Investigation of Chelating Agents for the Removal of Thorium from Human Teeth upon Nuclear Contamination.

Thorium-232 (232Th) is a radioactive heavy metal that is of increasing interest as a source of nuclear energy. However, upon nuclear incidents, the ingestion or inhalation of Th in major quantities can contribute to chemical and radiological health problems, including accumulation in the bone tissue and an increased risk of developing pancreatic, lung, and hematopoietic cancers. The major mineral component of the bone is hydroxyapatite (HAP)─also the major mineral component of the teeth. As such, the teeth are the first site of exposure upon oral ingestion of Th-contaminated materials, and Th can pose a potential risk to teeth development. In essence, in the case of human contamination, it is critical to identify effective chelating agents capable of removing Th. Using a batch study methodology, this present work investigates the uptake and the removal of Th from synthetic HAP and from teeth samples by diethylenetriamine pentaacetate (DTPA), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and other promising chelating agents. Th uptake over synthetic HAP exceeds 98% at physiological pH with <1 min of contact time and uptake exceeds 90% across the entire pH range. Regarding teeth, over 1 mg Th uptaken per gram of tooth is observed after 24 h. The overall effectiveness of chelating agents for the removal of Th from is as follows: DTPA > EDTA > NaF/mouthwash/3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO); this trend was observed both in synthetic HAP and Th-impregnated teeth samples.

Uptake and Removal of Uranium by and from Human Teeth.

Uranium-238 (238U), a long-lived radiometal, is widespread in the environment because of both naturally occurring processes and anthropogenic processes. The ingestion or inhalation of large amounts of U is a major threat to humans, and its toxicity is considered mostly chemical rather than radiological. Therefore, a way to remove uranium ingested by humans from uranium-contaminated water or from the air is critically needed. This study investigated the uranium uptake by hydroxyapatite (HAP), a compound found in human bone and teeth. The uptake of U by teeth is a result of U transport as dissolved uranyl (UO22+) in contaminated water, and U adsorption has been linked to delays in both tooth eruption and development. In this present work, the influence of pH, contact time, initial U concentration, and buffer solution on the uptake and removal of U in synthetic HAP was investigated and modeled. The influence of pH (pH of human saliva, 6.7-7.4) on the uptake of uranyl was negligible. Furthermore, the kinetics were extremely fast; in one second of exposure, 98% of uranyl was uptaken by HAP. The uptake followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and a Freundlich isotherm model. A 0.2 M sodium carbonate solution removed all the uranyl from HAP after 1 h. Another series of in vitro tests were performed with real teeth as targets. We found that, for a 50 mg/L U in PBS solution adjusted to physiological pH, ∼35% of the uranyl was uptaken by the tooth after 1 h, following pseudo-first-order kinetics. Among several washing solutions tested, a commercially available carbonate, as well as a commercially available fluoride solution, enabled removal of all the uranyl taken up by the teeth.

The Effect of Hydrogen Bonding in Enhancing the Ionic Affinities of Immobilized Monoprotic Phosphate Ligands.

Environmental remediation requires ion-selective polymers that operate under a wide range of solution conditions. In one example, removal of trivalent and divalent metal ions from waste streams resulting from mining operations before they enter the environment requires treatment at acidic pH. The monoethyl ester phosphate ligands developed in this report operate from acidic solutions. They have been prepared on polystyrene-bound ethylene glycol, glycerol, and pentaerythritol, and it is found that intra-ligand hydrogen bonding affects their metal ion affinities. The affinity for a set of trivalent (Fe(III), Al(III), La(III), and Lu(III)) and divalent (Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II)) ions is greater than that of corresponding neutral diethyl esters and phosphonic acid. In an earlier study, hydrogen bonding was found important in determining the metal ion affinities of immobilized phosphorylated polyol diethyl ester coordinating ligands; their Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) band shifts indicated that the basicity of the phosphoryl oxygen increased by hydrogen bonding to auxiliary -OH groups on the neighboring polyol. The same mechanism is operative with the monoprotic resins along with hydrogen bonding to the P-OH acid site. This is reflected in the FTIR spectra: the neutral phosphate diethyl ester resins have the P=O band at 1265 cm-1 while the monoethyl ester resins have the band shifted to 1230 cm-1; hydrogen bonding is further indicated by the broadness of this region down to 900 cm-1. The monoprotic pentaerythritol has the highest metal ion affinities of the polymers studied.

Modification of Hydroxyapatite with Ion-Selective Complexants: 1-Hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic Acid.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) was modified with 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP), and its effect on divalent metal ion binding was determined. HAP was synthesized from calcium hydroxide and phosphoric acid. After calcination, it was modified with HEDP, and the influence of time and temperature on the modification was investigated. HEDP incorporation increased as its initial solution concentration increased from 0.01 to 0.50 M. Unmodified and modified HAP were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and specific surface area analysis. Ca/P ratios, acid capacities, and phosphorus elemental analyses gave the effect of modification on composition and surface characteristics. A high reaction temperature produced new phosphonate bands at 993, 1082, and 1144 cm-1 that indicated the presence of HEDP. HAP modification at a high temperature-long reaction time had the highest HEDP loading and gave the sharpest XRD peaks. The emergence of new HAP-HEDP strands was observed in SEM images for treated samples while EDS showed high phosphorus contents in these strands. Modified HAP had a high acid capacity from the additional P-OH groups in HEDP. The P(O)OH groups maintain their ability to bind metal ions within the HAP matrix: contacting the modified HAP with 10-4 N nitrate solutions of five transition metal ions gives an affinity sequence of Pb(II) > Cd(II) > Zn(II) > Ni(II) > Cu(II). This result is comparable to that of commercially available di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid, a common solvent extractant, and the trend is consistent with the Misono softness parameter of metal ion polarizabilities.

Distinguishing between organic and inorganic phosphorus in hydroxyapatite by elemental analysis.

A method is developed to determine the amount of organic and inorganic phosphorus in an inorganic polymer (hydroxyapatite (HAP)) modified with an organic phosphorus - containing complexant. The simplicity and precision of the vanadate method has made it useful for measuring the total phosphorus content in phosphorus - containing organic polymers that are first digested in concentrated sulfuric acid. However, it can be important to quantify the organic and inorganic phosphorus capacities in modified (hybrid) polymers and this method does not distinguish between the two. In the current report, HAP was modified with 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) and a method developed to give the respective phosphorus capacities. HAP was contacted with HEDP for 17 h, 28 h, 56 h, 84 h, 112 h, and 140 h. By combining results from the sulfuric acid digestion of the modified polymer with those from a separate digestion in HCl, it was determined that there was a monotonic increase in the organic phosphorus capacity from 0.04 to 2.44 mmol / g, and a decrease in the inorganic phosphorus capacity from 4.68 to 2.54 mmol / g.

Mechanism of ionic recognition by polymer-supported reagents: immobilized tetramethylmalonamide and the complexation of lanthanide ions.

The mechanism of ionic recognition by polymer-supported reagents is probed with cross-linked polystyrene modified with tetramethylmalonamide (TMMA) ligands. The substrates are lanthanide ions in 0.001-8 M HCl and HNO(3) solutions. The results fall into three regions of acid concentration: low, mid, and high. In HCl, distribution coefficients are low in 0.001 to 2 M, increase in 4 and 6 M, and then decrease in 8 M HCl. In the low-acid region, the metal ion remains with its waters of hydration and does not coordinate to the carbonyl oxygens. As the acid concentration exceeds 2 M, protonation of the amide occurs to form an iminium moiety, electrostatically attracting the anionic lanthanide complex through ion-exchange and releasing waters of hydration. At high acid concentration, the apparent affinity decreases due to competition by the large excess of chloride ions for the ion-exchange sites. The affinity sequence in 6 M HCl is Tb > Dy > Eu > Gd > Ho > Sm > Er > Tm > Yb > Lu > Nd > Ce > La. The TMMA-Ln interaction is due to recognition since there is a point of maximum affinity across the series rather than a monotonic trend. The trends are comparable in HNO(3). A comparison of the distribution coefficients at the maxima (6 M HCl and 4 M HNO(3)) shows nitrate to have greater values than chloride due to a hydration effect, as also indicated by results from H(2)SO(4).

Polyols as scaffolds in the development of ion-selective polymer-supported reagents: the effect of auxiliary groups on the mechanism of metal ion complexation.

In developing ion-selective polymer-supported reagents, the inherent affinity of a given ligand for a targeted metal ion is found to be affected by auxiliary groups on a scaffold. A series of polyols (ethylene glycol, glycerol, tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane, pentaerythritol, and pentaerythritol triethoxylate) are immobilized onto cross-linked poly(vinylbenzyl chloride), then monophosphorylated. The pentaerythritol, glycerol, and pentaerythritol triethoxylate polymers have the highest affinities for both trivalent and divalent ions. The distribution coefficients of divalent ions (Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II)) correlate with the Misono softness parameter, reflecting a single-site interaction between the metal ion and the phosphoryl oxygen. The distribution coefficients for trivalent ions are in the order Fe(III) < Al(III) < Y(III) less, approximately < La(III) approximately Eu(III) approximately Lu(III). For example, the phosphorylated pentaerythritol polymer has distribution coefficients (also reported as percent complexed) for Fe of 68.4 (75.3%); for Al of 182 (88.5%); and for the rare earth ions Y, Lu, Eu, and La of 374 (94.4%), 1390 (98.4%), 1690 (98.4%), and 708 (96.9%), respectively, from solutions at pH 2.0. The opposite trend (i.e., Fe(III) > Al(III) > (rare earths)) correlates with their hardness, acidity, electron affinity, electronegativity, and formation constants with soluble complexants, including tributyl phosphate. A binding mechanism is proposed wherein the polymer initially has the auxiliary -OH groups hydrogen-bonded to the phosphate ligand; then, binding to the polarizable phosphoryl oxygen with the divalent ions dominates, while the trivalent ions are drawn closer to the phosphoryl oxygen because of their greater charge and, once closer, bind in a multisite interaction with both the phosphate and -OH groups.

Immobilized tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane as a scaffold for ion-selective ligands: the auxiliary group effect on metal ion binding at the phosphate ligand.

The metal ion affinities of a ligand in a polymer-supported reagent can be enhanced by the presence of a proximate group capable of hydrogen bonding. A new polymer-supported reagent has been synthesized by immobilizing tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) onto cross-linked poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) and then phosphorylating the -OH moieties. The -NH- acts as the auxiliary group to increase the extent of complexation by the phosphate ligand. Additionally, Tris acts as a scaffold, wherein the phosphate ligands are in a known stereochemical arrangement. The Tris resin is mono-, di-, and triphosphorylated, depending on the concentration of the phosphorylating agent. The highest metal ion affinities are found with the resin having a phosphorus-to-nitrogen ratio of 2.36, consistent with one-third of the ligands being triphosphorylated and the remainder being diphosphorylated. The unphosphorylated Tris and phosphonate diester resins have no ionic affinities under the same conditions. Trivalent ions (Fe(III), Al(III), La(III), Eu(III), Lu(III)) are preferred over divalent ions (Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), Zn(II)) from solutions at pH 2. The distribution coefficients of the divalent ions correlate with the Misono softness parameters, indicating that the polarizability of the phosphoryl oxygen is important to binding of the metal ions. The mechanism of complexation is probed with Fe(III) in 0.01-5 M HNO3 and HCl. The high affinities are ascribed to activation of the P=O ligand toward metal ion binding by the N-H moieties acting as auxiliary groups, coupled with intraligand cooperation among the phosphate moieties at a given site. FTIR spectra show that the P=O band at 1261 cm-1 shifts as a function of the extent of hydrogen bonding. Binding at the P=O requires a balance between activation by hydrogen bonding and availability of the lone pair electrons to the metal ions.

New polymer-supported ion-complexing agents: design, preparation and metal ion affinities of immobilized ligands.

Polymer-supported reagents are comprised of crosslinked polymer networks that have been modified with ligands capable of selective metal ion complexation. Applications of these polymers are in environmental remediation, ion chromatography, sensor technology, and hydrometallurgy. Bifunctional polymers with diphosphonate/sulfonate ligands have a high selectivity for actinide ions. The distribution coefficient for the uranyl ion from 1 M nitric acid is 70,000, compared to 900 for the monophosphonate/sulfonate polymer and 200 for the sulfonic acid ion-exchange resin. A bifunctional trihexyl/triethylammonium polymer has a high affinity and selectivity for pertechnetate and perchlorate anions from groundwater. In one example, its distribution coefficient for perchlorate ions in the presence of competing anions is 3,300,000, compared to 203,180 for a commercially available anion-exchange resin. Polystyrene modified with N-methyl-D-glucamine ligands is capable of selectively complexing arsenate from groundwater. It complexes 99% of the arsenate present in a solution of 100 mg/L arsenate with 560 mg/L sulfate ions. Its selectivity is retained even in the presence of 400 mg/L phosphate. There is no affinity for arsenate above pH 9, allowing for the polymer to be regenerated with moderate alkali solution. In studies aimed at developing a Hg(II)-selective resin, simple amine resins were found to have a high Hg(II) affinity and that affinity is dependent upon the solution pH and the counterion.

Immobilized N-methyl-D-glucamine as an arsenate-selective resin.

Immobilization of N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) on poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) beads yields an effective and highly selective sorbent for arsenate ions. Three important parameters in the resin's high As(V) affinity and selectivity are the structure of the ligand, its ionic form, and the crosslink density of the polymer. The NMDG resin crosslinked with 2 wt % divinylbenzene is far more selective than commercially available analogues, especially when sulfate and chloride ions are present in solution at high concentrations. Selectivity studies at neutral pH indicate that the protonated tertiary amine moiety is an important component of the complexation mechanism. The NMDG resin also has a high affinity for the un-ionized As(V) species at pH 1.