Entrapping of organic wastes by coordination clathrates

The feasibility of the Hofmann clathrates Ni(CN)2(NH3)·G(G=guest molecule) and the octahedral Werner-type complexes Ni(X)2(L)4 (X=NCS, NCO, CH3CO2, C6H5CO2; L=Py, 4-Mepy) as a scavenger for organic substrates in a polluted aqueous or organic medium is dependent on the complex lability, thermal stability and reversibility in solvent trapping which can be conveniently studied by thermogravimetric means. Besides the parent monomeric octahedral complexes, all the thermal decompositional intermediates, namely, monomeric tetrahedral, dimeric octahedral and polymeric octahedral, are also potential scavengers for selected organic substances though they operate via a cycle of bond-making and bond-breaking processes.

Chelation of cadmium

The toxicity of cadmium is determined by chelation reactions: in vivo, Cd2+ exists exclusively in coordination complexes with biological ligands, or with administered chelating agents. The Cd2+ ion has some soft character, but it is not a typical soft ion. It has a high degree of polarizability, and its complexes with soft ligands have predominantly covalent bond characteristics. Cd2+ forms the most stable complexes with soft donor atoms (S much greater than N greater than 0). The coordination stereochemistry of Cd2+ is unusually varied, including coordination numbers from 2 to 8. Even though the Cd2+ ion is a d10 ion, disturbed coordination geometries are often seen. Generally, the stability of complexes increases with the number of coordination groups contributed by the ligand; consequently, complexes of Cd2+ with polydentate ligands containing SH groups are very stable. Cd2+ in metallothionein (MT) is coordinated with 4 thiolate groups, and the log stability constant is estimated to 25.5. Complexes between Cd2+ and low molecular weight monodentate or bidentate ligands, e.g., free amino acids (LMW-Cd), seem to exist very briefly, and Cd2+ is rapidly bound to high molecular weight proteins, mainly serum albumin. These complexes (HMW-Cd) are rapidly scavenged from blood, mainly by the liver, and Cd2+ is redistributed to MT. After about 1 day the Cd-MT complex (MT-Cd) almost exclusively accounts for the total retained dose of Cd2+, independent of the route of exposure. MT-Cd is slowly transferred to and accumulated in kidney cortex. The acute toxicity and interorgan distribution of parenterally administered Cd2+ are strongly influenced by preceding MT induction, or decreased capacity for MT synthesis; however, the gastrointestinal (GI) uptake of Cd2+ seems unaffected by preceding MT induction resulting in considerable capacity for Cd2+ chelation in intestinal mucosa, and this finding indicates that endogenous MT is not involved in Cd2+ absorption. The toxicity of parenterally administered Cd2+ is strongly enhanced when administered as complexes with NTA or STPP , but it is much decreased when administered as a complex with EDTA. In chronic oral exposure the toxicity and GI uptake of Cd2+ is not changed when Cd2+ is administered as a complex with the detergent formula chelating agents NTA, EDTA and STPP . The uptake of Cd2+ from ligated intestine in vivo was not affected by administration of Cd2+ as complexes with CYS or GSH, but significantly reduced by complexation with EDTA or BAL. The acute toxicity of orally administered Cd2+ is reduced when Cd2+ is administered as a complex with EDTA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)