Magnetized cubic zinc MOFs for efficient removal of hazardous cationic and anionic dyes in aqueous solutions.

A significant amount of dye runoff and aqueous waste are released from the manufacturing process of dyes with intense and permanent colors, which are undesirable from a cultural and ecological aspect. In this paper, we present a green, simple, low-effort, and energy-efficient method of creating magnetized cubic Zn-MOFs for the adsorption and elimination of various organic dyes. Magnetic iron oxide materials with a hierarchical structure were loaded and doped into cubic zinc metal-organic frameworks (MDLZ). High magnetic characteristics, chemical stability, minimal toxicity, and ease of removing various dyes from aqueous effluents are all exhibited by the developed MDLZ adsorbent. To assess MDLZ's capacity to adsorb organic dyes from an aqueous solution, organic dyes such as Crystal Violet (CV), Neutral Red (NR), and Congo Red (CR) were used as model materials. Many adsorption factors were examined, including temperature, pH, contact time, initial concentration, and adsorbent dosage. Under optimal elimination circumstances, MDLZ was utilized to evaluate the kinetic, thermodynamic, and isotherm models for the adsorption of CR, NR, and CV dyes. The adsorption capacity (q m) of the MDLZ adsorbent at 25 °C was 39.37 mg g-1 for CV, 239.81 mg g-1 for CR, and 321.54 mg g-1 for NR, which is significantly higher than those of other adsorbents reported. The magnetized nanocubes' large surface area and uniform micropores enabled them to eliminate a large number of organic dyes from wastewater effectively, and their strong adsorption capability persisted even after four reuse cycles. The microporous MLDZ adsorbent offers a simple and effective method for handling industrial effluents and filtration of water.

Effective adsorption of fluorescent congo red azo dye from aqueous solution by green synthesized nanosphere ZnO/CuO composite using propolis as bee byproduct extract.

The indirect dumping of massive volumes of toxic dyes into water has seriously affected the ecosystem. Owing to the many applications of the designed nanomaterials in the manufacturing process, there is a lot of research interest in synthesizing nanomaterials using green processes. In this research, the byproduct of bee was employed to synthesize nanoparticles (NPs) of ZnO, CuO, and biosynthesized ZnO/CuO (BZC) nanocomposite via utilizing a green and simple approach. To validate the effective fabrication of BZC nanocomposite, various characterization measurements were applied. FTIR analysis identified the functional groups in charge of producing nanoparticles and nanocomposites. Moreover, the existence of ZnO and CuO XRD peaks suggests that the nanocomposites were successfully biosynthesized. The high-resolution XPS spectrum of the BZC nanocomposite's Zn2p3, Cu2p3, and O1s were observed. Our findings indicate the successful engineering of the prepared nanomaterials and BZC nanocomposite. Our findings indicate the successful engineering of the prepared nanomaterials and BZC nanocomposite. For Congo red (CR) fluorescent stain azo dye elimination in water, all adsorption parameters were examined at room temperature. Moreover, the adsorption experiments revealed the removal capacity for uptake CR dye using BZC nanocomposite (90.14 mg g-1). Our results show that the BZC nanocomposite exhibited high removal capability for the adsorption of CR dye. The nanosphere adsorbent offered a simple, low-cost, and green approach for water purification and industrial wastewater control.

Ultrasensitive Visual Tracking of Toxic Cyanide Ions in Biological Samples Using Biocompatible Metal-Organic Frameworks Architectures.

The extraordinary accumulation of cyanide ions within biological cells is a severe health risk. Detecting and tracking toxic cyanide ions within these cells by simple and ultrasensitive methodologies are of immense curiosity. Here, continuous tracking of ultimate levels of CN--ions in HeLa cells was reported employing biocompatible branching molecular architectures (BMAs). These BMAs were engineered by decorating colorant-laden dendritic branch within and around the molecular building hollows of the geode-shelled nanorods of organic-inorganic Al-frameworks. Batch-contact methods were utilized to assess the potential of hollow-nest architecture for inhibition/evaluation of toxicant CN--ions within HeLa cells. The nanorod BMAs revealed significant potential capabilities in monitoring and tracking of CN- ions (88 parts per trillion) in biological trials within seconds. These results demonstrated sufficient evidence for the compatibility of BMAs during HeLa cell exposure. Under specific conditions, the BMAs were utilized for in-vitro fluorescence tracking/sensing of CN- in HeLa cells. The cliff swallow nest with massive mouths may have the potential to reduce the health hazards associated with toxicant exposure in biological cells.

Clarifying solvent effect during photocatalytic glycerol conversion on TiO2/GQD as selective photocatalyst.

Nowadays, dealing with the growing chemical and energy demands is important without compromising the environment. So, this work studies photocatalytic glycerol conversion (as biomass derivativ feedstock) into value-added products using an eco-friendly synthesized catalyst. Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were prepared from available/cheap precursors like glucose via the hydrothermal method and used as a support for TiO2. TiO2/GQDs were characterized via different analytical techniques, revealing very small particle sizes of ~ 3-6 nm with a large surface area of ~ 253 m2/g and a band gap of ~ 2.6 eV. The prepared photocatalyst shows good efficiency during photocatalytic glycerol conversion to dihydroxyacetone (DHA). Different reaction conditions were tested: reaction time, catalyst amount, presence of oxidant (H2O2), and biphasic media (aqueous/organic phases). Comparing a monophasic (H2O) photoreactor with a biphasic reactor containing 90% organic phase (ethyl acetate) and 10% aqueous phase (H2O and/or H2O2) indicates that the presence of H2O2 increases glycerol conversion and liquid selectivity to reach 57% and 91%, respectively after 120 min. However, it still suffers a low DHA/GA ratio (2.7). On the other hand, using a biphasic reactor in the presence of an H2O2 oxidant increases the DHA/GA ratio to ~ 6.6, which was not reached in previous research. The formation of H2O/H2O2 as micro-reactors dispersed in the ethyl acetate phase increased the average light intensity effect of the glycerol/photocatalyst system in the micro-reactors. Unlike previous work, this work presents a facile way to prepare eco-friendly/cheap (noble metal free) photocatalysts for glycerol conversion to ultrapure DHA using a biphasic photoreactor.

The simultaneous degradation of prochloraz and tebuconazole in water with monitoring their degradation products using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Prochloraz and tebuconazole are well-known fungicides for broad applications, including medical, industrial, and agricultural. They are frequently used simultaneously which increases the probability of their co-existing in various water sources. In this study, the analysis of PCZ or TBZ in water was performed by a direct analysis using the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique (LC-MS/MS). The optimized method was fully validated according to the European guidelines, SANTE/11312/2021. The complete degradation of these fungicides (each of 2 mg/L) in their single presence in the water was accomplished just after 15 min using 4.2 mM persulfate at 50 °C, while a lower concentration of persulfate (1.4 mM) leads to a degradation of prochloraz and tebuconazole, in their single existence in water, at percentages of 97 % and 98 %, respectively, after 30 min at 50 °C. On the other hand, it takes a complete hour to degrade a mixture of prochloraz and tebuconazole at percentages of 99 % and 94 %, respectively, using 1.4 mM persulfate at 50 °C. Degradation products (DPds) of prochloraz and tebuconazole, either in their single or simultaneous existing in water, were also identified and monitored during the whole degradation process by LC-MS/MS using at least two mass transitions for each DPd at both positive and negative ionization modes. It was elucidated that the persulfate degradation of prochloraz was conducted by the cleavage of the imidazole ring and the subsequent formation of a trichlorophenol, while persulfate degradation of tebuconazole was mainly accomplished by the formation of a hydroxyl structure, cleavage of the tert-butyl chain, and the subsequent formation of a ketone structure. Furthermore, a new DPd of tebuconazole (m/z = 263 Da) with a diketone structure was identified and confirmed.

Antischistosomal effects of green and chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles: In vitro and in vivo murine model.

Schistosomiasis is one of the most important neglected tropical diseases in Africa, caused by blood fluke, Schistosoma sp. The use of nanotechnology in the treatment of this type of disease is urgently important to avoid the unwanted side effects of chemotherapy. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of green silver nanoparticles (G-AgNPs), fabricated by (Calotropis procera), comparing with both chemically prepared silver ones (C-AgNPs) and Praziquantel (PZQ) treatments. The study included in vitro and in vivo evaluations. In in vitro study, 4 groups of schistosome worms were exposed to treatments as follows: the first one with a dose of PZQ (0.2 µg/ml), the 2nd and 3rd groups with different concentrations of G-AgNPs and C-AgNPs, respectively and the last one act as a negative control group. In in vivo study, six groups of mice were infected and then treated as follows: the first one with a dose of PZQ, the second with G-AgNPs, the third with C-AgNPs, the fourth with G-AgNPs plus a half dose of PZQ, the fifth with C-AgNPs accompanied by a half dose of PZQ, and the last group acted as a positive control group. The parasitological (worm burden, egg count & oogram) and histopathological parameters (hepatic granuloma profile) were used to evaluate antischistosomal activities in experimental groups. Additionally, the subsequent ultrastructural alterations were observed in adult worms using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that G-AgNPs and C-AgNPs have 8-25 and 8-11 nm in diameter, respectively, besides, fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR) revealed the presence of organic compounds (aromatic ring groups) which act as capping agents around the surfaces of biogenic silver nanoparticles. In in vitro experiment, adult worms incubated either with G-AgNPs or C-AgNPs at concentrations higher than 100 µg/ml or 80 µg/ml, respectively, showed full mortality of parasites after 24 h. In the infected treated groups (with G-AgNPs plus PZQ & C-AgNPs plus PZQ) showed the most significant reduction in the total worm burdens (92.17% & 90.52%, respectively). Combined treatment with C-AgNPs and PZQ showed the highest value of dead eggs (93,6%), followed by G-AgNPs plus PZQ-treated one (91%). This study showed that mice treated with G-AgNPs plus PZQ significantly has the highest percentage of reduction in granuloma size and count (64.59%, 70.14%, respectively). Both G-AgNPs plus PZQ-treated & C-AgNPs plus PZQ treated groups showed the highest similar values of reduction percentage of total ova count in tissues (98.90% & 98.62%, respectively). Concerning SEM, G-AgNPs-treated worms showed more variability in ultrastructural alterations than G-AgNPs plus PZQ-treated one, besides, worms treated with C-AgNPs plus PZQ exhibited the maximum level of contractions or (shrinkage) as a major impact.

Preparation and characterization of rare earth element nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic degradation.

The present work focuses on the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) on erbium ion (Er3+) doped TiO2 under visible light. Pure TiO2 nanoparticles and erbium (Er3+) doped TiO2 nanocomposite (Er3+/TiO2) NCs were synthesized using the sol-gel method. The synthesized (Er3+/TiO2) NCs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), elementary dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), specific surface area (BET), zeta potential, and particle size. Different parameters were used to study their efficiency for the photoreactor (PR) and the synthesized catalyst. These parameters include pH of the feed solution, the rate of flow, the presence of an oxidizing agent (aeration pump), different ratios of nanoparticles, the amount of catalyst, and the concentrations of pollutants. An example of an organic contaminant was the dye methylene blue (MB). The result achieved using the synthesized nanoparticles (I) under ultraviolet light pure TiO2 was found to have degraded by 85%. For (Er3+/TiO2) NCs under visible light, dye removal increased with pH to a maximum of 77% degradation at pH 5. Furthermore, photocatalytic efficiency improves to 80% at 40 rpm (3 l/h) low motor speed. The degradation efficiency decreased to 70% when the MB concentration was increased from 5 to 30 mg/L. When oxygen content was increased using an air pump, and deterioration reached 85% under visible light, it improved performance.

Cinnamon Oil Encapsulated with Silica Nanoparticles: Chemical Characterization and Evaluation of Insecticidal Activity Against the Rice Moth, Corcyra cephalonica.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) essential oil has vast potential as an antimicrobial but is limited by its volatility and rapid degradation. To decrease its volatility and prolong the efficacy of the biocide, cinnamon essential oil was encapsulated into mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). The characterization of MSNs and cinnamon oil encapsulated with silica nanoparticles (CESNs) was estimated. Additionally, their insecticidal activity against the rice moth Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) larvae was evaluated. The MSN surface area decreased from 893.6 to 720 m2 g-1 and the pore volume also decreased from 0.824 to 0.7275 cc/g after loading with cinnamon oil. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and N2 sorption by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) confirmed the successful formation and evolution of the synthesized MSNs and CESN structures. The surface characteristics of MSNs and CESNs were analyzed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Compared with the sub-lethal activity values, the order of toxicity after 6 days of exposure was MSNs ˃ CESN ˃ cinnamon oil ˃ silica gel ˃ peppermint oil. The efficacy of CESNs gradually increases its toxicity more than MSN after the 9th day of exposure.

The Antibacterial Activity of Egyptian Wasp Chitosan-Based Nanoparticles against Important Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens.

The current work discusses the production and characterization of new biodegradable nanoparticles for biomedical applications based on insect chitosan. Chitosan has numerous features due to the presence of primary amine groups in repeating units, such as antibacterial and anticancer activities. When polyanion tripolyphosphate is added to chitosan, it creates nanoparticles with higher antibacterial activity than the original chitosan. In this study, the ionic gelation technique was used to make wasp chitosan nanoparticles (WCSNPs) in which TEM and FTIR were used to investigate the physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles. In addition, the antibacterial activities of chitosan nanoparticles against extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)- and carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were evaluated. The extracted wasp chitosan exhibited high solubility in acetic acid and met all standard criteria of all characterization testes for nanoparticles; the zeta potential indicated stable WCSNPs capable of binding to cellular membrane and increasing the cellular uptake. The produced WCSNPs showed growth inhibition activity against all tested strains, and the bacterial count was lower than the initial count. The inhibition percent of WCSNPs showed that the lowest concentration of WCSNPs was found to be effective against tested strains. WCSNPs' antibacterial activity implies that they could be used as novel, highly effective antibacterial agents in a variety of biological applications requiring antibacterial characteristics.

Groundwater quality assessment using water quality index and multivariate statistical analysis case study: East Matrouh, Northwestern coast, Egypt.

Rapid urbanisation has had a significant negative influence on the water bodies that flow through and around urban areas. This study aims to evaluate the water quality and analyse the suitability for drinking and irrigation uses. This study envisaged assessing the water quality status of the groundwater using the pollution index of groundwater (PIG), ecological risk index (ERI) and multivariate statistical techniques, namely cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA), that were applied to differentiate the sources of water quality variation and determine the cause of pollution in the study area. Most groundwater is unsuitable for drinking and irrigation consumption, depending on analyses. PIG values indicated high pollution levels in the studied water body, rendering it unsuitable for any practical purpose. CA results showed the impact of surface water and treatment plant on groundwater. PCA was used to identify four important factors in the groundwater, including mineral and nutrient pollution, heavy metal pollution, organic pollution and faecal contamination. The deteriorating water quality of the groundwater was demonstrated to originate from vast sources of anthropogenic activities, especially municipal sewage discharge. Study wells had greater concentrations of Cl- and Na+ in their water because seawater flows into the aquifer system and mixes with the marine aquifer matrix. Thus, the current work reveals how to employ the PIG and multivariate statistical approaches to obtain more accessible and more meaningful information about the water quality of groundwater and to identify the sources of pollution.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Greater Cairo water supply systems.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pose a constant threat to the environment and public health. There are numerous activities in the Greater Cairo area that emit and release significant amounts of PAHs. Concentrations of these PAHs are released into the air and mixed with surface water, limiting its use. In this study, 17 PAH compounds are mapped at eight sites along the Nile River and its tributaries in Greater Cairo. In addition, their removal efficiency is evaluated with the conventional treatment in eight water treatment plants. PAHs were analyzed using GC-MS from January to December 2018. Naphthalene, anthracene, fluorene, pyrene, and phenanthrene were detected. The total amount of PAHs in raw water was highest in Shamal Helwan (1,325 ± 631 ng/l) and lowest in Mostorod (468 ± 329 ng/l), and the removal ranged from 25 to 31%. Further research is needed to integrate other techniques to reduce PAHs using the conventional treatment, and more efforts should be made to reduce the presence and release of PAHs in raw water.

Aluminum sulfate regeneration from surface water treatment waste in Cairo, Egypt.

The world needs to adapt to recycling and reusing water due to limited resources. So, decision-makers and policy leaders should use sustainable practices to improve protection and pollution remediation. Aluminum sulfate is used for surface water treatment, which leads to waste sludge being disposed into water bodies, causing environmental pollution. Coagulants' regeneration from sludge improves water quality and reuse options. Organics accumulation is the primary concern regarding coagulant regeneration, using acidification. Our study investigated the raw water quality, aluminum sulfate, and sludge and evaluated its influence on coagulant recovery, using acidification, from eight water treatment plants (WTPs) in Cairo, Egypt. The significant elements in the tested sludge were aluminum with a concentration range of 86.65-688.85 mg/g sludge in El-Rawda and Embaba and iron with a concentration range of 9.45-7.45 mg/g in Shamal Helwan and El-Fostat. Recovery percentages of aluminum, iron, manganese, and strontium recorded the highest values 97%, 89%, 89%, and 92% for Embaba, Rod El-Farag, Embaba, El-Rawda, respectively. The correlation between metal concentration and recovery was insignificant in the studied matrix and conditions for the four metals. Total organic carbon (TOC) transfer into recovered solutions was maximum in El-Fostat (82.6%) and minimum in Embaba (36.7%). The TOC transfer percentage depends on the matrix of the sludge. The best location for coagulant recovery is at the Embaba WTP, where there were minimum organics transfer and maximum Al recovery.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Computational Chemical Study of Aliphatic Tricationic Surfactants as Corrosion Inhibitors for Metallic Equipment in Oil Fields.

Aliphatic tricationic surfactants were prepared by the esterification reaction, followed by a quaternization reaction to protect oil well facilities from corrosion problems. Microelemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques were performed to explore the obtained motifs. The performance of these amphiphiles as inhibitors for metallic S90 steel corrosion in formation water was investigated through electrochemical tests (potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy). The results revealed significant inhibition effectiveness improvement with increasing concentrations of these amphiphiles. Its maximum inhibition efficiency reaches 93.07% at 250 ppm for the compound (AED). Potentiodynamic polarization graphs demonstrated that tricationic amphiphiles behave as mixed-type inhibitors. In addition, the adsorption of the tricationic surfactant at the S90 steel surface followed Langmuir isotherm. Atomic force microscopy revealed that a protective layer formed at the surface of S90 steel caused the inhibition of corrosion. During the inhibition procedure of S90 steel corrosion, theoretical research has been performed to validate electrochemical experiments and to clearly demonstrate the mechanism of these amphiphiles. Finally, quantum chemical calculations were calculated to achieve the justification for the obtained empirical results.

Acetonitrile-Ethyl acetate based method for the residue analysis of 373 pesticides in beeswax using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS.

In the current study, Pesticide residue extraction in beeswax was carried out using a mixture of acetonitrile-ethyl acetate (1:3, v/v). This mixture of solvents not only enables the melting of beeswax sample at a lower temperature than when using acetonitrile only but also introduces one phase solution. The sample extract was directly injected into both GC-MS/MS, of the commonly used split-less inlets, and into LC-MS/MS. Sample preparation and clean-up were also optimized. The developed method was validated according to SANTE/11813/2017 European Union guidelines. Three spiking levels of low concentrations 20, 50, 100 µg/kg were studied for the analysis of a total of 373 pesticides. Most of the studied pesticides have acceptable recovery between 80 and 110% with good reproducibility <10. There are 265 and 139 pesticides having a lower limit of quantifications equal 20 µg/kg using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS, respectively. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied for the analysis of real beeswax samples.

Revealing the role of the 1T phase on the adsorption of organic dyes on MoS2 nanosheets.

Herein, different phases of MoS2 nanosheets were synthesized, characterized and tested for dye removal from water. The influence of the MoS2 phases as well as the 1T concentration on the adsorption performance of organic dyes MO, RhB and MB was deeply investigated. The results revealed that the 1T-rich MoS2 nanosheets have superior adsorption performance compared to other 2H and 3R phases. The kinetic results of the adsorption process demonstrate that the experimental data followed the pseudo-second order equation. Meanwhile, the adsorption of dyes over the obtained materials was fitted with several isotherm models. The Langmuir model gives the best fitting to the experimental data with maximum a adsorption capacity of 787 mg g-1. The obtained capacity is significantly higher than that of all previous reports for similar MoS2 materials. Computational studies of the 2H and 1T/2H-MoS2 phases showed that the structural defects present at the 1T/2H grain boundaries enhance the binding of hydroxide and carboxyl groups to the MoS2 surface which in turn increase the adsorption properties of the 1T/2H-MoS2 phase.

Development of a selective and sensitive colour reagent for gold and silver ions and its application to desktop scanner analysis.

Desktop scanners can be favorable alternatives to sophisticated spectrophotometers for the assessment of analytes in complex real samples. Distinctively, our method has been thoroughly investigated, optimized, validated and successfully applied to the assessment of silver and gold in complex real samples, applying syringal rhodanine (SR) as a novel specifically tailored chromogenic reagent and using a desktop scanner as a versatile sensor. Maximum colour absorbance was obtained in the presence of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) for silver and gold chelates, respectively. For each metal ion, two ternary complexes were formed depending on the SR concentration with stoichiometries of 1 : 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 : 3 (Ag-SR-CPC) and 1 : 2 : 3 and 1 : 3 : 4 (Au-SR-CTAC), respectively. The methods adhered to Beer's law for 0.15-2.5 and 0.15-2.25 µg mL-1 with detection limits of 0.0089 and 0.0163 µg mL-1 for silver and gold, respectively. The molar absorptivities were 3.63 × 104 and 6.15 × 104 L mol-1 cm-1 at 550 nm and 554 nm, with Sandell's sensitivity indexes of 0.0029 and 0.0032 µg cm-2, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the assessment of silver and gold in a wide range of complex environmental samples.

Biogenic production of silver nanoparticles by Enterobacter cloacae Ism26.

A bacterial isolate capable of tolerating 30 mM silver nitrate (AgNO3) was recovered from soil contaminated with industrial waste. The isolate was identified by 16S rRNA as Enterobacter cloacae Ism26 (KP988024) and its capability to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was investigated. AgNPs were produced by mixing 1 mM AgNO3 solution with bacterial cell lysate under light conditions. The UV-Vis spectrum of the aqueous medium containing AgNPs exhibited a peak at 440 nm corresponding to the surface plasmon resonance of the AgNPs. The crystalline nature of the particles was confirmed by X-ray difractometer. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the AgNPs were spherical and well dispersed and ranged in size from 7 to 25 nm. The average size range of the produced AgNPs was confirmed by dynamic light scattering. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed possible involvement of reductive groups on the surface of the nanoparticles. The biosynthesized AgNPs were stable for 6 months and inhibited both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This work describes the exploitation of a low-cost biomaterial and an easy method for the synthesis of AgNPs with desirable and advantageous characteristics.

Reliable HPLC determination of aflatoxin m1 in eggs.

Aflatoxin M1 is the foremost metabolite of aflatoxin B1 in humans and animals, which may be present in animal products from animals fed with aflatoxin B1 contaminated feed. In this study a high performance liquid chromatography method for determination of aflatoxin M1 in eggs was described. The egg samples were diluted with warmed water and the toxin was immunoextracted followed by fluorescence detection. The average recovery of aflatoxin M1 at the three different levels 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 µ g/kg varied between 87% and 98%. The method is linear from the limit of quantification 0.05 µ g/kg up to 3 µ g/kg levels. This method is intended for aflatoxin M1 analyses in eggs simply with minimum toxin lose, excellent recovery, and accurate results with the limit of detection 0.01 µ g/kg.

New Group 6 metal carbonyl derivatives of 2-(2'(-pyridyl)benzimidazole: synthesis and spectroscopic studies.

Reaction of Cr(CO)(6) with 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazole (pbiH) under reduced pressure resulted in the formation of the dinuclear complex [Cr(2)(CO)(6)(pbiH)(2)]. Infra-red (IR) spectroscopy revealed the presence of terminal and bridge Cr-CO bonds. Interaction of M(CO)(6), M=Cr, Mo and W, with pbiH in the presence of 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) gave the tetracarbonyl complexes [M(CO)(4)(pbiH)].bpy. Spectroscopic studies of the complexes indicated the presence of hydrogen bonding between the bpy nitrogen and the NH group of pbiH. Reactions of M(CO)(6) with pbiH in the presence of PPh(3) gave the tricarbonyl monosubstituted derivatives [M(CO)(3)(PPh(3))(pbiH)]. The spectroscopic studies of the complexes suggested the proposed structures.