflux (NERD-weakly acid, n = 51) and non-reflux associated heartburn (n = 45). All subjects undertake high resolution manometry test and their esophageal motility functions were analyzed by the Chicago classification criteria 2012. Among them, 60.23% (106/176) patients presented esophageal motility disorders. And 42.61% (75/176) fulfilled the criteria of weak peristalsis, 7.39% (13/176) distal esophageal spasm, 4.55% (8/176) rapid contraction, 3.98% (7/176) EGJ outflow obstruction, 1.14% (2/176) hiatus hernia and 1 Jackhammer esophagus. The detection rates of esophageal motility disorder were similar among 4 groups and weak peristalsis was the most common disorder in all groups (41.38% in RE, 37.25% in NERD-acid patients, 54.90% in NERD-weakly acid and 35.56% in non-reflux associated heartburn patients). However, hypertensive motility disorders in non-reflux associated heartburn group (31.11%, 14/45) were more than GERD subgroups (11.45%, 15/131) (P < 0.05) . The relax ratio of low esophagus sphincter (LES) in GERD subgroups were higher than that in non-reflux associated heartburn patients. And the relax ratio of NERD-weakly acid was significantly higher than that in non-reflux associated heartburn patients (65% (50%-80%) vs 58% (42%-67%) , P < 0.05). The integrated relaxation pressure in GERD subgroups were lower than that of non-reflux associated heartburn patients without significant differences (P > 0.05). Esophageal weak peristalsis is one of the most common motility disorders in refractory heartburn patients, and esophageal hypertensive motility disorders are common in non-reflux associated heartburn patients. Esophageal manometry is necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of refractory heartburn.

The sensory interactions of organic acids and various flavors in ramen soup systems.

PubMed

Kang, M-W; Chung, S-J; Lee, H-S; Kim, Y; Kim, K-O

2007-11-01

This study was conducted to investigate the sensory interactions between various organic acids and flavorants in 3 types of ramen soup ('beef,' seafood, and 'kimchi') when types and levels of organic acids (citric, malic, and lactic) varied. For 'beef' and seafood ramen soup, weak suprathreshold levels of acids (0.0039% to 0.0071%) were applied to the system and medium suprathreshold of acids (0.0128% to 0.0299%) were applied to the kimchi ramen soup. The amount of acid applied to each system was chosen based on the equiweight level. Descriptive analyses were performed separately for each ramen soup system using 8 trained panelists. A total of 11, 13, and 12 flavor descriptors were generated for 'beef,' seafood, and 'kimchi' soup, respectively. Analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the effect of organic acid on the sensory characteristics of ramen soup. Principal component analysis was conducted to summarize the relationship between the soup samples and attributes. The effect of organic acids on the flavor attributes of ramen soup was dependent on the soup system as well as adding levels of acid. Addition of lactic acid power (at 0.0066%) in 'beef'ramen soup showed enhancement effect on the sour, salty, beefy, 'mushroom' flavor, and fermented soybean paste soup flavor, whereas lactic acid powder (at 0.0071%) showed enhancement effect only on the sour and fermented soybean paste soup flavor in seafood ramen soup due to the strong 'hot' flavor characteristics of the soup. In kimchi ramen soup, flavor attributes congruent to sourness were enhanced by the addition of organic acids to the system.

Generalized model of electromigration with 1:1 (analyte:selector) complexation stoichiometry: part II. Application to dual systems and experimental verification.

PubMed

Müllerová, Ludmila; Dubský, Pavel; Gaš, Bohuslav

2015-03-06

Interactions among analyte forms that undergo simultaneous dissociation/protonation and complexation with multiple selectors take the shape of a highly interconnected multi-equilibrium scheme. This makes it difficult to express the effective mobility of the analyte in these systems, which are often encountered in electrophoretical separations, unless a generalized model is introduced. In the first part of this series, we presented the theory of electromigration of a multivalent weakly acidic/basic/amphoteric analyte undergoing complexation with a mixture of an arbitrary number of selectors. In this work we demonstrate the validity of this concept experimentally. The theory leads to three useful perspectives, each of which is closely related to the one originally formulated for simpler systems. If pH, IS and the selector mixture composition are all kept constant, the system is treated as if only a single analyte form interacted with a single selector. If the pH changes at constant IS and mixture composition, the already well-established models of a weakly acidic/basic analyte interacting with a single selector can be employed. Varying the mixture composition at constant IS and pH leads to a situation where virtually a single analyte form interacts with a mixture of selectors. We show how to switch between the three perspectives in practice and confirm that they can be employed interchangeably according to the specific needs by measurements performed in single- and dual-selector systems at a pH where the analyte is fully dissociated, partly dissociated or fully protonated. Weak monoprotic analyte (R-flurbiprofen) and two selectors (native β-cyclodextrin and monovalent positively charged 6-monodeoxy-6-monoamino-β-cyclodextrin) serve as a model system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On two alternative mechanisms of ethane activation over ZSM-5 zeolite modified by Zn2+ and Ga1+ cations.

PubMed

Kazansky, V B; Subbotina, I R; Rane, N; van Santen, R A; Hensen, E J M

2005-08-21

The activation of ethane over zinc- and gallium-modified HZSM-5 dehydrogenation catalysts was studied by diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy. Hydrocarbon activation on HZSM-5 modified by bivalent Zn and univalent Ga cations proceeds via two distinctly different mechanisms. The stronger molecular adsorption of ethane by the acid-base pairs formed by distantly separated cationic Zn2+ and basic oxygen sites results already at room temperature in strong polarizability of adsorbed ethane and subsequent heterolytic dissociative adsorption at moderate temperatures. In contrast, molecular adsorption of ethane on Ga+ cations is weak. At high temperatures dissociative hydrocarbon adsorption takes place, resulting in the formation of ethyl and hydride fragments coordinating to the cationic gallium species. Whereas in the zinc case a Brønsted acid proton is formed upon ethane dissociation, decomposition of the ethyl fragment on gallium results in gallium dihydride species and does not lead to Brønsted acid protons. This difference in alkane activation has direct consequences for hydrocarbon conversions involving dehydrogenation.

Ion-exclusion/cation-exchange chromatography with dual detection of the conductivity and spectrophotometry for the simultaneous determination of common inorganic anionic species and cations in river and wastewater.

PubMed

Nakatani, Nobutake; Kozaki, Daisuke; Mori, Masanobu; Hasebe, Kiyoshi; Nakagoshi, Nobukazu; Tanaka, Kazuhiko

2011-01-01

Simultaneous determinations of common inorganic anionic species (SO(4)(2-), Cl(-), NO(3)(-), phosphate and silicate) and cations (Na(+), NH(4)(+), K(+), Mg(2+) and Ca(2+)) were conducted using an ion-chromatography system with dual detection of conductivity and spectrophotometry in tandem. The separation of ionic species on a weakly acidic cation-exchange resin was accomplished using a mixture of 100 mM ascorbic acid and 4 mM 18-crown-6 as an acidic eluent (pH 2.6), after which the ions were detected using a conductivity detector. Subsequently, phosphate and silicate were analyzed based on derivatization with molybdate and spectrophotometry at 700 nm. The detection limits at S/N = 3 ranged from 0.11 to 2.9 µM for analyte ionic species. This method was applied to practical river water and wastewater with acceptable criteria for the anion-cation balance and comparisons of the measured and calculated electrical conductivity, demonstrating the usefulness of the present method for water quality monitoring.

Detection of Nucleic Acids in Complex Samples via Magnetic Microbead-assisted Catalyzed Hairpin Assembly and "DD-A" FRET.

PubMed

Fang, Hongmei; Xie, Nuli; Ou, Min; Huang, Jin; Li, Wenshan; Wang, Qing; Liu, Jianbo; Yang, Xiaohai; Wang, Kemin

2018-05-21

Nucleic acids, as one kind of significant biomarkers, have attracted tremendous attention and exhibited immense value in fundamental studies and clinical applications. In this work, we developed a fluorescent assay for detecting nucleic acids in complex samples based on magnetic microbead (MMB)-assisted catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) and donor donor-acceptor fluorescence resonance energy transfer ("DD-A" FRET) signaling mechanism. Three types of DNA hairpin probes were employed in this system, including Capture, H1 (double FAM-labelled probe as FRET donor) and H2 (TAMRA-labelled probe as FRET acceptor). Firstly, the Captures immobilized on MMBs bound to targets in complex samples, and the sequences in Captures that could trigger catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) were exposed. Then, target-enriched MMBs complexes were separated and resuspended in the reaction buffer containing H1 and H2. As a result, numerous H1-H2 duplexes were formed during CHA process, inducing an obvious FRET signal. In contrast, CHA could not be trigger and the FRET signal was weak while target was absent. With the aid of magnetic separation and "DD-A" FRET, it was demonstrated to effectively eliminate errors from background interference. Importantly, this strategy realized amplified detection in buffer, with detection limits of microRNA as low as 34 pM. Furthermore, this method was successfully applied to detect microRNA-21 in serum and cell culture media. The results showed that our method has the potential for biomedical research and clinical application.

A/GATECH DOSP Fabrication

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-11-01

developer and then bleached with a rehalogenating bleach and finally re-developed with a weak citric acid developer. The final result of this processing...refraction forming a phase hologram. The plate is then immersed in a weak solution of citric acid , and illuminated with a bright light. The citric acid ...also results in NP complexity due to the combinational^ explosive number of permutations of splits that must be examined. By limiting the degree to

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa antimetabolite L-2-amino-4-methoxy-trans-3-butenoic acid inhibits growth of Erwinia amylovora and acts as a seed germination-arrest factor.

PubMed

Lee, Xiaoyun; Azevedo, Mark D; Armstrong, Donald J; Banowetz, Gary M; Reimmann, Cornelia

2013-02-01

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa antimetabolite L-2-amino-4-methoxy-trans-3-butenoic acid (AMB) shares biological activities with 4-formylaminooxyvinylglycine, a related molecule produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens WH6. We found that culture filtrates of a P. aeruginosa strain overproducing AMB weakly interfered with seed germination of the grassy weed Poa annua and strongly inhibited growth of Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of the devastating orchard crop disease known as fire blight. AMB was active against a 4-formylaminooxyvinylglycine-resistant isolate of E. amylovora, suggesting that the molecular targets of the two oxyvinylglycines in Erwinia do not, or not entirely, overlap. The AMB biosynthesis and transport genes were shown to be organized in two separate transcriptional units, ambA and ambBCDE, which were successfully expressed from IPTG-inducible tac promoters in the heterologous host P. fluorescens CHA0. Engineered AMB production enabled this model biocontrol strain to become inhibitory against E. amylovora and to weakly interfere with the germination of several graminaceous seeds. We conclude that AMB production requires no additional genes besides ambABCDE and we speculate that their expression in marketed fire blight biocontrol strains could potentially contribute to disease control. © 2012 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Polar silica-based stationary phases. Part II- Neutral silica stationary phases with surface bound maltose and sorbitol for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Rathnasekara, Renuka; El Rassi, Ziad

2017-07-28

Two neutral polyhydroxylated silica bonded stationary phases, namely maltose-silica (MALT-silica) and sorbitol-silica (SOR-silica), have been introduced and chromatographically characterized in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) for a wide range of polar compounds. The bonding of the maltose and sorbitol to the silica surface was brought about by first converting bare silica to an epoxy-activated silica surface via reaction with γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) followed by attaching maltose and sorbitol to the epoxy surface in the presence of the Lewis acid catalyst BF 3 .ethereate. Both silica based columns offered the expected retention characteristics usually encountered for neutral polar surface. The retention mechanism is majorly based on solute' differential partitioning between an organic rich hydro-organic mobile phase (e.g., ACN rich mobile phase) and an adsorbed water layer on the surface of the stationary phase although additional hydrogen bonding was also responsible in some cases for solute retention. The MALT-silica column proved to be more hydrophilic and offered higher retention, separation efficiency and resolution than the SOR-silica column among the tested polar solutes such as derivatized mono- and oligosaccharides, weak phenolic acids, cyclic nucleotide monophosphate and nucleotide-5'-monophosphates, and weak bases, e.g., nucleobases and nucleosides. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel method for separation of caseins from milk by phosphates precipitation.

PubMed

Yen, Chon-Ho; Lin, Yin-Shen; Tu, Ching-Fu

2015-01-01

Milk protein of farm animals is difficult to isolate because of the presence of casein micelles, which are hard to separate from whey by using centrifugation or filtration. Insoluble casein micelles also create an obstacle for purification instruments to operate efficiently. The conventional method, to precipitate caseins by lowering pH to 4.6 and then recover the whey fraction for further purification using chromatography techniques, is not applicable to proteins having an isoelectric point similar to caseins. In addition, the acid condition used for casein removal usually leads to significantly poor yields and reduced biological activities. In this study, a novel method of precipitating caseins under neutral or weak acidic conditions is presented. The method employs a phosphate salt and a freeze-thaw procedure to obtain a casein-free whey protein fraction. This fraction contains more than 90% yield with little loss of bioactivity of the target protein, and is readily available for further chromatographic purification. This method was successfully applied to purify recombinant human factor IX and recombinant hirudin from the milk of transgenic pigs in the presented study. It is an efficient pretreatment approach prior to chromatographic purification of milk protein from farm animals and particularly of great value to collect those recombinants secreted from transgenic livestock.

A new electrophoretic focusing principle: focusing of nonamphoteric weak ionogenic analytes using inverse electromigration dispersion profiles.

PubMed

Gebauer, Petr; Malá, Zdena; Bocek, Petr

2010-03-01

This contribution introduces a new separation principle in CE which offers focusing of weak nonamphoteric ionogenic species and their inherent transport to the detector. The prerequisite condition for application of this principle is the existence of an inverse electromigration dispersion profile, i.e. a profile where pH is decreasing toward the anode or cathode for focusing of anionic or cationic weak analytes, respectively. The theory presented defines the principal conditions under which an analyte is focused on a profile of this type. Since electromigration dispersion profiles are migrating ones, the new principle offers inherent transport of focused analytes into the detection cell. The focusing principle described utilizes a mechanism different from both CZE (where separation is based on the difference in mobilities) and IEF (where separation is based on difference in pI), and hence, offers another separation dimension in CE. The new principle and its theory presented here are supplemented by convincing experiments as their proof.

Utility theoretic approach to estimating the demand for and benefits from recreational fishing: the impact of acid rain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaw, W.D. Jr.

1985-01-01

The Adirondack State Park has been hit especially hard by acid precipitation. Acid precipitation impacts particular species of fish at various high altitudes sites in the park. The author estimates consumer surplus measures for changes in a variable to proxy the stock size of these species at specific sites. To do this he first estimates the individual's demand for a recreation site as a function of site prices and the site's characteristics. The demand function for the individual is derived from a utility function. A travel cost approach is used to estimate an individual's share of total fishing time spentmore » at a five fishing site. The shares are estimated by maximum likelihood and the results indicate that price and the three characteristics do explain the allocation of the individual's time spent at the various sites selected for the analysis. Finally, consumer surplus measures for a reduction in the catch rates of the species most likely to be affected by Acid Precipitation are calculated. The meaning of these measures in the context of a model that assumes weak separability is examined. These reductions in catch rates can be linked to changes in the level of Acid Precipitation in the Park, and this provides us with a method for quantifying the impact of acid precipitation on recreation fishing.« less

Silica-Based, Hyper-Crosslinked Acid Stable Stationary Phases for High Performance Liquid Chromatography

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yu; Luo, Hao; Carr, Peter W.

2011-01-01

A new family of Hyper-Crosslinked (HC) phases has been recently introduced for use under very aggressive acid conditions including those encountered in ultra-fast, high temperature Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography (2DLC). This type of stationary phase showed significantly enhanced acid and thermal stability compared to the most acid stable, commercial RPLC phases. In addition, the use of “orthogonal” chemistry to make surface-confined polymer networks ensures good reproducibility and high efficiency. One of the most interesting features of the HC phases is the ability to derivatize the surface aromatic groups with various functional groups. This led to the development of a family of hyper-crosslinked phases possessing a wide variety of chromatographic selectivities by attaching hydrophobic (e.g. –C8), ionizable (e.g. -COOH, -SO3H), aromatic (e.g. –toluene) or polar (e.g. -OH) species to the aromatic polymer network. HC reversed phases with various degrees of hydrophobicity and mixed-mode HC phases with added strong and weak cation exchange sites have been synthesized, characterized and applied. These silica-based acid-stable HC phases, with their attractive chromatographic properties, should be very useful in the separations of bases or biological analytes in acidic media, especially at elevated temperatures. This work reviews the prior research on HC phases and introduces a novel HC phase made by alternative chemistry. PMID:21906745

Crystal and molecular structure of eight organic acid-base adducts from 2-methylquinoline and different acids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jing; Jin, Shouwen; Tao, Lin; Liu, Bin; Wang, Daqi

2014-08-01

Eight supramolecular complexes with 2-methylquinoline and acidic components as 4-aminobenzoic acid, 2-aminobenzoic acid, salicylic acid, 5-chlorosalicylic acid, 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid, malic acid, sebacic acid, and 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid were synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography, IR, mp, and elemental analysis. All of the complexes are organic salts except compound 2. All supramolecular architectures of 1-8 involve extensive classical hydrogen bonds as well as other noncovalent interactions. The results presented herein indicate that the strength and directionality of the classical hydrogen bonds (ionic or neutral) between acidic components and 2-methylquinoline are sufficient to bring about the formation of binary organic acid-base adducts. The role of weak and strong noncovalent interactions in the crystal packing is ascertained. These weak interactions combined, the complexes 1-8 displayed 2D-3D framework structure.

Inactivation of the transcription factor mig1 (YGL035C) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae improves tolerance towards monocarboxylic weak acids: acetic, formic and levulinic acid.

PubMed

Balderas-Hernández, Victor E; Correia, Kevin; Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan

2018-06-06

Toxic concentrations of monocarboxylic weak acids present in lignocellulosic hydrolyzates affect cell integrity and fermentative performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this work, we report the deletion of the general catabolite repressor Mig1p as a strategy to improve the tolerance of S. cerevisiae towards inhibitory concentrations of acetic, formic or levulinic acid. In contrast with the wt yeast, where the growth and ethanol production were ceased in presence of acetic acid 5 g/L or formic acid 1.75 g/L (initial pH not adjusted), the m9 strain (Δmig1::kan) produced 4.06 ± 0.14 and 3.87 ± 0.06 g/L of ethanol, respectively. Also, m9 strain tolerated a higher concentration of 12.5 g/L acetic acid (initial pH adjusted to 4.5) without affecting its fermentative performance. Moreover, m9 strain produced 33% less acetic acid and 50-70% less glycerol in presence of weak acids, and consumed acetate and formate as carbon sources under aerobic conditions. Our results show that the deletion of Mig1p provides a single gene deletion target for improving the acid tolerance of yeast strains significantly.

Trapping proton transfer intermediates in the disordered hydrogen-bonded network of cryogenic hydrofluoric acid solutions.

PubMed

Ayotte, Patrick; Plessis, Sylvain; Marchand, Patrick

2008-08-28

A molecular-level description of the structural and dynamical aspects that are responsible for the weak acid behaviour of dilute hydrofluoric acid solutions and their unusual increased acidity at near equimolar concentrations continues to elude us. We address this problem by reporting reflection-absorption infrared spectra (RAIRS) of cryogenic HF-H(2)O binary mixtures at various compositions prepared as nanoscopic films using molecular beam techniques. Optical constants for these cryogenic solutions [n(omega) and k(omega)] are obtained by iteratively solving Fresnel equations for stratified media. Modeling of the experimental RAIRS spectra allow for a quantitative interpretation of the complex interplay between multiple reflections, optical interference and absorption effects. The evolution of the strong absorption features in the intermediate 1000-3000 cm(-1) range with increasing HF concentration reveals the presence of various ionic dissociation intermediates that are trapped in the disordered H-bonded network of cryogenic hydrofluoric acid solutions. Our findings are discussed in light of the conventional interpretation of why hydrofluoric acid is a weak acid revealing molecular-level details of the mechanism for HF ionization that may be relevant to analogous elementary processes involved in the ionization of weak acids in aqueous solutions.

Dissolution-modulating mechanism of pH modifiers in solid dispersion containing weakly acidic or basic drugs with poor water solubility.

PubMed

Tran, Phuong Ha-Lien; Tran, Thao Truong-Dinh; Lee, Kyoung-Ho; Kim, Dong-Jin; Lee, Beom-Jin

2010-05-01

Although the solid dispersion method has been known to increase the dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drugs by dispersing them in hydrophilic carriers, one obstacle of the solid dispersion method is its limited solubilization capacity, especially for pH-dependent soluble drugs. pH-modified solid dispersion, in which pH modifiers are incorporated, may be a useful method for increasing the dissolution rate of weakly acidic or basic drugs. Sufficient research, including the most recent reports, was undertaken in this review. How could the inclusion of the pH the pH modifiers in the solid dispersion system change drug structural behaviors, molecular interactions, microenvironmental pH, and/or release rate of pH modifiers, relating with the enhanced dissolution of weakly acidic or weakly basic drugs with poor water solubility? These questions have been investigated to determine the dissolution-modulating mechanism of pH modifiers in solid dispersion containing weakly acidic or basic drugs. It is believed that step-by-step mechanistic approaches could provide the ultimate solution for solubilizing several poorly water-soluble drugs with pH-dependent solubility from a solid dispersion system, as well as provide ideas for developing future dosage systems.

A method for the production of weakly acidic cation exchange resins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heller, H.; Werner, F.; Mitschker, A.; Diehl, H. V.; Schaefer, A.

1991-12-01

The invention relates to a nonpolluting method for the production of weakly acidic cation exchange resins by saponification of cross-linked acrylonitrile bead polymers, with an alkaline saponification agent at elevated temperature, according to which method the bead polymer and alkaline saponification agent are jointly added only at elevated temperature.

Natural monocrystalline pyrite as a sensor in non-aqueous solution Part I: Potentiometric titration of weak acids in, N,N-dimethylformamide, methylpyrrolidone and pyridine.

PubMed

Mihajlović, Lj V; Mihajlović, R P; Antonijević, M M; Vukanović, B V

2004-11-15

The possibility of applying natural monocrystaline pyrite as a sensor for the potentiometric titration of weak acids in N,N-dimethylformamide, methylpyrrolidone and pyridine was investigated. The potential of this electrode in N,N-dimethylformamide, methylpyrrolidone and pyridine exhibits a sub-Nernst dependence. In N,N-dimethylformamide the slope (mV/pH) is 39.0 and in methylpyrrolidone it is 45.0. The potential jumps at the titration end-point obtained in the titration of weak acids are higher than those obtained by the application of a glass electrode as the indicator electrode The potential in the course of the titration and at the titration end-point (TEP) are rapidly established. Sodium methylate, potassium hydroxide and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) proved to be very suitable titrating agents for these titrations. The results obtained in the determination of the investigated weak acids deviate by 0.1-0.35% with respect to those obtained by using a glass electrode as the indicator electrode.

Separation of the isomers of benzene poly(carboxylic acid)s by quaternary ammonium salt via formation of deep eutectic solvents.

PubMed

Hou, Yucui; Li, Jian; Ren, Shuhang; Niu, Muge; Wu, Weize

2014-11-26

Because of similar properties and very low volatility, isomers of benzene poly(carboxylic acid)s (BPCAs) are very difficult to separate. In this work, we found that isomers of BPCAs could be separated efficiently by quaternary ammonium salts (QASs) via formation of deep eutectic solvents (DESs). Three kinds of QASs were used to separate the isomers of BPCAs, including the isomers of benzene tricarboxylic acids (trimellitic acid, trimesic acid, and hemimellitic acid) and the isomers of benzene dicarboxylic acids (phthalic acid and isophthalic acid). Among the QASs, tetraethylammonium chloride was found to have the best performance, which could completely separate BPCA isomers in methyl ethyl ketone solutions. It was found that the hydrogen bond forming between QAS and BPCA results in the selective separation of BPCA isomers. QAS in DES was regenerated effectively by the antisolvent method, and the regenerated QAS was reused four times with the same high efficiency.

Intracellular pH Response to Weak Acid Stress in Individual Vegetative Bacillus subtilis Cells

PubMed Central

Pandey, Rachna; Vischer, Norbert O. E.; Smelt, Jan P. P. M.; van Beilen, Johan W. A.; Ter Beek, Alexander; De Vos, Winnok H.; Manders, Erik M. M.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Intracellular pH (pHi) critically affects bacterial cell physiology. Hence, a variety of food preservation strategies are aimed at perturbing pHi homeostasis. Unfortunately, accurate pHi quantification with existing methods is suboptimal, since measurements are averages across populations of cells, not taking into account interindividual heterogeneity. Yet, physiological heterogeneity in isogenic populations is well known to be responsible for differences in growth and division kinetics of cells in response to external stressors. To assess in this context the behavior of intracellular acidity, we have developed a robust method to quantify pHi at single-cell levels in Bacillus subtilis. Bacilli spoil food, cause disease, and are well known for their ability to form highly stress-resistant spores. Using an improved version of the genetically encoded ratiometric pHluorin (IpHluorin), we have quantified pHi in individual B. subtilis cells, cultured at an external pH of 6.4, in the absence or presence of weak acid stresses. In the presence of 3 mM potassium sorbate, a decrease in pHi and an increase in the generation time of growing cells were observed. Similar effects were observed when cells were stressed with 25 mM potassium acetate. Time-resolved analysis of individual bacteria in growing colonies shows that after a transient pH decrease, long-term pH evolution is highly cell dependent. The heterogeneity at the single-cell level shows the existence of subpopulations that might be more resistant and contribute to population survival. Our approach contributes to an understanding of pHi regulation in individual bacteria and may help scrutinizing effects of existing and novel food preservation strategies. IMPORTANCE This study shows how the physiological response to commonly used weak organic acid food preservatives, such as sorbic and acetic acids, can be measured at the single-cell level. These data are key to coupling often-observed single-cell heterogeneous growth behavior upon the addition of weak organic acid food preservatives. Generally, these data are gathered in the form of plate counting of samples incubated with the acids. Here, we visualize the underlying heterogeneity in cellular pH homeostasis, opening up avenues for mechanistic analyses of the heterogeneity in the weak acid stress response. Thus, microbial risk assessment can become more robust, widening the scope of use of these well-known weak organic acid food preservatives. PMID:27565617

A critical overview of non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis. Part I: mobility and separation selectivity.

PubMed

Kenndler, Ernst

2014-03-28

This two-part review critically gives an overview on the theoretical and practical advances in non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) achieved over the recent five years. Part I starts out by reviewing the aspects relevant to electromigration in organic solvents and evaluates potential advantages of the latter in comparison to aqueous solvent systems. The crucial role of solubility for the species involved in CE - analytes and back ground electrolyte constituents - is discussed both for ionic and neutral compounds. The impact of organic solvents on the electrophoretic and electroosmotic mobility and on the ionization (pKa values) of weak acids and bases is highlighted. Special emphasis is placed on methanol, acetonitrile and mixtures of these solvents, being the most frequent employed media for NACE applications. In addition, also solvents less commonly used in NACE will be covered, including other alcohols, amides (formamide, N-methylformamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide), propylene carbonate, dimethylsulphoxide, and nitromethane. The discussions address the consequences of dramatic pKa shifts frequently seen for weak acids and bases, and the important contributions of medium-specific electroosmotic flow (EOF) to electromigration in nonaqueous media. Important for NACE, the role of the water content on pKa and mobility is analyzed. Finally, association phenomena rather specific to nonaqueous solvents (ion pairing, homo- and heteroconjugation) will be addressed, along with their potential advantages for the development of NACE separation protocols. It is pointed out that this review is not intended as a listing of all papers that have been published on NACE in the period mentioned above. It rather deals with general aspects of migration and selectivity in organic solvent systems, and discusses - critically - examples from the literature with particular interest to the topic. An analog discussion about the role of the solvent on efficiency will be presented in Part II. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An investigation about the structures, thermodynamics and kinetics of the formic acid involved molecular clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Rui; Jiang, Shuai; Liu, Yi-Rong; Wen, Hui; Feng, Ya-Juan; Huang, Teng; Huang, Wei

2018-05-01

Despite the very important role of atmospheric aerosol nucleation in climate change and air quality, the detailed aerosol nucleation mechanism is still unclear. Here we investigated the formic acid (FA) involved multicomponent nucleation molecular clusters including sulfuric acid (SA), dimethylamine (DMA) and water (W) through a quantum chemical method. The thermodynamics and kinetics analysis was based on the global minima given by Basin-Hopping (BH) algorithm coupled with Density Functional Theory (DFT) and subsequent benchmarked calculations. Then the interaction analysis based on ElectroStatic Potential (ESP), Topological and Atomic Charges analysis was made to characterize the binding features of the clusters. The results show that FA binds weakly with the other molecules in the cluster while W binds more weakly. Further kinetic analysis about the time evolution of the clusters show that even though the formic acid's weak interaction with other nucleation precursors, its effect on sulfuric acid dimer steady state concentration cannot be neglected due to its high concentration in the atmosphere.

Uterine Prolapse

MedlinePlus

... during bowel movements Family history of weakness in connective tissue Being Hispanic or white Complications Uterine prolapse is ... You might experience: Anterior prolapse (cystocele). Weakness of connective tissue separating the bladder and vagina may cause the ...

PAR-2 activation enhances weak acid-induced ATP release through TRPV1 and ASIC sensitization in human esophageal epithelial cells.

PubMed

Wu, Liping; Oshima, Tadayuki; Shan, Jing; Sei, Hiroo; Tomita, Toshihiko; Ohda, Yoshio; Fukui, Hirokazu; Watari, Jiro; Miwa, Hiroto

2015-10-15

Esophageal visceral hypersensitivity has been proposed to be the pathogenesis of heartburn sensation in nonerosive reflux disease. Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) is expressed in human esophageal epithelial cells and is believed to play a role in inflammation and sensation. PAR-2 activation may modulate these responses through adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release, which is involved in transduction of sensation and pain. The transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) and acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are both acid-sensitive nociceptors. However, the interaction among these molecules and the mechanisms of heartburn sensation are still not clear. We therefore examined whether ATP release in human esophageal epithelial cells in response to acid is modulated by TRPV1 and ASICs and whether PAR-2 activation influences the sensitivity of TRPV1 and ASICs. Weak acid (pH 5) stimulated the release of ATP from primary human esophageal epithelial cells (HEECs). This effect was significantly reduced after pretreatment with 5-iodoresiniferatoxin (IRTX), a TRPV1-specific antagonist, or with amiloride, a nonselective ASIC blocker. TRPV1 and ASIC3 small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection also decreased weak acid-induced ATP release. Pretreatment of HEECs with trypsin, tryptase, or a PAR-2 agonist enhanced weak acid-induced ATP release. Trypsin treatment led to the phosphorylation of TRPV1. Acid-induced ATP release enhancement by trypsin was partially blocked by IRTX, amiloride, or a PAR-2 antagonist. Conversely, acid-induced ATP release was augmented by PAR-2 activation through TRPV1 and ASICs. These findings suggested that the pathophysiology of heartburn sensation or esophageal hypersensitivity may be associated with the activation of PAR-2, TRPV1, and ASICs. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Assessment and protection of esophageal mucosal integrity in patients with heartburn without esophagitis.

PubMed

Woodland, Philip; Lee, Chung; Duraisamy, Yasotha; Duraysami, Yasotha; Farré, Ricard; Dettmar, Peter; Sifrim, Daniel

2013-04-01

Intact esophageal mucosal integrity is essential to prevent symptoms during gastroesophageal reflux events. Approximately 70% of patients with heartburn have macroscopically normal esophageal mucosa. In patients with heartburn, persistent functional impairment of esophageal mucosal barrier integrity may underlie remaining symptoms. Topical protection of a functionally vulnerable mucosa may be an attractive therapeutic strategy. We aimed to evaluate esophageal mucosal functional integrity in patients with heartburn without esophagitis, and test the feasibility of an alginate-based topical mucosal protection. Three distal esophageal biopsies were obtained from 22 patients with heartburn symptoms, and 22 control subjects. In mini-Ussing chambers, the change in transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) of biopsies when exposed to neutral, weakly acidic, and acidic solutions was measured. The experiment was repeated in a further 10 patients after pretreatment of biopsies with sodium alginate, viscous control, or liquid control "protectant" solutions. Biopsy exposure to neutral solution caused no change in TER. Exposure to weakly acidic and acidic solutions caused a greater reduction in TER in patients than in controls (weakly acid -7.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) -9.9 to -4.5) vs. 3.2% (-2.2 to 8.6), P<0.05; acidic -22.8% (-31.4 to 14.1) vs. -9.4% (-17.2 to -1.6), P<0.01). Topical pretreatment with alginate but not with control solutions prevented the acid-induced decrease in TER (-1% (-5.9 to 3.9) vs. -13.5 (-24.1 to -3.0) vs. -13.2 (-21.7 to -4.8), P<0.05). Esophageal mucosa in patients with heartburn without esophagitis shows distinct vulnerability to acid and weakly acidic exposures. Experiments in vitro suggest that such vulnerable mucosa may be protected by application of an alginate-containing topical solution.

How cocrystals of weakly basic drugs and acidic coformers might modulate solubility and stability.

PubMed

Kuminek, G; Rodríguez-Hornedo, N; Siedler, S; Rocha, H V A; Cuffini, S L; Cardoso, S G

2016-04-30

Cocrystals of a weakly basic drug (nevirapine) with acidic coformers are shown to alter the solubility dependence on pH, and to exhibit a pHmax above which a less soluble cocrystal becomes more soluble than the drug. The cocrystal solubility advantage can be dialed up or down by solution pH.

Dual color fluorescence quantitative detection of specific single-stranded DNA with molecular beacons and nucleic acid dye SYBR Green I.

PubMed

Xiang, Dong-Shan; Zhou, Guo-Hua; Luo, Ming; Ji, Xing-Hu; He, Zhi-Ke

2012-08-21

We have developed a dual color fluorescence quantitative detection method for specific single-stranded DNA with molecular beacons (MBs) and nucleic acid dye SYBR Green I by synchronous scanning fluorescence spectrometry. It is demonstrated by a reverse-transcription oligonucleotide sequence (target DNA, 33 bases) of RNA fragment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a model system. In the absence of target DNA, the MBs are in the stem-closed state, the fluorescence of 5-carboxy-X-rhodamine (ROX) is quenched by black hole quencher-2 (BHQ-2), and the interaction between SYBR Green I and the MBs is very weak. At this time the fluorescence signals of ROX and SYBR Green I are all very weak. In the presence of target DNA, MBs hybridize with target DNA and form a double-strand structure, the fluorophore ROX is separated from the quencher BHQ-2, and the fluorescence of ROX recovers. At the same time, SYBR Green I binds to hybridized dsDNA, whose fluorescence intensity is significantly enhanced. Thus, dual color fluorescence quantitative detection for the target DNA can be realized by synchronous scanning fluorescence spectrometry. In this strategy, the fluorescence signal of SYBR Green I is far larger than that of ROX, so the quantitative analysis of target DNA with the fluorescence intensity of SYBR Green I can significantly improve the detection sensitivity. In addition, the false-positive signals of MBs do not affect the fluorescence signals of nucleic acid dye SYBR Green I. Thereby, in the analysis of complex samples, quantitative analysis of target DNA with SYBR Green I can avoid the false-positive signals of MBs and improve the detection accuracy.

Wide dynamic range enrichment method of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes with weak field centrifugation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reis, Wieland G.; Tomović, Željko; Weitz, R. Thomas; Krupke, Ralph; Mikhael, Jules

2017-03-01

The potential of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) to outperform silicon in electronic application was finally enabled through selective separation of semiconducting nanotubes from the as-synthesized statistical mix with polymeric dispersants. Such separation methods provide typically high semiconducting purity samples with narrow diameter distribution, i.e. almost single chiralities. But for a wide range of applications high purity mixtures of small and large diameters are sufficient or even required. Here we proof that weak field centrifugation is a diameter independent method for enrichment of semiconducting nanotubes. We show that the non-selective and strong adsorption of polyarylether dispersants on nanostructured carbon surfaces enables simple separation of diverse raw materials with different SWCNT diameter. In addition and for the first time, we demonstrate that increased temperature enables higher purity separation. Furthermore we show that the mode of action behind this electronic enrichment is strongly connected to both colloidal stability and protonation. By giving simple access to electronically sorted SWCNTs of any diameter, the wide dynamic range of weak field centrifugation can provide economical relevance to SWCNTs.

Improvement in HPLC separation of acetic acid and levulinic acid in the profiling of biomass hydrolysate.

PubMed

Xie, Rui; Tu, Maobing; Wu, Yonnie; Adhikari, Sushil

2011-04-01

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural could be separated by the Aminex HPX-87H column chromatography, however, the separation and quantification of acetic acid and levulinic acid in biomass hydrolysate have been difficult with this method. In present study, the HPLC separation of acetic acid and levulinic acid on Aminex HPX-87H column has been investigated by varying column temperature, flow rate, and sulfuric acid content in the mobile phase. The column temperature was found critical in resolving acetic acid and levulinic acid. The resolution for two acids increased dramatically from 0.42 to 1.86 when the column temperature was lowered from 60 to 30 °C. So did the capacity factors for levulinic acid that was increased from 1.20 to 1.44 as the column temperature dropped. The optimum column temperature for the separation was found at 45 °C. Variation in flow rate and sulfuric acid concentration improved not as much as the column temperature did. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Portable, lightweight, low power, ion chromatographic system with open tubular capillary columns.

PubMed

Kiplagat, Isaac K; Kubán, Petr; Pelcová, Pavlína; Kubán, Vlastimil

2010-07-30

Basic operation principles of a lightweight, low power, low cost, portable ion chromatograph utilizing open tubular ion chromatography in capillary columns coated with multi-layer polymeric stationary phases are demonstrated. A minimalistic configuration of a portable IC instrument was developed that does not require any chromatographic eluent delivery system, nor sample injection device as it uses gravity-based eluent flow and hydrodynamic sample injection adopted from capillary electrophoresis. As a detection device, an inexpensive commercially available capacitance sensor is used that has been shown to be a suitable substitute for contactless conductivity detection in capillary separation systems. The built-in temperature sensor allows for baseline drift correction typically encountered in conductivity/capacitance measurements without thermostating device. The whole instrument does not require any power supply for its operation, except the detection and data acquisition part that is provided by a USB port of a Netbook computer. It is extremely lightweight, its total weight including the Netbook computer is less than 2.5kg and it can be continuously operated for more than 8h. Several parameters of the instrument, such as detection cell design, eluent delivery systems and data treatment were optimized as well as the composition of eluent for non-suppressed ion chromatographic analysis of common inorganic cations (Na(+), NH(4)(+), K(+), Cs(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), transition metals). Low conductivity eluents based on weakly complexing organic acids such as tartaric, oxalic or pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acids were used with contactless capacitance detection for simultaneous separation of mono- and divalent cations. Separation of Na(+) and NH(4)(+) cations was optimized by addition of 18-crown-6 to the eluent. The best separation of 6 metal cations commonly present in various environmental samples was accomplished in less than 30min using a 1.75mM pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid and 3mM 18-crown-6 eluent with excellent repeatability (below 2%) and detection limits in the low micromolar range. The analysis of field samples is demonstrated; the concentrations of common inorganic cations in river water, mineral water and snow samples were determined.

[Application of simultaneous determination of inorganic ionic species by advanced ion chromatography for water quality monitoring of river water and wastewater].

PubMed

Nakatani, Nobutake; Kozaki, Daisuke; Tanaka, Kazuhiko

2012-04-01

In this study, our recent work on advanced ion chromatographic methods for the simultaneous determination of inorganic ionic species such as common anions (SO4(2-), Cl(-) and NO3(-)) and cations (Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+), nutrients (phosphate and silicate) and hydrogen ion/alkalinity are summarized first. Then, the applications using these methods for monitoring environmental water quality are also presented. For the determination of common anions and cations with nutrients, the separation was successfully performed by a polymethacrylate-based weakly acidic cation-exchange column of TSKgel Super IC-A/C (Tosoh, 150 mm x 6.0 mm i. d.) and a mixture solution of 100 mmol/L ascorbic acid and 4 mmol/L 18-crown-6 as acidic eluent with dual detection of conductivity and spectrophotometry. For the determination of hydrogen ion/alkalinity, the separation was conducted by TSKgel ODS-100Z column (Tosoh, 150 mm x 4.5 mm i. d.) modified with lithium dodecylsulfate and an eluent of 40 mmol/L LiCl/0.1 mmol/L lithium dodecylsulfate/0.05 mmol/L H2SO4 with conductivity detector. The differences of ion concentration between untreated and treated wastewater showed the variation of ionic species during biological treatment process in a sewage treatment plant. Occurrence and distribution of water-quality conditions were related to the bioavailability and human activity in watershed. From these results, our advanced ion chromatographic methods have contributed significantly for water quality monitoring of environmental waters.

Optical Sensing Properties of Pyrene-Schiff Bases toward Different Acids.

PubMed

Babgi, Bandar A; Alzahrani, Asma

2016-07-01

A set of (4-substituted-phenyl)-pyren-1-ylmethylene-amine (PMA) was prepared by the reaction of pyrene-1-carboxaldehyde and the corresponding 4-substituted aniline. The structure of the PMA compounds were confirmed by spectroscopic data (IR, (1)HNMR, (13)CNMR, ISI-MS and elemental analysis. The structure of (4-bromo-phenyl)-pyren-1-ylmethylene-amine (BrPMA) was further confirmed by the single X-ray crystallography. The absorption and emission spectroscopic behaviors were investigated in variant acids. The compounds showed dramatic spectroscopic changes upon acidifying with strong acids and negligible effects when weak acids are used in the acidifications. Hence, the PMA compounds can be used as sensors to distinguish between weak and strong acids.

Reprocessing system with nuclide separation based on chromatography in hydrochloric acid solution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suzuki, Tatsuya; Tachibana, Yu; Koyama, Shi-ichi

2013-07-01

We have proposed the reprocessing system with nuclide separation processes based on the chromatographic technique in the hydrochloric acid solution system. Our proposed system consists of the dissolution process, the reprocessing process, the minor actinide separation process, and nuclide separation processes. In the reprocessing and separation processes, the pyridine resin is used as a main separation media. It was confirmed that the dissolution in the hydrochloric acid solution is easily achieved by the plasma voloxidation and by the addition of oxygen peroxide into the hydrochloric acid solution.

How cocrystals of weakly basic drugs and acidic coformers might modulate solubility and stability

PubMed Central

Kuminek, G.; Rodríguez-Hornedo, N.; Siedler, S.; Rocha, H. V. A.; Cuffini, S. L.; Cardoso, S. G.

2016-01-01

Cocrystals of a weakly basic drug (nevirapine) with acidic coformers are shown to alter the solubility dependence on pH, and to exhibit a pHmax above which a less soluble cocrystal becomes more soluble than the drug. The cocrystal solubility advantage can be dialed up or down by solution pH. PMID:27042997

The cell transmembrane pH gradient in tumors enhances cytotoxicity of specific weak acid chemotherapeutics.

PubMed

Kozin, S V; Shkarin, P; Gerweck, L E

2001-06-15

The extracellular pH is lower in tumor than in normal tissue, whereas their intracellular pH is similar. In this study, we show that the tumor-specific pH gradient may be exploited for the treatment of cancer by weak acid chemotherapeutics. i.v.-injected glucose substantially decreased the electrode estimated extracellular pH in a xenografted human tumor while its intracellular pH, evaluated by (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy, remained virtually unchanged. The resulting increase in the average cell pH gradient caused a parallel increase in tumor growth delay by the weak acid chlorambucil (CHL). Regardless of glucose administration, the effect of CHL was significantly greater in tumors preirradiated with a large dose of ionizing radiation. This suggests that CHL was especially pronounced in radioresistant hypoxic cells possessing a larger transmembrane pH gradient. These results indicate that the naturally occurring cell pH gradient difference between tumor and normal tissue is a major and exploitable determinant of the uptake of weak acids in the complex tumor microenvironment. The use of such drugs may be especially effective in combination with radiation.

Electron in higher-dimensional weakly charged rotating black hole spacetimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cariglia, Marco; Frolov, Valeri P.; Krtouš, Pavel; Kubizňák, David

2013-03-01

We demonstrate separability of the Dirac equation in weakly charged rotating black hole spacetimes in all dimensions. The electromagnetic field of the black hole is described by a test field approximation, with the vector potential proportional to the primary Killing vector field. It is shown that the demonstrated separability can be intrinsically characterized by the existence of a complete set of mutually commuting first-order symmetry operators generated from the principal Killing-Yano tensor. The presented results generalize the results on integrability of charged particle motion and separability of charged scalar field studied in V. P. Frolov and P. Krtous [Phys. Rev. D 83, 024016 (2011)].

Sensory complementation and antipredator behavioural compensation in acid-impacted juvenile Atlantic salmon.

PubMed

Elvidge, C K; Macnaughton, C J; Brown, G E

2013-05-01

Prey incorporate multiple forms of publicly available information on predation risk into threat-sensitive antipredator behaviours. Changes in information availability have previously been demonstrated to elicit transient alterations in behavioural patterns, while the effects of long-term deprivation of particular forms of information remain largely unexplored. Damage-released chemical alarm cues from the epidermis of fishes are rendered non-functional under weakly acidic conditions (pH < 6.6), depriving fish of an important source of information on predation risk in acidified waterbodies. We addressed the effects of long-term deprivation on the antipredator responses to different combinations of chemical and visual threat cues via in situ observations of wild, free-swimming 0(+) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fry in four neutral and four weakly acidic nursery streams. In addition, a cross-population transplant experiment and natural interannual variation in acidity enabled the examination of provenance and environment as causes of the observed differences in response. Fish living under weakly acidic conditions demonstrate significantly greater or hypersensitive antipredator responses to visual cues compared to fish under neutral conditions. Under neutral conditions, fish demonstrate complementary (additive or synergistic) effects of paired visual and chemical cues consistent with threat-sensitive responses. Cross-population transplants and interannual comparisons of responses strongly support the conclusion that differences in antipredator responses between neutral and weakly acidic streams result from the loss of chemical information on predation risk, as opposed to population-derived differences in behaviours.

On the degree conjecture for separability of multipartite quantum states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Ali Saif M.; Joag, Pramod S.

2008-01-01

We settle the so-called degree conjecture for the separability of multipartite quantum states, which are normalized graph Laplacians, first given by Braunstein et al. [Phys. Rev. A 73, 012320 (2006)]. The conjecture states that a multipartite quantum state is separable if and only if the degree matrix of the graph associated with the state is equal to the degree matrix of the partial transpose of this graph. We call this statement to be the strong form of the conjecture. In its weak version, the conjecture requires only the necessity, that is, if the state is separable, the corresponding degree matrices match. We prove the strong form of the conjecture for pure multipartite quantum states using the modified tensor product of graphs defined by Hassan and Joag [J. Phys. A 40, 10251 (2007)], as both necessary and sufficient condition for separability. Based on this proof, we give a polynomial-time algorithm for completely factorizing any pure multipartite quantum state. By polynomial-time algorithm, we mean that the execution time of this algorithm increases as a polynomial in m, where m is the number of parts of the quantum system. We give a counterexample to show that the conjecture fails, in general, even in its weak form, for multipartite mixed states. Finally, we prove this conjecture, in its weak form, for a class of multipartite mixed states, giving only a necessary condition for separability.

Estimation of uncertainty in pKa values determined by potentiometric titration.

PubMed

Koort, Eve; Herodes, Koit; Pihl, Viljar; Leito, Ivo

2004-06-01

A procedure is presented for estimation of uncertainty in measurement of the pK(a) of a weak acid by potentiometric titration. The procedure is based on the ISO GUM. The core of the procedure is a mathematical model that involves 40 input parameters. A novel approach is used for taking into account the purity of the acid, the impurities are not treated as inert compounds only, their possible acidic dissociation is also taken into account. Application to an example of practical pK(a) determination is presented. Altogether 67 different sources of uncertainty are identified and quantified within the example. The relative importance of different uncertainty sources is discussed. The most important source of uncertainty (with the experimental set-up of the example) is the uncertainty of pH measurement followed by the accuracy of the burette and the uncertainty of weighing. The procedure gives uncertainty separately for each point of the titration curve. The uncertainty depends on the amount of titrant added, being lowest in the central part of the titration curve. The possibilities of reducing the uncertainty and interpreting the drift of the pK(a) values obtained from the same curve are discussed.

Removal of low-molecular weight DBPs and inorganic ions for characterization of high-molecular weight DBPs in drinking water.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiangru; Minear, Roger A

2006-03-01

High-molecular weight (MW) halogenated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) may cause adverse health effects. In this work several issues related to the better separation and characterization of the high MW halogenated DBPs (MW>500Da) were studied. Ultra-filtration (UF) coupled with a nominal 500-Da membrane was employed to flush out low MW DBPs and inorganic ions. Two procedures, intermittent UF and continuous UF, were used and compared. The results demonstrate that haloacetic acids, chloride and sodium ions could be effectively flushed out, and most of phosphate ions could be flushed out for a given dilution number or sufficient Milli-Q water. The size exclusion chromatograms indicate that haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes were not bound to Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA); 2,4,6-trichlorophenol might form some binding with SRFA, but it appeared to be very weak and readily broken up when passing along the size exclusion column. The octanol-water partition coefficients of low MW DBPs and the properties of humic substances seem to play key roles in determining the formation of possible bindings between low MW DBPs and humic substances.

Born energy, acid-base equilibrium, structure and interactions of end-grafted weak polyelectrolyte layers.

PubMed

Nap, R J; Tagliazucchi, M; Szleifer, I

2014-01-14

This work addresses the effect of the Born self-energy contribution in the modeling of the structural and thermodynamical properties of weak polyelectrolytes confined to planar and curved surfaces. The theoretical framework is based on a theory that explicitly includes the conformations, size, shape, and charge distribution of all molecular species and considers the acid-base equilibrium of the weak polyelectrolyte. Namely, the degree of charge in the polymers is not imposed but it is a local varying property that results from the minimization of the total free energy. Inclusion of the dielectric properties of the polyelectrolyte is important as the environment of a polymer layer is very different from that in the adjacent aqueous solution. The main effect of the Born energy contribution on the molecular organization of an end-grafted weak polyacid layer is uncharging the weak acid (or basic) groups and consequently decreasing the concentration of mobile ions within the layer. The magnitude of the effect increases with polymer density and, in the case of the average degree of charge, it is qualitatively equivalent to a small shift in the equilibrium constant for the acid-base equilibrium of the weak polyelectrolyte monomers. The degree of charge is established by the competition between electrostatic interactions, the polymer conformational entropy, the excluded volume interactions, the translational entropy of the counterions and the acid-base chemical equilibrium. Consideration of the Born energy introduces an additional energetic penalty to the presence of charged groups in the polyelectrolyte layer, whose effect is mitigated by down-regulating the amount of charge, i.e., by shifting the local-acid base equilibrium towards its uncharged state. Shifting of the local acid-base equilibrium and its effect on the properties of the polyelectrolyte layer, without considering the Born energy, have been theoretically predicted previously. Account of the Born energy leads to systematic, but in general small, corrections to earlier theoretical predictions describing the behavior of weak polyelectrolyte layers. However, polyelectrolyte uncharging results in a decrease in the concentration of counterions and inclusion of the Born Energy can result in a substantial decrease of the counterion concentration. The effect of considering the Born energy contribution is explored for end-grafted weak polyelectrolyte layers by calculating experimental observables which are known to depend on the presence of charges within the polyelectrolyte layer: inclusion of the Born energy contribution leads to a decrease in the capacitance of polyelectrolyte-modified electrodes, a decrease of conductivity of polyelectrolyte-modified nanopores and an increase in the repulsion exerted by a planar polyelectrolyte layer confined by an opposing wall.

Intracellular pH Response to Weak Acid Stress in Individual Vegetative Bacillus subtilis Cells.

PubMed

Pandey, Rachna; Vischer, Norbert O E; Smelt, Jan P P M; van Beilen, Johan W A; Ter Beek, Alexander; De Vos, Winnok H; Brul, Stanley; Manders, Erik M M

2016-11-01

Intracellular pH (pH i ) critically affects bacterial cell physiology. Hence, a variety of food preservation strategies are aimed at perturbing pH i homeostasis. Unfortunately, accurate pH i quantification with existing methods is suboptimal, since measurements are averages across populations of cells, not taking into account interindividual heterogeneity. Yet, physiological heterogeneity in isogenic populations is well known to be responsible for differences in growth and division kinetics of cells in response to external stressors. To assess in this context the behavior of intracellular acidity, we have developed a robust method to quantify pH i at single-cell levels in Bacillus subtilis Bacilli spoil food, cause disease, and are well known for their ability to form highly stress-resistant spores. Using an improved version of the genetically encoded ratiometric pHluorin (IpHluorin), we have quantified pH i in individual B. subtilis cells, cultured at an external pH of 6.4, in the absence or presence of weak acid stresses. In the presence of 3 mM potassium sorbate, a decrease in pH i and an increase in the generation time of growing cells were observed. Similar effects were observed when cells were stressed with 25 mM potassium acetate. Time-resolved analysis of individual bacteria in growing colonies shows that after a transient pH decrease, long-term pH evolution is highly cell dependent. The heterogeneity at the single-cell level shows the existence of subpopulations that might be more resistant and contribute to population survival. Our approach contributes to an understanding of pH i regulation in individual bacteria and may help scrutinizing effects of existing and novel food preservation strategies. This study shows how the physiological response to commonly used weak organic acid food preservatives, such as sorbic and acetic acids, can be measured at the single-cell level. These data are key to coupling often-observed single-cell heterogeneous growth behavior upon the addition of weak organic acid food preservatives. Generally, these data are gathered in the form of plate counting of samples incubated with the acids. Here, we visualize the underlying heterogeneity in cellular pH homeostasis, opening up avenues for mechanistic analyses of the heterogeneity in the weak acid stress response. Thus, microbial risk assessment can become more robust, widening the scope of use of these well-known weak organic acid food preservatives. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

[What is the contribution of Stewart's concept in acid-base disorders analysis?].

PubMed

Quintard, H; Hubert, S; Ichai, C

2007-05-01

To explain the different approaches for interpreting acid-base disorders; to develop the Stewart model which offers some advantages for the pathophysiological understanding and the clinical interpretation of acid-base imbalances. Record of french and english references from Medline data base. The keywords were: acid-base balance, hyperchloremic acidosis, metabolic acidosis, strong ion difference, strong ion gap. Data were selected including prospective and retrospective studies, reviews, and case reports. Acid-base disorders are commonly analysed by using the traditional Henderson-Hasselbalch approach which attributes the variations in plasma pH to the modifications in plasma bicarbonates or PaCO2. However, this approach seems to be inadequate because bicarbonates and PaCO2 are completely dependent. Moreover, it does not consider the role of weak acids such as albuminate, in the determination of plasma pH value. According to the Stewart concept, plasma pH results from the degree of plasma water dissociation which is determined by 3 independent variables: 1) strong ion difference (SID) which is the difference between all the strong plasma cations and anions; 2) quantity of plasma weak acids; 3) PaCO2. Thus, metabolic acid-base disorders are always induced by a variation in SID (decreased in acidosis) or in weak acids (increased in acidosis), whereas respiratory disorders remains the consequence of a change in PaCO2. These pathophysiological considerations are important to analyse complex acid-base imbalances in critically ill patients. For example, due to a decrease in weak acids, hypoalbuminemia increases SID which may counter-balance a decrease in pH and an elevated anion gap. Thus if using only traditional tools, hypoalbuminemia may mask a metabolic acidosis, because of a normal pH and a normal anion gap. In this case, the association of metabolic acidosis and alkalosis is only expressed by respectively a decreased SID and a decreased weak acids concentration. This concept allows to establish the relationship between hyperchloremic acidosis and infusion of solutes which contain large concentration of chloride such as NaCl 0.9%. Finally, the Stewart concept permits to understand that sodium bicarbonate as well as sodium lactate induces plasma alkalinization. In fact, sodium remains in plasma, whereas anion (lactate or bicarbonate) are metabolized leading to an increase in plasma SID. Due to its simplicity, the traditional Henderson-Hasselbalch approach of acid-base disorders, remains commonly used. However, it gives an inadequate pathophysiological analysis which may conduct to a false diagnosis, especially with complex acid-base imbalances. Despite its apparent complexity, the Stewart concept permits to understand precisely the mechanisms of acid-base disorders. It has to become the most appropriate approach to analyse complex acid-base abnormalities.

A combined Cyanex-923/HEH[EHP]/Dodecane solvent for recovery of transuranic elements from used nuclear fuel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, A.; Nash, K.L.

2013-07-01

The separation of minor actinides from fission product lanthanides remains a primary challenge for enabling the recycle of used nuclear fuel. To minimize the complexity of materials handling, combining extractant processes has become an increasingly attractive option. Unfortunately, combined processes sometimes suffer reduced utility due to strong dipole-dipole interactions between the extractants. The results reported here describe a system based on a combination of commercially available extractants Cyanex-923 and HEH[EHP]. In contrast to other combined extractant systems, these extractant molecules exhibit comparatively weak interactions, reducing the impact of secondary interactions. In this process, mixtures containing equal ratios of Cyanex-923 andmore » HEH[EHP] were seen to co-extract americium and the lanthanides from nitric acid solutions. Stripping of An(III) was effectively achieved through contact with an aqueous phase comprised of glycine (for pH control) and a polyamino-poly-carboxylate stripping reagent that selectively removes An(III) from the extractant phase. The lanthanides can then be stripped from the loaded organic phase contacting with high nitric acid concentrations. Extraction of fission products zirconium and molybdenum was also investigated and potential strategies for their management have been identified. The work presented demonstrates the feasibility of combining Cyanex-923 and HEH[EHP] for separating and recovering the transuranic elements from the Ln(III). (authors)« less

The strength-of-weak-ties perspective on creativity: a comprehensive examination and extension.

PubMed

Baer, Markus

2010-05-01

Disentangling the effects of weak ties on creativity, the present study separated, both theoretically and empirically, the effects of the size and strength of actors' idea networks and examined their joint impact while simultaneously considering the separate, moderating role of network diversity. I hypothesized that idea networks of optimal size and weak strength were more likely to boost creativity when they afforded actors access to a wide range of different social circles. In addition, I examined whether the joint effects of network size, strength, and diversity on creativity were further qualified by the openness to experience personality dimension. As expected, results indicated that actors were most creative when they maintained idea networks of optimal size, weak strength, and high diversity and when they scored high on the openness dimension. The implications of these results are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

High School Forum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herron, J. Dudley, Ed.

1977-01-01

Discusses a comparison of the relative effects on the stomach of a strong acid, hydrochloric acid, and a weak acid, aspirin. Also discusses molecular geometrics using the Valence Shell Electron Repulsion Theory. (MLH)

Diazotisation of Weakly Basic Aromatic and Heterocyclic Amines in Strongly Acid Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godovikova, Tamara I.; Rakitin, Oleg A.; Khmel'nitskii, Lenor I.

1983-05-01

The review is devoted to the diazotisation of weakly basic aromatic amines. The methods of synthesis of diazonium salts based on these amines by non-traditional methods are examined. Data on the mechanism of the diazotisation reaction in strongly acid media are surveyed. Reactions of diazonium salts leading to the synthesis of new compounds are presented. The bibliography includes 75 references.

Determination of organic bases in non-aqueous solvents by catalytic thermometric titration.

PubMed

Vajgand, V J; Kiss, T A; Gaál, F F; Zsigrai, I J

1968-07-01

Catalytic thermometric titrations have been developed for bases (brucine, diethylaniline, potassium acetate and triethylamine) in acetic acid by continuous and discontinuous addition of the standard solution and automatic temperature recording. The determination of weak bases, e.g., antipyrine, unsuccessful in acetic acid by catalytic thermometric titration, has been achieved by using nitromethane or acetic anhydride as solvent. Catalytic thermometric titrations were also performed by coulometric generation of hydrogen ions for the determination of micro amounts of weak bases in a mixture of acetic anhyride and acetic acid.

Why is hydrofluoric acid a weak acid?

PubMed

Ayotte, Patrick; Hébert, Martin; Marchand, Patrick

2005-11-08

The infrared vibrational spectra of amorphous solid water thin films doped with HF at 40 K reveal a strong continuous absorbance in the 1000-3275 cm(-1) range. This so-called Zundel continuum is the spectroscopic hallmark for aqueous protons. The extensive ionic dissociation of HF at such low temperature suggests that the reaction enthalpy remains negative down to 40 K. These observations support the interpretation that dilute HF aqueous solutions behave as weak acids largely due to the large positive reaction entropy resulting from the structure making character of the hydrated fluoride ion.

Nocturnal Gastroesophageal Reflux Revisited by Impedance-pH Monitoring

PubMed Central

Blondeau, Kathleen; Mertens, Veerle; Tack, Jan; Sifrim, Daniel

2011-01-01

Background/Aims Impedance-pH monitoring allows detailed characterization of gastroesophageal reflux and esophageal activity associated with reflux. We assessed the characteristics of nocturnal reflux and esophageal activity preceding and following reflux. Methods Impedance-pH tracings from 11 healthy subjects and 76 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease off acid-suppressive therapy were analyzed. Characteristics of nocturnal supine reflux, time distribution and esophageal activity seen on impedance at 2 minute intervals preceding and following reflux were described. Results Patients had more nocturnal reflux events than healthy subjects (8 [4-12] vs 2 [1-5], P = 0.002), with lower proportion of weakly acidic reflux (57% [35-78] vs 80% [60-100], P = 0.044). Nocturnal reflux was mainly liquid (80%) and reached the proximal esophagus more often in patients (6% vs 0%, P = 0.047). Acid reflux predominated in the first 2 hours (66%) and weakly acidic reflux in the last 3 hours (70%) of the night. Most nocturnal reflux was preceded by aboral flows and cleared by short lasting volume clearance. In patients, prolonged chemical clearance was associated with less esophageal activity. Conclusions Nocturnal weakly acidic reflux is as common as acid reflux in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, and predominates later in the night. Impedance-pH can predict prolonged chemical clearance after nocturnal acid reflux. PMID:21602991

[The characteristics of esophagogastric junction contractile index in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease or functional heartburn].

PubMed

Wang, K; Duan, L P; Ge, Y; Xia, Z W; Xu, Z J

2016-04-01

To study the role of esophagogastric junction contractile index (EGJ-CI) in evaluating the function of anti-reflux barrier, and in differentiating patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) from those with functional heartburn (FH). A total of 115 patients presenting heartburn were enrolled in the study from January 2012 to June 2015.All subjects had completed Gerd-Q questionnaire and undergone gastroscopy, 24-hour pH-impedance monitoring and esophageal high-resolution manometry. GERD patients were divided into as reflux esophagitis, acid-nonerosive reflux disease (NERD) and weakly acid-NERD groups. Patients with normal esophageal mucosa, normal acid exposure and negative proton pump inhibitor test were enrolled in FH group. EGJ-CI (mmHg·cm) as well as EGJ rest pressure and 4s integrated relaxation pressure (IRP 4s) were measured. Among the 115 patients, 18 were reflux esophagitis [(49.0±18.9) years, M∶F=10∶8], 25 were acid-NERD [(48.7±14.4) years, M∶F=13∶12], 37 were weakly acid-NERD [(52.0±14.8) years, M∶F=15∶22] and 35 were FH [(53.6±14.8), M∶F=8∶27]. No differences of Gerd-Q scores were noticed between the four groups. (1)Negative correlations were demonstrated between EGJ-CI and esophageal acid exposure time (r=-0.283, P=0.002), EGJ-CI and acid reflux events (r=-0.233, P=0.012), EGJ-CI and weakly acid reflux events (r=-0.213, P=0.022), EGJ-CI and non-acid reflux events (r=-0.200, P=0.032). (2)The value of EGJ-CI was significantly higher in FH patients than in the three subgroups of GERD(all P<0.01). EGJ rest pressure of FH group was higher than that of acid-NERD (P<0.01). IRP 4s in acid-NERD group was lower than that of FH and weakly acid-NERD (P<0.05). (3)The area under curve (AUC) of EGJ-CI was higher than that of EGJ-CIT, EGJ rest pressure or IRP 4s(0.686 vs 0.678, 0.641 and 0.578). The cut-off value of EGJ-CI to differentiate GERD from FH was 9.74 mmHg·cm with sensitivity 82.86% and specificity 51.52%. The EGJ-CI values are negatively correlated with esophageal acid exposure time, weakly acid reflux events and non-acid reflux events. Thus it might be used as a metric to reflect the anti-reflux function of EGJ. According to the cut-off value of EGJ-CI 9.74 mmHg·cm, patients with GERD can be sensitively differentiated from patients with FH.

An EEG blind source separation algorithm based on a weak exclusion principle.

PubMed

Lan Ma; Blu, Thierry; Wang, William S-Y

2016-08-01

The question of how to separate individual brain and non-brain signals, mixed by volume conduction in electroencephalographic (EEG) and other electrophysiological recordings, is a significant problem in contemporary neuroscience. This study proposes and evaluates a novel EEG Blind Source Separation (BSS) algorithm based on a weak exclusion principle (WEP). The chief point in which it differs from most previous EEG BSS algorithms is that the proposed algorithm is not based upon the hypothesis that the sources are statistically independent. Our first step was to investigate algorithm performance on simulated signals which have ground truth. The purpose of this simulation is to illustrate the proposed algorithm's efficacy. The results show that the proposed algorithm has good separation performance. Then, we used the proposed algorithm to separate real EEG signals from a memory study using a revised version of Sternberg Task. The results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively separate the non-brain and brain sources.

Dynamical transition between weak and strong coupling in Brillouin laser pulse amplification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schluck, F.; Lehmann, G.; Müller, C.

Short laser pulse amplification via stimulated Brillouin backscattering in plasma is considered. Previous work distinguishes between the weakly and strongly coupled regime and treats them separately. It is shown here that such a separation is not generally applicable because strong and weak coupling interaction regimes are entwined with each other. An initially weakly coupled amplification scenario may dynamically transform into strong coupling. This happens when the local seed amplitude grows and thus triggers the strongly driven plasma response. On the other hand, when in a strong coupling scenario, the pump pulse gets depleted, and its amplitude might drop below themore » strong coupling threshold. This may cause significant changes in the final seed pulse shape. Furthermore, experimentally used pump pulses are typically Gaussian-shaped. The intensity threshold for strong coupling may only be exceeded around the maximum and not in the wings of the pulse. Also here, a description valid in both strong and weak coupling regimes is required. We propose such a unified treatment which allows us, in particular, to study the dynamic transition between weak and strong coupling. Consequences for the pulse forms of the amplified seed are discussed.« less

METHOD OF RECOVERING THORIUM

DOEpatents

Fisher, R.W.

1957-12-10

A method is described for recovering thorium from impurities found in a slag containing thorium and said impurities, comprising leaching a composition containing thorium with water, removing the water solution, treating the residue with hydrochloric acid, separating the solution from the insoluble residue, adjusting its acidity to 1 to 3 normal, adding oxalic acid, and thereafter separating the precipitated thorium oxalate digesting the residue from the hydrochloric acid treatment with a strong solution of sodium hydroxide at an elevated temperature, removing said solution and treating the insoluble residue with hydrochloric acid, separating the solution from the insoluble residue, adjusting the acidity of this solution to 1 to 3 normal, adding nitric acid to oxidize the iron present, adding oxalic acid and thereafter separating the thorium oxalate thus precipitated.

ADSORPTION METHOD FOR SEPARATING METAL CATIONS

DOEpatents

Khym, J.X.

1959-03-10

The chromatographic separation of fission product cations is discussed. By use of this method a mixture of metal cations containing Zr, Cb, Ce, Y, Ba, and Sr may be separated from one another. Mentioned as preferred exchange adsorbents are resins containing free sulfonic acid groups. Various eluants, such as tartaric acid, HCl, and citric acid, used at various acidities, are employed to effect the selective elution and separation of the various fission product cations.

Preparative separation of underivatized amino acids for compound-specific stable isotope analysis and radiocarbon dating of hydrolyzed bone collagen.

PubMed

Tripp, Jennifer A; McCullagh, James S O; Hedges, Robert E M

2006-01-01

Analysis of stable and radioactive isotopes from bone collagen provides useful information to archaeologists about the origin and age of bone artifacts. Isolation and analysis of single amino acids from the proteins can provide additional and more accurate information by removing contamination and separating a bulk isotope signal into its constituent parts. In this paper, we report a new method for the separation and isolation of underivatized amino acids from bone collagen, and their analysis by isotope ratio MS and accelerator MS. RP chromatography is used to separate the amino acids with nonpolar side chains, followed by an ion pair separation to isolate the remaining amino acids. The method produces single amino acids with little or no contamination from the separation process and allows for the measurement of accurate stable isotope ratios and pure samples for radiocarbon dating.

Graphene quantum dots as additives in capillary electrophoresis for separation cinnamic acid and its derivatives.

PubMed

Sun, Yaming; Bi, Qing; Zhang, Xiaoli; Wang, Litao; Zhang, Xia; Dong, Shuqing; Zhao, Liang

2016-05-01

A facile capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for the separation of cinnamic acid and its derivatives (3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid, 4-methoxycinnamic acid, isoferulic acid, sinapic acid, cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, and trans-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) using graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as additives with direct ultraviolet (UV) detection is reported. GQDs were synthesized by chemical oxidization and further purified by a macroporous resin column to remove salts (Na2SO4 and NaNO3) and other impurities. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that GQDs have a relatively uniform particle size (2.3 nm). Taking into account the structural features of GQDs, cinnamic acid and its derivatives were adopted as model compounds to investigate whether GQDs can be used to improve CE separations. The separation performance of GQDs used as additives in CE was studied through variations of pH, concentration of the background electrolyte (BGE), and contents of GQDs. The results indicated that excellent separation can be achieved in less than 18 min, which is mainly attributed to the interaction between the analytes and GQDs, especially isoferulic acid, sinapic acid, and cinnamic acid. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Concentration of perrhenate and pertechnetate solutions

DOEpatents

Knapp, F.F.; Beets, A.L.; Mirzadeh, S.; Guhlke, S.

1998-03-17

A method is described for preparing a concentrated solution of a carrier-free radioisotope which includes the steps of: (a) providing a generator column loaded with a composition containing a parent radioisotope; (b) eluting the generator column with an eluent solution which includes a salt of a weak acid to elute a target daughter radioisotope from the generator column in a first eluate; (c) eluting a cation-exchange column with the first eluate to exchange cations of the salt for hydrogen ions and to elute the target daughter radioisotope and a weak acid in a second eluate; (d) eluting an anion-exchange column with the second eluate to trap and concentrate the target daughter radioisotope and to elute the weak acid solution therefrom; and (e) eluting the concentrated target daughter radioisotope from the anion-exchange column with a saline solution. 1 fig.

Concentration of perrhenate and pertechnetate solutions

DOEpatents

Knapp, Furn F.; Beets, Arnold L.; Mirzadeh, Saed; Guhlke, Stefan

1998-01-01

A method of preparing a concentrated solution of a carrier-free radioisotope which includes the steps of: a. providing a generator column loaded with a composition containing a parent radioisotope; b. eluting the generator column with an eluent solution which includes a salt of a weak acid to elute a target daughter radioisotope from the generator column in a first eluate. c. eluting a cation-exchange column with the first eluate to exchange cations of the salt for hydrogen ions and to elute the target daughter radioisotope and a weak acid in a second eluate; d. eluting an anion-exchange column with the second eluate to trap and concentrate the target daughter radioisotope and to elute the weak acid solution therefrom; and e. eluting the concentrated target daughter radioisotope from the anion-exchange column with a saline solution.

Thin-layer chromatographic separation of conjugates of ursodeoxycholic acid from those of litho-, chenodeoxy-, deoxy-, and cholic acids.

PubMed

Batta, A K; Shefer, S; Salen, G

1981-05-01

Separation of the glycine and taurine conjugates of ursodeoxycholic acid from those of lithocholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, deoxycholic acid, and cholic acid by thin-layer chromatography is described. Thus, on running a silica gel G plate first in a solvent system of n-butanol-water 20:3 and then in a second solvent system of chloroform-isopropanol-acetic acid-water 30:20:4:1, all the above-mentioned conjugated bile acids are separated from one another. The application of this method to study the change in the biliary bile acid conjugation pattern in ursodeoxycholic acid-fed gallstone patients is described.

Fast high-throughput method for the determination of acidity constants by capillary electrophoresis: I. Monoprotic weak acids and bases.

PubMed

Fuguet, Elisabet; Ràfols, Clara; Bosch, Elisabeth; Rosés, Martí

2009-04-24

A new and fast method to determine acidity constants of monoprotic weak acids and bases by capillary zone electrophoresis based on the use of an internal standard (compound of similar nature and acidity constant as the analyte) has been developed. This method requires only two electrophoretic runs for the determination of an acidity constant: a first one at a pH where both analyte and internal standard are totally ionized, and a second one at another pH where both are partially ionized. Furthermore, the method is not pH dependent, so an accurate measure of the pH of the buffer solutions is not needed. The acidity constants of several phenols and amines have been measured using internal standards of known pK(a), obtaining a mean deviation of 0.05 pH units compared to the literature values.

Control of gel swelling and phase separation of weakly charged thermoreversible gels by salt addition

PubMed Central

Solis, Francisco J.; Vernon, Brent

2009-01-01

Doping of thermoreversible polymer gels with charged monomers provides a way to control phase separation and gelation conditions by coupling the properties of the gel with a tunable ionic environment. We analyze the dependence of the gelation and phase separation conditions on the amount of salt present using a mean field model of weakly charged associative polymers. The ions and co-ions present are explicitly considered at the mean field level, and we determine their concentrations in the different equilibrium phases when the system undergoes phase separation. For weak polymer charge, the entropic contributions of the ions to the free energy of the system play a central role in the determination of the location of phase equilibrium. In the simplest case, when the associative interaction responsible for gel formation is independent of the electrostatic interaction, the addition of salt changes the polymer equilibrium concentrations and indirectly changes the measurable swelling of the gel. We construct phase diagrams of these systems showing the location of the coexistence region, the gel-sol boundary and the location of the tie-lines. We determine the swelling of the gel within the co-existence region. Our main result is that the description of the effect of the salt on the properties of the weakly charged gel can be described through an extra contribution to the effective immiscibility parameter χ proportional to the square of the doping degree f2 and to the inverse square of the added salt concentration s−2. PMID:19759854

Why Isn't My Rain as Acidic as Yours?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zajicek, O. T.

1985-01-01

Discusses three topics that have been improperly applied to the acidic precipitation issue. They are: (1) use of the pH scale; (2) acidity; and (3) solution equilibria of strong and weak acids. Implications for instruction are considered. (JN)

Separation of thorium and uranium in nitric acid solution using silica based anion exchange resin.

PubMed

Chen, Yanliang; Wei, Yuezhou; He, Linfeng; Tang, Fangdong

2016-09-30

To separate thorium and uranium in nitric acid solution using anion exchange process, a strong base silica-based anion exchange resin (SiPyR-N4) was synthesized. Batch experiments were conducted and the separation factor of thorium and uranium in 9M nitric acid was about 10. Ion exchange chromatography was applied to separate thorium and uranium in different ratios. Uranium could be eluted by 9M nitric acid and thorium was eluted by 0.1M nitric acid. It was proved that thorium and uranium can be separated and recovered successfully by this method. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Separation processes using expulsion from dilute supercritical solutions

DOEpatents

Cochran, Jr., Henry D.

1993-01-01

A process for separating isotopes as well as other mixtures by utilizing the behavior of dilute repulsive or weakly attractive elements of the mixtures as the critical point of the solvent is approached.

On the degree conjecture for separability of multipartite quantum states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hassan, Ali Saif M.; Joag, Pramod S.

2008-01-15

We settle the so-called degree conjecture for the separability of multipartite quantum states, which are normalized graph Laplacians, first given by Braunstein et al. [Phys. Rev. A 73, 012320 (2006)]. The conjecture states that a multipartite quantum state is separable if and only if the degree matrix of the graph associated with the state is equal to the degree matrix of the partial transpose of this graph. We call this statement to be the strong form of the conjecture. In its weak version, the conjecture requires only the necessity, that is, if the state is separable, the corresponding degree matricesmore » match. We prove the strong form of the conjecture for pure multipartite quantum states using the modified tensor product of graphs defined by Hassan and Joag [J. Phys. A 40, 10251 (2007)], as both necessary and sufficient condition for separability. Based on this proof, we give a polynomial-time algorithm for completely factorizing any pure multipartite quantum state. By polynomial-time algorithm, we mean that the execution time of this algorithm increases as a polynomial in m, where m is the number of parts of the quantum system. We give a counterexample to show that the conjecture fails, in general, even in its weak form, for multipartite mixed states. Finally, we prove this conjecture, in its weak form, for a class of multipartite mixed states, giving only a necessary condition for separability.« less

Genome-wide identification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes required for tolerance to acetic acid.

PubMed

Mira, Nuno P; Palma, Margarida; Guerreiro, Joana F; Sá-Correia, Isabel

2010-10-25

Acetic acid is a byproduct of Saccharomyces cerevisiae alcoholic fermentation. Together with high concentrations of ethanol and other toxic metabolites, acetic acid may contribute to fermentation arrest and reduced ethanol productivity. This weak acid is also a present in lignocellulosic hydrolysates, a highly interesting non-feedstock substrate in industrial biotechnology. Therefore, the better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying S. cerevisiae tolerance to acetic acid is essential for the rational selection of optimal fermentation conditions and the engineering of more robust industrial strains to be used in processes in which yeast is explored as cell factory. The yeast genes conferring protection against acetic acid were identified in this study at a genome-wide scale, based on the screening of the EUROSCARF haploid mutant collection for susceptibility phenotypes to this weak acid (concentrations in the range 70-110 mM, at pH 4.5). Approximately 650 determinants of tolerance to acetic acid were identified. Clustering of these acetic acid-resistance genes based on their biological function indicated an enrichment of genes involved in transcription, internal pH homeostasis, carbohydrate metabolism, cell wall assembly, biogenesis of mitochondria, ribosome and vacuole, and in the sensing, signalling and uptake of various nutrients in particular iron, potassium, glucose and amino acids. A correlation between increased resistance to acetic acid and the level of potassium in the growth medium was found. The activation of the Snf1p signalling pathway, involved in yeast response to glucose starvation, is demonstrated to occur in response to acetic acid stress but no evidence was obtained supporting the acetic acid-induced inhibition of glucose uptake. Approximately 490 of the 650 determinants of tolerance to acetic acid identified in this work are implicated, for the first time, in tolerance to this weak acid. These are novel candidate genes for genetic engineering to obtain more robust yeast strains against acetic acid toxicity. Among these genes there are number of transcription factors that are documented regulators of a large percentage of the genes found to exert protection against acetic acid thus being considered interesting targets for subsequent genetic engineering. The increase of potassium concentration in the growth medium was found to improve the expression of maximal tolerance to acetic acid, consistent with the idea that the adequate manipulation of nutrient concentration of industrial growth medium can be an interesting strategy to surpass the deleterious effects of this weak acid in yeast cells.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Children with Interstitial Lung Disease.

PubMed

Dziekiewicz, M A; Karolewska-Bochenek, K; Dembiński, Ł; Gawronska, A; Krenke, K; Lange, J; Banasiuk, M; Kuchar, E; Kulus, M; Albrecht, P; Banaszkiewicz, A

2016-01-01

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is common in adult patients with interstitial lung disease. However, no data currently exist regarding the prevalence and characteristics of the disease in pediatric patients with interstitial lung disease. The aim of the present study was to prospectively assess the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease and characterize its features in children with interstitial lung disease. Gastroesophageal reflux disease was established based on 24 h pH-impedance monitoring (MII-pH). Gastroesophageal reflux episodes (GERs) were classified according to widely recognized criteria as acid, weakly acid, weakly alkaline, or proximal. Eighteen consecutive patients (15 boys, aged 0.2-11.6 years) were enrolled in the study. Gastroesophageal reflux disease was diagnosed in a half (9/18) of children. A thousand GERs were detected by MII-pH (median 53.5; IQR 39.0-75.5). Of these, 585 (58.5 %) episodes were acidic, 407 (40.7 %) were weakly acidic, and eight (0.8 %) were weakly alkaline. There were 637 (63.7 %) proximal GERs. The patients in whom gastroesophageal reflux disease was diagnosed had a significantly higher number of proximal and total GERs. We conclude that the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in children with interstitial lung disease is high; thus, the disease should be considered regardless of presenting clinical symptoms. A high frequency of non-acid and proximal GERs makes the MII-pH method a preferable choice for the detection of reflux episodes in this patient population.

Separation of aromatic carboxylic acids using quaternary ammonium salts on reversed-phase HPLC. 1. Separation behavior of aromatic carboxylic acids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawamura, K.; Okuwaki, A.; Verheyen, T.

In order to develop separation processes and analytical methods for aromatic carboxylic acids for the coal oxidation products, the separation behavior of aromatic carboxylic acids on a reversed-phase HPLC using eluent containing quaternary ammonium salt has been investigated. The retention mechanism of aromatic carboxylic acids was discussed on the basis of both ion-pair partition model and ion-exchange model. The retention behavior of aromatic carboxylic acids possessing one (or two) carboxylic acid group(s) followed the ion-pair partition model, where linear free energy relationship was observed between the capacity factor and the extraction equilibrium constants of benzoic acid and naphthalene carboxylic acid.more » Besides, the retention behavior followed ion-exchange model with increasing the number of carboxylic acids, where the capacity factor of benzene polycarboxylic acids is proportional to the association constants between aromatic acids and quaternary ammonium ions calculated on the basis of an electrostatic interaction model.« less

Characteristic vibration patterns of odor compounds from bread-baking volatiles upon protein binding: density functional and ONIOM study and principal component analysis.

PubMed

Treesuwan, Witcha; Hirao, Hajime; Morokuma, Keiji; Hannongbua, Supa

2012-05-01

As the mechanism underlying the sense of smell is unclear, different models have been used to rationalize structure-odor relationships. To gain insight into odorant molecules from bread baking, binding energies and vibration spectra in the gas phase and in the protein environment [7-transmembrane helices (7TMHs) of rhodopsin] were calculated using density functional theory [B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)] and ONIOM [B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p):PM3] methods. It was found that acetaldehyde ("acid" category) binds strongly in the large cavity inside the receptor, whereas 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine ("roasted") binds weakly. Lys296, Tyr268, Thr118 and Ala117 were identified as key residues in the binding site. More emphasis was placed on how vibrational frequencies are shifted and intensities modified in the receptor protein environment. Principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that the frequency shifts of C-C stretching, CH(3) umbrella, C = O stretching and CH(3) stretching modes have a significant effect on odor quality. In fact, the frequency shifts of the C-C stretching and C = O stretching modes, as well as CH(3) umbrella and CH(3) symmetric stretching modes, exhibit different behaviors in the PCA loadings plot. A large frequency shift in the CH(3) symmetric stretching mode is associated with the sweet-roasted odor category and separates this from the acid odor category. A large frequency shift of the C-C stretching mode describes the roasted and oily-popcorn odor categories, and separates these from the buttery and acid odor categories.

Capillary electrophoretic study of dibasic acids of different structures: Relation to separation of oxidative intermediates in remediation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Z.; Cocke, D.L.

Dicarboxylic acids are important in environmental chemistry because they are intermediates in oxidative processes involved in natural remediation and waste management processes such as oxidative detoxification and advanced oxidation. Capillary electrophoresis (CE), a promising technique for separating and analyzing these intermediates, has been used to examine a series of dibasic acids of different structures and conformations. This series includes malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, phthalic acid, and trans, trans-muconic acid. The CE parameters as well as structural variations (molecular structure and molecular isomers, buffer composition, pH, applied voltage, injection mode, current,more » temperature, and detection wavelength) that affect the separations and analytical results have been examined in this study. Those factors that affect the separation have been delineated. Among these parameters, the pH has been found to be the most important, which affects the double-layer of the capillary wall, the electro-osmotic flow and analyte mobility. The optimum pH for separating these dibasic acids, as well as the other parameters are discussed in detail and related to the development of methods for analyzing oxidation intermediates in oxidative waste management procedures.« less

Separation processes using expulsion from dilute supercritical solutions

DOEpatents

Cochran, H.D. Jr.

1993-04-20

A process is described for separating isotopes as well as other mixtures by utilizing the behavior of dilute repulsive or weakly attractive elements of the mixtures as the critical point of the solvent is approached.

SEPARATION OF PLUTONIUM FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS BY ION-EXCHANGE

DOEpatents

Schubert, J.

1958-06-01

A process is described for the separation of plutonium from an aqueous solution of a plutonium salt, which comprises adding to the solution an acid of the group consisting of sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and oxalic acid, and mixtures thereof to provide an acid concentration between 0.0001 and 1 M, contacting the resultant solution with a synthetic organic anion exchange resin, and separating the aqueous phase and the resin which contains the plutonium.

Hydrogen ion speciation in the acid precipitation of the northeastern United States

Treesearch

James N. Galloway; Gene E. Likens; Eric S. Edgerton

1976-01-01

The acidity of precipitation in rural, forested areas of the northeastern United States is dominated by the strong mineral acids, sulfuric and nitric. Weak acids have a negligible effect on the measured acidity (pH) of precipitation. These conclusions are based on total acidity titrations and detailed analysis of organic and inorganic components in precipitation.

Weak laws against acid attacks on women: an Indian perspective.

PubMed

Ahmad, Nehaluddin

2012-01-01

Acid attacks, especially on women, have seen an alarming growth in India over the last decade. While these attacks can be attributed to various factors such as the social weakness of women in a male-dominated society, the situation is exacerbated by the general neglect of the lawmakers. As acid is inexpensive and easily available, it serves as an ideal weapon for the perpetrators. Further, as this offence is bailable in certain situations, the punishment does not act as a sufficient deterrent in most cases. This paper describes the horrendous effects that acid attacks have on the victims physically, psychologically and socially. It also examines the contemporary laws governing acid attacks on victims and offenders. Ideas for a better legal approach will also be examined with special reference to acid attacks as a crime, and the validity of specific legal provisions for female victims.

The synthesis of weak acidic type hybrid monolith via thiol-ene click chemistry and its application in hydrophilic interaction chromatography.

PubMed

Zeng, Jiao; Liu, Shengquan; Wang, Menglin; Yao, Shouzhuo; Chen, Yingzhuang

2017-05-01

In this work, a porous structure and good permeability monolithic column was polymerized in UV transparent fused-silica capillaries via photo-initiated thiol-ene click polymerization of 2,4,6,8-tetravinyl-2,4,6,8-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMTVS), pentaerythritol tetra(3-mercaptopropionate)(PETMP), itaconic acid, respectively, in the presence of porogenic solvents (tetrahydrofuranand methanol) and an initiator (2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone) (DMPA) within 30 min. The physical properties of this monolith were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements. For an overall evaluation of the monolith in chromatographic application, separations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenols, amides and bases were carried out. The column efficiency of this monolith could be as high as 112 560 N/m. It also possesses a potential application in fabrication of monoliths with high efficiency for c-LC. In addition, the resulting monolithic column demonstrated the potential use in analysis of environment waters. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Relationship between gastro-oesophageal reflux and airway diseases: the airway reflux paradigm.

PubMed

Pacheco-Galván, Adalberto; Hart, Simon P; Morice, Alyn H

2011-04-01

Our understanding of the relationship between gastro-oesophageal reflux and respiratory disease has recently undergone important changes. The previous paradigm of airway reflux as synonymous with the classic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) causing heartburn has been overturned. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown a highly significant association of the acid, liquid, and gaseous reflux of GORD with conditions such as laryngeal diseases, chronic rhinosinusitis, treatment resistant asthma, COPD and even idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, it has become clear from studies on cough hypersensitivity syndrome that much reflux of importance in the airways has been missed, since it is either non- or weakly acid and gaseous in composition. The evidence for such a relationship relies on the clinical history pointing to symptom associations with known precipitants of reflux. The tools for the diagnosis of extra-oesophageal reflux, in contrast to the oesophageal reflux of GORD, lack sensitivity and reproducibility. Unfortunately, methodology for detecting such reflux is only just becoming available and much additional work is required to properly delineate its role. Copyright © 2011 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

SOLVENT EXTRACTION PROCESS FOR SEPARATING ACTINIDE AND LANTHANIDE METAL VALUES

DOEpatents

Hildebrandt, R.A.; Hyman, H.H.; Vogler, S.

1962-08-14

A process of countercurrently extracting an aqueous mineral acid feed solution for the separation of actinides from lanthanides dissolved therern is described. The feed solution is made acid-defrcient with alkali metal hydroxide prior to.contact with acid extractant; during extraction, however, acid is transferred from organic to aqueous solution and the aqueous solution gradually becomes acid. The acid-deficient phase ' of the process promotes the extraction of the actinides, while the latter acid phase'' of the process improves retention of the lanthanides in the aqueous solution. This provides for an improved separation. (AEC)

SEPARATION OF AMERICIUM FROM PROMETHIUM

DOEpatents

Pressly, R.E.

1959-07-01

Promethium-147 is separated from americium in acidic aqueous solution by adding fluosilicic acid to the solution, heating the solution to form a promethium precipitate and separating the precipitate from solution. The precipitate is then re-dissolved by ihe addition of boric acid and nitric acid, and re-precipitated by the addition of fluosilicic acid. This procedure is repeated six or more times to obtain a relatively americium-free promeihium precipitate. Americium may be separately recovered from the supernatant liquids. This process is applicable to the recovery of promethium from fission-product solutions which have been allowed to decay for a period of two to four years.

Detection of aniline oligomers on polyaniline-gold interface using resonance Raman scattering.

PubMed

Trchová, Miroslava; Morávková, Zuzana; Dybal, Jiří; Stejskal, Jaroslav

2014-01-22

In situ deposited conducting polyaniline films prepared by the oxidation of aniline with ammonium peroxydisulfate in aqueous media of various acidities on gold and silicon supports were characterized by Raman spectroscopy. Enhanced Raman bands were found in the spectra of polyaniline films produced in the solutions of weak acids or in water on gold surface. These bands were weak for the films prepared in solutions of a strong acid on a gold support. The same bands are present in the Raman spectra of the reaction intermediates deposited during aniline oxidation in water or aqueous solutions of weak or strong acids on silicon removed from the reaction mixture at the beginning of the reaction. Such films are formed by aniline oligomers adsorbed on the surface. They were detected on the polyaniline-gold interface using resonance Raman scattering on the final films deposited on gold. The surface resonance Raman spectroscopy of the monolayer of oligomers found in the bulk polyaniline film makes this method advantageous in surface science, with many applications in electrochemistry, catalysis, and biophysical, polymer, or analytical chemistry.

Introduction of structural affinity handles as a tool in selective nucleic acid separations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willson, III, Richard Coale (Inventor); Cano, Luis Antonio (Inventor)

2011-01-01

The method is used for separating nucleic acids and other similar constructs. It involves selective introduction, enhancement, or stabilization of affinity handles such as single-strandedness in the undesired (or desired) nucleic acids as compared to the usual structure (e.g., double-strandedness) of the desired (or undesired) nucleic acids. The undesired (or desired) nucleic acids are separated from the desired (or undesired) nucleic acids due to capture by methods including but not limited to immobilized metal affinity chromatography, immobilized single-stranded DNA binding (SSB) protein, and immobilized oligonucleotides. The invention is useful to: remove contaminating genomic DNA from plasmid DNA; remove genomic DNA from plasmids, BACs, and similar constructs; selectively separate oligonucleotides and similar DNA fragments from their partner strands; purification of aptamers, (deoxy)-ribozymes and other highly structured nucleic acids; Separation of restriction fragments without using agarose gels; manufacture recombinant Taq polymerase or similar products that are sensitive to host genomic DNA contamination; and other applications.

Effects of imposed acid-base derangement on the cardiovascular effects and pharmacokinetics of bupivacaine and thiopental.

PubMed

Mather, Laurence E; Ladd, Leigh A; Copeland, Susan E; Chang, Dennis H-T

2004-06-01

By changing physicochemical properties such as effective lipophilicity, changes in blood pH could alter the distribution, elimination, and effects of weakly ionizing drugs. The authors examined the outcome of imposed acid-base derangement on cardiovascular effects and myocardial and whole body pharmacokinetics of bupivacaine, a weak base, and thiopental, a weak acid. Intravenous infusions of rac-bupivacaine HCl (37.5 mg) or rac-thiopental sodium (250 mg, subanesthetic dose) were administered over 3 min to previously instrumented conscious ewes with normal blood pH, acidemia imposed by lactic acid infusion, or alkalemia imposed by bicarbonate infusion. Hemodynamic and electrocardiographic effects were recorded; arterial and coronary sinus drug blood concentrations were analyzed by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography. Bupivacaine decreased myocardial contractility, coronary perfusion, heart rate, and cardiac output; however, cardiac output and stroke volume were not as affected by bupivacaine with acidemia. Thiopental decreased myocardial contractility and stroke volume and increased heart rate; acidemia enhanced the tachycardia and produced a greater decrease in stroke volume than with alkalemia. Taken as a whole, the cardiovascular changes were not systematically modified by acid-base derangement. Overall, the tissue distribution of bupivacaine was favored by alkalemia, but thiopental pharmacokinetics were essentially unaffected by acid-base derangement. Acid-base derangement did not influence the kinetics of either drug enantioselectively. At the doses used, the hemodynamic and electrocardiographic effects of bupivacaine and thiopental were not systematically modified by acid-base derangement, nor were there changes in regional or whole body pharmacokinetics of either drug that were clearly related to acid-base status.

Investigation of pH Influence on Skin Permeation Behavior of Weak Acids Using Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.

PubMed

Chantasart, Doungdaw; Chootanasoontorn, Siriwan; Suksiriworapong, Jiraphong; Li, S Kevin

2015-10-01

As a continuing effort to understand the skin permeation behavior of weak acids and bases, the objectives of the present study were to evaluate skin permeation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) under the influence of pH, investigate the mechanism of pH effect, and examine a previous hypothesis that the effective skin pH for drug permeation is different from donor solution pH. In vitro permeability experiments were performed in side-by-side diffusion cells with diclofenac, ibuprofen, flurbiprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen and human skin. The donor solution pH significantly affected skin permeation of NSAIDs, whereas no effect of the receiver pH was observed. Similar to previous observations, the apparent permeability coefficient versus donor solution pH relationships deviated from the predictions (fractions of unionized NSAIDs) according to the acid/base theory. The influences of the viable epidermis barrier, polar pathway transport, ion permeation across skin, and effective skin pH were investigated. The effective pH values for skin permeation determined using the NSAIDs (weak acids) in this study were different from those obtained previously with a weak base at the same donor solution pH conditions, suggesting that the observed permeability-pH relationships could not be explained solely by possible pH differences between skin and donor solution. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

A rapid, partial leach and organic separation for the sensitive determination of Ag, Bi, Cd, Cu, Mo, Pb, Sb, and Zn in surface geologic materials by flame atomic absorption

USGS Publications Warehouse

Viets, J.G.; Clark, J.R.; Campbell, W.L.

1984-01-01

A solution of dilute hydrochloric acid, ascorbic acid, and potassium iodide has been found to dissolve weakly bound metals in soils, stream sediments, and oxidized rocks. Silver, Bi, Cd, Cu, Mo, Pb, Sb, and Zn are selectively extracted from this solution by a mixture of Aliquat 336 (tricaprylyl methyl ammonium chloride) and MIBK (methyl isobutyl ketone). Because potentially interfering major and minor elements do not extract, the organic separation allows interference-free determinations of Ag and Cd to the 0.05 ppm level, Mo, Cu, and Zn to 0.5 ppm, and Bi, Pb, and Sb to 1 ppm in the sample using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The analytical absorbance values of the organic solution used in the proposed method are generally enhanced more than threefold as compared to aqueous solutions, due to more efficient atomization and burning characteristics. The leaching and extraction procedures are extremely rapid; as many as 100 samples may be analyzed per day, yielding 800 determinations, and the technique is adaptable to field use. The proposed method was compared to total digestion methods for geochemical reference samples as well as soils and stream sediments from mineralized and unmineralized areas. The partial leach showed better anomaly contrasts than did total digestions. Because the proposed method is very rapid and is sensitive to pathfinder elements for several types of ore deposits, it should be useful for reconnaissance surveys for concealed deposits. ?? 1984.

Industrial Membrane Filtration and Short-bed Fractal Separation Systems for Separating Monomers from Heterogeneous Plant Material

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kearney, M; Kochergin, V; Hess, R

2005-03-31

Large-scale displacement of petroleum will come from low-cost cellulosic feedstocks such as straw and corn stover crop residues. This project has taken a step toward making this projection a reality by reducing capital and energy costs, the two largest cost factors associated with converting cellulosic biomass to chemicals and fuels. The technology exists for using acid or enzyme hydrolysis processes to convert biomass feedstock (i.e., waste cellulose such as straw, corn stover, and wood) into their base monomeric sugar building blocks, which can, in turn, be processed into chemicals and fuels using a number of innovative fermentation technologies. However, whilemore » these processes are technically possible, practical and economic barriers make these processes only marginally feasible or not feasible at all. These barriers are due in part to the complexity and large fixed and recurring capital costs of unit operations including filtration, chromatographic separation, and ion exchange. This project was designed to help remove these barriers by developing and implementing new purification and separation technologies that will reduce the capital costs of the purification and chromatographic separation units by 50% to 70%. The technologies fundamental to these improvements are: (a) highly efficient clarification and purification systems that use screening and membrane filtration to eliminate suspended solids and colloidal material from feed streams and (b) fractal technology based chromatographic separation and ion exchange systems that can substitute for conventional systems but at much smaller size and cost. A non-hazardous ''raw sugar beet juice'' stream (75 to 100 gal/min) was used for prototype testing of these technologies. This raw beet juice stream from the Amalgamated Sugar LLC plant in Twin Falls, Idaho contained abrasive materials and membrane foulants. Its characteristics were representative of an industrial-scale heterogeneous plant extract/hydrolysis stream, and therefore was an ideal model system for developing new separation equipment. Subsequent testing used both synthetic acid hydrolysate and corn stover derived weak acid hydrolysate (NREL produced). A two-phased approach was used for the research and development described in this project. The first level of study involved testing the new concepts at the bench level. The bench-scale evaluations provided fundamental understanding of the processes, building and testing small prototype systems, and determining the efficiency of the novel processes. The second level of study, macro-level, required building larger systems that directly simulated industrial operations and provided validation of performance to minimize financial risk during commercialization. The project goals and scope included: (1) Development of low-capital alternatives to conventional crop-based purification/separation processes; and (2) Development of each process to the point that transition to commercial operation is low risk. The project reporting period was January 2001 to December 2004. This included a one year extension of the project (without additional funding).« less

History of Weak Interactions

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Lee, T. D.

1970-07-01

While the phenomenon of beta-decay was discovered near the end of the last century, the notion that the weak interaction forms a separate field of physical forces evolved rather gradually. This became clear only after the experimental discoveries of other weak reactions such as muon-decay, muon-capture, etc., and the theoretical observation that all these reactions can be described by approximately the same coupling constant, thus giving rise to the notion of a universal weak interaction. Only then did one slowly recognize that the weak interaction force forms an independent field, perhaps on the same footing as the gravitational force, the electromagnetic force, and the strong nuclear and sub-nuclear forces.

Bifunctionalized organic-inorganic charged nanocomposite membrane for pervaporation dehydration of ethanol.

PubMed

Tripathi, Bijay P; Kumar, Mahendra; Saxena, Arunima; Shahi, Vinod K

2010-06-01

Chitosan was modified into N-p-carboxy benzyl chitosan (NCBC) by introducing an aromatic ring grafted with acidic -COOH group and highly stable and cross-linked nanostructured NCBC-silica composite membranes were prepared for pervaporation dehydration of water-ethanol mixture. These membranes were tailored to comprise three regions namely: hydrophobic region, highly charged region and selective region, in which weak acidic group (-COOH) was grafted at organic segment while strong acidic group (-SO(3)H) was grafted at inorganic segment to achieve high stability and less swelling in water-ethanol mixture. Cross-linking density and NCBC-silica content in membrane matrix has been systematically optimized to control the nanostructure of the developed polymer matrix for studying the effects of molecular structure on the swelling, and PV performance. Among prepared membranes, nanocomposite membrane with 3h cross-linking time and 90% (w/w) of NCBC-silica content (PCS-3-3) exhibited 1.66×10(-4)cm(3)(STP) cm/cm(2) s cmHg water permeability (P(W)), while 1.35×10(-7) cm(3)(STP) cm/cm(2) s cmHg ethanol permeability (P(EtOH)) of developed membrane and 1231 PV selectivity factor at 30 °C for separating water from 90% (w/w) ethanol mixture. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anomalous amplification of a homodyne signal via almost-balanced weak values.

PubMed

Liu, Wei-Tao; Martínez-Rincón, Julián; Viza, Gerardo I; Howell, John C

2017-03-01

We propose precision measurements of ultra-small angular velocities of a mirror within a modified Sagnac interferometer, where the counter-propagating beams are spatially separated, using the recently proposed technique of almost-balanced weak values amplification (ABWV) [Phys. Rev. Lett.116, 100803 (2016)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.116.100803]. The separation between the two beams provides additional amplification with respect to using collinear beams in a Sagnac interferometer. Within the same setup, the weak-value amplification technique is also performed for comparison. Much higher amplification factors can be obtained using the almost-balanced weak values technique, with the best one achieved in our experiments being as high as 1.2×10⁷. In addition, the amplification factor monotonically increases with decreasing of the post-selection phase for the ABWV case in our experiments, which is not the case for weak-value amplification (WVA) at small post-selection phases. Both techniques consist of measuring the angular velocity. The sensitivity of the ABWV technique is ∼38  nrad/s per averaged pulse for a repetition rate of 1 Hz and ∼33  nrad/s per averaged pulse for the WVA technique.

Quantification of urinary zwitterionic organic acids using weak-anion exchange chromatography with tandem MS detection.

PubMed

Bishop, Michael Jason; Crow, Brian S; Kovalcik, Kasey D; George, Joe; Bralley, James A

2007-04-01

A rapid and accurate quantitative method was developed and validated for the analysis of four urinary organic acids with nitrogen containing functional groups, formiminoglutamic acid (FIGLU), pyroglutamic acid (PYRGLU), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), and 2-methylhippuric acid (2-METHIP) by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The chromatography was developed using a weak anion-exchange amino column that provided mixed-mode retention of the analytes. The elution gradient relied on changes in mobile phase pH over a concave gradient, without the use of counter-ions or concentrated salt buffers. A simple sample preparation was used, only requiring the dilution of urine prior to instrumental analysis. The method was validated based on linearity (r2>or=0.995), accuracy (85-115%), precision (C.V.<12%), sample preparation stability (

Enantiomeric separation of non-protein amino acids by electrokinetic chromatography.

PubMed

Pérez-Míguez, Raquel; Marina, María Luisa; Castro-Puyana, María

2016-10-07

New analytical methodologies enabling the enantiomeric separation of a group of non-protein amino acids of interest in the pharmaceutical and food analysis fields were developed in this work using Electrokinetic Chromatography. The use of FMOC as derivatization reagent and the subsequent separation using acidic conditions (formate buffer at pH 2.0) and anionic cyclodextrins as chiral selectors allowed the chiral separation of eight from the ten non-protein amino acids studied. Pyroglutamic acid, norvaline, norleucine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenilalanine, 2-aminoadipic acid, and selenomethionine were enantiomericaly separated using sulfated-α-CD while sulfated-γ-CD enabled the enantiomeric separation of norvaline, 3,4-dihydroxyphenilalanine, 2-aminoadipic acid, selenomethionie, citrulline, and pipecolic acid. Moreover, the potential of the developed methodologies was demonstrated in the analysis of citrulline and its enantiomeric impurity in food supplements. For that purpose, experimental and instrumental variables were optimized and the analytical characteristics of the proposed method were evaluated. LODs of 2.1×10 -7 and 1.8×10 -7 M for d- and l-citrulline, respectively, were obtained. d-Cit was not detectable in any of the six food supplement samples analyzed showing that the effect of storage time on the racemization of citrulline was negligible. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence that vesicles containing living, virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycobacterium avium in cultured human macrophages are not acidic.

PubMed Central

Crowle, A J; Dahl, R; Ross, E; May, M H

1991-01-01

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium multiply in cultured human macrophages (MP) within membrane-enclosed vesicles. These vesicles are generally assumed to be acidic. The evidence most frequently cited for this assumption is that pyrazinamide, which requires an acid pH to be effective, is effective and streptomycin, which loses most of its activity at a low pH, is poorly effective against tubercle bacilli. This assumption was tested by using the two weak bases chloroquine and NH4Cl to raise the pH of acidic vesicles in MP experimentally infected with M. tuberculosis or M. avium. An immunocytochemical locator of acidic regions in the MP was used to monitor the association of intracellular bacilli with acidity. MP were infected with M. tuberculosis or M. avium and incubated with various combinations of the drugs and the weak bases. Replication of the bacteria in the MP was measured by culture counts. Intracellular associations of the mycobacteria with acidity were assessed by electron micrographs and by using the weak base 3-(2,4-dinitroanilino)-3'-amino-N-methyl dipropylamine, which was detected with colloidal gold-labeled antibodies. It was confirmed by immunocytochemistry that both chloroquine and NH4Cl raise the pH of acidic vesicles in the infected MP. However, neither caused any pH-related change in the antimycobacterial activities of pyrazinamide or streptomycin or of the pH-independent drug isoniazid. Immunochemical analyses showed acidity to be associated with killed but not living mycobacteria in the MP. These findings suggest that living M. tuberculosis and M. avium are located in human MP in vesicles which are not acidic. Images PMID:1902198

Controllable synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanospheres and Fe-N/carbon nanospheres as efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Jing; Liang, Yan; Zhang, Xinyi; Simon, George P.; Zhao, Dongyuan; Zhang, Jin; Jiang, Sanping; Wang, Huanting

2015-03-01

The synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCNs), especially with diameters below 200 nm remains a great challenge due to weak interactions between the carbon precursors and soft templates, as well as the uncontrollable cross-linking rate of carbon precursors. Herein, we demonstrate a simple acid-assisted, hydrothermal synthesis approach to synthesizing such uniform MCNs with well controlled diameters ranging from 20 to 150 nm under highly acidic conditions (2 M HCl). Both the carbon precursor and the template are partly protonated under such conditions and show additional Coulombic interactions with chloride ions (acts as mediators). This kind of enhanced interaction is similar to that of the ``I+X-S+'' mechanism in the synthesis of mesoporous metal oxide, which can effectively retard the cross-linking rate of resol molecules and avoid macroscopic phase separation during the hydrothermal synthesis. Due to their uniform spherical morphology, small diameter, and high surface areas, MCNs can be modified with Fe and N species via impregnation of cheap precursors (ferric nitrate and dicyandiamide), which are further converted into nonprecious electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions. The resulting Fe-N/MCNs exhibit high catalytic activities, long-term stability and improved methanol tolerance under alkaline conditions, which can be potentially used in direct methanol fuel cells and metal-air batteries.The synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCNs), especially with diameters below 200 nm remains a great challenge due to weak interactions between the carbon precursors and soft templates, as well as the uncontrollable cross-linking rate of carbon precursors. Herein, we demonstrate a simple acid-assisted, hydrothermal synthesis approach to synthesizing such uniform MCNs with well controlled diameters ranging from 20 to 150 nm under highly acidic conditions (2 M HCl). Both the carbon precursor and the template are partly protonated under such conditions and show additional Coulombic interactions with chloride ions (acts as mediators). This kind of enhanced interaction is similar to that of the ``I+X-S+'' mechanism in the synthesis of mesoporous metal oxide, which can effectively retard the cross-linking rate of resol molecules and avoid macroscopic phase separation during the hydrothermal synthesis. Due to their uniform spherical morphology, small diameter, and high surface areas, MCNs can be modified with Fe and N species via impregnation of cheap precursors (ferric nitrate and dicyandiamide), which are further converted into nonprecious electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions. The resulting Fe-N/MCNs exhibit high catalytic activities, long-term stability and improved methanol tolerance under alkaline conditions, which can be potentially used in direct methanol fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr00331h

Preparation and evaluation of a hydrophilic interaction and cation-exchange chromatography stationary phase modified with 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine.

PubMed

Xiong, Caifeng; Yuan, Jie; Wang, Zhiying; Wang, Siyao; Yuan, Chenchen; Wang, Lili

2018-04-20

In this work, 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) was used as a ligand to prepare a novel mixed-mode chromatography (MMC) stationary phase by the thiol-ene click reaction onto silica (MPC-silica). It was found that this MPC-silica showed the retention characteristics of hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and weak cation exchange chromatography (WCX) under suitable mobile phase conditions. In detail, acidic and basic hydrophilic compounds and puerarin from pueraria were separated quickly with HILIC mode. Meanwhile, six standard proteins were allowed to reach baseline separation in WCX mode, and protein separation from egg white was also achieved with this mode. In addition, reduced/denatured lysozyme could be refolded with the MPC-silica column. In the meantime, the MPC-silica has been applied for refolding with simultaneous purification of recombinant human Delta-like1-RGD (rhDll1-RGD) expressed in Escherichia coli. The results show that the mass recovery and purity of rhDll1-RGD could reach 63.4% and 97% by one step, respectively. Furthermore, the reporter assay results demonstrated that refolded with simultaneously purified rhDll1-RGD could efficiently activate the signalling pathway in a dose-dependent manner. In general, this MPC-silica has good resolution and selectivity in the separation of polar compounds and protein samples in different high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) modes, and it successfully achieved refolding with simultaneous purification of denatured protein. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Insights into How Students Learn the Difference between a Weak Acid and a Strong Acid from Cartoon Tutorials Employing Visualizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Resa M.; Akaygun, Sevil

2016-01-01

This article summarizes an investigation into how Flash-based cartoon video tutorials featuring molecular visualizations affect students' mental models of acetic acid and hydrochloric acid solutions and how the acids respond when tested for electrical conductance. Variation theory served as the theoretical framework for examining how students…

Facile Separation of 5-O-Galloylquinic Acid from Chinese Green Tea Extract using Mesoporous Zirconium Phosphate.

PubMed

Ma, Yilong; Shang, Yafang; Zhu, Danye; Wang, Caihong; Zhong, Zhifeng; Xu, Ziyang

2016-05-01

5-O-Galloylquinic acid from green tea and other plants is attracting increasing attention for its antioxidant and antileishmanial bioactivities. It is always isolated using a silica column, a Sephadex column and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods, which are either laborious or instrument dependent. To develop a new method to easily separate 5-O-galloylquinic acid. Mesoporous zirconium phosphate (m-ZrP) was prepared to conveniently separate 5-O-galloylquinic acid from Chinese green tea extract, and the target compound was easily obtained by simple steps of adsorption, washing and desorption. The effects of the green tea extraction conditions, extract concentrations, and m-ZrP adsorption/desorption dynamics on the 5-O-galloylquinic acid separation were evaluated. 5-O-Galloylquinic acid that was separated from a 70% ethanol extract of green tea was of moderate HPLC purity (92%) and recovery (88%), and an increased non-specific binding of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on m-ZrP was observed in the diluted tea extract. The times for maximal adsorption of 5-O-galloylquinic acid in 70% ethanol extract and maximal desorption of 5-O-galloylquinic acid in 0.4% phosphoric acid solution were confirmed as 7 h and 5 h, respectively. A facile method to separate 5-O-galloylquinic acid from Chinese green tea extract using m-ZrP was established. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Selection of anion exchangers for detoxification of dilute-acid hydrolysates from spruce.

PubMed

Horváth, Ilona Sárvári; Sjöde, Anders; Nilvebrant, Nils-Olof; Zagorodni, Andrei; Jönsson, Leif J

2004-01-01

Six anion-exchange resins with different properties were compared with respect to detoxification of a dilute-acid hydrolysate of spruce prior to ethanolic fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The six resins encompassed strong and weak functional groups as well as styrene-, phenol-, and acrylic-based matrices. In an analytical experimental series, fractions from columns packed with the different resins were analyzed regarding pH, glucose, furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural, phenolic compounds, levulinic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, and sulfate. An initial adsorption of glucose occurred in the strong alkaline environment and led to glucose accumulation at a later stage. Acetic and levulinic acid passed through the column before formic acid, whereas sulfate had the strongest affinity. In a preparative experimental series, one fraction from each of six columns packed with the different resins was collected for assay of the fermentability and analysis of glucose, mannose, and fermentation inhibitors. The fractions collected from strong anion-exchange resins with styrene-based matrices displayed the best fermentability: a sevenfold enhancement of ethanol productivity compared with untreated hydrolysate. Fractions from a strong anion exchanger with acrylic-based matrix and a weak exchanger with phenol-based resin displayed an intermediate improvement in fermentability, a four- to fivefold increase in ethanol productivity. The fractions from two weak exchangers with styrene- and acrylic-based matrices displayed a twofold increase in ethanol productivity. Phenolic compounds were more efficiently removed by resins with styrene- and phenol-based matrices than by resins with acrylic-based matrices.

Chiral Responsive Liquid Quantum Dots.

PubMed

Zhang, Jin; Ma, Junkai; Shi, Fangdan; Tian, Demei; Li, Haibing

2017-08-01

How to convert the weak chiral-interaction into the macroscopic properties of materials remains a huge challenge. Here, this study develops highly fluorescent, selectively chiral-responsive liquid quantum dots (liquid QDs) based on the hydrophobic interaction between the chiral chains and the oleic acid-stabilized QDs, which have been designated as (S)-1810-QDs. The fluorescence spectrum and liquidity of thermal control demonstrate the fluorescence properties and the fluidic behavior of (S)-1810-QDs in the solvent-free state. Especially, (S)-1810-QDs exhibit a highly chiral-selective response toward (1R, 2S)-2-amino-1,2-diphenyl ethanol. It is anticipated that this study will facilitate the construction of smart chiral fluidic sensors. More importantly, (S)-1810-QDs can become an attractive material for chiral separation. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Comparison of three strong ion models used for quantifying the acid-base status of human plasma with special emphasis on the plasma weak acids.

PubMed

Anstey, Chris M

2005-06-01

Currently, three strong ion models exist for the determination of plasma pH. Mathematically, they vary in their treatment of weak acids, and this study was designed to determine whether any significant differences exist in the simulated performance of these models. The models were subjected to a "metabolic" stress either in the form of variable strong ion difference and fixed weak acid effect, or vice versa, and compared over the range 25 < or = Pco(2) < or = 135 Torr. The predictive equations for each model were iteratively solved for pH at each Pco(2) step, and the results were plotted as a series of log(Pco(2))-pH titration curves. The results were analyzed for linearity by using ordinary least squares regression and for collinearity by using correlation. In every case, the results revealed a linear relationship between log(Pco(2)) and pH over the range 6.8 < or = pH < or = 7.8, and no significant difference between the curve predictions under metabolic stress. The curves were statistically collinear. Ultimately, their clinical utility will be determined both by acceptance of the strong ion framework for describing acid-base physiology and by the ease of measurement of the independent model parameters.

Supercritical fluid extraction and separation of uranium from other actinides.

PubMed

Quach, Donna L; Mincher, Bruce J; Wai, Chien M

2014-06-15

The feasibility of separating U from nitric acid solutions of mixed actinides using tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP)-modified supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) was investigated. The actinides U, Np, Pu, and Am were extracted into sc-CO2 modified with TBP from a range of nitric acid concentrations, in the absence of, or in the presence of, a number of traditional reducing and/or complexing agents to demonstrate the separation of these metals from U under sc-CO2 conditions. The separation of U from Pu using sc-CO2 was successful at nitric acid concentrations of less than 3M in the presence of acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) or oxalic acid (OA) to mitigate Pu extraction, and the separation of U from Np was successful at nitric acid concentrations of less than 1M in the presence of AHA, OA, or sodium nitrite to mitigate Np extraction. Americium was not well extracted under any condition studied. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydroisomerization of n-dodecane over Pt/Al-MCM-48 catalysts.

PubMed

Yun, Soyoung; Park, Young-Kwon; Jeong, Soon-Yong; Han, Jeongsik; Jeon, Jong-Ki

2014-04-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate the catalytic potential of Pt/Al-MCM-48 catalysts in hydroisomerization of n-dodecane. The effects of the Si/Al ratio and platinum loading on the acid characteristics of Al-MCM-48 and the catalytic performance in n-dodecane hydroisomerization were analyzed. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, infrared spectroscopy of pyridine adsorption, and temperature programmed desorption of ammonia. The number of weak strength acid sites on Al-MCM-48 increased with 0.5 wt% platinum loading. The weak strength acid sites of Pt/Al-MCM-48 catalysts were ascribed to Lewis acid sites, which can be confirmed by NH3-TPD and FTIR spectra of pyridine adsorption. Iso-dodecane can be produced with high selectivity in n-dodecane hydrosisomerization over Pt/Al-MCM-48 catalysts. This is attributed to the mild acidic properties of Pt/Al-MCM-48 catalysts.

Leaching behavior of rare earth elements in fort union lignite coals of North America

DOE PAGES

Laudal, Daniel A.; Benson, Steven A.; Addleman, Raymond Shane; ...

2018-03-30

Fort Union lignite coal samples were subjected to a series of aqueous leaching experiments to understand the extraction behavior of the rare earth elements (REE). This testing was aimed at understanding the modes of occurrence of the REE in the lignite coals, as well as to provide foundational data for development of rare earth extraction processes. In a first series of tests, a sequential leaching process was used to investigate modes of occurrence of the REE of select lignite coals. The tests involved sequential exposure to solvents consisting of water, ammonium acetate and dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl). The results indicatedmore » that water and ammonium acetate extracted very little of the REE, indicating the REE are not present as water soluble or ion-exchangeable forms. However, the data shows that a large percentage of the REE were extracted with the hydrochloric acid (80–95 wt%), suggesting presence in HCl-soluble mineral forms such as carbonates, and/or presence as organic complexes. A second series of tests was performed involving single-step leaching with dilute acids and various operating parameters, including acid type, acid concentration, acid/coal contact time and coal particle size. For select samples, additional tests were performed to understand the results of leaching, including float-sink density separations and humic acid extraction. The results have shown that the majority of REE in Fort Union lignites appear to be associated weakly with the organic matrix of the coals, most likely as coordination complexes of carboxylic acid groups. The light REE and heavy REE exhibit different behaviors, however. The extractable light REE appear to have association both in acid-soluble mineral forms and as organic complexes, whereas the extractable heavy REE appear to be almost solely associated with the organics. In conclusion, scandium behavior was notably different than yttrium and the lanthanides, and the data suggests the extractable content is primarily associated as acid-soluble mineral forms.« less

Leaching behavior of rare earth elements in fort union lignite coals of North America

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Laudal, Daniel A.; Benson, Steven A.; Addleman, Raymond Shane

Fort Union lignite coal samples were subjected to a series of aqueous leaching experiments to understand the extraction behavior of the rare earth elements (REE). This testing was aimed at understanding the modes of occurrence of the REE in the lignite coals, as well as to provide foundational data for development of rare earth extraction processes. In a first series of tests, a sequential leaching process was used to investigate modes of occurrence of the REE of select lignite coals. The tests involved sequential exposure to solvents consisting of water, ammonium acetate and dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl). The results indicatedmore » that water and ammonium acetate extracted very little of the REE, indicating the REE are not present as water soluble or ion-exchangeable forms. However, the data shows that a large percentage of the REE were extracted with the hydrochloric acid (80–95 wt%), suggesting presence in HCl-soluble mineral forms such as carbonates, and/or presence as organic complexes. A second series of tests was performed involving single-step leaching with dilute acids and various operating parameters, including acid type, acid concentration, acid/coal contact time and coal particle size. For select samples, additional tests were performed to understand the results of leaching, including float-sink density separations and humic acid extraction. The results have shown that the majority of REE in Fort Union lignites appear to be associated weakly with the organic matrix of the coals, most likely as coordination complexes of carboxylic acid groups. The light REE and heavy REE exhibit different behaviors, however. The extractable light REE appear to have association both in acid-soluble mineral forms and as organic complexes, whereas the extractable heavy REE appear to be almost solely associated with the organics. In conclusion, scandium behavior was notably different than yttrium and the lanthanides, and the data suggests the extractable content is primarily associated as acid-soluble mineral forms.« less

On the effect of basic and acidic additives on the separation of the enantiomers of some basic drugs with polysaccharide-based chiral selectors and polar organic mobile phases.

PubMed

Mosiashvili, L; Chankvetadze, L; Farkas, T; Chankvetadze, B

2013-11-22

This article reports the systematic study of the effect of basic and acidic additives on HPLC separation of enantiomers of some basic chiral drugs on polysaccharide-based chiral columns under polar organic mobile-phase conditions. In contrary to generally accepted opinion that the basic additives improve the separation of enantiomers of basic compounds, the multiple scenarios were observed including the increase, decrease, disappearance and appearance of separation, as well as the reversal of the enantiomer elution order of studied basic compounds induced by the acidic additives. These effects were observed on most of the studied 6 chiral columns in 2-propanol and acetonitrile as mobile phases and diethylamine as a basic additive. As acidic additives formic acid was used systematically and acetic acid and trifluoroacetic acid were applied for comparative purposes. This study illustrates that the minor acidic additives to the mobile phase can be used as for the adjustment of separation selectivity and the enantiomer elution order of basic compounds, as well as for study of chiral recognition mechanisms with polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metabolic pathway engineering based on metabolomics confers acetic and formic acid tolerance to a recombinant xylose-fermenting strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The development of novel yeast strains with increased tolerance toward inhibitors in lignocellulosic hydrolysates is highly desirable for the production of bio-ethanol. Weak organic acids such as acetic and formic acids are necessarily released during the pretreatment (i.e. solubilization and hydrolysis) of lignocelluloses, which negatively affect microbial growth and ethanol production. However, since the mode of toxicity is complicated, genetic engineering strategies addressing yeast tolerance to weak organic acids have been rare. Thus, enhanced basic research is expected to identify target genes for improved weak acid tolerance. Results In this study, the effect of acetic acid on xylose fermentation was analyzed by examining metabolite profiles in a recombinant xylose-fermenting strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Metabolome analysis revealed that metabolites involved in the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) [e.g. sedoheptulose-7-phosphate, ribulose-5-phosphate, ribose-5-phosphate and erythrose-4-phosphate] were significantly accumulated by the addition of acetate, indicating the possibility that acetic acid slows down the flux of the pathway. Accordingly, a gene encoding a PPP-related enzyme, transaldolase or transketolase, was overexpressed in the xylose-fermenting yeast, which successfully conferred increased ethanol productivity in the presence of acetic and formic acid. Conclusions Our metabolomic approach revealed one of the molecular events underlying the response to acetic acid and focuses attention on the non-oxidative PPP as a target for metabolic engineering. An important challenge for metabolic engineering is identification of gene targets that have material importance. This study has demonstrated that metabolomics is a powerful tool to develop rational strategies to confer tolerance to stress through genetic engineering. PMID:21219616

Chiral separation of amino acids in biological fluids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection.

PubMed

Thorsén, G; Bergquist, J

2000-08-18

A method is presented for the chiral analysis of amino acids in biological fluids using micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). The amino acids are derivatized with the chiral reagent (+/-)-1-(9-anthryl)-2-propyl chloroformate (APOC) and separated using a mixed micellar separation system. No tedious pre-purification of samples is required. The excellent separation efficiency and good detection capabilities of the MEKC-LIF system are exemplified in the analysis of urine and cerebrospinal fluid. This is the first time MEKC has been reported for chiral analysis of amino acids in biological fluids. The amino acids D-alanine, D-glutamine, and D-aspartic acid have been observed in cerebrospinal fluid, and D-alanine and D-glutamic acid in urine. To the best of our knowledge no measurements of either D-alanine in cerebrospinal fluid or D-glutamic acid in urine have been presented in the literature before.

The Influence of Lactic Acid Concentration on the Separation of Light Rare Earth Elements by Continuous Liquid-Liquid Extraction with 2-Ethylhexyl Phosphonic Acid Mono-2-ethylhexyl Ester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Carvalho Gomes, Rafael; Seruff, Luciana Amaral; Scal, Maira Labanca Waineraich; Vera, Ysrael Marrero

2018-02-01

The separation of rare earth elements (REEs) using solvent extraction adding complexing agents appears to be an alternative to saponification of the extractant. We evaluated the effect of lactic acid concentration on didymium (praseodymium and neodymium) and lanthanum extraction with 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethyl hexyl ester [HEH(EHP)] as extractant. First, we investigated in batch experiments the separation of lanthanum (La) and didymium (Pr and Nd) using McCabe-Thiele diagrams to estimate the number of extraction stages when the feed solution was or was not conditioned with lactic acid. Additionally, we conducted continuous liquid-liquid extraction experiments and evaluated the influence of lactic acid concentration on the REE extraction and separation. The tests showed that the extraction percentage of REEs and the separation factor Pr/La increased when the lactic acid concentration increased, but the didymium purity decreased. Lanthanum, praseodymium, and neodymium extraction rate were 23.0, 89.7, and 99.2 pct, respectively, with 1:1 aqueous/organic volume flow rate and feed solution doped with 0.52 mol L-1 lactic acid. The highest didymium purity reached was 92.0 pct with 0.26 mol L-1 lactic acid concentration.

Separation of aliphatic carboxylic acids and benzenecarboxylic acids by ion-exclusion chromatography with various cation-exchange resin columns and sulfuric acid as eluent.

PubMed

Ohta, Kazutoku; Ohashi, Masayoshi; Jin, Ji-Ye; Takeuchi, Toyohide; Fujimoto, Chuzo; Choi, Seong-Ho; Ryoo, Jae-Jeong; Lee, Kwang-Pill

2003-05-16

The application of various hydrophilic cation-exchange resins for high-performance liquid chromatography (sulfonated silica gel: TSKgel SP-2SW, carboxylated silica gel: TSKgel CM-2SW, sulfonated polymethacrylate resin: TSKgel SP-5PW, carboxylated polymethacrylate resins: TSKgel CM-5PW and TSKgel OA-Pak A) as stationary phases in ion-exclusion chromatography for C1-C7 aliphatic carboxylic acids (formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, isovaleric, valeric, isocaproic, caproic, 2-methylhexanoic and heptanoic acids) and benzenecarboxylic acids (pyromellitic, trimellitic, hemimellitic, o-phthalic, m-phthalic, p-phthalic, benzoic, salicylic acids and phenol) was carried out using diluted sulfuric acid as the eluent. Silica-based cation-exchange resins (TSKgel SP-2SW and TSKgel CM-2SW) were very suitable for the ion-exclusion chromatographic separation of these benzenecarboxylic acids. Excellent simultaneous separation of these benzenecarboxylic acids was achieved on a TSKgel SP-2SW column (150 x 6 mm I.D.) in 17 min using a 2.5 mM sulfuric acid at pH 2.4 as the eluent. Polymethacrylate-based cation-exchange resins (TSKgel SP-5PW, TSKgel CM-5PW and TSKgel OA-Pak A) acted as advanced stationary phases for the ion-exclusion chromatographic separation of these C1-C7 aliphatic carboxylic acids. Excellent simultaneous separation of these C1-C7 acids was achieved on a TSKgel CM-5PW column (150 x 6 mm I.D.) in 32 min using a 0.05 mM sulfuric acid at pH 4.0 as the eluent.

Simultaneous detoxification, saccharification, and ethanol fermentation of weak-acid hydrolyzates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Lignocellulosic feedstocks can be prepared for ethanol fermentation by pre-treatment with a dilute mineral acid catalyst that hydrolyzes the hemicellulose and opens up the plant cell wall fibers for subsequent enzymatic saccharification. The acid catalyzed reaction scheme is sequential whereby rele...

Influence of pH-control in phosphoric acid treatment of titanium oxide and their powder properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Onoda, Hiroaki, E-mail: onoda@kpu.ac.jp; Matsukura, Aki

Highlights: • The photocatalytic activity was suppressed by phosphoric acid treatment. • The obtained pigment had small particles with sub-micrometer size. • By phosphoric acid treatment, the smoothness of samples improved. - Abstract: Titanium oxide that has the photocatalytic activity is used as a white pigment for cosmetics. A certain degree of sebum on the skin is decomposed by the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. In this work, titanium oxide was shaken with phosphoric acid at various pH to synthesize a novel white pigment for cosmetics. Their chemical composition, powder properties, photocatalytic activity, color phase, and smoothness were studied. The obtainedmore » materials indicated XRD peaks of titanium oxide, however, these peak intensity became weak by phosphoric acid treatment. These samples without heating and heated at 100 °C included the small particles with sub-micrometer size. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained powders became weak by phosphoric acid treatment at pH 4 and 5 to protect the sebum on the skin.« less

Composition of precipitation in remote areas of the world

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Galloway, J.N.; Likens, G.E.; Keene, W.C.

1982-10-20

The Global Precipitation Chemistry Project collects precipitation by event to determine composition and processes controlling it in five remote areas. Compositions (excluding seasalt) at St. Georges, Bermuda, were primarily controlled by anthropogenic processes; compositions and acidities at San Carlos, Venezuela, Katherine, Australia, Poker, Flat, Alaska, and Amsterdam Island were controlled by unknown mixtures of natural or anthropogenic processes. Precipitation was acidic; average volume-weighted pH values were 4.8 for Bermuda; 5.0, Alaska; 4.9, Amsterdam Island; 4.8, Australia; 4.8, Venezuela. Acidities at Bermuda and Alaska were from long-range transport of sulfate aerosol; at Venezuela, Australia, and Amsterdam Island, from mixtures of weakmore » organic and strong mineral acids, primarily H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/. Relative proportions of weak to strong acids were largest at Venezuela and lowest at Amsterdam Island. Weak and strong acids were from mixtures of natural and anthropogenic processes. Once contributions from human activities were removed, the lower limit of natural contributions was probably > or =pH 5.« less

Separation of phenolic acids from sugarcane rind by online solid-phase extraction with high-speed counter-current chromatography.

PubMed

Geng, Ping; Fang, Yingtong; Xie, Ronglong; Hu, Weilun; Xi, Xingjun; Chu, Qiao; Dong, Genlai; Shaheen, Nusrat; Wei, Yun

2017-02-01

Sugarcane rind contains some functional phenolic acids. The separation of these compounds from sugarcane rind is able to realize the integrated utilization of the crop and reduce environment pollution. In this paper, a novel protocol based on interfacing online solid-phase extraction with high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was established, aiming at improving and simplifying the process of phenolic acids separation from sugarcane rind. The conditions of online solid-phase extraction with HSCCC involving solvent system, flow rate of mobile phase as well as saturated extent of absorption of solid-phase extraction were optimized to improve extraction efficiency and reduce separation time. The separation of phenolic acids was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of butanol/acetic acid/water at a volume ratio of 4:1:5, and the developed online solid-phase extraction with HSCCC method was validated and successfully applied for sugarcane rind, and three phenolic acids including 6.73 mg of gallic acid, 10.85 mg of p-coumaric acid, and 2.78 mg of ferulic acid with purities of 60.2, 95.4, and 84%, respectively, were obtained from 150 mg sugarcane rind crude extracts. In addition, the three different elution methods of phenolic acids purification including HSCCC, elution-extrusion counter-current chromatography and back-extrusion counter-current chromatography were compared. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

CE-UV/VIS and CE-MS for monitoring organic impurities during the downstream processing of fermentative-produced lactic acid from second-generation renewable feedstocks.

PubMed

Laube, Hendrik; Matysik, Frank-Michael; Schmidberger, Andreas; Mehlmann, Kerstin; Toursel, Andreas; Boden, Jana

2016-01-01

During the downstream process of bio-based bulk chemicals, organic impurities, mostly residues from the fermentation process, must be separated to obtain a pure and ready-to-market chemical. In this study, capillary electrophoresis was investigated for the non-targeting downstream process monitoring of organic impurities and simultaneous quantitative detection of lactic acid during the purification process of fermentatively produced lactic acid. The downstream process incorporated 11 separation units, ranging from filtration, adsorption and ion exchange to electrodialysis and distillation, and 15 different second-generation renewable feedstocks were processed into lactic acid. The identification of organic impurities was established through spiking and the utilization of an advanced capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry system. A total of 53 % of the organic impurities were efficiently removed via bipolar electrodialysis; however, one impurity, pyroglutamic acid, was recalcitrant to separation. It was demonstrated that the presence of pyroglutamic acid disrupts the polymerization of lactic acid into poly lactic acid. Pyroglutamic acid was present in all lactic acid solutions, independent of the type of renewable resource or the bacterium applied. Pyroglutamic acid, also known as 5-oxoproline, is a metabolite in the glutathione cycle, which is present in all living microorganisms. pyroglutamic acid is found in many proteins, and during intracellular protein metabolism, N-terminal glutamic acid and glutamine residues can spontaneously cyclize to become pyroglutamic acid. Hence, the concentration of pyroglutamic acid in the lactic acid solution can only be limited to a certain amount. The present study proved the capillary electrophoresis system to be an important tool for downstream process monitoring. The high product concentration encountered in biological production processes did not hinder the capillary electrophoresis from separating and detecting organic impurities, even at minor concentrations. The coupling of the capillary electrophoresis with a mass spectrometry system allowed for the straightforward identification of the remaining critical impurity, pyroglutamic acid. Although 11 separation units were applied during the downstream process, the pyroglutamic acid concentration remained at 12,900 ppm, which was comparatively high. All organic impurities found were tracked by the capillary electrophoresis, allowing for further separation optimization.

Octanol/water partitioning simulation by RP-HPLC for structurally diverse acidic drugs: comparison of three columns in the presence and absence of n-octanol as the mobile phase additive.

PubMed

Giaginis, Costas; Theocharis, Stamatios; Tsantili-Kakoulidou, Anna

2013-12-01

The advantageous effect of n-octanol as a mobile phase additive for lipophilicity assessment of structurally diverse acidic drugs both in the neutral and ionized form was explored. Two RP C18 columns, ABZ+ and Aquasil, were used for the determination of logkw indices, and the results were compared with those previously reported on a base-deactivated silica column. At pH 2.5, the use of n-octanol-saturated buffer as the mobile phase aqueous component led to high-quality 1:1 correlation between logkw and logP for the ABZ+ column, while inferior statistics were obtained for Aquasil. At physiological pH, the correlations were significantly improved if strongly ionized acidic drugs were treated separately from weakly ionized ones. In the latter case, 1:1 correlations between logD7.4 and logkw(oct) indices were obtained in the presence of 0.25% n-octanol. Concerning strongly ionized compounds, adequate correlations were established under the same conditions; however, slopes were significantly lower than unity, while large negative intercepts were obtained. According to the absolute difference (diff = logD7.4 – logkw) pattern, base-deactivated silica showed a better performance than ABZ+, however, the latter seems more efficient for the lipophilicity assessment of highly lipophilic acidic compounds. Aquasil may be the column of choice if logD7.4<3 with the limitation, however, that very hydrophilic compounds cannot be measured.

Deprotonation of formic acid in collisions with a liquid water surface studied by molecular dynamics and metadynamics simulations.

PubMed

Murdachaew, Garold; Nathanson, Gilbert M; Benny Gerber, R; Halonen, Lauri

2016-11-21

Deprotonation of organic acids at aqueous surfaces has important implications in atmospheric chemistry and other disciplines, yet it is not well-characterized or understood. This article explores the interactions of formic acid (FA), including ionization, in collisions at the air-water interface. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations with dispersion-corrected density functional theory were used. The 8-50 picosecond duration trajectories all resulted in the adsorption of FA within the interfacial region, with no scattering, absorption into the bulk or desorption into the vapor. Despite the known weak acidity of FA, spontaneous deprotonation of the acid was observed at the interface on a broad picosecond timescale, ranging from a few picoseconds typical for stronger acids to tens of picoseconds. Deprotonation occurred in 4% of the trajectories, and was followed by Grotthuss proton transfer through adjacent water molecules. Both sequential and ultrafast concerted proton transfer were observed. The formation of contact ion pairs and solvent-separated ion pairs, and finally the reformation of neutral FA, both trans and cis conformers, occurred in different stages of the dynamics. To better understand the deprotonation mechanisms at the interface compared with the process in bulk water, we used well-tempered metadynamics to obtain deprotonation free energy profiles. While in bulk water FA deprotonation has a free energy barrier of 14.8 kJ mol -1 , in fair agreement with the earlier work, the barrier at the interface is only 7.5 kJ mol -1 . Thus, at the air-water interface, FA may dissociate more rapidly than in the bulk. This finding can be rationalized with reference to the dissimilar aqueous solvation and hydrogen-bonding environments in the interface compared to those in bulk liquid water.

SEPARATION OF THORIUM FROM URANIUM BY EXTRACTION

DOEpatents

Bohlmann, E.G.

1959-07-28

A method is presented for the recovery and separation of uranium and thorium values contained in an aqueous nitric acid solution which is more than 3 M in nitric acid. The uranium and thorium containing solution preferable about 7 M in nitric acid is contacted with tributyl phosphatekerosene mixture. Both U and Th are extracted by the immiscible organic. After phase separation the Th is selectively back extracted by contacting with an aqueous nitric acid solution preferably between 0.1 to 1.5 M in nitric acid. The uranium which is still in the organic extractant phase may be recovered by contacting with water.

Dynamical mean-field theory and weakly non-linear analysis for the phase separation of active Brownian particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Speck, Thomas; Menzel, Andreas M.; Bialké, Julian

2015-06-14

Recently, we have derived an effective Cahn-Hilliard equation for the phase separation dynamics of active Brownian particles by performing a weakly non-linear analysis of the effective hydrodynamic equations for density and polarization [Speck et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 218304 (2014)]. Here, we develop and explore this strategy in more detail and show explicitly how to get to such a large-scale, mean-field description starting from the microscopic dynamics. The effective free energy emerging from this approach has the form of a conventional Ginzburg-Landau function. On the coarsest scale, our results thus agree with the mapping of active phase separation ontomore » that of passive fluids with attractive interactions through a global effective free energy (motility-induced phase transition). Particular attention is paid to the square-gradient term necessary for the phase separation kinetics. We finally discuss results from numerical simulations corroborating the analytical results.« less

Intracellular acidification is required for full activation of the sweet taste receptor by miraculin

PubMed Central

Sanematsu, Keisuke; Kitagawa, Masayuki; Yoshida, Ryusuke; Nirasawa, Satoru; Shigemura, Noriatsu; Ninomiya, Yuzo

2016-01-01

Acidification of the glycoprotein, miraculin (MCL), induces sweet taste in humans, but not in mice. The sweet taste induced by MCL is more intense when acidification occurs with weak acids as opposed to strong acids. MCL interacts with the human sweet receptor subunit hTAS1R2, but the mechanisms by which the acidification of MCL activates the sweet taste receptor remain largely unexplored. The work reported here speaks directly to this activation by utilizing a sweet receptor TAS1R2 + TAS1R3 assay. In accordance with previous data, MCL-applied cells displayed a pH dependence with citric acid (weak acid) being right shifted to that with hydrochloric acid (strong acid). When histidine residues in both the intracellular and extracellular region of hTAS1R2 were exchanged for alanine, taste-modifying effect of MCL was reduced or abolished. Stronger intracellular acidification of HEK293 cells was induced by citric acid than by HCl and taste-modifying effect of MCL was proportional to intracellular pH regardless of types of acids. These results suggest that intracellular acidity is required for full activation of the sweet taste receptor by MCL. PMID:26960429

Interactive calculation procedures for mixed compression inlets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reshotko, Eli

1983-01-01

The proper design of engine nacelle installations for supersonic aircraft depends on a sophisticated understanding of the interactions between the boundary layers and the bounding external flows. The successful operation of mixed external-internal compression inlets depends significantly on the ability to closely control the operation of the internal compression portion of the inlet. This portion of the inlet is one where compression is achieved by multiple reflection of oblique shock waves and weak compression waves in a converging internal flow passage. However weak these shocks and waves may seem gas-dynamically, they are of sufficient strength to separate a laminar boundary layer and generally even strong enough for separation or incipient separation of the turbulent boundary layers. An understanding was developed of the viscous-inviscid interactions and of the shock wave boundary layer interactions and reflections.

Amino Acid Chiral Selection Via Weak Interactions in Stellar Environments: Implications for the Origin of Life.

PubMed

Famiano, Michael A; Boyd, Richard N; Kajino, Toshitaka; Onaka, Takashi; Mo, Yirong

2018-06-11

Magnetochiral phenomena may be responsible for the selection of chiral states of biomolecules in meteoric environments. For example, the Supernova Amino Acid Processing (SNAAP) Model was proposed previously as a possible mode of magnetochiral selection of amino acids by way of the weak interaction in strong magnetic fields. In earlier work, this model was shown to produce an enantiomeric excess (ee) as high as 0.014% for alanine. In this paper we present the results of molecular quantum chemistry calculations from which ees are determined for the α-amino acids plus isovaline and norvaline, which were found to have positive ees in meteorites. Calculations are performed for both isolated and aqueous states. In some cases, the aqueous state was found to produce larger ees reaching values as high as a few percent under plausible conditions.

Process monitored spectrophotometric titration coupled with chemometrics for simultaneous determination of mixtures of weak acids.

PubMed

Liao, Lifu; Yang, Jing; Yuan, Jintao

2007-05-15

A new spectrophotometric titration method coupled with chemometrics for the simultaneous determination of mixtures of weak acids has been developed. In this method, the titrant is a mixture of sodium hydroxide and an acid-base indicator, and the indicator is used to monitor the titration process. In a process of titration, both the added volume of titrant and the solution acidity at each titration point can be obtained simultaneously from an absorption spectrum by least square algorithm, and then the concentration of each component in the mixture can be obtained from the titration curves by principal component regression. The method only needs the information of absorbance spectra to obtain the analytical results, and is free of volumetric measurements. The analyses are independent of titration end point and do not need the accurate values of dissociation constants of the indicator and the acids. The method has been applied to the simultaneous determination of the mixtures of benzoic acid and salicylic acid, and the mixtures of phenol, o-chlorophenol and p-chlorophenol with satisfactory results.

Separation of plastics: The importance of kinetics knowledge in the evaluation of froth flotation.

PubMed

Censori, Matteo; La Marca, Floriana; Carvalho, M Teresa

2016-08-01

Froth flotation is a promising technique to separate polymers of similar density. The present paper shows the need for performing kinetic tests to evaluate and optimize the process. In the experimental study, batch flotation tests were performed on samples of ABS and PS. The floated product was collected at increasing flotation time. Two variables were selected for modification: the concentration of the depressor (tannic acid) and airflow rate. The former is associated with the chemistry of the process and the latter with the transport of particles. It was shown that, like mineral flotation, plastics flotation can be adequately assumed as a first order rate process. The results of the kinetic tests showed that the kinetic parameters change with the operating conditions. When the depressing action is weak and the airflow rate is low, the kinetic is fast. Otherwise, the kinetic is slow and a variable percentage of the plastics never floats. Concomitantly, the time at which the maximum difference in the recovery of the plastics in the floated product is attained changes with the operating conditions. The prediction of flotation results, process evaluation and comparisons should be done considering the process kinetics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Esophageal Body Motility for Clinical Assessment in Patients with Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptoms

PubMed Central

Jiang, Liuqin; Ye, Bixing; Wang, Ying; Wang, Meifeng; Lin, Lin

2017-01-01

Background/Aims Little data exists about esophageal body dysmotility and reflux patterns in refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (RGERD) patients off therapy. We aimed to evaluate effects of esophageal body dysmotility on reflux parameters in RGERD patients by combining impedance-pH monitoring and high-resolution manometry (HRM). Methods We retrospectively reviewed the impedance-pH data and HRM metrics in patients with refractory gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. Impedance-pH monitoring and manometric data were compared between 2 groups: ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) and normal motility. Results Forty-eight patients (30 males, mean age 54.5 years) were included (16 erosive esophagitis, 24 non-erosive reflux disease, and 8 functional heartburn), amongst which 24 subjects showed IEM, and others had normal motility. Number of patients who had a large break in the IEM group was significantly higher than that of normal motility patients. IEM group had more patients with weakly acid reflux and long term acid reflux than the normal group (P = 0.008, P = 0.004, respectively). There was no statistical difference in baseine impedance levels from z4 to z6 between the 2 groups (2911 ± 1160 Ω vs 3604 ± 1232 Ω, 2766 ± 1254 Ω vs 3752 ± 1439 Ω, 2349 ± 1131 Ω vs 3038 ± 1254 Ω, all P > 0.05). Acid exposure time, numbers of long term acid reflux and weakly acid reflux showed strong negative correlation with esophageal body motility and/or lower esophageal sphincter function. Conclusions IEM was associated more with acid exposure, abnormal weakly acid reflux, and long term acid reflux in RGERD patients. These data suggested the role of esophageal body dysmotility in the pathophysiological mechanisms of RGERD patients. PMID:27599539

Preparation of acid-base bifunctional mesoporous KIT-6 (KIT: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and its catalytic performance in Knoevenagel reaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Ling; Wang, Chunhua; Guan, Jingqi, E-mail: guanjq@jlu.edu.cn

2014-05-01

Acid-base bifunctional mesoporous catalysts Al-KIT-6-NH{sub 2} containing different aluminum content have been synthesized through post synthetic grafting method. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrographs (SEM), transmission electron micrographs (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), IR spectra of pyridine adsorption, NH{sub 3}-TPD and TG analysis. The characterization results indicated that the pore structure of KIT-6 was well kept after the addition of aluminum and grafting of aminopropyl groups. The acid amount of Al-KIT-6 increased with enhancing aluminum content. Catalytic results showed that weak acid and weak base favor the Knoevenagel reaction, while catalysts with strong acid andmore » weak base exhibited worse catalytic behavior. - Graphical abstract: The postulated steps of mechanism for the acid-base catalyzed process are as follows: (1) the aldehyde gets activated by the surface acidic sites which allow the amine undergoes nucleophilic to attack the carbonyl carbon of benzaldehyde. (2) Water is released in the formation of imine intermediate. (3) The ethyl cyanoacetate reacts with the intermediate. (4) The benzylidene ethyl cyanoacetate is formed and the amine is regenerated. - Highlights: • KIT-6 and Al-KIT-6-NH{sub 2} with different Si/Al ratios has been successfully prepared. • 79.4% Yield was obtained over 46-Al-KIT-6-NH{sub 2} within 20 min in Knoevenagel reaction. • Low Al-content Al-KIT-6-NH{sub 2} shows better catalytic stability than high Al-content catalysts. • There is acid-base synergistic effect in Knoevenagel reaction.« less

Esophageal Body Motility for Clinical Assessment in Patients with Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptoms.

PubMed

Jiang, Liuqin; Ye, Bixing; Wang, Ying; Wang, Meifeng; Lin, Lin

2017-01-30

Little data exists about esophageal body dysmotility and reflux patterns in refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (RGERD) patients off therapy. We aimed to evaluate effects of esophageal body dysmotility on reflux parameters in RGERD patients by combining impedance-pH monitoring and high-resolution manometry (HRM). We retrospectively reviewed the impedance-pH data and HRM metrics in patients with refractory gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. Impedance-pH monitoring and manometric data were compared between 2 groups: ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) and normal motility. Forty-eight patients (30 males, mean age 54.5 years) were included (16 erosive esophagitis, 24 non-erosive reflux disease, and 8 functional heartburn), amongst which 24 subjects showed IEM, and others had normal motility. Number of patients who had a large break in the IEM group was significantly higher than that of normal motility patients. IEM group had more patients with weakly acid reflux and long term acid reflux than the normal group ( P = 0.008, P = 0.004, respectively). There was no statistical difference in baseine impedance levels from z4 to z6 between the 2 groups (2911 ± 1160 Ω vs 3604 ± 1232 Ω, 2766 ± 1254 Ω vs 3752 ± 1439 Ω, 2349 ± 1131 Ω vs 3038 ± 1254 Ω, all P > 0.05). Acid exposure time, numbers of long term acid reflux and weakly acid reflux showed strong negative correlation with esophageal body motility and/or lower esophageal sphincter function. IEM was associated more with acid exposure, abnormal weakly acid reflux, and long term acid reflux in RGERD patients. These data suggested the role of esophageal body dysmotility in the pathophysiological mechanisms of RGERD patients.

Supercritical Fluid Extraction and Separation of Uranium from Other Actinides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Donna L. Quach; Bruce J. Mincher; Chien M. Wai

2014-06-01

This paper investigates the feasibility of separating uranium from other actinides by using supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) as a solvent modified with tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) for the development of an extraction and counter current stripping technique, which would be a more efficient and environmentally benign technology for used nuclear fuel reprocessing compared to traditional solvent extraction. Several actinides (U(VI), Np(VI), Pu(IV), and Am(III)) were extracted in sc-CO2 modified with TBP over a range of nitric acid concentrations and then the actinides were exposed to reducing and complexing agents to suppress their extractability. According to this study, the separation of uraniummore » from plutonium in sc-CO2 modified with TBP was successful at nitric acid concentrations of less than 3 M in the presence of acetohydroxamic acid or oxalic acid, and the separation of uranium from neptunium was successful at nitric acid concentrations of less than 1 M in the presence of acetohydroxamic acid, oxalic acid, or sodium nitrite.« less

Classification of auxin plant hormones by interaction property similarity indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomić, Sanja; Gabdoulline, Razif R.; Kojić-Prodić, Biserka; Wade, Rebecca C.

1998-01-01

Although auxins were the first type of plant hormone to be identified, little is known about the molecular mechanism of this important class of plant hormones. We present a classification of a set of about 50 compounds with measured auxin activities, according to their interaction properties. Four classes of compounds were defined: strongly active, weakly active with weak antiauxin behaviour, inactive and inhibitory. All compounds were modeled in two low-energy conformations, `P' and `T', so as to obtain the best match to the `planar' and `tilted' conformations, respectively, of indole 3-acetic acid. Each set of conformers was superimposed separately using several different alignment schemes. Molecular interaction energy fields were computed for each molecule with five different chemical probes and then compared by computing similarity indices. Similarity analysis showed that the classes are on average distinguishable, with better differentiation achieved for the T conformers than the P conformers. This indicates that the T conformation might be the active one. Further, a screening was developed which could distinguish compounds with auxin activity from inactive compounds and most antiauxins using the T conformers. The classifications rationalize ambiguities in activity data found in the literature and should be of value in predicting the activities of new plant growth substances and herbicides.

Crystallization of a salt of a weak organic acid and base: solubility relations, supersaturation control and polymorphic behavior.

PubMed

Jones, H P; Davey, R J; Cox, B G

2005-03-24

Control of crystallization processes for organic salts is of importance to the pharmaceutical industry as many active pharmaceutical materials are marketed as salts. In this study, a method for estimating the solubility product of a salt of a weak acid and weak base from measured pH-solubility data is described for the first time. This allows calculation of the supersaturation of solutions at known pH. Ethylenediammonium 3,5-dinitrobenzoate is a polymorphic organic salt. A detailed study of the effects of pH, supersaturation, and temperature of crystallization on the physical properties of this salt shows that the desired polymorph may be produced by appropriate selection of the pH and supersaturation of crystallization. Crystal morphology is also controlled by these crystallization conditions.

New Stable Cu(I) Catalyst Supported on Weakly Acidic Polyacrylate Resin for Green C-N Coupling: Synthesis of N-(Pyridin-4-yl)benzene Amines and N,N-Bis(pyridine-4-yl)benzene Amines.

PubMed

Kore, Nitin; Pazdera, Pavel

2016-12-22

A method for preparation of a new stable Cu(I) catalyst supported on weakly acidic polyacrylate resin without additional stabilizing ligands is described. A simple and efficient methodology for Ullmann Cu(I) catalyzed C-N cross coupling reactions using this original catalyst is reported. Coupling reactions of 4-chloropyridinium chloride with anilines containing electron donating (EDG) or electron withdrawing (EWG) groups, naphthalen-2-amine and piperazine, respectively, are successfully demonstrated.

[Analyze nanofiltration separation rule of chlorogenic acid from low concentration ethanol by Donnan effect and solution-diffusion effect].

PubMed

Li, Cun-Yu; Liu, Li-Cheng; Jin, Li-Yang; Li, Hong-Yang; Peng, Guo-Ping

2017-07-01

To separate chlorogenic acid from low concentration ethanol and explore the influence of Donnan effect and solution-diffusion effect on the nanofiltration separation rule. The experiment showed that solution pH and ethanol volume percent had influences on the separation of chlorogenic acid. Within the pH values from 3 to 7 for chlorogenic acid in 30% ethanol, the rejection rate of chlorogenic acid was changed by 70.27%. Through the response surface method for quadratic regression model, an interaction had been found in molecule weight cut-off, pH and ethanol volume percent. In fixed nanofiltration apparatus, the existence states of chlorogenic acid determinedits separation rules. With the increase of ethanol concentration, the free form chlorogenic acid was easily adsorbed, dissolved on membrane surface and then caused high transmittance due to the solution-diffusion effect. However, at the same time, due to the double effects of Donnan effect and solution-diffusion effect, the ionic state of chlorogenic acid was hard to be adsorbed in membrane surface and thus caused high rejection rate. The combination of Box-Behnken design and response surface analysis can well optimize the concentrate process by nanofiltration, and the results showed that nanofiltration had several big advantages over the traditional vacuum concentrate technology, meanwhile, and solved the problems of low efficiency and serious component lossesin the Chinese medicines separation process for low concentration organic solvent-water solution. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Mixed-bed ion exchange chromatography employing a salt-free pH gradient for improved sensitivity and compatibility in MudPIT.

PubMed

Mommen, Geert P M; Meiring, Hugo D; Heck, Albert J R; de Jong, Ad P J M

2013-07-16

In proteomics, comprehensive analysis of peptides mixtures necessitates multiple dimensions of separation prior to mass spectrometry analysis to reduce sample complexity and increase the dynamic range of analysis. The main goal of this work was to improve the performance of (online) multidimensional protein identification technology (MudPIT) in terms of sensitivity, compatibility and recovery. The method employs weak anion and strong cation mixed-bed ion exchange chromatography (ACE) in the first separation dimension and reversed phase chromatography (RP) in the second separation dimension (Motoyama et.al. Anal. Chem 2007, 79, 3623-34.). We demonstrated that the chromatographic behavior of peptides in ACE chromatography depends on both the WAX/SCX mixing ratio as the ionic strength of the mobile phase system. This property allowed us to replace the conventional salt gradient by a (discontinuous) salt-free, pH gradient. First dimensional separation of peptides was accomplished with mixtures of aqueous formic acid and dimethylsulfoxide with increasing concentrations. The overall performance of this mobile phase system was found comparable to ammonium acetate buffers in application to ACE chromatography, but clearly outperformed strong cation exchange for use in first dimensional peptide separation. The dramatically improved compatibility between (salt-free) ion exchange chromatography and reversed phase chromatography-mass spectrometry allowed us to downscale the dimensions of the RP analytical column down to 25 μm i.d. for an additional 2- to 3-fold improvement in performance compared to current technology. The achieved levels of sensitivity, orthogonality, and compatibility demonstrates the potential of salt-free ACE MudPIT for the ultrasensitive, multidimensional analysis of very modest amounts of sample material.

The selective conversion of glutamic acid in amino acid mixtures using glutamate decarboxylase--a means of separating amino acids for synthesizing biobased chemicals.

PubMed

Teng, Yinglai; Scott, Elinor L; Sanders, Johan P M

2014-01-01

Amino acids (AAs) derived from hydrolysis of protein rest streams are interesting feedstocks for the chemical industry due to their functionality. However, separation of AAs is required before they can be used for further applications. Electrodialysis may be applied to separate AAs, but its efficiency is limited when separating AAs with similar isoelectric points. To aid the separation, specific conversion of an AA to a useful product with different charge behavior to the remaining compounds is desired. Here the separation of L-aspartic acid (Asp) and L-glutamic acid (Glu) was studied. L-Glutamate α-decarboxylase (GAD, Type I, EC 4.1.1.15) was applied to specifically convert Glu into γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA has a different charge behavior from Asp therefore allowing a potential separation by electrodialysis. Competitive inhibition and reduced operational stability caused by Asp could be eliminated by maintaining a sufficiently high concentration of Glu. Immobilization of GAD does not reduce the enzyme's initial activity. However, the operational stability was slightly reduced. An initial study on the reaction operating in a continuous mode was performed using a column reactor packed with immobilized GAD. As the reaction mixture was only passed once through the reactor, the conversion of Glu was lower than expected. To complete the conversion of Glu, the stream containing Asp and unreacted Glu might be recirculated back to the reactor after GABA has been removed. Overall, the reaction by GAD is specific to Glu and can be applied to aid the electrodialysis separation of Asp and Glu. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Effects of Post-Pyrolysis Air Oxidation of Biomass Chars on Adsorption of Neutral and Ionizable Compounds.

PubMed

Xiao, Feng; Pignatello, Joseph J

2016-06-21

This study was conducted to understand the effects of thermal air oxidation of biomass chars experienced during formation or production on their adsorptive properties toward various compounds, including five neutral nonpolar and polar compounds and seven weak acids and bases (pKa = 3-5.2) selected from among industrial chemicals and the triazine and phenoxyacetic acid herbicide classes. Post-pyrolysis air oxidation (PPAO) at 400 °C of anoxically prepared wood and pecan shell chars for up to 40 min enhanced the mass-normalized adsorption at pH ∼ 7.4 of all test compounds, especially the weak acids and bases, by up to 100-fold. Both general and specific effects were identified. The general effect results from "reaming" of pores by the oxidative removal of pore wall matter and/or tarry deposits generated during the pyrolysis step. Reaming creates new surface area and enlarges nanopores, which helps relieve steric hindrance to adsorption. The specific effect results from creation of new acidic functionality that provides sites for the formation of very strong, charge-assisted hydrogen bonds (CAHB) with solutes having comparable pKa. The CAHB hypothesis was supported by competition experiments and the finding that weak acid anion adsorption increased with surface carboxyl content, despite electrostatic repulsion from the growing negative charge. The results provide insight into the effects of air oxidation on pollutant retention.

Method for improving the sedimentation and filterability of coal-derived liquids

DOEpatents

Katz, Sidney; Rodgers, Billy R.

1979-01-02

An improvement in the separation of suspended solids from coal-derived liquids by a separations process in which solids size is a separations parameter is achieved by contacting the coal-derived liquid containing suspended solids with an effective amount of an additive selected from the group of sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, phosphoric anhydride and salts of sulfuric and phosphoric acid, and maintaining the contacted liquid at a temperature within the range of about 150.degree.-400.degree. C and for a time sufficient to achieve the desired separation rate.

On the Interaction between Carbon Dioxide and Nanomaterials with High Accuracy ab initio and DFT Calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogiatzis, Konstantinos D.; Mavrandonakis, Antreas; Klopper, Wim; Froudakis, George

2009-08-01

The separation, capture and storage of carbon dioxide from the flue gas is an environmental and economical problem of significant importance. Zeolites and activated carbons have been used from the industries in order to reduce the emissions of CO2. A new family of materials, the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), has been recently proposed as an efficient substitute of the abovementioned materials. In particular, materials based on zinc complexes with imidazo-like aromatic compounds which builds frameworks similar with those of Zeolites (Zeolite-Imidazolium Frameworks, ZIFs), have the potential for efficient separation of CO2 from CO and CH4. [1]. Weak interactions between carbon dioxide and heterocyclic aromatic compounds are being examined with high accuracy ab initio methods. CO2 has zero dipole moment but a significant quadrupole moment enables it to operate as a weak acid or weak base, according to his environment. Nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds act as electron donors, while CO2 acts as an electron acceptor. Electrostatic interactions induce a non-permanent dipole moment on CO2 and the complex is stabilized by in-plane hydrogen bonds between the charged oxygens of CO2 and nearby hydrogen of the aromatic molecule. In addition, dispersion forces from the electron correlation contribute to the interaction energy. By using explicitly correlated methods (MP2-F12/aug-cc-pVTZ) [2] and by adding the contribution from the triples excitations, calculated with a smaller basis (6-311++G**), we reach to an approximate CCSD(T) complete basis set result. [3] Extrapolation schemes were used in order to reach the MP2 basis set limit and compare it with the CCSD(T)/CBS result. Those results are in excellent agreement with the explicitly correlated MP2-F12. In addition, our complexes are being investigated with DFT methods that calculate separately the dispersion energy (DFT-D) [4] and modified MP2 which scaling of spin pair correlation [5]. DFT-D results are in good agreement with CCSD(T)/CBS results, providing us a computational cheap method with high accuracy. The quantization of the interaction is examined by changing the aromaticity of the heterocyclic molecules and by talking into account the electron correlation. [6] The electron density of the nitrogen that binds CO2 is gradually decreasing by substituting carbons with nitrogens in pyridine (pyrimidine, pyrazine, triazine), leading to lower binding energy.

Two Electrophoresis Experiments for Freshmen in the Health Professions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brabson, G. Dana; Waugh, David S.

1986-01-01

Describes procedures involved with paper electrophoresis separation of amino acids, gel electrophoresis separation of DNA, and design of an electrophoresis tank. Describes experiments using paper (amino acids) and gel (deoxyribonucleic acid fragments). Provides material lists, procedures, and discussion. (JM)

Sequential pyrolysis of plastic to recover polystyrene HCL and terephthalic acid

DOEpatents

Evans, Robert J.; Chum, Helena L.

1995-01-01

A process of pyrolyzing plastic waste feed streams containing polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene and polyethylene to recover polystyrene HCl and terephthalic acid comprising: heating the plastic waste feed stream to a first temperature; adding an acid or base catalyst on an oxide or carbonate support; heating the plastic waste feed stream to pyrolyze polyethylene terephthalate and polyvinyl chloride; separating terephthalic acid or HCl; heating to a second temperature to pyrolyze polystyrene; separating styrene; heating the waste feed stream to a third temperature to pyrolyze polyethylene; and separating hydrocarbons.

Structural and Acidic Properties of Niobia-Silica and Niobia-Alumina Aerogels

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-06

some weak Bronsted acidity. The silica aerogel supported niobia samples also had strong Lewis acidity as well as strong iv Bronsted acidity which was...NS25w or the silica aerogel supported niobia because of the formation of a distorted octahedral niobia-rigid silica interface. Isomerization of 1...67 2.1.2 Silica Aerogel .......................................................... 70 2.1.3 Alumina

Lead sulfate nano- and microparticles in the acid plant blow-down generated at the sulfuric acid plant of the El Teniente mine, Chile.

PubMed

Barassi, Giancarlo M; Klimsa, Martin; Borrmann, Thomas; Cairns, Mathew J; Kinkel, Joachim; Valenzuela, Fernando

2014-12-01

The acid plant 'blow-down' (also called weak acid) produced at El Teniente mine in Chile was characterized. This liquid waste (tailing) is generated during the cooling and cleaning of the smelter gas prior to the production of sulfuric acid. The weak acid was composed of a liquid and a solid phase (suspended solids). The liquid phase of the sample analyzed in this study mainly contained Cu (562 mg L(-1)), SO4(2-) (32 800 mg L(-1)), Ca (1449 mg L(-1)), Fe (185 mg L(-1)), As (6 mg L(-1)), K (467 mg L(-1)) and Al (113 mg L(-1)). Additionally, the sample had a pH-value and total acidity of 0.45 and 2970 mg L(-1) as CaCO3, respectively. Hence, this waste was classified as extremely acidic and with a high metal content following the Ficklin diagram classification. Elemental analysis using atomic absorption, inductively coupled plasma, X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy showed that the suspended solids were anglesite (PbSO4) nano- and microparticles ranging from 50 nm to 500 nm in diameter.

Inhibitor tolerance of a recombinant flocculating industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain during glucose and xylose co-fermentation.

PubMed

Li, Yun-Cheng; Gou, Zi-Xi; Zhang, Ying; Xia, Zi-Yuan; Tang, Yue-Qin; Kida, Kenji

Lignocellulose-derived inhibitors have negative effects on the ethanol fermentation capacity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, the effects of eight typical inhibitors, including weak acids, furans, and phenols, on glucose and xylose co-fermentation of the recombinant xylose-fermenting flocculating industrial S. cerevisiae strain NAPX37 were evaluated by batch fermentation. Inhibition on glucose fermentation, not that on xylose fermentation, correlated with delayed cell growth. The weak acids and the phenols showed additive effects. The effect of inhibitors on glucose fermentation was as follows (from strongest to weakest): vanillin>phenol>syringaldehyde>5-HMF>furfural>levulinic acid>acetic acid>formic acid. The effect of inhibitors on xylose fermentation was as follows (from strongest to weakest): phenol>vanillin>syringaldehyde>furfural>5-HMF>formic acid>levulinic acid>acetic acid. The NAPX37 strain showed substantial tolerance to typical inhibitors and showed good fermentation characteristics, when a medium with inhibitor cocktail or rape straw hydrolysate was used. This research provides important clues for inhibitors tolerance of recombinant industrial xylose-fermenting S. cerevisiae. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Cholic acid accumulation and its diminution by short-chain fatty acids in bifidobacteria.

PubMed

Kurdi, Peter; Tanaka, Hiroshi; Van Veen, Hendrik W; Asano, Kozo; Tomita, Fusao; Yokota, Atsushi

2003-08-01

Cholic acid (CA) transport was investigated in nine intestinal Bifidobacterium strains. Upon energization with glucose, all of the bifidobacteria accumulated CA. The driving force behind CA accumulation was found to be the transmembrane proton gradient (Delta pH, alkaline interior). The levels of accumulated CA generally coincided with the theoretical values, which were calculated by the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation using the measured internal pH values of the bifidobacteria, and a pK(a) value of 6.4 for CA. These results suggest that the mechanism of CA accumulation is based on the diffusion of a hydrophobic weak acid across the bacterial cell membrane, and its dissociation according to the Delta pH value. A mixture of short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate and butyrate) at the appropriate colonic concentration (117 mM in total) reduced CA accumulation in Bifidobacterium breve JCM 1192(T). These short-chain fatty acids, which are weak acids, reduced the Delta pH, thereby decreasing CA accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. The bifidobacteria did not alter or modify the CA molecule. The probiotic potential of CA accumulation in vivo is discussed in relation to human bile acid metabolism.

Use of RSM for the multivariate, simultaneous multiobjective optimization of the operating conditions of aliphatic carboxylic acids ion-exclusion chromatography column: Quantitative study of hydrodynamic, isotherm, and thermodynamic behavior.

PubMed

Shojaeimehr, Tahereh; Rahimpour, Farshad; Schwarze, Michael; Repke, Jens-Uwe; Godini, Hamid Reza; Wozny, Günter

2018-04-15

The present study evaluates the capability of ion exclusion chromatography (IEC) of short chain aliphatic carboxylic acids using a cation exchange column (8% sulfonated cross-linked styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer) in different experimental conditions. Since one of the prerequisites to the development of an efficient carboxylic acid separation process is to obtain the optimum operational conditions, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to develop an approach to evaluate carboxylic acids separation process in IEC columns. The effect of the operating conditions such as column temperature, sulfuric acid concentration as the mobile phase, and the flow rate was studied using Central Composite Face (CCF) design. The optimum operating conditions for the separate injection of lactic acid and acetic acid is temperature of 75 °C, sulfuric acid concentration of 0.003 N for both acids and flow rate of 0.916 (0.886) mL/min for acetic acid (lactic acid). Likewise, the optimum conditions for the simultaneous injection of acetic and lactic acid mixture are the column temperature of 68 °C, sulfuric acid concentration of 0.0003 N, and flow rate of 0.777 mL/min. In the next step, the adsorption equilibria of acetic acid and lactic acid on the stationary phase were investigated through a series of Frontal Analysis (FA), Frontal Analysis by Characteristic Points (FACP), and using Langmuir isotherm model. The results showed an excellent agreement between the model and experimental data. Finally, the results of thermodynamic studies proved that the IEC process for separation of acetic and lactic acid is a spontaneous, feasible, exothermic, and random process with a physical adsorption mechanism. The results of the current paper can be a valuable information in the stages of designing IEC columns for separation of aliphatic carboxylic acids. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Separation of certain carboxylic acids utilizing cation exchange membranes

DOEpatents

Chum, H.L.; Sopher, D.W.

1983-05-09

A method of substantially separating monofunctional lower carboxylic acids from a liquid mixture containing the acids wherein the pH of the mixture is adjusted to a value in the range of from about 1 to about 5 to form protonated acids. The mixture is heated to an elevated temperature not greater than about 100/sup 0/C and brought in contact with one side of a perfluorinated cation exchange membrane having sulfonate or carboxylate groups or mixtures thereof with the mixture containing the protonated acids. A pressure gradient can be established across the membrane with the mixture being under higher pressure, so that protonated monofunctional lower carboxylic acids pass through the membrane at a substantially faster rate than the remainder of the mixture thereby substantially separating the acids from the mixture.

Separation of certain carboxylic acids utilizing cation exchange membranes

DOEpatents

Chum, Helena L.; Sopher, David W.

1984-01-01

A method of substantially separating monofunctional lower carboxylic acids from a liquid mixture containing the acids wherein the pH of the mixture is adjusted to a value in the range of from about 1 to about 5 to form protonated acids. The mixture is heated to an elevated temperature not greater than about 100.degree. C. and brought in contact with one side of a perfluorinated cation exchange membrane having sulfonate or carboxylate groups or mixtures thereof with the mixture containing the protonated acids. A pressure gradient can be established across the membrane with the mixture being under higher pressure, so that protonated monofunctional lower carboxylic acids pass through the membrane at a substantially faster rate than the remainder of the mixture thereby substantially separating the acids from the mixture.

Fast comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography method for fatty acid methyl ester separation and quantification using dual ionic liquid columns.

PubMed

Nosheen, Asia; Mitrevski, Blagoj; Bano, Asghari; Marriott, Philip J

2013-10-18

Safflower oil is a complex mixture of C18 saturated and unsaturated fatty acids amongst other fatty acids, and achieving separation between these similar structure components using one dimensional gas chromatography (GC) may be difficult. This investigation aims to obtain improved separation of fatty acid methyl esters in safflower oil, and their quantification using comprehensive two-dimensional GC (GC×GC). Here, GC×GC separation is accomplished by the coupling of two ionic liquid (IL) column phases: the combination of SLB-IL111 with IL59 column phases was finally selected since it provided excellent separation of a FAME standard mixture, as well as fatty acids in safflower and linseed oil, compared to other tested column sets. Safflower oil FAME were well separated in a short run of 16min. FAME validation was demonstrated by method reproducibility, linearity over a range up to 500mgL(-1), and limits of detection which ranged from 1.9mgL(-1) to 5.2mgL(-1) at a split ratio of 20:1. Quantification was carried out using two dilution levels of 200-fold for major components and 20-fold for trace components. The fatty acids C15:0 and C17:0 were not reported previously in safflower oil. The SLB-IL111/IL59 column set proved to be an effective and novel configuration for separation and quantification of vegetable and animal oil fatty acids. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of biological activated carbon (BAC) and membrane bioreactor (MBR) for pollutants removal in drinking water treatment.

PubMed

Tian, J Y; Chen, Z L; Liang, H; Li, X; Wang, Z Z; Li, G B

2009-01-01

Biological activated carbon (BAC) and membrane bioreactor (MBR) were systematically compared for the drinking water treatment from slightly polluted raw water under the same hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.5 h. MBR exhibited excellent turbidity removal capacity due to the separation of the membrane; while only 60% of influent turbidity was intercepted by BAC. Perfect nitrification was achieved by MBR with the 89% reduction in ammonia; by contrast, BAC only eliminated a moderate amount of influent ammonia (by 54.5%). However, BAC was able to remove more dissolved organic matter (DOM, especially for organic molecules of 3,000 approximately 500 Daltons) and corresponding disinfection by-product formation potential (DBPFP) in raw water than MBR. Unfortunately, particulate organic matter (POM) was detected in the BAC effluent. On the other hand, BAC and MBR displayed essentially the same capacity for biodegradable organic matter (BOM) removal. Fractionation of DOM showed that the removal efficiencies of hydrophobic neutrals, hydrophobic acids, weakly hydrophobic acids and hydrophilic organic matter through BAC treatment were 11.7%, 8.8%, 13.9% and 4.8% higher than that through MBR; while MBR achieved 13.8% higher hydrophobic bases removal as compared with BAC.

Fractionation of poly(methacrylic acid) and poly(vinyl pyridine) in aqueous and organic mobile phases by multidetector thermal field-flow fractionation.

PubMed

Greyling, Guilaume; Pasch, Harald

2017-08-25

Multidetector thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) is shown to be a versatile characterisation platform that can be used to characterise hydrophilic polymers in a variety of organic and aqueous solutions with various ionic strengths. It is demonstrated that ThFFF fractionates isotactic and syndiotactic poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) as well as poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (P2VP) and poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) according to microstructure in organic solvents and that the ionic strength of the mobile phase has no influence on the retention behaviour of the polymers. With regard to aqueous solutions, it is shown that, despite the weak retention, isotactic and syndiotactic PMAA show different retention behaviours which can qualitatively be attributed to microstructure. Additionally, it is shown that the ionic strength of the mobile phase has a significant influence on the thermal diffusion of polyelectrolytes in aqueous solutions and that the addition of an electrolyte is essential to achieve a microstructure-based separation of P2VP and P4VP in aqueous solutions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance and Mechanisms of Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling Mitigation by Coupling Coagulation and Applied Electric Field in a Novel Electrocoagulation Membrane Reactor.

PubMed

Sun, Jingqiu; Hu, Chengzhi; Tong, Tiezheng; Zhao, Kai; Qu, Jiuhui; Liu, Huijuan; Elimelech, Menachem

2017-08-01

A novel electrocoagulation membrane reactor (ECMR) was developed, in which ultrafiltration (UF) membrane modules are placed between electrodes to improve effluent water quality and reduce membrane fouling. Experiments with feedwater containing clays (kaolinite) and natural organic matter (humic acid) revealed that the combined effect of coagulation and electric field mitigated membrane fouling in the ECMR, resulting in higher water flux than the conventional combination of electrocoagulation and UF in separate units (EC-UF). Higher current densities and weakly acidic pH in the EMCR favored faster generation of large flocs and effectively reduced membrane pore blocking. The hydraulic resistance of the formed cake layers on the membrane surface in ECMR was reduced due to an increase in cake layer porosity and polarity, induced by both coagulation and the applied electric field. The formation of a polarized cake layer was controlled by the applied current density and voltage, with cake layers formed under higher electric field strengths showing higher porosity and hydrophilicity. Compared to EC-UF, ECMR has a smaller footprint and could achieve significant energy savings due to improved fouling resistance and a more compact reactor design.

Loparite, a rare-earth ore (Ce, Na, Sr, Ca)(Ti, Nb, Ta, Fe+3)O3

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hedrick, James B.; Sinha, Shyama P.; Kosynkin, Valery D.

1997-01-01

The mineral loparite (Ce, NA, Sr, Ca)(Ti, Nb, Ta, Fe+3)O3 is the principal ore of the light-group rare-earth elements (LREE) in Russia. The complex oxide has a perovskite (ABO3) structure with coupled substitutions, polymorphism, defect chemistry and a tendency to become metamict. The A site generally contains weakly bonded, easily exchanged cations of the LREE, Na and Ca. The B site generally contains smaller, highly charged cations of Ti, Nb or Fe+3. Mine production is from Russia's Kola Peninsula. Ore is beneficiated to produce a 95% loparite concentrate containing 30% rare-earth oxides. Loparite concentrate is refined by either a chlorination process or acid decomposition process to recover rare-earths, titanium, niobium and tantalum. Rare-earths are separated by solvent extraction and selective precipitation/dissolution. The concentrate is processed at plants in Russia, Estonia and Kazakstan.

pH-responsive ion transport in polyelectrolyte multilayers of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSS-MA) bearing strong- and weak anionic groups.

PubMed

Maza, Eliana; Tuninetti, Jimena S; Politakos, Nikolaos; Knoll, Wolfgang; Moya, Sergio; Azzaroni, Omar

2015-11-28

The layer-by-layer construction of interfacial architectures displaying stimuli-responsive control of mass transport is attracting increasing interest in materials science. In this work, we describe the creation of interfacial architectures displaying pH-dependent ionic transport properties which until now have not been observed in polyelectrolyte multilayers. We describe a novel approach to create pH-controlled ion-rectifying systems employing polyelectrolyte multilayers assembled from a copolymer containing both weakly and strongly charged pendant groups, poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSS-MA), alternately deposited with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). The conceptual framework is based on the very contrasting and differential interactions of PSS and MA units with PDADMAC. In our setting, sulfonate groups play a structural role by conferring stability to the multilayer due to the strong electrostatic interactions with the polycations, while the weakly interacting MA groups remain "silent" within the film and then act as on-demand pH-responsive units. When these multilayers are combined with a strong cationic capping layer that repels the passage of cationic probes, a pH-gateable rectified transport of anions is observed. Concomitantly, we also observed that these functional properties are significantly affected when multilayers are subjected to extensive pH cycling as a consequence of irreversible morphological changes taking place in the film. We envision that the synergy derived from combining weak and strong interactions within the same multilayer will play a key role in the construction of new interfacial architectures displaying tailorable ion transport properties.

Diversity of naturally occurring Ambler class B metallo-β-lactamases in Erythrobacter spp.

PubMed

Girlich, Delphine; Poirel, Laurent; Nordmann, Patrice

2012-11-01

In silico analysis identified a metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) in Erythrobacter litoralis HTCC2594, sharing 55% amino acid identity with NDM-1. The aim of this work was to characterize the chromosomally encoded MBLs from several Erythrobacter spp. that may represent potential reservoirs of acquired MBLs. Erythrobacter citreus, Erythrobacter flavus, Erythrobacter longus, Erythrobacter aquimaris and Erythrobacter vulgaris were from the Pasteur Institute collection, France. DNA was extracted and used for shotgun cloning, and β-lactamases were expressed in Escherichia coli. MICs for resulting E. coli recombinant strains were determined by Etest. The deduced amino acid sequences were analysed and compared with BLASTP. Enzymatic activity of bacterial extracts from recombinant E. coli strains was determined by UV spectrophotometry with imipenem (100 μM) as substrate. Resulting E. coli recombinant strains harboured hypothetical MBL-encoding genes. MICs of β-lactams showed decreased susceptibility to carbapenems only for E. coli (pFLA-1) and E. coli (pLON-1), expressing the MBL from E. flavus and E. longus, respectively. MBLs from different Erythrobacter spp. shared weak amino acid identity, ranging from 45% to75% identity. They differed greatly from that of E. litoralis HTCC2594 (and NDM-1), sharing only 11%-23% identity. Enzymatic activity against imipenem was detectable but weak in all these recombinant E. coli strains, except E. coli (pFLA-1), in which specific activity was significantly higher. Several chromosomally located MBLs have been identified from Erythrobacter spp. They share weak amino acid identity and are very weakly related to other acquired MBLs (10%-23%).

Ferrate(VI) oxidation of weak-acid dissociable cyanides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ria A. Yngard; Virender K. Sharma; Jan Filip

2008-04-15

Cyanide is commonly found in electroplating, mining, coal gasification, and petroleum refining effluents, which require treatment before being discharged. Cyanide in effluents exists either as free cyanide or as a metal complex. The kinetics of the oxidation of weak-acid dissociable cyanides by an environmentally friendly oxidant, ferrate, were studied as a function of pH (9.1-10.5) and temperature (15-45{sup o}C) using a stopped-flow technique. The weak-acid dissociable cyanides were Cd(CN){sub 4}{sup 2-} and Ni(CN){sub 4}{sup 2-}, and the rate-laws for the oxidation may be -d(Fe(VI))/dt = k (Fe(VI))(M(CN){sub 4}{sup 2-}){sup n} where n = 0.5 and 1 for Cd(CN){sub 4}{sup 2-}more » and Ni(CN){sub 4}{sup 2-}, respectively. The rates decreased with increasing pH and were mostly related to a decrease in concentration of the reactive protonated Fe(VI) species, HFeO{sub 4}{sup -}. The stoichiometries with Fe(VI) were determined to be: 4HFeO{sub 4}{sup -} + M(CN){sub 4}{sup 2-} + 6H{sub 2}O {yields} 4Fe(OH){sub 3} + M{sup 2+} + 4NCO{sup -} + O{sub 2} + 4OH{sup -}. Mechanisms are proposed that agree with the observed reaction rate-laws and stoichiometries of the oxidation of weak-acid dissociable cyanides by Fe(VI). Results indicate that Fe(VI) is effective in removing cyanide in coke oven plant effluent, where organics are also present. 27 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Triboelectrification of active pharmaceutical ingredients: week acids and their salts.

PubMed

Fujinuma, Kenta; Ishii, Yuji; Yashihashi, Yasuo; Yonemochi, Estuo; Sugano, Kiyohiko; Tarada, Katsuhide

2015-09-30

The effect of salt formulation on the electrostatic property of active pharmaceutical ingredients was investigated. The electrostatic property of weak acids (carboxylic acids and amide-enole type acid) and their sodium salts was evaluated by a suction-type Faraday cage meter. Free carboxylic acids showed negative chargeability, whereas their sodium salts showed more positive chargeability than the free acids. However, no such trend was observed for amide-enole type acids. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gravitational Lensing Effect on the Two-Point Correlation of Hot Spots in the Cosmic Microwave Background.

PubMed

Takada; Komatsu; Futamase

2000-04-20

We investigate the weak gravitational lensing effect that is due to the large-scale structure of the universe on two-point correlations of local maxima (hot spots) in the two-dimensional sky map of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy. According to the Gaussian random statistics, as most inflationary scenarios predict, the hot spots are discretely distributed, with some characteristic angular separations on the last scattering surface that are due to oscillations of the CMB angular power spectrum. The weak lensing then causes pairs of hot spots, which are separated with the characteristic scale, to be observed with various separations. We found that the lensing fairly smooths out the oscillatory features of the two-point correlation function of hot spots. This indicates that the hot spot correlations can be a new statistical tool for measuring the shape and normalization of the power spectrum of matter fluctuations from the lensing signatures.

Amelioration of acidic soil increases the toxicity of the weak base carbendazim to the earthworm Eisenia fetida.

PubMed

Liu, Kailin; Wang, Shaoyun; Luo, Kun; Liu, Xiangying; Yu, Yunlong

2013-12-01

Ameliorating acidic soils is a common practice and may affect the bioavailability of an ionizable organic pollutant to organisms. The toxicity of the weak base carbendazim to the earthworm (Eisenia fetida) was studied in an acidic soil (pH-H₂O, 4.6) and in the ameliorated soil (pH-H₂O, 7.5). The results indicated that the median lethal concentration of carbendazim for E. fetida decreased from 21.8 mg/kg in acidic soil to 7.35 mg/kg in the ameliorated soil. To understand why the amelioration increased carbendazim toxicity to the earthworm, the authors measured the carbendazim concentrations in the soil porewater. The authors found increased carbendazim concentrations in porewater, resulting in increased toxicity of carbendazim to earthworms. The increased pore concentrations result from decreased adsorption because of the effects of pH and calcium ions. © 2013 SETAC.

Kinetics study of carbon dioxide absorption reaction into the promoted methyldiethanolamine solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitorus, Yasmikha Tiurlan Susanti; Taurina, Hanna Sucita; Altway, Ali; Rahmawati, Yeni; Nurkhamidah, Siti

2017-05-01

The absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) is important in the industrial world. In industries, especially petrochemical, oil, and natural gas sectors, separation process of CO2 gas which is a corrosive gas (acid gas) is required. So, the separation process of CO2 gas stream is important, one of the methods used to remove CO2 from the gas stream is reactive absorption process using the promoted methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solution. Therefore, this study is aimed to obtain the reaction kinetics data of CO2 absorption in MDEA solution using arginine as a promoter. Arginine was chosen because of its amino acid molecule which is reactive, so it can accelerate the reaction rate of MDEA. Moreover, this study also made a comparison between the reactivity of MDEA solution using arginine and MDEA solution using other promoters (glycine and piperazine) for CO2 absorption. The method used is absorption using laboratory scale of Wetted Wall Column (WWC) equipment at 1 atm. This study provides the reaction kinetics data information in order to optimize the separation process of CO2 in the industrialized world. The experimental results show that CO2 absorption rate at 323.15 K without any additon of arginine is 2.33 × 10-7 kmol/sec. By addition of 0.5 and 1 wt% of arginine, the absorption rate becomes 4 × 10-7 kmol/sec (2 times larger) and 6 × 10-7 kmol/sec (3 times larger). These results show that the addition of arginine as a promoter can increase the absorption rate of CO2 in MDEA solution and cover the weaknesses of MDEA solution. Based on the experimental result, the reaction kinetics constant for arginine is 1.91 × 1025 exp (-12296/T) (m3/kmol.s). Although, arginine reaction rate constant is lower than glycine and piperazine.

Semi-Preparative Isolation and Purification of Three Tauro-Conjugated Cholic Acids from Pulvis Fellis Suis by HSCCC Coupled with ELSD Detection.

PubMed

He, Jiao; Zhang, Yongmin; Ito, Yoichiro; Sun, Wenji

2011-01-01

Coupled with evaporative light scattering detection, a high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method was applied to the separation and purification of three tauro-conjugated cholic acids of taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA), taurohyodeoxycholic acid (THDCA) and taurohyocholic acid (THCA) from Pulvis Fellis Suis (Pig gallbladder bile) for the first time. The two-phase solvent system composed of chloroform-methanol-water-acetic acid (4:4:2:0.3, v/v/v/v) was selected for the one-step separation where the lower phase was used as the mobile phase in the head to tail elution mode. The revolution speed of the separation column, flow rate of the mobile phase and separation temperature were 800 rpm, 1.5 ml/min and 25°C respectively. From 100 mg of the crude extract, 10.2 mg of TCDCA, 11.8 mg of THDCA and 5.3 mg of THCA were obtained with the purity of 94.6%, 96.5% and 95.4%, respectively. in one step separation The HSCCC fractions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the structures of the three tauro-conjugated cholic acids were identified by ESI-MS, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR.

Development of an analytical method for separation of phenolic acids by ultra-performance convergence chromatography (UPC2) using a column packed with a sub-2-μm particle.

PubMed

Jiang, Hai; Yang, Liu; Xing, Xudong; Yan, Meiling; Guo, Xinyue; Yang, Bingyou; Wang, Qiu-Hong; Kuang, Hai-Xue

2018-05-10

Phenolic acids are important active components of certain Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) and have a wide range of biological effects. Separation and purification of phenolic acids remains challenging due to difficulties with quality control using existing chromatographic methods The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of different chromatographic columns and conditions for the separation of phenolic acids. The BEH column was determined to be optimal, providing efficient separation in the shortest time (17.00 min) using gradient elution with carbon dioxide as the mobile phase, methanol/acetonitrile (70:30, v/v) with 1% TFA as the modifier, and a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. Good peak shapes were obtained, and the peak asymmetry values were close to 1.00 for all phenolic acids. The resolution was more than 2.83 for all separated peaks. The developed method was subsequently applied to the determination of phenolic acids in Xanthii Fructus. These results are beneficial for quality control and standardization of herbal drugs using UPC 2 , providing an efficient, rapid and environmentally friendly scientific basis for future analysis of phenolic acids. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Science Notes: Dilution of a Weak Acid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talbot, Christopher; Wai, Chooi Khee

2014-01-01

This "Science note" arose out of practical work involving the dilution of ethanoic acid, the measurement of the pH of the diluted solutions and calculation of the acid dissociation constant, K[subscript a], for each diluted solution. The students expected the calculated values of K[subscript a] to be constant but they found that the…

The Roles of Acids and Bases in Enzyme Catalysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiss, Hilton M.

2007-01-01

Many organic reactions are catalyzed by strong acids or bases that protonate or deprotonate neutral reactants leading to reactive cations or anions that proceed to products. In enzyme reactions, only weak acids and bases are available to hydrogen bond to reactants and to transfer protons in response to developing charges. Understanding this…

Utilization of citric acid in wood bonding

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Citric acid (CA) is a weak organic acid. It exists most notably in citrus fruits so that it is named likewise. As a commodity chemical, CA is produced on a large scale by fermentation. In this chapter, we first briefly review the applied research and methods for commercial production of CA. Then we ...

Identification of Weak Acids and Bases by Titration with Primary Standards. A Modern Version of an Old Analytical Chemistry Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Robert Q.

1988-01-01

Describes a laboratory exercise in which acid dissociation constants and molecular weights are extracted from sample data and the sample is identified. Emphasizes accurate volumetric work while bringing to practice the concepts of acid-base equilibria, activity coefficients, and thermodynamic constants. (CW)

Composition of precipitation in remote areas of the world

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Galloway, J.N.; Likens, G.E.; Keene, W.C.

1982-10-20

The Global Precipitation Chemistry Project collects precipitation by event to determine composition and processes controlling it in five remote areas. Compositions (excluding sea-salt) at St. Georges, Bermuda, were primarily controlled by anthropogenic processes; composition and acidities at San Carlos, Venezuela, Katherine, Australia, Poker Flat, Alaska, and Amsterdam Island were controlled by unknown mixtures of natural or anthropogenic processes. Precipitation was acidic; average volume-weighted pH values were 4.8 for Bermuda; 5.0, Alaska; 4.9, Amsterdam Island; 4.8, Australia; 4.8, Venezuela. Acidities at Bermuda and Alaska were from long-range transport of sulfate aerosol; at Venezuela, Australia, and Amsterdam Island, from mixtures of weakmore » organic and strong mineral acids, primarily H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/. Relative proportions of weak to strong acids were largest at Venezuela and lowest at Amsterdam Island. Weak and strong acids were from mixtures of natural and anthropogenic processes. Once contributions from human activities were removed, the lower limit of natural contributions was probably greater than or equal to pH 5.« less

Simultaneous separation and analysis of water- and fat-soluble vitamins on multi-modal reversed-phase weak anion exchange material by HPLC-UV.

PubMed

Dabre, Romain; Azad, Nazanin; Schwämmle, Achim; Lämmerhofer, Michael; Lindner, Wolfgang

2011-04-01

Several methods for the separation of vitamins on HPLC columns were already validated in the last 20 years. However, most of the techniques focus on separating either fat- or water-soluble vitamins and only few methods are intended to separate lipophilic and hydrophilic vitamins simultaneously. A mixed-mode reversed-phase weak anion exchange (RP-WAX) stationary phase was developed in our laboratory in order to address such mixture of analytes with different chemical characteristics, which are difficult to separate on standard columns. The high versatility in usage of the RP-WAX chromatographic material allowed a baseline separation of ten vitamins within a single run, seven water-soluble and three fat-soluble, using three different chromatographic modes: some positively charged vitamins are eluted in ion exclusion and ion repulsion modes whereas the negatively charged molecules are eluted in the ion exchange mechanism. The non-charged molecules are eluted in a classical reversed-phase mode, regarding their polarities. The method was validated for the vitamin analysis in tablets, evaluating selectivity, robustness, linearity, accuracy, and precision. The validated method was finally employed for the analysis of the vitamin content of some commercially available supplement tablets. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Comparing the selectivity and chiral separation of d- and l- fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl chloride protected amino acids in analytical high performance liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography; evaluating throughput, economic and environmental impact.

PubMed

Vera, C M; Shock, D; Dennis, G R; Farrell, W; Shalliker, R A

2017-04-14

The chiral separation of d- and l- FMOC amino acids was undertaken using the Lux Cellulose-1 polysaccharide based chiral column in HPLC (normal phase and reverse phase) and SFC conditions. This was done to compare the relative selectivity and separation between the three separation modes and to evaluate the potential benefits of SFC separations with regards to resolution, throughput, economic and environmental impact. It was established that the separation of d- and l- FMOC amino acids in SFC displayed behaviours that were similar to both normal phase and reversed phase, rather than distinctly one or the other. Additionally, although reversed phase conditions yielded significantly higher resolution values between enantiomers across the range of amino acids studied, improvements in selectivity in SFC via the introduction of higher concentrations of formic acid in the mobile phase allowed for better resolution per unit of time. Moreover since the SFC mobile phase is composed mostly of recyclable CO 2 , there is a reduction in organic solvent consumption, which minimises the economic and environmental costs. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

In silico prediction of drug dissolution and absorption with variation in intestinal pH for BCS class II weak acid drugs: ibuprofen and ketoprofen.

PubMed

Tsume, Yasuhiro; Langguth, Peter; Garcia-Arieta, Alfredo; Amidon, Gordon L

2012-10-01

The FDA Biopharmaceutical Classification System guidance allows waivers for in vivo bioavailability and bioequivalence studies for immediate-release solid oral dosage forms only for BCS class I. Extensions of the in vivo biowaiver for a number of drugs in BCS class III and BCS class II have been proposed, in particular, BCS class II weak acids. However, a discrepancy between the in vivo BE results and in vitro dissolution results for BCS class II acids was recently observed. The objectives of this study were to determine the oral absorption of BCS class II weak acids via simulation software and to determine if the in vitro dissolution test with various dissolution media could be sufficient for in vitro bioequivalence studies of ibuprofen and ketoprofen as models of carboxylic acid drugs. The oral absorption of these BCS class II acids from the gastrointestinal tract was predicted by GastroPlus™. Ibuprofen did not satisfy the bioequivalence criteria at lower settings of intestinal pH of 6.0. Further the experimental dissolution of ibuprofen tablets in a low concentration phosphate buffer at pH 6.0 (the average buffer capacity 2.2 mmol l (-1) /pH) was dramatically reduced compared with the dissolution in SIF (the average buffer capacity 12.6 mmol l (-1) /pH). Thus these predictions for the oral absorption of BCS class II acids indicate that the absorption patterns depend largely on the intestinal pH and buffer strength and must be considered carefully for a bioequivalence test. Simulation software may be a very useful tool to aid the selection of dissolution media that may be useful in setting an in vitro bioequivalence dissolution standard. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

High Capacity Na+/H+ Exchange Activity in Mineralizing Osteoblasts

PubMed Central

Liu, Li; Schlesinger, Paul H.; Slack, Nicole M.; Friedman, Peter A.; Blair, Harry C.

2015-01-01

Osteoblasts synthesize bone in polarized groups of cells sealed by tight junctions. Large amounts of acid are produced as bone mineral is precipitated. We addressed the mechanism by which cells manage this acid load by measuring intracellular pH (pHi) in non-transformed osteoblasts in response to weak acid or bicarbonate loading. Basal pHi in mineralizing osteoblasts was ∼7.3 and decreased by ∼ 1.4 units upon replacing extracellular Na+ with N-methyl-d-glucamine. Loading with 40 mM acetic or propionic acids, in normal extracellular Na+, caused only mild cytosolic acidification. In contrast, in Na+-free solutions, weak acids reduced pHi dramatically. After Na+ reintroduction, pHi recovered rapidly, in keeping with Na+/H+exchanger (NHE) activity. Sodium-dependent pHi recovery from weak acid loading was inhibited by amiloride with the Ki consistent with NHEs. NHE1 and NHE6 were expressed strongly, and expression was upregulated highly, by mineralization, in human osteoblasts. Antibody labeling of mouse bone showed NHE1 on basolateral surfaces of all osteoblasts. NHE6 occurred on basolateral surfaces of osteoblasts mainly in areas of mineralization. Conversely, elevated HCO3- alkalinized osteoblasts, and pH recovered in medium containing CI-, with or without Na+, in keeping with Na+-independent CI-/HCO3- exchange. The exchanger AE2 also occurred on the basolateral surface of osteoblasts, consistent with CI-/HCO3- exchange for elimination of metabolic carbonate. Overexpression of NHE6 or knockdown of NHE1 in MG63 human osteosarcoma cells confirmed roles of NHE1 and NHE6 in maintaining pHi. We conclude that in mineralizing osteoblasts, slightly basic basal pHi is maintained, and external acid load is dissipated, by high-capacity Na+/H+ exchange via NHE1 and NHE6. PMID:21413028

In Silico Prediction of Drug Dissolution and Absorption with variation in Intestinal pH for BCS Class II Weak Acid Drugs: Ibuprofen and Ketoprofen§

PubMed Central

Tsume, Yasuhiro; Langguth, Peter; Garcia-Arieta, Alfredo; Amidon, Gordon L.

2012-01-01

The FDA Biopharmaceutical Classification System guidance allows waivers for in vivo bioavailability and bioequivalence studies for immediate-release solid oral dosage forms only for BCS class I. Extensions of the in vivo biowaiver for a number of drugs in BCS Class III and BCS class II have been proposed, particularly, BCS class II weak acids. However, a discrepancy between the in vivo- BE results and in vitro- dissolution results for a BCS class II acids was recently observed. The objectives of this study were to determine the oral absorption of BCS class II weak acids via simulation software and to determine if the in vitro dissolution test with various dissolution media could be sufficient for in vitro bioequivalence studies of ibuprofen and ketoprofen as models of carboxylic acid drugs. The oral absorption of these BCS class II acids from the gastrointestinal tract was predicted by GastroPlus™. Ibuprofen did not satisfy the bioequivalence criteria at lower settings of intestinal pH=6.0. Further the experimental dissolution of ibuprofen tablets in the low concentration phosphate buffer at pH 6.0 (the average buffer capacity 2.2 mmol L-1/pH) was dramatically reduced compared to the dissolution in SIF (the average buffer capacity 12.6 mmol L -1/pH). Thus these predictions for oral absorption of BCS class II acids indicate that the absorption patterns largely depend on the intestinal pH and buffer strength and must be carefully considered for a bioequivalence test. Simulation software may be very useful tool to aid the selection of dissolution media that may be useful in setting an in vitro bioequivalence dissolution standard. PMID:22815122

Process for separation and preconcentration of radium from water

DOEpatents

Dietz, Mark; Horwitz, E. Philip; Chiarizia, Renato; Bartsch, Richard A.

1999-01-01

A process for preconcentrating and separating radium from a contaminated solution containing at least water and radium includes the steps of adding a quantity of a water-soluble macrocyclic polyether to the contaminated solution to form a combined solution. An acid is added to the combined solution to form an acidic combined solution having an ›H.sup.+ ! concentration of about 0.5M. The acidic combined solution is contacted with a sulfonic acid-based strong acid cation exchange medium or a organophilic sulfonic acid medium having a plurality of binding sites thereon to bind the radium thereto and to form a radium-depleted solution. The radium-depleted solution is separated from the strong acid cation exchange medium or organophilic sulfonic acid medium. The radium remaining bound to the exchange medium or organophilic reagent is then stripped from the exchange medium or organophilic medium and the activity of the radium is measured.

The reaction of iodobenzene-p-sulphonyl chloride (pipsyl chloride) with certain amino acids and peptides, and with insulin

PubMed Central

Fletcher, J. C.

1967-01-01

1. A system of separation using buffered Celite columns is described that enables the pipsyl derivatives of most of the common amino acids to be separated. 2. The reaction of pipsyl chloride with several amino acids not included in previous studies has been investigated. In particular, knowledge of the acid-soluble pipsyl derivatives of arginine, histidine, lysine, tyrosine and cysteic acid has been extended. 3. Reproducible factors have been obtained that enable corrections to be applied for the breakdown of pipsylamino acids on acid hydrolysis. 4. The reaction of pipsyl chloride with peptides has been studied under various conditions. 5. The extent of the reaction between pipsyl chloride and insulin depends on the nature of the solvent–buffer system, and under the best conditions so far found is about 75% complete. 6. In an Appendix, the separation of pipsylamino acids by thin-layer chromatography is described. PMID:16742498

Process for separation and preconcentration of radium from water

DOEpatents

Dietz, M.; Horwitz, E.P.; Chiarizia, R.; Bartsch, R.A.

1999-01-26

A process for preconcentrating and separating radium from a contaminated solution containing at least water and radium includes the steps of adding a quantity of a water-soluble macrocyclic polyether to the contaminated solution to form a combined solution. An acid is added to the combined solution to form an acidic combined solution having an [H{sup +}] concentration of about 0.5M. The acidic combined solution is contacted with a sulfonic acid-based strong acid cation exchange medium or a organophilic sulfonic acid medium having a plurality of binding sites thereon to bind the radium thereto and to form a radium-depleted solution. The radium-depleted solution is separated from the strong acid cation exchange medium or organophilic sulfonic acid medium. The radium remaining bound to the exchange medium or organophilic reagent is then stripped from the exchange medium or organophilic medium and the activity of the radium is measured. 24 figs.

Differential coactivation in a redundant signals task with weak and strong go/no-go stimuli.

PubMed

Minakata, Katsumi; Gondan, Matthias

2018-05-01

When participants respond to stimuli of two sources, response times (RTs) are often faster when both stimuli are presented together relative to the RTs obtained when presented separately (redundant signals effect [RSE]). Race models and coactivation models can explain the RSE. In race models, separate channels process the two stimulus components, and the faster processing time determines the overall RT. In audiovisual experiments, the RSE is often higher than predicted by race models, and coactivation models have been proposed that assume integrated processing of the two stimuli. Where does coactivation occur? We implemented a go/no-go task with randomly intermixed weak and strong auditory, visual, and audiovisual stimuli. In one experimental session, participants had to respond to strong stimuli and withhold their response to weak stimuli. In the other session, these roles were reversed. Interestingly, coactivation was only observed in the experimental session in which participants had to respond to strong stimuli. If weak stimuli served as targets, results were widely consistent with the race model prediction. The pattern of results contradicts the inverse effectiveness law. We present two models that explain the result in terms of absolute and relative thresholds.

Semi-Preparative Separation of 10 Caffeoylquinic Acid Derivatives Using High Speed Counter-Current Chromatogaphy Combined with Semi-Preparative HPLC from the Roots of Burdock (Arctium lappa L.).

PubMed

Zheng, Zhenjia; Wang, Xiao; Liu, Pengli; Li, Meng; Dong, Hongjing; Qiao, Xuguang

2018-02-15

Burdock roots are healthy dietary supplements and a kind of famous traditional Chinese medicine, which contains large amounts of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives. However, little research has been reported on the preparative separation of these compounds from burdock roots. In the present study, a combinative method of HSCCC and semi-preparative HPLC was developed for the semi-preparative separation of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives from the burdock roots. The ethyl acetate extract of burdock roots was first fractionated by MCI macroporous resin chromatography and give three fractions (Fr. 1-3) from the elution of 40% methanol. Then, these three fractions (120 mg) were separately subjected to HSCCC for purification with the solvent system composed of petroleum ether-ethyl acetate-methanol-water at different volume ratios, and the mixtures were further purified by semi-preparative HPLC. As a result, a total of eight known caffeoylquinic acid derivatives including 3- O -caffeoylquinic acid (32.7 mg, 95.7%), 1,5- O - dicaffeoylquinic acid (4.3 mg, 97.2%), 3- O -caffeoylquinic acid methyl ester (12.1 mg, 93.2%), 1,3- O -dicaffeoylquinic acid (42.9 mg, 91.1%), 1,5- O -dicaffeoyl-3- O -(4-maloyl)-quinic acid (4.3 mg, 84.5%), 4,5- O -dicaffeoylquinic acid (5.3 mg, 95.5%), 1,5- O -dicaffeoyl-3- O -succinylquinic acid (8.7 mg, 93.4%), and 1,5- O -dicaffeoyl-4- O -succinylquinic acid (1.7 mg, 91.8%), and two new compounds were obtained. The new compounds were 1,4- O -dicaffeoyl-3-succinyl methyl ester quinic acid (14.6 mg, 96.1%) and 1,5- O -dicaffeoyl-3- O -succinyl methyl ester quinic acid (3.1 mg, 92.6%), respectively. The research indicated that the combination of HSCCC and semi-preparative HPLC is a highly efficient approach for preparative separation of the instability and bioactive caffeoylquinic acid derivatives from natural products.

The contribution of weak CAM to the photosynthetic metabolic activities of a bromeliad species under water deficit.

PubMed

Pikart, Filipe C; Marabesi, Mauro A; Mioto, Paulo T; Gonçalves, Ana Z; Matiz, Alejandra; Alves, Frederico R R; Mercier, Helenice; Aidar, Marcos P M

2018-02-01

The Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) can be a transitory strategy for saving water during unfavourable conditions, like a dry season. In some cases, CAM can also contribute to the maintenance of photosynthetic integrity, even if carbon gain and growth are impaired. CAM occurs in different intensities, being stronger or weaker depending on the degree of nocturnal malic acid accumulation. For example, Guzmania monostachia is an epiphytic tank bromeliad that shows an increase in its nocturnal organic acid accumulation and a variable CAM behaviour when exposed to water deficit. In this context, this study aimed at investigating whether the weak CAM displayed by this species may mitigate the harmful effects of water limitation on its photosynthetic activity. To this, bromeliads were submitted to well-watered and water deficit conditions. Guzmania monostachia plants under water deficiency conditions showed a reduction on atmospheric carbon assimilation without exhibiting changes in PSII integrity and carbohydrate production while showed an increase in nocturnal malic acid accumulation. Additionally, spots with high PSII efficiency in the leaf portion with a greater nocturnal malic acid accumulation were observed in plants exposed to water shortage conditions. These high-efficiency spots might be associated with a greater malate decarboxylation capacity. Also, the malic acid contributed to approximately 50% of the total carbon assimilated under water deficit. These results suggest that weak CAM may participate in photo-protection and it appears to meaningfully contribute to the overall carbon balance, being an important metabolic strategy to maintain plant fitness during water deficit periods. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Assessing physio-macromolecular effects of lactic acid on Zygosaccharomyces bailii cells during microaerobic fermentation.

PubMed

Kuanyshev, Nurzhan; Ami, Diletta; Signori, Lorenzo; Porro, Danilo; Morrissey, John P; Branduardi, Paola

2016-08-01

The ability of Zygosaccharomyces bailii to grow at low pH and in the presence of considerable amounts of weak organic acids, at lethal condition for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, increased the interest in the biotechnological potential of the yeast. To understand the mechanism of tolerance and growth effect of weak acids on Z. bailii, we evaluated the physiological and macromolecular changes of the yeast exposed to sub lethal concentrations of lactic acid. Lactic acid represents one of the important commodity chemical which can be produced by microbial fermentation. We assessed physiological effect of lactic acid by bioreactor fermentation using synthetic media at low pH in the presence of lactic acid. Samples collected from bioreactors were stained with propidium iodide (PI) which revealed that, despite lactic acid negatively influence the growth rate, the number of PI positive cells is similar to that of the control. Moreover, we have performed Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) microspectroscopy analysis on intact cells of the same samples. This technique has been never applied before to study Z. bailii under this condition. The analyses revealed lactic acid induced macromolecular changes in the overall cellular protein secondary structures, and alterations of cell wall and membrane physico-chemical properties. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Computer Bulletin Board. Modified Gran Plots of Very Weak Acids on a Spreadsheet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chau, F. T.; And Others

1990-01-01

Presented are two applications of computer technology to chemistry instruction: the use of a spreadsheet program to analyze acid-base titration curves and the use of database software to catalog stockroom inventories. (CW)

Method for separating mono- and di-octylphenyl phosphoric acid esters

DOEpatents

Arnold, Jr., Wesley D.

1977-01-01

A method for separating mono-octylphenyl phosphoric acid ester and di-octylphenyl phosphoric acid ester from a mixture thereof comprises reacting the ester mixture with a source of lithium or sodium ions to form a mixture of the phosphate salts; contacting the salt mixture with an organic solvent which causes the dioctylphenyl phosphate salt to be dissolved in the organic solvent phase and the mono-octylphenyl phosphate salt to exist in a solid phase; separating the phases; recovering the phosphate salts from their respective phases; and acidifying the recovered salts to form the original phosphoric acid esters.

Sequential pyrolysis of plastic to recover polystyrene, HCl and terephthalic acid

DOEpatents

Evans, R.J.; Chum, H.L.

1995-11-07

A process is described for pyrolyzing plastic waste feed streams containing polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene and polyethylene to recover polystyrene, HCl and terephthalic acid comprising: heating the plastic waste feed stream to a first temperature; adding an acid or base catalyst on an oxide or carbonate support; heating the plastic waste feed stream to pyrolyze polyethylene terephthalate and polyvinyl chloride; separating terephthalic acid or HCl; heating to a second temperature to pyrolyze polystyrene; separating styrene; heating the waste feed stream to a third temperature to pyrolyze polyethylene; and separating hydrocarbons. 83 figs.

Step-by-step management of refractory gastresophageal reflux disease.

PubMed

Hershcovici, T; Fass, R

2013-01-01

Up to a third of the patients who receive proton pump inhibitor (PPI) once daily will demonstrate lack or partial response to treatment. There are various mechanisms that contribute to PPI failure and they include residual acid reflux, weakly acidic and weakly alkaline reflux, esophageal hypersensitivity, and psychological comorbidity, among others. Some of these underlying mechanisms may coincide in the same patient. Evaluation for proper compliance and adequate dosing time of PPIs should be the first management step before ordering invasive diagnostic tests. Doubling the PPI dose or switching to another PPI is the second step of management. Upper endoscopy and pH testing appear to have limited diagnostic value in patients who failed PPI treatment. In contrast, esophageal impedance with pH testing (multichannel intraluminal impedance MII-pH) on therapy appears to provide the most insightful information about the subsequent management of these patients (step 3). In step 4, treatment should be tailored to the specific underlying mechanism of patient's PPI failure. For those who demonstrate weakly acidic or weakly alkaline reflux as the underlying cause of their residual symptoms, transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation reducers, endoscopic treatment, antireflux surgery and pain modulators should be considered. In those with functional heartburn, pain modulators are the cornerstone of therapy. © 2012 Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

Separation of the fatty acids in menhaden oil as methyl esters with a highly polar ionic liquid gas chromatographic column and identification by time of flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Fardin-Kia, Ali Reza; Delmonte, Pierluigi; Kramer, John K G; Jahreis, Gerhard; Kuhnt, Katrin; Santercole, Viviana; Rader, Jeanne I

2013-12-01

The fatty acids contained in marine oils or products are traditionally analyzed by gas chromatography using capillary columns coated with polyethylene glycol phases. Recent reports indicate that 100 % cyanopropyl siloxane phases should also be used when the analyzed samples contain trans fatty acids. We investigated the separation of the fatty acid methyl esters prepared from menhaden oil using the more polar SLB-IL111 (200 m × 0.25 mm) ionic liquid capillary column and the chromatographic conditions previously optimized for the separation of the complex mixture of fatty acid methyl esters prepared from milk fat. Identifications of fatty acids were achieved by applying Ag(+)-HPLC fractionation and GC-TOF/MS analysis in CI(+) mode with isobutane as the ionization reagent. Calculation of equivalent chain lengths confirmed the assignment of double bond positions. This methodology allowed the identification of 125 fatty acids in menhaden oil, including isoprenoid and furanoid fatty acids, and the novel 7-methyl-6-hexadecenoic and 7-methyl-6-octadecenoic fatty acids. The chromatographic conditions applied in this study showed the potential of separating in a single 90-min analysis, among others, the short chain and trans fatty acids contained in dairy products, and the polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in marine products.

Detection of non-protein amino acids in the presence of protein amino acids. II.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shapshak, P.; Okaji, M.

1972-01-01

Studies conducted with the JEOL 5AH amino acid analyzer are described. This instrument makes possible the programming of the chromatographic process. Data are presented showing the separations of seventeen non-protein amino acids in the presence of eighteen protein amino acids. It is pointed out that distinct separations could be obtained in the case of a number of chemically similar compounds, such as ornithine and lysine, N-amidino alanine and arginine, and iminodiacetic acid and S-carboxymethyl cysteine and aspartic acid.

The respective roles of polar/nonpolar binary patterns and amino acid composition in protein regular secondary structures explored exhaustively using hydrophobic cluster analysis.

PubMed

Rebehmed, Joseph; Quintus, Flavien; Mornon, Jean-Paul; Callebaut, Isabelle

2016-05-01

Several studies have highlighted the leading role of the sequence periodicity of polar and nonpolar amino acids (binary patterns) in the formation of regular secondary structures (RSS). However, these were based on the analysis of only a few simple cases, with no direct mean to correlate binary patterns with the limits of RSS. Here, HCA-derived hydrophobic clusters (HC) which are conditioned binary patterns whose positions fit well those of RSS, were considered. All the HC types, defined by unique binary patterns, which were commonly observed in three-dimensional (3D) structures of globular domains, were analyzed. The 180 HC types with preferences for either α-helices or β-strands distinctly contain basic binary units typical of these RSS. Therefore a general trend supporting the "binary pattern preference" assumption was observed. HC for which observed RSS are in disagreement with their expected behavior (discordant HC) were also examined. They were separated in HC types with moderate preferences for RSS, having "weak" binary patterns and versatile RSS and HC types with high preferences for RSS, having "strong" binary patterns and then displaying nonpolar amino acids at the protein surface. It was shown that in both cases, discordant HC could be distinguished from concordant ones by well-differentiated amino acid compositions. The obtained results could, thus, help to complement the currently available methods for the accurate prediction of secondary structures in proteins from the only information of a single amino acid sequence. This can be especially useful for characterizing orphan sequences and for assisting protein engineering and design. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Which Spouse Initiates Marital Separation when There Are Children Involved?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hewitt, Belinda

2009-01-01

This report examines whether the presence of children in marriage differentially influences the risk of wives or husbands initiating separation. The analytic sample consists of 9,118 first marriages from the Households, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey (2001). Using event history and competing risks analysis, I find weak evidence…

Molecular recognition principles and stationary-phase characteristics of topoisomer-selective chemoaffinity materials for chromatographic separation of circular plasmid DNA topoisomers.

PubMed

Mahut, Marek; Lindner, Wolfgang; Lämmerhofer, Michael

2012-01-18

We recently discovered the molecular recognition capability of a quinine carbamate ligand attached to silica as a powerful chemoaffinity material for the chromatographic separation of circular plasmid topoisomers of different linking numbers. In this paper we develop structure-selectivity relationship studies to figure out the essential structural features for topoisomer recognition. By varying different moieties of the original cinchonan-derived selector, it was shown that intercalation by the quinoline moiety of the ligand as assumed initially as the working hypothesis is not an essential feature for topoisomer recognition during chromatography. We found that the key elements for topoisomer selectivity are the presence of a rigid weak anion-exchange site and a H-donor site separated from each other in a defined distance by a 4-atom spacer. Additionally, incorporation of the weak anion-exchange site into a cyclic ring structure provides greater rigidity of the ligand molecule and turned out to be advantageous, if not mandatory, for (close to) baseline separation. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Characteristics of symptomatic reflux episodes in Japanese proton pump inhibitor-refractory non-erosive reflux disease patients.

PubMed

Nakagawa, Kenichiro; Koike, Tomoyuki; Iijima, Katsunori; Saito, Masahiro; Kikuchi, Hiroki; Hatta, Waku; Ara, Nobuyuki; Uno, Kaname; Asano, Naoki; Shimosegawa, Tooru

2015-12-21

To clarify the pathogenesis of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms in non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) patients. Thirty-five NERD patients with persistent symptoms, despite taking rabeprazole 10 mg twice daily for at least 8 wk, were included in this study. All patients underwent 24 h combined impedance - pH on rabeprazole. The symptom index (SI) was considered to be positive if ≥ 50%, and proximal reflux episodes were determined when reflux reached 15 cm above the proximal margin of the lower esophageal sphincter. In 14 (40%) SI-positive patients, with liquid weakly acid reflux, the occurrence rate of reflux symptoms was significantly more frequent in proximal reflux episodes (46.7%) than in distal ones (5.7%) (P < 0.001). With liquid acid reflux, there were no significant differences in the occurrence rate of reflux symptoms between proximal reflux episodes (38.5%) and distal ones (20.5%) (NS). With mixed liquid-gas weakly acid reflux, the occurrence rate of reflux symptoms in proximal reflux episodes was significantly more frequent (31.0%) than in distal reflux ones (3.3%) (P < 0.001). With mixed liquid-gas acid reflux, there were no significant differences in the occurrence rate of reflux symptoms between proximal reflux episodes (29.4%) and distal ones (14.3%) (NS). The proximal extent of weakly acidic liquid and mixed liquid-gas reflux is a major factor associated with reflux perception in SI-positive patients on proton pump inhibitor therapy.

Characteristics of symptomatic reflux episodes in Japanese proton pump inhibitor-refractory non-erosive reflux disease patients

PubMed Central

Nakagawa, Kenichiro; Koike, Tomoyuki; Iijima, Katsunori; Saito, Masahiro; Kikuchi, Hiroki; Hatta, Waku; Ara, Nobuyuki; Uno, Kaname; Asano, Naoki; Shimosegawa, Tooru

2015-01-01

AIM: To clarify the pathogenesis of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms in non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) patients. METHODS: Thirty-five NERD patients with persistent symptoms, despite taking rabeprazole 10 mg twice daily for at least 8 wk, were included in this study. All patients underwent 24 h combined impedance - pH on rabeprazole. The symptom index (SI) was considered to be positive if ≥ 50%, and proximal reflux episodes were determined when reflux reached 15 cm above the proximal margin of the lower esophageal sphincter. RESULTS: In 14 (40%) SI-positive patients, with liquid weakly acid reflux, the occurrence rate of reflux symptoms was significantly more frequent in proximal reflux episodes (46.7%) than in distal ones (5.7%) (P < 0.001). With liquid acid reflux, there were no significant differences in the occurrence rate of reflux symptoms between proximal reflux episodes (38.5%) and distal ones (20.5%) (NS). With mixed liquid-gas weakly acid reflux, the occurrence rate of reflux symptoms in proximal reflux episodes was significantly more frequent (31.0%) than in distal reflux ones (3.3%) (P < 0.001). With mixed liquid-gas acid reflux, there were no significant differences in the occurrence rate of reflux symptoms between proximal reflux episodes (29.4%) and distal ones (14.3%) (NS). CONCLUSION: The proximal extent of weakly acidic liquid and mixed liquid-gas reflux is a major factor associated with reflux perception in SI-positive patients on proton pump inhibitor therapy. PMID:26715820

Use of the sulfide mineral pyrite as electrochemical sensor in non-aqueous solutions: potentiometric titration of weak acids in acetonitrile, propionitrile and benzonitrile.

PubMed

Mihajlović, Ljiljana; Nikolić-Mandić, Snezana; Vukanović, Branislav; Mihajlović, Randel

2009-03-01

Natural monocrystalline pyrite as a new indicator electrode for the potentiometric titration of weak acids in acetonitrile, propionitrile and benzonitrile was studied. The investigated electrode showed a linear dynamic response for p-toluenesulfonic acid concentrations in the range from 0.1 to 0.001 M, with a Nernstian slope of 74 mV per decade. Sodium methylate, potassium hydroxide and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) proved to be very suitable titrating agent for this titration. The response time was less than (11 s) and the lifetime of the electrode is long. The advantages of the electrode are log-term stability, fast response, and reproducibility, while the sensor is easy to prepare and of low cost.

CHARACTERIZATION OF HUMIC ACID SIZE FRACTIONS BY SEC AND MALS (R822832)

EPA Science Inventory

Latahco silt-loam humic acid was separated on a preparatory scale by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) on a gravity-fed Sepharose column. Four fractions from this separation were collected and further analyzed, along with whole humic acid, by high-performance SEC coupled with a...

Circulation Plasma Centrifuge with Product Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisevich, V. D.; Potanin, E. P.

2018-05-01

We have analyzed the isotope separation in a high-frequency plasma circulating centrifuge operating with a product flow. The rotation of a weakly ionized plasma is ensured by a rotating magnetic field, while the countercurrent flow (circulation) is produced by a traveling magnetic field. We have calculated the dependences of the enrichment factor and the separative power of the centrifuge on a product flow. The optimal characteristics of the separation unit have been determined.

UPTAKE AND ELIMINATION OF IONIZABLE ORGANIC CHEMICALS AT FISH GILLS: PART I. MODEL FORMULATION, PARAMETERIZATION, AND BEHAVIOR

EPA Science Inventory

Effects of pH and alkalinity on uptake and elimination of ionizable organic chemicals at the gills of large rainbow trout were studied. Increased pH reduced uptake rates of weakly-acidic chlorinated phenols and increased that of weakly-basic 3,4-dichlorobenzylamine, indicating gr...

Cellular conditions of weakly chelated magnesium ions strongly promote RNA stability and catalysis.

PubMed

Yamagami, Ryota; Bingaman, Jamie L; Frankel, Erica A; Bevilacqua, Philip C

2018-06-01

Most RNA folding studies have been performed under non-physiological conditions of high concentrations (≥10 mM) of Mg 2+ free , while actual cellular concentrations of Mg 2+ free are only ~1 mM in a background of greater than 50 mM Mg 2+ total . To uncover cellular behavior of RNA, we devised cytoplasm mimic systems that include biological concentrations of amino acids, which weakly chelate Mg 2+ . Amino acid-chelated Mg 2+ (aaCM) of ~15 mM dramatically increases RNA folding and prevents RNA degradation. Furthermore, aaCM enhance self-cleavage of several different ribozymes, up to 100,000-fold at Mg 2+ free of just 0.5 mM, indirectly through RNA compaction. Other metabolites that weakly chelate magnesium offer similar beneficial effects, which implies chelated magnesium may enhance RNA function in the cell in the same way. Overall, these results indicate that the states of Mg 2+ should not be limited to free and bound only, as weakly bound Mg 2+ strongly promotes RNA function under cellular conditions.

Let Your Ions Shine.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koubek, Edward

1985-01-01

Outlines a demonstration involving weak acids and bases in aqueous solutions. A standard conductivity demonstration with a solution of acetic acid yields a barely glowing light bulb; a similar result occurs with ammonia solution. However, the bulb glows brightly when the solutions are mixed. (DH)

Effectiveness of a Classroom Chemistry Demonstration Using the Cognitive Conflict Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baddock, Maree; Bucat, Robert

2008-01-01

In an action research study, 66 students from Year 11 in an Australian school were shown the colour of methyl violet indicator in some hydrochloric acid solutions, and then in an acetic acid solution. The intent was to create a cognitive conflict, resolution of which would lead to an understanding of the concept "weak acid". Student…

Amino Acid Contents of Meteorite Mineral Separates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, E. L.; Burton, A. S.; Locke, D.

2017-07-01

We investigate the relationship between parent body conditions, mineralogy, and amino acid composition, by analyzing meteoric mineral separates using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction.

Actinide extraction methods

DOEpatents

Peterman, Dean R [Idaho Falls, ID; Klaehn, John R [Idaho Falls, ID; Harrup, Mason K [Idaho Falls, ID; Tillotson, Richard D [Moore, ID; Law, Jack D [Pocatello, ID

2010-09-21

Methods of separating actinides from lanthanides are disclosed. A regio-specific/stereo-specific dithiophosphinic acid having organic moieties is provided in an organic solvent that is then contacted with an acidic medium containing an actinide and a lanthanide. The method can extend to separating actinides from one another. Actinides are extracted as a complex with the dithiophosphinic acid. Separation compositions include an aqueous phase, an organic phase, dithiophosphinic acid, and at least one actinide. The compositions may include additional actinides and/or lanthanides. A method of producing a dithiophosphinic acid comprising at least two organic moieties selected from aromatics and alkyls, each moiety having at least one functional group is also disclosed. A source of sulfur is reacted with a halophosphine. An ammonium salt of the dithiophosphinic acid product is precipitated out of the reaction mixture. The precipitated salt is dissolved in ether. The ether is removed to yield the dithiophosphinic acid.

Life’s Order, Complexity, Organization, and Its Thermodynamic–Holistic Imperatives

PubMed Central

Egel, Richard

2012-01-01

In memoriam Jeffrey S. Wicken (1942–2002)—the evolutionarily minded biochemist, who in the 1970/80s strived for a synthesis of biological and physical theories to fathom the tentative origins of life. Several integrative concepts are worth remembering from Wicken’s legacy. (i) Connecting life’s origins and complex organization to a preexisting physical world demands a thermodynamically sound transition. (ii) Energetic ‘charging’ of the prebiosphere must precede the emergence of biological organization. (iii) Environmental energy gradients are exploited progressively, approaching maximum interactive structure and minimum dissipation. (iv) Dynamic self-assembly of prebiotic organic matter is driven by hydrophobic tension between water and amphiphilic building blocks, such as aggregating peptides from non-polar amino acids and base stacking in nucleic acids. (v) The dynamics of autocatalytic self-organization are facilitated by a multiplicity of weak interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, within and between macromolecular assemblies. (vi) The coevolution of (initially uncoded) proteins and nucleic acids in energy-coupled and metabolically active so-called ‘microspheres’ is more realistic as a kinetic transition model of primal biogenesis than ‘hypercycle replication’ theories for nucleic acid replicators on their own. All these considerations blend well with the current understanding that sunlight UV-induced photo-electronic excitation of colloidal metal sulfide particles appears most suitable as a prebiotic driver of organic synthesis reactions, in tight cooperation with organic, phase-separated, catalytic ‘microspheres’. On the ‘continuist vs. miraculist’ schism described by Iris Fry for origins-of-life considerations (Table 1), Wicken was a fervent early protagonist of holistic ‘continuist’ views and agenda. PMID:25371269

Crystal structure of 1-(3-chloro-phen-yl)piperazin-1-ium picrate-picric acid (2/1).

PubMed

Kavitha, Channappa N; Jasinski, Jerry P; Kaur, Manpreet; Anderson, Brian J; Yathirajan, H S

2014-11-01

The title salt {systematic name: bis-[1-(3-chloro-phen-yl)piperazinium 2,4,6-tri-nitro-phenolate]-picric acid (2/1)}, 2C10H14ClN2 (+)·2C6H5N3O7 (-)·C6H6N3O7, crystallized with two independent 1-(3-chloro-phen-yl)piperazinium cations, two picrate anions and a picric acid mol-ecule in the asymmetric unit. The six-membered piperazine ring in each cation adopts a slightly distorted chair conformation and contains a protonated N atom. In the picric acid mol-ecule, the mean planes of the nitro groups in the ortho-, meta-, and para-positions are twisted from the benzene ring by 31.5 (3), 7.7 (1), and 3.8 (2)°, respectively. In the anions, the dihedral angles between the benzene ring and the ortho-, meta-, and para-nitro groups are 36.7 (1), 5.0 (6), 4.8 (2)°, and 34.4 (9), 15.3 (8), 4.5 (1)°, respectively. The nitro group in one anion is disordered and was modeled with two sites for one O atom with an occupancy ratio of 0.627 (7):0.373 (7). In the crystal, the picric acid mol-ecule inter-acts with the picrate anion through a trifurcated O-H⋯O four-centre hydrogen bond involving an intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bond and a weak C-H⋯O inter-action. Weak inter-molecular C-H⋯O inter-actions are responsible for the formation of cation-anion-cation trimers resulting in a chain along [010]. In addition, weak C-H⋯Cl and weak π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroid distances of 3.532 (3), 3.756 (4) and 3.705 (3) Å] are observed and contribute to the stability of the crystal packing.

Adaptive Response and Tolerance to Acetic Acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces bailii: A Physiological Genomics Perspective.

PubMed

Palma, Margarida; Guerreiro, Joana F; Sá-Correia, Isabel

2018-01-01

Acetic acid is an important microbial growth inhibitor in the food industry; it is used as a preservative in foods and beverages and is produced during normal yeast metabolism in biotechnological processes. Acetic acid is also a major inhibitory compound present in lignocellulosic hydrolysates affecting the use of this promising carbon source for sustainable bioprocesses. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying Saccharomyces cerevisiae response and adaptation to acetic acid have been studied for years, only recently they have been examined in more detail in Zygosaccharomyces bailii . However, due to its remarkable tolerance to acetic acid and other weak acids this yeast species is a major threat in the spoilage of acidic foods and beverages and considered as an interesting alternative cell factory in Biotechnology. This review paper emphasizes genome-wide strategies that are providing global insights into the molecular targets, signaling pathways and mechanisms behind S. cerevisiae and Z. bailii tolerance to acetic acid, and extends this information to other weak acids whenever relevant. Such comprehensive perspective and the knowledge gathered in these two yeast species allowed the identification of candidate molecular targets, either for the design of effective strategies to overcome yeast spoilage in acidic foods and beverages, or for the rational genome engineering to construct more robust industrial strains. Examples of successful applications are provided.

Adaptive Response and Tolerance to Acetic Acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces bailii: A Physiological Genomics Perspective

PubMed Central

Palma, Margarida; Guerreiro, Joana F.; Sá-Correia, Isabel

2018-01-01

Acetic acid is an important microbial growth inhibitor in the food industry; it is used as a preservative in foods and beverages and is produced during normal yeast metabolism in biotechnological processes. Acetic acid is also a major inhibitory compound present in lignocellulosic hydrolysates affecting the use of this promising carbon source for sustainable bioprocesses. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying Saccharomyces cerevisiae response and adaptation to acetic acid have been studied for years, only recently they have been examined in more detail in Zygosaccharomyces bailii. However, due to its remarkable tolerance to acetic acid and other weak acids this yeast species is a major threat in the spoilage of acidic foods and beverages and considered as an interesting alternative cell factory in Biotechnology. This review paper emphasizes genome-wide strategies that are providing global insights into the molecular targets, signaling pathways and mechanisms behind S. cerevisiae and Z. bailii tolerance to acetic acid, and extends this information to other weak acids whenever relevant. Such comprehensive perspective and the knowledge gathered in these two yeast species allowed the identification of candidate molecular targets, either for the design of effective strategies to overcome yeast spoilage in acidic foods and beverages, or for the rational genome engineering to construct more robust industrial strains. Examples of successful applications are provided. PMID:29515554

ON THE SEPARATION OF VANADIUM, MOLYBDENUM AND TUNGSTEN BY MEANS OF PAPER CHROMATOGRAPHY. PART I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tzou, S.; Liang, S.

1959-02-01

Molybdenum, tangsten, and vanadium are separated by chromatography as per-acids, and then detected with tannin solution. Of the seven solvents tested, n-butanolhydrogen peroxide-nitric acid mixtures offer the best separations. With the addition of dioxane, the R/sub F/ values of these elements increase, while vanadium and tungsten spots overlap. The formation of per-acids avoids the retainment of tungsten on the original spot and the tailings of vanadium and molybdenum spots. (B.O.G.)

SELECTIVE SEPARATION OF URANIUM FROM THORIUM, PROTACTINIUM AND FISSION PRODUCTS BY PEROXIDE DISSOLUTION METHOD

DOEpatents

Seaborg, G.T.; Gofman, J.W.; Stoughton, R.W.

1959-08-18

A method is described for separating U/sup 233/ from thorium and fission products. The separation is effected by forming a thorium-nitric acid solution of about 3 pH, adding hydrogen peroxide to precipitate uranium and thorium peroxide, treating the peroxides with sodium hydroxide to selectively precipitate the uranium peroxide, and reacting the separated solution with nitric acid to re- precipitate the uranium peroxide.

Separation of organic ion exchange resins from sludge -- engineering study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duncan, J.B.

1998-08-25

This engineering study evaluates the use of physical separation technologies to separate organic ion exchange resin from KE Basin sludge prior to nitric acid dissolution. This separation is necessitate to prevent nitration of the organics in the acid dissolver. The technologies under consideration are: screening, sedimentation, elutriation. The recommended approach is to first screen the Sludge and resin 300 microns then subject the 300 microns plus material to elutriation.

Enhanced separation of rare earth elements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lyon, K.; Greenhalgh, M.; Herbst, R. S.

2016-09-01

Industrial rare earth separation processes utilize PC88A, a phosphonic acid ligand, for solvent extraction separations. The separation factors of the individual rare earths, the equipment requirements, and chemical usage for these flowsheets are well characterized. Alternative ligands such as Cyanex® 572 and the associated flowsheets are being investigated at the pilot scale level to determine if significant improvements to the current separation processes can be realized. These improvements are identified as higher separation factors, reduced stage requirements, or reduced chemical consumption. Any of these improvements can significantly affect the costs associated with these challenging separation proccesses. A mid/heavy rare earthmore » element (REE) separations flowsheet was developed and tested for each ligand in a 30 stage mixer-settler circuit to compare the separation performance of PC88A and Cyanex® 572. The ligand-metal complex strength of Cyanex® 572 provides efficient extraction of REE while significantly reducing the strip acid requirements. Reductions in chemical consumption have a significant impact on process economics for REE separations. Partitioning results summarized Table 1 indicate that Cyanex® 572 offers the same separation performance as PC88A while reducing acid consumption by 30% in the strip section for the mid/heavy REE separation. Flowsheet Effluent Compositions PC88A Cyanex® 572 Raffinate Mid REE Heavy REE 99.40% 0.60% 99.40% 0.60% Rich Mid REE Heavy REE 2.20% 97.80% 0.80% 99.20% Liquor Strip Acid Required 3.4 M 2.3 M Table 1 – Flowsheet results comparing separation performance of PC88A and Cyanex® 572 for a mid/heavy REE separation.« less

Separation of thorium (IV) from lanthanide concentrate (LC) and water leach purification (WLP) residue

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

AL-Areqi, Wadeeah M.; Majid, Amran Ab.; Sarmani, Sukiman

Thorium (IV) content in industrial residue produced from rare earth elements production industry is one of the challenges to Malaysian environment. Separation of thorium from the lanthanide concentrate (LC) and Water Leach Purification (WLP) residue from rare earth elements production plant is described. Both materials have been tested by sulphuric acid and alkaline digestions. Th concentrations in LC and WLP were determined to be 1289.7 ± 129 and 1952.9±17.6 ppm respectively. The results of separation show that the recovery of Th separation from rare earth in LC after concentrated sulphuric acid dissolution and reduction of acidity to precipitate Th wasmore » found 1.76-1.20% whereas Th recovery from WLP was less than 4% after concentrated acids and alkali digestion processes. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) was used to determine Th concentrations in aqueous phase during separation stages. This study indicated that thorium maybe exists in refractory and insoluble form which is difficult to separate by these processes and stays in WLP residue as naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)« less

Amino Acid Bound Surfactants: A New Synthetic Family of Polymeric Monoliths Open Up Possibilities for Chiral Separations in Capillary Electrochromatography

PubMed Central

He, Jun; Wang, Xiaochun; Morrill, Mike; Shamsi, Shahab A.

2012-01-01

By combining a novel chiral amino-acid surfactant containing acryloyl amide tail, carbamate linker and leucine head group of different chain lengths with a conventional cross linker and a polymerization technique, a new “one-pot”, synthesis for the generation of amino-acid based polymeric monolith is realized. The method promises to open up the discovery of amino-acid based polymeric monolith for chiral separations in capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Possibility of enhanced chemoselectivity for simultaneous separation of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine containing multiple chiral centers, and the potential use of this amino-acid surfactant bound column for CEC and CEC coupled to mass spectrometric detection is demonstrated. PMID:22607448

Esophageal intraluminal baseline impedance is associated with severity of acid reflux and epithelial structural abnormalities in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

PubMed

Zhong, Chanjuan; Duan, Liping; Wang, Kun; Xu, Zhijie; Ge, Ying; Yang, Changqing; Han, Yajing

2013-05-01

The esophageal intraluminal baseline impedance may be used to evaluate the status of mucosa integrity. Esophageal acid exposure decreases the baseline impedance. We aimed to compare baseline impedance in patients with various reflux events and with different acid-related parameters, and investigate the relationships between epithelial histopathologic abnormalities and baseline impedance. A total of 229 GERD patients and 34 controls underwent 24-h multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring (MII-pH monitoring), gastroendoscopy, and completed a GERD questionnaire (GerdQ). We quantified epithelial intercellular spaces (ICSs) and expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins by histologic techniques. Mean baseline values in reflux esophagitis (RE) (1752 ± 1018 Ω) and non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) (2640 ± 1143 Ω) were significantly lower than in controls (3360 ± 1258 Ω; p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Among NERD subgroups, mean baselines in the acid reflux group (2510 ± 1239 Ω) and mixed acid/weakly acidic reflux group (2393 ± 1009 Ω) were much lower than in controls (3360 ± 1258 Ω; p = 0.020 and p < 0.001, respectively). The mean baseline in severe RE patients was significantly lower than in mild RE patients (LA-C/D vs. LA-A/B: 970 ± 505 Ω vs. 1921 ± 1024 Ω, p < 0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between baseline value and acid exposure time (AET) (r = -0.41, p < 0.001), and a weak but significant correlation (r = -0.20, p = 0.007) between baseline value and weakly AET. Negative correlations were observed between ICS and the baseline impedance (r = -0.637, p < 0.001) and claudin-1 and the baseline impedance (r = -0.648, p < 0.001). Patients with dominant acid reflux events and with longer AET have low baseline impedance. Baseline values are correlated with esophageal mucosal histopathologic changes such as dilated ICS and TJ alteration.

PREPARATIVE ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION OF THREE GLYCINE-CONJUGATED CHOLIC ACIDS FROM PULVIS FELLIS SUIS BY HIGH-SPEED COUNTERCURRENT CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED WITH ELSD DETECTION.

PubMed

He, Jiao; Li, Jing; Sun, Wenji; Zhang, Tianyou; Ito, Yoichiro

2012-01-01

Coupled with evaporative light scattering detection, a high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method was developed for preparative isolation and purification of three glycine-conjugated cholic acids, glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA), glycohyodeoxycholic acid (GHDCA) and glycohyocholic acid (GHCA) from Pulvis Fellis Suis (Pig gallbladder bile) for the first time. The separation was performed with a two-phase solvent system consisted of chloroform-methanol-water-acetic acid (65:30:10:1.5, v/v/v/v) by eluting the lower phase in the head-to-tail elution mode. The revolution speed of the separation column, flow rate of the mobile phase and separation temperature were 800 rpm, 2 ml/min and 25 °C, respectively. In a single operation, 33 mg of GCDCA, 38 mg of GHDCA and 23 mg of GHCA were obtained from 200 mg of crude extract with the purity of 95.65%, 96.72% and 96.63%, respectively, in one step separation. The HSCCC fractions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the structures of the three glycine-conjugated cholic acids were identified by ESI-MS, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR.

PREPARATIVE ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION OF THREE GLYCINE-CONJUGATED CHOLIC ACIDS FROM PULVIS FELLIS SUIS BY HIGH-SPEED COUNTERCURRENT CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED WITH ELSD DETECTION

PubMed Central

He, Jiao; Li, Jing; Sun, Wenji; Zhang, Tianyou; Ito, Yoichiro

2011-01-01

Coupled with evaporative light scattering detection, a high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method was developed for preparative isolation and purification of three glycine-conjugated cholic acids, glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA), glycohyodeoxycholic acid (GHDCA) and glycohyocholic acid (GHCA) from Pulvis Fellis Suis (Pig gallbladder bile) for the first time. The separation was performed with a two-phase solvent system consisted of chloroform-methanol-water-acetic acid (65:30:10:1.5, v/v/v/v) by eluting the lower phase in the head-to-tail elution mode. The revolution speed of the separation column, flow rate of the mobile phase and separation temperature were 800 rpm, 2 ml/min and 25 °C, respectively. In a single operation, 33 mg of GCDCA, 38 mg of GHDCA and 23 mg of GHCA were obtained from 200 mg of crude extract with the purity of 95.65%, 96.72% and 96.63%, respectively, in one step separation. The HSCCC fractions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the structures of the three glycine-conjugated cholic acids were identified by ESI-MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. PMID:23008527

Separation of the rare earths by anion-exchange in the presence of lactic acid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Faris, J. P.

1969-01-01

Investigation of adsorption of rare earths and a few other elements to an anion-exchange resin from mixed solvents containing lactic acid shows that the lanthanides are absorbed more strongly than from the alpha-hydroxyisobutryric acid system, but with less separation between adjacent members of the series.

Nanoparticle-enhanced fluorescence emission for non-separation assays of carbohydrates using a boronic acid-alizarin complex.

PubMed

Li, Qianjin; Kamra, Tripta; Ye, Lei

2016-03-04

Addition of crosslinked polymer nanoparticles into a solution of a 3-nitrophenylboronic acid-alizarin complex leads to significant enhancement of fluorescence emission. Using the nanoparticle-enhanced boronic acid-alizarin system has improved greatly the sensitivity and extended the dynamic range of separation-free fluorescence assays for carbohydrates.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fetterly, Brandon Michael

Nitric acid has been shown to be a weak acid in acetonitrile. It is conceivable that a nitrate salt of a weakly Lewis acidic cation could furnish a ''naked'' nitrate anion as a basic catalyst in a variety of reactions in non-aqueous solvents. Such a nitrate salt could also be bound to a polymeric support via the cation, thereby allowing for reclamation and recycling of the nitrate ion. This subject is dealt with in Chapter 2, wherein my contributions consisted of performing all the reactions with the polymer supported catalyst and carrying out the experiments necessary to shed light onmore » the reaction mechanisms. Chapter 3 contains a description of the structure and catalytic properties of an azidoproazaphosphatrane. This compound is an air-stable versatile catalyst that has proven useful not only homogeneously, but also when bound to a solid support. The synthesis of a polymer bound proazaphosphatrane containing a trivalent phosphorus is presented in Chapter 4. Such a compound has been sought after by our group for a number of years. Not only does the synthesis I have accomplished for it allow for easier separation of proazaphosphatrane catalysts from reaction mixtures, but recycling of the base is made much simpler. Proazaphosphatranes are useful homogeneous catalysts that activate atoms in other reagents, thus enhancing their reactivity. The next chapters deal with two such reactions with aldehydes and ketones, namely silylcyanations with trialkylsilylcyanides (Chapters 5 and 6) and reductions with poly(methylhydrosiloxane), in Chapter 7. In Chapter 5, Zhigang Wang performed the initial optimization and scoping of the reaction, while repetitions of the scoping experiments for reproducibility, determination of diastereomeric ratios, and experiments aimed at elucidating aspects of the mechanism were performed by me. The proazaphosphatrane coordinates to the silicon atom in both cases, thereby allowing the aforementioned reactions to proceed under much milder conditions. Proazaphosphatranes are also effective Broensted-Lowry bases. This is illustrated in Chapter 8 wherein a wide variety of conjugate addition reactions are catalyzed by proazaphosphatranes. In that chapter, repetitions of the nitroalkane addition reactions for reproducibility, improved spectral data for the products and comparisons of literature yields of all reactions were performed by the author.« less

[Key factors in the control of electroosmosis with external radial electric field in CE].

PubMed

Zhu, Y; Chen, Y

1999-11-01

Direct control of electroosmosis flow (EOF) by external radial electric field was performed at room temperature using a home-made field-modulated capillary electrophoresis (CE) system. The EOF was monitored at 206 nm by using DMSO as a probe. To apply a radial electric field across the CE capillary wall, the capillary was cased with a wide column. Both of the concentric space and the capillary bore were then filled with an identical running buffer and applied with an axial electric field of 150 V/cm but starting from different levels. All of the tubes used were made of fused silica with polyimide over-coating (from the Yongnian Optical Fiber Work, Hebei, P. R. China). The size of the CE capillaries adopted was 25-100 microns i.d. (375 microns o.d.) x 28.5/45 cm (effective/total length), and that of the casing column 400 microns i.d. x 32 cm. To investigate the fundamentals of the external EOF control when using the flexible fused silica capillaries, various parameters have been inspected such as pH, buffer composition, additives and capillary wall feature etc.. As expected, to well control both of the magnitude and direction of the electroosmosis, the buffer pH should be kept below 4 and the buffer concentration below 50 mmol/L. However, buffers below 1 mmol/L should be avoided because such a diluted running buffer may result in poor CE separation. Weak electrolytes like citric acid, tartaric acid and acetic acid were found to be capable of generating better EOF control than the strong electrolytes such as phosphate and chlorides. This is possibly due to the formation of looser electric double layer with the weak rather than the strong electrolytes. Some wall coatings like calix arene and its derivatives can evidently improve the EOF control even at pH 5. This reveals an exciting way to expend the controllable pH range. In addition, narrow-bore capillaries were demonstrated to be better than wide-bore tubes. Other conditions such as buffer additives and capillary rinse procedure were shown to have only negligible influence on the control.

Enantioselective chromatography in analysis of triacylglycerols common in edible fats and oils.

PubMed

Kalpio, Marika; Nylund, Matts; Linderborg, Kaisa M; Yang, Baoru; Kristinsson, Björn; Haraldsson, Gudmundur G; Kallio, Heikki

2015-04-01

Enantiomers of racemic triacylglycerol (TAG) mixtures were separated using two chiral HPLC columns with a sample recycling system and a UV detector. A closed system without sample derivatisation enabled separation and identification by using enantiopure reference compounds of eleven racemic TAGs with C12-C22 fatty acids with 0-2 double bonds. The prolonged separation time was compensated for by fewer pretreatment steps. Presence of one saturated and one unsaturated fatty acid in the asymmetric TAG favoured the separation. Enantiomeric resolution, at the same time with stronger retention of TAGs, increased with increasing fatty acid chain length in the sn-1(3) position. Triunsaturated TAGs containing oleic, linoleic or palmitoleic acids did not separate. The elution order of enantiomers was determined by chemoenzymatically synthesised enantiopure TAGs with a co-injection method. The method is applicable to many natural fats and oils of low unsaturation level assisting advanced investigation of lipid synthesis and metabolism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of phase-trafficking methods to natural products research.

PubMed

Araya, Juan J; Montenegro, Gloria; Mitscher, Lester A; Timmermann, Barbara N

2010-09-24

A novel simultaneous phase-trafficking approach using spatially separated solid-supported reagents for rapid separation of neutral, basic, and acidic compounds from organic plant extracts with minimum labor is reported. Acidic and basic ion-exchange resins were physically separated into individual sacks ("tea bags") for trapping basic and acidic compounds, respectively, leaving behind in solution neutral components of the natural mixtures. Trapped compounds were then recovered from solid phase by appropriate suspension in acidic or basic solutions. The feasibility of the proposed separation protocol was demonstrated and optimized with an "artificial mixture" of model compounds. In addition, the utility of this methodology was illustrated with the successful separation of the alkaloid skytanthine from Skytanthus acutus Meyen and the main catechins and caffeine from Camellia sinensis L. (Kuntze). This novel approach offers multiple advantages over traditional extraction methods, as it is not labor intensive, makes use of only small quantities of solvents, produces fractions in adequate quantities for biological assays, and can be easily adapted to field conditions for bioprospecting activities.

Application of Phase-Trafficking Methods to Natural Products Research

PubMed Central

Araya, Juan J.; Montenegro, Gloria; Mitscher, Lester A.; Timmermann, Barbara N.

2010-01-01

A novel simultaneous phase-trafficking approach using spatially separated solid-supported reagents (SSR) for rapid separation of neutral, basic, and acidic compounds from organic plant extracts with minimum labor is reported. Acidic and basic ion exchange resins were physically separated into individual sacks (“teabags”) for trapping basic and acidic compounds respectively, leaving behind in solution neutral components of the natural mixtures. Trapped compounds were then recovered from solid phase by appropriate suspension in acidic or basic solutions. The feasibility of the proposed separation protocol was demonstrated and optimized with an “artificial mixture” of model compounds. In addition, the utility of this methodology was illustrated with the successful separation of the alkaloid skytanthine from Skytanthus acutus Meyen and the main catechins and caffeine from Camellia sinensis L. (Kuntze). This novel approach offers multiple advantages over traditional extraction methods, as it is not labor intensive, makes use of only small quantities of solvents, produces fractions in adequate quantities for biological assays, and can be easily adapted to field conditions for bioprospecting activities. PMID:20704309

Semimicrodetermination of combined tantalum and niobium with selenous acid

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grimaldi, F.S.; Schnepfe, M.

1959-01-01

Tantalum and niobium are separated and determined gravimetrically by precipitation with selenous acid from highly acidic solutions in the absence of complexing agents. Hydrogen peroxide is used in the preparation of the solution and later catalytically destroyed during digestion of the precipitate. From 0.2 to 30 mg., separately or in mixtures, of niobium or tantalum pentoxide can be separated from mixtures containing 100 mg. each of the oxides of scandium, yttrium, cerium, vanadium, molybdenum, iron, aluminum, tin, lead, and bismuth with a single precipitation; and from 30 mg. of titanium dioxide, and 50 mg. each of the oxides of antimony and thorium, when present separately, with three precipitations. At least 50 mg. of uranium(VI) oxide can be separated with a single precipitation when present alone; otherwise, three precipitations may be needed. Zirconium does not interfere when the tantalum and niobium contents of the sample are small, but in general, zirconium as well as tungsten interfere. The method is applied to the determination of the earth acids in tantaloniobate ores.

Weak incident shock interactions with Mach 8 laminar boundary layers. [of flat plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, L. G., II; Johnson, C. B.

1974-01-01

Weak shock-wave interactions with boundary layers on a flat plate were investigated experimentally in Mach 8 variable-density tunnel for plate-length Reynolds numbers. The undisturbed boundary layers were laminar over the entire plate length. Pressure and heat-transfer distributions were obtained for wedge-generated incident shock waves that resulted in pressure rises ranging from 1.36 to 4.46 (both nonseparated and separated boundary-layer flows). The resulting heat-transfer amplifications ranged from 1.45 to 14. The distributions followed established trends for nonseparated flows, for incipient separation, and for laminar free-interaction pressure rises. The experimental results corroborated established trends for the extent of the pressure rise and for certain peak heat-transfer correlations.

Reflux parameters as modified by laparoscopic fundoplication in 40 patients with heartburn/regurgitation persisting despite PPI therapy: a study using impedance-pH monitoring.

PubMed

Frazzoni, Marzio; Conigliaro, Rita; Melotti, Gianluigi

2011-04-01

Patients with typical reflux symptoms (heartburn/regurgitation) persisting despite proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy are not uncommon. Impedance-pH monitoring detects gastroesophageal reflux at all pH levels and may establish if ongoing symptoms on PPI therapy are associated with acid/nonacid reflux. Laparoscopic fundoplication is a therapeutic option in such patients but reflux parameters on PPI therapy and after intervention and their relationship with symptom persistence/remission have been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to assess reflux parameters and their relationship with symptoms before and after laparoscopic fundoplication, on and off PPI therapy, respectively, in patients with PPI-unresponsive heartburn/regurgitation and with a positive symptom-reflux association and/or abnormal reflux parameters detected on PPI therapy. Impedance-pH monitoring was performed on high-dose PPI therapy and 3 months after laparoscopic fundoplication, off PPI therapy, in 40 patients with PPI-unresponsive heartburn/regurgitation. Symptoms were scored by a validated questionnaire. Esophageal acid exposure time as well as the number of total and proximal reflux events and of acid and weakly acidic refluxes decreased significantly after surgery: normal values were found in 100, 77, 95, 92 and 65% of cases, respectively. Weakly alkaline refluxes increased significantly postoperatively but neither before nor after intervention were associated with symptoms. All patients reported total/subtotal remission of heartburn/regurgitation 3 months after surgery. Laparoscopic fundoplication improves acid and weakly acidic reflux parameters when compared with PPI therapy. This improvement justifies the very high post-surgical symptom remission rate that we observed. Prolonged follow-up is warranted but our findings strongly support the surgical option in PPI failures.

Impact of ionization equilibrium on electrokinetic flow of weak electrolytes in nanochannels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Ziwei; Huang, Zhuo; Chen, Bowei; He, Yuhui; Tsutsui, Makusu; Miao, Xiangshui

2018-07-01

Weak electrolyte transport in nanochannels or nanopores has been actively explored in recent experiments. In this paper, we establish a new electrokinetic model where the ionization balance effect of weak electrolytes is outlined, and performed numerical calculations for H3PO4 concentration-biased nanochannel systems. By considering the roles of local chemical equilibrium in phosphorous acid ionization, the simulation results show quantitative agreement with experimental observations. Based on the model, we predict that enhanced energy harvesting capacity could be accomplished by utilizing weak electrolytes compared to the conventional strong electrolyte approaches in a concentration gradient-based power-generating system.

Treatment of cardiomyopathy and rhabdomyolysis in long-chain fat oxidation disorders using an anaplerotic odd-chain triglyceride

PubMed Central

Roe, Charles R.; Sweetman, Lawrence; Roe, Diane S.; David, France; Brunengraber, Henri

2002-01-01

The current dietary treatment of long-chain fatty acid oxidation defects (high carbohydrate with medium-even-chain triglycerides and reduced amounts of long-chain fats) fails, in many cases, to prevent cardiomyopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and muscle weakness. We hypothesized that the apparent defect in energy production results from a depletion of the catalytic intermediates of the citric acid cycle via leakage through cell membranes (cataplerosis). We further hypothesized that replacing dietary medium-even-chain fatty acids (precursors of acetyl-CoA) by medium-odd-chain fatty acids (precursors of acetyl-CoA and anaplerotic propionyl-CoA) would restore energy production and improve cardiac and skeletal muscle function. We fed subjects with long-chain defects a controlled diet in which the fat component was switched from medium-even-chain triglycerides to triheptanoin. In three patients with very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, this treatment led rapidly to clinical improvement that included the permanent disappearance of chronic cardiomyopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and muscle weakness (for more than 2 years in one child), and of rhabdomyolysis and weakness in the others. There was no evidence of propionyl overload in these patients. The treatment has been well tolerated for up to 26 months and opens new avenues for the management of patients with mitochondrial fat oxidation disorders. PMID:12122118

Compounds inhibiting the bioconversion of hydrothermally pretreated lignocellulose.

PubMed

Ko, Ja Kyong; Um, Youngsoon; Park, Yong-Cheol; Seo, Jin-Ho; Kim, Kyoung Heon

2015-05-01

Hydrothermal pretreatment using liquid hot water, steam explosion, or dilute acids enhances the enzymatic digestibility of cellulose by altering the chemical and/or physical structures of lignocellulosic biomass. However, compounds that inhibit both enzymes and microbial activity, including lignin-derived phenolics, soluble sugars, furan aldehydes, and weak acids, are also generated during pretreatment. Insoluble lignin, which predominantly remains within the pretreated solids, also acts as a significant inhibitor of cellulases during hydrolysis of cellulose. Exposed lignin, which is modified to be more recalcitrant to enzymes during pretreatment, adsorbs cellulase nonproductively and reduces the availability of active cellulase for hydrolysis of cellulose. Similarly, lignin-derived phenolics inhibit or deactivate cellulase and β-glucosidase via irreversible binding or precipitation. Meanwhile, the performance of fermenting microorganisms is negatively affected by phenolics, sugar degradation products, and weak acids. This review describes the current knowledge regarding the contributions of inhibitors present in whole pretreatment slurries to the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose and fermentation. Furthermore, we discuss various biological strategies to mitigate the effects of these inhibitors on enzymatic and microbial activity to improve the lignocellulose-to-biofuel process robustness. While the inhibitory effect of lignin on enzymes can be relieved through the use of lignin blockers and by genetically engineering the structure of lignin or of cellulase itself, soluble inhibitors, including phenolics, furan aldehydes, and weak acids, can be detoxified by microorganisms or laccase.

Electrostatic attraction of weak monoacid anions increases probability for protonation and passage through aquaporins.

PubMed

Rothert, Monja; Rönfeldt, Deike; Beitz, Eric

2017-06-02

A positive electrostatic field emanating from the center of the aquaporin (AQP) water and solute channel is responsible for the repulsion of cations. At the same time, however, a positive field will attract anions. In this regard, l-lactate/lactic acid permeability has been shown for various isoforms of the otherwise highly water and neutral substrate selective AQP family. The structural requirements rendering certain AQPs permeable for weak monoacids and the mechanism of conduction have remained unclear. Here, we show by profiling pH-dependent substrate permeability, measurements of media alkalization, and proton decoupling that AQP9 acts as a channel for the protonated, neutral monocarboxylic acid species. Intriguingly, the obtained permeability rates indicate an up to 10 times higher probability of passage via AQP9 than given by the fraction of the protonated acid substrate at a certain pH. We generated AQP9 point mutants showing that this effect is independent from properties of the channel interior but caused by the protein surface electrostatics. Monocarboxylic acid-conducting AQPs thus employ a mechanism similar to the family of formate-nitrite transporters for weak monoacids. On a more general basis, our data illustrate semiquantitatively the contribution of surface electrostatics to the interaction of charged molecule substrates or ligands with target proteins, such as channels, transporters, enzymes, or receptors. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Genome sequence of the highly weak-acid-tolerant Zygosaccharomyces bailii IST302, amenable to genetic manipulations and physiological studies.

PubMed

Palma, Margarida; Münsterkötter, Martin; Peça, João; Güldener, Ulrich; Sá-Correia, Isabel

2017-06-01

Zygosaccharomyces bailii is one of the most problematic spoilage yeast species found in the food and beverage industry particularly in acidic products, due to its exceptional resistance to weak acid stress. This article describes the annotation of the genome sequence of Z. bailii IST302, a strain recently proven to be amenable to genetic manipulations and physiological studies. The work was based on the annotated genomes of strain ISA1307, an interspecies hybrid between Z. bailii and a closely related species, and the Z. bailii reference strain CLIB 213T. The resulting genome sequence of Z. bailii IST302 is distributed through 105 scaffolds, comprising a total of 5142 genes and a size of 10.8 Mb. Contrasting with CLIB 213T, strain IST302 does not form cell aggregates, allowing its manipulation in the laboratory for genetic and physiological studies. Comparative cell cycle analysis with the haploid and diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains BY4741 and BY4743, respectively, suggests that Z. bailii IST302 is haploid. This is an additional trait that makes this strain attractive for the functional analysis of non-essential genes envisaging the elucidation of mechanisms underlying its high tolerance to weak acid food preservatives, or the investigation and exploitation of the potential of this resilient yeast species as cell factory. © FEMS 2017.

Separation of Active Compounds from Food by-Product (Cocoa Shell) Using Subcritical Water Extraction.

PubMed

Jokić, Stela; Gagić, Tanja; Knez, Željko; Šubarić, Drago; Škerget, Mojca

2018-06-11

Large amounts of residues are produced in the food industries. The waste shells from cocoa processing are usually burnt for fuel or used as a mulch in gardens to add nutrients to soil and to suppress weeds. The objectives of this work were: (a) to separate valuable compounds from cocoa shell by applying sustainable green separation process—subcritical water extraction (SWE); (b) identification and quantification of active compounds, sugars and sugar degradation products in obtained extracts using HPLC; (c) characterization of the antioxidant activity of extracts; (d) optimization of separation process using response surface methodology (RSM). Depending on applied extraction conditions, different concentration of theobromine, caffeine, theophylline, epicatechin, catechin, chlorogenic acid and gallic acid were determined in the extracts obtained by subcritical water. Furthermore, mannose, glucose, xylose, arabinose, rhamnose and fucose were detected as well as their important degradation products such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), furfural, levulinic acid, lactic acid and formic acid.

Investigating the Weak to Evaluate the Strong: An Experimental Determination of the Electron Binding Energy of Carborane Anions and the Gas phase Acidity of Carborane Acids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyer, Matthew M; Wang, Xue B; Reed, Christopher A

2009-12-23

Five CHB 11X 6Y 5 - carborane anions from the series X = Br, Cl, I and Y = H, Cl, CH 3 were generated by electrospray ionization, and their reactivity with a series of Brønsted acids and electron transfer reagents were examined in the gas phase. The undecachlorocarborane acid, H(CHB 11Cl 11), was found to be far more acidic than the former record holder, (1-C 4F 9SO 2) 2NH (i.e., ΔH° acid = 241 ± 29 vs 291.1 ± 2.2 kcal mol -1) and bridges the gas-phase acidity and basicity scales for the first time. Its conjugate base, CHBmore » 11Cl 11 -, was found by photoelectron spectroscopy to have a remarkably large electron binding energy (6.35 ± 0.02 eV) but the value for the (1-C 4F 9SO 2) 2N - anion is even larger (6.5 ± 0.1 eV). Consequently, it is the weak H-(CHB 11Cl 11) BDE (70.0 kcal mol -1, G3(MP2)) compared to the strong BDE of (1-C 4F 9SO 2) 2N-H (127.4 ± 3.2 kcal mol -1) that accounts for the greater acidity of carborane acids.« less

Study of the antibacterial activity of electro-activated solutions of salts of weak organic acids on Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes.

PubMed

Liato, Viacheslav; Labrie, Steve; Aïder, Mohammed

2017-01-01

This work assessed the antibacterial activity of electro-activated solutions of salts of weak organic acids (potassium acetate, potassium citrate and calcium lactate) on Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. This activity was compared in terms of minimal inhibitory (bactericidal) concentration to the effect of commercial acetic, citric and lactic acid at equivalent titratable acidity. Staining live/dead BacLight method was used to consider physiological state of bacteria following the evaluation of pathogenic strains during exposure to the tested solutions. The results demonstrated strong inhibitory activity of all electro-activated solutions. After 10 min of exposure to electro-activated potassium acetate, a reduction of ≥6 log CFU/ml of all bacteria was observed. The electro-activated potassium citrate demonstrated the lowest minimal inhibitory concentration. Nevertheless, its inactivation power was significantly higher than that of conjugated citric acid. Although electro-activated calcium lactate was found less effective in comparison with its conjugated acid form, after 10 min of contact with the tested pathogens, it induced a population reduction of 2.23, 2.97 and 5.57 log CFU/ml of S. aureus, L. monocytogenes and S. enterica, respectively.

Isolation and characterization of a novel acidic matrix protein hic22 from the nacreous layer of the freshwater mussel, Hyriopsis cumingii.

PubMed

Liu, X J; Jin, C; Wu, L M; Dong, S J; Zeng, S M; Li, J L

2016-07-29

Matrix proteins that either weakly acidic or unusually highly acidic have important roles in shell biomineralization. In this study, we have identified and characterized hic22, a weakly acidic matrix protein, from the nacreous layer of Hyriopsis cumingii. Total protein was extracted from the nacre using 5 M EDTA and hic22 was purified using a DEAE-sepharose column. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of hic22 was determined and the complete cDNA encoding hic22 was cloned and sequenced by rapid amplification of cDNA ends-polymerase chain reaction. Finally, the localization and distribution of hic22 was determined by in situ hybridization. Our results revealed that hic22 encodes a 22-kDa protein composed of 185 amino acids. Tissue expression analysis and in situ hybridization indicated that hic22 is expressed in the dorsal epithelial cells of the mantle pallial; moreover, significant expression levels of hic22 were observed after the early formation of the pearl sac (days 19-77), implying that hic22 may play an important role in biomineralization of the nacreous layer.

On-Line Ion Exchange Liquid Chromatography as a Process Analytical Technology for Monoclonal Antibody Characterization in Continuous Bioprocessing.

PubMed

Patel, Bhumit A; Pinto, Nuno D S; Gospodarek, Adrian; Kilgore, Bruce; Goswami, Kudrat; Napoli, William N; Desai, Jayesh; Heo, Jun H; Panzera, Dominick; Pollard, David; Richardson, Daisy; Brower, Mark; Richardson, Douglas D

2017-11-07

Combining process analytical technology (PAT) with continuous production provides a powerful tool to observe and control monoclonal antibody (mAb) fermentation and purification processes. This work demonstrates on-line liquid chromatography (on-line LC) as a PAT tool for monitoring a continuous biologics process and forced degradation studies. Specifically, this work focused on ion exchange chromatography (IEX), which is a critical separation technique to detect charge variants. Product-related impurities, including charge variants, that impact function are classified as critical quality attributes (CQAs). First, we confirmed no significant differences were observed in the charge heterogeneity profile of a mAb through both at-line and on-line sampling and that the on-line method has the ability to rapidly detect changes in protein quality over time. The robustness and versatility of the PAT methods were tested by sampling from two purification locations in a continuous mAb process. The PAT IEX methods used with on-line LC were a weak cation exchange (WCX) separation and a newly developed shorter strong cation exchange (SCX) assay. Both methods provided similar results with the distribution of percent acidic, main, and basic species remaining unchanged over a 2 week period. Second, a forced degradation study showed an increase in acidic species and a decrease in basic species when sampled on-line over 7 days. These applications further strengthen the use of on-line LC to monitor CQAs of a mAb continuously with various PAT IEX analytical methods. Implementation of on-line IEX will enable faster decision making during process development and could potentially be applied to control in biomanufacturing.

New methodology for capillary electrophoresis with ESI-MS detection: Electrophoretic focusing on inverse electromigration dispersion gradient. High-sensitivity analysis of sulfonamides in waters.

PubMed

Malá, Zdena; Gebauer, Petr; Boček, Petr

2016-09-07

This article describes for the first time the combination of electrophoretic focusing on inverse electromigration dispersion (EMD) gradient, a new separation principle described in 2010, with electrospray-ionization (ESI) mass spectrometric detection. The separation of analytes along the electromigrating EMD profile proceeds so that each analyte is focused and concentrated within the profile at a particular position given by its pKa and ionic mobility. The proposed methodology combines this principle with the transport of the focused zones to the capillary end by superimposed electromigration, electroosmotic flow and ESI suction, and their detection by the MS detector. The designed electrolyte system based on maleic acid and 2,6-lutidine is suitable to create an inverse EMD gradient of required properties and its components are volatile enough to be compatible with the ESI interface. The characteristic properties of the proposed electrolyte system and of the formed inverse gradient are discussed in detail using calculated diagrams and computer simulations. It is shown that the system is surprisingly robust and allows sensitive analyses of trace amounts of weak acids in the pKa range between approx. 6 and 9. As a first practical application of electrophoretic focusing on inverse EMD gradient, the analysis of several sulfonamides in waters is reported. It demonstrates the potential of the developed methodology for fast and high-sensitivity analyses of ionic trace analytes, with reached LODs around 3 × 10(-9) M (0.8 ng mL(-1)) of sulfonamides in spiked drinking water without any sample pretreatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous and selective decarboxylation of L-serine and deamination of L-phenylalanine in an amino acid mixture--a means of separating amino acids for synthesizing biobased chemicals.

PubMed

Teng, Yinglai; Scott, Elinor L; Witte-van Dijk, Susan C M; Sanders, Johan P M

2016-01-25

Amino acids (AAs) obtained from the hydrolysis of biomass-derived proteins are interesting feedstocks for the chemical industry. They can be prepared from the byproduct of biofuel production and agricultural wastes. They are rich in functionalities needed in petrochemicals, providing the opportunity to save energy, reagents, and process steps. However, their separation is required before they can be applied for further applications. Electrodialysis (ED) is a promising separation method, but its efficiency needs to be improved when separating AAs with similar isoelectric points. Thus, specific conversions are required to form product with different charges. Here we studied the enzymatic conversions which can be used as a means to aid the ED separation of neutral AAs. A model mixture containing L-serine, L-phenylalanine and L-methionine was used. The reactions of L-serine decarboxylase and L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase were employed to specifically convert serine and phenylalanine into ethanolamine and trans-cinnamic acid. At the isoelectric point of methionine (pH 5.74), the charge of ethanolamine and trans-cinnamic acid are +1 and -1, therefore facilitating potential separation into three different streams by electrodialysis. Here the enzyme kinetics, specificity, inhibition and the operational stabilities were studied, showing that both enzymes can be applied simultaneously to aid the ED separation of neutral AAs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Titration of Monoprotic Acids with Sodium Hydroxide Contaminated by Sodium Carbonate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michalowski, Tadeusz

1988-01-01

Discusses the effects of using carbon dioxide contaminated sodium hydroxide solution as a titrant for a solution of a weak monoprotic acid and the resulting distortion of the titration curve in comparison to one obtained when an uncontaminated titrant is used. (CW)

A new sensor for thermometric titrations.

PubMed

Najib, Fadhil M; Zewar, Sardir; Abdulla, Ahmad M

2007-01-15

A new thermometric sensor, which is a transistor (OC71), has been introduced to follow thermometric titrations successfully to clear end points. The sensor was suitable in both normal and differential modes of titration. It is possible to titrate down to 1.32micromol of HCl and 26.4micromol of H(3)BO(3)in a final 20ml solution with accuracy and precision of 1%, 2.2% and 1.4%, 2.2%, respectively. The sensor, in association with a pH glass electrode, was used for the determination of pK values of some well established weak acids such as, acetic acid (4.77), phosphoric acid (pK(1)=2.18, pK(2)=7.20 and pK(3)=12.32) as well as for a very weak acid of uncertain pK values H(3)BO(3) (pK(1)=9.20, pK(2)=12.7 and pK(3)=13.80). The sensor was also examined for kinetic catalytic determination of iron(III) in water, milk and pharmaceuticals.

The role of rewarding and novel events in facilitating memory persistence in a separate spatial memory task.

PubMed

Salvetti, Beatrice; Morris, Richard G M; Wang, Szu-Han

2014-01-15

Many insignificant events in our daily life are forgotten quickly but can be remembered for longer when other memory-modulating events occur before or after them. This phenomenon has been investigated in animal models in a protocol in which weak memories persist longer if exploration in a novel context is introduced around the time of memory encoding. This study aims to understand whether other types of rewarding or novel tasks, such as rewarded learning in a T-maze and novel object recognition, can also be effective memory-modulating events. Rats were trained in a delayed matching-to-place task to encode and retrieve food locations in an event arena. Weak encoding with only one food pellet at the sample location induced memory encoding but forgetting over 24 h. When this same weak encoding was followed by a rewarded task in a T-maze, the memory persisted for 24 h. Moreover, the same persistence of memory over 24 h could be achieved by exploration in a novel box or by a rewarded T-maze task after a "non-rewarded" weak encoding. When the one-pellet weak encoding was followed by novel object exploration, the memory did not persist at 24 h. Together, the results confirm that place encoding is possible without explicit reward, and that rewarded learning in a separate task lacking novelty can be an effective memory-modulating event. The behavioral and neurobiological implications are discussed.

Search for a Scalar Component in the Weak Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakoucky, Dalibor; Baczyk, Pavel; Ban, Gilles; Beck, Marcus; Breitenfeldt, Martin; Couratin, Claire; Fabian, Xavier; Finlay, Paul; Flechard, Xavier; Friedag, Peter; Glück, Ferenc; Herlert, Alexander; Knecht, Andreas; Kozlov, Valentin; Lienard, Etienne; Porobic, Tomica; Soti, Gergelj; Tandecki, Michael; Vangorp, Simon; Weinheimer, Christian; Wursten, Elise; Severijns, Nathal

Weak interactions are described by the Standard Model which uses the basic assumption of a pure "V(ector)-A(xial vector)" character for the interaction. However, after more than half a century of model development and experimental testing of its fundamental ingredients, experimental limits for possible admixtures of scalar and/or tensor interactions are still as high as 7%. The WITCH project (Weak Interaction Trap for CHarged particles) at the isotope separator ISOLDE at CERN is trying to probe the structure of the weak interaction in specific low energy β-decays in order to look for possible scalar or tensor components or at least significantly improve the current experimental limits. This worldwide unique experimental setup consisting of a combination of two Penning ion traps and a retardation spectrometer allows to catch, trap and cool the radioactive nuclei provided by the ISOLDE separator, form a cooled and scattering-free radioactive source of β-decaying nuclei and let these nuclei decay at rest. The precise measurement of the shape of the energy spectrum of the recoiling nuclei, the shape of which is very sensitive to the character of the weak interaction, enables searching for a possible admixture of a scalar/tensor component in the dominant vector/axial vector mode. First online measurements with the isotope 35Ar were performed in 2011 and 2012. The current status of the experiment, the data analysis and results as well as extensive simulations will be presented and discussed.

Codon Usage Selection Can Bias Estimation of the Fraction of Adaptive Amino Acid Fixations.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Tomotaka; John, Anoop; Baeza-Centurion, Pablo; Li, Boyang; Akashi, Hiroshi

2016-06-01

A growing number of molecular evolutionary studies are estimating the proportion of adaptive amino acid substitutions (α) from comparisons of ratios of polymorphic and fixed DNA mutations. Here, we examine how violations of two of the model assumptions, neutral evolution of synonymous mutations and stationary base composition, affect α estimation. We simulated the evolution of coding sequences assuming weak selection on synonymous codon usage bias and neutral protein evolution, α = 0. We show that weak selection on synonymous mutations can give polymorphism/divergence ratios that yield α-hat (estimated α) considerably larger than its true value. Nonstationary evolution (changes in population size, selection, or mutation) can exacerbate such biases or, in some scenarios, give biases in the opposite direction, α-hat < α. These results demonstrate that two factors that appear to be prevalent among taxa, weak selection on synonymous mutations and non-steady-state nucleotide composition, should be considered when estimating α. Estimates of the proportion of adaptive amino acid fixations from large-scale analyses of Drosophila melanogaster polymorphism and divergence data are positively correlated with codon usage bias. Such patterns are consistent with α-hat inflation from weak selection on synonymous mutations and/or mutational changes within the examined gene trees. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Separation of Bismuth from Lead with (Ethylenediamine)tetraacetic Acid. Application to Radiochemistry; SEPARACAO DE BISMUTO DO CHUMBO COM ACIDO ETILENODIAMINOTETRAACETICO APLICACAO PARA RADIOQUIMICA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lima, F.W.; Abrao, A.

1958-09-01

Bismuth can be separated from lead radiochemically by using (ethylenediamine)tetraacetic acid. The separation is successful when both elements are in trace concentration when one is in trace concentrations and other in macroconcentrations, and when both are in macroconcentrations. A single separation gives more than 90% of both elements. The process involves simple manipulations and can be done in less than fifteen minutes, which is of importance in the separation of short-lived isotopes. (tr-auth)

Method for forming an extraction agent for the separation of actinides from lanthanides

DOEpatents

Klaehn, John R.; Harrup, Mason K.; Law, Jack D.; Peterman, Dean R.

2010-04-27

An extraction agent for the separation of trivalent actinides from lanthanides in an acidic media and a method for forming same are described, and wherein the methodology produces a stable regiospecific and/or stereospecific dithiophosphinic acid that can operate in an acidic media having a pH of less than about 7.

Trivalent Lanthanide/Actinide Separation Using Aqueous-Modified TALSPEAK Chemistry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Travis S. Grimes; Richard D. Tillotson; Leigh R. Martin

TALSPEAK is a liquid/liquid extraction process designed to separate trivalent lanthanides (Ln3+) from minor actinides (MAs) Am3+ and Cm3+. Traditional TALSPEAK organic phase is comprised of a monoacidic dialkyl bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid extractant (HDEHP) in diisopropyl benzene (DIPB). The aqueous phase contains a soluble aminopolycarboxylate diethylenetriamine-N,N,N’,N”,N”-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) in a concentrated (1.0-2.0 M) lactic acid (HL) buffer with the aqueous acidity typically adjusted to pH 3.0. TALSPEAK balances the selective complexation of the actinides by DTPA against the electrostatic attraction of the lanthanides by the HDEHP extractant to achieve the desired trivalent lanthanide/actinide group separation. Although TALSPEAK is considered a successfulmore » separations scheme, recent fundamental studies have highlighted complex chemical interactions occurring in the aqueous and organic phases during the extraction process. Previous attempts to model the system have shown thermodynamic models do not accurately predict the observed extraction trends in the p[H+] range 2.5-4.8. In this study, the aqueous phase is modified by replacing the lactic acid buffer with a variety of simple and longer-chain amino acid buffers. The results show successful trivalent lanthanide/actinide group separation with the aqueous-modified TALSPEAK process at pH 2. The amino acid buffer concentrations were reduced to 0.5 M (at pH 2) and separations were performed without any effect on phase transfer kinetics. Successful modeling of the aqueous-modified TALSPEAK process (p[H+] 1.6-3.1) using a simplified thermodynamic model and an internally consistent set of thermodynamic data is presented.« less

WET FLUORIDE SEPARATION METHOD

DOEpatents

Seaborg, G.T.; Gofman, J.W.; Stoughton, R.W.

1958-11-25

The separation of U/sup 233/ from thorium, protactinium, and fission products present in neutron-irradiated thorium is accomplished by dissolving the irradiated materials in aqueous nitric acid, adding either a soluble fluoride, iodate, phosphate, or oxalate to precipltate the thorium, separating the precipltate from the solution, and then precipitating uranlum and protactinium by alkalizing the solution. The uranium and protactinium precipitate is removcd from the solution and dissolved in nitric acid. The uranyl nitrate may then be extracted from the acid solution by means of ether, and the protactinium recovered from the aqueous phase.

SEPARATION OF URANIUM, PLUTONIUM AND FISSION PRODUCTS

DOEpatents

Nicholls, C.M.; Wells, I.; Spence, R.

1959-10-13

The separation of uranium and plutonium from neutronirradiated uranium is described. The neutron-irradiated uranium is dissolved in nitric acid to provide an aqueous solution 3N in nitric acid. The fission products of the solution are extruded by treating the solution with dibutyl carbitol substantially 1.8N in nitric acid. The organic solvent phase is separated and neutralized with ammonium hydroxide and the plutonium reduced with hydroxylamine base to the trivalent state. Treatment of the mixture with saturated ammonium nitrate extracts the reduced plutonium and leaves the uranium in the organic solvent.

Separation of aromatic carboxylic acids using quaternary ammonium salts on reversed-phase HPLC. 2. Application for the analysis of Loy Yang coal oxidation products

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawamura, K.; Okuwaki, A.; Verheyen, T.V.

In order to develop separation processes and analytical methods for aromatic carboxylic acids for the coal oxidation products, the separation behavior of aromatic carboxylic acids on a reversed-phase HPLC using eluent containing quaternary ammonium salt was optimized using the solvent gradient method. This method was applied for the analysis of Loy Yang coal oxidation products. It was confirmed that the analytical data using this method were consistent with those determined using gas chromatography.

Characterization of non-endcapped polymeric ODS column for the separation of triacylglycerol positional isomers.

PubMed

Gotoh, Naohiro; Matsumoto, Yumiko; Yuji, Hiromi; Nagai, Toshiharu; Mizobe, Hoyo; Ichioka, Kenji; Kuroda, Ikuma; Noguchi, Noriko; Wada, Shun

2010-01-01

The characteristics of a non-endcapped polymeric ODS column for the resolution of triacylglycerol positional isomers (TAG-PI) were examined using a recycle HPLC-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/mass spectrometry system. A pair of TAG-PI containing saturated fatty acids at least 12 carbons was separated. Except for TAG-PI containing elaidic acid, pairs of TAG-PI containing three unsaturated fatty acids were not separated, even by recycle runs. These results indicate that the resolution of TAG-PI on a non-endcapped polymeric ODS stationary phase is realized by the recognition of the linear structure of the fatty acid and the binding position of the saturated fatty acid in TAG-PI. Chain length was also an important factor for resolution. This method may be a useful and simple for measuring the abundance ratio of TAG-PI containing saturated fatty acids in natural oils.

Lipids as Tumoricidal Components of Human α-Lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumor Cells (HAMLET)

PubMed Central

Ho, James C. S.; Storm, Petter; Rydström, Anna; Bowen, Ben; Alsin, Fredrik; Sullivan, Louise; Ambite, Inès; Mok, K. H.; Northen, Trent; Svanborg, Catharina

2013-01-01

Long-chain fatty acids are internalized by receptor-mediated mechanisms or receptor-independent diffusion across cytoplasmic membranes and are utilized as nutrients, building blocks, and signaling intermediates. Here we describe how the association of long-chain fatty acids to a partially unfolded, extracellular protein can alter the presentation to target cells and cellular effects. HAMLET (human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells) is a tumoricidal complex of partially unfolded α-lactalbumin and oleic acid (OA). As OA lacks independent tumoricidal activity at concentrations equimolar to HAMLET, the contribution of the lipid has been debated. We show by natural abundance 13C NMR that the lipid in HAMLET is deprotonated and by chromatography that oleate rather than oleic acid is the relevant HAMLET constituent. Compared with HAMLET, oleate (175 μm) showed weak effects on ion fluxes and gene expression. Unlike HAMLET, which causes metabolic paralysis, fatty acid metabolites were less strongly altered. The functional overlap increased with higher oleate concentrations (500 μm). Cellular responses to OA were weak or absent, suggesting that deprotonation favors cellular interactions of fatty acids. Fatty acids may thus exert some of their essential effects on host cells when in the deprotonated state and when presented in the context of a partially unfolded protein. PMID:23629662

Enrichment and separation of chlorogenic acid from the extract of Eupatorium adenophorum Spreng by macroporous resin.

PubMed

Liu, Boyan; Dong, Beitao; Yuan, Xiaofan; Kuang, Qirong; Zhao, Qingsheng; Yang, Mei; Liu, Jie; Zhao, Bing

2016-01-01

A simple and efficient chromatographic method for separation of chlorogenic acid from Eupatorium adenophorum Spreng extract was developed. The adsorption properties of nine macroporous resins were evaluated. NKA-II resin showed much better adsorption/desorption properties. The adsorption of chlorogenic acid on NKA-II resin at 25°C was well fitted to Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The dynamic adsorption and desorption experiments were carried out on columns packed with NKA-II resin to optimize the separation process. The content of chlorogenic acid in the product increased to 22.17%, with a recovery yield of 82.41%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thornton, Michelle

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an effective method for separating ionic species according to differences in their electrophoretic mobilities. CE separations of amino acids by direct detection are difficult due to their similar electrophoretic mobilities and low absorbances. However, native amino acids can be separated by CE as cations at a low pH by adding an alkanesulfonic acid to the electrolyte carrier which imparts selectivity to the system. Derivatization is unnecessary when direct UV detection is used at 185 nm. Simultaneous speciation of metal cations such as vanadium (IV) and vanadium (V) can easily be performed without complexation prior to analysis.more » An indirect UV detection scheme for acidic conditions was also developed using guanidine as the background carrier electrolyte (BCE) for the indirect detection of metal cations. Three chapters have been removed for separate processing. This report contains introductory material, references, and general conclusions. 80 refs.« less

Amino acid ionic liquids as chiral ligands in ligand-exchange chiral separations.

PubMed

Liu, Qian; Wu, Kangkang; Tang, Fei; Yao, Lihua; Yang, Fei; Nie, Zhou; Yao, Shouzhuo

2009-09-28

Recently, amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) have attracted much research interest. In this paper, we present the first application of AAILs in chiral separation based on the chiral ligand exchange principle. By using 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium L-proline (L-Pro) as a chiral ligand coordinated with copper(II), four pairs of underivatized amino acid enantiomers-dl-phenylalanine (dl-Phe), dl-histidine (dl-His), dl-tryptophane (dl-Trp), and dl-tyrosine (dl-Tyr)-were successfully separated in two major chiral separation techniques, HPLC and capillary electrophoresis (CE), with higher enantioselectivity than conventionally used amino acid ligands (resolution (R(s))=3.26-10.81 for HPLC; R(s)=1.34-4.27 for CE). Interestingly, increasing the alkyl chain length of the AAIL cation remarkably enhanced the enantioselectivity. It was inferred that the alkylmethylimidazolium cations and L-Pro form ion pairs on the surface of the stationary phase or on the inner surface of the capillary. The ternary copper complexes with L-Pro are consequently attached to the support surface, thus inducing an ion-exchange type of retention for the dl-enantiomers. Therefore, the AAIL cation plays an essential role in the separation. This work demonstrates that AAILs are good alternatives to conventional amino acid ligands for ligand-exchange-based chiral separation. It also reveals the tremendous application potential of this new type of task-specific ILs.

Ion Exchange and Thin Layer Chromatographic Separation and Identification of Amino Acids in a Mixture: An Experiment for General Chemistry and Biotechnology Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunauer, Linda S.; Caslavka, Katelyn E.; Van Groningen, Karinne

2014-01-01

A multiday laboratory exercise is described that is suitable for first-year undergraduate chemistry, biochemistry, or biotechnology students. Students gain experience in performing chromatographic separations of biomolecules, in both a column and thin layer chromatography (TLC) format. Students chromatographically separate amino acids (AA) in an…

CE of phytosiderophores and related metal species in plants.

PubMed

Xuan, Yue; Scheuermann, Enrico B; Meda, Anderson R; Jacob, Peter; von Wirén, Nicolaus; Weber, Günther

2007-10-01

Phytosiderophores (PS) and the closely related substance nicotianamine (NA) are key substances in metal uptake into graminaceous plants. Here, the CE separation of these substances and related metal species is demonstrated. In particular, the three PS 2'-deoxymugineic acid (DMA), mugineic acid (MA), and 3-epi-hydroxymugineic acid (epi-HMA), and NA, are separated using MES/Tris buffer at pH 7.3. Moreover, three Fe(III) species of the different PS are separated without any stability problems, which are often present in chromatographic analyses. Also divalent metal species of Cu, Ni, and Zn with the ligands DMA and NA are separated with the same method. By using a special, zwitterionic CE capillary, even the separation of two isomeric Fe(III) chelates with the ligand ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(o-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid (EDDHA) is possible (i.e., meso-Fe(III)-EDDHA and rac-Fe(III)-EDDHA), and for fast separations of NA and respective divalent and trivalent metal species, a polymer CE microchip with suppressed EOF is described. The proposed CE method is applicable to real plant samples, and enables to detect changes of metal species (Cu-DMA, Ni-NA), which are directly correlated to biological processes.

Determination of Dornic Acidity as a Method to Select Donor Milk in a Milk Bank

PubMed Central

Garcia-Lara, Nadia Raquel; Escuder-Vieco, Diana; Chaves-Sánchez, Fernando; De la Cruz-Bertolo, Javier; Pallas-Alonso, Carmen Rosa

2013-01-01

Abstract Background Dornic acidity may be an indirect measurement of milk's bacteria content and its quality. There are no uniform criteria among different human milk banks on milk acceptance criteria. The main aim of this study is to report the correlation between Dornic acidity and bacterial growth in donor milk in order to validate the Dornic acidity value as an adequate method to select milk prior to its pasteurization. Materials and Methods From 105 pools, 4-mL samples of human milk were collected. Dornic acidity measurement and culture in blood and McConkey's agar cultures were performed. Based on Dornic acidity degrees, we classified milk into three quality categories: top quality (acidity <4°D), intermediate (acidity between 4°D and 7°D), and milk unsuitable to be consumed (acidity ≥8°D). Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to perform statistical analysis. Results Seventy percent of the samples had Dornic acidity under 4°D, and 88% had a value under 8°D. A weak positive correlation was observed between the bacterial growth in milk and Dornic acidity. The overall discrimination performance of Dornic acidity was higher for predicting growth of Gram-negative organisms. In milk with Dornic acidity of ≥4°D, such a measurement has a sensitivity of 100% for detecting all the samples with bacterial growth with Gram-negative bacteria of over 105 colony-forming units/mL. Conclusions The correlation between Dornic acidity and bacterial growth in donor milk is weak but positive. The measurement of Dornic acidity could be considered as a simple and economical method to select milk to pasteurize in a human milk bank based in quality and safety criteria. PMID:23373435

Determination of Dornic acidity as a method to select donor milk in a milk bank.

PubMed

Vázquez-Román, Sara; Garcia-Lara, Nadia Raquel; Escuder-Vieco, Diana; Chaves-Sánchez, Fernando; De la Cruz-Bertolo, Javier; Pallas-Alonso, Carmen Rosa

2013-02-01

Dornic acidity may be an indirect measurement of milk's bacteria content and its quality. There are no uniform criteria among different human milk banks on milk acceptance criteria. The main aim of this study is to report the correlation between Dornic acidity and bacterial growth in donor milk in order to validate the Dornic acidity value as an adequate method to select milk prior to its pasteurization. From 105 pools, 4-mL samples of human milk were collected. Dornic acidity measurement and culture in blood and McConkey's agar cultures were performed. Based on Dornic acidity degrees, we classified milk into three quality categories: top quality (acidity <4°D), intermediate (acidity between 4°D and 7°D), and milk unsuitable to be consumed (acidity ≥ 8°D). Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to perform statistical analysis. Seventy percent of the samples had Dornic acidity under 4°D, and 88% had a value under 8°D. A weak positive correlation was observed between the bacterial growth in milk and Dornic acidity. The overall discrimination performance of Dornic acidity was higher for predicting growth of Gram-negative organisms. In milk with Dornic acidity of ≥ 4°D, such a measurement has a sensitivity of 100% for detecting all the samples with bacterial growth with Gram-negative bacteria of over 10(5) colony-forming units/mL. The correlation between Dornic acidity and bacterial growth in donor milk is weak but positive. The measurement of Dornic acidity could be considered as a simple and economical method to select milk to pasteurize in a human milk bank based in quality and safety criteria.

Stable-isotope-based labeling of styrene-degrading microorganisms in biofilters.

PubMed

Alexandrino, M; Knief, C; Lipski, A

2001-10-01

Deuterated styrene ([(2)H(8)]styrene) was used as a tracer in combination with phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis for characterization of styrene-degrading microbial populations of biofilters used for treatment of waste gases. Deuterated fatty acids were detected and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The method was evaluated with pure cultures of styrene-degrading bacteria and defined mixed cultures of styrene degraders and non-styrene-degrading organisms. Incubation of styrene degraders for 3 days with [(2)H(8)]styrene led to fatty acids consisting of up to 90% deuterated molecules. Mixed-culture experiments showed that specific labeling of styrene-degrading strains and only weak labeling of fatty acids of non-styrene-degrading organisms occurred after incubation with [(2)H(8)]styrene for up to 7 days. Analysis of actively degrading filter material from an experimental biofilter and a full-scale biofilter by this method showed that there were differences in the patterns of labeled fatty acids. For the experimental biofilter the fatty acids with largest amounts of labeled molecules were palmitic acid (16:0), 9,10-methylenehexadecanoic acid (17:0 cyclo9-10), and vaccenic acid (18:1 cis11). These lipid markers indicated that styrene was degraded by organisms with a Pseudomonas-like fatty acid profile. In contrast, the most intensively labeled fatty acids of the full-scale biofilter sample were palmitic acid and cis-11-hexadecenoic acid (16:1 cis11), indicating that an unknown styrene-degrading taxon was present. Iso-, anteiso-, and 10-methyl-branched fatty acids showed no or weak labeling. Therefore, we found no indication that styrene was degraded by organisms with methyl-branched fatty fatty acids, such as Xanthomonas, Bacillus, Streptomyces, or Gordonia spp.

Weakly Hydrated Surfaces and the Binding Interactions of Small Biological Solutes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brady, J. W.; Tavagnacco, L.; Ehrlich, L.

2012-04-01

Extended planar hydrophobic surfaces, such as are found in the side chains of the amino acids histidine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, exhibit an affinity for the weakly hydrated faces of glucopyranose. In addition, molecular species such as these, including indole, caffeine, and imidazole, exhibit a weak tendency to pair together by hydrophobic stacking in aqueous solution. These interactions can be partially understood in terms of recent models for the hydration of extended hydrophobic faces and should provide insight into the architecture of sugar-binding sites in proteins.

Weakly hydrated surfaces and the binding interactions of small biological solutes.

PubMed

Brady, John W; Tavagnacco, Letizia; Ehrlich, Laurent; Chen, Mo; Schnupf, Udo; Himmel, Michael E; Saboungi, Marie-Louise; Cesàro, Attilio

2012-04-01

Extended planar hydrophobic surfaces, such as are found in the side chains of the amino acids histidine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, exhibit an affinity for the weakly hydrated faces of glucopyranose. In addition, molecular species such as these, including indole, caffeine, and imidazole, exhibit a weak tendency to pair together by hydrophobic stacking in aqueous solution. These interactions can be partially understood in terms of recent models for the hydration of extended hydrophobic faces and should provide insight into the architecture of sugar-binding sites in proteins.

Increments to chiral recognition facilitating enantiomer separations of chiral acids, bases, and ampholytes using Cinchona-based zwitterion exchanger chiral stationary phases.

PubMed

Wernisch, Stefanie; Pell, Reinhard; Lindner, Wolfgang

2012-07-01

The intramolecular distances of anion and cation exchanger sites of zwitterionic chiral stationary phases represent potential tuning sites for enantiomer selectivity. In this contribution, we investigate the influence of alkanesulfonic acid chain length and flexibility on enantiomer separations of chiral acids, bases, and amphoteric molecules for six Cinchona alkaloid-based chiral stationary phases in comparison with structurally related anion and cation exchangers. Employing polar-organic elution conditions, we observed an intramolecular counterion effect for acidic analytes which led to reduced retention times but did not impair enantiomer selectivities. Retention of amphoteric analytes is based on simultaneous double ion pairing of their charged functional groups with the acidic and basic sites of the zwitterionic selectors. A chiral center in the vicinity of the strong cation exchanger site is vital for chiral separations of bases. Sterically demanding side chains are beneficial for separations of free amino acids. Enantioseparations of free (un-derivatized) peptides were particularly successful in stationary phases with straight-chain alkanesulfonic acid sites, pointing to a beneficial influence of more flexible moieties. In addition, we observed pseudo-enantiomeric behavior of quinine and quinidine-derived chiral stationary phases facilitating reversal of elution orders for all analytes. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Separation of anionic oligosaccharides by high-performance liquid chromatography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Green, E.D.; Baenziger, J.U.

1986-10-01

The authors have developed methods for rapid fractionation of anionic oligosaccharides containing sulfate and/or sialic acid moieties by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Ion-exchange HPLC on amine-bearing columns (Micropak AX-10 and AX-5) at pH 4.0 is utilized to separate anionic oligosaccharides bearing zero, one, two, three, or four charges, independent of the identity of the anionic moieties (sulfate and/or sialic acid). Ion-exchange HPLC at pH 1.7 allows separation of neutral, mono-, di-, and tetrasialylated, monosulfated, and disulfated oligosaccharides. Oligosaccharides containing three sialic acid residues and those bearing one each of sulfate and sialic acid, however, coelute at pH 1.7. Since themore » latter two oligosaccharide species separate at pH 4.0, analysis at pH 4.0 followed by analysis at pH 1.7 can be utilized to completely fractionate complex mixtures of sulfated and sialylated oligosaccharides. Ion-suppression amine adsorption HPLC has previously been shown to separate anionic oligosaccharides on the basis of net carbohydrate content (size). In this study they demonstrate the utility of ion-suppression amine adsorption HPLC for resolving sialylated oligosaccharide isomers which differ only in the linkages of sialic acid residues (..cap alpha..2,3 vs ..cap alpha..2,6) and/or location of ..cap alpha..2,3- and ..cap alpha..2,6-linked sialic acid moieties on the peripheral branches of oligosaccharides. These two methods can be used in tandem to separate oligosaccharides, both analytically and preparatively, based on their number, types, and linkages of anionic moieties.« less

Alcohols enhance the rate of acetic acid diffusion in S. cerevisiae: biophysical mechanisms and implications for acetic acid tolerance.

PubMed

Lindahl, Lina; Genheden, Samuel; Faria-Oliveira, Fábio; Allard, Stefan; Eriksson, Leif A; Olsson, Lisbeth; Bettiga, Maurizio

2017-12-01

Microbial cell factories with the ability to maintain high productivity in the presence of weak organic acids, such as acetic acid, are required in many industrial processes. For example, fermentation media derived from lignocellulosic biomass are rich in acetic acid and other weak acids. The rate of diffusional entry of acetic acid is one parameter determining the ability of microorganisms to tolerance the acid. The present study demonstrates that the rate of acetic acid diffusion in S. cerevisiae is strongly affected by the alcohols ethanol and n-butanol. Ethanol of 40 g/L and n-butanol of 8 g/L both caused a 65% increase in the rate of acetic acid diffusion, and higher alcohol concentrations caused even greater increases. Molecular dynamics simulations of membrane dynamics in the presence of alcohols demonstrated that the partitioning of alcohols to the head group region of the lipid bilayer causes a considerable increase in the membrane area, together with reduced membrane thickness and lipid order. These changes in physiochemical membrane properties lead to an increased number of water molecules in the membrane interior, providing biophysical mechanisms for the alcohol-induced increase in acetic acid diffusion rate. n-butanol affected S. cerevisiae and the cell membrane properties at lower concentrations than ethanol, due to greater and deeper partitioning in the membrane. This study demonstrates that the rate of acetic acid diffusion can be strongly affected by compounds that partition into the cell membrane, and highlights the need for considering interaction effects between compounds in the design of microbial processes.

Alcohols enhance the rate of acetic acid diffusion in S. cerevisiae: biophysical mechanisms and implications for acetic acid tolerance

PubMed Central

Lindahl, Lina; Genheden, Samuel; Faria-Oliveira, Fábio; Allard, Stefan; Eriksson, Leif A.; Olsson, Lisbeth; Bettiga, Maurizio

2017-01-01

Microbial cell factories with the ability to maintain high productivity in the presence of weak organic acids, such as acetic acid, are required in many industrial processes. For example, fermentation media derived from lignocellulosic biomass are rich in acetic acid and other weak acids. The rate of diffusional entry of acetic acid is one parameter determining the ability of microorganisms to tolerance the acid. The present study demonstrates that the rate of acetic acid diffusion in S. cerevisiae is strongly affected by the alcohols ethanol and n-butanol. Ethanol of 40 g/L and n-butanol of 8 g/L both caused a 65% increase in the rate of acetic acid diffusion, and higher alcohol concentrations caused even greater increases. Molecular dynamics simulations of membrane dynamics in the presence of alcohols demonstrated that the partitioning of alcohols to the head group region of the lipid bilayer causes a considerable increase in the membrane area, together with reduced membrane thickness and lipid order. These changes in physiochemical membrane properties lead to an increased number of water molecules in the membrane interior, providing biophysical mechanisms for the alcohol-induced increase in acetic acid diffusion rate. n-butanol affected S. cerevisiae and the cell membrane properties at lower concentrations than ethanol, due to greater and deeper partitioning in the membrane. This study demonstrates that the rate of acetic acid diffusion can be strongly affected by compounds that partition into the cell membrane, and highlights the need for considering interaction effects between compounds in the design of microbial processes. PMID:29354649

Genetic correlations of mid-infrared-predicted milk fatty acid groups with milk production traits.

PubMed

Fleming, A; Schenkel, F S; Malchiodi, F; Ali, R A; Mallard, B; Sargolzaei, M; Jamrozik, J; Johnston, J; Miglior, F

2018-05-01

The objective of this research was to estimate the genetic correlations between milk mid-infrared-predicted fatty acid groups and production traits in first-parity Canadian Holsteins. Contents of short-chain, medium-chain, long-chain, saturated, and unsaturated fatty acid groupings in milk samples can be predicted using mid-infrared spectral data for cows enrolled in milk recording programs. Predicted fatty acid group contents were obtained for 49,127 test-day milk samples from 10,029 first-parity Holstein cows in 810 herds. Milk yield, fat and protein yield, fat and protein percentage, fat-to-protein ratio, and somatic cell score were also available for these test days. Genetic parameters were estimated for the fatty acid groups and production traits using multiple-trait random regression test day models by Bayesian methods via Gibbs sampling. Three separate 8- or 9-trait analyses were performed, including the 5 fatty acid groups with different combinations of the production traits. Posterior standard deviations ranged from <0.001 to 0.01. Average daily genetic correlations were negative and similar to each other for the fatty acid groups with milk yield (-0.62 to -0.59) and with protein yield (-0.32 to -0.25). Weak and positive average daily genetic correlations were found between somatic cell score and the fatty acid groups (from 0.25 to 0.36). Stronger genetic correlations with fat yield, fat and protein percentage, and fat-to-protein ratio were found with medium-chain and saturated fatty acid groups compared with those with long-chain and unsaturated fatty acid groups. Genetic correlations were very strong between the fatty acid groups and fat percentage, ranging between 0.88 for unsaturated and 0.99 for saturated fatty acids. Daily genetic correlations from 5 to 305 d in milk with milk, protein yield and percentage, and somatic cell score traits showed similar patterns for all fatty acid groups. The daily genetic correlations with fat yield at the beginning of lactation were decreasing for long-chain and unsaturated fatty acid groups and increasing for short-chain fatty acids. Genetic correlations between fat percentage and fatty acids were increasing at the beginning of lactation for short- and medium-chain and saturated fatty acids, but slightly decreasing for long-chain and unsaturated fatty acid groups. These results can be used in defining fatty acid traits and breeding objectives. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Controllable synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanospheres and Fe-N/carbon nanospheres as efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysts.

PubMed

Wei, Jing; Liang, Yan; Zhang, Xinyi; Simon, George P; Zhao, Dongyuan; Zhang, Jin; Jiang, Sanping; Wang, Huanting

2015-04-14

The synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCNs), especially with diameters below 200 nm remains a great challenge due to weak interactions between the carbon precursors and soft templates, as well as the uncontrollable cross-linking rate of carbon precursors. Herein, we demonstrate a simple acid-assisted, hydrothermal synthesis approach to synthesizing such uniform MCNs with well controlled diameters ranging from 20 to 150 nm under highly acidic conditions (2 M HCl). Both the carbon precursor and the template are partly protonated under such conditions and show additional Coulombic interactions with chloride ions (acts as mediators). This kind of enhanced interaction is similar to that of the "I(+)X(-)S(+)" mechanism in the synthesis of mesoporous metal oxide, which can effectively retard the cross-linking rate of resol molecules and avoid macroscopic phase separation during the hydrothermal synthesis. Due to their uniform spherical morphology, small diameter, and high surface areas, MCNs can be modified with Fe and N species via impregnation of cheap precursors (ferric nitrate and dicyandiamide), which are further converted into nonprecious electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions. The resulting Fe-N/MCNs exhibit high catalytic activities, long-term stability and improved methanol tolerance under alkaline conditions, which can be potentially used in direct methanol fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

NIOBIUM-TANTALUM SEPARATION

DOEpatents

Wilhelm, H.A.; Foos, R.A.

1959-01-27

The usual method for the separation of tantalum and niobium consists of a selective solvent extraction from an aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution of the metals. A difficulty encountered in this process is the fact that the corrosion problems associated with hydrofluoric acid are serious. It has been found that the corrosion caused by the hydrofluoric acid may be substantially reduced by adding to the acidic solution an amine, such as phenyl diethanolamine or aniline, and adjusting pH value to between 4 and 6.

Response surface methodology for the determination of the design space of enantiomeric separations on cinchona-based zwitterionic chiral stationary phases by high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Hanafi, Rasha Sayed; Lämmerhofer, Michael

2018-01-26

Quality-by-Design approach for enantioselective HPLC method development surpasses Quality-by-Testing in offering the optimal separation conditions with the least number of experiments and in its ability to describe the method's Design Space visually which helps to determine enantiorecognition to a significant extent. Although some schemes exist for enantiomeric separations on Cinchona-based zwitterionic stationary phases, the exact design space and the weights by which each of the chromatographic parameters influences the separation have not yet been statistically studied. In the current work, a screening design followed by a Response Surface Methodology optimization design were adopted for enantioseparation optimization of 3 model drugs namely the acidic Fmoc leucine, the amphoteric tryptophan and the basic salbutamol. The screening design proved that the acid/base additives are of utmost importance for the 3 chiral drugs, and that among 3 different pairs of acids and bases, acetic acid and diethylamine is the couple able to provide acceptable resolution at variable conditions. Visualization of the response surface of the retention factor, separation factor and resolution helped describe accurately the magnitude by which each chromatographic factor (% MeOH, concentration and ratio of acid base modifiers) affects the separation while interacting with other parameters. The global optima compromising highest enantioresolution with the least run time for the 3 chiral model drugs varied extremely, where it was best to set low % methanol with equal ratio of acid-base modifiers for the acidic drug, very high % methanol and 10-fold higher concentration of the acid for the amphoteric drug while 20 folds of the base modifier with moderate %methanol were needed for the basic drug. Considering the selected drugs as models for many series of structurally related compounds, the design space defined and the optimum conditions computed are the key for method development on cinchona-based chiral stationary phases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improvements in geothermal electric power and silica production

DOEpatents

Hill, J.H.; Fulk, M.M.

Electricity is generated from hot geothermal solution by extracting heat therefrom, mineral solids which form in a so cooled geothermal solution are separated to recover minerals and facilitate reinjection of the solution into the ground. The separated solids are treated to recover silica by addition of an acid (amorphous silica precipitates) or a base (other minerals precipitate and soulble silicates are formed which are subsequently precipitated by acid neutralization). If desired, after silica is separated, other minerals can be separated and recovered.

A chiral sensor based on weak measurement for the determination of Proline enantiomers in diverse measuring circumstances.

PubMed

Li, Dongmei; Guan, Tian; He, Yonghong; Liu, Fang; Yang, Anping; He, Qinghua; Shen, Zhiyuan; Xin, Meiguo

2018-07-01

A new chiral sensor based on weak measurement to accurately measure the optical rotation (OR) has been developed for the estimation of a trace amount of chiral molecule. With the principle of optical weak measurement in frequency domain, the central wavelength shift of output spectra is quantitatively relative to the angle of preselected polarization. Hence, a chiral molecule (e.g., L-amino acid, or D-amino acid) can be enantioselectively determined by modifying the preselection angle with the OR, which will cause the rotation of a polarization plane. The concentration of the chiral sample, corresponding to its optical activity, is quantitatively analyzed with the central wavelength shift of output spectra, which can be collected in real time. Immune to the refractive index change, the proposed chiral sensor is valid in complicated measuring circumstance. The detections of Proline enantiomer concentration in different solvents were implemented. The results demonstrated that weak measurement acted as a reliable method to chiral recognition of Proline enantiomers in diverse circumstance with the merits of high precision and good robustness. In addition, this real-time monitoring approach plays a crucial part in asymmetric synthesis and biological systems. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

New electrolyte systems for capillary zone electrophoresis of metal cations and non-ionic organic compounds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shi, Youchun

Excellent separations of metal ions can be obtained very quickly by capillary electrophoresis provided a weak complexing reagent is incorporated into the electrolyte to alter the effective mobilities of the sample ions. Indirect photometric detection is possible by also adding a UV-sensitive ion to the electrolyte. Separations are described using phthalate, tartrate, lactate or hydroxyisobutyrate as the complexing reagent. A separation of twenty-seven metal ions was achieved in only 6 min using a lactate system. A mechanism for the separation of lanthanides is proposed for the hydroxyisobutyrate system.

Distillation Separation of Hydrofluoric Acid and Nitric Acid from Acid Waste Using the Salt Effect on Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Hideki; Sumoge, Iwao

2011-03-01

This study presents the distillation separation of hydrofluoric acid with use of the salt effect on the vapor-liquid equilibrium for acid aqueous solutions and acid mixtures. The vapor-liquid equilibrium of hydrofluoric acid + salt systems (fluorite, potassium nitrate, cesium nitrate) was measured using an apparatus made of perfluoro alkylvinylether. Cesium nitrate showed a salting-out effect on the vapor-liquid equilibrium of the hydrofluoric acid-water system. Fluorite and potassium nitrate showed a salting-in effect on the hydrofluoric acid-water system. Separation of hydrofluoric acid from an acid mixture containing nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid was tested by the simple distillation treatment using the salt effect of cesium nitrate (45 mass%). An acid mixture of nitric acid (5.0 mol · dm-3) and hydrofluoric acid (5.0 mol · dm-3) was prepared as a sample solution for distillation tests. The concentration of nitric acid in the first distillate decreased from 5.0 mol · dm-3 to 1.13 mol · dm-3, and the concentration of hydrofluoric acid increased to 5.41 mol · dm-3. This first distillate was further distilled without the addition of salt. The concentrations of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid in the second distillate were 7.21 mol · dm-3 and 0.46 mol · dm-3, respectively. It was thus found that the salt effect on vapor-liquid equilibrium of acid mixtures was effective for the recycling of acids from acid mixture wastes.

Separate and Concentrate Lactic Acid Using Combination of Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yebo; Shahbazi, Abolghasem; Williams, Karen; Wan, Caixia

The processes of lactic acid production include two key stages, which are (a) fermentation and (b) product recovery. In this study, free cell of Bifidobacterium longum was used to produce lactic acid from cheese whey. The produced lactic acid was then separated and purified from the fermentation broth using combination of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. Nanofiltration membrane with a molecular weight cutoff of 100-400 Da was used to separate lactic acid from lactose and cells in the cheese whey fermentation broth in the first step. The obtained permeate from the above nanofiltration is mainly composed of lactic acid and water, which was then concentrated with a reverse osmosis membrane in the second step. Among the tested nanofiltration membranes, HL membrane from GE Osmonics has the highest lactose retention (97±1%). In the reverse osmosis process, the ADF membrane could retain 100% of lactic acid to obtain permeate with water only. The effect of membrane and pressure on permeate flux and retention of lactose/lactic acid was also reported in this paper.

ANION EXCHANGE METHOD FOR SEPARATION OF METAL VALUES

DOEpatents

Hyde, E.K.; Raby, B.A.

1959-02-10

A method is described for selectively separating radium, bismuth, poloniums and lead values from a metallic mixture of thc same. The mixture is dissolved in aqueous hydrochloric acid and the acidity is adjusted to between 1 to 2M in hydrochloric acid to form the anionic polychloro complexes of polonium and bismuth. The solution is contacted with a first anion exchange resin such as strong base quaternary ammonia type to selectively absorb the polonium and bismuth leaving the radium and lead in the effluent. The effluent, after treatment in hydrochloric acid to increase the hydrochloric acid concentration to 6M is contacted with a second anion exchange iesin of the same type as the above to selectively adsorb the lead leaving the radium in the effluent. Radium is separately recovered from the effluent from the second exchange column. Lead is stripped from the loaded resin of the second column by treatment with 3M hydrochloric acid solution. The loaded resin of the first column is washed with 8M hydrochloric acid solution to recover bismuth and then treated with strong nitric acid solution to recover polonium.

[Correlation of molecular weight and nanofiltration mass transfer coefficient of phenolic acid composition from Salvia miltiorrhiza].

PubMed

Li, Cun-Yu; Wu, Xin; Gu, Jia-Mei; Li, Hong-Yang; Peng, Guo-Ping

2018-04-01

Based on the molecular sieving and solution-diffusion effect in nanofiltration separation, the correlation between initial concentration and mass transfer coefficient of three typical phenolic acids from Salvia miltiorrhiza was fitted to analyze the relationship among mass transfer coefficient, molecular weight and concentration. The experiment showed a linear relationship between operation pressure and membrane flux. Meanwhile, the membrane flux was gradually decayed with the increase of solute concentration. On the basis of the molecular sieving and solution-diffusion effect, the mass transfer coefficient and initial concentration of three phenolic acids showed a power function relationship, and the regression coefficients were all greater than 0.9. The mass transfer coefficient and molecular weight of three phenolic acids were negatively correlated with each other, and the order from high to low is protocatechualdehyde >rosmarinic acid> salvianolic acid B. The separation mechanism of nanofiltration for phenolic acids was further clarified through the analysis of the correlation of molecular weight and nanofiltration mass transfer coefficient. The findings provide references for nanofiltration separation, especially for traditional Chinese medicine with phenolic acids. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

The Reliability and Validity of the English and Spanish Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD and Normal Behavior Rating Scales in a Preschool Sample: Continuum Measures of Hyperactivity and Inattention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakes, Kimberley D.; Swanson, James M.; Riggs, Matt

2012-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the English and Spanish versions of the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-symptom and Normal-behavior (SWAN) rating scale. Method: Parents of preschoolers completed both a SWAN and the well-established Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) on two separate occasions over a span of 3…

Exact exchange and Wilson-Levy correlation: a pragmatic device for studying complex weakly-bonded systems.

PubMed

Walsh, T R

2005-02-07

The Wilson-Levy (WL) correlation functional is used together with Hartree-Fock (HF) theory to evaluate interaction energies at intermediate separations (i.e. around equilibrium separation) for several weakly-bonded systems. The HF+WL approach reproduces binding trends for all complexes studied: selected rare-gas dimers, isomers of the methane dimer, benzene dimer and naphthalene dimer, and base-pair stacking structures for pyrimidine, cytosine, uracil and guanine dimers. These HF+WL data are contrasted against results obtained from some popular functionals (including B3LYP and PBE), as well as two newly-developed functionals, X3LYP and xPBE. The utility of HF+WL, with reference to exact-exchange (EXX) density-functional theory, is discussed in terms of a suggested EXXWL exchange-correlation functional.

Development of a Lewis Base Catalyzed Selenocyclization Reaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, William

2009-01-01

The concept of Lewis base activation of selenium Lewis acids has been effectively reduced to practice in the Lewis base catalyzed selenofunctionalization of unactivated olefins. In this reaction, the weakly acidic species, "N"-phenylselenyl succinimide, is cooperatively activated by the addition of a "soft" Lewis base donor (phosphine sulfides,…

Alkaline battery containing a separator of a cross-linked copolymer of vinyl alcohol and unsaturated carboxylic acid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hsu, L. C.; Philipp, W. H.; Sheibley, D. W.; Gonzalez-Sanabria, O. D. (Inventor)

1985-01-01

A battery separator for an alkaline battery is described. The separator comprises a cross linked copolymer of vinyl alcohol units and unsaturated carboxylic acid units. The cross linked copolymer is insoluble in water, has excellent zincate diffusion and oxygen gas barrier properties and a low electrical resistivity. Cross linking with a polyaldehyde cross linking agent is preferred.

Preparative separation and identification of novel subsidiary colors of the color additive D&C Red No. 33 (Acid Red 33) using spiral high-speed counter-current chromatography☆

PubMed Central

Weisz, Adrian; Ridge, Clark D.; Mazzola, Eugene P.; Ito, Yoichiro

2015-01-01

Three low-level subsidiary color impurities (A, B, and C) often present in batches of the color additive D&C Red No. 33 (R33, Acid Red 33, Colour Index No. 17200) were separated from a portion of R33 by spiral high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). The separation involved use of a very polar solvent system, 1-BuOH/5 mM aq. (NH4)2SO4. Addition of ammonium sulfate to the lower phase forced partition of the components into the upper phase, thereby eliminating the need to add a hydrophobic counterion as was previously required for separations of components from sulfonated dyes. The very polar solvent system used would not have been retained in a conventional multi-layer coil HSCCC instrument, but the spiral configuration enabled retention of the stationary phase, and thus, the separation was possible. A 1 g portion of R33 enriched in A, B, and C was separated using the upper phase of the solvent system as the mobile phase. The retention of the stationary phase was 38.1%, and the separation resulted in 4.8 mg of A of >90% purity, 18.3 mg of B of >85% purity, and 91 mg of C of 65–72% purity. A second separation of a portion of the C mixture resulted in 7 mg of C of >94% purity. The separated impurities were identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopic techniques as follows: 5-amino-3-biphenyl-3-ylazo-4-hydroxy-naphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid, A; 5-amino-4-hydroxy-6-phenyl-3-phenylazo-naphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid, B; and 5-amino-4-hydroxy-3,6-bis-phenylazo-naphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid, C. The isomers A and B are compounds reported for the first time. Application of the spiral HSCCC method resulted in the additional benefit of yielding 930 mg of the main component of R33, 5-amino-4-hydroxy-3-phenylazo-naphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid, of >97% purity. PMID:25591404

Preparative separation and identification of novel subsidiary colors of the color additive D&C Red No. 33 (Acid Red 33) using spiral high-speed counter-current chromatography.

PubMed

Weisz, Adrian; Ridge, Clark D; Mazzola, Eugene P; Ito, Yoichiro

2015-02-06

Three low-level subsidiary color impurities (A, B, and C) often present in batches of the color additive D&C Red No. 33 (R33, Acid Red 33, Colour Index No. 17200) were separated from a portion of R33 by spiral high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). The separation involved use of a very polar solvent system, 1-BuOH/5mM aq. (NH4)2SO4. Addition of ammonium sulfate to the lower phase forced partition of the components into the upper phase, thereby eliminating the need to add a hydrophobic counterion as was previously required for separations of components from sulfonated dyes. The very polar solvent system used would not have been retained in a conventional multi-layer coil HSCCC instrument, but the spiral configuration enabled retention of the stationary phase, and thus, the separation was possible. A 1g portion of R33 enriched in A, B, and C was separated using the upper phase of the solvent system as the mobile phase. The retention of the stationary phase was 38.1%, and the separation resulted in 4.8 mg of A of >90% purity, 18.3mg of B of >85% purity, and 91 mg of C of 65-72% purity. A second separation of a portion of the C mixture resulted in 7 mg of C of >94% purity. The separated impurities were identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopic techniques as follows: 5-amino-3-biphenyl-3-ylazo-4-hydroxy-naphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid, A; 5-amino-4-hydroxy-6-phenyl-3-phenylazo-naphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid, B; and 5-amino-4-hydroxy-3,6-bis-phenylazo-naphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid, C. The isomers A and B are compounds reported for the first time. Application of the spiral HSCCC method resulted in the additional benefit of yielding 930 mg of the main component of R33, 5-amino-4-hydroxy-3-phenylazo-naphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid, of >97% purity. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The allergens of Schistosoma mansoni

PubMed Central

Harris, W. G.

1973-01-01

Ten antigen fractions were prepared from adult Schistosoma mansoni by extraction into borate-buffered saline, precipitation at pH 4.6 and separation on Sephadex G-100. The allergic activity of these antigens was assayed by a modified Prausnitz—Kustner type reaction in rats; this test system was found to be sensitive and consistent, allowing differences in allergenicity between antigens to be accurately assessed. Skin-reactivity was detected in both acid-soluble and acid-insoluble fractions. Specific allergenicity was located in peak 3 of a G-100 separation of the acid-soluble fraction and in peaks 1 and 2 of a G-100 separation of the acid-insoluble fraction suggesting that the allergens of S. mansoni were of at least two types: (1) a protein of mol. wt above 150,000 precipitated at pH 4.6, and (2) a protein of mol. wt 20–30,000 remaining in solution at this pH. It is suggested that both these allergens are glycoproteins. Non-specific histamine-releasing agents were found in peak 1 of the G-100 separation of the acid-soluble material. ImagesFIG. 1 PMID:4122335

The weak acid preservative sorbic acid inhibits conidial germination and mycelial growth of Aspergillus niger through intracellular acidification.

PubMed

Plumridge, Andrew; Hesse, Stephan J A; Watson, Adrian J; Lowe, Kenneth C; Stratford, Malcolm; Archer, David B

2004-06-01

The growth of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger, a common food spoilage organism, is inhibited by the weak acid preservative sorbic acid (trans-trans-2,4-hexadienoic acid). Conidia inoculated at 10(5)/ml of medium showed a sorbic acid MIC of 4.5 mM at pH 4.0, whereas the MIC for the amount of mycelia at 24 h developed from the same spore inoculum was threefold lower. The MIC for conidia and, to a lesser extent, mycelia was shown to be dependent on the inoculum size. A. niger is capable of degrading sorbic acid, and this ability has consequences for food preservation strategies. The mechanism of action of sorbic acid was investigated using (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. We show that a rapid decline in cytosolic pH (pH(cyt)) by more than 1 pH unit and a depression of vacuolar pH (pH(vac)) in A. niger occurs in the presence of sorbic acid. The pH gradient over the vacuole completely collapsed as a result of the decline in pH(cyt). NMR spectra also revealed that sorbic acid (3.0 mM at pH 4.0) caused intracellular ATP pools and levels of sugar-phosphomonoesters and -phosphodiesters of A. niger mycelia to decrease dramatically, and they did not recover. The disruption of pH homeostasis by sorbic acid at concentrations below the MIC could account for the delay in spore germination and retardation of the onset of subsequent mycelial growth.

Increase in the permeability of tonoplast of garlic (Allium sativum) by monocarboxylic acids.

PubMed

Bai, Bing; Li, Lei; Hu, Xiaosong; Wang, Zhengfu; Zhao, Guanghua

2006-10-18

Immersion of intact aged garlic (Allium sativum) cloves in a series of 5% weak organic monocarboxylate solutions (pH 2.0) resulted in green color formation. No color was formed upon treatment with other weak organic acids, such as citric and malic acids, and the inorganic hydrochloric acid under the same conditions. To understand the significance of monocarboxylic acids and their differing function from that of other acids, acetic acid was compared with organic acids citric and malic and the inorganic hydrochloric acid. The effects of these acids on the permeability of plasma and intracellular membrane of garlic cells were measured by conductivity, light microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Except for hydrochloric acid, treatment of garlic with all three organic acids greatly increased the relative conductivity of their respective pickling solutions, indicating that all tested organic acids increased the permeability of plasma membrane. Moreover, a pickling solution containing acetic acid exhibited 1.5-fold higher relative conductivity (approximately 90%) as compared to those (approximately 60%) of both citric and malic acids, implying that exposure of garlic cloves to acetic acid not only changed the permeability of the plasma membrane but also increased the permeability of intracellular membrane. Exposure of garlic to acetic acid led to the production of precipitate along the tonoplast, but no precipitate was formed by citric and malic acids. This indicates that the structure of the tonoplast was damaged by this treatment. Further support for this conclusion comes from results showing that the concentration of thiosulfinates [which are produced only by catalytic conversion of S-alk(en)yl-l-cysteine sulfoxides in cytosol by alliinase located in the vacuole] in the acetic acid pickling solution is 1.3 mg/mL, but almost no thiosulfinates were detected in the pickling solution of citric and malic acids. Thus, all present results suggest that damage of tonoplast by treatment with monocarboxylates such as acetic acid may be the main reason for the greening of garlic.

The separation of leukotrienes and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid metabolites of arachidonic acid by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

PubMed

Osborne, D J; Peters, B J; Meade, C J

1983-11-01

The following high performance liquid chromatography system was found suitable for separating most lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid: Techsphere 5-C18 column, eluting solvent methanol:water:acetic acid (65:35:0.06 v/v), pH 5.3. Comparisons with other packing materials and solvent systems are described. The method could be used to identify lipoxygenase products released from mouse macrophage cells stimulated with gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane. Detection limits between 1 and 10 ng were obtained.

Derivatization of organophosphorus nerve agent degradation products for gas chromatography with ICPMS and TOF-MS detection.

PubMed

Richardson, Douglas D; Caruso, Joseph A

2007-06-01

Separation and detection of seven V-type (venomous) and G-type (German) organophosphorus nerve agent degradation products by gas chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC-ICPMS) is described. The nonvolatile alkyl phosphonic acid degradation products of interest included ethyl methylphosphonic acid (EMPA, VX acid), isopropyl methylphosphonic acid (IMPA, GB acid), ethyl hydrogen dimethylamidophosphate sodium salt (EDPA, GA acid), isobutyl hydrogen methylphosphonate (IBMPA, RVX acid), as well as pinacolyl methylphosphonic acid (PMPA), methylphosphonic acid (MPA), and cyclohexyl methylphosphonic acid (CMPA, GF acid). N-(tert-Butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluroacetamide with 1% TBDMSCl was utilized to form the volatile TBDMS derivatives of the nerve agent degradation products for separation by GC. Exact mass confirmation of the formation of six of the TBDMS derivatives was obtained by GC-time of flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). The method developed here allowed for the separation and detection of all seven TBDMS derivatives as well as phosphate in less than ten minutes. Detection limits for the developed method were less than 5 pg with retention times and peak area precisions of less than 0.01 and 6%, respectively. This method was successfully applied to river water and soil matrices. To date this is the first work describing the analysis of chemical warfare agent (CWA) degradation products by GC-ICPMS.

Production and Recovery of Pyruvic Acid: Recent Advances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, Dharm; Keshav, Amit; Mazumdar, Bidyut; Kumar, Awanish; Uslu, Hasan

2017-12-01

Pyruvic acid is an important keto-carboxylic acid and can be manufactured by both chemical synthesis and biotechnological routes. In the present paper an overview of recent developments and challenges in various existing technique for the production and recovery of pyruvic acid from fermentation broth or from waste streams has been presented. The main obstacle in biotechnological production of pyruvic acid is development of suitable microorganism which can provide high yield and selectivity. On the other hand, technical limitation in recovery of pyruvic acid from fermentation broth is that, it could not be separated as other carboxylic acid in the form of salts by addition of alkali. Besides, pyruvic acid cannot be crystallized. Commercial separation by distillation is very expensive because pyruvic acid decomposes at higher temperature. It is also chemically reactive due to its peculiar molecular structure and has tendency to polymerize. Thus, at high concentration the various type of reaction leads to lower yield of the product, and hence, conventional methods are not favorable. Alternate separation technologies viable to both synthetic and biological routes are the current research areas. Latest techniques such as reactive extraction is new to the field of recovery of pyruvic acid. Recent development and future prospects in downstream processing of biochemically produced pyruvic acids has been discussed in this review article.

NASBA: A detection and amplification system uniquely suited for RNA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sooknanan, R.; Malek, L.T.

1995-06-01

The invention of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) has revolutionized our ability to amplify and manipulate a nucleic acid sequence in vitro. The commercial rewards of this revolution have driven the development of other nuclei acid amplification and detection methodologies. This has created an alphabet soup of technologies that use different amplification methods, including NASBA (nucleic acid sequence-based amplification), LCR (ligase chain reaction), SDA (strand displacement amplification), QBR (Q-beta replicase), CPR (cycling probe reaction), and bDNA (branched DNA). Despite the differences in their processes, these amplification systems can be separated into two broad categories based on how they achieve their goal:more » sequence-based amplification systems, such as PCR, NASBA, and SDA, amplify a target nucleic acid sequence. Signal-based amplification systems, such as LCR, QBR, CPR and bDNA, amplify or alter a signal from a detection reaction that is target-dependent. While the various methods have relative strengths and weaknesses, only NASBA offers the unique ability to homogeneously amplify an RNA analyte in the presence of homologous genomic DNA under isothermal conditions. Since the detection of RNA sequences almost invariably measures biological activity, it is an excellent prognostic indicator of activities as diverse as virus production, gene expression, and cell viability. The isothermal nature of the reaction makes NASBA especially suitable for large-scale manual screening. These features extend NASBA`s application range from research to commercial diagnostic applications. Field test kits are presently under development for human diagnostics as well as the burgeoning fields of food and environmental diagnostic testing. These developments suggest future integration of NASBA into robotic workstations for high-throughput screening as well. 17 refs., 1 tab.« less

Phenolics and essential mineral profile of organic acid pretreated unripe banana flour.

PubMed

Anyasi, Tonna A; Jideani, Afam I O; Mchau, Godwin R A

2018-02-01

Banana fruit (Musa spp) though rich in essential minerals, has also been implicated for the presence of phytochemicals which nonetheless beneficial, can also act as mineral inhibitors when in forms such as phenolic compounds, phytates and tannins. This study assayed the essential macro and trace minerals as well as phenolic compounds present in unripe banana flour (UBF) obtained from the pulp of four different cultivars. Unripe banana flour was processed by oven drying in a forced air oven dryer at 70°C upon pretreatment with ascorbic, citric and lactic acid. Organic acid pretreatment was done separately on each unripe banana cultivar at concentrations of 10, 15 and 20g/L. Phenolic compounds were profiled using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry electrospray ion (LC-MS-ESI) while essential minerals were determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) respectively. Results of LC-MS-ESI assay of phenolics revealed the presence of flavonoids: epicatechin and myricetin 3-O-rhamnosyl-glucoside in varying concentrations in UBF. Essential mineral profile indicated that Zinc had the least occurrence of 3.55mg/kg (p<0.05), while potassium was the most abundant mineral at 14746.73mg/kg in UBF of all four banana cultivars. Correlation between phenolic compounds and essential minerals using Pearson's Correlation Coefficient test revealed weak and inverse association between flavonoids and most macro and trace minerals present in UBF samples. Organic acid pretreatment thus exhibited little effect on phenolics and essential minerals of UBF samples, though, inhibitory influence of phenolic compounds was recorded on essential minerals. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Selective liquid chromatographic separation of yttrium from heavier rare earth elements using acetic acid as a novel eluent.

PubMed

Kifle, Dejene; Wibetoe, Grethe

2013-09-13

One of the major difficulties in the rare earth elements separation is purification of yttrium from heavy rare earth elements. Thus, an HPLC method using acetic acid as novel eluent was explored for selective separation of yttrium form the heavy rare earth elements. When acetic acid is used as a mobile phase yttrium eluted with the lighter lanthanides. This is contrary to its relative position amongst heavier lanthanides when eluents commonly used for separation of rare earth elements were employed. The shift in elution position of yttrium with acetic acid as eluent may reflect a relatively lower stability constant of the yttrium-AcOH complex (in the same order as for the lighter lanthanides) compared to the corresponding AcOH complexes with heavy lanthanides, enabling selective separation of yttrium from the latter. The method was successfully used for selective separation of yttrium in mixed rare earth sample containing about 80% of yttrium and about 20% of heavy rare earth oxides. Thus, the use of AcOH as eluent is an effective approach for separating and determining the trace amounts of heavy rare earth elements in large amounts of yttrium matrix. Separation was performed on C18 column by running appropriate elution programs. The effluent from the column was monitored with diode array detector at absorbance wavelength of 658nm after post column derivatization with Arsenazo III. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fatty Acid Proportions in Plasma Cholesterol Esters and Phospholipids Are Positively Correlated in Various Swedish Populations.

PubMed

Marklund, Matti; Pingel, Ronnie; Rosqvist, Fredrik; Lindroos, Anna Karin; Eriksson, Jan W; Vessby, Bengt; Oscarsson, Jan; Lind, Lars; Risérus, Ulf

2017-11-01

Background: Fatty acid (FA) proportions in cholesterol esters (CEs) and plasma phospholipids are widely used as dietary biomarkers. Information on how proportions in these fractions correlate could have implications for interpretation and use of FA biomarkers in observational and interventional studies. Objective: We investigated correlations between FA proportions in CEs and phospholipids in free-living individuals and assessed how diet-induced alterations of FA proportions correlate between fractions. Methods: Spearman's rank correlation coefficients ( r s ) between FA proportions (percentage of total FAs) in circulating CEs and phospholipids were calculated separately in 8 individual study populations including Swedish females and males ( N = 2052; age range: 11-84 y), and pooled by inverse-variance weighted meta-analysis. In addition, study populations were stratified by age, sex, body mass index (BMI; in kg/m 2 ), and diabetes status, and strata-specific r s were pooled by meta-analysis. In 2 randomized trials ( N = 79) in which dietary saturated FAs were isocalorically replaced with unsaturated FAs, treatment-wise calculations of r s were conducted between FA changes in CEs and phospholipids. Results: Overall, FA proportions in CEs and phospholipids correlated well and especially strongly for polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), with pooled r s (95% CIs) ranging from 0.74 (0.72, 0.76) for α-linolenic acid to 0.92 (0.91, 0.93) for eicosapentaenoic acid. Weak correlations (pooled r s < 0.4) were observed only for palmitic acid and stearic acid, with pooled r s (95% CIs): 0.29 (0.24, 0.33) and 0.30 (0.25, 0.34), respectively. Overall, correlations were not affected by age, sex, BMI, or diabetes status. Strong correlations ( r s ≥ 0.6) between diet-induced FA changes in CEs and phospholipids were observed for most PUFAs. Conclusions: Proportions of most FAs in CEs and phospholipids ranked individuals similarly, suggesting that FA proportions in these fractions can be used interchangeably in populations of diverse age, sex, body composition, and diabetes status. Caution is advised, however, when comparing results from studies assessing palmitic acid or stearic acid in different lipid fractions. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Wang-Landau Reaction Ensemble Method: Simulation of Weak Polyelectrolytes and General Acid-Base Reactions.

PubMed

Landsgesell, Jonas; Holm, Christian; Smiatek, Jens

2017-02-14

We present a novel method for the study of weak polyelectrolytes and general acid-base reactions in molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. The approach combines the advantages of the reaction ensemble and the Wang-Landau sampling method. Deprotonation and protonation reactions are simulated explicitly with the help of the reaction ensemble method, while the accurate sampling of the corresponding phase space is achieved by the Wang-Landau approach. The combination of both techniques provides a sufficient statistical accuracy such that meaningful estimates for the density of states and the partition sum can be obtained. With regard to these estimates, several thermodynamic observables like the heat capacity or reaction free energies can be calculated. We demonstrate that the computation times for the calculation of titration curves with a high statistical accuracy can be significantly decreased when compared to the original reaction ensemble method. The applicability of our approach is validated by the study of weak polyelectrolytes and their thermodynamic properties.

Proton gradients in intact cyanobacteria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belkin, S.; Mehlhorn, R. J.; Packer, L.

1987-01-01

The internal pH values of two unicellular cyanobacterial strains were determined with electron spin resonance probes, over an external pH range of 6 to 9, in the light and in the dark. The slow growing, thylakoid-lacking Gloeobacter violaceus was found to have a low capacity for maintaining a constant internal pH. The distribution pattern of weak acid and amine nitroxide spin probes across the cell membranes of this organism, in the light and in the dark, was consistent with the assumption that it contains a single intracellular compartment. At an external pH of 7.0, intracellular pH was 6.8 in the dark and 7.2 in the light. The cells of Agmenellum quadruplicatum, a marine species, were found to contain two separate compartments; in the dark, the pH of the cytoplasmic and the intrathylakoid spaces were calculated to be 7.2 and 5.5, respectively. Upon illumination, the former increased and the latter decreased by about 0.5 pH units.

Purification, characterization and preliminary crystallographic studies of a cysteine protease from Pachyrrhizus erosus seeds.

PubMed

Chang, Shaojie; Song, Xiaomin; Yan, Ming; Zhou, Zhaocai; Wu, Fang; Gong, Weimin

2004-01-01

The proteins Spe31 and Spe32, named after their respective molecular weights of about 31 and 32 kDa, were purified simultaneously from the seeds of Pachyrrhizus erosus. They cannot be separated from each other by column chromatography. N-terminal sequence analysis indicated that they belonged to the papain family of cysteine proteases. An in-gel activity assay revealed that Spe31 possesses proteolytic activity while Spe32 only displays very weak activity for protein degradation. Both of them are glycoproteins as detected by the periodic acid and Schiff's reagent method. Crystals were obtained from the protein mixture by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method; they diffracted to a resolution of 2.61 A on an in-house X-ray source. The crystals belong to space group P4(1(3))2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 61.96, c = 145.61 A. Gel electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions showed that the protein crystallized was Spe31.

A New Supramolecular Route for Using Rod-Coil Block Copolymers in Photovoltaic Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mezzenga, Raffaele; Sary, Nicolas; Richard, Fanny; Brochon, Cyril; Leclerc, Nicolas; Leveque, Patrick; Audinot, Jean Nicolas; Heiser, Thomas; Hadziioannou, Georges; Berson, Solenn

2010-03-01

We propose a new supramolecular strategy to blend together rod-coil poly(3-hexylthiophene)-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P3HTP4VP) block copolymers and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). The P4VP and PCBM are mixed together by weak supramolecular interactions, and the resulting materials exhibit microphase separated morphologies of electron-donor and electron-acceptor rich domains. The microphase segregated P3HT-rod domains act as electron-donating species and the homogeneous P4VP block:PCBM blend acts as the electron-acceptor domain. We describe the photovoltaic performance of standard and inverted devices whose active layer is composed thereof and show the effect of finely engineering the interfacial properties of the active layer to obtain competitive photovoltaic performance with superior thermal stability. (1) N. Sary, F. Richard, C. Brochon, N. Leclerc, P. Leveque, JN Audinot, S. Berson, T. Heiser, G. Hadziioannou, R. Mezzenga, Adv. Mater. in Press (2010)

Antimicrobial cotton textiles with robust superhydrophobicity via plasma for oily water separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ming; Pang, Jiuyin; Bao, Wenhui; Zhang, Wenbo; Gao, He; Wang, Chengyu; Shi, Junyou; Li, Jian

2017-10-01

During these decades, functional materials are facing the severe challenge of their weak surface structure. To solve this problem, plasma technology and spraying technology were utilized to improve the bonding effect between cotton substrates and coating structures. Herein, silica/silver nanoparticles (SiO2/Ag NPs) were prepared and introduced to the nano-/micro- structures on sample surface by spraying technology in the existence of polyurethane adhesive. Then the circles of spraying procedure containing adhesive and SiO2/Ag NPs had been discussed. After further fluorination, the samples still displayed an excellent waterproof property even after abrasion test with sand paper and various washing test by its solvent-acetone or harsh liquids with strong acidity/alkalinity, indicating their robust surfaces structures. More importantly, this product displayed the outstanding performance no matter in laboratory oil/water filtration or the extensive oil leakage and spill. At last, our modification also endowed the cotton sample with great antimicrobial property.

Diospyros rhodocalyx (Tako-Na), a Thai folk medicine, associated with hypokalemia and generalized muscle weakness: a case series.

PubMed

Othong, Rittirak; Trakulsrichai, Satariya; Wananukul, Winai

2017-11-01

Diospyros rhodocalyx (Tako-Na) is a Thai folk medicine purported to promote longevity, treat impotence, etc. We present patients with hypokalemia, weakness and hypertension after consuming Tako-Na tea. Case 1: A 61-year-old man was brought in nine hours after drinking 400-500 mL of Tako-Na tea. One handful of Tako-Na bark was boiled in water to make tea. He had vomiting and watery diarrhea six hours after drinking it. He took no medications and had no history of hypertension. The only remarkable vital sign was BP 167/90 mmHg. Physical examination revealed generalized muscle weakness. Laboratory findings were potassium 2.7 mmol/L, bicarbonate 24 mmol/L, and transtubular potassium gradient (TTKG) 5.6. He was discharged the next day with a BP 140/90 mmHg and potassium 4.2 mmol/L. Case 2: A 78-year-old man, a friend of case 1, also drank Tako-Na tea from the same pot at the same time as case 1. He also had vomiting and diarrhea six hours later. He took no medications despite past history of hypertension (baseline SBP 140-160). Initial BP was 230/70 mmHg. He also had muscle weakness. Laboratory findings were potassium 3.3 mmol/L, bicarbonate 24 mmol/L, TTKG 7.37 and normal thyroid function. He was also discharged the next day with a BP 148/70 mmHg and potassium 4.2 mmol/L. Case 3-7: These were patients reported to a poison center and their potassium concentrations were 1.4, 1.4, 3.3, 1.3 and 1.2 mmol/L, respectively. Three of them were intubated and case 3 died. Tako-Na contains betulin, betulinic acid, taraxerone, lupeol, and lupenone. Their structures are similar to glycyrrhetic acid, the active metabolite of glycyrrhizic acid found in licorice which is well known to cause pseudoaldosteronism. Glycyrrhetic acid is potent in inhibiting 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, and causes pseudoaldosteronism. We hypothesize that the compounds in Tako-Na act in the same way as glycyrrhetic acid in producing pseudoaldosteronism.

Weak acid-concentration Atot and dissociation constant Ka of plasma proteins in racehorses.

PubMed

Stampfli, H R; Misiaszek, S; Lumsden, J H; Carlson, G P; Heigenhauser, G J

1999-07-01

The plasma proteins are a significant contributor to the total weak acid concentration as a net anionic charge. Due to potential species difference, species-specific values must be confirmed for the weak acid anionic concentrations of proteins (Atot) and the effective dissociation constant for plasma weak acids (Ka). We studied the net anion load Atot of equine plasma protein in 10 clinically healthy mature Standardbred horses. A multi-step titration procedure, using a tonometer covering a titration range of PCO2 from 25 to 145 mmHg at 37 degrees C, was applied on the plasma of these 10 horses. Blood gases (pH, PCO2) and electrolytes required to calculate the strong ion difference ([SID] = [(Na(+) + K(+) + Ca(2+) + Mg(2+))-(Cl(-) + Lac(-) + PO4(2-))]) were simultaneously measured over a physiological pH range from 6.90-7.55. A nonlinear regression iteration to determine Atot and Ka was performed using polygonal regression curve fitting applied to the electrical neutrality equation of the physico-chemical system. The average anion-load Atot for plasma protein of 10 Standardbred horses was 14.89 +/- 0.8 mEq/l plasma and Ka was 2.11 +/- 0.50 x 10(-7) Eq/l (pKa = 6.67). The derived conversion factor (iterated Atot concentration/average plasma protein concentration) for calculation of Atot in plasma is 0.21 mEq/g protein (protein-unit: g/l). This value compares closely with the 0.24 mEq/g protein determined by titration of Van Slyke et al. (1928) and 0.22 mEq/g protein recently published by Constable (1997) for horse plasma. The Ka value compares closely with the value experimentally determined by Constable in 1997 (2.22 x 10(7) Eq/l). Linear regression of a set of experimental data from 5 Thoroughbred horses on a treadmill exercise test, showed excellent correlation with the regression lines not different from identity for the calculated and measured variables pH, HCO3 and SID. Knowledge of Atot and Ka for the horse is useful especially in exercise studies and in clinical conditions to quantify the mechanisms of the acid-base disturbances occurring.

Crystal structure of 1-(3-chloro­phen­yl)piperazin-1-ium picrate–picric acid (2/1)

PubMed Central

Kavitha, Channappa N.; Jasinski, Jerry P.; Kaur, Manpreet; Anderson, Brian J.; Yathirajan, H. S.

2014-01-01

The title salt {systematic name: bis­[1-(3-chloro­phen­yl)piperazinium 2,4,6-tri­nitro­phenolate]–picric acid (2/1)}, 2C10H14ClN2 +·2C6H5N3O7 −·C6H6N3O7, crystallized with two independent 1-(3-chloro­phen­yl)piperazinium cations, two picrate anions and a picric acid mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit. The six-membered piperazine ring in each cation adopts a slightly distorted chair conformation and contains a protonated N atom. In the picric acid mol­ecule, the mean planes of the nitro groups in the ortho-, meta-, and para-positions are twisted from the benzene ring by 31.5 (3), 7.7 (1), and 3.8 (2)°, respectively. In the anions, the dihedral angles between the benzene ring and the ortho-, meta-, and para-nitro groups are 36.7 (1), 5.0 (6), 4.8 (2)°, and 34.4 (9), 15.3 (8), 4.5 (1)°, respectively. The nitro group in one anion is disordered and was modeled with two sites for one O atom with an occupancy ratio of 0.627 (7):0.373 (7). In the crystal, the picric acid mol­ecule inter­acts with the picrate anion through a trifurcated O—H⋯O four-centre hydrogen bond involving an intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond and a weak C—H⋯O inter­action. Weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions are responsible for the formation of cation–anion–cation trimers resulting in a chain along [010]. In addition, weak C—H⋯Cl and weak π–π inter­actions [centroid–centroid distances of 3.532 (3), 3.756 (4) and 3.705 (3) Å] are observed and contribute to the stability of the crystal packing. PMID:25484834

Application and Prospect of Superconducting High Gradient Magnetic Separation in Disposal of Micro-fine Tailings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Changqiao; Li, Suqin; Guo, Zijie; Kong, Jiawei

2017-12-01

Magnetic separation technology is playing an increasingly important role in the field of environmental protection such as waste gas, waste water and solid waste treatment. As a new type of solid waste treatment technology, superconducting high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) is mainly applied in the separation of micro-fine weakly magnetic particles because of the advantages of high separation efficiency, energy saving, simple equipment and easy automation. In this paper, the basic principle of superconducting HGMS was firstly introduced, then the research status of scholars at home and aboard on the disposal of micro-fine tailings were summarized. Finally, the direction of development for HGMS was put forward.

Lewis base activation of Lewis acids: development of a Lewis base catalyzed selenolactonization.

PubMed

Denmark, Scott E; Collins, William R

2007-09-13

The concept of Lewis base activation of Lewis acids has been applied to the selenolactonization reaction. Through the use of substoichiometric amounts of Lewis bases with "soft" donor atoms (S, Se, P) significant rate enhancements over the background reaction are seen. Preliminary mechanistic investigations have revealed the resting state of the catalyst as well as the significance of a weak Brønsted acid promoter.

Pathogenesis of Potassium-Competitive Acid Blocker-Resistant Non-Erosive Reflux Disease.

PubMed

Kawami, Noriyuki; Hoshino, Shintaro; Hoshikawa, Yoshimasa; Takenouchi, Nana; Umezawa, Mariko; Hanada, Yuriko; Kaise, Mitsuru; Iwakiri, Katsuhiko

2018-06-05

The present study examined the pathogenesis of potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB)-resistant non-erosive reflux disease (NERD). Forty-three patients with NERD, who had persistent reflux symptoms despite the administration of P-CAB, were included in this study. After excluding eosinophilic esophagitis and primary esophageal motility disorders, esophageal impedance-pH monitoring was performed. In symptom index (SI)-positive patients, the mechanism of SI-positivity and percent time with intragastric pH > 4 and with esophageal pH < 4 were investigated according to the presence or absence of Helicobacter pylori infection. One (2.3%) of 43 patients had a primary esophageal motility disorder (Jackhammer esophagus). Eighteen (41.9%) and 3 (7%) patients were SI-positive for liquid and gas-only reflux, respectively, and the remaining 21 patients who were SI-negative (48.8%) had functional heartburn. All patients SI-positive for liquid reflux were SI-positive for weakly acidic reflux. Gastric acid was sufficiently suppressed by P-CAB, regardless of the presence or absence of H. pylori infection. The pathogenesis of -P-CAB-resistant NERD was elucidated in 51% of patients. Symptoms in all patients SI-positive for liquid reflux were related to weakly acidic reflux, and symptoms related to acid reflux may be ruled out by the administration of P-CAB. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy FAQ

MedlinePlus

... in SMA. What is Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress (SMARD)? SMARD and SMA are separate diseases ... muscle weakness and atrophy. Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress (SMARD) is a rare neuromuscular disease that ...

Selective and regulated trapping of nicotinic receptor weak base ligands and relevance to smoking cessation

PubMed Central

Govind, Anitha P; Vallejo, Yolanda F; Stolz, Jacob R; Yan, Jing-Zhi; Swanson, Geoffrey T; Green, William N

2017-01-01

To better understand smoking cessation, we examined the actions of varenicline (Chantix) during long-term nicotine exposure. Varenicline reduced nicotine upregulation of α4β2-type nicotinic receptors (α4β2Rs) in live cells and neurons, but not for membrane preparations. Effects on upregulation depended on intracellular pH homeostasis and were not observed if acidic pH in intracellular compartments was neutralized. Varenicline was trapped as a weak base in acidic compartments and slowly released, blocking 125I-epibatidine binding and desensitizing α4β2Rs. Epibatidine itself was trapped; 125I-epibatidine slow release from acidic vesicles was directly measured and required the presence of α4β2Rs. Nicotine exposure increased epibatidine trapping by increasing the numbers of acidic vesicles containing α4β2Rs. We conclude that varenicline as a smoking cessation agent differs from nicotine through trapping in α4β2R-containing acidic vesicles that is selective and nicotine-regulated. Our results provide a new paradigm for how smoking cessation occurs and suggest how more effective smoking cessation reagents can be designed. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25651.001 PMID:28718768

Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo inversion for weak anisotropy parameters and fracture weaknesses using azimuthal elastic impedance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huaizhen; Pan, Xinpeng; Ji, Yuxin; Zhang, Guangzhi

2017-08-01

A system of aligned vertical fractures and fine horizontal shale layers combine to form equivalent orthorhombic media. Weak anisotropy parameters and fracture weaknesses play an important role in the description of orthorhombic anisotropy (OA). We propose a novel approach of utilizing seismic reflection amplitudes to estimate weak anisotropy parameters and fracture weaknesses from observed seismic data, based on azimuthal elastic impedance (EI). We first propose perturbation in stiffness matrix in terms of weak anisotropy parameters and fracture weaknesses, and using the perturbation and scattering function, we derive PP-wave reflection coefficient and azimuthal EI for the case of an interface separating two OA media. Then we demonstrate an approach to first use a model constrained damped least-squares algorithm to estimate azimuthal EI from partially incidence-phase-angle-stack seismic reflection data at different azimuths, and then extract weak anisotropy parameters and fracture weaknesses from the estimated azimuthal EI using a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo inversion method. In addition, a new procedure to construct rock physics effective model is presented to estimate weak anisotropy parameters and fracture weaknesses from well log interpretation results (minerals and their volumes, porosity, saturation, fracture density, etc.). Tests on synthetic and real data indicate that unknown parameters including elastic properties (P- and S-wave impedances and density), weak anisotropy parameters and fracture weaknesses can be estimated stably in the case of seismic data containing a moderate noise, and our approach can make a reasonable estimation of anisotropy in a fractured shale reservoir.

Sacrificial Protective Coating Materials that can be Regenerated In-Situ to Enable High Performance Membranes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malati, Peter; Ganguli, Rahul; Mehrotra, Vivek

In the pulp and paper industry, weak black liquor concentration is carried out using energy intensive evaporators. Briefly, after wood digestion, water is evaporated to concentrate weak black liquor to the point where the black liquor can be burned in a recovery boiler, which ultimately leads to the recovery of digestion chemicals. Because it is less energy intensive than heat-driven separation, pressure-driven separation of water from black liquor using membranes could reduce the energy usage by 55 trillion Btu yr -1 and carbon dioxide emissions by more than 11 million metric tons CO 2 per year if the first twomore » evaporators are replaced. However, weak black liquor is a hot, corrosive, and highly fouling feed with organic molecules, colloids, and ions that clog membranes within hours of operation. We have shown that membrane-based concentration of weak black liquor is feasible, but only with our antifouling and anti-clogging technology that is based on a sacrificial Bio-inspired Living Skin concept. This concept is based on a conformal coating that is formed at the membrane surface and within the pores. Weak foulant adhesion dramatically decreases membrane fouling while the superhydrophilicity of the coating increases the water permeability. Moreover, the coating can be completely removed during backflushing, which removes foulants that may irreversibly adhere to the coating over long periods of time. The skin shedding completely regenerates the membrane surface and pores, restoring the original flux. This is followed by in-situ recoating, using the existing membrane plumbing and pumps, which essentially creates a brand new membrane surface.« less

Targeted population screening of late onset Pompe disease in unspecified myopathy patients for Korean population.

PubMed

Lee, Jung Hwan; Shin, Jin-Hong; Park, Hyung Jun; Kim, Sook Za; Jeon, Young Mi; Kim, Hye Kyoung; Kim, Dae-Seong; Choi, Young-Chul

2017-06-01

We performed targeted population screening of late onset Pompe disease (LOPD) in unspecified myopathy patients, because early diagnosis is difficult due to its heterogeneous clinical features. We prospectively enrolled 90 unrelated myopathic patients who had one or more signs out of five LOPD-like clinical findings (proximal weakness, axial weakness, lingual weakness, respiratory difficulty, idiopathic hyperCKemia). Acid alpha glucosidase activity was evaluated with dried blood spot and mixed leukocyte simultaneously. For a final diagnosis of LOPD, 16 patients with decreased enzyme activity were genotyped by GAA molecular analysis. We found two patients with LOPD (2.2%), and the remaining 14 patients had at least one G576S or E689K mutation, known as the pseudodeficiency allele. Acid alpha glucosidase activity of LOPD patients was significantly lower than that of patients with at least one pseudodeficiency allele (p = 0.017). This study is the first LOPD screening study for targeted Korean population, and more generally, an Asian population. Our findings suggest that for diagnosis of LOPD in Asian population, modified cutoff value of acid alpha glucosidase activity with dry blood spot considering that of patients having heterozygote pathogenic variants or pseudodeficiency alleles may reduce time and cost requirements and increase the comfort of patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of Self-Association and Supersaturation in Oral Absorption of a Poorly Soluble Weakly Basic Drug.

PubMed

Narang, Ajit S; Badawy, Sherif; Ye, Qingmei; Patel, Dhaval; Vincent, Maria; Raghavan, Krishnaswamy; Huang, Yande; Yamniuk, Aaron; Vig, Balvinder; Crison, John; Derbin, George; Xu, Yan; Ramirez, Antonio; Galella, Michael; Rinaldi, Frank A

2015-08-01

Precipitation of weakly basic drugs in intestinal fluids can affect oral drug absorption. In this study, the implications of self-association of brivanib alaninate in acidic aqueous solution, leading to supersaturation at basic pH condition, on its solubility and oral absorption were investigated. Self-association of brivanib alaninate was investigated by proton NMR spectroscopy, surface tension measurement, dynamic light scattering, isothermal titration calorimetry, and molecular modeling. Drug solubility was determined in various pH media, and its tendency to supersaturate upon pH shift was investigated in buffered and biorelevant aqueous solutions. Pharmacokinetic modeling of human oral drug absorption was utilized for parameter sensitivity analyses of input variables. Brivanib alaninate exhibited continuous, and pH- and concentration-dependent self-association. This phenomenon resulted in positive deviation of drug solubility at acidic pH and the formation of a stable supersaturated drug solution in pH-shift assays. Consistent with the supersaturation phenomenon observed in vitro, oral absorption simulations necessitated invoking long precipitation time in the intestine to successfully predict in vivo data. Self-association of a weakly basic drug in acidic aqueous solution can increase its oral absorption by supersaturation and precipitation resistance at the intestinal pH. This consideration is important to the selection of parameters for oral absorption simulation.

PURIFICATION PROCESS

DOEpatents

Wibbles, H.L.; Miller, E.I.

1958-01-14

This patent deals with the separation of uranium from molybdenum compounds, and in particular with their separation from ether solutions containing the molybdenum in the form of acids, such as silicomolybdic and phosphomolybdic acids. After the nitric acid leach of pitchblende, the molybdenum values present in the ore are found in the leach solution in the form of complex acids. The uranium bearing solution may be purified of this molybdenum content by comtacting it with activated charcoal. The purification is improved when the acidity of the solution is low ad agitation is also beneficial. The molybdenum may subsequently be recovered from the charcosl ad the charcoal reused.

The Simultaneous Determination of Muscle Cell pH Using a Weak Acid and Weak Base

PubMed Central

Adler, Sheldon

1972-01-01

Should significant pH heterogeneity exist within cells then the simultaneous calculation of intracellular pH from the distribution of a weak acid will give a value closest to the highest pH in the system, whereas calculation from the distribution of a weak base will give a value closer to the lowest pH. These two values should then differ significantly. Intact rat diaphragms were exposed in vitro to varying bicarbonate concentrations (pure metabolic) and CO2 tensions (pure respiratory), and steady-state cell pH was measured simultaneously either by distribution of the weak acid 5,5-dimethyloxazolidine-2,4-dione-14C (pH DMO) or by distribution of the weak base nicotine-14C (pH nicotine). The latter compound was found suitable to measure cell pH since it was neither metabolized nor bound by rat diaphragms. At an external pH of 7.40, pH DMO was 7.17 while pH nicotine was 6.69—a pH difference of 0.48 pH units (P < 0.001). In either respiratory or metabolic alkalosis both DMO and pH nicotine rose so that differences between them remained essentially constant. Metabolic acidosis induced a decrease in both values though they fell more slowly than did extracellular pH. In contradistinction, in respiratory acidosis, decreasing extracellular pH from 7.40 to 6.80 resulted in 0.35 pH unit drop in pH DMO while pH nicotine remained constant. In every experiment, under all external conditions, pH DMO exceeded pH nicotine. These results indicate that there is significant pH heterogeneity within diaphragm muscle, but the degree of heterogeneity may vary under different external conditions. The metabolic implications of these findings are discussed. In addition, the data show that true overall cell pH is between 6.69 and 7.17—a full pH higher than would be expected from thermodynamic considerations alone. This implies the presence of active processes to maintain cell pH. PMID:5009113

Characterizing Corrosion Effects of Weak Organic Acids Using a Modified Bono Test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yuqin; Turbini, Laura J.; Ramjattan, Deepchand; Christian, Bev; Pritzker, Mark

2013-12-01

To meet environmental requirements and achieve benefits of cost-effective manufacturing, no-clean fluxes (NCFs) or low-solids fluxes have become popular in present electronic manufacturing processes. Weak organic acids (WOAs) as the activation ingredients in NCFs play an important role, especially in the current lead-free and halogen-free soldering technology era. However, no standard or uniform method exists to characterize the corrosion effects of WOAs on actual metallic circuits of printed wiring boards (PWBs). Hence, the development of an effective quantitative test method for evaluating the corrosion effects of WOAs on the PWB's metallic circuits is imperative. In this paper, the modified Bono test, which was developed to quantitatively examine the corrosion properties of flux residues, is used to characterize the corrosion effects of five WOAs (i.e., abietic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, and malic acid) on PWB metallic circuits. Experiments were performed under three temperature/humidity conditions (85°C/85% RH, 60°C/93% RH, and 40°C/93% RH) using two WOA solution concentrations. The different corrosion effects among the various WOAs were best reflected in the testing results at 40°C and 60°C. Optical microscopy was used to observe the morphology of the corroded copper tracks, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) characterization was performed to determine the dendrite composition.

Lipids as tumoricidal components of human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells (HAMLET): unique and shared effects on signaling and death.

PubMed

Ho, James C S; Storm, Petter; Rydström, Anna; Bowen, Ben; Alsin, Fredrik; Sullivan, Louise; Ambite, Inès; Mok, K H; Northen, Trent; Svanborg, Catharina

2013-06-14

Long-chain fatty acids are internalized by receptor-mediated mechanisms or receptor-independent diffusion across cytoplasmic membranes and are utilized as nutrients, building blocks, and signaling intermediates. Here we describe how the association of long-chain fatty acids to a partially unfolded, extracellular protein can alter the presentation to target cells and cellular effects. HAMLET (human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells) is a tumoricidal complex of partially unfolded α-lactalbumin and oleic acid (OA). As OA lacks independent tumoricidal activity at concentrations equimolar to HAMLET, the contribution of the lipid has been debated. We show by natural abundance (13)C NMR that the lipid in HAMLET is deprotonated and by chromatography that oleate rather than oleic acid is the relevant HAMLET constituent. Compared with HAMLET, oleate (175 μm) showed weak effects on ion fluxes and gene expression. Unlike HAMLET, which causes metabolic paralysis, fatty acid metabolites were less strongly altered. The functional overlap increased with higher oleate concentrations (500 μm). Cellular responses to OA were weak or absent, suggesting that deprotonation favors cellular interactions of fatty acids. Fatty acids may thus exert some of their essential effects on host cells when in the deprotonated state and when presented in the context of a partially unfolded protein.

Regulation of the orexigenic neuropeptide, enkephalin, by PPARδ and fatty acids in neurons of the hypothalamus and forebrain.

PubMed

Poon, Kinning; Alam, Mohammad; Karatayev, Olga; Barson, Jessica R; Leibowitz, Sarah F

2015-12-01

Ingestion of a high-fat diet composed mainly of the saturated fatty acid, palmitic (PA), and the unsaturated fatty acid, oleic (OA), stimulates transcription in the brain of the opioid neuropeptide, enkephalin (ENK), which promotes intake of substances of abuse. To understand possible underlying mechanisms, this study examined the nuclear receptors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), and tested in hypothalamic and forebrain neurons from rat embryos whether PPARs regulate endogenous ENK and the fatty acids themselves affect these PPARs and ENK. The first set of experiments demonstrated that knocking down PPARδ, but not PPARα or PPARγ, increased ENK transcription, activation of PPARδ by an agonist decreased ENK levels, and PPARδ neurons coexpressed ENK, suggesting that PPARδ negatively regulates ENK. In the second set of experiments, PA treatment of hypothalamic and forebrain neurons had no effect on PPARδ protein while stimulating ENK mRNA and protein, whereas OA increased both mRNA and protein levels of PPARδ in forebrain neurons while having no effect on ENK mRNA and increasing ENK levels. These findings show that PA has a strong, stimulatory effect on ENK and weak effect on PPARδ protein, whereas OA has a strong stimulatory effect on PPARδ and weak effect on ENK, consistent with the inhibitory effect of PPARδ on ENK. They suggest a function for PPARδ, perhaps protective in nature, in embryonic neurons exposed to fatty acids from a fat-rich diet and provide evidence for a mechanism contributing to differential effects of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids on neurochemical systems involved in consummatory behavior. Our findings show that PPARδ in forebrain and hypothalamic neurons negatively regulates enkephalin (ENK), a peptide known to promote ingestive behavior. This inverse relationship is consistent with our additional findings, that a saturated (palmitic; PA) compared to a monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic; OA) has a strong stimulatory effect on ENK and weak effect on PPARδ. These results suggest that PPARδ protects against the neuronal effects of fatty acids, which differentially affect neurochemical systems involved in ingestive behavior. © 2015 International Society for Neurochemistry.

System and method for conditioning a hardwood pulp liquid hydrolysate

DOEpatents

Waite, Darrell M; Arnold, Richard; St. Pierre, James; Pendse, Hemant P; Ceckler, William H

2013-12-17

A system and method for hardwood pulp liquid hydrolysate conditioning includes a first evaporator receives a hardwood mix extract and outputting a quantity of vapor and extract. A hydrolysis unit receives the extract, hyrolyzes and outputs to a lignin separation device, which separates and recovers a quantity of lignin. A neutralization device receives extract from the lignin separation device and a neutralizing agent, producing a mixture of solid precipitate and a fifth extract. The solid precipitate is removed from the fifth extract. A second evaporator removes a quantity of acid from the fifth extract in a vapor form. This vapor may be recycled to improve total acid recovery or discarded. A desalination device receives the diluted extract, separates out some of the acid and salt and outputs a desalinated solution.

Impact of an energy-conserving strategy on succinate production under weak acidic and anaerobic conditions in Enterobacter aerogenes.

PubMed

Tajima, Yoshinori; Yamamoto, Yoko; Fukui, Keita; Nishio, Yousuke; Hashiguchi, Kenichi; Usuda, Yoshihiro; Sode, Koji

2015-06-11

Succinate is an important C4 building block chemical, and its production via fermentative processes in bacteria has many practical applications in the biotechnology field. One of the major goals of optimizing the bacterium-based succinate production process is to lower the culture pH from the current neutral conditions, as this would reduce total production costs. In our previous studies, we selected Enterobacter aerogenes, a rapid glucose assimilator at pH 5.0, in order to construct a metabolically engineered strain that could produce succinate under weakly acidic conditions. This engineered strain produced succinate from glucose with a 72.7% (g/g) yield at pH 5.7, with a volumetric productivity of 0.23 g/L/h. Although this demonstrates proof-of-concept that bacterium-based succinate fermentation can be improved under weakly acidic conditions, several parameters still required further optimization. In this study, we genetically modified an E. aerogenes strain previously developed in our laboratory in order to increase the production of ATP during succinate synthesis, as we inferred that this would positively impact succinate biosynthesis. This led to the development of the ES08ΔptsG strain, which contains the following modifications: chromosomally expressed Actinobacillus succinogenes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, enhanced fumarate reductase, inactivated pyruvate formate lyase, pyruvate oxidase, and glucose-phosphotransferase permease (enzyme IIBC(Glc)). This strain produced 55.4 g/L succinate from glucose, with 1.8 g/L acetate as the major byproduct at pH 5.7 and anaerobic conditions. The succinate yield and volumetric productivity of this strain were 86.8% and 0.92 g/L/h, respectively. Focusing on increasing net ATP production during succinate synthesis leads to increased succinate yield and volumetric productivity in E. aerogenes. We propose that the metabolically engineered E. aerogenes ES08ΔptsG strain, which effectively produces succinate under weakly acidic and anaerobic conditions, has potential utility for economical succinate production.

Seven organic salts assembled from hydrogen-bonds of N-H⋯O, O-H⋯O, and C-H⋯O between acidic compounds and bis(benzimidazole)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Shouwen; Liu, Hui; Gao, Xin Jun; Lin, Zhanghui; Chen, Guqing; Wang, Daqi

2014-10-01

Seven crystalline organic acid-base adducts derived from 1,4-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)butane/1,2-bis(2-benzimidazolyl)-1,2-ethanediol and acidic components (picric acid, 2-hydroxy-5-(phenyldiazenyl)benzoic acid, 5-sulfosalicylic acid, oxalic acid, and 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid) were prepared and characterized by the single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, IR, mp, and elemental analysis. All of the seven compounds are organic salts involving proton transfer from the acidic components to the bis(benzimidazole). For the salt 3, although a competing carboxyl group is present, it has been observed that only the proton at the -SO3H group is deprotonized rather than the H at the COOH. While in the salt 7, both COOH and SO3H were ionized to exhibit a valence number of -2. For 4, the oxalic acid existed as unionized molecule, monoanion, and dianion simultaneously in one compound. All supramolecular architectures of the organic salts 1-7 involve extensive intermolecular N-H⋯O, O-H⋯O, and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds as well as other noncovalent interactions. Since the potentially hydrogen bonding phenol group is present in the ortho position to the carboxyl group in 2, 3, and 7, it forms the more facile intramolecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding. The role of weak and strong noncovalent interactions in the crystal packing is ascertained. These weak interactions combined, all the complexes displayed 3D framework structure.

Magnetically separable nanoferrite-anchored glutathione: Aqueous homocoupling of arylboronic acids under microwave irradiation

EPA Science Inventory

A highly active, stable and magnetically separable glutathione based organocatalyst provided good to excellent yields to symmetric biaryls in the homocoupling of arylboronic acids under microwave irradiation. Symmetrical biaryl motifs are present in a wide range of natural p...

Study on reduction and back extraction of Pu(IV) by urea derivatives in nitric acid conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ye, G.A.; Xiao, S.T.; Yan, T.H.

2013-07-01

The reduction kinetics of Pu(IV) by hydroxyl-semicarbazide (HSC), hydroxyurea (HU) and di-hydroxyurea (DHU) in nitric acid solutions were investigated separately with adequate kinetic equations. In addition, counter-current cascade experiments were conducted for Pu split from U in nitric acid media using three kinds of reductant, respectively. The results show that urea derivatives as a kind of novel salt-free reductant can reduce Pu(IV) to Pu(III) rapidly in the nitric acid solutions. The stripping experimental results showed that Pu(IV) in the organic phase can be stripped rapidly to the aqueous phase by the urea derivatives, and the separation factors of plutonium /uraniummore » can reach more than 10{sup 4}. This indicates that urea derivatives is a kind of promising salt-free agent for uranium/plutonium separation. In addition, the complexing effect of HSC with Np(IV) was revealed, and Np(IV) can be back-extracted by HSC with a separation factor of about 20.« less

Potential of ethylenediaminedi(o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) and N,N'-bis(hydroxybenzyl)ethylenediamine-N,N'-diacetic acid for the determination of metal ions by capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Krokhin, O V; Kuzina, O V; Hoshino, H; Shpigun, O A; Yotsuyanagi, T

2000-08-25

Two aromatic polyaminocarboxylate ligands, ethylenediaminedi(o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) (EDDHA) and N,N'-bis(hydroxybenzyl)ethylenediamine-N,N'-diacetic acid (HBED), were applied for the separation of transition and heavy metal ions by the ion-exchange variant of electrokinetic chromatography. EDDHA structure contains two chiral carbon centers. It makes it impossible to use the commercially available ligand. All the studied metal ions showed two peaks, which correspond to meso and rac forms of the ligand. The separation of metal-HBED chelates was performed using poly(diallyldimethylammonium) polycations in mixed acetate-hydroxide form. Simultaneous separation of nine single- and nine double-charged HBED chelates, including In(III), Ga(III), Co(II)-(III) and Mn(II)-(III) pairs demonstrated the efficiency of 40,000-400,000 theoretical plates. The separation of Co(III), Fe(III) complexes with different arrangements of donor groups and oxidation of Co(II), Mn(H), Fe(II) ions in reaction with HBED have been discussed.

[Ion chromatography of L-ascorbic acid, sulfite and thiosulfate using their postcolumn reactions with cerium (IV) and fluorescence detection of cerium (III)].

PubMed

Chen, Q; Hu, K; Miura, Y

1999-09-01

An ion chromatographic method was used to separate the species of L-ascorbic acid, sulfite and thiosulfate in their mixtures. This method is based on the separation of each anion in their mixtures by using a separation column, and then on the fluorimetric measurement of cerium (III) formed by a postcolumn reaction of cerium (IV) with the species of L-ascorbic acid, sulfite and thiosulfate in the effluent. The optimal conditions for separating and determining the above three species have been established. By using a 3 mmol/L carbonate eluent, the species of L-ascorbic acid, sulfite and thiosulfate could be eluted at the proper retention times of 1.7, 2.6 and 5.0 min, respectively, and these three anions could be separated completely. The effects of the concentrations of cerium (IV) and sulfuric acid in the postcolumn reaction solution on the chromatographic peak-height were tested in order to obtain the optimal peak-height. It was found that the peak-height at first increases rapidly with an increase in the concentration of cerium (IV) and sulfuric acid respectively up to a certain concertation, then increases slowly. These critical concentrations of cerium (IV) and sulfuric acid also depend on the amount of the analyte injected. Meanwhile the baseline signals of the sepectra increase with an increase in the concentration of cerium (IV). Some concentrations above the critical concentration of sulfuric acid could be selected as the optimal concentration of sulfuric acid, but the concentration of cerium (IV) should be optimized by establishing a compromise between the higher peak-height and the lower baseline signal. The detection limit of this method was found to be 1 mumol/L for thiosulfate when an amount of 100 microL analyte was injected.

Separation of chlorogenic acid and concentration of trace caffeic acid from natural products by pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography.

PubMed

Lu, Yuanyuan; Dong, Genlai; Gu, Yanxiang; Ito, Yoichiro; Wei, Yun

2013-07-01

Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were selected as test samples for separation by the pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography (CCC). The separation of these test samples was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of methyl-tert-butyl-ether/acetonitrile/water at a volume ratio of 4:1:5 v/v/v where trifluoroacetic acid (TFA; 8 mM) was added to the organic stationary phase as a retainer and NH4 OH (10 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. Chlorogenic acid was successfully separated from Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze (F. bidentis) and Lonicerae Flos by pH-zone-refining CCC, a slightly polar two-phase solvent system composed of methyl-tert-butyl-ether/acetonitrile/n-butanol/water at a volume ratio of 4:1:1:5 v/v/v/v was selected where TFA (3 mM) was added to the organic stationary phase as a retainer and NH4 OH (3 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. A 16.2 mg amount of chlorogenic acid with the purity of 92% from 1.4 g of F. bidentis, and 134 mg of chlorogenic acid at the purity of 99% from 1.3 g of crude extract of Lonicerae Flos have been obtained. These results suggest that pH-zone-refining CCC is suitable for the isolation of the chlorogenic acid from the crude extracts of F. bidentis and Lonicerae Flos. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Determination of acid ionization constants for weak acids by osmometry and the instrumental analysis self-evaluation feedback approach to student preparation of solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kakolesha, Nyanguila

One focus of this work was to develop of an alternative method to conductivity for determining the acid ionization constants. Computer-controlled osmometry is one of the emerging analytical tools in industrial research and clinical laboratories. It is slowly finding its way into chemistry laboratories. The instrument's microprocessor control ensures shortened data collection time, repeatability, accuracy, and automatic calibration. The equilibrium constants of acetic acid, chloroacetic acid, bromoacetic acid, cyanoacetic acid, and iodoacetic acid have been measured using osmometry and their values compared with the existing literature values obtained, usually, from conductometric measurements. Ionization constant determined by osmometry for the moderately strong weak acids were in reasonably good agreement with literature values. The results showed that two factors, the ionic strength and the osmotic coefficient, exert opposite effects in solutions of such weak acids. Another focus of the work was analytical chemistry students solution preparation skills. The prevailing teacher-structured experiments leave little room for students' ingenuity in quantitative volumetric analysis. The purpose of this part of the study was to improve students' skills in making solutions using instrument feedback in a constructivist-learning model. After making some solutions by weighing and dissolving solutes or by serial dilution, students used the spectrophotometer and the osmometer to compare their solutions with standard solutions. Students perceived the instrument feedback as a nonthreatening approach to monitoring the development of their skill levels and liked to clarify their understanding through interacting with an instructor-observer. An assessment of the instrument feedback and the constructivist model indicated that students would assume responsibility for their own learning if given the opportunity. This study involved 167 students enrolled in Quantitative Chemical Analysis from fall 1998 through spring 2001. Surveys eliciting students' reactions to the instrument feedback approach showed an overwhelmingly positive response. The results of this research demonstrated that self-evaluation with instrumental feedback was a useful tool in helping students apply the knowledge they have acquired in lectures to the practice of chemistry. A demographic survey to determine whether part-time or full-time jobs had a negative impact on their experiment grades showed a small but significant correlation between hours worked and grade earned. However, the study showed that grades students earned on this experiment were predictive of overall semester lab grades.

Determination of Amino Acids in Cell Culture and Fermentation Broth Media Using Anion-Exchange Chromatography with Integrated Pulsed Amperometric Detection

PubMed Central

Hanko, Valoran P.; Heckenberg, Andrea; Rohrer, Jeffrey S.

2004-01-01

Anion-exchange chromatography with integrated pulsed amperometric detection (AE-IPAD) separates and directly detects amino acids, carbohydrates, alditols, and glycols in the same injection without pre- or post-column derivatization. These separations use a combination of NaOH and NaOH/sodium acetate eluents. We previously published the successful use of this technique, also known as AAA-Direct, to determine free amino acids in cell culture and fermentation broth media. We showed that retention of carbohydrates varies with eluent NaOH concentration differently than amino acids, and thus separations can be optimized by varying the initial NaOH concentration and its duration. Unfortunately, some amino acids eluting in the acetate gradient portion of the method were not completely resolved from system-related peaks and from unknown peaks in complex cell culture and fermentation media. In this article, we present changes in method that improve amino acid resolution and system ruggedness. The success of these changes and their compatibility with the separations previously designed for fermentation and cell culture are demonstrated with yeast extract-peptone-dextrose broth, M199, Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s (with F-12), L-15 (Leibovitz), and McCoy’s 5A cell culture media. PMID:15585828

Improved separation with the intermittently pressed tubing of multilayer coil in type-I counter-current chromatography.

PubMed

Yang, Yi; Yang, Jiao; Fang, Chen; Wang, Jihui; Gu, Dongyu; Tian, Jing; Ito, Yoichiro

2018-05-25

The intermittently pressed tubing was introduced in type-I counter-current chromatographic system as the separation column to improve the separation performance in the present study. The separations were performed with two different solvent systems composed of 1-butanol-acetic acid-water (4:1:5, v/v) (BAW) and hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-0.1 M HCl (1:1:1:1, v/v) (HEMW) using dipeptides and DNP-amino acids as test samples, respectively. The chromatographic performance was evaluated in terms of retention of the stationary phase (Sf), theoretical plate (N) and peak resolution (Rs). In general, the type-I planetary motion with the multilayer coil of non-modified standard tubing can yield the best separation at a low revolution speed of 200 rpm with lower flow rate. The present results with intermittently pressed tubing indicated that the performance was also optimal at the revolution speed of 200 rpm where the lower flow rate was more beneficial to retention of stationary phase and resolution. In the moderately hydrophobic two-phase solvent system composed of hexane-ethyl acetate-metanol-0.1 M hydrochloric acid (1:1:1:1, v/v), DNP-amino acids were separated with Rs at 1.67 and 1.47, respectively, with 12.66% of stationary phase retention at a flow rate of 0.25 ml/min. In the polar solvent system composed of 1-butanol-acetic acid-water (4:1:5, v/v), dipeptide samples were resolved with Rs at 2.18 and 18.75% of stationary phase retention at a flow rate of 0.25 ml/min. These results indicate that the present system substantially improves the separation efficiency of type-I counter-current chromatographic system. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Optimization of the separation of lysergic acid diethylamide in urine by a sweeping technique using micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

PubMed

Fang, Ching; Liu, Ju-Tsung; Lin, Cheng-Huang

2002-07-25

The separation and on-line concentrations of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), iso-lysergic acid diethylamide (iso-LSD) and lysergic acid N,N-methylpropylamide (LAMPA) in human urine were investigated by capillary electrophoresis-fluorescence spectroscopy using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as an anionic surfactant. A number of parameters such as buffer pH, SDS concentration, Brij-30 concentration and the content of organic solvent used in separation, were optimized. The techniques of sweeping-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (sweeping-MEKC) and cation-selective exhaustive injection-sweep-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CSEI-sweep-MEKC) were used for determining on-line concentrations. The advantages and disadvantages of this procedure with respect to sensitivity, precision and simplicity are discussed and compared. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science BV.

[Chemical Constituents from Melissa officinalis Leaves].

PubMed

Ji, Zi-yang; Yang, Yan-xia; Zhuang, Fang-fang; Yan, Fu-lin; Wang, Chang-hong

2015-03-01

To investigate the chemical constituents of Melissa officinalis leaves. The chemical constituents were separated by silica gel column chromatography and their structures were determined by spectroscopic experiments. 13 compounds were isolated and identified as protocatechuyl aldehyde(1), serratagenic acid(2), vanillin(3), 2α,3β-dihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid(4), ursolic acid(5), oleanolic acid(6), daucosterol(7),2α,3β,23,29-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid-29-O-β-D-gluco- pyranoside(8), luteolin(9) rosmarinic acid(10), luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (11), β-stitosterol(12) and palmitic acid(13). Compounds 1 ~ 8 are separated from this plant for the first time and compounds 1-4 and 8 are isolated from this genus for the first time.

Design of simulated moving bed for separation of fumaric acid with a little fronting phenomenon.

PubMed

Choi, Jae-Hwan; Kang, Mun-Seok; Lee, Chung-Gi; Wang, Nien-Hwa Linda; Mun, Sungyong

2017-03-31

The production of fumaric acid through a biotechnological pathway has grown in importance because of its potential value in related industries. This has sparked an interest in developing an economically-efficient process for separation of fumaric acid (product of interest) from acetic acid (by-product). This study aimed to develop a simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatographic process for such separation in a systematic way. As a first step for this work, commercially available adsorbents were screened for their applicability to the considered separation, which revealed that an Amberchrom-CG71C resin had a sufficient potential to become an adsorbent of the targeted SMB. Using this adsorbent, the intrinsic parameters of fumaric and acetic acids were determined and then applied to optimizing the SMB process under consideration. The optimized SMB process was tested experimentally, from which the yield of fumaric-acid product was found to become lower than expected in the design. An investigation about the reason for such problem revealed that it was attributed to a fronting phenomenon occurring in the solute band of fumaric acid. To resolve this issue, the extent of the fronting was evaluated quantitatively using an experimental axial dispersion coefficient for fumaric acid, which was then considered in the design of the SMB of interest. The SMB experimental results showed that the SMB design based on the consideration of the fumaric-acid fronting could guarantee the attainment of both high purity (>99%) and high yield (>99%) for fumaric-acid product under the desorbent consumption of 2.6 and the throughput of 0.36L/L/h. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization of Reversed-Phase Peptide Liquid Chromatography Ultraviolet Mass Spectrometry Analyses Using an Automated Blending Methodology

PubMed Central

Chakraborty, Asish B.; Berger, Scott J.

2005-01-01

The balance between chromatographic performance and mass spectrometric response has been evaluated using an automated series of experiments where separations are produced by the real-time automated blending of water with organic and acidic modifiers. In this work, the concentration effects of two acidic modifiers (formic acid and trifluoroacetic acid) were studied on the separation selectivity, ultraviolet, and mass spectrometry detector response, using a complex peptide mixture. Peptide retention selectivity differences were apparent between the two modifiers, and under the conditions studied, trifluoroacetic acid produced slightly narrower (more concentrated) peaks, but significantly higher electrospray mass spectrometry suppression. Trifluoroacetic acid suppression of electrospray signal and influence on peptide retention and selectivity was dominant when mixtures of the two modifiers were analyzed. Our experimental results indicate that in analyses where the analyzed components are roughly equimolar (e.g., a peptide map of a recombinant protein), the selectivity of peptide separations can be optimized by choice and concentration of acidic modifier, without compromising the ability to obtain effective sequence coverage of a protein. In some cases, these selectivity differences were explored further, and a rational basis for differentiating acidic modifier effects from the underlying peptide sequences is described. PMID:16522853

Floating-point scaling technique for sources separation automatic gain control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fermas, A.; Belouchrani, A.; Ait-Mohamed, O.

2012-07-01

Based on the floating-point representation and taking advantage of scaling factor indetermination in blind source separation (BSS) processing, we propose a scaling technique applied to the separation matrix, to avoid the saturation or the weakness in the recovered source signals. This technique performs an automatic gain control in an on-line BSS environment. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique by using the implementation of a division-free BSS algorithm with two inputs, two outputs. The proposed technique is computationally cheaper and efficient for a hardware implementation compared to the Euclidean normalisation.

Design of stereoelectronically promoted super lewis acids and unprecedented chemistry of their complexes.

PubMed

Foroutan-Nejad, Cina; Vicha, Jan; Marek, Radek

2014-09-01

A new family of stereoelectronically promoted aluminum and scandium super Lewis acids is introduced on the basis of state-of-the-art computations. Structures of these molecules are designed to minimize resonance electron donation to central metal atoms in the Lewis acids. Acidity of these species is evaluated on the basis of their fluoride-ion affinities relative to the antimony pentafluoride reference system. It is demonstrated that introduced changes in the stereochemistry of the designed ligands increase acidity considerably relative to Al and Sc complexes with analogous monodentate ligands. The high stability of fluoride complexes of these species makes them ideal candidates to be used as weakly coordinating anions in combination with highly reactive cations instead of conventional Lewis acid-fluoride complexes. Further, the interaction of all designed molecules with methane is investigated. All studied acids form stable pentavalent-carbon complexes with methane. In addition, interactions of the strongest acid of this family with very weak bases, namely, H2, N2, carbon oxides, and noble gases were investigated; it is demonstrated that this compound can form considerably stable complexes with the aforementioned molecules. To the best of our knowledge, carbonyl and nitrogen complexes of this species are the first hypothetical four-coordinated carbonyl and nitrogen complexes of aluminum. The nature of bonding in these systems is studied in detail by various bonding analysis approaches. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Separation of transition metals on a poly-iminodiacetic acid grafted polymeric resin column with post-column reaction detection utilising a paired emitter-detector diode system.

PubMed

Barron, Leon; O'Toole, Martina; Diamond, Dermot; Nesterenko, Pavel N; Paull, Brett

2008-12-05

The selectivity, retention and separation of transition metals on a short (2 mm x 50 mm) column packed with a poly-iminodiacetic acid functionalised polymer 10 microm resin (Dionex ProPac IMAC-10) are presented. This stationary phase, typically used for the separation of proteins, is composed of long chain poly-iminodiacetic acid groups grafted to a hydrophilic layer surrounding a 10 microm polymeric bead. Through the use of a combination of a multi-step pH and picolinic acid gradient, the separation of magnesium, iron, cobalt, cadmium, zinc, lead and copper was possible, followed by post-column reaction with 4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol (PAR) and absorbance detection at 510 nm using a novel and inexpensive optical detector, comprised of two light emitting diodes with one acting as a light source and the other as a detector. Column efficiency for selective transition metals was in excess of N=10,000, with the baseline separation of seven metal cations in <3 min possible under optimised conditions. Detection limits of between 5 and 81 microg/L were possible based upon a 50 microL injection volume.

Simultaneous separation and quantitation of amino acids and polyamines of forest tree tissues and cell cultures within a single high-performance liquid chromatography run using dansyl derivatization

Treesearch

Rakesh Minocha; Stephanie Long

2004-01-01

The objective of the present study was to develop a rapid HPLC method for simultaneous separation and quantitation of dansylated amino acids and common polyamines in the same matrix for analyzing forest tree tissues and cell cultures. The major modifications incorporated into this method as compared to previously published HPLC methods for separation of only dansyl...

Determination of Phenolic Acids in Sugarcane Vinasse by HPLC with Pulse Amperometry

PubMed Central

Freitas, P. V.; Beluomini, M. A.; da Silva, J. L.; Stradiotto, N. R.

2018-01-01

A reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation with pulsed amperometric detection of phenolic acids at a glassy carbon electrode is described. Chromatographic separation was carried out in isocratic conditions using 0.20 mol·L−1 acetic acid (pH 5.0)/water (80 : 20, v/v) as mobile phase under constant working potential mode of 0.80 V. Chromatographic peaks presented high resolution and separation. Calibration curves exhibited excellent correlation coefficients, above 0.995. Linear ranges of the analytes, in mg L−1, were of 0.018–18 (gallic acid), 0.146–19 (vanillic acid), 0.13–17 (caffeic acid), 0.016–16 (ferulic acid), and 0.008–17 (p-coumaric acid), respectively. Limits of detection ranged from 1.6 to 97 μg·L−1 and precision varied in 1.73–3.78% interval. Concentrations of 19 ± 0.51 mg·L−1 and 7.8 ± 2.5 mg·L−1 were found for vanillic and caffeic acids, respectively, in a sugarcane vinasse sample. Gallic, ferulic, and p-coumaric acids were not detected. Recovery results demonstrated that the proposed method is accurate, and it can be used to detect and quantify phenolic acids in sugarcane vinasse without any influence of interferents. PMID:29600112

Rapid separation and purification of uranium and plutonium from dilute-matrix samples

DOE PAGES

Armstrong, Christopher R.; Ticknor, Brian W.; Hall, Gregory; ...

2014-03-11

This work presents a streamlined separation and purification approach for trace uranium and plutonium from dilute (carrier-free) matrices. The method, effective for nanogram quantities of U and femtogram to picogram quantities of Pu, is ideally suited for environmental swipe samples that contain a small amount of collected bulk material. As such, it may be applicable for processing swipe samples such as those collected in IAEA inspection activities as well as swipes that are loaded with unknown analytes, such as those implemented in interlaboratory round-robin or proficiency tests. Additionally, the simplified actinide separation could find use in internal laboratory monitoring ofmore » clean room conditions prior to or following more extensive chemical processing. We describe key modifications to conventional techniques that result in a relatively rapid, cost-effective, and efficient U and Pu separation process. We demonstrate the efficacy of implementing anion exchange chromatography in a single column approach. We also show that hydrobromic acid is an effective substitute in lieu of hydroiodoic acid for eluting Pu. Lastly, we show that nitric acid is an effective digestion agent in lieu of perchloric acid and/or hydrofluoric acid. A step by step procedure of this process is detailed.« less

[[Chiral separation of five arylpropionic acid drugs and determination of their enantiomers in pharmaceutical preparations by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with cellulose-tris-(4-methylbenzoate) stationary phase

PubMed

Luo, An; Wan, Qiang; Fan, Huajun; Chen, Zhi; Wu, Xuehao; Huang, Xiaowen; Zang, Linquan

2014-09-01

Chromatographic behaviors for enantiomeric separation of arylpropionic acid drugs were systematically developed by reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) using cellulose-tris-(4-methylbenzoate) (CTMB) as chiral stationary phase (CSP). The effects of the composition of the mobile phase, additives and temperature on chiral separation of flurbiprofen, pranoprofen, naproxen, ibuprofen and loxoprofen were further investigated. The enantiomers had been successfully separated on CSP of CTMB by the mobile phase of methanol-0.1% (v/v) formic acid except naproxen by acetonitrile-0.1% (v/v) formic acid at 25 °C. The mechanisms of the racemic resolution for the above mentioned five drugs are discussed thermodynamically and structurally. The resolutions between respective enantiomers for arylpropionic acid drugs on CTMB had significant differences due to their chromatographic behaviors. The order of resolutions ranked pranoprofen, loxoprofen, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen and naproxen. The method established has been successfully applied to the determination of the enantiomers of the five drugs in commercial preparations under the optimized conditions. It proved that the method is simple, reliable and accurate.

Distribution, fate and formation of non-extractable residues of a nonylphenol isomer in soil with special emphasis on soil derived organo-clay complexes.

PubMed

Riefer, Patrick; Klausmeyer, Timm; Schäffer, Andreas; Schwarzbauer, Jan; Schmidt, Burkhard

2011-01-01

Anthropogenic contaminants like nonylphenols (NP) are added to soil, for instance if sewage-sludge is used as fertilizer in agriculture. A commercial mixture of NP consists of more than 20 isomers. For our study, we used one of the predominate isomers of NP mixtures, 4-(3,5-dimethylhept-3-yl)phenol, as a representative compound. The aim was to investigate the fate and distribution of the isomer within soil and soil derived organo-clay complexes. Therefore, (14)C- and (13)C-labeled NP was added to soil samples and incubated up to 180 days. Mineralization was measured and soil samples were fractionated into sand, silt and clay; the clay fraction was further separated in humic acids, fulvic acids and humin. The organo-clay complexes pre-incubated for 90 or 180 days were re-incubated with fresh soil for 180 days, to study the potential of re-mobilization of incorporated residues. The predominate incorporation sites of the nonylphenol isomer in soil were the organo-clay complexes. After 180 days of incubation, 22 % of the applied (14)C was mineralized. The bioavailable, water extractable portion was low (9 % of applied (14)C) and remained constant during the entire incubation period, which could be explained by an incorporation/release equilibrium. Separation of organo-clay complexes, after extraction with solvents to release weakly incorporated, bioaccessible portions, showed that non-extractable residues (NER) were preferentially located in the humic acid fraction, which was regarded as an effect of the chemical composition of this fraction. Generally, 27 % of applied (14)C was incorporated into organo-clay complexes as NER, whereas 9 % of applied (14)C was bioaccessible after 180 days of incubation. The re-mobilization experiments showed on the one hand, a decrease of the bioavailability of the nonylphenol residues due to stronger incorporation, when the pre-incubation period was increased from 90 to 180 days. On the other hand, a shift of these residues from the clay fraction to other soil fractions was observed, implying a dynamic behavior of incorporated residues, which may result in bioaccessibility of the NER of nonylphenol.

Distinguishing d- and l-aspartic and isoaspartic acids in amyloid β peptides with ultrahigh resolution ion mobility spectrometry.

PubMed

Zheng, Xueyun; Deng, Liulin; Baker, Erin S; Ibrahim, Yehia M; Petyuk, Vladislav A; Smith, Richard D

2017-07-11

While α-linked amino acids in the l-form are exclusively utilized in mammalian protein building, β-linked and d-form amino acids also have important biological roles. Unfortunately, the structural elucidation and separation of these different amino acid types in peptides has been analytically challenging to date due to the numerous isomers present, limiting our knowledge about their existence and biological roles. Here, we utilized an ultrahigh resolution ion mobility spectrometry platform coupled with mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) to separate amyloid β (Aβ) peptides containing l-aspartic acid, d-aspartic acid, l-isoaspartic acid, and d-isoaspartic acid residues which span α- and β-linked amino acids in both d- and l-forms. The results illustrate how IMS-MS could be used to better understand age-related diseases or protein folding disorders resulting from amino acid modifications.

Cation-enhanced capillary electrophoresis separation of atropoisomer anions.

PubMed

Na, Yun-Cheol; Berthod, Alain; Armstrong, Daniel W

2015-12-01

CE was used to study the separation of the atropoisomers of four phosphoric acids and two sulfonic acids and the enantiomers of two phosphoric acids. All solutes are in their anionic forms in aqueous electrolytes. The chiral additives were two hydroxypropyl cyclodextrins (CDs) and cyclofructan 6 (CF6). The CDs were able to separate four solutes and the CF6 additive could separate only one: 1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogenphosphate (BHP). Since CF6 is able to bind with cations, nitrate of alkaline metals, Ba(2+) , and Pb(2+) were added, greatly improving the BHP separation at the expense of longer migration times. There seems to be a link between CF6-cation-binding constants and BHP resolution factors. Cation additions were also performed with CD selectors that are less prone to form complexes with cations. Significant improvements of enantiomer or atropoisomer separations were observed also associated with longer migration times. It is speculated that the anionic solutes associate with the added cations forming larger entities better differentiated by CDs. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A rheological assessment of the nature of interactions between mucoadhesive polymers and a homogenised mucus gel.

PubMed

Madsen, F; Eberth, K; Smart, J D

1998-06-01

The ability of mucoadhesive materials to produce a large increase in the resistance to deformation when incorporated into a mucus gel, relative to when the mucus gel and test materials are evaluated separately at the same concentration, has been reported in several previous studies. It has been proposed that this phenomenon, termed rheological synergism, can be used as a measure of the strength of the mucoadhesive interaction. This study investigated the interactions between four putative mucoadhesive polymers (Noveon, Pemulen TR-2, carageenan and sodium carboxymethylcellulose) and a homogenised mucus gel, using dynamic oscillatory rheology. It was shown that, with the exception of sodium carboxymethylcellulose, incorporating a mucoadhesive polymer into a mucus gel produces rheological behaviour indicative of a weakly cross-linked gel network, which suggested a structure containing physical chain entanglements and non-covalent (probably hydrogen) bonds. Optimum gel strengthening occurred in a weakly acidic environment, suggesting an optimum conformation and degree of ionisation of the polymer and mucus molecules. Subsequent work suggested that the macromolecular interactions between polymer and mucus are sensitive to temperature, with the dynamic moduli decreasing with increasing temperature, further indicating bonding of a non-covalent nature. This work provide further evidence that rheological methods can be used as a tool to evaluate the interactions between a mucoadhesive macromolecule and a mucus gel. It also adds to the perception that molecular interpenetration may be an important factor in mucoadhesion by strengthening the mucus in the mucoadhesive/mucosal interfacial layer.

[Chemical constituents from stems of Dysoxylum laxiracemosum].

PubMed

Tang, Ting; Zuo, Laifu; Na, Zhi; Xu, Youkai

2012-05-01

Twelve compounds were separated from stems of Dysoxylum laxiracemosum and their structures were identified by spectrum analysis as shoreic acid (1), cabraleahydroxylactone (2), cabralealactone (3), cinchonain (5), catechin (6), scopoletin (7), vanillic acid (8), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (9), docosanol (10), beta-sitosterol (11), daucosterol (12). Of them, compounds 1-6,8-12 were separated from this plant for the first time, and compounds 4-6 were reported from this plant genus for the first time.

Separation of amino acids and antibiotics by narrow-bore and normal-bore high-performance liquid chromatography with pre-column derivatization.

PubMed

Fiedler, H P; Plaga, A

1987-01-16

The selectivity, efficiency and lifetime of normal- and narrow-bore columns for high-performance liquid chromatography were investigated for the separation and quantification of amino acids and the amino acid-like antibiotics phosphinothricin and phosphinothricylalanylalanine in biological samples. These compounds were determined by an automated pre-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde-2-mercaptoethanol reagent and UV detection at 338 nm.

SEPARATION OF EUROPIUM FROM OTHER LANTHANIDE RAE EARTHS BY SOLVENT EXTRACTION

DOEpatents

Peppard, D.F.; Horwitz, E.P.; Mason, G.W.

1963-02-12

This patent deals with a process of separating europium from other lanthanides present in aqueous hydrochloric or sulfuric acid solutions. The europium is selectively reduced to the divalent state with a divalent chromium salt formed in situ from chromium(III) salt plus zinc amalgam. The other trivalent lanthanides are then extracted away from the divalent europium with a nitrogen-flushed phosphoric acid ester or a phosphonic acid ester. (AEC)

Chromatographic extraction with di(2-ethylhexyl)orthophosphoric acid for production and purification of promethium-147

DOEpatents

Boll, Rose A [Knoxville, TN; Mirzadeh, Saed [Knoxville, TN

2008-10-14

A method of producing and purifying promethium-147 including the steps of: irradiating a target material including neodymium-146 with neutrons to produce promethium-147 within the irradiated target material; dissolving the irradiated target material to form an acidic solution; loading the acidic solution onto a chromatographic separation apparatus containing HDEHP; and eluting the apparatus to chromatographically separate the promethium-147 from the neodymium-146.

Weak lensing magnification in the Dark Energy Survey Science Verification data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Fernandez, M.; Sanchez, E.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Suchyta, E.; Huff, E. M.; Gaztanaga, E.; Aleksić, J.; Ponce, R.; Castander, F. J.; Hoyle, B.; Abbott, T. M. C.; Abdalla, F. B.; Allam, S.; Annis, J.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bernstein, G. M.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Buckley-Geer, E.; Burke, D. L.; Carnero Rosell, A.; Carrasco Kind, M.; Carretero, J.; Crocce, M.; Cunha, C. E.; D'Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; DePoy, D. L.; Desai, S.; Diehl, H. T.; Eifler, T. F.; Evrard, A. E.; Fernandez, E.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Frieman, J.; García-Bellido, J.; Gerdes, D. W.; Giannantonio, T.; Gruen, D.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gschwend, J.; Gutierrez, G.; James, D. J.; Jarvis, M.; Kirk, D.; Krause, E.; Kuehn, K.; Kuropatkin, N.; Lahav, O.; Lima, M.; MacCrann, N.; Maia, M. A. G.; March, M.; Marshall, J. L.; Melchior, P.; Miquel, R.; Mohr, J. J.; Plazas, A. A.; Romer, A. K.; Roodman, A.; Rykoff, E. S.; Scarpine, V.; Schubnell, M.; Smith, R. C.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Tarle, G.; Thomas, D.; Walker, A. R.; Wester, W.; DES Collaboration

2018-05-01

In this paper, the effect of weak lensing magnification on galaxy number counts is studied by cross-correlating the positions of two galaxy samples, separated by redshift, using the Dark Energy Survey Science Verification data set. This analysis is carried out for galaxies that are selected only by its photometric redshift. An extensive analysis of the systematic effects, using new methods based on simulations is performed, including a Monte Carlo sampling of the selection function of the survey.

SEPARATION OF T-MAZ ETHOXYLATED SORBITAN FATTY ACID ESTERS BY SUPERCRITICAL FLUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

EPA Science Inventory

The application of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) to the analysis of T-MAZ ethoxylated sorbitan fatty acid esters is described. FC separation methods utilize a density programming technique and a 50 um I.D. capillary column. his work demonstrates that capillary column S...

SEPARATION PROCESS FOR ZIRCONIUM AND COMPOUNDS THEREOF

DOEpatents

Crandall, H.W.; Thomas, J.R.

1959-06-30

The separation of zirconium from columbium, rare earths, yttrium and the alkaline earth metals, such mixtures of elements occurring in zirconium ores or neutron irradiated uranium is described. According to the invention a suitable separation of zirconium from a one normal acidic aqueous solution containing salts, nitrates for example, of tetravalent zirconium, pentavalent columbium, yttrium, rare earths in the trivalent state and alkaline earths can be obtained by contacting the aqueous solution with a fluorinated beta diketonc alone or in an organic solvent solution, such as benzene, to form a zirconium chelate compound. When the organic solvent is present the zirconium chelate compound is directly extracted; otherwise it is separated by filtration. The zirconium may be recovered from contacting the organic solvent solution containing the chelated compound by back extraction with either an aqueous hydrofluoric acid or an oxalic acid solution.

System and method for conditioning a hardwood pulp liquid hydrolysate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Waite, Darrell; Arnold, Richard; St. Pierre, James

2015-06-30

A system and method for hardwood pulp liquid hydrolysate conditioning includes a first evaporator receives a hardwood mix extract and outputting a quantity of vapor and extract. A hydrolysis unit receives the extract, hydrolyzes and outputs to a lignin separation device, which separates and recovers a quantity of lignin. A neutralization device receives extract from the lignin separation device and a neutralizing agent, producing a mixture of solid precipitate and a fifth extract. The solid precipitate is removed from the fifth extract. A second evaporator removes a quantity of acid from the fifth extract in a vapor form. This vapormore » may be recycled to improve total acid recovery or discarded. A desalination device receives the diluted extract, separates out some of the acid and salt and outputs a desalinated solution.« less

Influence of humic acid on adsorption of Hg(II) by vermiculite.

PubMed

do Nascimento, Fernando Henrique; Masini, Jorge Cesar

2014-10-01

Geochemical mobility of Hg(II) species is strongly affected by the interactions of these compounds with naturally occurring adsorbents such as humic acids, clay minerals, oxides, etc. Interactions among these sorbents affect their affinity for Hg(II) and a full understanding of these processes is still lacking. The present work describes the influence of a humic acid (HA) sample on the adsorption of Hg(II) by vermiculite (VT). Adsorption isotherms were constructed to evaluate the affinity of Hg(II) by VT, HA, VT modified with humic acid (VT-HA), and VT-HA in presence of soluble humic acid (VT-HA + HA). All experiments were made at pH 6.0 ± 0.1 in 0.02 M NaNO3 and 25.0 ± 0.5 °C for initial Hg(II) concentrations from 1.0 to 100 μM. Determinations of Hg(II) were made by square wave voltammetry automated by sequential injection analysis, an approach that enables the determination of the free plus labile fractions of Hg(II) in HA suspensions without the need for laborious separation steps. The adsorption isotherms were fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich equations, showing that HA was the material with the higher adsorption capacity (537 ± 30 μmol g(-1)) in comparison with VT and VT-HA (44 ± 3 and 51 ± 11 μmol g(-1), respectively). Adsorption order was HA > VT-HA + HA > VT = VT-HA. At pH 6.0 the interaction of HA with VT is weak and only 14% of C initially added to the suspension was effectively retained by the mineral. Desorption of Hg(II) in acidic medium (0.05 M HCl) was higher in binary (VT-HA) and ternary (VT-HA + HA) systems in comparison with that of VT and HA alone, suggesting that interactions between VT and HA are facilitated in acidic medium, weakening the binding to Hg(II). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The group separation of the rare-earth elements and yttrium from geologic materials by cation-exchange chromatography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crock, J.G.; Lichte, F.E.; Wildeman, T.R.

1984-01-01

Demand is increasing for the determination of the rare-earth elements (REE) and yttrium in geologic materials. Due to their low natural abundance in many materials and the interferences that occur in many methods of determination, a separation procedure utilizing gradient strong-acid cation-exchange chromatography is often used to preconcentrate and isolate these elements from the host-rock matrix. Two separate gradient strong-acid cation-exchange procedures were characterized and the major elements as well as those elements thought to provide the greatest interference for the determination of the REE in geologic materials were tested for separation from the REE. Simultaneous inductively coupled argon plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICAP-AES) measurements were used to construct the chromatograms for the elution studies, allowing the elution patterns of all the elements of interest to be determined in a single fraction of eluent. As a rock matrix, U.S. Geological Survey standard reference BCR-1 basalt was digested using both an acid decomposition procedure and a lithium metaborate fusion. Hydrochloric and nitric acids were tested as eluents and chromatograms were plotted using the ICAP-AES data; and we observed substantial differences in the elution patterns of the REE and as well as in the solution patterns of Ba, Ca, Fe and Sr. The nitric acid elution required substantially less eluent to elute the REE and Y as a group when compared to the hydrochloric acid elution, and provided a clearer separation of the REE from interfering and matrix elements. ?? 1984.

Removal of free fatty acid in Azadirachta indica (Neem) seed oil using phosphoric acid modified mordenite for biodiesel production.

PubMed

SathyaSelvabala, Vasanthakumar; Varathachary, Thiruvengadaravi Kadathur; Selvaraj, Dinesh Kirupha; Ponnusamy, Vijayalakshmi; Subramanian, Sivanesan

2010-08-01

In this study free fatty acids present in Azadirachta indica (Neem) oil were esterified with our synthesized phosphoric acid modified catalyst. During the esterification, the acid value was reduced from 24.4 to 1.8 mg KOH/g oil. Synthesized catalyst was characterized by NH(3) TPD, XRD, SEM, FTIR and TGA analysis. During phosphoric acid modification hydrophobic character and weak acid sites of the mordenite were increased, which lead to better esterification when compared to H-mordenite. A kinetic study demonstrates that the esterification reaction followed pseudo-first order kinetics. Thermodynamic studies were also done based on the Arrhenius model. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flotation separation and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of thallium in wastewater samples.

PubMed

Hosseini, Mohammad Saeid; Chamsaz, Mahmoud; Raissi, Heidar; Naseri, Yousef

2006-01-01

The proposed method is a simple process for the determination of trace amount of thallium(I) in the environmental wastewater samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The wastewater samples were obtained from the environment of a cement plant and subjected to a simple treatment, such as adjusting pH and masking the interfering ions, to prepare for the flotation process in which the thallium(I) content was floated as an ion-association complex using iodide and Rhodamine B at the interface of aqueous/cyclohexane layers. The floated layer was then separated and dissolved in 2 ml of a solution, which was 1% to H2SO4 and 50% to methanol, respectively. Aliquots of 10-microl of this solution were subjected to the graphite furnace to determine the thallium(I) content. The flotation process can be carried in a weak acidic medium in which the interfering effects owing to certain metal ions were eliminated by masking them as neutral citrate chelates. The dynamic range for the determination was found to be 1.0 x 10(-8) - 1.0 x 10(-7) mol l(-1). The RSD was 3.2% and the DL was 2.5 x 10(-9) mol l(-1) (calculated as 3SD of the blank). The reliability of the method is demonstrated by the analysis of a synthetic wastewater in which the recovery was found to be 94%.

Rapid and sensitive analysis of phthalate metabolites, bisphenol A, and endogenous steroid hormones in human urine by mixed-mode solid-phase extraction, dansylation, and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Wang, He-xing; Wang, Bin; Zhou, Ying; Jiang, Qing-wu

2013-05-01

Steroid hormone levels in human urine are convenient and sensitive indicators for the impact of phthalates and/or bisphenol A (BPA) exposure on the human steroid hormone endocrine system. In this study, a rapid and sensitive method for determination of 14 phthalate metabolites, BPA, and ten endogenous steroid hormones in urine was developed and validated on the basis of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The optimized mixed-mode solid phase-extraction separated the weakly acidic or neutral BPA and steroid hormones from acidic phthalate metabolites in urine: the former were determined in positive ion mode with a methanol/water mobile phase containing 10 mM ammonium formate; the latter were determined in negative ion mode with a acetonitrile/water mobile phase containing 0.1 % acetic acid, which significantly alleviated matrix effects for the analysis of BPA and steroid hormones. Dansylation of estrogens and BPA realized simultaneous and sensitive analysis of the endogenous steroid hormones and BPA in a single chromatographic run. The limits of detection were less than 0.84 ng/mL for phthalate metabolites and less than 0.22 ng/mL for endogenous steroid hormones and BPA. This proposed method had satisfactory precision and accuracy, and was successfully applied to the analyses of human urine samples. This method could be valuable when investigating the associations among endocrine-disrupting chemicals, endogenous steroid hormones, and relevant adverse outcomes in epidemiological studies.

Basic mechanism of button battery ingestion injuries and novel mitigation strategies after diagnosis and removal.

PubMed

Jatana, Kris R; Rhoades, Keith; Milkovich, Scott; Jacobs, Ian N

2017-06-01

Button battery (BB) injuries continue to be a significant source of morbidity and mortality, and there is a need to confirm the mechanism of injury for development of additional mitigation strategies. Cadaveric piglet esophageal model. Lithium, silver oxide, alkaline, and zinc-air BBs were placed in thawed sections of cadaveric piglet esophagus, bathed in normal saline. Severity of gross visual burn, pH, and temperature were recorded every 30 minutes for 6 hours. In other esophageal tissue specimens, the lithium BB was removed after 24, 36, and 48 hours and the site was irrigated with either 0.25% or 3% acetic acid. Separately, ReaLemon® juice, orange juice, Coke®, Dasani® water, Pepsi®, and saline were infused over a vertically suspended esophagus with a CR2032 lithium battery every 5 minutes for 2 hours while tissue temperature and pH were measured. A gradual rise in tissue pH and minimal change in temperature was noted for all BBs. ReaLemon® and orange juice applied every 5 minutes were most effective at neutralization of tissue pH with minimal change in tissue temperature. After BB removal (24, 36, 48 hours), irrigation of esophageal tissue specimens with 50-150 mL 0.25% acetic acid neutralized the highly alkaline tissue pH. BB appear to cause an isothermic hydrolysis reaction resulting in an alkaline caustic injury. Potential new mitigation strategies include application of neutralizing weakly acidic solutions that may reduce esophageal injury progression. NA Laryngoscope, 127:1276-1282, 2017. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Mitochondrial Function in an In Vitro Model of Skeletal Muscle of Patients With Protracted Critical Illness and Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness.

PubMed

Jiroutková, Kateřina; Krajčová, Adéla; Žiak, Jakub; Fric, Michal; Gojda, Jan; Džupa, Valér; Kalous, Martin; Tůmová, Jana; Trnka, Jan; Duška, František

2017-09-01

Functional mitochondria in skeletal muscle of patients with protracted critical illness and intensive care unit-acquired weakness are depleted, but remaining mitochondria have increased functional capacities of respiratory complexes II and III. This can be an adaptation to relative abundancy of fatty acid over glucose caused by insulin resistance. We hypothesized that the capacity of muscle mitochondria to oxidize fatty acid is increased in protracted critical illness. We assessed fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and mitochondrial functional indices in vitro by using extracellular flux analysis in cultured myotubes obtained by isolating and culturing satellite cells from vastus lateralis muscle biopsy samples from patients with ICU-acquired weakness (n = 6) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 7). Bioenergetic measurements were performed at baseline and after 6 days of exposure to free fatty acids (FFAs). Mitochondrial density in myotubes from ICU patients was 69% of healthy controls ( P = .051). After adjustment to mitochondrial content, there were no differences in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis or the capacity and coupling of the respiratory chain. FAO capacity in ICU patients was 157% of FAO capacity in controls ( P = .015). In myotubes of ICU patients, unlike healthy controls, the exposure to FFA significantly ( P = .009) increased maximum respiratory chain capacity. In an in vitro model of skeletal muscle of patients with protracted critical illness, we have shown signs of adaptation to increased FAO. Even in the presence of glucose and insulin, elevation of FFAs in the extracellular environment increased maximal capacity of the respiratory chain.

Effects of Eliminating Pyruvate Node Pathways and of Coexpression of Heterogeneous Carboxylation Enzymes on Succinate Production by Enterobacter aerogenes

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Yoko; Fukui, Keita; Nishio, Yousuke; Hashiguchi, Kenichi; Usuda, Yoshihiro; Sode, Koji

2014-01-01

Lowering the pH in bacterium-based succinate fermentation is considered a feasible approach to reduce total production costs. Newly isolated Enterobacter aerogenes strain AJ110637, a rapid carbon source assimilator under weakly acidic (pH 5.0) conditions, was selected as a platform for succinate production. Our previous work showed that the ΔadhE/PCK strain, developed from AJ110637 with inactivated ethanol dehydrogenase and introduced Actinobacillus succinogenes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK), generated succinate as a major product of anaerobic mixed-acid fermentation from glucose under weakly acidic conditions (pH <6.2). To further improve the production of succinate by the ΔadhE/PCK strain, metabolically engineered strains were designed based on the elimination of pathways that produced undesirable products and the introduction of two carboxylation pathways from phosphoenolpyruvate and pyruvate to oxaloacetate. The highest production of succinate was observed with strain ES04/PCK+PYC, which had inactivated ethanol, lactate, acetate, and 2,3-butanediol pathways and coexpressed PCK and Corynebacterium glutamicum pyruvate carboxylase (PYC). This strain produced succinate from glucose with over 70% yield (gram per gram) without any measurable formation of ethanol, lactate, or 2,3-butanediol under weakly acidic conditions. The impact of lowering the pH from 7.0 to 5.5 on succinate production in this strain was evaluated under pH-controlled batch culture conditions and showed that the lower pH decreased the succinate titer but increased its yield. These findings can be applied to identify additional engineering targets to increase succinate production. PMID:25416770

Methods for the separation of rhenium, osmium and molybdenum applicable to isotope geochemistry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morgan, J.W.; Golightly, D.W.; Dorrzapf, A.F.

1991-01-01

Effective methods are described for the chemical separation of rhenium, osmium and molybdenum. The methods are based on distillation and anion-exchange chromatography, and have been the basis for rhenium-osmium isotope studies of ore deposits and meteorites. Successful anion-exchange separation of osmium requires both recognition and careful control of the osmium species in solution; thus, distillation of osmium tetroxide from a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide is preferred to anion-exchange. Distribution coefficients measured for perrhenate in sulfuric acid media are sufficiently high (Kd > 500) for rhenium to be directly loaded onto an ion-exchange column from a distillation residue and subsequently eluted with nitric acid. Polymerization of molybdenum species during elution is prevented by use of a solution that is 1M in hydrochloric acid and 1M in sodium chloride. ?? 1991.

Method to separate lignin-rich solid phase from acidic biomass suspension at an acidic pH

DOEpatents

Yasarla, Kumar Lakshmi Rakesh; Ramarao, Bandaru V; Amidon, Thomas

2017-09-05

A method of separating a lignin-rich solid phase from a solution suspension, by pretreating a lignocellulosic biomass with a pretreatment fluid having remove soluble components, colloidal material and primarily lignin containing particles; separating the pretreated lignocellulosic biomass from the pretreatment fluid with soluble components, colloidal material and primarily lignin containing particles; flocculating the separated pretreatment fluid with soluble components, colloidal material and primarily lignin containing particles using polyethylene oxide (i.e., PEO) or cationic Poly acrylamide (i.e., CPAM) as a flocculating agent; and filtering the flocculated separated pretreatment fluid with soluble components, colloidal material and primarily lignin containing particles to remove agglomerates.

Insights into the structure of covalently bound fatty acid monolayers on a simplified model of the hair epicuticle from molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Cheong, Daniel W; Lim, Freda C H; Zhang, Liping

2012-09-11

The epicuticle is the outermost layer of the human hair, and consists of a monolayer of fatty acids that is predominantly 18-methyleicosanoic acid (18-MEA) covalently bound to a protein matrix. Surprisingly, despite the clear scientific and industrial importance, the detailed molecular structure of this fatty acid layer is still poorly understood. In this work, we aim to gain insight into the structure of this so-called F-layer by performing molecular dynamics simulations on a simplified hair surface model consisting of a monolayer of 18-MEA covalently attached to graphene sheets at various separation distances. The relative free energy of the fatty acid layer was calculated as a function of separation distance in order to obtain the optimal packing density of the fatty acids. Conformational properties such as the thickness, tilt angle, and order parameter of the fatty acid layers were also calculated to characterize the structure of the F-layer. Simulations of the structurally similar eicosanoic acid (EA) were also performed as a comparison and to investigate the role of the anteiso-methyl side chain at the 18th position of 18-MEA. The degree of water penetration into the fatty acid layer at the various separation distances was also investigated. Our simulations suggest that the optimal spacing for the fatty acids is between 0.492 and 0.651 nm, in contrast to the generally accepted literature value of around 0.9-1.0 nm. This results in a packing density of between 0.21 and 0.37 nm(2) per fatty acid molecule and a thickness of around 2.01-2.64 nm. We also show that, at larger separation distances, the 18-MEA fatty acid provides a slightly better hydrophobic layer than the EA fatty acid, suggesting that the 18-MEA fatty acid may have been naturally selected to provide better protection for the hair when it loses some of the fatty acids due to daily wear and tear. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to systematically investigate the hair surface structure and properties with molecular simulations.

Interaction of acetic acid and phenylacetaldehyde as attractants for trapping pest species of moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phenylacetaldehyde is a flower volatile and attractant for many nectar-seeking moths. Acetic acid is a microbial fermentation product that is present in insect sweet baits. It is weakly attractive to some moths and other insects, but can be additive or synergistic with other compounds to make more p...

Reaction pH of urea-formaldehyde resins as related to strength properties of southern pine particleboard

Treesearch

C. -Y. Hse

1974-01-01

Twelve urea-formaldehyde resins were prepared with factorial combinations of 4 alkaline and 3 acidic reaction phases; i. e., the reaction mixture was adjusted to pH 7, 8, 9, or 10 for the first hour and then made weakly acid to pH 5.8, 4.8, or 3.8.

High-Throughput Quantitative Lipidomics Analysis of Nonesterified Fatty Acids in Plasma by LC-MS.

PubMed

Christinat, Nicolas; Morin-Rivron, Delphine; Masoodi, Mojgan

2017-01-01

Nonesterified fatty acids are important biological molecules which have multiple functions such as energy storage, gene regulation, or cell signaling. Comprehensive profiling of nonesterified fatty acids in biofluids can facilitate studying and understanding their roles in biological systems. For these reasons, we have developed and validated a high-throughput, nontargeted lipidomics method coupling liquid chromatography to high-resolution mass spectrometry for quantitative analysis of nonesterified fatty acids. Sufficient chromatographic separation is achieved to separate positional isomers such as polyunsaturated and branched-chain species and quantify a wide range of nonesterified fatty acids in human plasma samples. However, this method is not limited only to these fatty acid species and offers the possibility to perform untargeted screening of additional nonesterified fatty acid species.

Development of Acetic Acid Removal Technology for the UREX+Process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robert M. Counce; Jack S. Watson

2009-06-30

It is imperative that acetic acid is removed from a waste stream in the UREX+process so that nitric acid can be recycled and possible interference with downstreatm steps can be avoidec. Acetic acid arises from acetohydrozamic acid (AHA), and is used to suppress plutonium in the first step of the UREX+process. Later, it is hydrolyzed into hydroxyl amine nitrate and acetic acid. Many common separation technologies were examined, and solvent extraction was determined to be the best choice under process conditions. Solvents already used in the UREX+ process were then tested to determine if they would be sufficient for themore » removal of acetic acid. The tributyl phosphage (TBP)-dodecane diluent, used in both UREX and NPEX, was determined to be a solvent system that gave sufficient distribution coefficients for acetic acid in addition to a high separation factor from nitric acid.« less

Single-chain-in-mean-field simulations of weak polyelectrolyte brushes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Léonforte, F.; Welling, U.; Müller, M.

2016-12-01

Structural properties of brushes which are composed of weak acidic and basic polyelectrolytes are studied in the framework of a particle-based approach that implicitly accounts for the solvent quality. Using a semi-grandcanonical partition function in the framework of the Single-Chain-in-Mean-Field (SCMF) algorithm, the weak polyelectrolyte is conceived as a supramolecular mixture of polymers in different dissociation states, which are explicitly treated in the partition function and sampled by the SCMF procedure. One obtains a local expression for the equilibrium acid-base reaction responsible for the regulation of the charged groups that is also incorporated to the SCMF sampling. Coupled to a simultaneous treatment of the electrostatics, the approach is shown to capture the main features of weak polyelectrolyte brushes as a function of the bulk pH in the solution, the salt concentration, and the grafting density. Results are compared to experimental and theoretical works from the literature using coarse-grained representations of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (P2VP) polymer-based brushes. As the Born self-energy of ions can be straightforwardly included in the numerical approach, we also study its effect on the local charge regulation mechanism of the brush. We find that its effect becomes significant when the brush is dense and exposed to high salt concentrations. The numerical methodology is then applied (1) to the study of the kinetics of collapse/swelling of a P2VP brush and (2) to the ability of an applied voltage to induce collapse/swelling of a PAA brush in a pH range close to the pKa value of the polymer.

Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol ultra-thin layer chromatography of amino acids.

PubMed

Lu, Tian; Olesik, Susan V

2013-01-01

Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ultrathin layer chromatographic (UTLC) plates were fabricated using in situ crosslinking electrospinning technique. The value of these ULTC plates were characterized using the separation of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled amino acids and the separation of amino acids followed visualization using ninhydrin. The in situ crosslinked electrospun PVA plates showed enhanced stability in water and were stable when used for the UTLC study. The selectivity of FITC labeled amino acids on PVA plate was compared with that on commercial Si-Gel plate. The efficiency of the separation varied with analyte concentration, size of capillary analyte applicator, analyte volume, and mat thickness. The concentration of 7mM or less, 50μm i.d. capillary applicator, minimum volume of analyte solution and three-layered mat provides the best efficiency of FITC-labeled amino acids on PVA UTLC plate. The efficiency on PVA plate was greatly improved compared to the efficiency on Si-Gel HPTLC plate. The hydrolysis products of aspartame in diet coke, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, were also successfully analyzed using PVA-UTLC plate. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recovery Processes of Organic Acids from Fermentation Broths in the Biomass-Based Industry.

PubMed

Li, Qian-Zhu; Jiang, Xing-Lin; Feng, Xin-Jun; Wang, Ji-Ming; Sun, Chao; Zhang, Hai-Bo; Xian, Mo; Liu, Hui-Zhou

2016-01-01

The new movement towards green chemistry and renewable feedstocks makes microbial production of chemicals more competitive. Among the numerous chemicals, organic acids are more attractive targets for process development efforts in the renewable-based biorefinery industry. However, most of the production costs in microbial processes are higher than that in chemical processes, among which over 60% are generated by separation processes. Therefore, the research of separation and purification processes is important for a promising biorefinery industry. This review highlights the progress of recovery processes in the separation and purification of organic acids, including their advantages and disadvantages, current situation, and future prospects in terms of recovery yields and industrial application.

Chelating resin immobilizing carboxymethylated polyethyleneimine for selective solid-phase extraction of trace elements: Effect of the molecular weight of polyethyleneimine and its carboxymethylation rate.

PubMed

Kagaya, Shigehiro; Kajiwara, Takehiro; Gemmei-Ide, Makoto; Kamichatani, Waka; Inoue, Yoshinori

2016-01-15

The effect of the molecular weight of polyethyleneimine (PEI), defined as a compound having two or more ethyleneamine units, and of its carboxymethylation rate (CM/N), represented by the ratio of ion-exchange capacity to the amount of N on the resin, on the selective solid-phase extraction ability of the chelating resin immobilizing carboxymethylated (CM) PEI was investigated. The chelating resins (24 types) were prepared by immobilization of diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine, tetraethylenepentamine, pentaethylenehexamine, PEI300 (MW=ca. 300), and PEI600 (MW=ca. 600) on methacrylate resins, followed by carboxymethylation with various amounts of sodium monochloroacetate. When resins with approximately the same CM/N ratio (0.242-0.271) were used, the recovery of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Ti, Zn, and alkaline earth elements increased with increasing the molecular weight of PEIs under acidic and weakly acidic conditions; however, the extraction behavior of Mo and V was only slightly affected. This was probably due to the increase in N content of the resin, resulting in an increase in carboxylic acid groups; the difference in the molecular weight of PEIs immobilized on the resin exerts an insignificant influence on the selective extraction ability. The CM/N ratio considerably affected the extraction behavior for various elements. Under acidic and neutral conditions, the recovery of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Ti, and Zn increased with increasing CM/N values. However, under these conditions, the recovery of alkaline earth elements was considerably low when a resin with low CM/N ratio was used. This is presumably attributed to the different stability constants of the complexes of these elements with aminocarboxylic acids and amines, and to the electrostatic repulsion between the elements and the protonated amino groups in the CM-PEI. The recovery of Mo and V decreased or varied with increasing CM/N values, suggesting that the extraction of these elements occurred mainly by the anion-exchange reaction. For the separation and preconcentration of trace elements in samples containing large amounts of alkali and alkaline earth elements, the CM-PEI600 resin with CM/N=0.131 (Cu(II) extraction capacity, 0.37mmol g(-)(1)) was found to be the most suitable because it scarcely extracts alkali and alkaline earth elements under acidic and neutral conditions. This resin proved to be convenient for separating and preconcentrating Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn in the certified reference materials (EnviroMAT EU-L-1 wastewater and ES-L-1 ground water) and commercially available table salt. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of hydrolyzable tannins in the fruit of Terminalia chebula Retz. by high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Juang, Lih-Jeng; Sheu, Shuenn-Jyi; Lin, Ta-Chen

2004-06-01

A RP-HPLC method for determining fourteen components (gallic acid, chebulic acid, 1,6-di-O-galloyl-D-glucose, punicalagin, 3,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-D-glucose, casuarinin, chebulanin, corilagin, neochebulinic acid, terchebulin, ellagic acid, chebulagic acid, chebulinic acid, and 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-D-glucose) in the fruit of Terminalia chebula Retz. is described. The separation was achieved within 80 min using a binary gradient with mobile phases consisting of a pH 2.7 phosphoric acid solution and an 80% CH3CN solution. Capillary electrophoretic analyses were also attempted, and it was found that CZE (25 mM Na2B4O7, 5 mM NaH2PO4, pH 7.0) was an efficient method for the separation of gallotannins, while an MEKC method (25 mM Na2B4O7, 5 mM NaH2PO4, 20 mM SDS, pH 7.0, and 10% acetonitrile) provided a better separation for most of the tannins examined. The HPLC and CE methods developed were both successfully applied to the assay of tannins in commercial samples of Chebulae Fructus.

Separation of dietary omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in food by capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Soliman, Laiel C; Donkor, Kingsley K; Church, John S; Cinel, Bruno; Prema, Dipesh; Dugan, Michael E R

2013-10-01

A lower dietary omega-6/omega-3 (n-6/n-3) fatty acid ratio (<4) has been shown to be beneficial in preventing a number of chronic illnesses. Interest exists in developing more rapid and sensitive analytical methods for profiling fatty acid levels in foods. An aqueous CE method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 15 n-3 and n-6 relevant fatty acids. The effect of pH and concentration of buffer, type and concentration of organic modifier, and additive on the separation was investigated in order to determine the best conditions for the analysis. Baseline separations of the 15 fatty acids were achieved using 40 mM borate buffer at pH 9.50 containing 50 mM SDS, 10 mM β-cyclodextrin, and 10% acetonitrile. The developed CE method has LODs of <5 mg/L and good linearity (R(2) > 0.980) for all fatty acids studied. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in flax seed, Udo® oils and a selection of grass-fed and grain-fed beef muscle samples. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Combined Excitatory and Inhibitory Coupling in a 1-D Array of Belousov-Zhabotinsky Droplets

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

with numerical chemical models of the BZ reaction in which components that participate in the excitatory (bromine dioxide and bromous acid) and...verify the transport through the fluorinated oil of chlorine dioxide and several weak acids, including malonic acid. 1. Introduction Recent studies1...finite element model (COMSOLs) of the reaction - diffusion equation in 1-D, 2-D and 3-D, where each drop is modeled as a point, disk or sphere

Purification of N-Acetylgalactosaminidase by Isoelectric Focusing.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-02

aminocaproic acid and histidyl glycine were tried. Focusing in his tidyl glycine separated the galactosidase activity into 2 peaks but did not separate...under acidic conditions. N-acetylgalactosamine was shown to be a competitive inhibitor with a K of 10.1 mM. The KM for p-NP- a-GALNAc was 6.6 mM. In...ampholyte was prepared by the copolymerization of acrylic acid with pentaethylene hexamine (PEHA) as described by Vinogradov et al. (Biochem. Biophys. Res

Application of activated carbon modified by acetic acid in adsorption and separation of CO2 and CH4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Xue; Wang, Li'ao; Zeng, Yunmin; Zhan, Xinyuan; Gong, Jian; Li, Tong

2018-03-01

Compared with the methods to modify the activated carbons by alkalis for gas adsorption, fewer studies of that by organic acids have been reported. The acid modified activated carbons are usually utilized to treat wastewater, whereas the application in the separation of CO2/CH4 has less been studied. In this study, acetic acid was used to modify activated carbon. N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms and FT-IR were adopted to describe the properties of the samples. According to the adsorption data of pure gas component at 298 K, the gas adsorbed amount and the selectivity on the modified samples were larger than that on the raw sample. Besides, the adsorbed amount of CO2 and the selectivity on 15H-AC in the adsorption breakthrough experiments showed better performance. The results confirm that the method to modify the activated carbons with acetic acid is feasible to improve the adsorption capacity and the separation effect of CO2/CH4.

Enrichment of the Glycyrrhizic Acid from Licorice Roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) by Isoelectric Focused Adsorptive Bubble Chromatography.

PubMed

Karaoğul, Eyyüp; Parlar, Perihan; Parlar, Harun; Alma, M Hakkı

2016-01-01

The main aim of this study was to enrich glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt known as one of the main compounds of licorice roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) by isoelectric focused adsorptive bubble separation technique with different foaming agents. In the experiments, four bubble separation parameters were used with β-lactoglobulin, albumin bovine, and starch (soluble) preferred as foaming agents and without additives. The enrichment of glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt into the foam was influenced by different additive substances. The results showed that highest enrichment values were obtained from β-lactoglobulin as much as 368.3 times. The lowest enrichment values (5.9 times) were determined for the application without additive. After enrichment, each experiment of glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt confirmed that these substances could be quantitatively enriched into the collection vessel with isoelectric focused adsorptive bubble separation technique. The transfer of glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt into the foam from standard solution in the presence of additive was more efficient than aqueous licorice extract.

Enrichment of the Glycyrrhizic Acid from Licorice Roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) by Isoelectric Focused Adsorptive Bubble Chromatography

PubMed Central

Karaoğul, Eyyüp; Parlar, Perihan; Parlar, Harun; Alma, M. Hakkı

2016-01-01

The main aim of this study was to enrich glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt known as one of the main compounds of licorice roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) by isoelectric focused adsorptive bubble separation technique with different foaming agents. In the experiments, four bubble separation parameters were used with β-lactoglobulin, albumin bovine, and starch (soluble) preferred as foaming agents and without additives. The enrichment of glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt into the foam was influenced by different additive substances. The results showed that highest enrichment values were obtained from β-lactoglobulin as much as 368.3 times. The lowest enrichment values (5.9 times) were determined for the application without additive. After enrichment, each experiment of glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt confirmed that these substances could be quantitatively enriched into the collection vessel with isoelectric focused adsorptive bubble separation technique. The transfer of glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt into the foam from standard solution in the presence of additive was more efficient than aqueous licorice extract. PMID:26949562

Effect of basic and acidic additives on the separation of some basic drug enantiomers on polysaccharide-based chiral columns with acetonitrile as mobile phase.

PubMed

Gogaladze, Khatuna; Chankvetadze, Lali; Tsintsadze, Maia; Farkas, Tivadar; Chankvetadze, Bezhan

2015-03-01

The separation of enantiomers of 16 basic drugs was studied using polysaccharide-based chiral selectors and acetonitrile as mobile phase with emphasis on the role of basic and acidic additives on the separation and elution order of enantiomers. Out of the studied chiral selectors, amylose phenylcarbamate-based ones more often showed a chiral recognition ability compared to cellulose phenylcarbamate derivatives. An interesting effect was observed with formic acid as additive on enantiomer resolution and enantiomer elution order for some basic drugs. Thus, for instance, the enantioseparation of several β-blockers (atenolol, sotalol, toliprolol) improved not only by the addition of a more conventional basic additive to the mobile phase, but also by the addition of an acidic additive. Moreover, an opposite elution order of enantiomers was observed depending on the nature of the additive (basic or acidic) in the mobile phase. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Rasch analysis of three dry eye questionnaires and correlates with objective clinical tests.

PubMed

McAlinden, Colm; Gao, Rongrong; Wang, Qinmei; Zhu, Senmiao; Yang, Jing; Yu, Ayong; Bron, Anthony J; Huang, Jinhai

2017-04-01

To assess the psychometric properties of Chinese versions of the Ocular Comfort Index (OCI), Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and McMonnies questionnaires. Further, to assess the correlation between questionnaire scores and objective dry eye disease (DED) clinical tests. Translated versions of the OCI, OSDI and McMonnies questionnaires were completed in a random order by 238 participants with DED. Objective clinical tests included visual acuity (VA), fluorescein tear film break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining, Schirmer I testing and meibomian gland grading. Rasch analysis was used to assess questionnaire psychometrics and spearman rank for correlations. For the OCI, the person separation was 2.31, item infit and outfit statistics ranged from 0.74-1.14 and 0.75-1.32, respectively, and targeting 1.54 logits. For the OSDI, person separation was 0.94. None of the three subscales provided valid measurements based on Rasch analysis. For the McMonnies questionnaire, person separation was 1.17, item infit and outfit statistics ranged from 0.7 to 1.21 and 0.51-3.49, respectively. There were weak correlations between questionnaire scores and clinical tests. There were weak correlations between OSDI scores and VA, fluorescein TBUT, Schirmer I testing and corneal fluorescein staining. There were weak correlations between McMonnies scores and VA, fluorescein TBUT, Schirmer I testing, and corneal fluorescein staining and meibomian gland grading. The OCI questionnaire was the only questionnaire that provided valid measurement on the basis of Rasch analysis, although slight multidimensionality was found. There were weak correlations between OCI scores and fluorescein TBUT, Schirmer I testing, and corneal fluorescein staining. Due to this paradoxical disconnect between symptoms and signs and the repeatability of tests, the use of both subjective and objective markers in the clinical management of patients or as endpoints in clinical trials would appear prudent. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Surface charge fine tuning of reversed-phase/weak anion-exchange type mixed-mode stationary phases for milder elution conditions.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Aleksandra; Horak, Jeannie; Sánchez-Muñoz, Orlando L; Lämmerhofer, Michael

2015-08-28

A series of new mixed-mode reversed-phase/weak anion-exchange (RP/WAX) phases have been synthesized by immobilization of N-undecenyl-3-α-aminotropane onto thiol-modified silica gel by thiol-ene click chemistry and subsequent introduction of acidic thiol-endcapping functionalities of different type and surface densities. Click chemistry allowed to adjust a controlled surface concentration of the RP/WAX ligand in such a way that a sufficient quantity of residual thiols remained unmodified which have been capped by thiol click with either 3-butenoic acid or allylsulfonic acid as co-ligands. In another embodiment, performic acid oxidation of N-undecenyl-3-α-aminotropane-derivatized thiol-modified silica gave a RP/WAX phase with high density of sulfonic acid end-capping groups. ζ-Potential determinations confirmed the fine-tuned pI of these mixed-mode stationary phases which was shifted from 9.5 to 8.2, 7.8, and 6.5 with 3-butenoic acid and allylsulfonic acid end-capping as well as performic acid oxidation. For acidic solutes, the co-ionic endcapping leads to strongly reduced retention times and clearly allowed elution of these analytes under lower ionic strength thus milder elution conditions. In spite of the acidic endcapping, the new mixed-mode phases maintained their hydrophobic and anion-exchange selectivity as well as their multimodal nature featuring RP and HILIC elution domains at acetonitrile percentages below and above 50%, respectively. Column classification by principal component analysis of an extended retention map in comparison to a set of polar commercial and in-house synthesized stationary phases confirmed complementarity of the new mixed-mode phases with respect to HILIC, polar RP, amino and commercial mixed-mode phases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Glutaric aciduria type II presenting as myopathy and rhabdomyolysis in a teenager.

PubMed

Prasad, Manish; Hussain, Shanawaz

2015-01-01

Late-onset glutaric aciduria type II has been described recently as a rare but treatable cause of proximal myopathy in teenagers and adults. It is an autosomal recessive disease affecting fatty acid, amino acid, and choline metabolism. This is usually a result of 2 defective flavoproteins: either electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) or electron transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF:QO). We present a 14-year-old boy with a background of autistic spectrum disorder who presented with severe muscle weakness and significant rhabdomyolysis. Before the onset of muscle weakness, he was very active but was completely bedridden at presentation. Diagnosis was established quickly by urine organic acid and plasma acylcarnitine analysis. He has shown significant improvement after starting oral riboflavin supplementation and is now fully mobile. This case highlights that late-onset glutaric aciduria type II is an important differential diagnosis to consider in teenagers presenting with proximal myopathy and rhabdomyolysis and it may not be associated with hypoglycemia. © The Author(s) 2014.

Manifestation of weak ferromagnetism and photocatalytic activity in bismuth ferrite nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakar, M.; Balakumar, S.; Saravanan, P.; Jaisankar, S. N.

2013-02-01

Bismuth ferrite (BFO) nanoparticles were synthesized by auto-ignition technique with and without adding ignition fuel such as citric acid. The presence of citric acid in the reaction mixture yielded highly-magnetic BFO/γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite. When this composite was annealed to 650°C, a single phase BFO was formed with average crystallite size of 50 nm and showed weak ferromagnetic behavior. Conversely, the phase pure BFO prepared without adding citric acid exhibited antiferromagnetism because of its larger crystallite size of around 70 nm. The visible-light driven photocatalytic activity of both the pure BFO and BFO/γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite were examined by degrading methyl orange dye. The pure BFO showed a moderate photocatalytic activity; while BFO/γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite showed enhanced activity. This could be probably due to the optimal band gap ratio between BFO and γ-Fe2O3 phases reduced the recombination of electron-hole pairs which aided in the enhancement of photocatalytic activity.

Hydrogen-bonding interactions and protic equilibria in room-temperature ionic liquids containing crown ethers.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marin, T.; Shkrob, I.; Dietz, M.

2011-04-14

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been used to study hydrogen-bonding interactions between water, associated and dissociated acids (i.e., nitric and methanesulfonic acids), and the constituent ions of several water-immiscible room-temperature ionic liquids (ILs). In chloroform solutions also containing a crown ether (CE), water molecules strongly associate with the IL ions, and there is rapid proton exchange between these bound water molecules and hydronium associated with the CE. In neat ILs, the acids form clusters differing in their degree of association and ionization, and their interactions with the CEs are weak. The CE can either promote proton exchange between differentmore » clusters in IL solution when their association is weak or inhibit such exchange when the association is strong. Even strongly hydrophobic ILs are shown to readily extract nitric acid from aqueous solution, typically via the formation of a 1:1:1 {l_brace}H{sub 3}O{sup +} {center_dot} CE{r_brace}NO{sub 3}{sup -} complex. In contrast, the extraction of methanesulfonic acid is less extensive and proceeds mainly by IL cation-hydronium ion exchange. The relationship of these protic equilibria to the practical application of hydrophobic ILs (e.g., in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing) is discussed.« less

Effect of acetic acid on Saccharomyces carlsbergensis ATCC 6269 batch ethanol production monitored by flow cytometry.

PubMed

Freitas, Cláudia; Neves, Elisabete; Reis, Alberto; Passarinho, Paula C; da Silva, Teresa Lopes

2012-11-01

Bioethanol produced from lignocellulosic materials has been considered a sustainable alternative fuel. Such type of raw materials have a huge potential, but their hydrolysis into mono-sugars releases toxic compounds such as weak acids, which affect the microorganisms' physiology, inhibiting the growth and ethanol production. Acetic acid (HAc) is the most abundant weak acid in the lignocellulosic materials hydrolysates. In order to understand the physiological changes of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis when fermenting in the presence of different acetic acid (HAc) concentrations, the yeast growth was monitored by multi-parameter flow cytometry at same time that the ethanol production was assessed. The membrane potential stain DiOC(6)(3) fluorescence intensity decreased as the HAc concentration increased, which was attributed to the plasmic membrane potential reduction as a result of the toxic effect of the HAc undissociated form. Nevertheless, the proportion of cells with permeabilized membrane did not increase with the HAc concentration increase. Fermentations ending at lower external pH and higher ethanol concentrations depicted the highest proportions of permeabilized cells and cells with increased reactive oxygen species levels. Flow cytometry allowed monitoring, near real time (at-line), the physiological states of the yeast during the fermentations. The information obtained can be used to optimize culture conditions to improve bioethanol production.

Topological Hall Effect from Strong to Weak Coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakazawa, Kazuki; Bibes, Manuel; Kohno, Hiroshi

2018-03-01

The topological Hall effect (THE) of electrons coupled to a noncoplanar spin texture has been studied so far for the strong- and weak-coupling regimes separately; the former in terms of the Berry phase and the latter by perturbation theory. In this letter, we present a unified treatment in terms of spin gauge field by considering not only the adiabatic (Berry phase) component of the gauge field but also the nonadiabatic component. While only the adiabatic contribution is important in the strong-coupling regime, it is completely canceled by a part of the nonadiabatic contribution in the weak-coupling regime, where the THE is governed by the remaining nonadiabatic terms. We found a new weak-coupling region that cannot be accessed by a simple perturbation theory, where the Hall conductivity is proportional to M, with 2M being the exchange splitting of the electron spectrum.

Managing Safety and Operations: The Effect of Joint Management System Practices on Safety and Operational Outcomes.

PubMed

Tompa, Emile; Robson, Lynda; Sarnocinska-Hart, Anna; Klassen, Robert; Shevchenko, Anton; Sharma, Sharvani; Hogg-Johnson, Sheilah; Amick, Benjamin C; Johnston, David A; Veltri, Anthony; Pagell, Mark

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether management system practices directed at both occupational health and safety (OHS) and operations (joint management system [JMS] practices) result in better outcomes in both areas than in alternative practices. Separate regressions were estimated for OHS and operational outcomes using data from a survey along with administrative records on injuries and illnesses. Organizations with JMS practices had better operational and safety outcomes than organizations without these practices. They had similar OHS outcomes as those with operations-weak practices, and in some cases, better outcomes than organizations with safety-weak practices. They had similar operational outcomes as those with safety-weak practices, and better outcomes than those with operations-weak practices. Safety and operations appear complementary in organizations with JMS practices in that there is no penalty for either safety or operational outcomes.

Kinetics of coffee industrial residue pyrolysis using distributed activation energy model and components separation of bio-oil by sequencing temperature-raising pyrolysis.

PubMed

Chen, Nanwei; Ren, Jie; Ye, Ziwei; Xu, Qizhi; Liu, Jingyong; Sun, Shuiyu

2016-12-01

This study was carried out to investigate the kinetics of coffee industrial residue (CIR) pyrolysis, the effect of pyrolysis factors on yield of bio-oil component and components separation of bio-oil. The kinetics of CIR pyrolysis was analyzed using distributed activation energy model (DAEM), based on the experiments in thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and it indicated that the average of activation energy (E) is 187.86kJ·mol -1 . The bio-oils were prepared from CIR pyrolysis in vacuum tube furnace, and its components were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Among pyrolysis factors, pyrolysis temperature is the most influential factor on components yield of bio-oil, directly concerned with the volatilization and yield of components (palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, octadecanoic acid and caffeine). Furthermore, a new method (sequencing temperature-raising pyrolysis) was put forward and applied to the components separation of bio-oil. Based on experiments, a solution of components separation of bio-oil was come out. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Model-based design of an intermittent simulated moving bed process for recovering lactic acid from ternary mixture.

PubMed

Song, Mingkai; Cui, Linlin; Kuang, Han; Zhou, Jingwei; Yang, Pengpeng; Zhuang, Wei; Chen, Yong; Liu, Dong; Zhu, Chenjie; Chen, Xiaochun; Ying, Hanjie; Wu, Jinglan

2018-08-10

An intermittent simulated moving bed (3F-ISMB) operation scheme, the extension of the 3W-ISMB to the non-linear adsorption region, has been introduced for separation of glucose, lactic acid and acetic acid ternary-mixture. This work focuses on exploring the feasibility of the proposed process theoretically and experimentally. Firstly, the real 3F-ISMB model coupled with the transport dispersive model (TDM) and the Modified-Langmuir isotherm was established to build up the separation parameter plane. Subsequently, three operating conditions were selected from the plane to run the 3F-ISMB unit. The experimental results were used to verify the model. Afterwards, the influences of the various flow rates on the separation performances were investigated systematically by means of the validated 3F-ISMB model. The intermittent-retained component lactic acid was finally obtained with the purity of 98.5%, recovery of 95.5% and the average concentration of 38 g/L. The proposed 3F-ISMB process can efficiently separate the mixture with low selectivity into three fractions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous separation and identification of limonoids from citrus using liquid chromatography-collision-induced dissociation mass spectra.

PubMed

Jayaprakasha, Guddadarangavvanahally K; Dandekar, Deepak V; Tichy, Shane E; Patil, Bhimanagouda S

2011-01-01

Limonoids are considered as potential cancer chemopreventive agents and are widely distributed in the Citrus genus as aglycones and glucosides. In the present study, reversed-phase HPLC coupled with CID mass spectra was developed for the simultaneous separation and identification of aglycones and glucosides of limonoids from citrus. Five aglycones such as limonin, deacetyl nomilin, ichangin, isolimonoic acid and nomilin were identified by positive ion CID MS/MS, whereas five glucosides, viz. limonin glucoside, isoobacunoic acid glucoside, obacunone glucoside, deacetyl nomilinic acid glucoside and nomilinic acid glucoside were analyzed by negative ion CID mass spectra. The developed method was successfully applied to complex citrus samples for the separation and identification of aglycones and glucosides. Citrus seeds were extracted with methanol and partially purified and analyzed by LC-CID mass spectra. The separation was achieved by C-18 column; eight limonoids were identified by comparing the retention times and mass spectral fragmentation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the identification of citrus limonoids using CID technique. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Separation of free fatty acids from high free fatty acid crude palm oil using short-path distillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Japir, Abd Al-Wali; Salimon, Jumat; Derawi, Darfizzi; Bahadi, Murad; Yusop, Muhammad Rahimi

2016-11-01

The separation of free fatty acids (FFAs) was done by using short-path distillation (SPD). The separation parameters was at their boiling points, a feed amount of 2.3 mL/min, an operating pressure of 10 Torr, a condenser temperature of 60°C, and a rotor speed of 300 rpm. The physicochemical characteristics of oil before and after SPD were determined. The results showed that FFA % of 8.7 ± 0.3 and 0.9 ± 0.1 %, iodine value of 53.1 ± 0.4 and 52.7 ± 0.5 g I2/100 g, hydroxyl value of 32.5 ± 0.6 and 13.9 ± 1.1 mg KOH/g, unsaponifiable value of 0.31 ± 0.01 and 0.20 ± 0.15%, moisture content of 0.31 ± 0.01 and 0.24 ± 0.01 % for high free fatty acid crude palm oil before and after distillation, respectively. Gas chromatography (GC) results showed that the major fatty acids in crude palm oil (CPO) were palmitic acid (44.4% - 45%) followed by oleic acid (39.6% - 39.8%). In general, high free fatty acid crude palm oil after molecular distillation (HFFA-CPOAM) showed admirably physicochemical properties.

Semimicrodetermination of tantalum with selenous acid

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grimaldi, F.S.; Schnepfe, M.M.

1958-01-01

Tantalum is separated and determined gravimetrically by precipitation with selenous acid from a highly acidic solution containing oxalic and tartaric acids. The method is selective for the determination of up to 30 mg. of tantalum pentoxide, and tolerates relatively large amounts of scandium, yttrium, cerium, titanium, zirconium, thorium, vanadium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, uranium, iron, aluminum, gallium, tin, lead, antimony, and bismuth. The separation of tantalum from niobium and titanium is not strictly quantitative, and correction is made colorimetrically for the small amounts of niobium and titanium co-precipitating with the tantalum. The method was applied to the determination of tantalum in tantaloniobate ores.

Assay of free and glycine- and taurine-conjugated bile acids in serum by high-pressure liquid chromatography by using post-column reaction after group separation.

PubMed Central

Onishi, S; Itoh, S; Ishida, Y

1982-01-01

An accurate and sensitive method that involves the group separations of serum bile acids (i.e. free and glycine- and taurine-conjugated bile acid fractions) by ion-exchange chromatography on piperidinohydroxypropyl-Sephadex LH-20 is described. Each group was then analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography by using the post-column reaction technique with immobilized 3 alpha-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase. The bile acid patterns in the umbilical venous serum samples were analysed by this method. Taurochenodeoxycholate predominated in the umbilical blood. PMID:6956336

ADSORPTION METHOD FOR SEPARATING THORIUM VALUES FROM URANIUM VALUES

DOEpatents

Boyd, G.E.; Russell, E.R.; Schubert, J.

1959-08-01

An improved ion exchange method is described for recovery of uranium and thorium values as separate functions from an aqueous acidic solution containing less than 10/sup -3/ M thorium ions and between 0.1 and 1 M uranyl ions. The solution is passed through a bed of cation exchange resin in the acid form to adsorb all the thorium ions and a portion of the uranyl ions. The uranium is eluted by means of aqueous 0.1 to 0.4 M sulfuric acid. The thorium may then be stripped from the resin by elution with aqueous 0.5 M oxalic acid.

ADSORPTION METHOD FOR SEPARATING THORIUM VALUES FROM URANIUM VALUES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyd, G.E.; Russell, E.R.; Schubert, J.

An improved ion exchange method is described for recovery of uranium and thorium values as separate functions from an aqueous acidic solution containing less than 10/sup -3/ M thorium ions and between 0.1 and 1 M uranyl ions. The solution is passed through a bed of cation exchange resin in the acid form to adsorb all the thorium ions and a portion of the uranyl ions. The uranium is eluted by means of aqueous 0.1 to 0.4 M sulfuric acid. The thorium may then be stripped from the resin by elution with aqueous 0.5 M oxalic acid.

Pair-Wise and Many-Body Dispersive Interactions Coupled to an Optimally Tuned Range-Separated Hybrid Functional.

PubMed

Agrawal, Piyush; Tkatchenko, Alexandre; Kronik, Leeor

2013-08-13

We propose a nonempirical, pair-wise or many-body dispersion-corrected, optimally tuned range-separated hybrid functional. This functional retains the advantages of the optimal-tuning approach in the prediction of the electronic structure. At the same time, it gains accuracy in the prediction of binding energies for dispersively bound systems, as demonstrated on the S22 and S66 benchmark sets of weakly bound dimers.

Optimal design and experimental validation of a simulated moving bed chromatography for continuous recovery of formic acid in a model mixture of three organic acids from Actinobacillus bacteria fermentation.

PubMed

Park, Chanhun; Nam, Hee-Geun; Lee, Ki Bong; Mun, Sungyong

2014-10-24

The economically-efficient separation of formic acid from acetic acid and succinic acid has been a key issue in the production of formic acid with the Actinobacillus bacteria fermentation. To address this issue, an optimal three-zone simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography for continuous separation of formic acid from acetic acid and succinic acid was developed in this study. As a first step for this task, the adsorption isotherm and mass-transfer parameters of each organic acid on the qualified adsorbent (Amberchrom-CG300C) were determined through a series of multiple frontal experiments. The determined parameters were then used in optimizing the SMB process for the considered separation. During such optimization, the additional investigation for selecting a proper SMB port configuration, which could be more advantageous for attaining better process performances, was carried out between two possible configurations. It was found that if the properly selected port configuration was adopted in the SMB of interest, the throughout and the formic-acid product concentration could be increased by 82% and 181% respectively. Finally, the optimized SMB process based on the properly selected port configuration was tested experimentally using a self-assembled SMB unit with three zones. The SMB experimental results and the relevant computer simulation verified that the developed process in this study was successful in continuous recovery of formic acid from a ternary organic-acid mixture of interest with high throughput, high purity, high yield, and high product concentration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Process Intensification of Enzymatic Fatty Acid Butyl Ester Synthesis Using a Continuous Centrifugal Contactor Separator.

PubMed

Ilmi, Miftahul; Abduh, Muhammad Y; Hommes, Arne; Winkelman, Jozef G M; Hidayat, Chusnul; Heeres, Hero J

2018-01-17

Fatty acid butyl esters were synthesized from sunflower oil with 1-butanol using a homogeneous Rhizomucor miehei lipase in a biphasic organic (triglyceride, 1-butanol, hexane)- water (with enzyme) system in a continuous setup consisting of a cascade of a stirred tank reactor and a continuous centrifugal contactor separator (CCCS), the latter being used for integrated reaction and liquid-liquid separation. A fatty acid butyl ester yield up to 93% was obtained in the cascade when operated in a once-through mode. The cascade was run for 8 h without operational issues. Enzyme recycling was studied by reintroduction of the water phase from the CCCS outlet to the stirred tank reactor. Product yield decreased over time to an average of 50% of the initial value, likely due to accumulation of 1-butanol in water phase, loss of enzyme due to agglomeration, and the formation of a separate enzyme layer.

Process Intensification of Enzymatic Fatty Acid Butyl Ester Synthesis Using a Continuous Centrifugal Contactor Separator

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Fatty acid butyl esters were synthesized from sunflower oil with 1-butanol using a homogeneous Rhizomucor miehei lipase in a biphasic organic (triglyceride, 1-butanol, hexane)– water (with enzyme) system in a continuous setup consisting of a cascade of a stirred tank reactor and a continuous centrifugal contactor separator (CCCS), the latter being used for integrated reaction and liquid–liquid separation. A fatty acid butyl ester yield up to 93% was obtained in the cascade when operated in a once-through mode. The cascade was run for 8 h without operational issues. Enzyme recycling was studied by reintroduction of the water phase from the CCCS outlet to the stirred tank reactor. Product yield decreased over time to an average of 50% of the initial value, likely due to accumulation of 1-butanol in water phase, loss of enzyme due to agglomeration, and the formation of a separate enzyme layer. PMID:29398779

The TRUSPEAK Concept: Combining CMPO and HDEHP for Separating Trivalent Lanthanides from the Transuranic Elements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lumetta, Gregg J.; Gelis, Artem V.; Braley, Jenifer C.

2013-04-08

Combining octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutyl-carbamoylmethyl-phosphine oxide (CMPO) and bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP) into a single process solvent for separating transuranic elements from liquid high-level waste is explored. Co-extraction of americium and the lanthanide elements from nitric acid solution is possible with a solvent mixture consisting of 0.1-M CMPO plus 1-M HDEHP in n-dodecane. Switching the aqueous-phase chemistry to a citrate-buffered solution of diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) allows for selective stripping of americium, separating it from the lanthanide elements. Potential strategies for managing molybdenum and zirconium (both of which co-extract with americium and the lanthanides) have been developed. The work presented here demonstratesmore » the feasibility of combining CMPO and HDEHP into a single extraction solvent for recovering americium from high-level waste and its separation from the lanthanides.« less

Rapid purification method for vitamin A-derived aging pigments A2E and iso-A2E using cation exchange resin.

PubMed

Jee, Eun Hye; Kim, So Ra; Jang, Young Pyo

2012-08-17

A2E, known to be involved in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is one of the major compounds that accumulate as fluorescent pigments in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells with age and in some retinal disorders. While the biomimetic synthesis of A2E and its cis-isomer, iso-A2E is as simple as 'one-pot' reaction, the purification of these amphiphillic compounds has been a bottleneck for the mass production of these pathophysiologically important eye pigments. In order to provide a new method of rapid purification of A2E and iso-A2E, we employed a cation exchange resin for the separation of these pigments from crude reaction mixture. The reaction mixture was loaded on a weak acid resin and was eluted with 80% methanol with sodium hydroxide (pH 12), 100% methanol, and 100% methanol with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in sequence. A2E and isoA2E were eluted only with 100% methanol solution containing TFA. Most of unreacted starting materials and intermediates were removed with 80% methanol containing sodium hydroxide. The new method can be used as a relatively simple and economic way to purify A2E and iso-A2E compared to conventional HPLC technique. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Caging and Photoactivation in Single-Molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Experiments

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Caged organic fluorophores are established tools for localization-based super-resolution imaging. Their use relies on reversible deactivation of standard organic fluorophores by chemical reduction or commercially available caged dyes with ON switching of the fluorescent signal by ultraviolet (UV) light. Here, we establish caging of cyanine fluorophores and caged rhodamine dyes, i.e., chemical deactivation of fluorescence, for single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) experiments with freely diffusing molecules. They allow temporal separation and sorting of multiple intramolecular donor–acceptor pairs during solution-based smFRET. We use this “caged FRET” methodology for the study of complex biochemical species such as multisubunit proteins or nucleic acids containing more than two fluorescent labels. Proof-of-principle experiments and a characterization of the uncaging process in the confocal volume are presented. These reveal that chemical caging and UV reactivation allow temporal uncoupling of convoluted fluorescence signals from, e.g., multiple spectrally similar donor or acceptor molecules on nucleic acids. We also use caging without UV reactivation to remove unwanted overlabeled species in experiments with the homotrimeric membrane transporter BetP. We finally outline further possible applications of the caged FRET methodology, such as the study of weak biochemical interactions, which are otherwise impossible with diffusion-based smFRET techniques because of the required low concentrations of fluorescently labeled biomolecules. PMID:28362086

Life-Cycle Analysis of Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Water Consumption in the 2016 MYPP Algal Biofuel Scenarios

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frank, Edward; Pegallapati, Ambica; Davis, Ryan

2016-06-16

The Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) Multi-year Program Plan (MYPP) describes the bioenergy objectives pursued by BETO, the strategies for achieving those objectives, the current state of technology (SOT), and a number of design cases that explore cost and operational performance required to advance the SOT towards middle and long term goals (MYPP, 2016). Two options for converting algae to biofuel intermediates were considered in the MYPP, namely algal biofuel production via lipid extraction and algal biofuel production by thermal processing. The first option, lipid extraction, is represented by the Combined Algae Processing (CAP) pathway in whichmore » algae are hydrolyzed in a weak acid pretreatment step. The treated slurry is fermented for ethanol production from sugars. The fermentation stillage contains most of the lipids from the original biomass, which are recovered through wet solvent extraction. The process residuals after lipid extraction, which contain much of the original mass of amino acids and proteins, are directed to anaerobic digestion (AD) for biogas production and recycle of N and P nutrients. The second option, thermal processing, comprises direct hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of the wet biomass, separation of aqueous, gas, and oil phases, and treatment of the aqueous phase with catalytic hydrothermal gasification (CHG) to produce biogas and to recover N and P nutrients.« less

METHOD OF SEPARATION

DOEpatents

Boyd, G.E.

1958-08-26

A process is presented fer separating uranium, plutonium, and fission products ions from uranyl nitrate solutions having a pH value between 1 and 3 obtained by dissolving neutron irradiated uranium. The method consists in passing such solutions through a bed of cation exchange resin, which may be a sulfonated phenol formaidehyde type. Following the adsorption step the resin is first treated with a solution of 0.2M to 0.3M sulfuric acid to desorb the uranium. Fission product ions are then desorbed by treating the resin in phosphoric acid and 1M in nitric acid. Lastly, the plutonium may be desorbed by treating the resin with a solution approximately 0.8M in phosphoric acid and 1M in nitric acid.

HILIC separation and quantitation of water-soluble vitamins using diol column.

PubMed

Karatapanis, Andreas E; Fiamegos, Yiannis C; Stalikas, Constantine D

2009-04-01

Hydrophilic interaction liquid-chromatography (HILIC) in conjunction with diode array detection has been applied for the separation of selected-water-soluble vitamins using an end-capped HILIC-diol column. Vitamins with significant biological importance, such as thiamine (B(1)), riboflavin (B(2)), nicotinic acid (B(3)), nicotinamide (B(3)), pyridoxine (B(6)), folic acid (B(9)), cyanocobalamin (B(12)) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) were simultaneously separated. Chromatographic conditions including type and percentage of organic modifier in the mobile phase, pH, type and concentration of buffer salt and flow rate were investigated. ACN was shown to offer superior separation for the compounds tested as compared to methanol, isopropanol and THF. Isocratic separation and analysis were achieved for six vitamins (B(1), B(2), nicotinic acid/nicotinamide, B(6) and C) at ACN-H(2)O 90:10, containing ammonium acetate 10 mM, triethylamine 20 mM, pH 5.0, using a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min, while a gradient was necessary to resolve a mixture of all eight water-soluble vitamins. The HILIC method was validated and successfully applied to the analysis of a pharmaceutical formulation and an energy drink negating the need for time consuming clean-up steps.

Separation of fatty acid methyl esters by GC-online hydrogenation × GC.

PubMed

Delmonte, Pierluigi; Fardin-Kia, Ali Reza; Rader, Jeanne I

2013-02-05

The separation of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) provided by a 200 m × 0.25 mm SLB-IL111 capillary column is enhanced by adding a second dimension of separation ((2)D) in a GC × GC design. Rather than employing two GC columns of different polarities or using different elution temperatures, the separation in the two-dimensional space is achieved by altering the chemical structure of selected analytes between the two dimensions of separation. A capillary tube coated with palladium is added between the first dimension of separation ((1)D) column and the cryogenic modulator, providing the reduction of unsaturated FAMEs to their fully saturated forms. The (2)D separation is achieved using a 2.5 m × 0.10 mm SLB-IL111 capillary column and separates FAMEs based solely on their carbon skeleton. The two-dimensional separation can be easily interpreted based on the principle that all the saturated FAMEs lie on a straight diagonal line bisecting the separation plane, while the FAMEs with the same carbon skeleton but differing in the number, geometric configuration or position of double bonds lie on lines parallel to the (1)D time axis. This technique allows the separation of trans fatty acids (FAs) and polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) in a single experiment and eliminates the overlap between PUFAs with different chain lengths. To our knowledge, this the first example of GC × GC in which a chemical change is instituted between the two dimensions to alter the relative retentions of components and identify unsaturated FAMEs.

Acid Rain, pH & Acidity: A Common Misinterpretation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, David B.; Thompson, Ronald E.

1989-01-01

Illustrates the basis for misleading statements about the relationship between pH and acid content in acid rain. Explains why pH cannot be used as a measure of acidity for rain or any other solution. Suggests that teachers present acidity and pH as two separate and distinct concepts. (RT)