Ion-specific clustering of metal-amphiphile complexes in rare earth separations.

The nanoscale structure of a complex fluid can play a major role in the selective adsorption of ions at the nanometric interfaces, which is crucial in industrial and technological applications. Here we study the effect of anions and lanthanide ions on the nanoscale structure of a complex fluid formed by metal-amphiphile complexes, using small angle X-ray scattering. The nano- and mesoscale structures we observed can be directly connected to the preferential transfer of light (La and Nd) or heavy (Er and Lu) lanthanides into the complex fluid from an aqueous solution.

Anions Enhance Rare Earth Adsorption at Negatively Charged Surfaces.

Anions are expected to be repelled from negatively charged surfaces. At aqueous interfaces, however, ion-specific effects can dominate over direct electrostatic interactions. Using multiple surface sensitive experimental techniques, we show that surface affinities of SCN anions are so strong that they can adsorb at a negatively charged floating monolayer at the air-aqueous interface.

Transient Phase of Ice Observed by Sum Frequency Generation at the Water/Mineral Interface During Freezing.

We observed a transient noncentrosymmetric phase of ice at water/mineral interfaces during freezing, which enhanced the intensity of the IR-visible sum frequency generation intensity by up to 20-fold. The lifetime of the transient phase was several minutes. Since the most stable form of ice, hexagonal and cubic ice, are centrosymmetric, our study suggests the transient existence of stacking-disordered ice during the freezing process at water/mineral interfaces.

Beyond parent training: predictors of clinical status and service use two to three years after Scallywags.

The aim of this study is to investigate the predictors of clinical status and service use of a representative sample of children who participated in an innovative multicomponent intervention called Scallywags, a secondary prevention programme for young children at risk of developing conduct disorder. A representative sample of 81 families agreed to contribute to a longitudinal follow-up study two to three years after participation in the intervention. Results showed that participation in the programme was associated with a ;non-clinical' outcome for nearly 50% of children.

Restriction of the participation of copper in radical-generating systems by zinc.

Zinc was able to reduce the availability of copper for several radical-generating reactions: lucigenin-amplified chemiluminescence due to copper and hydrogen peroxide: copper-dependent ascorbate oxidation and its concomitant oxygen consumption: and copper-dependent benzoate hydroxylation. This was the case both in the presence of bovine serum albumin (when most zinc was protein-bound) and in its absence (when zinc was 'available'). Competition between zinc and copper for binding to the fluorophore calcein was also examined, and this allowed assessment of copper availability in several circumstances.