Interaction of Te(IV) and Te(VI) with the soil matrix - Sorption and fractionation as a function of soil composition.

Tellurium is a technology-critical element (TCE), with relatively limited data on its behavior in the environment, especially the pedosphere. As with other TCEs, its more widespread use, especially in new energy sources, might lead to Te spillage during production or in the eventual waste. Investigation of tellurium's interaction with soil is a necessary step in the research into the physiochemical transformation and determining the mobility of different tellurium species.

Sample preparation - A crucial step to distinguish metallic and ionic platinum forms and their mobility in soil.

The study is focused on one of the technology-critical elements (TCEs), Pt in the context of distinguishing ionic from metallic forms and assessing sorption capacity of soil. Solid-liquid extraction, cross-comparison of the results of two determination techniques and two decomposition methods enable quantitative determination of the ionic form and, indirectly, NPs in soil and plants. Information about ionic form is obtained after sample digestion with conc.

Corrosion process of stainless steel in natural brine as a source of chromium and iron - the need for routine analysis.

The corrosion of the installations carrying high salinity water is particularly important in the case of utility and therapeutic waters, such as natural brine. The analysis of such complex systems is challenging in the context of routine analysis of Fe and Cr. Both elements can be determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry after only 1 : 100 dilution and liquid-liquid extraction (LOD = 0.

as a useful plant in bioremediation - studies of defense mechanisms and accumulation of As, Tl and PGEs.

Pollution of the soils with toxic elements is a serious problem all over the world. One of environmentally friendly techniques of their removal is phytoremediation. This paper is a summary of literature data and the results of own studies about the potential of for bioaccumulation of Tl, As and PGEs, and its usefulness in remediation of polluted environment.

Statistical evaluation of the effect of sample preparation procedure on the results of determinations of selected elements in environmental samples. Honey bees as a case study.

Honey bees became a frequently studied environmental research object due to the fact that they are considered as indicators of the environmental contamination with metals. Such studies require reliable methods of sample preparation that allow comparison of the results obtained in different laboratories. In this paper, different variants of sample preparation were examined, including washing, milling and mineralization.

Search for effective eluent for Pd separation on ion-exchange sorbent before voltammetric determination.

Determination of Pd traces in environmental samples is still a challenging analytical task. The aim of this study was to propose an efficient system (i.e.

Simplification of organic matter before voltammetric determination of Tl(I) and Tl(III) in water using nanostructured photocatalyst and solar light.

The crucial point of this study was to verify the hypothesis that both thallium species are not affected by the procedure of photolysis when it is applied as a method of simplification of sample matrix containing surfactants, and that this method of sample pretreatment leads to reliable results of Tl speciation analysis. It is important especially because of high instability of Tl(III), which makes partial reduction of Tl(III)DTPA complex unavoidable. After conservation of Tl speciation by addition of DTPA the photolysis assisted with nanostructured hierarchically organized film was performed using "solar lamp" (FeO/WO/FeO film, pH 6, 380-800 nm).

Comparison of the contents of selected elements and pesticides in honey bees with regard to their habitat.

The inspiration for this study was the anxiety of Warsaw beekeepers, who raised the question whether location of hives in large urban agglomerations results in changes in concentrations of xenobiotics, toxic elements, and micronutrients in honey bees. Preliminary studies required elaboration of the research methodology, as the studied object is characterized by a low degree of homogeneity and the method of sample preparation affects obtained results. From many tested approaches, the use of washed and milled abdomens of the bees is recommended.

Selective and sensitive electrochemical device for direct VB determination in real products.

The developed by us electrochemical device for vitamin B (VB; riboflavin) determination, without preconcentration step, in real products exhibits high sensitivity, selectivity, stability and low detection limit compared to those described in the literature. The determination procedure was based on the monitoring of the reduction current signal of VB bound with dsDNA anchored to the electrode surface through intermediary - carboxyphenyl layer. The application of such intermediary layer formed during electroreduction of appropriate diazonium salt at CV peak potential guarantees high efficiency of hybridization process and thus fully available places for VB interaction.

Overlapping toxic effect of long term thallium exposure on white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) photosynthetic activity.

Background: Heavy metal exposure affect plant productivity by interfering, directly and indirectly, with photosynthetic reactions. The toxic effect of heavy metals on photosynthetic reactions has been reported in wide-ranging studies, however there is paucity of data in the literature concerning thallium (Tl) toxicity. Thallium is ubiquitous natural trace element and is considered the most toxic of heavy metals; however, some plant species, such as white mustard (Sinapis alba L.

Direct speciation analysis of thallium based on solid phase extraction and specific retention of a Tl(III) complex on alumina coated with sodium dodecyl sulfate.

Alumina (AlO) with an average particle size of 63 μm was modified with the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and then applied to (i) solid phase extraction and separation of both thallium(I) and thallium(III), and (ii) preconcentration of Tl(III) from waste water samples. Only Tl(III), in the form of its complex with diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (DTPA), was retained on the sorbent, from where it can be eluted with 40 % nitric acid. Thallium species were then quantified by ICP MS.

Stability of Tl(III) in the context of speciation analysis of thallium in plants.

The paper presents both "good" and "bad" results obtained during speciation analysis of thallium in plant tissues of a hyperaccumulator of this metal. The object was white mustard - Sinapis alba L. In this plant there were found traces of trivalent thallium.

Alcohol consumption and quality of embryos obtained in programmes of in vitro fertilization.

Introduction: Infertility is defined as a state when a couple fails to conceive a pregnancy after one year of regular intercourse without the use of contraception. Alcohol consumption is one of the main stimulants which negatively affect the female and male reproductive system.

Objective: The objective of the study was analysis of the effect of alcohol consumption by the examined women on the quality of embryos obtained during in vitro fertilization programmes.

Thallium (III) determination in the Baltic seawater samples by ICP MS after preconcentration on SGX C18 modified with DDTC.

The main difficulty of speciation analysis of thallium lies in extremely low concentrations of Tl(III) in comparison to Tl(I), which is the dominating form of thallium in environmental samples. In this study, a sensitive method is presented for separation of trace amounts of Tl(III) from Tl(I) and preconcentration of Tl(III) using octadecyl silica gel modified with diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC). Under optimal conditions, only Tl(III) is retained on the sorbent, and then eluted with 96% ethanol.

Thallium speciation in plant tissues-Tl(III) found in Sinapis alba L. grown in soil polluted with tailing sediment containing thallium minerals.

Besides the dominant species in plants-Tl(I), noticeable amounts of Tl(III) (about 10% of total Tl content) were found in extracts of plants cultivated in the presence of tailing sediments, which are the main source of anthropogenic thallium already present in the environment. It is an important step of gaining knowledge about the detoxification mechanisms developed by Sinapis alba. This plant species is highly tolerant to Tl and it is able to cumulate high amounts of Tl and transport it into the above-ground organs.