Effect Of Ionic Strength Research Articles

Effect of Stabilized nZVI Nanoparticles on the Reduction and Immobilization of Cr in Contaminated Soil: Column Experiment and Transport Modeling.

Batch and transport experiments were used to investigate the remediation of loamy sand soil contaminated with Cr(VI) using zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) stabilized by carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-nZVI). The effect of pH, ionic strength (IS), and flow rate on the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) were investigated under equilibrium (uniform transport) and non-equilibrium (two-site sorption) transport using the Hydrus-1D model. The overall removal efficiency ranged from 70 to over 90% based on the chemical characteristics of the CMC-nZVI suspension and the transport conditions. The concentration and pH of the CMC-nZVI suspension had the most significant effect on the removal efficiency and transport of Cr(VI) in the soil. The average removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was increased from 24.1 to 75.5% when the concentration of CMC-nZVI nanoparticles was increased from 10 to 250 mg L-1, mainly because of the increased total surface area at a larger particle concentration. Batch experiments showed that the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was much larger under acidic conditions. The average removal efficiency of Cr(VI) reached 90.1 and 60.5% at pH 5 and 7, respectively. The two-site sorption model described (r2 = 0.96-0.98) the transport of Cr(VI) in soil quite well as compared to the uniform transport model (r2 = 0.81-0.98). The average retardation of Cr(VI) was 3.51 and 1.61 at pH 5 and 7, respectively, indicating earlier arrival for the breakthrough curves and a shorter time to reach maximum relative concentration at lower pH. The methodology presented in this study, combining column experiment and modeling transport using the Hydrus-1D model, successfully assessed the removal of Cr(VI) from polluted soils, offering innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly remediation methodologies.

Adsorption study on the formation of interfacial layers based on birch glucuronoxylans

Glucuronoxylans (GX), particularly crude fractions obtained by pressurized hot water extraction of birch wood, act as potent emulsifiers and stabilizers against physical separation and lipid oxidation. Herein, we studied the adsorption of GX on hydrophobic interfaces to correlate their multicomponent character towards the formation of interfacial layers in emulsions. Dynamic interfacial tension (DIFT) and quartz crystal microgravimetry with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) were applied to various GX fractions and the results compared with those from cellulose-based emulsifiers. The roles of residual lignin and polysaccharides are discussed considering the formation of interfacial layers during emulsification. The DIFT of the different GXs reached quasi-equilibrium faster as the lignin concentration increased, implying a correlation between the rate of adsorption and the residual lignin content. The effect of NaCl addition was more pronounced in polysaccharide-rich fractions, indicating that the polysaccharide fraction modulated the effect of ionic strength. QCM-D showed that despite the fast adsorption exhibited by the lignin-rich GX extract in the DIFT curves, the adsorbed materials were lightweight, suggesting that the polysaccharide fraction built the bulk of the interfacial layer. These results provide a foundation towards understanding the role of GX in interfacial stabilization beyond traditional plant-based counterparts.

Single step synthesis of sulfidated nanoscale iron modified kaolin clay for hexavalent chromium remediation from groundwater

Remediation of dissolved hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is often achieved by iron nanoparticles [nZVI], sulfidated nZVI [SnZVI], and adsorption on clay minerals. Although different types of nZVI effectively removed Cr(VI), performance evaluation of nZVI modified with low-cost and naturally available kaolinite clay was not thoroughly studied. In the present research, kaolin was modified with nZVI (K-nZVI) and SnZVI (K-SnZVI) at two different kaolin to iron mass ratios (kaolin: Fe). Both K-nZVI and K-SnZVI were synthesized by a simple one-step process, avoiding complicated amalgamation methods of modified nZVI. Effects of ionic strength, pH, major cations, and anions in Cr(VI) remediation efficiencies were probed. Kinetics of Cr(VI) removal was quantified from sacrificial batch studies. Further experiments were performed in Cr(VI)-spiked synthetic groundwater matrix in the respective pH and initial Cr(VI) ranges of 5.5–8 and 2–100 mg L−1. With maximum Cr(VI) remediation efficiencies of 100% (K-nZVI) and 98% (K-SnZVI) in synthetic groundwater contaminated with 2–100 mg L−1 Cr(VI), both of these materials might be effectively used for groundwater treatment. The usage of kaolin—an analog of the natural kaolinite clay—with relatively decreased Fe content in the nanoparticles would reduce the treatment cost and provide insight into a sustainable solution for Cr(VI) contamination.

Effects of Temperature, Ionic Strength and Humic Acid on the Transport of Graphene Oxide Nanoparticles in Geosynthetic Clay Liner.

With the wide application of graphene oxide nanoparticles (GONPs), a great amount of GONP waste is discarded and concentrated in landfills. It has been proven that GONPs have strong toxicity and could gather toxic substances due to their high adsorption capacity. GONPs will seriously pollute the surrounding environment if they leak through the geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) in landfills. To investigate various factors (temperature, ionic strength (IS) and humic acid (HA)) on the transport and retention of GONPs in the GCL, a self-designed apparatus was created and column tests were carried out. The experimental results show that GONPs could be transported through the GCL. The mobility and sorption ratio of GONPs in GCL decreased with an increase in temperature and IS, and increased with an increase in HA. The temperature had little effect on the deposition ratio of GONPs in the GCL. The deposition ratio of GONPs in the GCL increased with IS, and decreased with an increase in HA. The transport of GONPs in GCL, glass beads and quartz sand was compared, and the results show that the retention ability of the GCL is much better than other porous materials. The experimental results could provide significant references for the pollution treatment in landfills.

Using solid waste to treat wastewater: Preparation of flowerlike calcium silicate hydrate from coal fly ash for cadmium removal

Efficient utilization of Coal fly ash (CFA) and ingenious treatment of cadmium (Cd (II)) in the water environment are interesting topics. In this paper, a mesoporous floral calcium silicate hydrate (MCSH) for removal of Cd (II) was prepared by low temperature hydrothermal synthesis using CFA desilication solution. Different synthesis parameters (molar ratio of Ca to Si (Ca/Si), temperature, time) of MCSH were investigated and optimized. All synthesized MCSH showed good adsorption properties for Cd (II), and MCSH synthesized at Ca/Si molar ratio of 1.0, temperature of 363 K and time of 120 min had the optimum Cd (II) adsorption capacity of 357.43 mg/g. The effects of solution pH, MCSH dosage, coexisting cations and ionic strength on the Cd (II) adsorption performance by MCSH were further considered systematically. The adsorption process was a spontaneous and endothermic process, conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isothermal model. The main mechanism of Cd (II) removal by MCSH was the precipitation between Cd (II) and OH– released by MCSH, accompanied by ion exchange, surface complexation and electrostatic adsorption. The mesoporous flowery MCSH prepared from CFA provides an satisfactory solution for the utilization of solid waste resources and the purification of heavy metal wastewater.

Analysis of Three Dimethyl Sulfides in Freshwater Lakes Using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography with Flame Photometric Detection

Dimethyl sulfides are ubiquitous odorous substances in eutrophic freshwater bodies. In this study, a simple headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-flame photometric detection method was developed to detect three representative algal-derived dimethyl sulfides in freshwater lake water samples: dimethyl monosulfide (DMS), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS). The effects of extraction fiber, temperature, pH, ionic strength, and sample volume were investigated orthogonally, and the optimized method was applied to analyze surface water samples from Lake Ulansuhai in Inner Mongolia, China. Optimal extraction was obtained with a 50/30 µm DVB/CAR/PDMS extraction fiber, 20% ion concentration, 87 min extraction time, and 50 °C extraction temperature. The correlation coefficients of the standardized working curves for DMS, DMDS, and DMTS were 0.9967, 0.9907, and 0.9994, respectively, indicating good linear relationships. Limits of detection were in the nanogram range, and the recoveries of the spiked standards for DMS, DMDS, and DMTS were 97.22~99.07%, 93.39~99.34%, and 91.17~99.25%, with relative standard deviations of 5.18~5.94%, 3.08~6.25%, and 2.56~5.47%, respectively. This method is stable and reliable, and can be used for the determination of volatile sulfides in freshwater lake water.

Effect of oxygen-containing functional group contents on sorption of lead ions by acrylate-functionalized hydrochar

The surface functional groups of hydrochar are crucial to its surface properties, and their contents are strongly positively correlated with the adsorption performance. In this study, acrylate-functionalized hydrochar (AHC) with varying contents of O-containing functional groups (OFGs) was synthesized via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of bamboo, acrylic acid and an initiator, and then deprotonated with NaOH. The AHCs were analyzed by various characterization techniques. During HTC, the higher amount of acrylic acid added led to higher carbon, oxygen and carboxyl contents, and to the larger specific surface area and pore volume of AHC. The adsorption kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamic, ionic strength and pH effects of Pb(II) on AHC were studied. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics obeyed Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, respectively, indicating adsorption is monolayer chemical process. The adsorptive ability was well linearly related to the OFG contents of AHC. When acrylic acid was added to 25 mL during HTC, the adsorbing ability of AHC over Pb(II) reached 193.90 mg g−1. Hence, direct HTC of acrylic acid, biomass and an initiator can prepare hydrochar with controllable OFG contents, which is a prospective adsorbent for treating metal cations.

Wild reed waste as a biosorbent for toxicity lowering of selected pollutants: Isotherms, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

Wild reed (Raw-Mat) was used as an eco-friendly biosorbent to remove two basic dyes, Rhodamine B (Rh-B) and Methylene blue (MB), from their aqueous solutions. The prepared biosorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, thermogravimmetric analysis (TGA), FT-IR spectroscopy, pHzpc, Iodine number, and Methylene Blue index. Adsorption experiments were conducted by studying the effect of conventional parameters (biosorbent dose, contact time, pH, ionic strength and temperature). Adsorption equilibrium was reached at 60 min for MB and 120 min for Rh-B at biosorbent doses of 12 g/L and 8 g/L for MB Rh-B respectively corresponding to maximum adsorption capacities of 29 mg/L and 27.9 mg/L. Adsorption models of Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin in their linear and nonlinear were fitted to the experimental data. Ionic strength effects indicated that hydrophobic-hydrophobic interactions could be the dominant attractive force for adsorption of both dyes. Dye uptakes increased with temperature for both dyes. Adsorption kinetics was found to comply with the pseudo second order with a good correlation factor (R2 > 0.99) with intra-particle diffusion as the rate determining steps. Both dyes adsorption processes were spontaneous (ΔGo <0) and endothermic (ΔHo >0). This study showed that wild reed as a waste could prove to be a very efficient adsorbent in removing toxic substances from wastewater.

صدفة الحلزون (ذو الناب المدبب) كممتز منخفض التكلفة لإزالة صبغة السفرانين من محاليلها المائية

في هذا البحث ، تم استخدام مسحوق قشرة الحلزون كمادة مازة لصبغة السفرانين بسبب تكلفته المنخفضة وكفاءته العالية وكذلك قدرته العالية على الامتصاص. أجريت التجارب في درجة حرارة 298 كلفن لمعرفة تأثير الأس الهيدروجيني ،الوزن ،القوة الأيونية، زمن التوازن ودرجة الحرارة. كما تم تنفيذ أفضل الظروف لامتزاز صبغة السفرانين بوزن 0.0200 جم من مسحوق قشرة الحلزون. كانت نسبة الإزالة 96.09٪ بتركيز 9.0000 ملجم / لتر و 20 دقيقة كوقت اتزان عند درجة الحرارة 298 كلفن. الهدف من الدراسة هو تحليل ايزوثيرم متساوي درجة حرارة . تم تحليل البيانات التي تم جمعها من التجارب وفق نماذج الامتزاز الثلاثة: Langmuir و Temkin و Freundlich. كانت البيانات مناسبة لتساوي درجة حرارة Freundlich. توضح المعلومات الديناميكية الحرارية المحسوبة للعملية أن عملية الإزالة تحدث من خلال التبادل النشط للجزيئات العشوائية.

A Comparative Kinetic Study of Uncatalyzed and Ce(IV) Catalyzed Cetrizine Dihydrochloride Oxidation in Aqueous Acid Medium by Chloramine-T

A kinetic study of uncatalyzed and Ce(IV) catalyzed cetrizine dihydrochloride oxidation was carried out in aqueous acid medium using chloramine-T. Both uncatalyzed and catalyzed reactions follows first order kinetics with respect to [CAT] and fractional order kinetics with respect to [substrate]. The reaction follows first order dependence on [CeIV] catalyst. The uncatalyzed reaction shows inverse fractional order for [H+] and [Cl–] whereas catalyzed reaction follows fractional order. The effect of ionic strength is negligible in both cases. The dielectric constant has negative effect on uncatalyzed reaction and positive effect on catalyzed reaction. To compute the thermodynamic parameters the kinetic runs were studied at different temperatures (293-313 K). The stoichiometry of the reaction was studied and the products of oxidation were analyzed. The rate law was also derived by the proposed mechanism.

Highly efficient and selective removal of anionic dyes from aqueous solutions using polyacrylamide/peach gum polysaccharide/attapulgite composite hydrogels with positively charged hybrid network

To avoid the weakness (lower adsorption rate and selectivity) of peach gum polysaccharide (PGP) and improve the adsorption performance of polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel (lower adsorption capacity), in the present work, the PGP was chemically tailored to afford ammoniated PGP (APGP) and quaternized PGP (QPGP), and attapulgite (ATP) was bi-functionalized with cation groups and carbon‑carbon double bond. Then, PAAm/APGP and PAAm/QPGP/ATP hydrogels were synthesized via redox polymerization. The synthesis procedure and properties of hydrogels were traced by FTIR, SEM, XPS, TGA, TEM, and BET methods, and the dye adsorption performance of the hydrogels was evaluated using the new coccine (NC) and tartrazine (TTZ) aqueous solutions as the model anionic dyes. Effects of initial dye concentration, pH, and ionic strength on the adsorption were investigated. Compared with PAAm/APGP hydrogel, PAAm/APGP/ATP hydrogel exhibits higher adsorption rate, superior adsorption capacity, stability, and selectivity towards anionic dye. The adsorption process of PAAm/QPGP/ATP hydrogel reached equilibrium in about 20 min and followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption capacities towards NC and TTZ of PAAm/QPGP/ATP hydrogel were calculated as 873.235 and 731.432 mg/g. This hydrogel adsorbent originating from PAAm, PGP, and ATP shows great promise for application in practical water treatment.

Electrified Interactions of Polyzwitterions with Charged Surfaces: Role of Dipole Orientation and Surface Potentials.

The zwitterionic groups possess strong dipole moments, leading to inter- or intrachain interactions among zwitterionic polymers. This study aims to demonstrate the interaction of polyzwitterions poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC), and poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (PCBMA) with electrified surfaces, despite their electrically neutral nature. We studied the adsorption of polyzwitterions and their monomers on electrified surfaces by using an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (EQCM-D). The interaction between zwitterionic molecules and charged surfaces is explored by adjusting the surface potentials. Interestingly, the adsorption of polyzwitterions can be influenced by external potential, primarily due to the formation of polyzwitterions restricting the mobility of zwitterionic groups, affecting the adsorption behavior of polyzwitterions based on the surface potential. The impact is determined by the arrangement of positive and negative ions within the zwitterionic groups, which are the dipole orientation. Additionally, surface potentials determine the adsorption rate, amount, and chain conformation of the adsorbed thin polyzwitterion layers. The effect of ionic strength was investigated by introducing electrolytes into the aqueous solutions to assess the range of influenced surface potentials.

Transport and retention of functionalized graphene oxide nanoparticles in saturated/unsaturated porous media: Effects of flow velocity, ionic strength and initial particle concentration

The widespread use of nanomaterials has raised the threat of nanoparticles (NPs) infection of soils and groundwater resources. This research aims to investigate three parameters including flow velocity, ionic strength (IS), and initial particle concentration effects on transport behavior and retention mechanism of functionalization form of graphene oxide with polyvinylpyrrolidone (GO-PVP). The transport of GO-PVP was investigated in a laboratory-scale study through saturated/unsaturated (Saturation Degree = 0.91) sand columns. Experiments were conducted on flow velocity from 1.20 to 2.04 cm min−1, initial particle concentration from 10 to 50 mg L−1, and IS of 5–20 mM. The retention of GO-PVP was best described using the one-site kinetic attachment model in HYDRUS-1D, which accounted for the time and depth-dependent retention. According to breakthrough curves (BTCs), the lower transport related to the rate of mass recovery of GO-PVP was obtained by decreasing flow velocity and initial particle concentration and increasing IS through the sand columns. Increasing IS could improve the GO-PVP retention (based on katt and Smax) in saturated/unsaturated media; katt increases from 2.81 × 10−3 to 3.54 × 10−3 s−1 and Smax increases from 0.37 to 0.42 mg g−1 in saturated/unsaturated conditions, respectively. Our findings showed that the increasing retention of GO-PVP through the sand column under unsaturated condition could be recommended for the reduction of nanoparticles danger of ecosystem exposure.

Electrospinning Chitosan/Fe-Mn Nanofibrous Composite for Efficient and Rapid Removal of Arsenite from Water.

Efficient removal of extremely mobile and toxic As(III) from water is a challenging but critical task. Herein, we developed a functionalized sorbent of chitosan nanofiber with iron-manganese (Fe-Mn@CS NF) using a one-step hybrid electrospinning approach to remove trace As(III) from water. Batch adsorption studies were performed to determine the adsorption efficiency under a variety of conditions, including contact time, starting concentration of As(III), ionic strength, and the presence of competing anions. The experimental results demonstrated that the concentration of As(III) dropped from 550 to less than 1.2 µg/L when using 0.5 g/L Fe-Mn@CS NF. This demonstrates the exceptional adsorption efficiency (99.8%) of Fe-Mn@CS NF for removing As(III) at pH 6.5. The kinetic tests revealed that the adsorption equilibrium was reached in 2.6 h, indicating a quick uptake of As(III). The ionic strength effect analysis showed that the adsorbed As(III) formed inner-sphere surface complexes with Fe-Mn@CS NF. The presence of SO42- or F- had a negligible impact on As(III) uptake, while the presence of PO43- impeded As(III) absorption by competing for adsorption sites. The exhausted sorbent could be effectively regenerated with a dilute NaOH solution. Even after 10 cycles of regenerating Fe-Mn@CS NF, the adsorption efficiency of As(III) in natural groundwater was maintained over 65%. XPS and FTIR analyses show that the presence of M-OH and C-O groups on the sorbent surface is essential for removing As(III) from water. Overall, our study highlights the significant potential of Fe-Mn@CS NF for the efficient and quick elimination of As(III) from water.

Reuse of polymeric waste for the treatment of marine water polluted by diesel

Accidental diesel spills can occur in marine environments such as harbors, leading to adverse effects on the environmental compartment and humans. This study proposes the surgical mask as an affordable and sustainable adsorbent for the remediation of diesel–contaminated seawater to cope with the polymeric waste generated monthly in hospital facilities. This approach can also be helpful considering a possible future pandemic, alleviating the pressure on the waste management system by avoiding improper mask incineration and landfilling, as instead occurred during the previous COVID–19. Batch adsorption–desorption experiments revealed a complete diesel removal from seawater after 120 min with the intact laceless mask, which showed an adsorption capacity of up to 3.43 g/g. The adsorption curve was better predicted via Weber and Morris's kinetic (R2 = 0.876) and, in general, with Temkin isotherm (R2 = 0.965–0.996) probably due to the occurrence of chemisorption with intraparticle diffusion as one of the rates–determining steps. A hysteresis index of 0.23–0.36 was obtained from the desorption isotherms, suggesting that diesel adsorption onto surgical masks was faster than the desorption mechanism. Also, the effect of pH, ionic strength and temperature on diesel adsorption was examined. The results from the reusability tests indicated that the surgical mask can be regenerated for 5 consecutive cycles while decreasing the adsorption capacity by only approximately 11%.

Integrated ultra-high pressure and salt addition to improve the in vitro digestibility of myofibrillar proteins from scallop mantle (Patinopecten yessoensis)

Myofibrillar protein (MP) is susceptible to the effect of ionic strength and ultra-high pressure (UHP) treatment, respectively. However, the impact of UHP combined with ionic strength on the structure and in vitro digestibility of MP from scallop mantle (Patinopecten yessoensis) is not yet clear. Therefore, it is particularly important to analyze the structural properties and enhance the in vitro digestibility of MP by NaCl and UHP treatment. The findings demonstrated that as ionic strength increased, the α-helix and β-sheet gradually transformed into β-turn and random coil. The decrease of endogenous fluorescence intensity indicated the formation of a more stable tertiary structure. Additionally, the exposure of internal sulfhydryl groups increased the amount of total sulfhydryl content, and reactive sulfhydryl groups gradually transformed into disulfide bonds. Moreover, it reduces aggregation through increased solubility, decreased turbidity, particle sizes, and a relatively dense and uniform microstructure. When MP from the scallop mantle was treated with 0.5 mol/L ionic strength and 200 MPa UHP treatment, it had the highest solubility (90.75 ± 0.13%) and the lowest turbidity (0.41 ± 0.03). The scallop mantle MP with NaCl of 0.3 mol/L and UHP treatment had optimal in vitro digestibility (95.14 ± 2.01%). The findings may offer a fresh perspectives for developing functional foods for patients with dyspepsia and a theoretical foundation for the comprehensive utilization of scallop mantle by-products with low concentrations of NaCl.

Fe3O4@SiO2@MPA-TAPA-COF as a novel sorbent in magnetic solid-phase extraction coupling with UPLC-MS/MS for determining 12 sulfonamides in water and milk

This study aimed to design and synthesize a novel adsorbent Fe3O4@SiO2@MPA-TAPA-COF material for the first time and used as an adsorbent of MSPE. It had significant potential for the pretreatment of trace analytes. The MSPE was coupled with ultra performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for the rapid extraction and detection of 12 sulfonamides (SAs) from water and milk samples for the first time. Several experimental parameters were optimized, including adsorbent dosage and the effects of pH, ionic strength, adsorption time, and desorption conditions. Under the optimized pretreatment and instrumental conditions, good linearity of 0.1–100 μg·L−1 with a correlation coefficient 0.9994–0.9999, low limits of detection (0.004–0.044 μg·L−1) and limits of quantitation (0.013–0.136 μg·L−1) were obtained. Moreover, the recoveries of sulfonamides in water and milk samples were in the range of 60.88 %-102.94 %, and the relative standard deviations not exceeding 9.62 %. Finally, the magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2@MPA-TAPA-COF material possessed the magnetic separation and high adsorption affinity for extracting SAs from real samples. This study holds great significance in enhancing the monitoring of SAs drug residues in water and milk.

Ionic Strength Effect in the Equilibrium and Rheological Behavior of an Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymer at the Air/Solution Interface

This study investigates the effect of an inert salt (NaCl) on the equilibrium interfacial tension and dilatational modulus of Pluronic F-68 copolymer, a triblock copolymer consisting of two terminal blocks of poly(ethylene oxide) and a less hydrophilic central block of poly(propylene oxide). Interfacial tension measurements were carried out using a surface force balance and a drop shape tensiometer, while rheological measurements were carried out in two different frequency ranges. This involved the use of the oscillatory barrier/droplet method and electrocapillary wave measurements, complemented by an appropriate theoretical framework. This work aimed to elucidate the influence of NaCl on the interfacial behavior of Gibbs monolayers of Pluronic F-68. In addition, this study highlights some of the technical and theoretical limitations associated with obtaining reliable dilatational rheological data at high frequencies (&lt;1 kHz) using electrocapillary wave measurements. The results provide valuable insights into the interplay between salt presence and interfacial properties of Pluronic F-68 and highlight the challenges of obtaining accurate dilatational rheological data under specific measurement conditions.

Impact of Ionic Strength (Sodium Chloride Concentration) on Homopolymerization and Copolymerization Kinetics of Acrylamide and 2‐Acrylamido‐2‐Methylpropane Sulfonic Acid

AbstractAnionic polyelectrolytes can be used for a variety of applications, including flocculation and enhanced oil recovery. While it is widely recognized that polyelectrolyte synthesis is impacted by the pre‐polymer formulation and polymerization conditions, the specific relationships between these factors and the subsequent polymer properties are not well understood. Therefore, the current work intends to improve understanding of ionic strength (IS) effects during the copolymerization of 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and acrylamide (AAm). The aims of the study are i) to use in situ H1 NMR to study copolymerization kinetics, and ii) to determine how increasing IS impacts copolymerization kinetics (and, by extension copolymer microstructure). It is found that altering IS prior to copolymerization has significant impacts on the reactivity ratios, and therefore impacts the microstructure through multiple mechanisms. Increasing IS causes a crowding effect, where the propagating chain develops a random coil conformation and causes steric hindrance of the large AMPS monomer, decreasing the likelihood of AMPS propagation. When the IS is increased further, the ionic shielding effect is more impactful, increasing the likelihood of AMPS propagation. Ultimately, this work will make it possible to manipulate IS to synthesize AMPS/AAm copolymers with specific desirable properties for target applications.

The Binding Properties of Antibodies to Z-DNA in the Sera of Normal Healthy Subjects.

Antibodies to DNA are a diverse set of antibodies that bind sites on DNA, a polymeric macromolecule that displays various conformations. In a previous study, we showed that sera of normal healthy subjects (NHS) contain IgG antibodies to Z-DNA, a left-handed helix with a zig-zig backbone. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of Z-DNA in bacterial biofilms, suggesting a source of this conformation to induce responses. To characterize further antibodies to Z-DNA, we used an ELISA assay with brominated poly(dGdC) as a source of Z-DNA and determined the isotype of these antibodies and their binding properties. Results of these studies indicate that NHS sera contain IgM and IgA as well as IgG anti-Z-DNA antibodies. As shown by the effects of ionic strength in association and dissociation assays, the anti-Z-DNA antibodies bind primarily by electrostatic interactions; this type of binding differs from that of induced anti-Z-DNA antibodies from immunized animals which bind by non-ionic interactions. Furthermore, urea caused dissociation of NHS anti-Z-DNA at molar concentrations much lower than those for the induced antibodies. These studies also showed IgA anti-Z-DNA antibodies in fecal water. Together, these studies demonstrate that antibodies to Z-DNA occur commonly in normal immunity and may arise as a response to Z-DNA of bacterial origin.