The objective of present study was to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from several sources (fuels, traffic, landfills, coffee roasting, a street-food laboratory, building work, indoor use of incense and candles, a dental laboratory, etc.) located in Palermo (Italy) by using canister autosamplers and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. In this study, 181 VO...

SUMMARY Strains of two bacteria, a Pseudomonas and an Achromobacter, which grow with toluene, benzene or certain other related aromatic compounds as sole carbon source were isolated from soil. The use of aromatic compounds by these bacteria was an induced phenomenon. Toluene-grown organisms oxidized without lag toluene, benzene, catechol, &methyl-catechol, benzyl alcohol and, more slowly, o-and...

Water exists in two forms, para and ortho, that have nuclear spin states with different symmetries. Here we report the conversion of fullerene-encapsulated para-water to ortho-water. The enrichment of para-water at low temperatures is monitored via changes in the electrical polarizability of the material. Upon rapid dissolution of the material in toluene the excess para-water converts to orthow...

Regioselective methanesulfonylation of simple aromatics using methanesulfonic anhydride can be achieved over zeolite catalysts. For example, methanesulfonylation of toluene over various cation-exchanged zeolite beta catalysts affords higher para-selectivity in the synthesis of methyl tolyl sulfone than standard Friedel-Crafts methanesulfonylation utilising aluminium chloride.

Nine male volunteers were exposed to 2H8-toluene (200 mg/m3 for two hours during a workload of 50 W) via inspiratory air with the aid of a breathing valve and mouthpiece. Labelled toluene was used to differentiate between hippuric acid originating from exposure to toluene and hippuric acid normally excreted in urine. The total uptake of toluene was 2.2 (standard deviation (SD) 0.2) mmol, or 50%...

The levels of hippuric acid in the urine of people exposed to toluene vapour were measured by paper chromatography, direct colorimetry, high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography. The control was a similar group not exposed to toluene vapour. The values were analyzed statistically, conversion equations calculated, and the propriety of these equation discussed. Since the three...

Research findings concerning benzene, toluene, ethylobenzene, meta-, para- and ortho-xylene as well as styrene (BTEXS) emission at public cemeteries during All Saints' Day are presented here. Tests were carried out at town-located cemeteries in Opole and Grodków (southern Poland) and, as a benchmark, at the centres of those same towns. The purpose of the study was to estimate BTEXS emissions ca...

Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) surfaces were serially modified by the annealing treatment under Helium flow at 1000oC, the nitric acid treatment and again the annealing treatment under same conditions and their maximum adsorption capacities for benzene and toluene were measured and analyzed. The unmodified and modified MWCNTs werecharacterized by Fourier Tr...

The present study was concerned with the selection of suitable surfactant for the production of alpha amylase by Bacillus subtilis GCBM-25 in 250 ml shake flask containing 50 ml of fermentation medium. Different surfactants (laundry soap, detergent powder, sulphonic acid, acyle benzene sulphonic acid, liquid soap, Tween 80, sodium silicate, bath soap, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium lauryl ethe...