Nuclear weapons fallout 137Cs in temperate and tropical pine forest soils, 50 years post-deposition.

Following nuclear releases to the environment, 137Cs (half-life 30 years) is a long-term contaminant of many ecosystems, including forests. We recently sampled soils under pine forests in temperate and tropical climates to test the hypothesis that migration of 137Cs, 50 years after nuclear weapons fallout, is coupled with organic matter (OM) accumulation in these soils. Depth profiles of 137Cs, naturally-occurring 210Pb and weapons-derived 241Am were measured. After 50 years, migration of 137Cs into the temperate and tropical soils is limited to half-depths of 7-8 cm and 2-3 cm, respectively. At both locations, most 137Cs is associated with OM that accumulated from the early to mid-1960s. Illite, which immobilises radiocaesium, was undetectable by X-ray diffraction in the layer of peak 137Cs accumulation in the temperate forest soil, but apparent in the zone of peak concentration in the tropical soil. Data indicate that long-term (50 year) fate of 137Cs in organic-rich, temperate forest soil is coupled with OM accumulation; fixation of 137Cs by illite is more important in the tropical forest soil where OM is rapidly decomposed. Models of long-term radiocaesium migration in forest soils should explicitly account for the role of OM, especially when considering forests under contrasting climatic regimes.

Antisolvent crystallization of pharmaceutical excipients from aqueous solutions and the use of preferred orientation in phase identification by powder X-ray diffraction.

Crystallization of lactose from 10% (w/v) aqueous solutions was investigated with the use of polar antisolvents. Crystal growth was observed at 50-65% antisolvent content and showed a morphological transition from a polyhedral to needle-like habit with increasing antisolvent content, which coincided with a polymorphic transition from alpha lactose monohydrate (Lα·H(2)O) to beta lactose (Lß). Where dehydrating antisolvents were employed such as methanol and ethanol, evidence of Lα·H(2)O dehydration to form Lα(S) was also observed at 95% antisolvent content. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis of the crystals highlighted the preferred orientation effects exhibited by large crystals of this kind, indicating the difficulties experienced by the non-specialist when performing phase identification of lactose polymorphs. The same studies were applied to raffinose pentahydrate, trehalose dihydrate and mannitol to assess the effects of crystallization conditions on other pharmaceutical excipients.

The in-situ solid-state NMR spectroscopy investigation of alcoholic lactose suspensions.

The polymorphic forms of lactose in alcoholic suspensions have been determined by (13)C CP-MAS NMR spectroscopy, employing hand-made glass inserts. Suspensions of alpha lactose monohydrate (Lalpha.H(2)O) with particle size between 2 and 200mum were prepared by 24h reflux or by storage for 28d in anhydrous ethanol without agitation. These suspensions were compared to an ethanolic sub-micron lactose suspension provided by a 3M Health Care (Loughborough). The (13)C CP-MAS NMR spectra indicated that Lalpha.H(2)O dehydrated to stable anhydrous alpha lactose polymorph (Lalpha(S)) whilst suspended in ethanol. In addition, strong ethanol (13)C resonances were observed for some samples, indicating a liquid-solid interaction between the ethanol and lactose surface. Replacement of ethanol with anhydrous methanol, n-butanol and 3-methylbutan-2-ol implied that the solvent mediated dehydration of Lalpha.H(2)O to Lalpha(S) occurs as a result of sterically controlled interactions.

The effect of particle size on the dehydration/rehydration behaviour of lactose.

Ethanolic suspensions of spray dried and micronized alpha lactose monohydrate (L(alpha)xH(2)O) with average particle size between 3 and 200 microm, have been prepared and their dehydration behaviour was investigated by (13)C CP-MASNMR spectroscopy. Sub-micron lactose suspension prepared by a novel high pressure homogenisation method has been compared with the standard ethanolic suspensions of (L(alpha).H(2)O prepared by reflux or static room temperature methods. In all cases, suspensions were shown to contain the stable anhydrous form of lactose ((L(alpha)(S)). Several approaches were employed to remove ethanol from these suspensions and the resulting dry lactose powders were then analysed by FT-IR, PXRD and SEM to evaluate the effect of drying procedure on type and distribution of lactose polymorphs and particle size. For samples with mean particle size greater than 1 microm, the stable anhydrous polymorphic form of lactose was retained on removal of the ethanol, although differences in the morphology and particle size of the crystals were apparent depending on method of suspension formation. Sub-micron (L(alpha)(S), while stable in dry conditions, has been shown to be less stable to atmospheric water vapour than (L(alpha)(S) with particle size between 3 and 200 microm.

The synthesis, full characterisation and utilisation of template-free silica sodalite, a novel polymorph of silica.

Empty glass: Subjecting ethylene glycol silica sodalite to heat (680 degrees C) under a nitrogen atmosphere (i) successfully removes the templating agent to give cubic silica sodalite, which, upon consequent heating under an oxygen atmosphere (ii), transforms into a rhombohedral form of the empty sodalite, in effect a novel polymorph of silica.

Lactose: a definitive guide to polymorph determination.

Lactose is a well-known molecule capable of forming a number of different polymorphs with varied chemical and physical properties. To date, no definitive guide for distinguishing between polymorphs using simple analytical techniques has been available. The information presented in this article aims to provide a conclusive guide for identifying the polymorphs of lactose and to successfully unravel years of contradictory research. Data have been collected on single phase polymorphs, prepared from an identical source, adopting the use of in situ and ex situ powder X-ray diffraction, CCD-Raman, FT-IR and (13)C-(1)H cross-polarisation magic angle spinning NMR (CP-MASNMR) spectroscopy, in order to provide simple methods to discriminate between the polymorphs.

Correlations between 9Be magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and the geometry of beryllium containing framework structures.

A range of sodalite framework structures containing beryllium with general formula M8[BeZO4]6X2; M = Cd, Zn, Z = Si, Ge and X = S, Se or Te have been synthesised. The structures of these materials, which contain a single beryllium environment, have been refined from powder neutron diffraction or powder X-ray diffraction data and the compounds further characterised using 9Be magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MASNMR). Spectra show a single sharp resonance for 9Be(OSi)4 in the chemical shift range +/- 1 ppm from 0.1 M BeCl2. Correlations between the Be-O-Z bond angles and the 9Be chemical shift are reported and show upfield shifts for larger angles as seen previously in MASNMR spectra for 29Si and 27Al.