pH-Specific synthetic chemistry, and spectroscopic, structural, electrochemical and magnetic susceptibility studies in binary Ni(II)-(carboxy)phosphonate systems

A simple spectroscopic method to determine dimethoate in water samples by complex formation

A simple and rapid method for the determination of dimethoate in water was developed based on the monitoring of the complex formation between bis 5-phenyldipyrrinate of nickel (II) and the herbicide dimethoate. The method showed a short response time (10 s), high selectivity (very low interference from other sulfate and salts), high sensitivity (limit of detection (LOD) 0.45 µM, limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 1.39 µM), and a K_d of 2.4 µM. Stoichiometry experiments showed that complex formation occurred with a 1:1 relation. The method was applied to different environmental water samples such as lagoon, stream, urban, and groundwater samples. The results indicated that independently from the water source, the method exhibited high precision (0.25-2.47% variation coefficient) and accuracy (84.42-115.68% recovery). In addition, the method was also tested using an effluent from a wastewater treatment plant from Mexico; however, the results indicated that the presence of organic matter had a pronounced effect on the detection.

Spectrophotometric Detection of Glyphosate in Water by Complex Formation between Bis 5-Phenyldipyrrinate of Nickel (II) and Glyphosate

A spectrophotometric method for the determination of glyphosate based on the monitoring of a complex formation between bis 5-phenyldipyrrinate of nickel (II) and the herbicide was developed. The method showed a short response time (10 s), high selectivity (very low interference from other pesticides and salts), and high sensitivity (LOD 2.07 × 10−7 mol/L, LOQ 9.87 × 10−7 mol/L, and a Kd from 1.75 × 10−6 to 6.95 × 10−6 mol/L). The Job plot showed that complex formation occurs with a 1:1 stoichiometry. The method was successfully applied in potable, urban, groundwater, and residual-treated water samples, showing high precision (0.34–2.9%) and accuracy (87.20–119.04%). The structure of the complex was elucidated through theoretical studies demonstrating that the nickel in the bis 5-phenyldipyrrinate forms a distorted octahedral molecular geometry by expanding its coordination number through one bond with the nitrogen and another with the oxygen of the glyphosate’ carboxyl group, at distances between 1.89–2.08 Å.

Thermodynamic Study on the Protonation Reactions of Glyphosate in Aqueous Solution: Potentiometry, Calorimetry and NMR spectroscopy

Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] has been described as the ideal herbicide because of its unique properties. There is some conflicting information concerning the structures and conformations involved in the protonation process of glyphosate. Protonation may influence the chemical and physical properties of glyphosate, modifying its structure and the chemical processes in which it is involved. To better understand the species in solution associated with changes in pH, thermodynamic study (potentiometry, calorimetry and NMR spectroscopy) about the protonation pathway of glyphosate is performed. Experimental results confirmed that the order of successive protonation sites of totally deprotonated glyphosate is phosphonate oxygen, amino nitrogen, and finally carboxylate oxygen. This trend is in agreement with the most recent theoretical work in the literature on the subject (J. Phys. Chem. A 2015, 119, 5241-5249). The result is important because it confirms that the protonated site of glyphosate in pH range 7-8, is not on the amino but on the phosphonate group instead. This corrected information can improve the understanding of the glyphosate chemical and biochemical action.

Study of the stepwise deprotonation reactions of glyphosate and the corresponding pKa values in aqueous solution

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) (Gph) is a herbicide that is broadly used in several countries. Its application to eliminate weeds may have the undesired effect of diminishing the metallic cations found in the soil (e.g., Ni(2+) and Zn(2+)), due to a complexation reaction that depends on the soil's pH. To better understand the molecular structures of glyphosate that are involved in such a complexation reaction, we have studied all possible glyphosate conformations in aqueous solution that may be involved in deprotonation reactions in the pH range from 2 to 11 using the polarizable continuum method (PCM). We have also compared direct (or absolute) methods to calculate pKa values, the cluster-continuum model and the proton-exchange scheme, using different thermodynamic cycles. The best result was achieved when using a proton-exchange scheme, which was able to properly reproduce three glyphosate experimental pKa values predicted for the glyphosate structures and conformations previously determined.

Sodium-centered dodecanuclear Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes with 2-(phosphonomethylamino)succinic acid: studies of spectroscopic, structural, and magnetic properties

Two new isostructural cobalt(II) and nickel(II) polynuclear complexes with 2-(phosphonomethyl)aminosuccinic acid, H4PMAS, namely, Na[Co12(PMAS)6(H2O)17(OH)]·x2H2O, 1·x2H2O, and Na[Ni12(PMAS)6(H2O)17(OH)]·xH2O, 2·xH2O, have been synthesized for the first time from aqueous solutions and studied by single crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy; TG/DTA analysis; and magnetochemistry. Both 1 and 2 crystallize in the rhombohedral crystal system with the R3[overline] space group with 1/6 of the Co12(PMAS)6 or Ni12(PMAS)6 moieties in the asymmetric unit. The X-ray refinements reveal the presence of 18 water sites, but unit cell charge balance requires that one water molecule must be an OH(-) anion, an anion which is disordered over the 18 sites. The PMAS(4-) ligand forms two five-membered and one six-membered chelation ring. Both 1 and 2 contain 24-membered metallacycles as a result of the bridging nature of the PMAS(4-) ligands. The resulting three-dimensional structures have one-dimensional channels with a sodium cation at the center of symmetry. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility reveals the presence of weak antiferromagnetic exchange coupling interactions in both 1 and 2. Two exchange coupling constants, J1 = -15.3(7) cm(-1) and J2 = -1.06(2) cm(-1) with S1 = S2 = 3/2 for the Co(1)···Co(1) and Co(1)···Co(2) exchange pathways, respectively, are required for 1, and J1 = -1.17(6) cm(-1) and J2 = -4.00(8) cm(-1) with S1 = S2 = 1 for the Ni(1)···Ni(1) and Ni(1)···Ni(2) exchange pathways, respectively, are required for 2, in order to fit the temperature dependence of the observed magnetic susceptibilities.

Influence of the soil organic matter content on voltammetric determination of derivatised glyphosate in herbicide contaminated soils

The method for monitoring of Glyphosate (GP) in soil samples containing different organic matter content based on differential pulse voltammetry at a hanging mercury drop electrode was developed to reach higher sample preparation efficiency, its repeatability and sufficient limits of detection. The soil samples with three different organic matter contents (evaluated as total organic carbon contents 30.7, 13.0 and 6.3 g kg–1) were tested. The decreasing content of organic matter resulted in a decreasing recoveries (86, 78 and 68%, respectively), with RSD around 10%. The GP derivatised to N-nitrosoglyphosate (NO-GP) can be determined using the adopted method with limits of detection around 2 ppm in the soil samples. This method might be further utilized for routine monitoring of the GP in soil samples during investigation of its effect on the soil biota.