A blue arsenomolybdic acid-crystal violet ion-associate pair paving the way for the field detection of arsenic in groundwater.

A simple visual colorimetric method based on arsenomolybdic acid-crystal violet ion-associate pair formation is described for the detection of As in groundwater at about 10, 25 and 50 µg L-1 levels. The pair exhibits light green coloration at ≤5 µg L-1 and blue colorations of distinctly different intensities at about 10, 25 and 50 µg L-1 concentrations of arsenic. High sensitivity is achieved by the preconcentration of As that entails simultaneous sorption of both As(III) and As(V) from groundwater on covellite (CuS) and, later, their elution as As(V), which subsequently participates in the formation of arsenomolybdic acid. The interference in the color development from PO43-ions that are as efficiently sorbed on CuS and eluted as the oxyanions of As is eliminated by their selective removal by Ce4+ ions under basic (pH ∼ 8.5) conditions. The removal is caused by the formation of cerium phosphate and its co-precipitation with calcium hydroxide. SiO42- ions do not interfere in the process as they are not sorbed by CuS. Groundwater containing ≤0.5 mg L-1 P and ≥200 mg L-1 total dissolved solid can be conveniently analysed by the method. The direct sensing of As(III) as well as As(V), the use of benign and easily available chemicals, the absence of any hazardous by-product, undiminished applicability in sunlight, the testing procedure lasting only for about 30 min, and rapidity are the major advantages of the method. Thus, the method is potentially well-suited for the on-site testing of groundwater potability under different regulations.

10B/11B isotopic ratio and atomic composition of boron carbide: Determination by proton induced γ-ray emission and proton elastic backscattering spectrometry.

The 10B/11B isotopic ratio and the atomic composition of boron carbide, an important non-metallic ceramic, have been determined non-destructively by the particle induced γ-ray emission (PIGE) and elastic backscattering spectrometry (EBS) techniques with proton beams. The analysis has been performed on powder as well as sintered ceramics containing boron in natural or 10B enriched composition. The PIGE technique, performed at a 4.0-4.2MeV proton energy, utilizes the 10B(p,αγ)7Be, 10B(p,p'γ)10B and 11B(p, p'γ)11B nuclear reactions for (a) the isotopic analysis of boron and (b) the determination of total boron, and the 13C(p,p'γ)13C nuclear reaction for the determination of carbon. The irradiation conditions were optimized by determining the thick targets yields of prompt γ-rays, characteristic of these reactions, in the 3.0-4.2MeV proton energy range. The quantitative analysis was performed by comparison with standards taking into account the attenuation of γ-rays in the specimens. The uncertainty in the determination of the 10B/11B isotopic ratio and the B/C atomic ratio is about 2% and about 5% respectively. The analysis by EBS, on the other hand, involves the 10B(p,p)10B, 11B(p,p)11B and 12C(p,p)12C elastic scatterings at the 2.0MeV proton energy. This method too yields satisfactory results. Between the two, PIGE is the method of choice for bulk analysis while EBS is useful in discerning compositional variations in surface regions.

Changes in blood-brain barrier nutrient transport in the offspring of iodine-deficient rats and their preventability.

Thyroid hormones affect the structure and function of biological membranes. Whether or not they affect the Blood-Brain Barrier nutrient transport, the rate limiting membrane transport regulating nutrient supply to brain is to be established yet. That the impaired brain development and function seen in iodine deficiency could be due to such an effect has been assessed in situ by the brain uptake index (BUI) method in Wistar/NIN rat pups born to dams subjected to dietary iodine deficiency/rehabilitation for different times. Compared to controls (C), there was a significant decrease in the BUI values of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG) and L-leucine (Leu) in the pups (D1) bom to dams chronically fed low iodine test (LIT) diet through their active growth and subsequent pregnancy and lactation. Surprisingly transport of L-Tyrosine (Tyr) and sucrose (the background marker) was not altered, nor was the BBB transport of all these nutrients affected by feeding LIT diet during the mothers' gestation (D2) and lactation (D3) only. The hypothyroidism in D1 pups was only moderate and preventable by rehabilitation of mothers with control diet from conception (R1) or parturition (R2), as were the changes in BBB nutrient transport. The results suggest that chronic material dietary iodine deficiency impairs BBB nutrient transport in the offspring and this could be prevented by their rehabilitation with iodine.