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Adamek M, Kavčič A, Debeljak M, Šala M, Grdadolnik J, Vogel-Mikuš K, Kroflič A. Toxicity of nitrophenolic pollutant 4-nitroguaiacol to terrestrial plants and comparison with its non-nitro analogue guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol). Sci Rep 2024; 14:2198. [PMID: 38272996 PMCID: PMC10811240 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52610-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Phenols, and especially their nitrated analogues, are ubiquitous pollutants and known carcinogens which have already been linked to forest decline. Although nitrophenols have been widely recognized as harmful to different aquatic and terrestrial organisms, we could not find any literature assessing their toxicity to terrestrial plants. Maize (monocot) and sunflower (dicot) were exposed to phenolic pollutants, guaiacol (GUA) and 4-nitroguaiacol (4NG), through a hydroponics system under controlled conditions in a growth chamber. Their acute physiological response was studied during a two-week root exposure to different concentrations of xenobiotics (0.1, 1.0, and 10 mM). The exposure visibly affected plant growth and the effect increased with increasing xenobiotic concentration. In general, 4NG affected plants more than GUA. Moreover, sunflower exhibited an adaptive response, especially to low and moderate GUA concentrations. The integrity of both plant species deteriorated during the exposure: biomass and photochemical pigment content were significantly reduced, which reflected in the poorer photochemical efficiency of photosystem II. Our results imply that 4NG is taken up by sunflower plants, where it could enter a lignin biosynthesis pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maksimiljan Adamek
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Molecular Biology and Nanobiotechnology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Anja Kavčič
- Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marta Debeljak
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Martin Šala
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jože Grdadolnik
- Theory Department, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Vogel-Mikuš
- Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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2
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Delić A, Skube U, Šala M, Kroflič A. Kinetics and product identification of water-dissolved nitroguaiacol photolysis under artificial sunlight. Front Chem 2023; 11:1211061. [PMID: 37521016 PMCID: PMC10375238 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1211061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Nitroguaiacols are typical constituents of biomass-burning emissions, including absorbing aerosols which contribute to climate change. Although they are also harmful to humans and plants, their atmospheric fate and lifetimes are still very speculative. Therefore, in this work, the photolysis kinetics of aqueous-phase 4-nitroguaiacol (4NG) and 5-nitroguaiacol (5NG), and the resulting photo-formed products were investigated under artificial sunlight, observing also the effect of sunlight on the absorption properties of the solutions. We found the photolysis of 5NG slower than that of 4NG, whereas the absorbance in the visible range prevailed in the 5NG solutions at the end of experiments. Although we identified dinitroguaiacol as one of the 4NG photolysis products, which increased light absorption of 4NG-containing solutions, considerably more chromophores formed in the 5NG photolyzed solutions, implying its stronger potential for secondary BrC formation in the atmosphere. In general, denitration, carbon loss, hydroxylation, nitration, and carbon gain were characteristic of 4NG phototransformation, while carbon loss, hydroxylation, and carbon gain were observed in the case of 5NG. The photolysis kinetics was found of the first order at low precursor concentrations (<0.45 mM), resulting in their lifetimes in the order of days (125 and 167 h illumination for 4NG and 5NG, respectively), which suggests long-range transport of the investigated compounds in the atmosphere and proposes their use as biomass-burning aerosol tracer compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajda Delić
- Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Urša Skube
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Martin Šala
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Drventić I, Glumac M, Carev I, Kroflič A. Seasonality of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Their Derivatives in PM 2.5 from Ljubljana, Combustion Aerosol Source Apportionment, and Cytotoxicity of Selected Nitrated Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (NPAHs). Toxics 2023; 11:518. [PMID: 37368618 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11060518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a vector of many toxic pollutants, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives. Especially harmful is the fine fraction (PM2.5), which penetrates deep into the lungs during inhalation and causes various diseases. Amongst PM2.5 components with toxic potential are nitrated PAHs (NPAHs), knowledge of which is still rudimentary. Three of the measured NPAHs (1-nitropyrene (1-nP), 9-nitroanthracene (9-nA), and 6-nitrochrysene (6-nC)) were detected in ambient PM2.5 from Ljubljana, Slovenia, along with thirteen non-nitrated PAHs. The highest concentrations of pollutants, which are closely linked with incomplete combustion, were observed in the cold part of the year, whereas the concentrations of NPAHs were roughly an order of magnitude lower than those of PAHs throughout the year. Further on, we have evaluated the toxicity of four NPAHs, including 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (6-nBaP), to the human kidney cell line, HEK293T. The most potent was 1-nP (IC50 = 28.7 µM), followed by the other three NPAHs, whose IC50 was above 400 or 800 µM. According to our cytotoxicity assessment, atmospheric 1-nP is the most harmful NPAH among the investigated ones. Despite low airborne concentrations of NPAHs in ambient air, they are generally considered harmful to human health. Therefore, systematic toxicological assessment of NPAHs at different trophic levels, starting with cytotoxicity testing, is necessary in order to accurately evaluate their threat and adopt appropriate abatement strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Drventić
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 113, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mateo Glumac
- Laboratory for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia
| | - Ivana Carev
- NAOS Institute of Life Science, 355 rue Pierre-Simon Laplace, 13290 Aix-en-Provence, France
- Mediterranean Institute for Life Science, Meštrovićevo šetalište 45, 21000 Split, Croatia
- Faculty of Science, University of Split, Ruđera Boškovića 33, 21000 Split, Croatia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Ogrizek M, Gregorič A, Ivančič M, Contini D, Skube U, Vidović K, Bele M, Šala M, Gunde MK, Rigler M, Menart E, Kroflič A. Characterization of fresh PM deposits on calcareous stone surfaces: Seasonality, source apportionment and soiling potential. Sci Total Environ 2023; 856:159012. [PMID: 36162574 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) pollution is one of the major threats to cultural heritage outdoors. It has been recently implied that organic aerosols will prevail over inorganic carbon particulates in the future, changing the main mechanisms of damage caused by poor air quality to calcareous heritage in particular. We studied fresh particulate deposits on marble and limestone surfaces exposed to urban air in sheltered and unsheltered configurations. Due to different air pollution sources in different seasons, the amount and composition of surface deposits varied throughout the year. The main and most constant contributor to PM2.5 (particles smaller than 2.5 μm) were primary traffic emissions (30 %), followed by secondary formation of acidic inorganic aerosols, such as sulphate in summer and nitrate in winter (33 % altogether), and seasonal biomass-burning emissions (14 %). Although biomass burning is the major source of primary organic aerosols including the light-absorbing fraction that prevailed over black carbon (BC) in colder months (up to 60 % carbonaceous aerosol mass), we show that surface darkening causing the soiling effect is still governed by the minor BC fraction of atmospheric aerosols, which remained below 20 % of the carbonaceous aerosol mass throughout the year. This, however, can change in remote environments affected by biomass-burning emissions, such as winter resorts, or by rigorous BC mitigation measures in the future. In the short run, sheltered positions were less affected by different removal processes, but we show that surface deposits are not simply additive when considering longer periods of time. This must be taken into account when extrapolating surface accumulation to longer time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Ogrizek
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Asta Gregorič
- Aerosol d.o.o., Kamniška ulica 39a, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Center for Atmospheric Research, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 11c, 5270 Ajdovščina, Slovenia
| | - Matic Ivančič
- Aerosol d.o.o., Kamniška ulica 39a, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Daniele Contini
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC-CNR), Division of Lecce, Str. Prv. Lecce-Monteroni km 1.2, 73100, Lecce, Italy
| | - Urša Skube
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Kristijan Vidović
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Aquatic Systems, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marjan Bele
- Department of Materials Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Martin Šala
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marta Klanjšek Gunde
- Department of Materials Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Martin Rigler
- Aerosol d.o.o., Kamniška ulica 39a, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eva Menart
- National Museum of Slovenia, Muzejska ulica 1, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 30, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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5
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Ogrizek M, Kroflič A, Šala M. Determination of trace concentrations of simple phenols in ambient PM samples. Chemosphere 2022; 303:135313. [PMID: 35697106 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Phenols are hazardous, but yet ubiquitous in the environment, including in atmospheric aerosols due to combustion emissions. There, phenols are subjected to secondary transformations, producing even more toxic nitrophenolic air pollutants. However, primary simple phenols, i.e. those containing only hydroxyl, methyl and methoxy substituents are not easy to detect. Trace concentrations, semi-volatile character and poorly ionizable functional groups prevent us from their determination by the most common analytical techniques, such as gas and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC/LC-MS). Here, we present a new derivatization method for MS/MS detection with positive ion electrospray ionization (+ESI-MS/MS) of simple phenols in atmospheric particulate matter (PM) extracts. The method is sensitive, selective, and robust, and requires no sample concentration step, which is critical due to the volatile character of the target analytes. After derivatization with dansyl chloride, phenol, catechol, cresols and guaiacol were detected in urban PM samples from Ljubljana, Slovenia. This method finally enables to study the abundance of primary phenols in atmospheric PM from different sources, which will improve understanding of secondary aerosol (trans)formation pathways and allow for more targeted mitigation strategies in respect to airborne phenolic pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Ogrizek
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova Cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Martin Šala
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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6
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Vidović K, Hočevar S, Menart E, Drventić I, Grgić I, Kroflič A. Impact of air pollution on outdoor cultural heritage objects and decoding the role of particulate matter: a critical review. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2022; 29:46405-46437. [PMID: 35501442 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20309-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric gases and particulate matter (PM) in contact with the material's surface lead to chemical and physical changes, which in most cases cause degradation of the cultural heritage material. Atmospheric damage and soiling are recognized as two pivotal forms of deterioration of cultural heritage materials caused by air pollution. However, the atmospheric damage effect of PM is rather complicated; its variable composition accelerates the deterioration process. Considering this, one of the important contributions of this work is to review the existing knowledge on PM influence on atmospheric damage, further recognize, and critically evaluate the main gaps in current understanding. The second phenomenon related to cultural heritage material and PM pollution is soiling. Even if soiling was recognized long ago, its definition and knowledge have not changed much for several decades. In the past, it was believed that black carbon (BC) was the primary soiling agent and that the change of the lightness could effectively measure the soiling. With the change of pollution situation, the lightness measurements do not represent the degree of soiling correctly. The additional contribution of this work is thus, the critical evaluation of soiling measurements, and accordingly, due to the change of pollution situation, redefinition of soiling is proposed. Even though numerous studies have treated soiling and atmospheric damage separately, there is an overlap between these two processes. No systematic studies exist on the synergy between soiling and atmospheric damage caused by atmospheric PM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristijan Vidović
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Samo Hočevar
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eva Menart
- National Museum of Slovenia, Muzejska ulica 1, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ivana Drventić
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Grgić
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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7
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Drventić I, Šala M, Vidović K, Kroflič A. Direct quantification of PAHs and nitro-PAHs in atmospheric PM by thermal desorption gas chromatography with electron ionization mass spectroscopic detection. Talanta 2022; 251:123761. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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Frka S, Šala M, Brodnik H, Štefane B, Kroflič A, Grgić I. Seasonal variability of nitroaromatic compounds in ambient aerosols: Mass size distribution, possible sources and contribution to water-soluble brown carbon light absorption. Chemosphere 2022; 299:134381. [PMID: 35318013 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) as important constituents of atmospheric humic-like substances (HULIS) and brown carbon (BrC) affect the Earth's climate and pose a serious environmental hazard. We investigated seasonal size-segregated NACs in aerosol samples from the urban background environment in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Total concentrations of twenty NACs in PM15.6 were on average from 0.51 ng m-3 (summer) to 109 ng m-3 (winter), and contributed the most to submicron aerosols (more than 74%). Besides 4-nitrocatechol (4NC) as the prevailing species, methylnitrocatechols (MNCs) and nitrophenols (NPs), we reported on some very rarely mentioned, but also on five novel NACs (i.e., 3H4NBA: 3-hydroxy-4-nitrobenzoic acid, 3MeO4NP: 3-methoxy-4-nitrophenol, 4Et5NC: 4-ethyl-5-nitrocatechol, 3Et5NC: 3-ethyl-5-nitrocatechol and 3MeO5NC: 3-methoxy-5-nitrocatechol). Concentrations of 3MeO5NC, 4Et5NC and 3Et5NC were enhanced during cold seasons, contributing up to 11% to total NAC in winter. In cold season, NAC size distributions were characterized with the peaks in the broader size range of 0.305-1.01 μm (accumulation mode), with 4NC and alkyl-nitrocatechols (∑(M/Et)NC) as the most abundant, followed by 4-nitrosyringol, nitrophenols and nitroguaiacols. In spring, a pronounced peak of ∑(M/Et)NC was observed in the accumulation mode (0.305-0.56 μm) as well as in the coarse one. A strong correlation of all NACs with ∑(M/Et)NC and levoglucosan indicates that primary emissions of wood burning were the most important source of NACs, but their secondary formation (e.g., aqueous-phase at higher ambient RH) in cold season could also be a significant one. In warmer season, NACs may be mostly derived from traffic-related aromatic VOCs. The contribution of NACs to the light absorption of the aqueous extracts was up to 10-times higher (contribution to Abs365 up to 31%) than their mass contributions to WSOC (up to 3%) of corresponding size-segregated aerosols, confirming that most of the identified NACs are strong BrC chromophores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanja Frka
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia; Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Martin Šala
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Helena Brodnik
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Večna Pot 113, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Bogdan Štefane
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Večna Pot 113, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Grgić
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Smiljanić M, Bele M, Ruiz-Zepeda F, Šala M, Kroflič A, Hodnik N. Electrochemical stability and degradation of commercial Rh/C catalyst in acidic media. Electrochim Acta 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.139435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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10
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Kroflič A, Anders J, Drventić I, Mettke P, Böge O, Mutzel A, Kleffmann J, Herrmann H. Guaiacol Nitration in a Simulated Atmospheric Aerosol with an Emphasis on Atmospheric Nitrophenol Formation Mechanisms. ACS Earth Space Chem 2021; 5:1083-1093. [PMID: 34084985 PMCID: PMC8161671 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric nitrophenols are pollutants of concern due to their toxicity and light-absorption characteristics and their low reactivity resulting in relatively long residence times in the environment. We investigate multiphase nitrophenol formation from guaiacol in a simulated atmospheric aerosol and support observations with the corresponding chemical mechanisms. The maximal secondary organic aerosol (SOA) yield (42%) is obtained under illumination at 80% relative humidity. Among the identified nitrophenols, 4-nitrocatechol (3.6% yield) is the prevailing species in the particulate phase. The results point to the role of water in catechol and further 4-nitrocatechol formation from guaiacol. In addition, a new pathway of dark nitrophenol formation is suggested, which prevailed in dry air and roughly yielded 1% nitroguaiacols. Furthermore, the proposed mechanism possibly leads to oligomer formation via a phenoxy radical formation by oxidation with HONO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- Department
of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute
of Chemistry, Hajdrihova
19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Atmospheric
Chemistry Department (ACD), Leibniz-Institute
for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Janine Anders
- Atmospheric
Chemistry Department (ACD), Leibniz-Institute
for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ivana Drventić
- Department
of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute
of Chemistry, Hajdrihova
19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Peter Mettke
- Atmospheric
Chemistry Department (ACD), Leibniz-Institute
for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Olaf Böge
- Atmospheric
Chemistry Department (ACD), Leibniz-Institute
for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anke Mutzel
- Atmospheric
Chemistry Department (ACD), Leibniz-Institute
for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jörg Kleffmann
- Physical
and Theoretical Chemistry, University of
Wuppertal, Gaußstraße 20, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Hartmut Herrmann
- Atmospheric
Chemistry Department (ACD), Leibniz-Institute
for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
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Ogrizek M, Jaćimović R, Šala M, Kroflič A. No more waste at the elemental analysis of airborne particulate matter on quartz fibre filters. Talanta 2021; 226:122110. [PMID: 33676666 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) is the major environmental pollutant. Its elemental composition is routinely monitored. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICPMS) is commonly applied after a PM sample has been digested by an acid during a microwave treatment. In this case, sample preparation procedure is laborious, sometimes incomplete and produces toxic waste. In this paper we show that direct sample introduction to ICPMS by laser ablation (LA-ICPMS) is of huge advantage. Minimal quantity of a sample is required for the analysis (<1 cm2) and no chemical waste is produced. The study focused on the most universal and widely used quartz fibre filter samples and we show that LA-ICPMS can be successfully applied for the determination of the elemental composition of such samples. Some effort is, however, still needed to develop an autosampler for the LA-ICPMS system and to provide commercial matrix-matched standards for this application to be implemented in environment laboratories worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Ogrizek
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova Cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Radojko Jaćimović
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova Cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Martin Šala
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Germ M, Kacjan-Maršić N, Kroflič A, Jerše A, Stibilj V, Golob A. Significant Accumulation of Iodine and Selenium in Chicory ( Cichorium intybus L. var. foliosum Hegi) Leaves after Foliar Spraying. Plants (Basel) 2020; 9:plants9121766. [PMID: 33322207 PMCID: PMC7764295 DOI: 10.3390/plants9121766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between the uptake of selenium (as selenite and selenate) and iodine (as iodate and iodide) by red chicory (Cichorium intybus L. var. foliosum Hegi) and their effects on selected morphological and physiological characteristics were investigated. Seedlings were transplanted to the field, and at the onset of head formation, the plants were foliar-sprayed with the following solutions: Milli-Q water (control), Se (IV), Se (VI), I (-I), I (V), Se (IV) + I (-I), Se (IV) + I (V), Se (VI) + I (-I) and Se (VI) + I (V). The different treatments had no significant effects on the yield (39.8-51.5 t ha-1) and mass (970-1200 g) of the chicory heads. The selenium content in Se-treated plants was up to 5.5-times greater than the control plants. The iodine content in the chicory leaves enriched with I was 3.5-times greater than the control plants. Iodide or iodate, applied together with selenite in the spray solution, increased the uptake of Se by chicory plants, while both forms of iodine, applied together with selenate, reduced the uptake of Se. Plants treated with I (V) had lower amounts of chlorophyll a and carotenoids than the control, while respiratory potential was higher than the control, which indicated the possible presence of stress in I (V)-treated plants. However, the potential photochemical efficiency of photosystem II was similar and close to the theoretical maximum (0.83) in the control and treated groups, which indicated that all of the plants were in good condition. Furthermore, the plant mass and yield were comparable in the control and treated groups. Molecular studies, like gene expression analysis, would represent a major upgrade of the present study by defining the mechanisms of Se and I uptake and their interactions and by enhancing the knowledge of the Se and I transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateja Germ
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1501 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.G.); (N.K.-M.)
| | - Nina Kacjan-Maršić
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1501 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.G.); (N.K.-M.)
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Jožef Stefan Institute, 1501 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (A.K.); (A.J.); (V.S.)
| | - Ana Jerše
- Jožef Stefan Institute, 1501 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (A.K.); (A.J.); (V.S.)
| | - Vekoslava Stibilj
- Jožef Stefan Institute, 1501 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (A.K.); (A.J.); (V.S.)
| | - Aleksandra Golob
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1501 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.G.); (N.K.-M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +386-1-320-3334
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Golob A, Kroflič A, Jerše A, Kacjan Maršić N, Šircelj H, Stibilj V, Germ M. Response of Pumpkin to Different Concentrations and Forms of Selenium and Iodine, and their Combinations. Plants (Basel) 2020; 9:plants9070899. [PMID: 32708745 PMCID: PMC7412523 DOI: 10.3390/plants9070899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The elements selenium (Se) and iodine (I) are both crucial for the normal functioning of the thyroid. Biofortification with these elements is particularly feasible in areas where they show a deficit. Iodine and selenium can have positive effects on different plants when applied at the correct concentrations. The effects of their simultaneous addition on plant physiology and biochemistry, as well as on seed germination and sprout biomass, were studied in pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. ssp. pepo). To study the effect of Se and I on sprouts, sprouts were grown from seeds soaked in solutions of different forms of Se, I and their combination in the growth chamber experiment. In the field experiment, pumpkins plants were foliarly treated with the same concentrations and forms of Se and I. The combination of Se and I treatments enhanced the germination of the soaked seeds, with no significant differences between Se and I treatments for sprout mass. The yield of pumpkins and seed production were unaffected by Se and I foliar application. The anthocyanin levels and respiratory potential measured via the electron transport system's activity showed different patterns according to treatments and plant parts (sprouts, leaves, seeds). The redistribution of Se and I from seeds to sprouts was significant. The accumulation of Se was higher in sprouts from the seeds treated with Se together with I, compared to sprouts from the seeds treated with Se alone. Interactions between Se and I were also noted in the seeds, which developed in the treated plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Golob
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (N.K.M.); (H.S.); (M.G.)
- Correspondence: (A.G.); (V.S.)
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (A.K.); (A.J.)
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Jerše
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (A.K.); (A.J.)
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nina Kacjan Maršić
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (N.K.M.); (H.S.); (M.G.)
| | - Helena Šircelj
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (N.K.M.); (H.S.); (M.G.)
| | - Vekoslava Stibilj
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (A.K.); (A.J.)
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Correspondence: (A.G.); (V.S.)
| | - Mateja Germ
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (N.K.M.); (H.S.); (M.G.)
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Golob A, Novak T, Maršić NK, Šircelj H, Stibilj V, Jerše A, Kroflič A, Germ M. Biofortification with selenium and iodine changes morphological properties of Brassica oleracea L. var. gongylodes) and increases their contents in tubers. Plant Physiol Biochem 2020; 150:234-243. [PMID: 32169793 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.02.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea L. var. gongylodes L.) was biofortified with selenium (Se), as selenite and selenate, and iodine (I), as iodide and iodate, and their combinations through foliar spraying, to study absorption of these elements by the plants, separately and in combination. The effects on selected physiological and morphological traits and optical characteristics were monitored. Treatments with Se positively affected total chlorophylls and carotenoids, and leaf stomata dimensions. Addition of I decreased total chlorophylls and increased anthocyanins. In reflectance spectra of the leaves, specific colour regions differed significantly due to the different treatments. Reflectance in the UV correlated positively with Se and I contents of the leaves, which indicated lower demand for production of phenolic compounds. Differences in reflectance in UV part of the spectra could be a consequence of changes in the cuticle. The Se and I levels increased markedly in leaves and tubers, without loss of biomass or yield. Se had antagonistic effects on accumulation of I in leaves. The similar levels of Se and I in the leaves and tubers suggest that the transport of both elements in these plants occurs from the leaves to the tubers through the phloem. According to the Se and I contents in the kohlrabi tubers, biofortification with both elements simultaneously is feasible for human nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Golob
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tjaša Novak
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Helena Šircelj
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vekoslava Stibilj
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Jerše
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mateja Germ
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Cvitešić Kušan A, Kroflič A, Grgić I, Ciglenečki I, Frka S. Chemical characterization of fine aerosols in respect to water-soluble ions at the eastern Middle Adriatic coast. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020; 27:10249-10264. [PMID: 31933087 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-07617-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations at the Middle Adriatic coastal site of Croatia were affected by different air-mass inflows and/or local sources and meteorological conditions, and peaked in summer. More polluted continental air-mass inflows mostly affected the area in the winter period, while southern marine pathways had higher impact in spring and summer. Chemical characterization of the water-soluble inorganic and organic ionic constituents is discussed with respect to seasonal trends, possible sources, and air-mass inputs. The largest contributors to the PM2.5 mass were sea salts modified by the presence of secondary sulfate-rich aerosols indicated also by principal component analysis. SO42- was the prevailing anion, while the anthropogenic SO42- (anth-nssSO42-) dominantly constituted the major non-sea-salt SO42- (nssSO42-) fraction. Being influenced by the marine origin, its biogenic fraction (bio-nssSO42-) increased particularly in the spring. During the investigated period, aerosols were generally acidic. High Cl- deficit was observed at Middle Adriatic location for which the acid displacement is primarily responsible. With nssSO42- being dominant in Cl- depletion, sulfur-containing species from anthropogenic pollution emissions may have profound impact on atmospheric composition through altering chlorine chemistry in this region. However, when accounting for the neutralization of H2SO4 by NH3, the potential of HNO3 and organic acids to considerably influence Cl- depletion is shown to increase. Intensive open-fire events substantially increased the PM2.5 concentrations and changed the water-soluble ion composition and aerosol acidity in summer of 2015. To our knowledge, this work presents the first time-resolved data evaluating the seasonal composition of water-soluble ions and their possible sources in PM2.5 at the Middle Adriatic area. This study contributes towards a better understanding of atmospheric composition in the coastal Adriatic area and serves as a basis for the comparison with future studies related to the air quality at the coastal Adriatic and/or Mediterranean regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cvitešić Kušan
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Grgić
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Ciglenečki
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Sanja Frka
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
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Kroflič A, Schaefer T, Huš M, Phuoc Le H, Otto T, Herrmann H. OH radicals reactivity towards phenol-related pollutants in water: temperature dependence of the rate constants and novel insights into the [OH-phenol]˙ adduct formation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:1324-1332. [PMID: 31850419 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05533a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Substituted phenols are known to readily react with the hydroxyl radical (OH˙), which is the most powerful atmospheric oxidant and is also most often used in advanced oxidation processes (AOP) for wastewater treatment. We report temperature-dependent (278.15-318.15 K) second order kinetic rate constants for the aqueous-phase reactions of OH˙ with phenol and four substituted phenols: catechol, phloroglucinol, pyrogallol and 3-methylcatechol, with the last two measured for the first time. The constructed Hammett plots for mono- and di-substituted phenols have the potential to be further applied for predicting the reaction rate constants of other substituted phenols at 298.15 K. This will significantly facilitate the optimization of AOP and improve the predictive capabilities of atmospheric multiphase models in the future. Moreover, an advancement in the understanding of the underlying mechanism, i.e. OH˙ addition to the aromatic ring is made by theoretical calculations at the M06-2X level. We demonstrate that the position of substituents on the aromatic ring is important for the [OH-phenol]˙ adduct formation, which is supported by the experiment and theoretical calculations. Adjacent and nonadjacent electron donor/acceptor substituents differently impact the interplay between the activation energy and entropy. We also show that explicit solvation has to be accounted for in theoretical models in order to explicitly describe the formation of the transition state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD), Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany. and National Institute of Chemistry, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Thomas Schaefer
- Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD), Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Matej Huš
- National Institute of Chemistry, Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Hoa Phuoc Le
- Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD), Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Tobias Otto
- Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD), Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Hartmut Herrmann
- Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD), Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany. and School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Binhairoad 72, 266237 Qingdao, China
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Bešter-Rogač M, Kroflič A, Rodríguez-Abreu C. 32nd Conference of the European Colloid and Interface Society, 2–7 September 2018 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.123849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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18
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Vidović K, Kroflič A, Jovanovič P, Šala M, Grgić I. Electrochemistry as a Tool for Studies of Complex Reaction Mechanisms: The Case of the Atmospheric Aqueous-Phase Aging of Catechols. Environ Sci Technol 2019; 53:11195-11203. [PMID: 31482713 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b02456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The ultimate goal in the understanding of complex chemical processes is a complete description of the underlying reaction mechanism. In the present study and for this purpose, a novel experimental platform is introduced that builds upon electrochemistry capable of generating reactive intermediate species at the electrode surface. The atmospherically relevant nitration of catechols is taken as a case example. First, we confirm the recently proposed nitration mechanism, advancing the understanding of atmospheric brown carbon formation in the dark. We are able to selectively quantify aromatic isomers, which is beyond the limits of conventional electroanalysis. Second, we identify a new pathway of nitrocatechol hydroxylation, which proceeds simply by oxidation and the addition of water. This pathway can be environmentally significant in the dark aqueous-phase formation of secondary organic aerosols. Third, the developed methodology is capable of selectively detecting a wide range of nitroaromatics; a possible application in environmental monitoring is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristijan Vidović
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology , University of Ljubljana , Večna pot 113 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Primož Jovanovič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Martin Šala
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Irena Grgić
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
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He L, Schaefer T, Otto T, Kroflič A, Herrmann H. Kinetic and Theoretical Study of the Atmospheric Aqueous-Phase Reactions of OH Radicals with Methoxyphenolic Compounds. J Phys Chem A 2019; 123:7828-7838. [PMID: 31397571 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.9b05696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Methoxyphenols, which are emitted through biomass burning, are an important species in atmospheric chemistry. In the present study, temperature-dependent aqueous-phase OH radical reactions of six methoxyphenols and two related phenols have been investigated through laser flash photolysis and the density functional theory. The rate constants obtained were in a range of (1.1-1.9) × 1010 L mol-1 s-1 with k(3-MC) > k(Cre) ≈ k(Syr) ≈ k(MEP) > k(Res) > k(3-MP) > k(2-EP) ≈ k(2-MP). We derived the parameters of these reactions from the obtained T-dependent rate constants and found a mean Arrhenius activation energy of 16.9 kJ mol-1. The diffusion rate constants were calculated for each case and compared to the measured ones. Generally, the rate constants are found to be close to fully diffusion-controlled (kdiff = (1.4-1.5) × 1010 L mol-1 s-1 for all reactions). A structure-function relationship was established through the measurement result, which could be used for predicting unknown rate constants of other phenolic compounds. All of these findings are expected to enhance the predictive capabilities of models, such as the chemical aqueous-phase radical mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin He
- Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD) , Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) , Permoserstrasse 15 , 04318 Leipzig , Germany
| | - Thomas Schaefer
- Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD) , Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) , Permoserstrasse 15 , 04318 Leipzig , Germany
| | - Tobias Otto
- Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD) , Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) , Permoserstrasse 15 , 04318 Leipzig , Germany
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD) , Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) , Permoserstrasse 15 , 04318 Leipzig , Germany.,Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Hartmut Herrmann
- Atmospheric Chemistry Department (ACD) , Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) , Permoserstrasse 15 , 04318 Leipzig , Germany.,School of Environmental Science and Engineering , Shandong University , Binhai Road 72 , 266237 Qingdao , China
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Germ M, Stibilj V, Šircelj H, Jerše A, Kroflič A, Golob A, Maršić NK. Biofortification of common buckwheat microgreens and seeds with different forms of selenium and iodine. J Sci Food Agric 2019; 99:4353-4362. [PMID: 30834531 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.9669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The biofortification of crops can counteract human diseases, including selenium (Se) and iodine (I) deficiencies in the diet. Little is known about the effects of combinations of Se and I on microgreens and seeds, or on their accumulation in these tissues. The present study aimed to evaluate Se (SeO3 2- , SeO4 2- ) and I (I- , IO3 - ) biofortification of common buckwheat microgreens and seeds with respect to the effects of the addition of Se, I and Se + I on yield and on physiological and biochemical characteristics. RESULTS In combination treatments, microgreens yield (600-800 g m-2 ) was 50-70% higher than for Se and I alone. The respiratory potential also increased by 60-120%. Fv /Fm was close to 0.8 in all samples. Se content [0.24 μg g-1 dry weight (DW)] was 50% higher for combination treatments than for Se and I alone. I content was highest for IO3 - treatment (216 μg g-1 DW) and decreased in combination treatments with Se by 50%. CONCLUSION Biofortification of buckwheat microgreens with Se and I should be performed with care because there are synergistic and antagonistic effects of these elements with respect to their accumulation. IO3 - for the biofortification of microgreens should be kept low to prevent exceeding the recommended daily intake of I. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateja Germ
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vekoslava Stibilj
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Helena Šircelj
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Jerše
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Aleksandra Golob
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nina K Maršić
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Kroflič A, Huš M, Grilc M, Grgić I. Underappreciated and Complex Role of Nitrous Acid in Aromatic Nitration under Mild Environmental Conditions: The Case of Activated Methoxyphenols. Environ Sci Technol 2018; 52:13756-13765. [PMID: 30388370 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Many ambiguities surround the possible mechanisms of colored and toxic nitrophenols formation in natural systems. Nitration of a biologically and environmentally relevant aromatic compound, guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol), under mild aqueous-phase conditions (ambient temperatures, pH 4.5) was investigated by a temperature-dependent experimental modeling coupled to extensive ab initio calculations to obtain the activation energies of the modeled reaction pathways. The importance of dark nonradical reactions is emphasized, involving nitrous (HNO2) and peroxynitrous (HOONO) acids. Oxidation by HOONO is shown to proceed via a nonradical pathway, possibly involving the nitronium ion (NO2+) formation. Using quantum chemical calculations at the MP2/6-31++g(d,p) level, NO2• is shown capable of abstracting a hydrogen atom from the phenolic group on the aromatic ring. In a protic solvent, the corresponding aryl radical can combine with HNO2 to yield OH• and, after a subsequent oxidation step, nitrated aromatic products. The demonstrated chemistry is especially important for understanding the aging of nighttime atmospheric deliquesced aerosol. The relevance should be further investigated in the atmospheric gaseous phase. The results of this study have direct implications for accurate modeling of the burden of toxic nitroaromatic pollutants, and the formation of atmospheric brown carbon and its associated influence on Earth's albedo and climate forcing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Matej Huš
- Department of Physics , Chalmers University of Technology , Fysikgränd 3 , SE-412 96 Gothenburg , Sweden
- Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Miha Grilc
- Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
- Institute of Chemical Technology , Leipzig University , Linnéstraße 3 , DE-04103 Leipzig , Germany
| | - Irena Grgić
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
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Jerše A, Kacjan Maršić N, Kroflič A, Germ M, Šircelj H, Stibilj V. Is foliar enrichment of pea plants with iodine and selenium appropriate for production of functional food? Food Chem 2018; 267:368-375. [PMID: 29934180 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.02.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Pea (Pisum sativum L.) plants were sown in a field and foliar sprayed at blooming stage with solutions of different forms of iodine (I) - I- and IO3- and selenium (Se) - SeO32- and SeO42-. The possibility of enrichment of pea seeds to nutritionally important levels of both elements and their distribution through the plant parts were studied. To evaluate stress caused by application of I and Se, some morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics were determined. The results showed elevated concentrations of both elements in all parts of pea plants. In seeds, I content was more than 6-fold higher, while Se content was up to 12-fold higher than in control plants. Although the plants were in good condition, some differences in pod characteristics and electron transport system activity were observed. Glutathione content was not affected by any treatment and only the I- + SeO42- combination decreased the amount of anthocyanins in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Jerše
- »Jožef Stefan« Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Ana Kroflič
- »Jožef Stefan« Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mateja Germ
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Helena Šircelj
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vekoslava Stibilj
- »Jožef Stefan« Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Vidović K, Lašič Jurković D, Šala M, Kroflič A, Grgić I. Nighttime Aqueous-Phase Formation of Nitrocatechols in the Atmospheric Condensed Phase. Environ Sci Technol 2018; 52:9722-9730. [PMID: 29944831 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Yellow-colored methylnitrocatechols (MNC) contribute to the total organic aerosol mass and significantly alter absorption properties of the atmosphere. To date, their formation mechanisms are still not understood. In this work, the intriguing role of HNO2 (catalytic and oxidative) in the dark transformation of 3-methylcatechol (3MC) under atmospherically relevant aqueous-phase conditions is emphasized. Three possible pathways of dark 3-methyl-5-nitrocatechol and 3-methyl-4-nitrocatechol formation, markedly dependent on reaction conditions, were considered. In the dominant pathway, HNO2 is directly involved in the transformation of 3MC via consecutive oxidation and conjugated addition reactions (nonradical reaction mechanism). The two-step nitration dominates at a pH around the p Ka of HNO2, which is typical for atmospheric aerosols, and is moderately dependent on temperature. Under very acidic conditions, the other two nitration pathways, oxidative aromatic nitration (electrophilic) and recombination of radical species, gain in importance. The predicted atmospheric lifetime of 3MC according to the dominant mechanism at these conditions (2.4 days at pH 4.5 and 25 °C) is more than 3-times shorter than that via the other two competitive pathways. Our results highlight the significance of a catechol oxidation-conjugated addition reaction in a nighttime secondary nitroaromatic chromophore formation in the atmosphere, especially in polluted environments with high NO x concentrations and relatively acidic particles (pH around 3).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristijan Vidović
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Damjan Lašič Jurković
- Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Martin Šala
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Irena Grgić
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Hajdrihova 19 , SI-1000 Ljubljana , Slovenia
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Kroflič A, Frka S, Simmel M, Wex H, Grgić I. Size-Resolved Surface-Active Substances of Atmospheric Aerosol: Reconsideration of the Impact on Cloud Droplet Formation. Environ Sci Technol 2018; 52:9179-9187. [PMID: 30048123 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b02381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Our current understanding of the importance of surface-active substances (SAS) on atmospheric aerosol cloud-forming efficiency is limited, as explicit data on the content of size-resolved ambient aerosol SAS, which are responsible for lowering the surface tension (σ) of activating droplets, are not available. We report on the first data comprising seasonal variability of size-segregated SAS concentrations in ambient aerosol particulate matter (PM). To assess the impact of SAS distribution within PM on cloud droplet activation and growth, a concept of surfactant activity was adopted and a parametrization developed; i.e., surfactant activity factor (SAF) was defined, which allowed translation of experimental data for use in cloud parcel modeling. The results show that SAS-induced σ depression during cloud activation may affect droplet number ( Nd) as much as a 2-fold increase in particle number, whereas by considering also the size distribution of particulate SAS, Nd may increase for another 10%. This study underscores the importance of size-resolved SAS perspective on cloud activation, as data typically obtained from aqueous extracts of PM2.5 and PM10 may result in misleading conclusions about droplet growth due to large mass fractions of supermicron particles with SAS deficit and little or no influence on CCN and Nd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Ljubljana 1000 , Slovenia
- Atmospheric Chemistry , Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research , Leipzig 04318 , Germany
| | - Sanja Frka
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Ljubljana 1000 , Slovenia
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research , Ruđer Bošković Institute , Zagreb 10000 , Croatia
| | - Martin Simmel
- Modelling of Atmospheric Processes , Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research , Leipzig 04318 , Germany
| | - Heike Wex
- Experimental Aerosol and Cloud Microphysics , Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research , Leipzig 04318 , Germany
| | - Irena Grgić
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , National Institute of Chemistry , Ljubljana 1000 , Slovenia
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Kroflič A, Germ M, Golob A, Stibilj V. Does extensive agriculture influence the concentration of trace elements in the aquatic plant Veronica anagallis-aquatica? Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2018; 150:123-128. [PMID: 29272716 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The present study describes the influence of extensive agriculture on the concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Cd, Se, Pb and Zn in sediments and in the aquatic plant Veronica anagallis-aquatica. The investigation, spanning 4 years, was conducted on three watercourses in Slovenia (Pšata, Lipsenjščica and Žerovniščica) flowing through agricultural areas. The different sampling sites were chosen on the basis of the presence of different activities in these regions: dairy farming, stock raising and extensive agriculture. The concentrations of the selected elements in sediments and V. anagallis-aquatica were below the literature background values. The distribution of the selected elements among different plant parts (roots, stems and leaves) were also investigated. The majority of the studied elements, with the exception of Zn and Cu, were accumulated mainly in root tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- "Jožef Stefan" Institute, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mateja Germ
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Aleksandra Golob
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vekoslava Stibilj
- "Jožef Stefan" Institute, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Pflieger M, Kroflič A. Acute toxicity of emerging atmospheric pollutants from wood lignin due to biomass burning. J Hazard Mater 2017; 338:132-139. [PMID: 28549272 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol) is an important atmospheric pollutant. It is the major component of wood lignin and is essentially emitted to the atmosphere during biomass burning. Its aging in the tropospheric aqueous phase leads to the generation of the following ring-retaining transformation products, also during nighttime: 4-nitroguaiacol, 6-nitroguaiacol, and dinitroguaiacol. This study presents the first toxicological data of guaiacol and its nitro derivatives and reveals their harmful potential for the ecosystem. Applying V. fischeri bioluminescence acute toxicity test, EC50 values range from 16.7 to 103mgL-1 after a 30-min incubation period, which classifies all investigated compounds as 'harmful' according to the European legislation. The investigation of environmentally relevant mixtures did not show significant joint actions between the four studied compounds. Therefore, their concentration addition can be considered for ecotoxicological purposes. However, a synergistic effect between guaiacol and a minor unidentified first-generation product of its aqueous-phase aging was observed and should be taken into account when assessing the reaction mixture toxicity. These results stress the need for further toxicological testing, including organisms of different trophic levels, to better evaluate the environmental hazard of guaiacol and especially its nitro derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryline Pflieger
- Laboratory for Environmental Research, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 13, SI-5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia.
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Jerše A, Kacjan-Maršić N, Šircelj H, Germ M, Kroflič A, Stibilj V. Seed soaking in I and Se solutions increases concentrations of both elements and changes morphological and some physiological parameters of pea sprouts. Plant Physiol Biochem 2017; 118:285-294. [PMID: 28667943 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2017.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Pea (Pisum sativum L., cv. 'Petit Provencal') seeds were soaked in solutions of different iodine (I) and selenium (Se) forms (1000 mg I L-1 and 10 mg Se L-1). Iodine and selenium content in different parts of pea sprouts, as well as morphological, biochemical and physiological characteristics were measured in sprouts. The results showed increased concentrations of both elements in sprouts grown from treated seeds. Soaking influenced the biomass and height of the sprouts. Significant differences between plants grown from treated seeds in comparison with control plants were also observed for electron transport system activity and concentrations of tocopherol and glutathione. On the other hand, the content of photosynthetic pigments and anthocyanins remained similar as in control plants. Potential photochemical efficiency of photosystem II was close to theoretical maximum 0.8 in all samples. From the pattern of changes of stress indicators we suppose that plants adapted to the stress earlier in the experiment, i.e. before they were sampled for physiological measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Jerše
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nina Kacjan-Maršić
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Helena Šircelj
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mateja Germ
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vekoslava Stibilj
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Frka S, Šala M, Kroflič A, Huš M, Čusak A, Grgić I. Quantum Chemical Calculations Resolved Identification of Methylnitrocatechols in Atmospheric Aerosols. Environ Sci Technol 2016; 50:5526-35. [PMID: 27136117 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b00823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Methylnitrocatechols (MNCs) are secondary organic aerosol (SOA) tracers and major contributors to atmospheric brown carbon; however, their formation and aging processes in atmospheric waters are unknown. To investigate the importance of aqueous-phase electrophilic substitution of 3-methylcatechol with nitronium ion (NO2(+)), we performed quantum calculations of their favorable pathways. The calculations predicted the formation of 3-methyl-5-nitrocatechol (3M5NC), 3-methyl-4-nitrocatechol (3M4NC), and a negligible amount of 3-methyl-6-nitrocatechol (3M6NC). MNCs in atmospheric PM2 samples were further inspected by LC/(-)ESI-MS/MS using commercial as well as de novo synthesized authentic standards. We detected 3M5NC and, for the first time, 3M4NC. In contrast to previous reports, 3M6NC was not observed. Agreement between calculated and observed 3M5NC/3M4NC ratios cannot unambiguously confirm the electrophilic mechanism as the exclusive formation pathway of MNCs in aerosol water. However, the examined nitration by NO2(+) is supported by (1) the absence of 3M6NC in the ambient aerosols analyzed and (2) the constant 3M5NC/3M4NC ratio in field aerosol samples, which indicates their common formation pathway. The magnitude of error one could make by incorrectly identifying 3M4NC as 3M6NC in ambient aerosols was also assessed, suggesting the importance of evaluating the literature regarding MNCs with special care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanja Frka
- Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, National Institute of Chemistry , 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute , 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Martin Šala
- Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, National Institute of Chemistry , 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, National Institute of Chemistry , 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matej Huš
- Laboratory of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry , 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Alen Čusak
- Alkemika, Ltd. , 3000 Celje, Slovenia
- Acies Bio, Ltd. , 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Grgić
- Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, National Institute of Chemistry , 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Kroflič A, Germ M, Mechora Š, Stibilj V. Selenium and its compounds in aquatic plant Veronica anagallis-aquatica. Chemosphere 2016; 151:296-302. [PMID: 26946117 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.12.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/23/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The uptake, distribution and determination of Se and its compounds in macrophyte Veronica anagallis-aquatica were investigated. V. anagallis-aquatica and sediments were sampled in years 2009-2011 and in 2013 in three Slovenian watercourses flowing through an agricultural area, where addition of Se in feedstuffs has been performed for about 25 years. Se content in sediments were up to 0.86 μg g(-1) and in whole plant varied from 0.186 to 1.535 μg g(-1), all on dry weight basis. Se content were measured also in different plant parts; highest content were found in roots and lowest in stems. Separation of extractable Se compounds was performed by ion exchange chromatography and for on-line detection inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry was used. The results showed that only approximately 24% of Se in the macrophyte was extracted using enzyme Protease XIV. Extractable Se in plant parts varied from 10.5% in roots to 29.6% in leaves. Identification of Se(IV) and Se(VI) was achieved but no Se-amino acids were detected even at highest Se content. According to our results, we assume that 25 years of Se addition in feedstuff shows minimal impact on Se content in the selected agricultural area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- "Jožef Stefan" Institute, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mateja Germ
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Špela Mechora
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vekoslava Stibilj
- "Jožef Stefan" Institute, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Kroflič A, Grilc M, Grgić I. Unraveling Pathways of Guaiacol Nitration in Atmospheric Waters: Nitrite, A Source of Reactive Nitronium Ion in the Atmosphere. Environ Sci Technol 2015; 49:9150-8. [PMID: 26162010 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b01811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The tropospheric aqueous-phase aging of guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol, GUA), a lignocellulosic biomass burning pollutant, is addressed in this work. Pathways of GUA nitration in aqueous solution under atmospherically relevant conditions are proposed and critically discussed. The influence of NaNO2 and H2O2, hydroxyl radical scavenger, and sunlight was assessed by an experimental-modeling approach. In the presence of the urban pollutant, nitrite, GUA is preferentially nitrated to yield 4- and 6-nitroguaiacol. After a short lag-time, 4,6-dinitroguaiacol is also formed. Its production accelerates after guaiacol is completely consumed, which is nicely described by the model function accounting for NO2(•) and NO2(+) as nitrating agents. Although the estimated second-order kinetic rate constants of methoxyphenol nitration with NO2(•) are substantially higher than the corresponding rate constants of nitration with NO2(+), nitration rates are competitive under nighttime and liquid atmospheric aerosol-like conditions. In contrast to concentrations of radicals, which are governed by the interplay between diffusion-controlled reactions and are therefore mostly constant, concentrations of electrophiles are very much dependent on the ratio of NO2(-) to activated aromatics in solution. These results contribute substantially to the understanding of methoxyphenol aging in the atmospheric waters and underscore the importance of including electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions in atmospheric models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- †Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Miha Grilc
- ‡Laboratory of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Grgić
- †Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Kroflič A, Grilc M, Grgić I. Does toxicity of aromatic pollutants increase under remote atmospheric conditions? Sci Rep 2015; 5:8859. [PMID: 25748923 PMCID: PMC4352892 DOI: 10.1038/srep08859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Aromatic compounds contribute significantly to the budget of atmospheric pollutants and represent considerable hazard to living organisms. However, they are only rarely included into atmospheric models which deviate substantially from field measurements. A powerful experimental-simulation tool for the assessment of the impact of low- and semi-volatile aromatic pollutants on the environment due to their atmospheric aqueous phase aging has been developed and introduced for the first time. The case study herein reveals that remote biotopes might be the most damaged by wet urban guaiacol-containing biomass burning aerosols. It is shown that only after the primary pollutant guaiacol has been consumed, its probably most toxic nitroaromatic product is largely formed. Revising the recent understanding of atmospheric aqueous phase chemistry, which is mostly concerned with the radical nitration mechanisms, the observed phenomenon is mainly attributed to the electrophilic nitrogen-containing reactive species. Here, their intriguing role is closely inspected and discussed from the ecological perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Miha Grilc
- Laboratory of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Grgić
- Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Kroflič A, Šarac B, Cerkovnik J, Bešter-Rogač M. Hydrophobicity of counterions as a driving force in the self-assembly process: Dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride and parabens. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2014.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Škedelj V, Perdih A, Brvar M, Kroflič A, Dubbée V, Savage V, O'Neill AJ, Solmajer T, Bešter-Rogač M, Blanot D, Hugonnet JE, Magnet S, Arthur M, Mainardi JL, Stojan J, Zega A. Discovery of the first inhibitors of bacterial enzyme d-aspartate ligase from Enterococcus faecium (Aslfm). Eur J Med Chem 2013; 67:208-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2013.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2013] [Revised: 06/01/2013] [Accepted: 06/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Kroflič A, Sarac B, Bešter-Rogač M. What affects the degree of micelle ionization: conductivity study of alkyltrimethylammonium chlorides. Acta Chim Slov 2012; 59:564-570. [PMID: 24061312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The critical micelle concentration, cmc, and the degree of micelle ionization, β, of decyltrimethylammonium chloride (DeTAC), dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) and tetradecyltrimethylammonium chloride (TTAC) in water, 0.01 M, and 0.1 M NaCl solution were determined from the electrical conductivity data in the temperature range from 278.15 to 328.15 K. It has been found that cmc is decreasing with increasing surfactant chain length and increasing concentration of added NaCl, whereas the temperature dependence of cmc shows the typical U-shaped form with a minimum around (306 ± 3) K. Further, β is decreasing with lengthening the alkyl chain of surfactant and increasing with increasing temperature, but no distinct influence of added salt has been found actually. It can be concluded that the effect of electrolyte on micelle ionization is quite complex.
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Škedelj V, Arsovska E, Tomašić T, Kroflič A, Hodnik V, Hrast M, Bešter-Rogač M, Anderluh G, Gobec S, Bostock J, Chopra I, O'Neill AJ, Randall C, Zega A. 6-Arylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines as novel ATP-competitive inhibitors of bacterial D-alanine:D-alanine ligase. PLoS One 2012; 7:e39922. [PMID: 22876277 PMCID: PMC3410885 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2012] [Accepted: 05/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND ATP-dependent D-alanine:D-alanine ligase (Ddl) is a part of biochemical machinery involved in peptidoglycan biosynthesis, as it catalyzes the formation of the terminal D-ala-D-ala dipeptide of the peptidoglycan precursor UDPMurNAc-pentapeptide. Inhibition of Ddl prevents bacterial growth, which makes this enzyme an attractive and viable target in the urgent search of novel effective antimicrobial drugs. To address the problem of a relentless increase in resistance to known antimicrobial agents we focused our attention to discovery of novel ATP-competitive inhibitors of Ddl. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Encouraged by recent successful attempts to find selective ATP-competitive inhibitors of bacterial enzymes we designed, synthesized and evaluated a library of 6-arylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-based compounds as inhibitors of Escherichia coli DdlB. Inhibitor binding to the target enzyme was subsequently confirmed by surface plasmon resonance and studied with isothermal titration calorimetry. Since kinetic analysis indicated that 6-arylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines compete with the enzyme substrate ATP, inhibitor binding to the ATP-binding site was additionally studied with docking. Some of these inhibitors were found to possess antibacterial activity against membrane-compromised and efflux pump-deficient strains of E. coli. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE We discovered new ATP-competitive inhibitors of DdlB, which may serve as a starting point for development of more potent inhibitors of DdlB that could include both, an ATP-competitive and D-Ala competitive moiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Škedelj
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Emilija Arsovska
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tihomir Tomašić
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kroflič
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vesna Hodnik
- Biotechnical faculty, Infrastructural Center for Surface Plasmon Resonance, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Martina Hrast
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marija Bešter-Rogač
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Anderluh
- Biotechnical faculty, Infrastructural Center for Surface Plasmon Resonance, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Stanislav Gobec
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Julieanne Bostock
- Antimicrobial Research Centre and Instititue of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Chopra
- Antimicrobial Research Centre and Instititue of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Alex J. O'Neill
- Antimicrobial Research Centre and Instititue of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Randall
- Antimicrobial Research Centre and Instititue of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Anamarija Zega
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- * E-mail:
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Kroflič A, Sarac B, Bešter-Rogač M. Thermodynamic characterization of 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonium]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) micellization using isothermal titration calorimetry: temperature, salt, and pH dependence. Langmuir 2012; 28:10363-10371. [PMID: 22686523 DOI: 10.1021/la302133q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
A systematic investigation of the micellization process of a biocompatible zwitterionic surfactant 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonium]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) has been carried out by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) at temperatures between 278.15 K and 328.15 K in water, aqueous NaCl (0.1, 0.5, and 1 M), and buffer solutions (pH = 3.0, 6.8, and 7.8). The effect of different cations and anions on the micellization of CHAPS surfactant has been also examined in LiCl, CsCl, NaBr, and NaI solutions at 308.15 K. It turned out that the critical micelle concentration, cmc, is only slightly shifted toward lower values in salt solutions, whereas in buffer media it remains similar to its value in water. From the results obtained, it could be assumed that CHAPS behaves as a weakly charged cationic surfactant in salt solutions and as a nonionic surfactant in water and buffer medium. Conventional surfactants alike, CHAPS micellization is endothermic at low and exothermic at high temperatures, but the estimated enthalpy of micellization, ΔHM0, is considerably lower in comparison with that obtained for ionic surfactants in water and NaCl solutions. The standard Gibbs free energy, ΔGM0, and entropy, ΔSM0, of micellization were estimated by fitting the model equation based on the mass action model to the experimental data. The aggregation numbers of CHAPS surfactant around cmc, obtained by the fitting procedure also, are considerably low (nagg ≈ 5 ± 1). Furthermore, some predictions about the hydration of the micelle interior based on the correlation between heat capacity change, Δcp,M0, and changes in solvent-accessible surface upon micelle formation were made. CHAPS molecules are believed to stay in contact with water upon aggregation, which is somehow similar to the micellization process of short alkyl chain cationic surfactants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Aškerčeva 5, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Abstract
Precise measurements of electrical conductivities of methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben sodium salts in dilute aqueous solutions were performed from 278.15 to 313.15 K in 5 K intervals. Experimental conductivity data were analyzed applying the Quint-Viallard conductivity equations by taking into account the salt hydrolysis in aqueous solutions. These evaluations yield the limiting conductances of paraben anions and the dissociation constants of the investigated parabens in water. From temperature dependence of dissociation constants, the thermodynamic functions associated with the dissociation process were estimated. It was discovered that the contributions of enthalpy and entropy to the Gibbs free energy are quite similar. The Walden products of paraben anions in water are independent of temperature, indicating that the hydrodynamic radii are not significantly affected by temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Kroflič
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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