Search

Four Schiff base molecules were synthesized from the condensation of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde with various amines having additional ligating centers, and the resulting products were characterized by analytical and spectral methods, and also by single crystal X-ray diffraction. 2-(beta-Naphthalideneamino)-2-methyl-1- propanol, 1, is orthorhombic, P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 9.918(1), b = 12.629(1), c = 10.416(1) Angstrom. 2(beta-Naphthalideneamino)-2-hydroxymethyl-1-propanol, 2, is monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 14.522(3), b = 9.723(2), c = 9.534(9) Angstrom, = beta 107.75(4)degrees. 2-(beta-Naphthalideneamino)-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol, 3, is monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 20.981(9), b = 5.943(3), c = 10.549(5) Angstrom, beta = 91.23(3)degrees. 2-(beta-Naphthalideneamino)-pyridine, 4, is monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 5.804(4), b = 17.363(2), c = 24.032(11) Angstrom, beta = 92.03(5)degrees. The molecular structures of these were found to be in extended conformation where the aromatic moiety is coplanar with that of the imine bond and the imine bond exhibited trans-geometry. The naphthyl moiety in each of these molecules is stabilized in quinoid form in the solid state. Interesting lattice structures were noticed owing to intermolecular interactions.

In order to understand the binding nature of the glycosylamines possessing imine functionality, a novel tetranuclear Ni(II) complex of N-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-4,6-O-ethylidene-beta -D-glucopyranosylamine having twisted Ni4O4 cubane core was synthesized and structurally characterized.

To study the impact of industrial pollution on the soil-to-plant uptake of fallout-radiocesium in a boreal forest ecosystem, four study sites were selected at distances of 7, 16, 21 and 28 km from the large copper-nickel smelter at Monchegorsk on the Kola Peninsula (Russia). At each site, soil and selected plant species were sampled from five plots and analysed separately for 137Cs and 40K. The data show that the root-uptake of 137Cs, as characterised by the median aggregated transfer-factor T(ag), decreased significantly (P0.05) with decreasing distance from the smelter for the plants Vaccinium myrtillus (from 0.023 to 0.007 m2 kg-1) and Empetrum nigrum (from 0.015 to 0.007 m2 kg-1), but increased for Deschampsia flexuosa (from 0.013 to 0.031 m2 kg-1). For Vaccinium vitis-idaea a significant trend for the T(ag) was not observed. The median 40K activity concentrations in these plants also decreased significantly (P0.001) with decreasing distance from the smelter for Vaccinium myrtillus (from approx. 140 to 20 Bq kg-1 dry wt.), Empetrum nigrum (from approx. 90 to 40 Bq kg-1 dry wt.), and also for Deschampsia flexuosa (from approx. 270 to 40 Bq kg-1 dry wt.). For Vaccinium vitis-idaea such a continuous significant trend was not observed. The results for the Cu-Ni polluted soils thus show: (1) that the soil-to-plant transfer of radiocesium can be significantly modified; (2) that these modifications are quite specific; and (3) that modifications of the uptake of potassium do not always correspond to those of radiocesium.

This work contributed to a joint research programme between the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute in the Arctic. Radioanalyses for plutonium isotopes were performed on more than 50 sediment samples, 12 algae samples and 19 fish samples. Plutonium concentrations in algae and fish samples, including fish meat, bone and liver, were low or in many cases below detection limits. Some differences in plutonium concentrations of sediments were found between different sampling areas. However, the concentrations were low. The Pu isotopic ratios were similar to those found in environmental samples generally when Pu is derived from global fallout or discharges from reprocessing plants. No local enhancement of plutonium contamination was found in the marine areas studied. However, the sampling locations represent only areas of free access; prohibited military areas of North-west Russia with potential pollution sources were not included.