Objective of this project was the study of basic interaction and migration processes of actinides in the environment in presence of humic acids (HA). To obtain more basic knowledge on these interaction processes synthetic HA with specific functional properties as well as 14C-labeled HA were synthesized and applied in comparison to the natural HA Aldrich. One focus of the work was on the synthesis of HA with distinct redox functionalities. The obtained synthetic products that are characterized by significantly higher Fe(III) redox capacities than Aldrich HA were applied to study the redox properties of HA and the redox stability of U(VI) humate complexes. It was confirmed that phenolic OH groups play an important role for the redox properties of HA. However, the results indicate that there are also other processes than the single oxidation of phenolic OH groups and/or other functional groups contributing to the redox behavior of HA. A first direct-spectroscopic proof for the reduction of U(VI) by synthetic HA with distinct redox functionality was obtained. The complexation behavior of synthetic and natural HA with actinides (Th, Np, Pu) was studied. Structural parameters of Pu(III), Th(IV), Np(IV) and Np(V) humates were determined by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The results show that carboxylate groups dominate the interaction between HA and actinide ions. These are predominant monodentately bound. The influence of phenolic OH groups on the Np(V) complexation by HA was studied with modified HA (blocked phenolic OH groups). The blocking of phenolic OH groups induces a decrease of the number of maximal available complexing sites of HA, whereas complex stability constant and Np(V) near-neighbor surrounding are not affected. The effects of HA on the sorption and migration behavior of actinides was studied in batch and column experiments. Th(IV) sorption onto quartz and Np(V) sorption onto granite and its mineral constituents are affected by the pH value and the presence of HA. HA exhibits a significant influence on the transport of U(IV) and U(VI) in a laboratory quartz sand system. In order to provide the basis for a more reliable modeling of the actinide transport, the metal ion complexation with HA has to be integrated into existing geochemical speciation codes. Within this project the metal ion charge neutralization model was embedded into the geochemical modeling code EQ3/6. In addition to that, a digital data base was developed which covers HA complexation data basing on the charge neutralization model.

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Les objectifs de cette thèse ont été principalement de comprendre l'impact de la matière organique sur le comportement des terres rares en solution et notamment: (i) de comprendre pourquoi le développement d'anomalie de cérium négative dans des eaux organiques oxydantes ne se produit pas; (ii) de tester la capacité des modèles à prédire la spéciation des terres rares dans des eaux organiques; (iii) d'évaluer les réactions compétitives de complexation des terres rares avec les acides humiques et les carbonates.<br />La première partie a été consacrée à deux études expérimentales de l'impact de la complexation organique sur le comportement redox du cérium et l'adsorption des terres rares à la surface d'oxydes de fer et de manganèse. La complexation des terres rares par la matière organique inhibe à la fois, l'oxydation du Ce(III) en Ce(IV) et le développement d'un effet tetrad visible sur les spectres de terres rares des eaux. Cette inhibition est due au développement d'un écran organique entre les terres rares et les surfaces oxydantes/adsorbantes que représentent les oxydes de fer et de manganèse.<br />La deuxième partie présente une évaluation de deux modèles, Model VI et SHM, quant à leur faculté à prédire la spéciation organique dans les eaux naturelles. La comparaison entre les résultats calculés et les expériences d'ultrafiltration a permis de valider Model VI dans sa capacité à prédire la spéciation des terres rares dans les eaux organiques. Par contre, la divergence entre les résultats obtenus avec SHM et les résultats expérimentaux indique que SHM, dans l'état actuel du programme, n'est pas apte à décrire précisément la spéciation des terres rares dans une eau naturelle. Dans un deuxième temps, cette étude a permis de fournir un jeu de constantes terres rares - acides humiques spécifiques à Model VI, fiables et cohérentes.<br />La troisième partie de ce travail a été consacrée aux réactions de compétitions entre ligands, acides humiques et carbonates, pour la complexation des terres rares. En fonction du pH et du rapport entre acide humique et carbonate, les terres rares vont se répartir entre ces deux ligands. La compétition entre les deux ligands induit également la formation d'une anomalie positive de cérium sur les acides humiques et négative dans la solution. Un nouveau mécanisme capable de développer sans surface oxydante ou bactérie, une anomalie négative de Ce dans les eaux naturelles a ainsi été mis en évidence.<br />La matière organique est responsable d'une forte complexation des terres rares dans les eaux naturelles. Une plus grande attention doit donc être portée à cette forme complexée pour étudier le transport des terres rares dans les eaux. Cette étude remet également en cause l'utilisation de l'anomalie de Ce comme témoin des conditions redox dans des eaux riches en matières organiques.

L'objectif de cette étude est d'évaluer l'effet d'une augmentation de température sur les propriétés d'adsorption des minéraux argileux. La sorption et la désorption de Cs+, Ni2+ et Ln3+ sur une montmorillonite et une kaolinite ont été étudiées par des expériences « batch », de 25 à 150°C, et dans différentes conditions de pH et de forces ioniques. Des enthalpies de sorption comprises entre 0 et 80kJ/mol environ ont ainsi été calculées. Pour l'europium, des analyses spectroscopiques de surface ont confirmé que le mécanisme impliqué était bien un mécanisme d'adsorption, y compris à 150°C. De plus, par cette méthode nous avons pu caractériser qualitativement les équilibres d'adsorption mis en jeu. Une étude d'acido/basicité des surfaces des argiles a également été menée afin d'évaluer l'effet de la température sur la charge de surface de ces minéraux. Enfin, un modèle incluant sites de bordures et sites structuraux nous a permis d'interpréter à la fois les données de titrages acido/basiques et les données de sorption obtenues pour l'europium.

Cyclodextrins (CD) are cyclic oligosaccharides composed of six to more than sixty glucose units. Large-ring cyclodextrins (LR-CD) are novel CD comprised of more than eight glucose units with cavity structures and sizes different from that of commercially available CD₆ – CD₈. LR-CD may offer unique molecular recognition properties and can be produced biocatalytically from starch using cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase, E.C. 2.4.1.19) in a short reaction time. LR-CD were isolated from glucose, CD₆ – CD₈ and other compounds by complexation of CD₆ – CD₈ as well as precipitation techniques. The yield of LR-CD (degree of polymerization from 9 to 21) was optimized using central composite design. Addition of polar organic solvents to the synthesis resulted in higher yields of LR-CD. LR-CD composed of 9 to 21 glucose units were successfully separated using reversed-phase of ODS-AQ chromatography and normal-phase of polyamine II chromatography. Maintaining optimized reaction conditions aided in a high yield of CD₉; it could be separated with reasonable yield using a single step of polyamine II chromatography. A co-grinding method helped to obtain higher solubilization levels of glibenclamide, vitamin A acetate and vitamin D₃ in CD₁₃, CD₁₀ and CD₁₁, respectively when compared to other CD. Vitamin K₁ was solubilized in distilled water with CD₆ – CD₁₃ using a co-precipitation method. When compared with other CD, CD₉ was seen to be the best solubilizer. The analysis of complexes using ESI MS showed spironolactone and glibenclamide complexed with CD₉ and CD₁₃, respectively.

Les copolymères poly (acétate de vinyle-co-alcool vinylique), désignés par PVA, sont des tensioactifs macromoléculaires obtenus par hydrolyse partielle de poly (acétate de vinyle)(PVAc). Si les propriétés tensioactives des PVA ont pu être corrélées aux caractéristiques moléculaires il n'en est par de même en ce qui concerne les associats du type nanogels présents dans les solutions aqueuses. L'objectif de cette thèse était de caractériser les nanogels par des techniques telles que la diffusion dynamique de la lumière, la chromatographie d'exclusion stérique et la viscosimétrie. 9 PVA, de degrés d'hydrolyse de 73 à 88 mole% et de degrés de polymérisation de 650 à 2500 ont été étudiés. Il est apparu que les nanogels présent dans les PVA de DH =73 mole% et formés par interactions hydrophobe-hydrophobe entre séquences acétate ont des tailles entre 20-40 nm, avec des fractions volumiques de l'ordre de 20-30%. La désagrégation des nanogels par formation de complexes avec des tensioactifs anioniques du type SDS et SDBS a ensuite été démontrée. En faisant appel à la technique de fractionnement par " point de trouble " il est apparu que les chaînes les plus riches en acétate et en particulier celles ayant des longueurs des séquences acétate importantes complexent plus de SDS.Des " copolymères modèles " du type copolymères diblocs PVAc-b-PVOH comportant une séquence hydrophobe PVAc et une hydrophile PVOH ont pu être préparés par polymérisation RAFT, suivie par une réaction click. Une étude préliminaire de la micellisation de tels copolymères a permis de montrer la très grande analogie entre micelles de copolymères à blocs PVAc-b-PVOH et les nanogels de PVA examinés précédemment.

Dendrimers are synthetic macromolecules with branches-upon-branches structures, nanoscale dimensions and a high density of surface groups. Presence of multiple cationic sites in dendrimers permits their efficient nucleic acid complexation and cellular internalization through endocytic pathways. PETIM dendrimers of are characterized by tertiary amine branch points, and ether linkages. A third generation PETIM dendrimer, G3(NH2)24, with nitrogen at the core and twenty four peripheral primary amines was synthesized through alternate Michael addition and reduction reactions. The ability of G3(NH2)24 to interact with DNA was ascertained by spectroscopic and bio-physical techniques. These studies established the formation of dendrimer-DNA, and complex formation was also shown to protect the plasmid DNA from nucleases. Toxicity studies in cell culture, as well as, in female Balb/c mice established the non-toxic properties of the dendrimer. G3(NH2)24 was able to mediate efficient transfection in mammalian cells and in vivo. Targeted delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to hepatocytes, in order to combat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was undertaken to expand the scope of PETIM dendrimer based gene delivery. Functionalization of the dendrimer periphery with galactose units ensured preferential delivery to the liver through multivalent interactions with the asialoglycoprotein receptors on the liver cell surface. The delivery of siRNA to the perinuclear region, in close proximity to the HCV RNA replication site resulted in ~75% decrease in viral RNA levels in replicon containing cells, as well as, JFH-1 infectious virus systems. The dendrimer-siRNA complexes were preferentially delivered to mice liver and were active in vivo. Physico-chemical studies of the protonation pattern of PETIM dendrimer indicated that the protonation of the dendrimer amines proceeded in a shell-wise pattern from the periphery to the core. The primary amines of the dendrimer as well as the outer shell tertiary amines with pKa values ~7-10 were protonated at physiological pH and were cationic sites for nucleic acid condensation. The inner shell tertiary amines with a pKa of ~4-6 were protonated at endosomal pH and aided ‘endosomal escape’ due to the high buffering capacity of 3.5. Work described in the Thesis establish a new synthetic dendrimer vector, namely, the series of PETIM dendrimers, as a high value gene delivery vector, making in-roads towards pre-clinical and possible clinical trials in future studies.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:01:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MaxwellF_DISSERT.pdf: 5002328 bytes, checksum: 0f37f8be5c901a29ea1ab20a58f7143c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-18 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / In this study, binary perovskite (BaCexO3) were doped with praseodymium (Pr) to obtainment of the ternary material BaCexPr1-xO3. This material was synthesized by the complexation method combining EDTA/Citrate with the stoichiometric ratio of the element Praseodymium ranging from x = 0.1 to x = 0.9 in order to determine the influence of this rare earth element on the morphology and microstructure of the final powder. At first the material was synthesized based on the route proposed by literature (Santos, 2010), and then characterized by SEM and XRD, besides being refined by the Rietveld method. In the material that had lowest residual parameter, S, and lowest average size of crystal, pH variation of synthesis solution was made in order to identify the influence of this parameter on the morphology and microscopy of the final powder. The results show that addition of praseodymium did not directly influence the crystallographic and lattice parameters, keeping even the same orthorhombic structure of the binary material BaCexO3, according to Yamanaka et al (2003). Material type BaCe0,2Pr0,8O3 had lowest residual parameter (S=1.4) and lowest average size of crystallite (26.4 nm), being used as reference in the pH variation of synthesis solution for 9, 7, 5 and 3, respectively. Variation of this parameter showed that when the synthesis solution pH was decreased to below 11, there was an increase in the average size of crystals, for pH 9, about 58.3%, for pH 7 (30.3 %), for pH 2 (2.3%) and for pH 3 (42%), indicating that the value initially used and quoted by Santos (2010) was the most coherent / No presente trabalho, perovskitas bin?rias do tipo (BaCexO3) foram dopadas com praseod?mio (Pr) para obten??o de materiais tern?rios do tipo BaCexPr1-xO3. Esse material foi sintetizado pelo m?todo de complexa??o combinando EDTA/Citrato, com a raz?o estequiom?trica do elemento praseod?mio variando de x=0,1 a x=0,9, com objetivo de determinar a influ?ncia deste terra rara na morfologia e microestrutura do p? final. Em principio o material foi sintetizado com base em rota proposta na literatura (Santos, 2010), sendo em seguida caracterizado via MEV e DRX, al?m de serem refinados pelo m?todo Rietveld. No material que obteve menor par?metro residual, S, e menor tamanho m?dio de cristal foi feita a varia??o do pH da solu??o de s?ntese a fim de identificar a influ?ncia deste par?metro na morfologia e microscopia do p? final. Os resultados mostram que a adi??o do elemento praseod?mio n?o influenciou diretamente os par?metros cristalogr?ficos e de rede, mantendo, inclusive, a mesma estrutura ortorr?mbica do material bin?rio do tipo BaCexO3, de acordo com Yamanaka et al (2003). O material do tipo BaCe0,2Pr0,8O3 obteve menor par?metro residual (S=1,4) e menor tamanho m?dio de cristalito (26,4 nm), sendo usado como refer?ncia na varia??o do pH da solu??o de s?ntese para 9, 7, 5 e 3, respectivamente. A varia??o desse par?metro mostrou que quando foi diminu?do o pH da solu??o de s?ntese para valores abaixo de 11, houve um aumento no tamanho m?dio dos cristais, para o pH 9, em torno de 58,3 %, para o pH7 (30,3%), para o pH2 (2,3%) e para o pH3 (42%), indicando que o pH 11 utilizado inicialmente e citado por Santos (2010) foi o mais coerente

Estudou-se a adsorção de Cd(II) e Pb(II) em uma suspensão de vermiculita 1,0 g L-1 em meio de KNO3 2 e 20 mmoI L-1 em pH 5,0; 6,0 e 7,0 (&#177;0,1). Após um tempo de equilíbrio de 6 h, as suspensões foram centrifugadas e o sobrenadante analisado por voltametria de redissolução anódica em condições de fluxo contínuo na etapa de acumulação. A capacidade de adsorção e afinidade das ligações, avaliadas pelos métodos de Scatchard e Freundlich, foi maior para o Pb(II) do que para o Cd(II), aumentando para ambos os cátions com o aumento do pH e diminuição da força iônica. De modo geral, a incorporação de substância húmica na vermiculita, obtida a partir de uma suspensão 30 mg L-1 de ácido húmico (AH), aumentou a capacidade de adsorção de Pb(II) e Cd(II) nas condições estudadas. Em uma segunda etapa estudou-se a adsorção do herbicida atrazina (AT) e os metabólitos hidróxi-atrazina (HAT), desetil-atrazina (DEA) e desisopropil-atrazina (DIA) em amostra de solo. O estudo foi conduzido em suspensão contendo 1,0 g de solo e 5 mL de solução de CaCI2 0,01 moI L-1 em pH 5,2 &#177; 0,1, contendo o herbicida e os metabólitos. Após um tempo de equilíbrio de 24 h, as suspensões foram centrifugadas e as soluções analisadas por HPLC. O tratamento de dados pelos métodos de Scatchard e Freundlich revelou a ordem de afinidade e capacidade de adsorção: HAT > AT > DEA =~ DIA, tanto na presença, como na ausência de AH. / The adsorption of Cd(lI) and Pb(lI) was studied in a 1,00 g I-1 vermiculite suspension in 2 and 20 mmol I-1 KNO3 medium at pH 5,0; 6,0 and 7,0 (&#177;0,1). After 6 h of equilibrium time, the suspensions were centrifuged and the supernatants analyzed by anodic stripping voltammetry under continuous flow in the accumulation step. To evaluate the adsorption capacity and the binding affinity, the Scatchard and Freundlich methods were employed, showing a greater removal process for Pb(II), increasing for both ions at higher pH values and smaller ionic strength. In short, the vermiculite treated with a 30 mg I-1 humic acid (HA) suspension showed an enhancement of the adsorption capacity for Cd(lI) and Pb(lI) under alI conditions of this study. Secondly, the adsorption process of the herbicide atrazine (AT), and the metabolites hidroxyatrazine (HAT), deethylatrazine (DEA) and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) was studied in a soil sample. The study was carried out in a 5 ml suspension with 1,0 g of soil in 0,01 moI I-1 CaCl2 solution, pH 5.2 &#177; 0.1, in the presence of the herbicide and metabolites. After an equiIibrium time of 24 h, the suspensions were centrifuged and the supernatants analyzed using HPLC. The data treatment using Scatchard and Freundlich methods revealed the following adsorption capacity and affinity order: HAT > AT > DEA =~DIA, in the presence or absence of HA.

O galato de lantânio contendo substituições parciais de estrôncio e magnésio (La1-xSrxGa1-yMgyO3-&delta;) apresenta estrutura tipo perovsquita e alta condutividade para íons de oxigênio. Outras características desta cerâmica são o extenso domínio eletrolítico e a baixa condutividade eletrônica. É um material promissor para uso como eletrólito sólido em células a combustível de óxido sólido que operam em temperaturas intermediárias, devido sua alta condutividade iônica e estabilidade em uma ampla faixa de pressão parcial de oxigênio. Neste trabalho, a composição La0,9Sr0,1Ga0,8Mg0,2O3-&delta; foi preparada pelo método convencional de mistura de óxidos a partir de diferentes rotas e pelo método de complexação de cátions. As amostras foram consolidadas pelo método convencional de sinterização e por sinterização rápida. Pelo método de mistura de óxidos foi possível obter a fase ortorrômbica do LSGM, mas não foi possível eliminar as fases SrLaGaO4, La4Ga2O9 e SrLaGa3O7, independente das condições de sinterização utilizadas. Precipitados de óxido de magnésio foram observados nas amostras preparadas pelos dois métodos de síntese empregados identificados apenas por microscopia eletrônica de varredura. As densidades obtidas foram superiores a 97% da densidade teórica em amostras sinterizadas a 1450 °C/4 h, para os materiais preparados por mistura de óxidos. Amostras preparadas por método de complexação de cátions e aquelas consolidadas por sinterização rápida apresentaram menores valores de densidade. Grãos de tamanhos micrométricos foram obtidos para os dois métodos de sinterização. Amostras calcinadas a 1250°C apresentaram maiores densidades e maiores valores de condutividade iônica dos grãos e dos contornos de grãos, quando comparadas com as demais amostras. / Lanthanum gallate with partial substitution on La and Ga sites (La1-xSrxGa1-yMgyO3-&delta;) has perovskite structure and high oxide-ion conductivity. Other properties of this ceramic material comprise a relatively wide electrolytic domain and low electron conductivity. Doped lanthanum gallate is a potential solid electrolyte for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells due to its high ionic conductivity and stability in a wide range of oxygen partial pressure. In this work, the composition La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.8Mg0.2O3-&delta; was prepared by the conventional method of mixing of the starting oxides followed by different processing routes and by the cation complexation method. The ceramic specimens were consolidated by conventional sintering and by fast firing. All specimens prepared by solid state reaction show the characteristic orthorhombic phase of lanthanum gallate and SrLaGaO4, La4Ga2O9 and SrLaGa3O7 secondary phases, independent on the method of sintering. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy coupled to scanning electron microscopy evidenced that all prepared specimens contain MgO grains precipitated along the grain boundaries. High relative densities were obtained for specimens prepared by solid state reaction and consolidated by conventional sintering at 1450 °C/4 h. All specimens exhibit micron sized grains independent on the sintering method. The highest values of relative density and ionic conductivity were obtained for specimens calcined at 1250°C.