Solvents prepared from natural terpenes (menthol and thymol), as H-bond acceptors, and a series of organic acids (chain lengths of 8, 10, and 14 C atoms), as H-bond donors, were characterized and tested as reaction media for liquid–liquid extraction purposes. Due to their high hydrophobicity, they seem to be promising alternatives to conventional (nonpolar and toxic) solvents, since they possess relatively less toxic, less volatile, and consequently, more environmentally friendly characteristics. Assuming that the equilibrium is established between solvent and analyte during a ligandless procedure, it can be concluded that those nonpolar solvents can efficiently extract nonpolar analytes from the aqueous environment. Previous investigations showed a wide range of applications, including their use as solvents in extractions of metal cations, small molecules, and bioactive compounds for food and pharmaceutical applications. In this work, hydrophobic solvents based on natural terpenes, which showed chemical stability and desirable physicochemical and thermal properties, were chosen as potential reaction media in the liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) procedure for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions. Low viscosities and high hydrophobicities of prepared solvents were confirmed as desirable properties for their application. Extraction parameters were optimized, and chosen solvents were applied. The results showed satisfactory extraction efficiencies in simple and fast procedures, followed by low solvent consumption. The best results (98%) were obtained by the thymol-based solvent, thymol–decanoic acid (Thy-DecA) 1:1, followed by L-menthol-based solvents: menthol–octanoic acid (Men-OctA) 1:1 with 97% and menthol–decanoic acid (Men-DecA) 1:1 with 94.3% efficiency.

Selective separation and removal of a metal species from complex matrices of other species is of critical importance in separation sciences and especially in industrial processes. The selectivity and efficiency of Pb(II) ion removal from an aqueous solution in the presence of Ni(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) ions as competing ions in a multi-component aqueous source phase through bulk liquid membrane system were investigated. The influence of the palmitic and oleic acid as supporting surfactants in the membrane phase on the removal of Pb(II) ions was also analyzed. Dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 dissolved in chloroform, proved to be a selective and efficient carrier for Pb(II) ions. In the optimized procedure, 3 hours of equilibrium time was required to achieve the maximum removal efficiency. It was found, that removal of Pb(II) ions was achieved without significant reduction in the efficiency compared to the liquid membrane transport of a single-component system. None of these cations interfered with Pb(II) removal. The presence of the oleic and palmitic acid in the membrane phase increase the content of Pb(II) removed to the receiving phase. In optimal transport conditions, more than 97% efficiencies for the removal of Pb(II) were obtained for a system supported by oleic acid. The excellent efficiency and high degree of selectivity for the Pb(II) ion removal by the proposed BLM system, reveals its potential application for the selective removal, concentration, and purification of lead ions from its different mixtures.

Implementation of the "bulk liquid membrane" (BLM) system was investigated in terms of its efficiency for selective removal of heavy metal ions from natural resources and industrial wastewater. In this paper, the removal of lead (II) ions through a liquid membrane system and factors that influence the process were examined. The research was performed using the homemade transport cell. Two organic solvents were used as liquid membranes: 1,2-dichloroethane and chloroform. Metal ion concentration in aqueous phases was monitored by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry, after 4 hours of experiment. Macrocyclic ether (dicyclohexano-18-crown-6) was used as ligand for Pb (II) ions. The effects of nonionic surfactants (Triton X-100, Triton X-45 and Triton X-405) added in the receiving phase of BLM system were investigated. The results showed significant increase in transport rate compared to systems without surfactants. Considering the surfactant structure, transport rate of Pb (II) ions followed the order: TX-100 >TX-45>TX-405. Presence of TX-100 increased transport of Pb (II) ions up to 78% through chloroform and 58% through 1,2-dichloroethane.  

The conductometric study of ligand structure influence on the Pb(II) complexation with crown ethers in different solvents has been investigated. In this paper, the complexation reaction of macrocyclic ligand, 18-crown-6 (18C6), dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6), and Pb(II) cation was studied in different solvents: dichloromethane (DCM) and 1,2- dichloroethane (1,2-DCE). The effects of surfactant structure (Triton X-100 and Triton X-45) on the conductivity of the Pb(II) complex with 18-crown-6 and dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether have been investigated. The conductance data showed that the stoichiometry of the complexes in most cases is 1:1(ML). It is also demonstrated that the influence of crown ethers is deeply affected by the organic solvent used. In the solvents studied, the stability of the resulting complexes showed higher stability in dichloromethane comparing with 1,2- dichloroethane. Macrocyclic ligand 18-crown-6 showed more suitable for complexation of Pb(II) ions compared to dibenzo-18-crown-6. Adding a surfactant affected the higher absolute values of the conductivity of systems, but not the change in the stoichiometric ratio between a metal ion and macrocyclic ligand.

Among numerous techniques for successful separation and removal of metal cations, transport through bulk liquid membranes attracts special attention of researchers. In this paper, different ligands were applied as possible carriers for Cd(II) ions. Influence of substituents in macrocyclic ligands derived from 18-crown-6 reflected in decreased amount of transported Cd(II) ions, compared to 18-crown-6 (61,26%), in all used solvents, following the order: DCH18C6<DB18C6<B18C6<18C6. Addition of nonionic surfactants as possible carriers for Cd(II) ions within the liquid membranes also resulted with decreased transport rates, due to additional interactions of Cd(II) ions and carriers within the membrane.

Green Tea, made from Camellia sinensis plant leaves, is one of the most popular drinks in the world. For the past decades, scientists have studied this plant in terms of potential health benefits. Research has shown that green tea helps prevent stroke, malignancy and infections. In this paper, antioxidant activity and total phenol content of 4 samples of green tea from local Tuzla stores were investigated, of which two were of foreign origin. The antioxidant activity of the samples was analyzed using FRAP and DPPH methods. The obtained results show that the highest content of total phenols and the largest antioxidant capacity has a sample of foreign origin. The content of total phenols in the samples ranges from 60.01 to 79.34 mg GAE/g. The highest FRAP value is 3.34 mmol/g. The antioxidant capacity was also confirmed by the DPPH method. The IC50 value ranges from 0.014 to 0.030 mg/mL. Keywords-Phenol, FRAP, DPPH, Green Tea

The electrochemical methods are very good tool for determination of trace concentrations of various species in water samples. The analysis carried out using these methods are usually simple, fast and also the cost of the required equipment is much lower comparing to other instrumental methods. Furthermore, the electroanalytical methods are easy to automate and computerize. Among five major groups of these methods (potentiometry, voltammetry, coulometry, conductometry and dielectrometry), potentiometry and voltammetry attract the greatest attention of researchers. In this paper, experimental results of research related to development of procedures (voltammetric and potentiometric) for the determination of elements in environmental water samples were presented. Due to their common occurrence in environment and possible toxic effects on living organisms, vanadium and nitrate ions were selected for investigation. Optimization of voltammetric procedure for V(V) determination were carried out in matrix containing different surfactants and humic acids, using lead film electrode as a working electrode. Results showed that only nonionic surfactant Brij-35 did not interfere with the voltammetric signal. Other surfactants as well as humic acids reduced the signal, and possibility of their elimination with suitable resins were also investigated. Potentiometric measurements were consisted of preparation and determination of analytical properties of nitrate ion-selective electrodes with solid contact. The results showed that among three different membrane composition, the best response was achieved by membrane containing: Ni(Phen)2, THTDPCl, PVC and NPOE in the ratio of 1:2:33:64 wt. %, respectively. With the detection limit of 2.8 × 10-6 mol L-1, the working concentration range from 5 × 10-5 to 1 × 10-1 mol L-1 and a slope of -55.1 mV per decade, this electrode showed good selectivity to sulfate, acetate, carbonate, dihydrogen phosphate, fluoride and chloride ions, and also good potential reversibility.

Schiff bases and complexes are today the subject of many studies because of the established biological, inhibitor and catalytic properties. The aim of this paper is to investigate the interaction of Schiff base obtained by reaction of 2,2-dihydroxyindane-1,3-dione (ninhydrin) and the essential amino acid tryptophan with copper(II) ion. Spectral characterization and examination of the potential antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the synthesized complex were performed. The imine Cu(II) complex is characterized by FTIR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. Stoichiometric M:L ratio was determined by Joe and Yones method. Antioxidant activity was tested by DPPH and FRAP method. Antibacterial and antifungal activity was determined by diffusion technique on reference strains from the ATCC collection. The results showed that the synthesized Schiff base coordinates the Cu(II) ion as a tridentate ligand, in a molar ratio of 1:2 (M:L). The synthesized complex showed significant antioxidant activity. The antimicrobial effect of the Cu(II) complex in the case of S. aureus, E. faecalis, L. monocytogenes, B. subtilis and C. albicans was obtained, with inhibition zones of 11-20 mm.