Surface geochemistry of the clay minerals

Clay: new opportunities for tissue regeneration and biomaterial design

Seminal recent studies that have shed new light on the remarkable properties of clay interactions suggest unexplored opportunities for biomaterial design and regenerative medicine. Here, recent conceptual and technological developments in the science of clay interactions with biomolecules, polymers, and cells are examined, focusing on the implications for tissue engineering and regenerative strategies. Pioneering studies demonstrating the utility of clay for drug-delivery and scaffold design are reviewed and areas for future research and development highlighted.

The Layered Silicate, Montmorillonite (MMT) as a Drug Delivery Carrier

Controlled drug delivery system is a protocol to develop nanostructures and materials that can efficiently encapsulate drugs at high concentration, cross the cell membrane, and release the drug at the target site in a controlled manner for a prescribed period of time. This system can reduces the patient expenses, and risks of toxicity, while it can increase the drug efficacy, specificity, tolerability and therapeutic index of corresponding drugs. Therefore, construction of stimuli-responsive controlled-release systems is of crucial importance for the development of both fundamental science and clinical medicine. Both natural and synthetic materials have been tested and proposed as components of controlled drug delivery. Clay minerals, synthetic or natural, are an important, widely abundant, and low-cost class of materials with unique swelling, intercalation, adsorption, and ion-exchange properties. The safety proof data of clay minerals clearly suggest them to be non-toxic for transdermal application and oral administration. To accomplish controlled-release systems based on layered clay minerals, one of the best ways is to intercalate organic molecules into the interlayer gallery of clay minerals. Intercalation of organic molecules within the gallery of layered silicates offers a novel route to prepare organic and inorganic hybrids that contain properties of both the inorganic host and organic guest in a single material. In this article we will highlight the applications of clay in pharmaceutics as controlled drug delivery carrier.

Complex resistivity signatures of ethanol in sand-clay mixtures

We performed complex resistivity (CR) measurements on laboratory columns to investigate changes in electrical properties as a result of varying ethanol (EtOH) concentration (0% to 30% v/v) in a sand-clay (bentonite) matrix. We applied Debye decomposition, a phenomenological model commonly used to fit CR data, to determine model parameters (time constant: τ, chargeability: m, and normalized chargeability: mn). The CR data showed a significant (P≤0.001) time-dependent variation in the clay driven polarization response (~12 mrad) for 0% EtOH concentration. This temporal variation probably results from the clay-water reaction kinetics trending towards equilibrium in the sand-clay-water system. The clay polarization is significantly suppressed (P≤0.001) for both measured phase (ϕ) and imaginary conductivity (σ″) with increasing EtOH concentration. Normalized chargeability consistently decreases (by up to a factor of ~2) as EtOH concentration increases from 0% to 10% and 10 to 20%, respectively. We propose that such suppression effects are associated with alterations in the electrical double layer (EDL) at the clay-fluid interface due to (a) strong EtOH adsorption on clay, and (b) complex intermolecular EtOH-water interactions and subsequent changes in ionic mobility on the surface in the EDL. Changes in the CR data following a change of the saturating fluid from EtOH 20% to plain water indicate strong hysteresis effects in the electrical response, which we attribute to persistent EtOH adsorption on clay. Our results demonstrate high sensitivity of CR measurements to clay-EtOH interactions in porous media, indicating the potential application of this technique for characterization and monitoring of ethanol contamination in sediments containing clays.

Mass action expressions for bidentate adsorption in surface complexation modeling: theory and practice

The inclusion of multidentate adsorption reactions has improved the ability of surface complexation models (SCM) to predict adsorption to mineral surfaces, but variation in the mass action expression for these reactions has caused persistent ambiguity and occasional mishandling. The principal differences are the exponent (α) for the activity of available surface sites and the inclusion of surface site activity on a molar concentration versus fraction basis. Exemplified by bidentate surface complexation, setting α at two within the molar-based framework will cause critical errors in developing a self-consistent model. Despite the publication of several theoretical discussions regarding appropriate approaches, mishandling and confusion has persisted in the model applications involving multidentate surface complexes. This review synthesizes the theory of modeling multidentate surface complexes in a style designed to enable improvements in SCM practice. The implications of selecting an approach for multidentate SCM are illustrated with a previously published data set on U(VI) adsorption to goethite. To improve the translation of theory into improved practice, the review concludes with suggestions for handling multidentate reactions and publishing results that can avoid ambiguity or confusion. Although most discussion is exemplified by the generic bidentate case, the general issues discussed are relevant to higher denticity adsorption.

Cadmium, copper and lead in macroalgae from the Veracruz Reef System, Gulf of Mexico: spatial distribution and rainy season variability

This study focused on the spatial distribution of trace metals in the Veracruz Reef System in the Southern Gulf of Mexico, and its variability in the early (July) and late (September) rainy season of 2008, by analyzing the concentration of Cd, Cu and Pb in benthic macroalgae. Mean concentrations are lower (Pb 295 ± 347 ng g(-1), Cd 17.9 ± 15.0 ng g(-1)), or similar (Cu 3.4 ± 4.5 μg g(-1)) to those reported from other coastal areas. Cd and Pb concentrations are influenced by the discharge of the Jamapa River, evidencing a fluvial control on coastal trace metal levels. Also, Cd and Cu concentrations were lower in the late rainy season, when there is a high load of suspended sediments derived from fluvial discharge, which probably adsorb dissolved metals decreasing their bioavailability. Pb concentrations have been decreasing in the last two decades in the SGM, after the banning of leaded-gasoline in the late 20th century.

Optimizing a flow-through X-ray transmission cell for studies of temporal and spatial variations of ion distributions at mineral-water interfaces

The optimization of an X-ray transmission-cell design for high-resolution X-ray reflectivity measurements of the kinetics and thermodynamics of reactions at mineral-solution interfaces is presented. The transmission cell is equipped with a liquid flow system consisting of a pair of automated syringe pumps whose relative flow rates control the composition of a solution injected into the cell with ∼1% precision. The reflectivity measurements from the muscovite-(001)-solution interface at photon energies of 15-16.5 keV show that the cell is useful for probing interfacial ion adsorption-desorption experiments at a time scale of several seconds or slower. The time resolution is achieved with a small-volume (∼0.22 ml) reaction chamber to facilitate fast solution exchange. Additional reductions in reaction chamber volume will improve both the data quality by reducing X-ray absorption through the solution and the time resolution by increasing the solution exchange rate in the cell.

Monovalent ion adsorption at the muscovite (001)-solution interface: relationships among ion coverage and speciation, interfacial water structure, and substrate relaxation

The interfacial structure between the muscovite (001) surface and aqueous solutions containing monovalent cations (3 × 10(-3) m Li(+), Na(+), H(3)O(+), K(+), Rb(+), or Cs(+), or 3 × 10(-2) m Li(+) or Na(+)) was measured using in situ specular X-ray reflectivity. The element-specific distribution of Rb(+) was also obtained with resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity. The results demonstrate complex interdependencies among adsorbed cation coverage and speciation, interfacial hydration structure, and muscovite surface relaxation. Electron-density profiles of the solution near the surface varied systematically and distinctly with each adsorbed cation. Observations include a broad profile for H(3)O(+), a more structured profile for Li(+) and Na(+), and increasing electron density near the surface because of the inner-sphere adsorption of K(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+) at 1.91 ± 0.12, 1.97 ± 0.01, and 2.26 ± 0.01 Å, respectively. Estimated inner-sphere coverages increased from ~0.6 to 0.78 ± 0.01 to ~0.9 per unit cell area with decreasing cation hydration strength for K(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+), respectively. Between 7 and 12% of the Rb(+) coverage occurred as an outer-sphere species. Systematic trends in the vertical displacement of the muscovite lattice were observed within ~40 Å of the surface. These include a <0.1 Å shift of the interlayer K(+) toward the interface that decays into the crystal and an expansion of the tetrahedral-octahedral-tetrahedral layers except for the top layer in contact with solution. The distortion of the top tetrahedral sheet depends on the adsorbed cation, ranging from an expansion (by ~0.05 Å vertically) in 3 × 10(-3)m H(3)O(+) to a contraction (by ~0.1 Å) in 3 × 10(-3) m Cs(+). The tetrahedral tilting angle in the top sheet increases by 1 to 4° in 3 × 10(-3) m Li(+) or Na(+), which is similar to that in deionized water where the adsorbed cation coverages are insufficient for full charge compensation.

Wetting and interfacial properties of water nanodroplets in contact with graphene and monolayer boron-nitride sheets

Born-Oppenheim quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) simulations are performed to investigate wetting, diffusive, and interfacial properties of water nanodroplets in contact with a graphene sheet or a monolayer boron-nitride (BN) sheet. Contact angles of the water nanodroplets on the two sheets are computed for the first time using QMD simulations. Structural and dynamic properties of the water droplets near the graphene or BN sheet are also studied to gain insights into the interfacial interaction between the water droplet and the substrate. QMD simulation results are compared with those from previous classic MD simulations and with the experimental measurements. The QMD simulations show that the graphene sheet yields a contact angle of 87°, while the monolayer BN sheet gives rise to a contact angle of 86°. Hence, like graphene, the monolayer BN sheet is also weakly hydrophobic, even though the BN bonds entail a large local dipole moment. QMD simulations also show that the interfacial water can induce net positive charges on the contacting surface of the graphene and monolayer BN sheets, and such charge induction may affect electronic structure of the contacting graphene in view that graphene is a semimetal. Contact angles of nanodroplets of water in a supercooled state on the graphene are also computed. It is found that under the supercooled condition, water nanodroplets exhibit an appreciably larger contact angle than under the ambient condition.

Impact of mineral micropores on transport and fate of organic contaminants: a review

Nanometer-scale pores are abundant in porous geological media (soils, sediments, and aquifer materials), and may account for over >90% of total mineral surface areas. Sorption of organic contaminants in mineral micropores (<2 nm) plays a key role in controlling their fate and transport when the porous geological media have very low organic carbon contents (<0.1%). Significant adsorption of hydrophobic organic contaminants could only occur in the hydrophobic micropore spaces because of the strong competition from water. The rate of desorption from micropores is very slow due to hindered diffusion, resulting in distinct two-stage desorption behavior for microporous solids. Size exclusion effect prevents micropore-sorbed contaminants from being accessed by microorganisms and their extracellular enzymes, thus reducing their bioavailability and biodegradation rates. Results from recent studies indicate that sorption in micropores can also inhibit abiotic degradation of reactive contaminants by protecting them in confined spaces with little reactive water, slowing down hydrolysis and other water-mediated transformations. As a result of the inhibitory effect on abiotic and biotic transformations, and the slow desorption due to hindered diffusion, sorption in hydrophobic micropores of porous geological media can cause preservation of anthropogenic organic contaminants in the subsurface and may increase their persistence to the time scale of geological ages under appropriate conditions. From a practical perspective, understanding the role of mineral micropores is important in assessing the long-term ecotoxicological risk of organic contaminants in the subsurface and designing remediation strategies.

Sorptive and desorptive fractionation of dissolved organic matter by mineral soil matrices

Interactions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with soil minerals, such as metal oxides and clays, involve various sorption mechanisms and may lead to sorptive fractionation of certain organic moieties. While sorption of DOM to soil minerals typically involves a degree of irreversibility, it is unclear which structural components of DOM correspond to the irreversibly bound fraction and which factors may be considered determinants. To assist in elucidating that, the current study aimed at investigating fractionation of DOM during sorption and desorption processes in soil. Batch DOM sorption and desorption experiments were conducted with organic matter poor, alkaline soils. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used to analyze bulk DOM, sorbed DOM, and desorbed DOM fractions. Sorptive fractionation resulted mainly from the preferential uptake of aromatic, carboxylic, and phenolic moieties of DOM. Soil metal-oxide content positively affected DOM sorption and binding of some specific carboxylate and phenolate functional groups. Desorptive fractionation of DOM was expressed by the irreversible-binding nature of some carboxylic moieties, whereas other bound carboxylic moieties were readily desorbed. Inner-sphere, as opposed to outer-sphere, ligand-exchange complexation mechanisms may be responsible for these irreversible, as opposed to reversible, interactions, respectively. The interaction of aliphatic DOM constituents with soil, presumably through weak van der Waals forces, was minor and increased with increasing proportion of clay minerals in the soil. Revealing the nature of DOM-fractionation processes is of great importance to understanding carbon stabilization mechanisms in soils, as well as the overall fate of contaminants that might be associated with DOM.

Microbial reduction of structural iron in interstratified illite-smectite minerals by a sulfate-reducing bacterium

Clay minerals are ubiquitous in soils, sediments, and sedimentary rocks and could coexist with sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in anoxic environments, however, the interactions of clay minerals and SRB are not well understood. The objective of this study was to understand the reduction rate and capacity of structural Fe(III) in dioctahedral clay minerals by a mesophilic SRB, Desulfovibrio vulgaris and the potential role in catalyzing smectite illitization. Bioreduction experiments were performed in batch systems, where four different clay minerals (nontronite NAu-2, mixed-layer illite-smectite RAr-1 and ISCz-1, and illite IMt-1) were exposed to D. vulgaris in a non-growth medium with and without anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) and sulfate. Our results demonstrated that D. vulgaris was able to reduce structural Fe(III) in these clay minerals, and AQDS enhanced the reduction rate and extent. In the presence of AQDS, sulfate had little effect on Fe(III) bioreduction. In the absence of AQDS, sulfate increased the reduction rate and capacity, suggesting that sulfide produced during sulfate reduction reacted with the phyllosilicate Fe(III). The extent of bioreduction of structural Fe(III) in the clay minerals was positively correlated with the percentage of smectite and mineral surface area of these minerals. X-ray diffraction, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy results confirmed formation of illite after bioreduction. These data collectively showed that D. vulgaris could promote smectite illitization through reduction of structural Fe(III) in clay minerals.

Water adsorption on clay minerals as a function of relative humidity: application of BET and Freundlich adsorption models

Water adsorption on kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite clays was studied as a function of relative humidity (RH) at room temperature (298 K) using horizontal attenuated total reflectance (HATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy equipped with a flow cell. The water content as a function of RH was modeled using the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models to provide complementary multilayer adsorption analysis of water uptake on the clays. A detailed analysis of model fit integrity is reported. From the BET fit to the experimental data, the water content on each of the three clays at monolayer (ML) water coverage was determined and found to agree with previously reported gravimetric data. However, BET analysis failed to adequately describe adsorption phenomena at RH values greater than 80%, 50%, and 70% RH for kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite clays, respectively. The Freundlich adsorption model was found to fit the data well over the entire range of RH values studied and revealed two distinct water adsorption regimes. Data obtained from the Freundlich model showed that montmorillonite has the highest water adsorption strength and highest adsorption capacity at RH values greater than 19% (i.e., above ML water adsorption) relative to the kaolinite and illite clays. The difference in the observed water adsorption behavior between the three clays was attributed to different water uptake mechanisms based on a distribution of available adsorption sites. It is suggested that different properties drive water adsorption under different adsorption regimes resulting in the broad variability of water uptake mechanisms.

Molecular explanation for why talc surfaces can be both hydrophilic and hydrophobic

While individual water molecules adsorb strongly on a talc surface (hydrophilic behavior), a droplet of water beads up on the same surface (hydrophobic behavior). To rationalize this dichotomy, we investigated the influence of the microscopic structure of the surface and the strength of adhesive (surface-water) interactions on surface hydrophobicity. We have shown that at low relative humidity, the competition between adhesion and the favorable entropy of being in the vapor phase determines the surface coverage. However, at saturation, it is the competition between adhesion and cohesion (water-water interactions) that determines the surface hydrophobicity. The adhesive interactions in talc are strong enough to overcome the unfavorable entropy, and water adsorbs strongly on talc surfaces. However, they are too weak to overcome the cohesive interactions, and water thus beads up on talc surfaces. Surprisingly, even talc-like surfaces that are highly adhesive do not fully wet at saturation. Instead, a water droplet forms on top of a strongly adsorbed monolayer of water. Our results imply that the interior of hydrophobic zeolites suspended in water may contain adsorbed water molecules at pressures much lower than the intrusion pressure.

Intestine-Specific, Oral Delivery of Captopril/Montmorillonite: Formulation and Release Kinetics

The intercalation of captopril (CP) into the interlayers of montmorillonite (MMT) affords an intestine-selective drug delivery system that has a captopril-loading capacity of up to ca. 14 %w/w and which exhibits near-zero-order release kinetics.

Adsorptive removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions by using Turkish illitic clay

The ability of Turkish illitic clay (TIC) in removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions has been examined in a batch adsorption process with respect to several experimental conditions including initial solution pH, contact time, initial metal ions concentration, temperature, ionic strength, and TIC concentration, etc. The characterization of TIC was performed by using FTIR, XRD and XRF techniques. The maximum uptake of Cd(II) (11.25 mg g(-1)) and Pb(II) (238.98 mg g(-1)) was observed when used 1.0 g L(-1) of TIC suspension, 50 mg L(-1) of initial Cd(II) and 250 mg L(-1) of initial Pb(II) concentration at initial pH 4.0 and contact time of 240 min at room temperature. The experimental data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models. The monolayer adsorption capacity of TIC was found to be 13.09 mg g(-1) and 53.76 mg g(-1) for Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions, respectively. The kinetics of the adsorption was tested using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich and intraparticle diffusion models. The results showed that the adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions onto TIC proceeds according to the pseudo-second-order model. Thermodynamic parameters including the Gibbs free energy (ΔG), enthalpy (ΔH), and entropy (ΔS) changes indicated that the present adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic in the temperature range of 5-40 °C.

Bio-dissolution of colloidal-size clay minerals entrapped in microporous silica gels

Four colloidal-size fractions of strongly anisotropic particles of nontronite (NAu-2) having different ratios of basal to edge surfaces were incubated in the presence of heterotrophic soil bacteria to evaluate how changes in mineral surface reactivity influence microbial dissolution rate of minerals. To avoid any particle aggregation, which could change the reactive surface area available for dissolution, NAu-2 particles were immobilized in a biocompatible TEOS-derived silica matrix. The resulting hybrid silica gels support bacterial growth with NAu-2 as the sole source of Fe and Mg. Upon incubation of the hybrid material with bacteria, between 0.3% and 7.5% of the total Fe included in the mineral lattice was released with a concomitant pH decrease. For a given pH value, the amount of released Fe varied between strains and was two to twelve-fold higher than under abiotic conditions. This indicates that complexing agents produced by bacteria play an important role in the dissolution process. However, in contrast with proton-promoted NAu-2 dissolution (abiotic incubations) that was negatively correlated with particle size, bacterial-enhanced dissolution was constant for all size fractions used. We conclude that bio-dissolution of nontronite particles under acidic conditions seems to be controlled by bacterial metabolism rather than by the surface reactivity of mineral.

Clay mineral continental amplifier for marine carbon sequestration in a greenhouse ocean

The majority of carbon sequestration at the Earth's surface occurs in marine continental margin settings within fine-grained sediments whose mineral properties are a function of continental climatic conditions. We report very high mineral surface area (MSA) values of 300 and 570 m(2) g in Late Cretaceous black shales from Ocean Drilling Program site 959 of the Deep Ivorian Basin that vary on subcentennial time scales corresponding with abrupt increases from approximately 3 to approximately 18% total organic carbon (TOC). The observed MSA changes with TOC across multiple scales of variability and on a sample-by-sample basis (centimeter scale), provides a rigorous test of a hypothesized influence on organic carbon burial by detrital clay mineral controlled MSA. Changes in TOC also correspond with geochemical and sedimentological evidence for water column anoxia. Bioturbated intervals show a lower organic carbon loading on mineral surface area of 0.1 mg-OC m(-2) when compared to 0.4 mg-OC m(-2) for laminated and sulfidic sediments. Although either anoxia or mineral surface protection may be capable of producing TOC of < 5%, when brought together they produced the very high TOC (10-18%) apparent in these sediments. This nonlinear response in carbon burial resulted from minor precession-driven changes of continental climate influencing clay mineral properties and runoff from the African continent. This study identifies a previously unrecognized land-sea connection among continental weathering, clay mineral production, and anoxia and a nonlinear effect on marine carbon sequestration during the Coniacian-Santonian Oceanic Anoxic Event 3 in the tropical eastern Atlantic.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the electrical double layer on smectite surfaces contacting concentrated mixed electrolyte (NaCl-CaCl2) solutions

We report new molecular dynamics results elucidating the structure of the electrical double layer (EDL) on smectite surfaces contacting mixed NaCl-CaCl(2) electrolyte solutions in the range of concentrations relevant to pore waters in geologic repositories for CO(2) or high-level radioactive waste (0.34-1.83 mol(c) dm(-3)). Our results confirm the existence of three distinct ion adsorption planes (0-, β-, and d-planes), often assumed in EDL models, but with two important qualifications: (1) the location of the β- and d-planes are independent of ionic strength or ion type and (2) "indifferent electrolyte" ions can occupy all three planes. Charge inversion occurred in the diffuse ion swarm because of the affinity of the clay surface for CaCl(+) ion pairs. Therefore, at concentrations ≥0.34 mol(c) dm(-3), properties arising from long-range electrostatics at interfaces (electrophoresis, electro-osmosis, co-ion exclusion, colloidal aggregation) will not be correctly predicted by most EDL models. Co-ion exclusion, typically neglected by surface speciation models, balanced a large part of the clay mineral structural charge in the more concentrated solutions. Water molecules and ions diffused relatively rapidly even in the first statistical water monolayer, contradicting reports of rigid "ice-like" structures for water on clay mineral surfaces.

Hydrated cation speciation at the muscovite (001)-water interface

Charged materials in aqueous systems interact according to their interfacial properties, typically described by the electrical double layer (EDL). Distributions of divalent metal cations at the muscovite (001)-solution interface observed using resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity demonstrate an unexpected complexity with respect to the EDL structure. Three forms of adsorbed cations can coexist: the classical inner-sphere and outer-sphere complexes and a third "extended" outer-sphere complex located farther from the surface. Their relative proportions are controlled by the energy balance among cation hydration, interface hydration, and electrostatic attraction. Systematic trends in coverage and position establish the defining role of cation hydration in stabilizing the multiple coexisting species.

X-ray studies of interlayer water absorption and mesoporous water transport in a weakly hydrated clay

The swelling of layered smectite clay particles consists of a change in the interlayer repetition distance ( d -spacing) as a function of temperature and humidity. For the synthetic clay sodium fluorohectorite, hydrodynamically stable hydration states with zero, one and two intercalated monolayers of water have previously been reported, with discrete jumps in d -spacing at the transitions between the hydration states. Keeping the temperature fixed and varying the ambient relative humidity, we find small reproducible d -spacing changes also within the hydration states. These changes are monotonous as a function of relative humidity, and one order of magnitude smaller than the shift in d -spacing that is typical of the transition between two hydration states. The reproducibility and reliability of this relative humidity controlled d -shift enables us to use the interlayer repetition distance d as a measure of the local humidity surrounding the clay particles. We provide an example of application of this observation: imposing a humidity gradient over a quasi-one-dimensional temperature-controlled sample, and using x-ray diffraction to record the d -spacing, we are able to extract profiles of the relative humidity along the sample length. Their time evolution describes the transport of water through the mesoporous space inside the clay. An analysis of the measured humidity profiles based on the Boltzmann transformation, under certain simplifying assumptions, yields a diffusive behavior that is either normal or possibly weakly anomalous.

Immunotoxicological and biochemical effects of aflatoxins in rats prevented by Tunisian montmorillonite with reference to HSCAS

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Previously we reported that hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS) and Tunisian Montmorillonite (TM) had an ability to sorb aflatoxins with a high affinity. Addition of these compounds to feedstuffs contaminated with aflatoxins has shown protective effects against the development of aflatoxicosis in farm and laboratory animals. The objective of the current study was to compare the efficiency of HSCAS and the TM in respect to the protection against immunotoxicological effects of aflatoxins in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Animals fed an aflatoxin-contaminated diet (2.5 mg/kg diet) showed a significant decrease in all hematological parameters, cholesterol, triglycerides, cholinesterase, total protein, albumin, zinc and copper concentrations.

RESULTS

Such feeding significantly increased createnine, bilirubin, urea nitrogen, alkaline phosphatase and transaminases concentrations. The immunological results showed a significant decrease in lymphocytes of the total white blood cells, immunoglobulin profile (Ig G and Ig A), T-cells sub-types (CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+)), NK and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFalpha and IL-1beta) typical of aflatoxicosis. Both HSCAS and TM at the level of 5 g/kg contaminated diet resulted in a significant improvement in all immunological parameters-in lymphocyte, immunoglobulin profile, T-cells sub-types and pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as the mineral status and the biochemical parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

The deleterious effects of aflatoxin could be overcome or, at least, diminished by the addition of sorbents. Moreover, both tested sorbents by themselves had no toxic effects and bind aflatoxin with high affinity.

In-line gas chromatographic apparatus for measuring the hydrophobic micropore volume (HMV) and contaminant transformation in mineral micropores

Desorption of hydrophobic organic compounds from micropores is characteristically slow compared to surface adsorption and partitioning. The slow-desorbing mass of a hydrophobic probe molecule can be used to calculate the hydrophobic micropore volume (HMV) of microporous solids. A gas chromatographic apparatus is described that allows characterization of the sorbed mass with respect to the desorption rate. The method is demonstrated using a dealuminated zeolite and an aquifer sand as the model and reference sorbents, respectively, and trichloroethylene (TCE) as the probe molecule. A glass column packed with the microporous sorbent is coupled directly to a gas chromatograph that is equipped with flame ionization and electron capture detectors. Sorption and desorption of TCE on the sorbent was measured by sampling the influent and effluent of the column using a combination of switching and injection valves. For geosorbents, the HMV is quantified based on Gurvitsch's rule from the mass of TCE desorbed at a rate that is characteristic for micropores. Instrumental requirements, design considerations, hardware details, detector calibration, performance, and data analysis are discussed along with applications. The method is novel and complements traditional vacuum gravimetric and piezometric techniques, which quantify the total pore volume under vacuum conditions. The HMV is more relevant than the total micropore volume for predicting the fate and transport of organic contaminants in the subsurface. Sorption in hydrophobic micropores strongly impacts the mobility of organic contaminants, and their chemical and biological transformations. The apparatus can serve as a tool for characterizing microporous solids and investigating contaminant-solid interactions.

Possible origin of life between mica sheets

The mica hypothesis is a new hypothesis about how life might have originated. The mica hypothesis provides simple solutions to many basic questions about the origins of life. In the mica hypothesis, the spaces between mica sheets functioned as the earliest cells. These 'cells' between mica sheets are filled with potassium ions, and they provide an environment in which: polymer entropy is low; cyclic wetting and drying can occur; molecules can evolve in isolated spaces and also migrate and ligate to form larger molecules. The mica hypothesis also proposes that mechanical energy (work) is a major energy source that could have been used on many length scales to form covalent bonds, to alter polymer conformations, and to bleb daughter cells off protocells. The mica hypothesis is consistent with many other origins hypotheses, including the RNA, lipid, and metabolic 'worlds'. Therefore the mica hypothesis has the potential to unify origins hypotheses, such that different molecular components and systems could simultaneously evolve in the spaces between mica sheets.

Intercalated water in synthetic fluorhectorite clay

(7)Li and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance together with X-ray diffraction measurements in powdered samples and pseudocrystalline films of synthetic fluorhectorite as a function of relative ambient humidity permit to address several aspects of the structure and dynamics of intercalated water molecules. The role of proton exchange as a possibly dominant mechanism of charge transport in the one-water layer regime of hydration is reexamined. The experimental results in Li-fluorhectorite support the result of molecular simulations which predict, for Li-montmorillonite, the existence of an intermediate regime, between one-water layer and two-water layer states.

Reduction of nitrogen compounds in oceanic basement and its implications for HCN formation and abiotic organic synthesis

Hydrogen cyanide is an excellent organic reagent and is central to most of the reaction pathways leading to abiotic formation of simple organic compounds containing nitrogen, such as amino acids, purines and pyrimidines. Reduced carbon and nitrogen precursor compounds for the synthesis of HCN may be formed under off-axis hydrothermal conditions in oceanic lithosphere in the presence of native Fe and Ni and are adsorbed on authigenic layer silicates and zeolites. The native metals as well as the molecular hydrogen reducing CO2 to CO/CH4 and NO3-/NO2- to NH3/NH4+ are a result of serpentinization of mafic rocks. Oceanic plates are conveyor belts of reduced carbon and nitrogen compounds from the off-axis hydrothermal environments to the subduction zones, where compaction, dehydration, desiccation and diagenetic reactions affect the organic precursors. CO/CH4 and NH3/NH4+ in fluids distilled out of layer silicates and zeolites in the subducting plate at an early stage of subduction will react upon heating and form HCN, which is then available for further organic reactions to, for instance, carbohydrates, nucleosides or even nucleotides, under alkaline conditions in hydrated mantle rocks of the overriding plate. Convergent margins in the initial phase of subduction must, therefore, be considered the most potent sites for prebiotic reactions on Earth. This means that origin of life processes are, perhaps, only possible on planets where some kind of plate tectonics occur.

Evidence for potassium carbonate crystallites on air-cleaved mica surfaces

Air-cleaved mica surfaces exhibit a high density of nanometer or micrometer size particles that have been ascribed to potassium carbonate formed as a reaction product of carbonaceous gases with potassium ions. Unambiguous evidence for this assignment has, however, never been presented. We study air-cleaved mica surfaces by high-resolution noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) in ultrahigh vacuum to reveal the detailed structure of such precipitates on the surface. Among a large number of irregularly shaped surface structures, we find flat, hexagonally shaped islands exhibiting two different patterns on their surfaces, namely a rectangular atomic corrugation pattern and a hexagonal moire structure. The unit cell of the rectangular pattern corresponds to the dimensions of the potassium carbonate bulk structure and is found on high crystallites. The moire structure solely appears on very flat islands and is caused by the interference of the potassium carbonate lattice periodicity and the lattice periodicity of the underlying mica substrate. Both results strongly point to the presence of potassium carbonate crystallites on air-cleaved mica surfaces.

Sorption and desorption of imidazolium based ionic liquids in different soil types

This study investigates the influence of the two different clay minerals kaolinite and smectite as well as of organic matter on the cation sorption and desorption behaviour of three imidazolium based ionic liquids -1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (IM14 BF(4)), 1-methyl-3-octyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (IM18 BF(4)) and 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide (IM14 (CF(3)SO(2))(2)N) - in soil. The German standard soil Lufa 2.2 - a natural soil classified as a loamy sand - was the basis substrate for the different soil compositions and also served as a reference soil. The addition of organic matter and clays increases the sorption of the substances and in particular smectite had striking effects on the sorption capacity for all three ionic liquids indicating that ionic interactions play an important role for sorption and desorption processes of ionic liquids in soil. One exception was for kaolinite-containing soils and the IM14 cation: with (CF(3)SO(2))(2)N(-) as an anion the sorption was identical at either 10 wt% or 15 wt% clay content, and with BF(4)(-) sorption was even lower at 15 wt% kaolinite than at 10 wt%. Desorption was weak for IM18 BF(4), presumably owing to the longer alkyl side chain. With regard to the influence of kaolinite on desorption, the same pattern was observed as it was found for the sorption of IM14 BF(4) and IM14 (CF(3)SO(2))(2)N.

Coherent multidimensional vibrational spectroscopy of biomolecules: concepts, simulations, and challenges

The response of complex molecules to sequences of femtosecond infrared pulses provides a unique window into their structure, dynamics, and fluctuating environments. Herein we survey the basic principles of modern two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy, which analogous to those of multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. The perturbative approach for computing the nonlinear optical response of coupled localized chromophores is introduced and applied to the amide backbone transitions of proteins, liquid water, membrane lipids, and amyloid fibrils. The signals are analyzed using classical molecular dynamics simulations combined with an effective fluctuating Hamiltonian for coupled localized anharmonic vibrations whose dependence on the local electrostatic environment is parameterized by an ab initio map. Several simulation methods, (cumulant expansion of Gaussian fluctuation, quasiparticle scattering, the stochastic Liouville equations, direct numerical propagation) are surveyed. Chirality-induced techniques which dramatically enhance the resolution are demonstrated. Signatures of conformational and hydrogen-bonding fluctuations, protein folding, and chemical-exchange processes are discussed.