<p>Predmet istraživanja ove doktorske disertacije bio je ispitivanje adsorpcionog pona&scaron;anja As(III) i odabranih metala (Cu(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), Cr(VI)) na amino- funkcionalizovanim vi&scaron;eslojnim ugljeničnim nanocevima, MWCNT-NH₂, na četiri odabrane pH vrednosti (3; 4,5; 6 i 11) i pri različitim sastavima vodenog rastvora (prisustvo hlorida, nitrata, sulfata i fosfata), a u cilju ispitivanja mogućnosti primene MWCNT-NH₂ za uklanjanje arsena i jona metala iz vodenih rastvora u oblasti relativno niskih koncentracija (0,01-3 mg L ^-1 ). Fokus ove doktorske disertacije<br />je bio na utvrđivanju mehanizma procesa adsorpcije u ispitivanim uslovima.&nbsp;&nbsp; Adsorpciju arsena i metala na MWCNT-NH₂ najbolje je opisao reakcioni model pseudo-drugog reda &scaron;to&nbsp; znači da adsorpcija može biti pripisana uspostavljanju hemijskih interakcija između adsorbata i vezivnih grupa na povr&scaron;ini adsorbenta. Modelovanje brzine Weber Morris-ovim difuzionim modelom ukazalo je&nbsp; na to da unutarčestična difuzija, iako sporiji korak&nbsp; od eksterne difuzije, nije jedini ograničavajući korak u procesu adsorpcije, već su za to odgovorne i interakcije ispitivanih jona sa vezivnim mestima na povr&scaron;ini adsorbenta.&nbsp; U ravnotežnim uslovima, na različitim pH vrednostima, adsorpcija se mogla opisati&nbsp; Langmuir-ovim i Freundlich-ovim adsorpcionim modelima. Kapacitet i afinitet adsorbenta, kao i sam mehanizam adsorpcije, značajno su bili uslovljeni pH vredno&scaron;ću rastvora, kako zbog karakteristika povr&scaron;ine ispitivanog adsorbenta uslovljenih pH vredno&scaron;ću, tako i zbog uticaja pH vrednosti rastvora na pojavne hemijske oblike u kojima se arsen i metali nalaze. Ispitivanje uticaja anjona pokazalo je da je prisustvo hlorida povećalo afinitet povr&scaron;ine MWCNT-NH₂ka jonima arsena i svih metala u oblasti niskih<br />koncentracija, dok je prisustvo hlorida, nitrata, sulfata i fosfata pozitivno uticalo na afinitet povr&scaron;ine (od 2 do 8 puta veći u odnosu na dejonizovanu vodu) MWCNT-NH₂<br />ka Cu(II) u oblasti vi&scaron;ih koncentracija. Najmanji uticaj anjona na afinitet povr&scaron;ine ka vezivanju metala primećen je kod hroma. Pretpostavljeni&nbsp; mehanizmi uklanjanja arsena i odabranih metala u prisustvu anjona ukljuĉuju reakcije građenja različitih vrsta spolja&scaron;nje-&nbsp; i unutra&scaron;nje-sfernih kompleksa, jonske izmene, kao i&nbsp; elektrostatičke interakcije koje se ostvaruju između pozitivno naelektrisane povr&scaron;ine MWCNT-NH_{<span style="font-size: 8.33333px;">2</span>}&nbsp;i anjona, na pH vrednostima manjim od 6,4, a koje menjaju afinitet<br />povr&scaron;ine ka jonima arsena i metala. Rezultati ove doktorske disertacije pokazuju da se ispitivani adsorbent, MWCNT-NH₂,&nbsp; može koristiti za uklanjanje arsena i te&scaron;kih metala iz vode u prisustvu različitih anjona i da, svojim adsorpcionim karakteristikama, može konkurisati komercijalnim i&nbsp; ekonomski pristupačnim adsorbentima.</p> / <p>The subject of this doctoral thesis was the examination of the adsorption behaviour of As(III), and selected metals (Cu(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), Cr(VI)) on the amino-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes, MWCNT-NH₂, at four pH values (3, 4.5, 6, and 11) with different compositions of aqueous solutions (in the presence of chlorides, nitrates, sulphates and phosphates), in order to examine the possibilities of applying MWCNT-NH₂ in removal of arsenic and metal ions from aqueous solutions in relatively low concentration (0,01- 3mg L^-1). The focus of this doctoral thesis was to establish the mechanism of adsorption process in given conditions. Arsenic and metal adsorption on MWCNT-NH₂ were best described with the pseudo-second order kinetic model, which assumes that adsorption can be attributed to the establishment of chemical reactions between the adsorbate, and the binding groups at the surface of adsorbent. The Weber - Morris diffusion model indicated that intercellular diffusion, although being a slower step than external diffusion, is not the only limiting step in the adsorption process, but also that the interactions of ions with the adsorbent surface binding sites, are responsible. In equilibrium, at different pH values, the adsorption could be described by the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. The capacity and affinity of the adsorbent, and adsorption mechanism, were considerably determined by the pH value of the solution, either because of the characteristics of the surface of the investigated adsorbent depending on pH value, or the effect of the solution&rsquo;s pH value on the chemical forms of arsenic and other metals. Investigation of the influence of the anion showed that the presence of chloride increased affinity of the surface of MWCNT-NH₂ to arsenic ions and to all metals in low concentration ranges, while presence of chlorides, nitrates, sulphates and phosphates had a positive impact on the affinity of the surface (2 or 8 times greater than for deionized water) MWCNT-NH₂ for Cu(II) in high concentration ranges. The smallest impact of anions to affinity of the surface to bond metals was noticed for chromium. The assumed mechanisms of removing arsenic and selected metals in the presence of anions include reactions of forming various kinds of outer- and inner-spheric complexes, ionic exchange, as well as electrostatic interaction which occur between positively charged surface of MWCNT-NH₂ and anions, for pH &lt; 6.4, and which change affinity of the surface towards arsenic and metal ions. Results of this doctoral thesis show that the investigated adsorbent, MWCNT-NH₂, can be used for the removal of arsenic and heavy metals from water, in the presence of different anions, and that with its adsorbent characteristic it can compete with commercially, and economically more affordable adsorbents.</p>

A B S T R A C T Presented work focuses on experimental study of anion interaction with neutral particles at temperatures relevant for astrophysics. Anion H− , important for molecular hydrogen creation, and O− as a possible source of water are investigated. The temperature dependence of reac- tion rate coefficients from 10 to 150 K for reactions H− + H → H2 + e− and O− + H2 → H2O + e− has been determined. The energy distri- bution of electrons produced in the latter reaction at 300 K has also been acquired. These studies have been performed on two experimen- tal setups, which are presented together with the theory of operation, construction details, calibration, and supporting test measurements.

Results of ab initio and density functional theory calculations on the structure and vibrational frequencies of hypophosphite anion indicate earlier experimental assignments of the fundamental vibrational modes are correct while the recent reassignments of several modes proposed by Bickley et al. are inconsistent with the calculated results.

Chemistry is the study of materials and the changes that materials undergo. One can tune the properties of the known materials and design the novel materials with desired properties knowing what is responsible for the chemical reactivity, structure, and stability of those materials. The unified chemical bonding theory could address all these questions, but we do not have one available yet. The most accepted general theory of chemical bonding was proposed by Lewis in 1916, though Lewis’s theory fails to explain the bonding in materials with delocalized electron density such as sub-nano and nanoclusters, as well as aromatic organic and organometallic molecules. The dissertation presents a set of projects that can be considered the steps towards the development of the unified chemical bonding theory by extending the ideas of Lewis. The dissertation also presents the studies of the properties of multiply charged anions, which tend to undergo Coulomb explosion in the isolated state and release the excess energy stored in them. It is shown how the properties of multiply charged anions can be tuned upon changing the chemical identity of the species or interaction with solvent molecules. Our findings led to the discovery of a new long-lived triply charged anionic species, whose metastability was explained by the existence of a repulsive Coulomb barrier. We also proposed two ways to restore high symmetry of compounds by suppression of the pseudo Jahn-Teller effect, which could lead to the design of new materials with the restored symmetry and therefore the novel properties.

yes / The density functional theory (DFT) based a unique model has been developed to predict the toxicity of ionic liquids using structural-feature based quantum chemical reactivity descriptors. Electrophilic indices (ω), the energy of highest occupied (EHOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, (ELUMO) and energy gap (∆ E) were selected as the best toxicity descriptors of ILs via Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. The principle components analysis (PCA) demonstrated the distribution and inter-relation of descriptors of the model. A multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis on selected descriptors derived the model equation for toxicity prediction of ionic liquids. The model predicted toxicity values and mechanism are very consistent with observed toxicity. Cationic and side chains length effect are pronounced to the toxicity of ILs. The model will provide an economic screening method to predict the toxicity of a wide range of ionic liquids and their toxicity mechanism.

<p> The synthesis and X-ray crystallographic determination of solid derivatives of homo- and heteropolyatomic anions derived from Zintl phases has generally yielded the least soluble of the ions present in solution. Many other species present in these solutions have remained unidentified until recently when considerable effort directed towards the investigation of the solution chemistries of Zintl anions has been put forth.</p> <p> The present work is mainly concerned with the characterization of new Zintl anions in solution using multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as the primary investigative tool. These studies include (1) the tetrahedral SnCh4^4- (Ch = selenium and/or tellurium), (2) the dimer of SnSe3^2-, Sn2Se6^4-, (3) several interesting but, as-of-yet, unidentified species present in solutions derived from ternary Na/Sn/Te alloys and present in the reaction of Sn(II) Cl2 with Te2^2-, and (4) a set of possible multi-thallium-tellurium species. Relevant chemical shifts and nuclear spin-spin coupling constants are reported and trends discussed.</p> <p>119Sn Mössbauer investigations of all tin-containing species is also presented as is a brief discussion of the X-ray crystallographically determined polytelluride, Te4^2-.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

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Biochemical markers (i.e., biomarkers) are of key importance to guide clinical decisions and public health policies by enabling early detection, accurate diagnosis and/or prevention of human diseases. However, major challenges remain due to the limited clinical utility of many biomarkers and the lack of robust analytical methods for their reliable measurements in a routine clinical setting that is also suitable to large-scale epidemiological studies. This thesis includes two major research themes involving the analysis of known biomarkers that lack appropriate methods, and the discovery of new biomarkers for complex disease conditions. In particular, this thesis describes the (1) development and validation of robust analytical methods based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) with photometric detection for the measurement of inorganic anions in volume-restricted biofluids; and (2) characterization of the sweat metabolome in infants and identification of sweat biomarkers in asymptomatic cystic fibrosis (CF) infants using multisegment injection-capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (MSI-CE-MS). Chapter II introduces a simple CE assay that is remarkably selective for the analysis of sulfate, sulfite and chloride, which was applied in a pilot study to investigate the role of urinary sulfate as a biomarker for kidney stone risk assessment in children. Chapter III introduces a novel CE method for assessing iodine nutrition, which is followed by an inter-method comparison with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry as described in Chapter IV. This led to the development of a fully validated CE method for monitoring the prevalence of iodine deficiency on a population level as required for global health initiatives. Chapter V demonstrates that more than 64 endogenous and exogenous compounds are present in the sweat of screen-positive CF infants, including a panel of differentiating metabolites that are associated with CF status, as well as treatment responsivity to nutritional and/or drug intervention. In summary, this thesis has contributed novel analytical methods suitable for routine biomarker analysis, in addition to the first non-targeted characterization of the sweat metabolome from infants, which require further studies to evaluate their clinical utility as biomarkers that allow for improved diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring of the highly variable CF disease spectrum. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

In the search for molecular species in the interstellar medium and extraterrestrial planetary atmospheres, theoretical methods continue to be an invaluable tool to astronomically minded chemists. Using state-of-the art methods, this doctoral work characterizes the electronically excited states of interstellar radicals, cations, and even rare anions and also predicts the gas phase fundamental vibrational frequencies of the cis and trans-HOCO radicals, as well as the cis-HOCO anion. First, open-shell coupled cluster methods of singles and doubles (CCSD) and singles and doubles with triples-inclusion (CC3) are tested on the C₂H and C₄H radicals. The significant double-excitation character, as well as the quartet multiplicity of some states yields inaccurate excitation energies and large spin contamination with CCSD. CC3 somewhat improves this for select states, but discrepancies between CC and multireference results for certain states exist and likely arise from the lack of spin adaptation in conventional spin-orbital CC. Next, coupled-cluster methods predict the presence of an excited state of the closed-shell allyl cation and its related H₂CCCHCH₂⁺ cousin at 443 nm near an unidentified laboratory peak at 442.9 nm which is also close to one of the largest unattributed interstellar absorption features. Additionally, the dipole moments, electron binding energies, and excited states of neutral radicals and corresponding closed-shell anions of interstellar interest are also computed. These are calibrated against experimental data for CH₂CN⁻ and CH₂CHO⁻. Since coupled cluster theory closely reproduces the known experimental data, dipole-bound excited states for eight previously unknown anions are predicted: CH2SiN⁻ , SiH₂CN⁻, CH₂SiHO⁻, SiN⁻, CCOH⁻, HCCO⁻, SiCCN⁻, and SiNC⁻. In addition, we predict the existence of one rare valence-bound excited state of CH₂SiN⁻ and also SiCCN⁻ as well as even rarer two valence-bound states of CCSiN⁻. Lastly, the reaction of CO + OH and its transient potential intermediate, the HOCO radical, may be responsible for the regeneration of CO₂ in the Martian atmosphere, but past spectroscopic observations have not produced a full gas-phase set of the fundamental vibrational frequencies of the HOCO radical. Using established, highly-accurate quantum chemical coupled cluster tech- niques and quartic force fields, all six fundamental vibrational frequencies for 1 ²A′ cis and trans-HOCO and 1 ¹A′ cis-HOCO⁻ are computed in the gas phase. / Ph. D.