Nitric acid

Abstract: The effect of oxidation on the structural integrity of multiwalled carbon nanotubes through acidic (nitric acid and a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide) and basic (ammonium hydroxide/hydrogen peroxide) agents has been studied. In order to purify the as-received material, a non-oxidative treatment (with hydrochloric acid) was also applied. Electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis clearly revealed that the nitric acid-treated material under reflux conditions suffered the highest degree of degradation, such as, nanotube shortening and additional defect generation in the graphitic network. Basic oxidative treatment led to the complete removal of amorphous carbon and metal oxide impurities but the structural integrity was found to be intact. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to confirm the different functionalities produced for each oxidation agent, whereas titration measurements determined the relative concentration of carboxylic functions onto the graphitic surface. Moreover, a general relationship between the chemical treatment and the amount of non-graphitic carbon was established by means of Raman spectroscopy measurements. The possibility of controlling the required amount of functionality, carboxylic and hydroxyl, via these oxidation procedures is discussed.

Abstract: In the present study, we report the systematic investigation of the effect of chemical oxidation on the structure of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by using different oxidants. The oxidation procedure was characterized by using infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The SWNTs were produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and oxidized with three kinds of oxidants: (1) nitric acid (2.6 M), (2) a mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid (98 wt %) and concentrated nitric acid (16 M) (v/v = 3/1) and (3) KMnO4. The results reveal that the different functional groups can be introduced when the SWNTs are treated with different oxidants. Refluxing in dilute nitric acid can be considered as a mild oxidation for SWNTs, introducing the carboxylic acid groups only at those initial defects that already exist. The abundance of the carboxylic acid groups generated with this oxidant remained constant along with the treating time. In contrast, sonication of SWNTs in H2SO4/HNO3 increased ...

Abstract: A series of activated carbons with different degrees of activation were oxidized with H2O2, (NH4)2S2O8 and HNO3 in order to introduce different oxygen surface complexes Changes in the surface chemistry of the activated carbons after their oxidizing treatments were studied by different techniques including temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), titrations with HCl and NaOH, measurements of the pH of the point of zero charge and catalytic dehydration of methanol Results showed that treatment with (NH4)2S2O8 fixed the lowest amount of both total oxygen and surface acid groups However, this treatment yielded the acid groups with the highest acid strength This could be because it favors fixation of carboxyl groups close to other groups, such as carbonyl and hydroxyl, which enhances their acidity

Abstract: Inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICPS) was used for the simultaneous determination of P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Na, Al, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Co, Mo and B in the nitric acid soluble portion of a variety of plant materials. Conditions for pre‐digestion, digestion and the requirement to grind cereal grain were investigated. Digestion with nitric and perchloric acids caused loss of K (due to the low solubility of potassium perchlorate) and B (due to volatilization). The accuracy of Fe and Na determinations using nitric acid digestion was dependent upon the type of plant material. The accuracy and precision of the proposed digestion and analytical procedure was confirmed by co‐operation in an interlaboratory quality assurance program using a variety of standard reference plant materials, and the analysis of National Bureau of Standards, Standard Reference Material 1571 (orchard leaves).

Abstract: In this study, the technical feasibility of coconut shell charcoal (CSC) and commercial activated carbon (CAC) for Cr(VI) removal is investigated in batch studies using synthetic electroplating wastewater. Both granular adsorbents are made up of coconut shell (Cocos nucifera L.), an agricultural waste from local coconut industries. Surface modifications of CSC and CAC with chitosan and/or oxidizing agents, such as sulfuric acid and nitric acid, respectively, are also conducted to improve removal performance. The results of their Cr removal performances are statistically compared. It is evident that adsorbents chemically modified with an oxidizing agent demonstrate better Cr(VI) removal capabilities than as-received adsorbents in terms of adsorption rate. Both CSC and CAC, which have been oxidized with nitric acid, have higher Cr adsorption capacities (CSC: 10.88, CAC: 15.47 mg g(-1)) than those oxidized with sulfuric acid (CSC: 4.05, CAC: 8.94 mg g(-1)) and non-treated CSC coated with chitosan (CSCCC: 3.65 mg g(-1)), respectively, suggesting that surface modification of a carbon adsorbent with a strong oxidizing agent generates more adsorption sites on their solid surface for metal adsorption.