Search results for "WATER"

Stratification in Drying Polymer–Polymer and Colloid–Polymer Mixtures

2017

Drying polymer-polymer and colloid-polymer mixtures were studied using Langevin dynamics computer simulations. Polymer-polymer mixtures vertically stratified into layers, with the shorter polymers enriched near the drying interface and the longer polymers pushed down toward the substrate. Colloid-polymer mixtures stratified into a polymer-on-top structure when the polymer radius of gyration was comparable to or smaller than the colloid diameter, and a colloid-on-top structure otherwise. We also developed a theoretical model for the drying mixtures based on dynamical density functional theory, which gave excellent quantitative agreement with the simulations for the polymer-polymer mixtures a…

Speciation of trialkyltin(IV) cations in natural fluids

2004

The hydrolysis of (CH(3))(3)Sn(+), (C(2)H(5))(3)Sn(+) and (C(3)H(7))(3)Sn(+) has been studied in a Synthetic Seawater (SSW) ionic medium simulating the major composition of natural seawater, at different salinities (5 less than or equal to S less than or equal to 45), and at t = 25 degreesC. Interactions with anionic components of SSW, considered as single sea salt, are determined by means of a complex formation model. By potentiometric measurements (ISE-H(+) and ISE-F(-) electrodes), the model has been extended to also consider interactions of organotins with carbonate and fluoride ions, which are other important components of seawater. Literature and new values of hydrolysis constants in …

Mercury Speciation in Floodplain Soils and Sediments along a Contaminated River Transect

1998

A novel mercury-specific sequential extraction procedure (SEP) for the assessment of mercury (Hg) speciation in soils and sediments, with emphasis on studying the interaction between Hg and organic matter (OM), was developed and tested. It was applied to determine Hg speciation in floodplain topsoils and surface sediments along the Hg-contaminated part of the river Elbe, and to simultaneously derive some information on the (re)mobilization potentials for Hg from these matrices. The majority of the total Hg in the ecosystem today is bound in the floodplains, which also still geographically reflect the historic emission record. Most of the Hg in both matrices is bound strongly to OM, suggesti…

Tracing the source of gypsum in New Caledonian soils by REE contents and SSr isotopic compositions

1998

Gypsum minerals forming in pedogenic environments in New Caledonia were examined for their S and Sr isotope compositions and REE distributions. Three possible sources were identified: volcanic, soil-derived and marine. However, differentiation based only on the REE contents and normalized patterns was not possible, but, the best preserved volcanic sample yields a negative EuEu∗ anomaly and the lowest GdNYbN ratio due to the high content of organic matter. Mixing calculations of the δ34S values and 87Sr86Sr ratios confirmed that the marine gypsum has a δ34S value close to + 21‰ and an 87Sr86Sr ratio close to 0.70912, and that the volcanic gypsum has a δ34S value of 0‰ and an 87Sr86Sr ratio o…

Thymine content of sea water as a measure of biosynthetic potential

1977

A hydrolysis procedure along with a high-pressure liquid chromatographic procedure is given enabling simple and reliable thymine determinations in the nanogram range in different fractions of sea-water samples taken from three different locations in the Northern Adriatic Sea. The levels corresponded to 1–3 μg DNA per liter. From total polyanionic thymine, which had been precipitated as the cetyltrimethylammonium salt, the highest percentage was linked to the particulate fraction, with a definite subsurface minimum at 10 to 15 m. There was a corresponding maximum of a high molecular “non-particulate” thymine-containing fraction at the corresponding depth. From the bottom at 30 m upwards to a…

Distribution of volatile organic compounds in Sicilian groundwaters analysed by head space-solid phase micro extraction coupled with gas chromatograp…

2008

This work presents the results of an assessment of the existence and concentration of 13 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in groundwaters from 14 hydrological basins in Sicily (25,710km (2)). On the basis of hydrological, hydrogeochemical and geological studies, 324 sampling points were selected. All groundwater sampled were collected twice, from October to December 2004 and from February to May 2005, and were analysed to determine the concentration and spatial distribution of the VOCs in the aquifers. The need to analyze a large number of samples in a short space of time so as to obtain quantitative analyses in trace concentration levels spurred us to create a new analytical method, both …

2018

Abstract. Here we present a sensitive method to analyze lignin oxidation products (LOPs) in speleothems and cave drip water to provide a new tool for paleo-vegetation reconstruction. Speleothems are valuable climate archives. However, compared to other terrestrial climate archives, such as lake sediments, speleothems contain very little organic matter. Therefore, very few studies on organic biomarkers in speleothems are available. Our new sensitive method allows us to use LOPs as vegetation biomarkers in speleothems. Our method consists of acid digestion of the speleothem sample followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) of the organic matter. The extracted polymeric lignin is degraded in a m…

Characterization of Humic Acids from Raised Bog Peat

2014

Abstract Humic substances form most of the organic component of soil, peat and natural waters, but their structure and properties are very much dependent on the source. The aim of this study was to characterize humic acids from raised bog peat to evaluate the homogeneity of humic acids isolated from the bog bodies and to study peat humification impact on the properties of humic acids. Peat humic acids (HA) have an intermediate position between the living organic matter and coal organic matter, with their structure formed in a process where the relatively labile moieties (carbohydrates, amino acids, etc.) are destroyed, and thermodynamically more stable aromatic and polycyclic structures eme…

Organic matter dynamics and aggregation in soils under rain forest and pastures of increasing age in the eastern Amazon Basin

1997

Abstract In the eastern Amazon basin, four neighbouring clayey Oxisols with similar particle-size distributions were selected, one under rain forest and three under pasture for 7, 12 and 17 years, respectively. These soils were sampled at depth intervals of 0.1 m down to 1 m. Although no clear effect of pasture establishment on aggregate stability was assessed, significant negative effects of cattle trampling on porosity and water retention and of vegetation change on clay water-dispersion were observed in the organic-rich horizons (0–0.40 m layers). Indirect evidence of a great change of the nature of organic materials was also suggested, particularly with (i) an increase in both negative …

Comparison of Water Adsorption Characteristics of Oligo and Polysaccharides of α-Glucose Studied by Near Infrared Spectroscopy

2014

The adsorption properties of water molecules on oligo and polysaccharides are attributed to the OH groups of the glucose rings in the molecules. The water molecules are adsorbed onto OH groups by hydrogen bond formation. Near infrared spectroscopic and gravimetric techniques were used in analysing the adsorption characteristics of malto-oligosaccharides and some polysaccharides. Near infrared spectra of the dry oligo and polysaccharides were acquired during the adsorption of water molecules at a relative humidity of 50-55%. The amounts of water adsorbed by the samples were also recorded by an analytical balance. Second derivative techniques were used in decomposing the OH combination freque…