René Olier

Coadsorption at the air/water interface likely explains some pollutants transfer to the atmosphere: benzene and lead case

This study attempts to evidence a physical interfacial mechanism for the passing of some non-volatile harmful molecules from water, where they are dissolved, to the atmosphere. The idea developed here is that an organic substance, at its solubility limit, forms a surface layer whose properties induce the coadsorption of another dissolved substance; both are then able to pass to the atmosphere by a bubbling mechanism. Experiments were made with benzene close of its solubility limit in an aqueous solution of lead nitrate, which is non-volatile and normally does not adsorb at water surface. Coadsorption really occurred. The impact of such a mechanism on the environment is discussed.

Polyethylene glycol aggregates in water formed through hydrophobic helical structures

The present study was aimed at elucidating the mechanism of aggregation in water of hydroxyl-terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG) of low molecular weight (600 g/mol). The results from fluorescence spectroscopy at different temperatures were consistent with surface tension measurements, suggesting aggregate formation. Indeed, the process of aggregation is accompanied by an increase in the fluorescence emission of a hydrophobic probe. So, PEG aggregates in the form of internal hydrated helices covered with CH(2) groups are shown to yield hydrophobic regions. These regions created upon PEG aggregation in water and at a temperature close to 35°C result from a balance between H bonding and entropic effects. By providing the first experimental evidence for hydrophobic mediation of aggregation with OH-terminated oxy-ethylene chains of low molecular weight, this study highlights their surfactant-like behaviour.

Ab initio calculations on the electronic structure of the divalent lead-water complex.

We studied the electronic structure of the Pb (2+)-4H 2O system. Analysis of the complex orbital evidenced no mixing between the 6s lone pair orbital of the lead and the 6p orbital components. Moreover, we found that the HOMO is widely described by the mixture of the 6p components with the 7s valence orbital of the lead. This orbital shows an important elliptical electron charge density around the lead ion and opposite the direction of the short lead-water bonds. From these results, we demonstrated that the hemidirected conformation of the Pb (2+)-4H 2O system could be easily explained by the shape of the electron charge density distribution of the HOMO rather than by the stereochemically active character of the 6s (2) lone pair of lead electrons.

Enhanced metal adsorption on solid suspensions by organic molecules

This laboratory study mimicked the pollution of a suspension of silica beads, used as a crude model of sand, by naphthalene in mixture with carbofuran at first, and then by this mixture in association with a metal salt, Pb(NO(3))(2). The silica properties and the working conditions were such that they allowed us to only observe physisorption, which is the first and essential step of any adsorption mechanism. Naphthalene and carbofuran were, respectively, chosen as hydrocarbon and pesticide. Naphthalene adsorption from simple solutions is rather large compared to other organic adsorptions, and carbofuran seems to adsorb on a layer of naphthalene when the latter is mixed in solution with carbofuran. Like other organics, naphthalene favours the adsorption of lead ions, but ionic adsorption is considerably increased by the combination of naphthalene and carbofuran. The Wagner-Onsager-Samaras theory shows that the result implies a special organization of organic molecules at the interface. Conclusions about some environmental mechanisms of fixation, or release, of ions on sands in the case of simple physisorption are drawn from the study.