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Biomedical subjects

C M Wai

Publications and source records attributed to C M Wai.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Dissolution of uranium dioxide in supercritical fluid carbon dioxide.

Uranium dioxide can be dissolved in supercritical CO2 with a CO2-philic TBP-HNO3 complexant to form a highly soluble UO2(NO3)(2).2TBP complex; this new method of dissolving UO2 that requires no water or organic solvent may have important applications for reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels and for treatment of nuclear wastes.

Journal Article↗

Separation of metal chelates and organometallic compounds by SFC and SFE/GC.

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) combines the high diffusion coefficients of gas chromatography (GC) and the solubility properties of liquid chromatography (LC). SFC generally requires lower temperatures for chromatographic separations and thus is more suitable for analyzing thermally labile compounds including a number of metal chelates and organometallic compounds. SFC also allows interfacing between supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and chromatographic analysis of metal-containing compounds. A large number of metal chelates and organometallic compounds can be separated by SFC. This article summarizes SFC separation of various chelates of transition metals, heavy metals, lanthanides and actinides as well as organometallic compounds of lead, mercury, and tin reported in the recent literature. This article also discusses SFC detection systems and the determination of solubility of organometallic compounds by SFC.

Actinoid Series Elements↗

Remediation of a nonachloro biphenyl congener with zero-valent iron in subcritical water.

Dechlorination of a nonachloro biphenyl congener with zero-valent iron in water under high temperature and pressure was investigated over time. Temperature has the main influence on the speed of dechlorination. Determination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) according to the grade of chlorination was performed by gas chromatography with mass selective detection in single ion monitoring mode. Dechlorination results in a variety of lower chlorinated biphenyls. The level of chlorination decreases with time. The amount of PCB molecules decreases to one-third within 90 min at 250 degrees C and 100 atm. However, no increase of biphenyl could be detected over time. A first-order kinetic model fitted the data obtained.

Chlorine↗

Supercritical fluid extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from white pine (Pinus strobus) needles and its implications.

A supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) method was developed for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from fresh and fallen pine needles. Toluene-modified CO2 was used as the extracting fluid, and the extracted PAHs were analyzed by GC-MS. Using a two-stage extraction procedure, a static extraction at 180 degrees C and a dynamic extraction at 60 degrees C, and an in-cell silica gel plug plus a post-oven silica gel column, the extraction and fractionation of PAHs can be accomplished in one step. Over a seven month period, a significant variation was observed for PAHs in urban samples, while PAHs in mountain samples were at much lower levels (by a factor of approximately 8) and showed little seasonal change. Although dry fallen needles and fresh needles contained similar amounts of PAHs, in the fallen needles the lower molecular weight PAHs were partially lost while the higher molecular weight PAHs were slightly enriched. Pollution in urban areas was found to be highly localized, and buildings and trees are believed to be important factors in the restriction of atmospheric PAHs.

Air Pollution↗

Supercritical fluid extraction/gamma-radiolysis of PCBs from contaminated soil.

Off-line supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) followed by gamma-radiolysis as an alternative treatment technique for PCB-contaminated soil was investigated in this study using BZ #54 (2, 2',6,6'-tetrachlorobiphenyl) as the model compound. The preliminary results indicate that removal of BZ #54 from spiked sand and soil using SFE at 150 degrees C and 20 MPa is 98% and 93%, respectively. The reduction efficiency of 864 mg/l BZ #54 in isooctane by gamma-radiolysis is 99.8% at an absorbed dose of 500 kGy.

Environmental Pollutants↗

Simultaneous determination of arsenic and antimony species in environmental samples using bis(trifluoroethyl)dithiocarbamate chelation and supercritical fluid chromatography.

Simultaneous separation and quantitation of arsenic(III) and antimony(III) can be achieved by extraction with lithium bis(trifluoroethyl)dithiocarbamate followed by supercritical fluid chromatographic (SFC) analysis. Arsenic(V) and antimony(V) are extracted after reduction with potassium iodide and sodium thiosulfate. Detection limits of 7 pg As and 11 pg Sb are achieved using this extraction method and SFC. Application to natural water and biological sample analysis is discussed.

Antimony↗