Home – Home – Jornals – Chemistry for Sustainable Development 2008 number 4

With U-Pb zircon dating, the ages of the Ul'degit (228 ± 1 Ma) and Chek-Chikan (203 ± 1 Ma) mafic massifs were determined. These massifs were earlier considered to form at the Early Precambrian stage of the geologic evolution of the Dzhugdzhur-Stanovoi superterrane. In geochemical features the igneous rocks of the massifs show relation with a within-plate source, on the one hand, and are similar to igneous rocks of subduction zones, on the other. They might have formed after subduction, which caused the intrusion of gabbroids of the Lucha massif (248 ± 1 Ma) and diorites of the Tok-Algoma complex (238 ± 2 Ma), followed by the fracturing of the subducted plate.

Geochemical studies of the ecosystems of 184 Siberian lakes in three largest zones of northern Asia (humid, arid, and semiarid) and in mountainous area were carried out. The contents of natural radionuclides, radiocesium, and rare-earth elements in conjugate components of the systems and the types of the main sources of the bottom sediment material have been determined.
Dating of the bottom sediments was made by the activity of radioisotopes ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb, which permitted estimation of the sedimentation rates in lakes in different regions of Siberia: 0.35 cm/year in the south and 0.25-0.3 cm/year in the north.
Six main ions have been determined in the waters of the studied lakes: Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, HCO^-₃, SO₄^2-, Cl^-.
The distribution of natural radionuclides in the stratified sections of bottom sediments of Siberian lakes evidences the stable sedimentation and characterizes their contents in the soils of water-catchment areas, which can be considered background contents there. Sediments enriched in organic matter have higher concentrations of U and lower ones of Th and K. The Th/K ratio in the studied bottom sediments is the same as in the soils. The Th/U ratios are somewhat lower than those in the soils because U is accumulated by chemogenic and organic components.
The overall ¹³⁷Cs pollution of bottom sediments of Siberian lakes is close to the global background (40 mCi /km² in 2000), but in the Altai Territory and Buryatia and Altai Republics it is twice higher. The uneven areal and temporal distribution of residual radiocesium is observed not only in the lacustrine sediments but also in the lake water areas.
The REE patterns of bottom sediments of different mineral types are similar to those of continental crust and clays of the Russian Platform, though organogenic and carbonate sediments have higher absolute REE contents than terrigenous ones. Pelitic fraction is the main REE concentrator in the bottom sediments.

The northeast of the Russian Arctic is a deep-water basin underlain by the Lomonosov and Mendeleev Ridges, with the Makarov basin in between. In most of this area, the water depth is ~1-4 km and the crust is thick (20-30 km), with a well-pronounced granitic layer. Therefore, some researchers regard this crust as continental. Others think that this is the oceanic crust, the same as that on the hotspots like Iceland in the Atlantic or Ontong Java in the Pacific. After their activity ceases, such structures must subside as a result of the crust and mantle cooling, in the same way as the oceanic crust on a spreading axis. As regards the Lomonosov and Mendeleev Ridges, they subsided in quite a different way. In the absence of volcanism, they remained near sea level, almost not subsiding, for a long time (at least 70 and 190 myr, respectively). In the late Early Miocene, these areas subsided rapidly and deep-water sediments overlay shallow-water ones. In the same epoch, the Makarov basin subsided rapidly, which also used to lie near sea level. Its subsidence was several times that which could have taken place over the same period of time as a result of lithosphere cooling on an extinct hotspot. Such tectonic movements were possible only for the continental crust. The data on the structure of the sedimentary cover preclude considerable lithospheric stretching in these areas. Therefore, the rapid subsidence is accounted for by the transformation of gabbro in the lower crust into denser rocks (garnet granulites and eclogites), catalyzed by infiltration of a mantle-derived fluid. Dense, deeply metamorphosed mafic rocks with a thickness of up to 10-20 km and P -wave velocities of ~8 km/s underlie the Moho in the area under study.

A microfossil assemblage has been found in the widely spaced (300 km apart) Baikit and Katanga areas (inner Siberian Platform) in stratigraphically coeval strata in the lower part of the petroliferous Kamo Group (Riphean). It comprises complex protists Tappania plana Yin; acritarchs Valeria lophostriata Jank., Satka sp., Lophosphaeridium sp., Pulvinosphaeridium sp., and Miroedichia sp.; porous vesicles of Tasmanites sp. and Osculosphaera sp.; vesicles with anastomosing processes, and spiral filaments of Obruchevella and Glomovertella . Siberian fossil microbiota is considerably more diverse than biota with Tappania protists known in Australia and China. A taxonomically similar fossil biota found 1500 km northeast of the well-studied Riphean section in the Olenek uplift suggests that the host rocks, too, are stratigraphically coeval. This permits refining the age of remains of the first complex eukaryotes from the inner platform and is an additional correlation criterion for the lower Kamo Group.

The peculiarities of the distribution of high-molecular normal alkylbenzenes in Vendian-Cambrian oils of the Siberian Platform were studied according to the GC-MS data. A predominance of high-molecular homologues with the odd number of carbon atoms in the molecule has been established. Possible biochemical precursors and the probable mechanism of formation of "odd" monoalkylbenzenes are considered.

The paper discusses modern views of the structure of the main producing plays in the southern Siberian Platform: Riphean, Vendian, and Lower Cambrian. The major zones of oil and gas accumulation have been distinguished. Forecast resources have undergone differentiated expert evaluation, and methods for their development have been recommended.

We discuss the results of a field experiment in the Malaya Botuobiya area (West Yakutia) at a site where earlier surveys revealed slowly decaying transient responses. That time-dependent voltage decay indicated magnetic viscosity effects associated with magnetic relaxation of superparamagnetic grains in rocks. In this study, we have applied a high-resolution array TEM survey to contour the anomaly and parametric soundings with systems of different configurations to explore the vertical pattern of magnetic viscosity. The parametric data have been inverted, by means of manual and automated fitting, with a reference model of a layered magnetically viscous earth, using, respectively, analytical formulas and simulation based on a forward solution by separation of variables. According to both automated and manual inversion, the section at the center of the anomalous site fits a three-layer earth model with an intermediate magnetically viscous layer between two nonmagnetic layers. This model is consistent with a priori evidence for local geology and might provide more details of the latter. The inversion results have been further used to estimate the volumetric percentage of superparamagnetic grains in the magnetically viscous layer, assuming magnetite to be the main ferrimagnetic phase.

On August 20, 1852, an earthquake caused widespread destruction in the city of Santiago de Cuba and its surroundings. A comprehensive search for contemporary documentation was made. The information gathered was used for a detailed analysis of the damage and characteristics of the earthquakes. Intensities were evaluated at 45 localities, and an isoseismal scheme has been drawn. Maximum intensity reached 8 degrees (MSK), and 6.4 was the estimated magnitude. Damage in the city of Santiago de Cuba has been studied in detail. The low quality of construction contributed to the damage. The total number of casualities was 2 dead and approximately 200 injured. The shock was felt within 80,000 km². The epicentre was determined as 19.75 N, 75.32 W, h = 30 km. This study shows that contemporary Cuban documents must be studied with care in their historical and cultural background to avoid overrating earthquake intensities.

The review presents the most active natural and synthetic compounds those exhibit antimycobacterial activity providing the minimum inhibiting concentration (MIC) ≤ 5 μg/mL. For better understanding the structure-activity relationship, compounds with a high value of MIC are considered in some cases. The review covers the papers published within the range of 2001-first half of 2009. The information in the review is systematized with respect to chemical structures (the nitrogen-, oxygen-, sulphur-containing heterocyclic compounds, peptides, alkaloids, terpenoids and others.).

Transformations of (-)-cis-verbenol epoxide 1 in the presence of montmorillonite clay containing different exchange cations were studied for the first time. It was demonstrated that the nature of a cation exerts a substantial effect both on the contribution from undesirable resinification and on the distribution of low-molecular products. The use of Co²⁺-containing montmorillonite clay allowed us to obtain a substantial (1.5 times) increase in the content of the target compound 3-methyl-6-(1-methylethenyl)cyclohex-3-ene-1,2-diol 2 in reaction mixture comparing to acidic montmorillonite clay species used earlier.

The bromination of peucedanine using different reagents resulted in the formation of 2-bromoreoselone. Via the reaction with the derivatives of piperidine and piperazine we synthesized 2-piperazino and 2-piperidino derivatives of oreoselone. Conditions were determined for the formation of 2-(1,3-dibromopropane-2-ylidene)-2Н-furo-[3,2-g][1]-benzopyran-3,7-dione. The interaction of the latter with tyramine resulted in obtaining bis(diaminophenethyl) derivative of furocoumarin. The amination of the mentioned dibromide with the help of spermine resulted in the formation of a macrocyclic compound containing both furocoumarin and polyamine fragments. The effect of novel oreoselone derivatives on the central nervous system was investigated.

Analysis of the structure-to-properties relations for the new derivatives of betulonic acid was carried out with the help of PASS program. Agents with potentially high antitumor, hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory activity were revealed among these compounds. Analysis of the possible mechanisms of the action of novel betulonic acid derivatives was carried out.

Acetylene derivatives of betulonic acid amide were synthesized. Their hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory activity was investigated. In the series of betulonic acid derivatives, two compounds with a substantial hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effect were revealed.

Effect of betulonic and [3-oxo-20(29)-lupen-28-oyl]-3-aminopropionic acids and their methyl esters on the morphology of kidneys of the C57BL/6 mice with transplanted Lewis pulmonary adenocarcinoma at the background of cytostatic polychemotherapy (cyclophosphane, adriamycin, vincrystine, prednisolone) and without it was investigated. It was established by means of morphometry that the introduction of betulonic and [3-oxo-20(29)-lupen-28-oyl]-3-aminopropionic acids and their methyl esters against the background of polychemotherapy and without it has a positive effect on the course of tubulointerstitial nephropathy as it reduces the degree of necrotic and dystrophic changes of epithelial cells of proximal tubules as well as reduces the edema of interstitial tissue.

Derivatives of labdanum triterpenoids - lambertianic and flomizoic acids and their esters, modified in the heterocyclic fragment of the molecule, were obtained. Their analgesic activity was investigated.

Data obtained in the investigation of the analgesic activity of monoterpenoid of the para-menthane series - 2-hydroxy-3-methyl-6-(1-methylethenyl)cyclohex-3-enone are presented. It is discovered that two its spatial isomers (2R,6S and 2S,6R) in the dose of 2.5 mg/kg exhibit high analgesic activity and to a substantial extent quench the development of pain syndrome caused by the introduction of acetic acid. With the hot plate model, a substantial effect of the absolute configuration of the terpenoid on the direction of action is demonstrated.

Results of the development of three original labdanum antioxidants based on the methyl ester of lambertianic acid, an available plant metabolite of Siberian pine Pinus sibirica R. Mayr. are presented. As a result of screening with the model of toxic CCl₄-hepatitis induced in mice, the agents surpassing the known flavonoid dihydroquercetin in the anticytolytic and anticholestase action. It is shown that under the conditions of hemodepression caused by the introduction of cytostatic preparation cyclophosphane to rats, the compounds significantly decrease leukopenia by increasing the number of granulocytes and monocytes in blood. At the background of cyclophosphane, the derivatives of methyllambertianate exhibit higher antioxidant activity than dihydroquercetin does. The azlactone demonstrates pronounced anticholestase properties. The pharmacological properties discovered in the new derivatives of lambertianic acid allow considering them as potential correctors of chemotherapeutical preparations.

Methods of the synthesis of a new group of acetylenic derivatives of lappaconitine were developed using Sonogashira reaction, starting from 5′-iodolappaconitine and terminal acetylenes in the system Pd(PPh₃)₂Cl₂-CuI-Et₃N. Terminal 1,3-butadiyne was introduced into lappaconitine molecule for the first time.

Synthesis of the derivatives of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazatetracyclo[5.5.0.0^3,11.0^5,9]dodecane is described; their biological activity is investigated.

Gel chromatographic investigation of the aqueous solutions of glycyrrhizic acid was carried out. A mechanochemical route to obtaining its compositions with poorly soluble pharmaceutical substances was developed, the characteristics of their aqueous solutions were studied, and their pharmacological characteristics were examined.

Results of the toxicological investigation in vivo and in vitro of nanosubstances and nanomaterials obtained at the Institutes of the Siberian Branch of the RAS are presented. It was established that, on the basis of acute toxicity value, the nanopowders of the oxides of aluminium, zinc, titanium, and carbon materials may be related to the class 3 (moderately toxic) or the class 4 (low toxicity), while nanopowders of copper correspond to the class 2 of toxicity. It is demonstrated through the in vitro investigation involving titanium nanopowder as an example that metal nanopowders can be highly toxic for various primary (healthy) cells but cause no death of cancer cells.

Antihypertensive and antiarrythmic properties of the complexes of glycyrrhizic acid (glycoside of licorice roots), glycosides of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (stevioside, enzymatically treated stevioside SWETA and rebaudioside), arabinogalactan (polysaccharide of Siberian Larch) with propranolol, amiodarone and nifedipine were investigated. It was established that all the studied complexes of nifedipine except the complex of nifedipine with rebaudioside at the molecular ratio of 1 : 4 are promising for further pharmacological examination. The complex of propranolol with glycyrrhizic acid at the molecular ratio of 1 : 4 in the dose of 0.0025 mg/kg is also distinguished; it demonstrated good antiarrythmic activity. In the case of complexes with amiodarone, it may be concluded that complexing of this pharmacon with carbohydrate-containing plant metabolites used in our experiments does not lead to the desirable decrease in efficient dose but, quite contrary, worsens its antiarrythmic effect.

p-Thyrozole is characterized as a prophylactic and medicinal agent for veterinary and medicine. Natural sources and methods of obtaining synthetic p-thyrozole are considered. Data on its toxicity, pharmacological activity and physicochemical properties are reported.

Regeneration of cadmium deposited by electrolysis on carbon fibrous electrodes during processing ammine rinsing solutions from cadmium plating due to the performance of the short-circuited electrochemical system or anodic dissolution is investigated. Changes of the properties of carbon fibrous electrodes during their cyclic use in the processes of cadmium electrodeposition-dissolution and the possibility of their repeated use were examined.

Results of the investigation of composition and content of the flavonol complex in Aconogonon alpinum (All.) Schur which is widespread in the Altay are reported. The above-ground part of the plants contains glycosides: astragalin, quercetrin, avicularin, hyperoside, quercetin-3,7-diglucoside, rutin, myricitrin, and aglycones: kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin. The concentration and qualitative composition of flavonols in the plants collected in the phase of mass blooming in the Ust-Kan District of the Republic of Altay (meadow steppe, 293 km along the road to Tuekta village) were investigated by means of HPLC. Due to the high content of flavonols (up to 10.35 %) and the rich qualitative composition, A. alpinum can be used as a source of these very valuable compounds with high biological activity and low toxicity.

Regio- and diastereoselectivity of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 4-methoxybenzonitriloxide to α,β-unsaturated esters of α-D-xylo-pentadialdo-1,4-furanose depending on the geometry of the double bond and the method of generation of nitriloxide is studied.

Physicochemical and biological properties of the composite calcium phosphate chitosan coating are investigated. It is shown that the introduction of chitosan increases the concentration of the amorphous phase composed of nanosized particles; an increase in its concentration leads to changes of the thickness and roughness of the coating. It was revealed that during obtaining the composite coating by means of electrochemical deposition, chitosan and Са-Р get deposited onto the surface of titanium substrate interchanging chaotically and mutually supplementing each other, with the formation of a net structure. The СаР/Ch composites modulate in vitro and in vivo the functional activity and differentiation of stromal stem cells in the osteogenic direction, due to which they are promising in the aspect of developing new class of implants for orthopaedics and traumatology.

Complex processing of the oil-containing flotation leucoxene concentrate accompanied by recoating the organic fraction was investigated. In order to obtain the pigment titanium dioxide concentrate from the leucoxene concentrate, reducing roasting with petroleum coke was used, at the temperature of 1100-1150 °C.

Results are presented concerning the studies on the physicochemical properties of a bacterial cellulose film, obtained by culturing the symbiotic acetic-acid bacteria Acetobacter xylinum and the yeast of genus Brettanomyces, Zygosaccharomyces, Saccharomyces. A block diagram is presented for the production and purification of the cellulose from impurities. High consumer properties of bacterial cellulose are demonstrated. Sorption properties were determined with respect to ε-aminocaproic acid and sea buckthorn oil. Prospects were estimated concerning the application of bacterial cellulose gel films in order to create transdermal therapeutic systems.

As the result of the aerodynamic separation of non-magnetic cenosphere fraction, we obtained and characterized narrow homogeneous fractions differing in chemical composition, bulk density (0.195-0.396 g/cm³), average diameter (133-153 μm), thickness (3.1-7.6 μm) and the porosity of globule shell. Regularities in the relationship between the composition and morphology of the globules were established. After processing the product of aerodynamic separation by a reagent based on hydrofluoric acid we obtained a microspherical carrier with available internal volume and pore size ranging within 1-5 μm. Basing on this, we obtained a microspherical adsorbent with an active component triisobutyl phosphine sulphide for selective palladium extraction within a wide range of concentrations (3.6-360 mg/L) from corrosive media.

Role of mineral suspended particles and the intensity of plankton reproduction in the sedimentation processes of the removal of Cu, Pb and Cd from water in a polluted water reservoir were studied by means of mesomodelling. Under the action of metals, the structure of the natural phytoplankton community gets rearranged, which leads to gradual increase in the total number of organisms and an increase in their fraction in settling sediments. This is accompanied by an increase in the concentrations of metals in sediments, likely due to the higher biosorption in comparison with metal sorption on mineral suspended particles.

A systematic study was performed concerning decomposition kinetics for 3-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, 2,6-dinitrophenol effected by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of iron (II) and (III). Relative reactivity was established for the mentioned dinitrophenols during oxidative degradation.

Complete chemical composition of surface water, drainage solutions and the substance carried off in the aureole of scattering at the Urskoye tailing dump was investigated. The regularities of the migration of heavy metals were revealed in connection with the increasing distance from the pollution source. It was established that storing high-sulphide waste material in non-fixed piles resulted in dissemination of the material and therefore caused the formation of the aureole of scattering. It was discovered that the water of a natural brook draining the waste material get mineralized and acidified. In the lower part of the dump, the acid water of the brook contacts the peat material of a marsh-field. At the site where the brook flows into the Ur River (a tributary of the Inya River), the acidic Fe-Al sulphate water of the brook get mixed with the fresh Са-Mg hydrocarbonate water of the river. As a consequence, the metal content of the river water increases sharply, while the recovery of water composition in the Ur River down to the background level occurs at a distance of 5 km from the mouth of the drainage brook. It was established that as a result of the gravitation differentiation the substance near the dump is enriched with larger and heavier fractions, while light-weighed finer particles are carried off along the ravine. The maximal Fe and Cu content in the carried-off waste material is confined with the sulphide material. Uliginous substance interstratified with organic residues and is characterized by increased Zn and Pb content. It was discovered that the element content of buried peat is comparable with their concentrations in the waste material overlapping the peat.

Highly efficient catalysts based on intermetallic compound Ni3Al obtained by self-propagating high temperature synthesis were investigated. Catalytic tests in the course of carbon dioxide based methane reforming were carried out at atmospheric pressure within the temperature range of 600-950 °C. It was established that the activity of intermetallic compounds increases with increasing the nickel content in the system. The methods of SEM, EDX, HRTEM, EDAX, XRD, and DSC proved that exposing high temperature values and severe redox medium in the course of the reaction results in an insignificant destruction of catalysts' initial structure with the formation of carbon deposits with ordered structure and fibrous morphology, which does not prevent the methane-to-synthesis-gas conversion reaction to occur.

Formaldehyde electrocatalytic oxidation of was studied on a copper-containing catalyst placed in an electrochemical cell. The effect of catalyst on the  formaldehyde oxidation when changing parameters such as solution flow rate through the reactor, wherein the catalyst was placed, power density supplied and interelectrode spacing.

Results are presented concerning the cause of destructing the molybdenum containers those are used in sintering the pellets of fuel uranium dioxide. An effect of niobium ion implantation on changing the microstructure and mechanical properties of molybdenum was studied. It was demonstrated that niobium prevents the formation of carbide, nitride and oxide phases near molybdenum grain boundaries, thereby causing an increase in the operational reliability.

Mechanochemical treatment of pyrocatechin and natural gallocatechins with amorphous silicon dioxide leads to an increase in the rate of silicon dioxide dissolution as a result of the formation of chelate complexes. On the basis of model systems, we propose a mechanism of the interaction of polyphenols with silicon dioxide including the interaction of hydroxyl groups on the surface of silica with polyphenols and the formation of surface complexes. Starting from the proposed mechanism, we developed a procedure for the directed hydroxylation of the surface. Its application causes an increase in the process efficiency.

For the example of the Nizhnekansk granitoid massif as an assumed ground for burying highly radioactive wastes (HRW), the application of the geoecological approach for choosing the matrices for long-term burial of HRW in granitoid massifs allowed us to choose the minerals specific for granitorids; these minerals are able to include definite fractions of radionuclides isomorphically. The matrix materials similar to the structural types of frame feldspar and feldspathoids (to bury ^{135, 137}Cs and ⁹⁰Sr), as well as zircon, monazite, cosnarite (NZP), apatite, sphene (to incorporate actinides and lanthanides) correspond to the principle of the physicochemical compliance of the matrix with the enclosing rocks of granitoids, which will allow one to provide geochemical equilibrium during long-term burial of HRW in a granitoid massif. We demonstrate the possibility to obtain these mineral-like materials of the predictable structural type with the application of promising polyfunctional porous materials based on the readily available raw material - hollow aluminosilicate microspheres (cenospheres) from volatile ash generated in the combustion of thermal coal.

The concentrations of flavonoids in 76 plant species of 25 families growing at the territory of the Novosibirsk Region are investigated. It is established that the flavonoid content exceeds 3.0 % in 33 investigated plant species. The habitats and terms of collection are reported for the plants which are promising for use as the sources of flavonoids. It is discovered that the maximal amount of flavonoids is present in the representatives of Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae families.

Zinc content in abiotic components (soil-forming rocks, natural water, soil) and in the plants of the forest-steppe, steppe, dry steppe and flood-plain landscapes of Transbaikalia is investigated. A complicated character of zinc distribution in environmental objects is revealed: zinc content in soil-forming rocks and soils of steppe and dry steppe landscapes approximately corresponds to the clarke, while in the rocks and soil of forest-steppe landscapes in is 0.4-0.7 of the clarke level. It is established that the deficit of zinc (20-80 %) in the vegetation of steppe, meadow and agricultural landscapes is characteristic of the majority of the investigated territory.